World War III

"It doesn't take the most powerful nations on Earth to create the next global conflict. Just the will of a single man."

- Vladimir Makarov

World War III (abbreviated WWIII or WW3, also referred to as Third World War) was a fictional conflict between Ultranationalist Russia and countries including the United States of America, United Kingdom, France and Germany. This conflict began when Russian forces invaded the United States, in response to the Massacre at Zakhaev International Airport. The United States was initially caught off guard by the attack, but were able to hold several key positions. The initial invasion is the basis for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, whilst the events of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 revolve around the international conflict sparked by the Russian invasion of Western Europe and the battles that occur in New York, London, Paris, and Berlin.

International tension and buildup
After winning the Second Russian Civil War, the new Ultranationalist regime in Russia adopted an aggressively hostile foreign policy towards the United States. A new Cold War emerged as the two powers looked again at each other with suspicion. One of the main intelligence operations during this period was the recovery of a downed ACS module held in an Ultranationalist controlled base in Kazakhstan by Task Force 141 members John "Soap" MacTavish and Gary "Roach" Sanderson.

Massacre at Zakhaev International Airport
"The Russians ain't gonna let this massacre go unanswered. It's gonna get bloody."

- Lt. Simon "Ghost" Riley.

Vladimir Makarov, a well known terrorist since 2001 and Russian Ultranationalist, personally leads the attack at Zakhaev International Airport. Makarov, Alexei Borodin (who is actually PFC Joseph Allen, a U.S. Army Ranger chosen to participate in a C.I.A. deep cover mission by General Shepherd) and 3 other Ultranationalists (known only as Kiril, Lev, and Viktor) assault Zakhaev International Airport and slaughter civilians, Russian airport security guards, and internal troops. Makarov, eventually found out the true identity of Borodin. When they were preparing to escape, he killed him and then left his body behind in order to give the appearance that the operation was planned and carried out by the United States. The Russian government, upon seeing the use of American made weapons (such as the M240 and M4A1 ), English speaking terrorists (Makarov instructed the group to speak "No Russian"), and the body of an American, were lead to believe that the massacre was supported, armed, and carried out with the approval of the United States government. The President of the Russian Federation, Boris Vorshevsky, claimed those who committed the attack would be held responsible.

"Following the Shell"
Resolved to clear the Americans of the massacre, Task Force 141 discovered that the ammunition had come from Alejandro Rojas. Captain MacTavish and his team tracked the arms dealer to Rio De Janeiro. After capturing and interrogating Rojas' right hand man, TF 141 traced him to the Favela, where after a furious footchase, Rojas was captured. Unable to get extraction due to the Russian invasion (Brazil having denied the US access to its airspace), MacTavish called Nikolai to provide transportation out of the city. The team barely escaped as the militia gangs converged upon them.

Invasion of Virginia
Following the assault at Zakhaev International Airport, Russia Declares war on the United States by launching a surprise attack on the eastern seaboard of the United States. Russian aircraft were able to penetrate American radar defenses because of a recently retrieved module. Upon duplicating the module, Russian forces were able to hack the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) system to give the illusion that an attack was happening on the West Coast, while concealing the real attack against the East Coast.

During the initial stages of the attack, US Army Rangers and Marines were scattered as Russian aircraft managed to drop many paratroopers and significant ground support. The 1st Battalion 75th Ranger Regiment, the closest regiment to Washington D.C., headed to secure a crashed High-Value Individual codenamed Raptor in Northern Virginia. The squad encountered heavy resistance including BTR-80's, Mi-28 Havocs, and many Russian troops. The Rangers were able to extract Raptor and inflict heavy casualties on the Russian attackers in the process.

Most targets by the invading Russian Forces included other East Coast cities such as Jacksonville, Florida and all the way up to New York City. Some areas and buildings on the East Coast that were attacked by the Russians included the C.I.A. Headquarters in Langley, Virginia; Camp David; and the Pentagon.

Despite the invasion, neither the US or Russia have resorted to the use of nuclear weapons. Following the extraction of Raptor, the Rangers continued to push through Northern Virginia en route to Washington D.C.. Heavy fighting ensued in a community named Arcadia, where the Rangers, along with a Stryker ICV (callsign: Honey Badger), were buying valuable time for any remaining civilians to evacuate.

The regiment was also tasked with extracting another High Value Individual from a house on Brookmere Road. The HVI was found dead upon their arrival, apparently killed by Ultranationalist terrorists disguised as his guards. Upon investigating the safe-house, no evidence of struggle is found. One of the HVI's guards was found to have Russian prison tattoos on his chest. Shortly after, the soldiers continued their trek to Washington D.C.

Counter-Strike in Pacific on Russia
After escaping South America, Task Force 141 had found out that Makarov had ties to prisoner named "627" in a Russian gulag. The team took out a line of oil rigs that were being used as SAM sites to clear the way for the U.S. Navy and rescued the oil workers who were being held hostage. Phase two of the operation was assaulting the gulag itself. After fighting their way into solitary confinement, MacTavish was surprised to find out that #627 was Captain John Price. The team barely escaped the prison before the US Navy bombarded it into oblivion.

The Battle of Washington D.C.
The massive Russian military force managed to take control much of the eastern seaboard of the United States, including Washington, D.C. The main priority of U.S. forces in the capital was to evacuate as many civilians as possible, then regroup and retake the city. However, Russian armor and SAM sites delayed the evacuation, and eliminating those threats proved to be crucial to ensuring evacuation.

Sgt. Foley and his squad-mates entered the Department of Commerce to provide sniper support for the Washington Monument evacuation site. Private James Ramirez, using an M82 .50 caliber sniper rifle with a Thermal Scope, assisted the team by taking down Russians armed with Javelin missile launchers.

Later, the team uses the Javelins to destroy any opposing helicopters and BTR's. Now that the civilians could be safely evacuated, the Rangers were now on the offensive. The team was picked up by Navy SEALs in Black Hawk helicopters headed to the World War II memorial, a Russian stronghold, before tearing it to pieces. During the process, the Black Hawk was shot down by SAM's atop the Department of Justice. The Rangers crash-land just southwest of the White House.

At the same time the squad's helicopter crashed, Task Force 141 operators assaulted a Russian submarine base with the intent of destroying a nuclear submarine. Captain John Price, however, commandeers the sub and launches a nuclear missile. Price intends to detonate the missile in orbit, creating a desperately needed EMP over the entire Eastern seaboard of the United States, disabling all electronics.

At the crash site, the severely outnumbered Pvt. Ramirez, Cpl. Dunn, and Sgt. Foley continued to fight against Russian ground forces. Meanwhile, in orbit, an astronaut, referred to as Sat1, stationed in the International Space Station, observes a fast-moving object in the sky. As both Houston and the ISS try to figure out what the bogey is, the missile explodes, creating an EMP and destroying the ISS, killing Sat1.

On the ground, as the situation for the American forces look hopeless, the pulse reaches the entire Eastern Seaboard, disabling most Russian and American electronics. Now with their advantage removed, their forces scattered in the ensuing chaos and relief of new combat vehicles thousands of miles away, the Russian forces began losing territory. As Russian forces began closing in on the crash site, they were thrown into disarray when their own fighter planes and attack choppers began falling to the ground, an intended result of the EMP.

In the ensuing chaos, Foley's squad managed to escape. They soon learned that Colonel Marshall was assembling a task force at the Whiskey Hotel, intended to recapture the White House.

The regiment decided to join the other American soldiers to secure the White House. During the assault, an emergency broadcast is heard declaring that because of radio blackout Washington D.C. is assumed lost to the Russians, and the United States Air Force is commencing a carpet bomb of the city. Hearing this message, the team desperately fought their way to the roof of the White House and deployed green flares to indicate the White House has been retaken.

At the last second the airstrike is called off. Flares are lit on the tops of other national landmarks, indicating that the American forces have succeeded in holding Washington D.C. Corporal Dunn claims that he would like to burn Moscow to the ground after the devastation in Washington, foreshadowing a possible counter-attack by the Americans.

The Hunt for Makarov and Shepherd
After the Battle of Washington. General Shepherd sent TF 141 to the last places Makarov and his terrorists could hide. A team lead by Simon "Ghost" Riley and Gary "Roach" Sanderson attacked a safehouse on the Georgian-Russian border, while Captains Price and MacTavish infiltrated an arms deal at U.S. Vehicle Disposal Yard 437 in Afghanistan. The Safehouse proved to be a goldmine, where the plans for the airport massacre had been drawn up. The team held out until a DSM transfer on Makarov's computer could be completed. Ghost and Roach fled with the DSM against the counter-attacking Ultranationalists, where Shepherd was waiting for them. After getting the DSM, Shepherd had both men killed to cover his own tracks.

Meanwhile Soap and Price escaping an ambush set up by Shepherd took advantage of infighting between Shepherd's Shadow Company and Makarov's men and escaped the Boneyard.

Killing Shepherd
Having learned from Makarov where Shepherd was, Soap and Price (now labeled war criminals) infiltrated the general's headquarters at Site Hotel Bravo. Fighting their way through the base they eventually chased Shepherd by boat. When Price took down the helicopter that Shepherd tried to escaped in the boat fell from a waterfall to the ground below. In the ensuing fight, Soap killed Shepherd with the same throwing knife the general had stabbed him with. The two then escaped with Nikolai to a safehouse in Northern India.

Post Washington
There were mixed responses by the international community. During the invasion of Northeastern Virginia, the Brazilian Government refused to allow US forces access through their airspace. It is unclear how America's traditional European allies initially responded to the invasion until their own countries were attacked in Russia's European offensive 2 months later.

It eventually became apparent that General Shepherd was the architect of the war. He had hoodwinked everyone: the Russian government, the American government, and even Makarov himself. General Shepherd sent Allen to participate in Makarov's massacre knowing that Makarov would set America up. He even deliberately downed the satellite with the ACS so the Russians could get through America's perimeter defenses.

He did all of this to test America's true military might. The only person who caught on was Captain Price. He observed Shepherd's unwillingness to let Task Force 141 set off an EMP, despite the fact that Shepherd was well known for doing what was always necessary to win.

The Himachal Pradesh Incident
Hours after killing Shepherd, Price and Nikolai arrived at the compound with the wounded Soap, but as he was being treated, Makarov's forces assault the compound. Loyalist rebels, including one named Yuri, hold them off while Price and Nikolai evacuate Soap. After escaping the compound, the group decides to continue pursuing Makarov.

The Battle of New York
After the US victory of the Battle of Washington D.C., US forces have reclaimed much of the eastern seaboard of the United States and pushed the remaining Russian forces onto coastal cities all along the eastern US. For the Battle of New York, Russian forces are dug in and have the advantage with the Russian Navy only a few miles from the New York shoreline, the arrival of new vehicles and aircraft, and a radar jamming system on top of the New York Stock Exchange jamming all US ground force communications and rendering US aircraft to be unable to locate and destroy vital enemy positions. Delta Force unit Metal is ordered to assault the fortified stock exchange and destroy the radar jamming system.

After fighting fierce Russian resistance on Wall Street and the stock exchange, Metal successfully destroyed the jamming system and then extracted by a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter. While manning the Black Hawk’s mini-gun, Delta Operator Sgt. Derek "Frost" Westbrook shot down a number of Russian Mi-24 attack helicopters who were in pursuit. With the jamming system destroyed, US F-15s are able to destroy a number of key enemy positions all throughout the city, giving US ground forces the momentum they need to push the remaining Russian ground troops back all the way to the shoreline of New York.

Following their next orders, Metal is to intercept a Russian Oscar II-class attack submarine which is armed with a number of ballistic missiles. The submarine is ordered to level the entire eastern seaboard of the United States if the Russian ground forces are forced back into the sea. With much of their naval fleet destroyed or scattered all around the world, the US cannot be able to engage the Russian Naval fleet directly. With this in mind, Metal is ordered to intercept the submarine along with a detachment of Navy SEALs, force the submarine up to the surface, board and eliminate its crew, then use its missiles to destroy the enemy fleet.

Frost, Sandman and their team of Deltas, swam through the flooded, submerged Brooklyn Battery Tunnel and into New York Harbor. There they rendezvous with a team of SEALs and continue toward their objective. The depths of the harbor are filled with mines and the player is instructed to navigate around them using a mine imaging sonar device.

After successfully passing through the minefield, the team then plants charges on an enemy submarine. The charges detonate and the submarine is forced to surface, allowing the team to board. Frost and Sandman enter through the sub's access hatch and fight their way up to the bridge. The two of them breach the room, killing all the sailors within and their captain. From the bridge, Frost and Sandman are able to launch the Russian's missiles against their own fleet. Metal then boarded a Zodiac watercraft that the SEALs put in place, and they made their escape as the battle for New York Harbor rages around them. They are then extracted by a CH-46 Sea Knight and flown away from Manhattan. With the Russian fleet destroyed, the Russians had no choice but to retreat back to Russia.

Makarov's Plan
During the 2 months after the Russian military invasion of the United States fails, Makarov plans a massive terrorist/military blitzkrieg attack on the cities and capitals of Europe with the goal of Russia being the supreme ruler of the continent. To achieve this goal Makarov secretly procures a large arsenal of deadly chemical weapons, aided by African Militia in Somalia and Sierra Leone, to be used as a first strike weapon on many key military and government installations throughout Western Europe. Makarov also persuades large numbers of top Russian generals and politicians to take part in his massive military campaign and coup d'état against Russian President Boris Vorshevsky. Using the Russian peoples’ belief that their war against the US is still justified, and viewing Vorshevsky’s peace agreement as an act against the Russian people a large majority of the Russian military side with Makarov.

Picking Up the Trail
Yuri informs Price and Soap (who is by now fully recovered from the events of Endgame) about Makarov's interest in shipping weapons from Africa to Europe. The group (still retaining the title Task Force 141), infiltrates a factory in Sierra Leone. Fighting their way to the factory they arrived at the package, but arrived too late to stop the package from leaving.

Surprise Attack
An anonymous tip reaches British Intelligence MI6 about a shipment of mysterious cargo entering London, they immediately alert their interior security force MI5 to investigate. The head of MI5 asks SAS to find out what the Russians are up to. Bravo Team attacks the assembly area on the docks in London where the trucks were seen leaving from. A number of SAS soldiers, including Sgt. Marcus Burns, and Sgt. Wallcroft pursued fleeing Ultranationalist terrorists through the London Underground, emerging outside Parliament and stopping one suspected truck. However, the truck was revealed to be a decoy, and the other remaining trucks explode, blanketing the city with a deadly chemical agent.

Using his Ultranationalist terrorist cell Inner Circle to secretly smuggle and transport the chemical weapons to other targets, Makarov's men detonate the bombs simultaneously attacking many military bases and intelligence headquarters such as GIGN Headquarters in France, Ramstein Air Force Base in Germany, and etc. After the bombs detonate, Russian military forces under Makarov swiftly takes the advantage and attacks the confused and scattered NATO forces, overwhelming many of the defenders in several European cities. Most of Eastern Europe and Germany is in Russian hands within hours. Advance Russian air and armored units even reached as far as Lyon and Paris.

NATO Response
Realizing the NATO delegation was trapped in Hamburg, Delta Force was sent to retrieve the US Vice President. They joined the assault to counter the Russians in the city, coming under heavy fire. Fighting their way through the streets, Delta Force, supported by tanks and a battalion of Marines, was able to reach the convoy, which was empty. Team Metal then went inside a nearby building and breached and cleared the room where the Vice President was taken hostage, and secured transportation out of the city. NATO forces were able to hold onto France, Italy and Spain by the end of the day; however most of Europe ended up in Russian hands.

Finding Waraabe
After getting intel from his former mentor, MacMillan, Price and Task Force 141, assaulted a Somalian shipping company under a man named Waraabe. The assault goes well especially given air cover by Nikolai, and a remote chopper gunner controlled by Yuri. Waarabe was found and interrogated, revealing he never dealt with Makarov but with a man named Volk. Satisfied, Price kills him. The team flees from the African Milita, and a sandstorm, on their heels. Nikolai's helicopter is shot down and the team races to save him from the Milita. The team finally flees from the area on jeeps.

The Battle of Paris
Delta Force was told of Volk's whereabouts in Paris and told to aid the much depleted GIGN in finding the bombmaker. Team Metal lands on Montmartre Hill in the city, which is still "dirty" from the gas attack. The team fights its way to GIGN's position who are down to only seven men. The combined team fights its way to Paris' sewers and makes it to the catacombs. Moving onward the team finally reaches Volk who flees to a gray sedan. Borrowing a GIGN van, Team Metal gives chase, avoiding T-72's, UAZ-469's, and Mi-24 Hind's. Finally Volk's car is disabled and the man is dragged out and put in custody by Sandman.

Unfortunately, their intended LZ was compromised when the V-22 Osprey that was supposed to extract them was shot down. They then fought their way to the secondary LZ, receiving crucial air support from an AC-130 which paved a corridor for Team Metal to escape. The Delta Force unit took a short cut via the U.S. Embassy. Eventually the team, using two jeeps reached the secondary LZ, on a bridge near the Eiffel Tower on the Seine River. Just as they arrived, however, the first jeep was knocked out by a T-90, and the team came under coordinated attack by Russian infantry, tanks, and SP guns. Just as they ran out of ammo, an dangerously close air strike by A-10's destroyed the enemy armor and troops. The strike, however, toppled the Eiffel Tower. As the team escaped by helicopters, other air strikes eliminated other Russian positions around the collapsed tower as American and French helicopters continued on to other hot spots in the city.

Infiltration of Prague
Getting valuable information from Volk, Sandman tells Price that Makarov will be meeting with his advisors at the Hotel Lustig in Prague. After dark, and under the cover of a heavy rainstorm, Price, Soap, and Yuri slowly infiltrate the city. The Czech Resistance, under the command of Kamarov, helps the team by attacking Russian forces as a diversion. Yuri and Soap battled their way to a church overlooking the hotel, where they prepared for Makarov's arrival.

Assassination attempt on Makarov in Prague
After arriving at the church, Soap and Yuri set up for sniping. Price, meanwhile, took up position at the top of the hotel, and Kamarov waited inside to give the signal for the assassination to start off. Several hours pass before Makarov arrives, but after sunrise, he finally arrives in a convoy of BTR-80's and armored SUV's.

Unfortunately, things went awry when Kamarov did not respond on his radio (he had been captured by Makarov's guards inside the hotel, who then placed him into an elevator while strapped to a chair with C4). Not realizing this, Price, Soap, and Yuri continued on with the assassination. Soap and Yuri eliminated several guards on the hotel's balcony with their sniper rifles. Price then went inside and eliminated further resistance on the floor which he was in. However, Kamarov appeared in the elevator that pulled up to his floor, and apologized to Price for compromising the assassination. Makarov then detonated the C4 on the sergeant, though Price escaped in the nick of time.

Makarov then acknowledged Soap's and Yuri's presence by calling Yuri 'friend'. He then detonated concealed C4 at the church tower which Yuri and Soap were at, though the duo jumped out in time. Both fell several dozen meters, but while Yuri hit the ground with only minor injuries, the fall reopened Soap's knife wound and he started to bleed profusely. Price took the mortally-wounded Soap, with Yuri providing covering fire, to a Resistance safehouse, where Soap told Price of Yuri's connection with Makarov, before he died. Angered by Soap's death, Price punched Yuri down a staircase, where at the bottom, he demanded information of his connection to the terrorist leader.

Yuri then explained that he was a former Ultranationalist, who befriended Makarov and was present at Price's and MacMillan's assassination attempt of Imran Zakhaev, the detonation of the nuclear bomb at Al-Asad's capital which killed 30,000 U.S. Marines, and at the Zakhaev International Airport massacre, which he tried to stop but was found out, betrayed, and shot by Makarov and left to die as punishment. Price then told Yuri that he had "bought himself some time".

Infiltration of Karlstejn near Prague
Yuri tells Price of an old Czech castle that Makarov used in the past. After informing MacMillan of Soap's death and receiving information of the castle from MacMillan, Price and Yuri then infiltrated the position with parachutes. They slip past the patrols and get inside the castle where they learn that Makarov's men know that Alena Vorshevsky is in Berlin. Price and Yuri then fight their way out of the castle; using planted C4, they are able to create enough confusion to escape alive, by parachuting off the castle.

The Battle of Berlin
Delta Force pinpointed Alena Vorshevsky's location in the city at a hotel. Team Metal, along with several other teams riding in MH-6 Little Birds, flew into the war-torn city. Team Onyx's helicopter was shot down before it arrived at the landing area. Team Metal fought its way to the roof to provide overwatch as Team Granite attempted to find Alena. A-10's were used to provide ground support against Russian armor. Team Granite, however, ran into a booby trap, and was eliminated, forcing Team Metal to go after Alena themselves. German Leopard 2 tanks provided support while Team Metal advanced down the street. The Russians fell back only to cause an entire building to implode, crashing down on the American-German column. The German tanks were destroyed, while Team Metal was able to escape the kill zone. Delta Force rushed to save Alena from being captured, but arrived too late as she was taken away by a Mil Mi-24.

Saving the Vorshevskys
Tracking the helicopter to a diamond mine in eastern Siberia, Team Metal and Task Force 141 assaulted the Ultranationalist outpost, which was serving as one of Makarov's main tactical bases. They battled their way down the mine, supported by a UAV, helicopters, A-10's. After heavy fighting, and the downing of the UAV, Alena was found in a torture room and was taken for medical evac. The team continued on, found the president and rescued him before he could be executed. The force fought its way out, but immediately faced a counterattack by dozens of Ultranationalist troops. The evac chopper arrived, but as the mine began to collapse, Team Metal stayed behind to buy time for the chopper and Task Force 141 to escape at the cost of their own lives.

Peace
President Vorshevsky arrived back in Moscow and made immediate plans for peace with NATO. The peace treaty was finally signed between Russia and NATO, effectively ending World War III and relations between NATO and Russia developed into friendship and peace. Vorshevsky also started reconciliation with the Loyalists, assuring them that their safety was guaranteed and offering them key positions in newly established Ultranationalist-Loyalist coalition government. His assurance also allows the Loyalists to safely return to Russia which increased friendship and peace between NATO and Russia with the new Ultranationalist-Loyalist government.

Notable military operations

 * Invasion of Virginia
 * Russian victory
 * Outbreak of World War III
 * Russians seize control over Northeastern Virginia
 * Battle of Washington D.C.
 * US victory
 * US regain control of D.C.
 * Himachal Pradesh Incident
 * Indecisive
 * VIP escorted to safety
 * more than a hundred killed civilians
 * India declares war on the Ultranationalists
 * Battle of New York City, United States
 * US Victory
 * US regains control of New York City
 * Russian forces are forced to evacuate the US East Coast, ending the invasion.
 * October 6, 2016 Terrorist Attacks, all across Europe
 * Inner Circle victory
 * Hundreds of rigged trucks and etc. filled with deadly chemical weapons killing thousands of civilians in the targeted countries cities
 * targeted nations declare war on the Utranationalists
 * Battle of Paris, France
 * French/US victory
 * Codename: The Wolf captured
 * Eiffel Tower destroyed
 * Prague Uprising
 * Russian Victory
 * "Soap" MacTavish killed
 * Russian forces eventually withdraw
 * Battle of Berlin, Germany
 * Russian turned American/German victory
 * Codename: Athena captured by Russian soldiers
 * American forces withdraw from Berlin
 * Russian forces eventually withdraw
 * Battle in the Siberian Mine, Russia
 * American-Task Force 141 Victory
 * Vorshevskies rescued
 * Deaths of Sandman, Grinch, and Truck
 * Peace Treaty signed
 * Relations between NATO and Russia develop into friendship and peace
 * Loyalists re-join the Russian government and create coalition government with Vorshevsky's government
 * Friendship and peace increase between NATO and Russia

Radio Traffic during the invasion of America
Russo-American War Radio Chatter