Historic Timeline in the BETAverse (Part 05)

Divergence Point and Timeline (Continued)

• 1983
  - Operation Neptune takes place in @Europe. A large 4-way joint counteroffensive operation by @United Nations forces, @The United States of America (USA) Armed Forces, @European Union forces, and Warsaw Pact forces is enacted to lure out and destroy the BETA in Poland and improve the military situation in Europe. Total military strength invested is 300 warships, 500 TSFs, 400 helicopters, and over 300,000 troops (in comparison, Operation Palaiologos involved over 1,000,000 troops and over 20,000 fighting vehicles stretching across the horizon).
  - July - August: The Oder-Neisse line falls and Eastern Germany is annihilated by the BETA.
  - September: The BETA begin their offense on Western Germany, threatening the town of Hamburg. A joint American-West German task force barely holds them back long enough for the civilians to evacuate.
  - The defense and evacuation of the city of Hamburg and its surrounding districts was completed. By the end of the operation, 50% of all the @A-10 Thunderbolt IIs committed by the US Army were confirmed KIA. It was said in the after action report that many A-10 units that held the spread out defense lines fought and died to the last man, while still holding their ground, guns blazing to the end. The actions of the US Expeditionary Forces that day forever solidified their positions in the hearts of many German citizens.
  - With the westward BETA advance from Kashgar, Western Europe becomes the main battlefield. Despite European military defenses making full use of the rivers to delay the BETA advance, the struggle is in vain. Berlin falls.
  - @The United States of America (USA) begins the ATSF (Advanced Tactical Surface Fighter) Program, in order to develop a next-generation @Tactical Surface Fighter (TSF) in preparation for the world after the end of the BETA War.
  - Despite US assistance and the efforts of the @European Union Force, western @Europe is now a battlefield. The European Union head institutions are moved from Brussels to @London as a temporary measure until headquarters in Belfast are complete.
  - Shocked by the USA's ATSF Program, the @Empire of Japan's domestic next-generation @Tactical Surface Fighter (TSF) research and development group established earlier shifts plans to aim to develop a third generation TSF. The development project is restarted as the Youkou Program.
  - @The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) first deploys the @MiG-27 Aligatori, an improved reworking of the @MiG-23 Cheburashka. Although already considered obsolete at the time of introduction, it would continue to support the Soviet Army for many years as an alternative to the @MiG-21 Balalaika.

• 1984
  - Construction of @Anbar Hive, Objective 09, begins in Iraq. As a result, there is a forced large-scale withdrawal from the Middle Eastern front, along with a serious shortage of oil resources.
  - Construction of @Noginsk Hive, Objective 10, begins in Russia.
  - The BETA begin an all-out southward push. A large BETA group from @Kashgar Hive, Objective 01 circumvents the Himalayas to invade the Indian subcontinent. The armies of the Indian subcontinent nations that had been invaded from the direction of the Middle East hold out against the BETA for over ten years while maintaining close cooperation with South-East @Asia nations shielded by the Himalayas. However, the resource advantages of the BETA would eventually overwhelm the defenders, resulting in the military forces of the Indian subcontinent retreating and relocating their joint HQ to Sri Lanka to continue their defensive battles from there.
  - To make up for the failures of the @MiG-23 Cheburashka and @MiG-27 Aligatori, the @The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) begins the Multifunctional Frontline Tactical Surface Fighter Program (MFPTI = МФПТИ) in opposition to the United States' ATSF Program.
  - Scrutinizing the experimental data from successive Alternative Plans, Professor Kiriyama of the @Empire of Japan's Imperial University hypothesizes that: "Based on the fact that the BETA show stronger reactions to computers than humans, communication by carbon-based lifeforms is impossible". A thesis concerning non-carbon-based pseudo-life forms is put together.
  - The @Empire of Japan's government's growing trepidation with the worsening situation in @Europe prompts them to decide on using Professor Kiriyama's thesis as a lure for the next Alternative Plan, in order to have the @United Nations station military troops within Japan as defensive battle strength. National expenditures begin for fundamental research into non-carbon based pseudo-lifeforms.
  - @The United States of America (USA) first deploys the McDaell Doglam @F-15 Eagle. Developed as a successor to the @F-4 Phantom, it is adopted all over the world as an all-purpose 2nd-generation Tactical Surface Fighter, boasting of both range and high anti-BETA combat performance.
  - Operation of SHADOW begins. The ARTMISS final defence line, comprised of the nuclear strike satellites around Earth's orbit, is complete. Its purpose is to deal with situations whereby the Lagrange 1 early stage nuclear launch platform "Space One" is unable to change the trajectory of its target.

• 1985
  - Construction of the @Budapest Hive, Objective 11 begins in Hungary. As a result, the BETA invasion on the European front gains momentum.
  - The @Empire of Japan forms an economic agreement with the Oceanian nations. The Imperial government, judging it inevitable that western Japan will eventually become a battlefield, decides to establish new overseas production bases for major domestic industries, various heavy industries, manufacturing industries, and so on. Industrial plants are constructed one after another in Oceanian nations such as @Australia and New Zealand.
  - The @The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR)'s relocation of state functions to @Alaska, which had began in 1982, is completed. The headquarters of Alternative III is moved from Khabarovsk to Talkeetna, Alaska. The evacuation and relocation was first completed for government facilities and military installations, followed by key industries, various manufacturing infrastructures, and then the majority of ethnic Russians. The Bering Sea is interposed as an absolute defense line in-between Soviet Alaska and the Russian Far East, and Soviet forces continue their battles against the BETA in an attempt to regain lost territory.
  - West Germany and France fall to the BETA invasion. England begins battle preparations for the defence of the @United Kingdom mainland.
  - Japanese and British defence industry contractors initiate frequent contact with each other using under-the-table channels.
  - France strongly insists on the use of French-manufactured engines for the ECTSF.

• 1986
  - Construction of @Lyon Hive, Objective 12 begins in France. Following the invasion of the British mainland, the BETA begin their invasion of the Iberian Peninsula.
  - In conflict with Britain and West Germany over decisions in the progress of the ECTSF Program, France withdraws from the project.
  - @The United States of America (USA) first deploys the @F-16 Fighting Falcon. The 2nd-generation TSF was developed by General Dynomics after the technical research-purpose LWTSF Program was elevated to actual combat machine development status, as part of the "High-Low Mix" concept was conceived as a countermeasure to the rising cost of F-14 and F-15 procurement. The F-16 is adopted by many nations as a lightweight TSF to succeed the @F-5E Tornado.
  - The People's Republic of China and Taiwan sign an agreement to form a common front against the BETA, forming the Unified Front of China.
  - In light of the front line drawing closer to the mainland of @Empire of Japan, the Imperial Forces GHQ establishes a dedicated full-time domestically-deployed fighting force directly under their command, the Mainland Defense Force. The Imperial Forces is re-structured, with the strategic objective being to defend the Japanese homeland to the death.
  - August 18: To select its next mainline Tactical Surface Fighter, the @Empire of Japan carries out joint exercises with @The United States of America (USA). Dissimilar Air Combat Training is conducted at the Yausubetsu Training Area. During this exercise, Captain @Eiji Iwaya of the Imperial Royal Guard accomplishes the brilliant feat of bringing down an F-15C Eagle in an @Type-82 Kai Zuikaku.