ASAHI NO NISHISEI - Rising Sun Goes West (1)

Operation Olympic 2

Flagship Akagi CDC

F-35C fighter jets, after completing their air strikes, land one after another on the angled deck of the Akagi. The arresting hook deployed from the F-35C's tail was caught by the arresting wire on the flight deck and landed, forcing the plane to slow down. The arresting wires installed on the Akagi-class aircraft carrier were purchased from the United States, as were the catapults.

"There are still no enemy signals over the factory zone."

The E-2D Hawkeye early warning aircraft, which was continuing to monitor the skies above, reported to the flagship Akagi. Since all of the dragon riders stationed in the area had gone to the Battle of Iloa Sea, they had already seized control of the airspace in this city.

"Alright, commence landing operation!"

Landing Craft Air Cushion (LCAC) and AAV7s jumped out of the well docks of the transport vessel Ōsumi and amphibious assault ship Oga and Kojima upon the order of Rear Admiral Hasegawa, the fleet commander.

Comprised of the Shimabara, which is operating as a separate unit, and the Oga and Kojima, which are part of the operation to occupy McTayle, the Shimabara is the first amphibious assault ship of the Maritime Self-Defense Force, with the lead ship entering into service in 2021. The idea of Japan possessing an amphibious assault ship has existed since relatively early on, with the then Minister of Defense inspecting the US Navy's Wasp-class amphibious assault ship, USS Makin Island, in 2014. Especially for Japan, an island nation with numerous remote islands, the possession of an amphibious assault ship capable of transporting ground troops simultaneously was originally an urgent necessity, coupled with China's efforts to expand into the ocean.

Later, due to the Sino-Japanese clash over the Senkaku Islands and the outbreak of the East Asia War, the construction period of these vessels was accelerated, and they were commissioned during the war. Although they were built for the purpose of recapturing remote islands in Japan, during the East Asia War they were engaged not only in transporting troops to remote islands in Japan, but also in deploying and landing troops on the Chinese mainland and the Korean Peninsula.

Sandy beach near the factory area in McTayle City

LCACs carrying various vehicles and personnel transport modules owned by the JGSDF and USFJ landed on the beach at McTayle with the same momentum of running over the sea. Then, an amphibious task force of the JGSDF and an infantry group consisting of US Marines set foot on the destroyed factory zone. In addition, three V-22 Ospreys took off from the deck of the transport ship anchored at sea, carrying an additional infantry group. After landing on the beach, the V-22s unloaded their personnel and then took off again, flying back and forth between the ship and the beach, landing personnel one after another.

"Gather all survivors in one place! If they resist, show no mercy, suppress them by force!"

The collapsed factories were in ruins, and the wounded, still breathing, were huddled in their places. The infantrymen who had landed on the ground were being met by Type 89 armored combat vehicles and Type 16 mobile fighting vehicles landed by the LCACs, and AAV7s that had landed from the sea, using them as shields as they advance inland.

"Damn you... devils!"

"Take this—GAH!"

Occasionally, armed guards would appear in front of them, but those who showed any intention of resisting were mercilessly killed by the Type 89s and the machine guns mounted on the AAV7s. The factory zone, which had already lost its ability to resist the overwhelming destructive power of the enemy, and without the protection of the Imperial Army, lost many of its weapons and was already under control, was completed without delay in a few hours.