Battle for Los Angeles

The **Battle for Los Angeles** was a major conflict between the Committee of National Renewal and the National Legion led by the American People's Party, that lasted from February 18, 2043 onwards. The battle marked the beginning of the wider American Legionary War, and also prompted the coup d'état which toppled President Mark Milley two weeks into the conflict.

During the battle, the National Legion expanded its forces to control the majority of the region of California, whilst also consolidating forces under its banner into structured military groups. The legion benefited from the defection of the 7th West Coast Naval Squadron in April 2043, which allowed it to become a full naval power in the emerging American Legionary War; similarly, the defection marked the beginning of a wider schism within the United States armed forces, which forced acting president Michael Gilday to resign from office only a month after seizing power, though he remained as head of the Committee of National Renewal.

## Background

Following the tied 2040 presidential election, a constitutional crisis emerged after the chambers of Congress were stormed by protestors during a contingent election on January 6, 2041. Despite the rescue of members of Congress by the armed forces, General Mark Milley ordered all members of Congress to be relocated to military bases across the country, effectively preventing them from electing a new president. On January 20, 2041, Alexandria Raines' presidential term expired and Senate president pro-tempore Robert Menendez became acting president through constitutional succession. Menendez's ascent to the presidency was met by mass protest and political crisis, and in September 2041, the armed forces conducted a coup d'état which placed General Mark Milley as president.

On November 19, 2042, former president Alexander Turpin was shot by a government agent during a pro-democracy rally in Arizona, prompting spontaneous riots to occur against military forces in major liberal cities; whilst Turpin survived the assassination attempt, the notion that the government would go as far as to attempt to kill former presidents caused widespread outrage across the country. In response to the government's actions, major trade unions called for a general strike, whilst the American People's Party urged citizens to attempt an insurgency against the government. On December 11, 2042, army forces in Washington state launched a mutiny against the Committee of National Renewal and pledged loyalty to APP leader Emma Robertson, who founded the National Legion as a paramilitary force to encompass soldiers loyal to her party - the National Legion expanded on December 14th with the defection of the staff of Los Angeles Air Force Base, followed by Naval Base San Diego and Training Fort Irwin on December 17th.

## Battle

### Phase One (Feb - March 2043)

#### Initial Attacks

Whilst initially consolatory towards the National Legion, President Mark Milley ordered the destruction of the faction during a committee meeting in January 2043 and launched an attack on Los Angeles Air Force Base on February 18, 2043. During the Battle for Los Angeles, the Air Force launched an attack under the command of Lt. Col. Graham Arnem against the National Legion base in the city, with the 135th Air Division launching waves of *F-22A Raptor* fighter jets, *Northrop Grumman B-21 Raider* bombers, and a series of *AC-130J Ghostrider* attack planes in a bid to gain air superiority in the city. Despite possessing a smaller supply of planes, National Legion forces under the command of Master Sergeant Joanne Bass succeeded in repelling government forces after launching a cyber attack which crippled Air Force technology, whilst also utilising several squadrons of *F-35A Lightning II* and *F-16 Fighting Falcon* fighter jets to repel Air Force planes from the region in the evening of February 19th.

With the failure of the 135th Air Division to reclaim Los Angeles Air Base, the CNR redirected the 17th Air Wing to aid in the attack on the National Legion. On February 23, 2043, President Mark Milley gave a televised ultimatum to the National Legion to surrender, threatening to bomb the city of Los Angeles if the group did not stand down its forces, which was received with a mixture of derision and outrage from various groups; the APP and National Legion called the move a "strategic bluff" and mocked the "weakness" of Milley, whilst elements within the loyalist armed forces decried the threat as a "concerning assault on innocent civilians". On February 28, 2043, the 17th Air Wing launched a bombing campaign against the city of Los Angeles which lasted for four hours between 11am and 3pm, whilst divisions from the 135th Air Division launched a second attack on Los Angeles Air Base to draw away the National Legion from being able to protect the city; during the attack, an estimated thousand Americans lost their lives and millions of dollars worth of damage was wrought, whilst several dozen servicepeople from both sides were killed in action.

#### 2043 Coup d'état

 Main article: 2043 United States Coup d'état
Following Mark Milley's authorisation of military force against innocent civilians during the Battle for Los Angeles in February 2043, several senior military figures within the Committee of National Renewal privately expressed their discontent with Milley's leadership, with several members of the Patriotic Movement for America alliance penning a letter to President Milley to express their concern with his leadership on March 2, 2043. On March 3, 2043, President Milley held a conference with members of the CNR to gauge levels of internal opposition to his leadership of the junta; during the meeting, armed forces director Michael Gilday and deputy chairwoman Elise Stefanik both expressed concern at the use of military force against civilians but were condemned by Milley and vice president Mike Pence for undermining the CNR. In the evening of March 5th, armed forces in Washington D.C. locked down the city under the guise of routine drills and closed all access to the city. Under the command of Admiral Michael Gilday, a squad of Marine Corps soldiers stormed the White House at 8:34pm and arrested President Mark Milley in a coup d'état, whilst Vice President Mike Pence was arrested at 8:42pm at his office in Number One Observatory Circle. Following his arrest, Milley was stripped of his position as chairman of the CNR, chairman of the Joint Chiefs, and as president of the United States, with all three titles being assumed by Admiral Gilday.

#### Continued Conflict

With the toppling of President Mark Milley on March 5, 2043, President Michael Gilday paused military operations in Los Angeles upon taking office as president and commander-in-chief and removed Lt. Col. Graham Arnem from his position at the head of the 135th Air Division. On March 7, 2043, Gilday and National Legion leader Emma Robertson released a joint statement denouncing the use of force against civilians and pledged to only focus on "legitimate military targets" during their conflict, as well as imposing a week-long ceasefire to allow the injured and dead to be taken out of Los Angeles. Despite the ceasefire, the Committee of National Renewal moved the 7th West Coast Naval Squadron (7th WCNS) under the command of Rear Admiral Cedric E. Pringle into the California channel islands with the aim of implementing a naval blockade of National Legion forces - in retaliation, the National Legion formed the 1st Legionary Naval Squadron under the command of Admiral James A. Kirk, and launched the squadron from San Diego Naval Base to perform counter manoeuvres. After a week long naval standoff in the island chain, the cruiser LNS *Mobile Bay* (CG-53) opened missile fire on the *Arleigh Burke* class destroyer USS *John Finn* at 11:05am on March 15, 2043, sinking the USS *John Finn* at 11:25am following a brief naval battle. Simultaneously, the cruiser LNS *Princeton* (CG-59) launched an attack against the destroyer USS *Michael Murphy* at San Nicholas Island, similarly using missile technology to sink the USS *Michael Murphy* after a short encounter. With the loss of the USS *John Finn* and the USS *Michael Murphy*, President Michael Gilday ordered the reassignment of the USS *Gerald R. Ford* aircraft carrier to reinforce the 7th West Coast Naval Squadron, and gave a broadcasted demand for the surrender of the National Legion, though this was ignored.

### Phase Two (April 2043)

#### April Campaign

On April 3, 2043, the combined 7th West Coast Naval Squadron moved towards Los Angeles and launched a bombardment of the city, whilst the USS *Gerald R. Ford* launched its company of 30 *F/A-18E* fighter jets over the city to intercept National Legion air forces, whilst 32 *F Super Hornet* multipurpose jets were also launched to bomb strategic infrastructure, such as roads and satellites, in order to slow the response of the National Legion. Simultaneously, the 17th Air Wing launched a third attack on the Los Angeles Air Base under the command of Lt. Col. Hamish Agnew. Amid the conflict, Master Sergeant Joanne Bass coordinated National Legion air force responses to the attack, deploying multiple successive waves of *F-35A Lightning II* and *F-16 Fighting Falcon* fighter jets in a bid to retain air superiority, though Legionary forces were largely restricted to the Los Angeles Air Base due to their numerical disadvantage. Following a series of dogfights and air-to-air combat, superior National Legion tactics allowed them to successfully repel much of the 17th Air Wing, whilst Lt. Col. Agnew was killed in a drone strike against his command post in Nellis Air Force Base on April 4, 2043, leaving the U.S. Air Force severely crippled in its ability to continue the airborne campaign. With the 17th Air Wing largely taken out after only a day of fighting, the National Legion instead turned to coordinating forces against the 7th West Coast Naval Squadron, which had been left in unchallenged control over Los Angeles as the 1st Legionary Naval Squadron encountered readiness issues. On April 5, 2043, the 1st Legionary Naval Squadron launched an attack against the 7th West Coast Naval Squadron, with the cruisers LNS *Mobile Bay* and LNS *Princeton* launching attacks against the West Coast Squadron's destroyer compliment under escort from the LNS *Frank E. Petersen Jr.* and LNS *Daniel Inouye*, whilst the *Virginia*-class nuclear powered attack submarines LNS *Montana* and LNS *Oregon* launched torpedoes against the *Lewis B. Puller*-class expeditionary mobile base USS *Miguel Keith* and the *San Antonio*-class amphibious transport dock USS *Portland* in a bid to disrupt the resupply abilities of the West Coast Squadron, successfully sinking both ships. Simultaneously, the National Legion's air contingent engaged in areal combat against the USS *Gerald R. Ford*'s air forces, leading to a mass areal battle in the skies above Los Angeles; during the conflict, a U.S.A.F. *F/A-18E* fighter jet crashed into the flight control bridge of the USS *Gerald R. Ford*, severely injuring several key members of the fleet's command.

#### Mutiny of the 7th Squadron

With resources depleted, both fleets pulled back from the conflict in the evening of April 5, 2043, with the 7th West Coast Naval Squadron taking up base in the California channel islands. Whilst the West Coast Squadron was docked in the channel islands, a mutiny led by Captain Anthony Brane succeeded in taking control of the USS *Gerald R. Ford* and forcing Rear Admiral Pringle from command on April 10, 2043; following the successful mutiny on the USS *Gerald R. Ford*, mutinies occurred on other ships within the West Coast Squadron between April 10 and April 12, 2043, whilst the USS *Carney* and the USS *Chafee* separated from the fleet to return to the Untied States Navy. On April 14, 2043, Captain Anthony Brane placed the remaining 7th West Coast Naval Squadron under the command of the National Legion at a formal ceremony with National Legion leader Emma Robertson, with the original 1st Legionary Navy Squadron merging with the 7th WCNS to become the 1st Legionary Fleet. Under the new 1st Fleet, the National Legion proclaimed the California coast as being it's territorial waters, whilst the presence of the newly renamed *Gerald R. Ford*-class aircraft carrier LNS *Freedom* in the waters effectively meant that the U.S. Navy could not retake the coast without incurring significant losses to important assets; despite the eruption of the American Legionary War, the Committee of National Renewal never attempted to retake California by naval force.

## Aftermath

The defeat at the Battle for Los Angeles was a highly symbolic loss for acting president Michael Gilday and the Committee of National Renewal, and prompted further dissent within the ranks of the United States armed forces; on April 28, 2043, military governors Gen. Adrian Brookes, Gen. Lachlan Davis, and Lt. Gen. Anne Royals of Nevada, Oregon, and Washington State respectively formed the Committee of the Extraordinary National Legionary Armed Forces (CENLAF) before placing their committee under the wider control of the National Legion. On May 15, 2043, acting president Gilday announced his pending resignation from his position as president, and the holding of a presidential election by the Committee of National Renewal to begin a civilianisation of the government - whilst Gilday remained as chairman of the Committee of National Renewal, and thus the *de-facto* leader of the country, his move to civilianise the government and the election of Richard Perry as president on May 17, 2043 were seen by contemporaries as important steps in the move towards the restoration of constitutional order in America. Moreover, Gilday's resignation of the presidency was seen by some as an attempt to placate the National Legion's demands for democracy in a bid to prevent the escalation of the conflict into a full war - despite this, National Legion leader Emma Robertson rejected the authority of President Perry and instead continued to court defections from senior members of the United States military, which in turn saw the eruption of the American Legionary Conflict, though the Battle of Los Angeles is retroactively considered to have been the first battle of the conflict.

## See Also

* Committee of National Renewal
* American People's Party