The Great War was triggered by the Sino-American War over the dwindling energy resources on the planet. The events of 2077, in the Fallout video game universe, led to the destruction of all participating nations, with the nuclear conflict affecting all countries either directly or indirectly. Many of those who didn’t perish in the nuclear attacks would later succumb to nuclear radiation, while many survivors and their descendants would suffer mutations from that radiation.
The causes of the Great War between China and the United States
China, having launched an invasion of Alaska in 2066, occupied a significant portion of American territory under the command of General Jingwei. For years, attacks ensued, and the Forced Evolutionary Virus (FEV) was developed by the Americans in response to the biological weapons used by China.
As the United States pressured Canada to stabilize the situation in Alaska, it initiated a military campaign in mainland China, beginning in 2074, which included deployments in Shantou. As American soldiers advanced into Chinese territory, Chinese resistance intensified, and the cruelty of the attacks by both sides escalated.
For months, the situation went from a Chinese retreat to a deadlock between the nations, with a stagnant war and unprecedented tax increases to fund the conflict. Finally, with the help of the T-45 and T-51 motorized units, the United States managed to liberate the city of Anchorage in Alaska, forcing the Chinese to retreat.
October 23, 2077: the Great War of just one day
In the end, the stalemate was resolved with nuclear weapons. China launched a nuclear attack in a final effort to drive the United States out of the war. The first Chinese submarines were identified by the Pacific Fleet at 00:03 EST off the coast of California. At 03:37 EST, a squadron of high-altitude bombers was spotted off the Bering Strait. Six hours later, at 09:13 EST, the Operational Nuclear Detection System detected the first four missile launches. At this point, the United States activated DEFCON 2.
At 09:26 EST, the American president ordered a retaliatory strike according to scenario MX-CN91. As American weapons were launched, the first Chinese nuclear weapons impacted Pennsylvania and New York at 09:42 EST. At 09:47 EST, the Great War knocked out most American facilities. The world as we knew it had come to an end.
The leaders of the United States had retreated to remote locations, fearing a Chinese nuclear attack. This group of leaders was known as the Enclave and survived the aftermath of the Great War. Most of the other citizens who survived did so by taking shelter in facilities provided by Vault-Tec.
