The Resource Wars were a series of conflicts that began in April 2052 with the start of the war between the European Commonwealth and the Middle East, and ended with the Great War on October 23, 2077. Some of the conflicts include the annexation of Canada by the United States and the Chinese invasion of Alaska.
Resource Wars timeline
See the full Fallout timeline.
- 2052
- April: The Resource Wars begin. Many smaller nations go bankrupt, and Europe, dependent on oil imports from the Middle East, responds to the Middle East's rising oil prices with military action. The long drawn-out war between the European Commonwealth and the Middle East begins (mentioned only in the Fallout Bible timeline).
- May - July: The United Nations, already suffering, begins to collapse. In a series of heated debates, many nations withdraw from the organization as the U.N. tries to keep the peace. At the end of July, the United Nations is disbanded (mentioned in the Fallout Bible timeline and Fallout 3 loading screen).
- Note: This information comes from Chris Avellone's Fallout Bible time line. According to the Sierra Depot GNN Transcript holodisk, which Avellone discards as non-canon, as it was supposedly modified by the Sierra Army Depot soldiers, the U.N. still existed in 2074.
- Note: One of the Fallout 3 loading screens is a newspaper headline declaring that the U.N. had been disbanded, and this seems to confirm Avellone's timeline as the canon one.
- 2053
- December: Like an exclamation mark on the end of a very bad year, a terrorist nuclear weapon destroys Tel Aviv (mentioned only in the Fallout Bible timeline).
- 2054
- January: Limited nuclear exchange in the Middle East raises fears throughout the world (mentioned only in the Fallout Bible timeline).
- 2059
- The Anchorage Front Line is established, as the United States increases its military presence in Alaska to protect its oil interests. The Anchorage Front Line causes tensions in the United States and Canada, as the United States attempts to pressure Canada into allowing American military units to guard the Alaskan pipeline (in articles found on the computer terminals in the Capitol Post offices in L'Enfant Plaza (Fallout 3), as well as being mentioned in the Fallout Bible timeline).
- 2060
- The Euro-Middle Eastern War ends as the oil fields in the Middle East run dry... there is no longer a goal in the conflict, and both sides are reduced almost to ruin. (mentioned only in the Fallout Bible time line)
- The European Commonwealth dissolves into quarreling nation states, fighting over the remaining resources. (mentioned in the Fallout intro)
- 2066
- Winter: In the winter of 2066, China invades Alaska. The Anchorage Front Line becomes a true battleground. (the event is mentioned in the Fallout intro)
- Note: This date for the Chinese invasion of Alaska comes from Chris Avellone's Fallout Bible time line. According to the Sierra Depot GNN Transcript holodisk, which Avellone discards as non-canon, as it was supposedly modified by the Sierra Army Depot soldiers, this happened on October 10, 2077
- Winter: As a sign of increasing tension between the two countries, Canada proves reluctant to allow American troops on Canadian soil or allow American planes to fly over Canadian airspace. The tensions between the United States and Canada rise, but Canada eventually backs down, and US troops pass through Canada. This sets the stage for the Canadian annexation in 2076. (mentioned only in the Fallout Bible time line)
- Note: A newspaper headline declaring the annexation of Canada is also displayed in a Fallout 3 load screen.
- 2067
- The first suit of T-45d power armor is deployed in Alaska. While lacking the full mobility of future versions, this power is incredibly effective against Chinese infantry. Its ability to carry heavy ordnance 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. (mentioned only in the Fallout Bible time line)
- 2069
- Canada begins to feel the pressure from the United States military as the US draws upon Canadian resources for the war effort. Vast stretches of timberland are destroyed, and other resources in Canada are stretched to the breaking point. Many Americans refer to Canada as Little America, and Canadian protests are unheard. (mentioned only in the Fallout Bible time line)
- 2072
- The United States' increasing demand for Canadian resources causes protests and riots in several Canadian cities. An attempted sabotage of the Alaskan pipeline is all the military needs as an excuse to begin its annexation of Canada... which in fact, had already begun in 2067. (mentioned only in the Fallout Bible time line)
- Note: One of the Fallout 3 loading screens is a newspaper headline declaring that the USA had; or was in the process of, annexing Canada
 | The following is based on Van Buren design documents and is not canon. |
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- Completed B.O.M.B. missiles are sent to different space centers around the U.S. so they can be carried into space and installed into the B.O.M.B. satellites. The process is slow, but it is being carried out fairly regularly. (source: Reservation design document)
| End of information based on Van Buren design documents |
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- 2073
- September 15 : As China becomes increasingly aggressive with their use of biological weapons, the United States government felt that a countermeasure was needed. The Pan-Immunity Virion Project (PVP) is officially formed and plans are made to begin experiments at the West-Tek research facility in Southern California. (mentioned in the FEV Research holodisk)
- 2074
- Negotiations between the US and other world powers come to a dramatic end, with the President walking out of oil talks with the other world powers. After a much heated debate, the President stormed out of the meeting and declared that the last known supply of petroleum will be used exclusively by the US and the US will not sell or trade any oil to outside parties.
- Contrary to their claims of seeking only to retake Alaska from the Reds, American power units, infantry, and mechanized divisions are deployed to China, but they become bogged down on the mainland, putting a further drain on American resources and supply lines.
- Note: This information comes from Chris Avellone's Fallout Bible time line. According to the Sierra Depot GNN Transcript holodisk, which Avellone discards as non-canon, this happened on October 22, 2077
- 2075
- February 14: Canada, after being almost entirely taken over by U.S. troops, finally agrees to be annexed by the U.S. The annexation is finalized almost a year later. (source: Sierra Depot GNN Transcript holodisk)
- 2076
- January: The United States annexation of Canada is complete. Canadian protesters and rioters are shot on sight, and the Alaskan Pipeline swarms with American military units. Pictures of atrocities make their way to the United States, causing further unrest and protests.
- March 30: The U.S. President ordered the Pacific Fleet to the Poseidon deep sea oil derrick located at a secret location out in the Pacific. (referenced in the Sierra Depot GNN Transcript holodisk)
- June: Power armor prototype completed, resulting in the power armor players find in Fallout 1. This is the pinnacle of power armor technology before the Great War. Many of these units are sent to China, and they begin to carve a swath through the Chinese forces. The Chinese resources are strained to the breaking point, and the supply lines from the nations China has annexed begin to break down.
- 2077
The gas prices by 2077
- January 10: Alaska is reclaimed, and the Anchorage Front Line is again held by the Americans.
- January 22: The first domestic use of power armor within the United States was for crowd and quarantine control. Units originally serving in China and the Anchorage Front Line find themselves fighting Americans at home. Food riots increase, and many civilians are killed. Several soldiers defect from the military both in Canada and the United States. They are captured, and are sent to military prisons.
- March: Prepared for a nuclear or biological attack from China, the president and the Enclave retreat to remote sections around the globe and make contingency plans for continuing the war.
- October 23: The Great War: Bombs are launched; No one knows who fired the first nuclear weapon. Air raid sirens sound, but very few people go into vaults, thinking it is a false alarm. The Vaults are sealed and the world is plunged into nuclear winter.
Behind the scenes
A pre-Fallout "Resource Wars" game set in collapsing Europe (during the U.K.'s invasions of the Middle East) is one of the games that J.E. Sawyer would like to make if he could do any game, regardless of money and developing time.[1]