For more information on the real-world counterpart, see People's Liberation Army on Wikipedia. |
The People's Liberation Army[4][5] was the unified military force of the People's Republic of China, comprised of both the ground units of the Chinese Army[6][7] and the Chinese Navy.[8] It was the principal foe of the United States Armed Forces during the Sino-American War of the Resource Wars, and was the first to unleash nuclear weapons during the Great War, pressed against the wall by the United States. Despite the defeats suffered, it was considered to be one of the best fighting forces on Earth as late as 2077, by foes no less.[9]
The PLA is referred to by a number of alternative names, such as the Chinese Red Army[10] or just Red Army.[11] A fictionalized version of the People's Liberation Army, renamed to the Red Vipers, are the antagonists of the American Armor Ace and the Power Patrol television cartoon, led by the Subjugator, the "Secretary of Oppression."
Background[]
Part of a series on |
China |
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Politics |
Chairman Cheng · Communism · Sino-American War |
Military |
People's Liberation Army (Iron Army, Crimson Dragoons, "Ghost Fleet") · People's Republic of America · Chinese remnants · Operation Trinitite |
Technology |
Stealth technology (Stealth armor) · Liberator · Yangtze-class submarine · Warmachine |
Other |
Military vehicles |
Answering to Chairman Cheng, the People's Liberation Army played a crucial role in maintaining the nation's influence worldwide. They played a pivotal role in the Resource Wars, responsible for fighting the United States and its armed forces during the Sino-American War, from the initial invasion and occupation of Alaska in 2066 to a defensive war in mainland China in the wake of the 2074 American invasion.[12]
Great War[]
When it became apparent that the United States would not stop until China was completely destroyed, China launched its nuclear weapons. At 09:13 EST, the Integrated Operational Nuclear Detection System detected the first four missile launches and the United States went to DEFCON 2. Four minutes later, NORAD confirmation sealed the fate of the world. At 09:26 EST, the President ordered a retaliatory strike according to scenario MX-CN91.[13] As American weapons were launched, Chinese nukes hit Pennsylvania and New York at 09:42 EST. By 09:47 EST, most American facilities started going offline.[14] Submarines that penetrated coastal waters also launched their SLBMs, such as the Yangtze-31.[15] The East Coast had minimal advance warning, as nuclear strikes first hit the West Coast.[16]
The attack took the United States by surprise, resulting in mutually assured destruction. Both sides ceased to exist,[17] with the nuclear bombardment devastating American cities and states.[18] Most of the East Coast north of West Virginia was turned into a blasted, lifeless wasteland,[19] with strategic locations like industrial Pittsburgh turned into hellish landscapes plagued by nuclear fallout and chemical contamination.[20][21] The PLA's strategic forces focused in particular on Washington, D.C., the American seat of power, with the severity of the bombardment leading to rumors that it was nuked flat.[22] Within two decades, the region became known only as the Capital Wasteland,[23] known for its poisonous mists,[24] and utter desolation that managed to drive even the most loyal soldiers to flee.[25] Other targets that suffered particularly hard were Los Angeles, the Californian West Tek research center, and Salt Lake City, hit with 13 warheads and turned into an unrecognizable moonscape.[26][27] In a particularly severe case, California's Orange County was obliterated and turned into a coastal bay.[28]
Some secondary targets, like Las Vegas and the adjacent Nellis AFB, escaped destruction. The PLA's nuclear arsenal was unable to overcome the missile defense set up by Robert House and centered in Lucky 38; 68 of the 77 warheads aimed at the Mojave were disabled or shot down.[29]
Aftermath[]
The War severed contact between PLA forces outside China and their command. Covert operations on American soil found themselves leaderless and without a clear purpose. Some, like Chief Station Xi of the Fujiniya Intelligence Base, ordered his men to leave and assimilate with the local population to continue their struggle independently.[30] Some took their own lives,[31] deserted or went rogue,[32] and others continued the secret war against what remained of the United States and capitalism. Chief among these were members of Operation Trinitite in Appalachia and the Chinese remnants in the Capital Wasteland, who became ghouls in the aftermath of the nuclear war. Led by a mysterious pre-War agent described only as "very loyal to the cause", they were someone Americans did not want to meet.[33] They survived even the wide-reaching sweeps of the Appalachian Enclave under President Thomas Eckhart, which caught remnants of Fujiniya in their dragnet, with predictable results. The Enclave actually restarted production and deployment of Liberators, in a bid to convince the Appalachian Automated Launch System and SAC that a Chinese invasion was in progress and restart nuclear missile silo operation to sustain nuclear bombardment of the Chinese mainland.[34]
Over the next 200 years, what remained of the PLA slowly withered away. The most successful and non-ghoulified surviving community, the Shi of San Francisco, shed their PLA roots, instead embracing a quasi-Imperial identity built around the Emperor (an ancient mainframe salvaged from the Shih-huang-ti nuclear submarine that had beached in the ruined city).[35] Beyond that, only artifacts remained; traces of the PLA's covert operations in the Capital Wasteland, including the Chinese Army mobile HQ, weapons and uniforms, and the occasional nuclear submarine stuck for two centuries in a bay, captained by a remorseful Navy captain, or other small fortified holdouts.[Non-game 1]
Organization[]
Army[]
The army was responsible for land operations, ranging from conventional warfare on all fronts of the war to subterfuge and infiltration in mainland America. The People's Liberation Army focused on firepower rather than personal protection: Chinese soldiers were issued jumpsuits rather than hard combat armor, though the Type 93 assault rifles were more powerful than the American equivalent R91s.[36] Less commonly seen were Red Victory grenade rifles, which were faster to reload but did less damage than American Great Bear grenade rifles, even being used by American personnel for that very reason.[37] Chinese tanks were an integral part of the doctrine, used to support infantry operations during the invasion of Alaska. However, when they were countered by early power armor Americans deployed, China realized that it had no analog and rushed to create its own versions.[Non-game 2]
The Chinese had an extremely effective intelligence and security apparatus. Apart from concealing its stealth research, Chinese operatives infiltrated mainland United States and set up an extensive covert network of spies and intelligence operatives. China even managed to set up regular patrols by Chinese submarines, such as the SSN-37-1A. In an Operation: Anchorage cut note, there is mention of Chinese saboteurs attempting to sabotage the Hoover Dam in Nevada.[38]
The largest of their spy networks were located in and around Washington, D.C.; Soldiers, operators and spies from the elite Iron Army operated out of a fake food processing factory in Arlington under Mama Dolce's.[39] Apart from intelligence and assorted military operations, the network engaged in psychological warfare, through the People's Republic of America and its radio. Further safehouses and field operations established at various locations, including a listening post in the Taft Tunnel, the bunker at broadcast tower KT8 and an abandoned safehouse in the Pitt's abandoned apartments. Chinese spies also had a strong presence in Point Lookout, especially in the abandoned Chinese intelligence bunker,[40] and around strategic locations like the Mount Desert Island Naval Base.[41] The PLA had also commandeered American robots, such as Protectrons, utilizing them as clearance points for undercover agents.[42]
The army also maintained a covert intelligence network in Appalachia, codenamed Operation Trinitite. Fujiniya Intelligence Base was originally tasked with identifying and destroying alleged factory cities located in Appalachia, but after these rumors proved untrue, it shifted to intelligence gathering on the Appalachian Automated Launch System, stealth tech research, and refining the infamous Liberator robots. At the same time, a detachment of infiltrators was operating covertly beneath The Whitespring Resort. Their mission was the acquisition and operation of a Motherlode drill[43], presumably to tunnel into the Whitespring Congressional Bunker, in an attempt to capture it and its secrets. However, the Great War brought a halt to the mission. As of 2103, the operations are still ongoing despite a lack of success,[44] with ghoulified remnants pursuing other targets of opportunity under communist commissars and a mysterious, incredibly loyal leader.[45][33]
[]
The Chinese Navy played a crucial role in maintaining the Chinese ability to wage war, prowling the Atlantic and the Pacific in search of American shipping, warships and allowing Chinese infiltrators to land on American shores undetected. Infiltration submarines like SSN-37-1A patrolled coastal waters and monitored enemy activity, while nuclear ballistic missile submarines ensure first and second-strike capability, even in the face of impending defeat.
The Yangtze-class submarines carried Submarine Launched Ballistic Missiles and were capable of launching nuclear strikes at American cities and military bases with impunity. At least one, the Yangtze-31, fulfilled its mission and delivered a strategic nuclear strike to Boston, though it suffered a collision with a mine and remained stuck in Boston Harbor for the next two centuries. Another submarine, the Shi-Huang-Ti, washed ashore in San Francisco and gave rise to the Shi.
Air force[]
The PLA had a functional air force, including bombers[46] and Xian-85 fighters.[47]
The PLA also had its own surveillance satellite network. At least one satellite remained functional as late as 2277, monitoring Point Lookout for evidence of scuttling the SSN-37-1A by what was assumed to be Chinese intelligence operatives.[48]
Technology[]
The Chinese military enjoyed significant reserves of manpower and focused on technologies that capitalized on it. Although the individual Chinese soldier was less armored than their American foe, they had access to high powered weapons and acted as part of a large unit capable of withering the enemy through superior firepower, stealth and tactical flexibility afforded by their large numbers. Political training and ruthless officers resulted in a powerful, disciplined force that was a match for American units until the introduction of power armor.[49]
The introduction of power armor changed the power balance. China rushed to create its own versions, but remained many years behind and the suits were produced in limited numbers.[Non-game 2] Fearing that China would catch up, the United States military commissioned an experimental electromagnetic weapon to counter expected Chinese power armor.[50] It also propagandized the existence of a Warmachine, a giant robot to match Liberty Prime, although its existence is not confirmed outside U.S. propaganda.
Chinese researchers focused their efforts elsewhere, creating practical active camouflage technology, commonly referred to as stealth technology. Due to an intelligence apparatus that outclassed its U.S. counterparts, China managed to conceal its large scale research operations from American operatives for years. The development of Hei Gui stealth suits allowed for easy penetration of enemy lines and hamstringing American offensive operations where possible. While some units were captured and reverse-engineered,[51][52] China's efforts continued apace and by 2075 was rumored to possess an entire fleet of stealth submarines, developed in the Shaanxi Province, nicknamed the "Ghost Fleet."[52] Other methods used included the deployment of pulse fields, capable of literally frying power armor operators alive in their suits.[53]
China has also implemented its own biochemical research programs, including bioweapons and human enhancement programs, which inspired American scientists and prompted the establishment of the Pan-Immunity Virion Project (PVP).[Non-game 3]
Equipment[]
Equipment | |
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Firearms | |
Melee | |
Apparel | |
Robots | |
Vehicles | |
Technical manuals |
Characters[]
Forces | |
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Named |
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Other |
Units[]
Known[]
- People's Liberation Army
- Iron Army
- Crimson Dragoons
- Operation Trinitite infiltrators
Suspected[]
- Navy
Appearances[]
The People's Liberation Army appears in Fallout 3 and its add-on Operation: Anchorage, Fallout 4, and in Fallout 76.
Behind the scenes[]
- The PLA in Fallout appears to be based on the Chinese military from the late 1950s/1960s, when it modernized heavily with Soviet Union's military support, and on the cusp of the Cultural Revolution. The characteristic jumpsuits are clearly inspired by the period Mao suit uniforms, for example.
- Operation Anchorage propaganda posters are an amalgam of period propaganda. For example, the bombers poster includes one explicitly taken from a 1965 propaganda poster ("With hatred in one's heart, no bullet misses").
- In an Operation: Anchorage cut note, there is mention of Chinese attempting to sabotage the Hoover Dam and Chinese stealth armor is found in the location.[57][58]
- In Operation Anchorage, Chinese aircraft can be seen flying overhead. These are downsized movable statics (DLCAnchFXBomberLoop01), also seen depicted in the simulation's posters.
- Communist-themed items available from the Atomic Shop in Fallout 76 originally contained the People's Liberation Army "八 8"–"一 1" emblem inside the star but were removed.
- Historic
- The Chinese Red Army was the forerunner of the PLA, active first as part of the communist revolutionary activities between 1928 and 1937, then folded into the National Revolutionary Army fighting the Japanese occupation, and finally disbanded after the Japanese surrender in 1945, reformed into the PLA.
- The military banner resembles the "Yellow River" flag, one of the proposals for the national flag of China.
Gallery[]
- Insignia
- Flags
- Propaganda
- Miscellaneous
References[]
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Non-game
- ↑ Fallout 3 Official Game Guide Game of the Year Edition p.43: "Chinese Remnant Army
The Chinese Remnant faction is just that: the last, scattered remnants of Chinese military operations in the United States. These spies, intelligence agents, and special-ops soldiers were abandoned on foreign soil and have been kept alive these long years as irradiated Ghouls. There numbers are extremely few, and you are unlikely to encounter them in any numbers unless you should stumble across their cover operation from years ago, somewhere in the bowels of D.C...."
(Fallout 3 Official Game Guide faction profiles) - ↑ 2.0 2.1 Fallout Bible 0: "2067 The first suit of Power Armor is deployed in Alaska. While lacking the full mobility of future versions, this Power Armor is incredibly effective against Chinese tanks and infantry. Its ability to carry heavy ordinance becomes key in various localized conflicts, and it has the power to destroy entire towns without endangering the wearer. China rushes to create its own versions, but they are many years behind the United States."
- ↑ Fallout 3 Official Game Guide Game of the Year Edition p. 85: "Michael Masters
Michael Masters was an esteemed electronic and biological engineer before the bombs dropped. He doesn't remember much of the first years after D.C. was destroyed, but he does remember his human life and resents his Ghoulish nature (though he does appreciate the gift of longevity). He was extremely intelligent and jovial in his old life, but living as a Ghoul has made him very pessimistic and angry at the world. He sees his Ghoulness as a karmic curse, because he was attempting to keep America at the forefront of human mutation experiments, breeding super-warriors after being inspired by the work of the German, Russian, and Chinese doctors."
(Fallout 3 Official Game Guide Game of the Year Edition Wasteland Census)
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