- Listen to me! We are survivors! Now they may have got their hands on some of our guns, but that does not make them men! They are animals! We will push them back! Drive them down! And they will not get through these doors!
- - Dreyfus
The Battle of San Francisco was a major battle between the apes and a colony of humans in San Francisco who were based in the decaying remains of an unfinished shopping mall. The battle resulted in an ape victory, albeit with heavy losses from both sides. The battle marks the second major battle of the Human-Ape War.
Prelude[]
Caesar's Downfall[]
Although Human-Ape relations were tense, and the threat of war constantly hung over the two civilizations, Caesar, with the help of sympathetic/compassionate humans and apes managed to maintain peace. However, some of the more jingoistic apes, led by Koba, were frustrated by this, and Koba began to openly defy his leader which led to violent brawl between them. Although Caesar spared and forgave the bonobo, he would ultimately be betrayed by his former friend when Koba shot and dethroned him in an elaborate false-flag operation. While the two species were celebrating the restoration of power to San Francisco and the peace created by it, Koba's followers burned the Ape Village down, blaming the fire and the death of their King on the humans, and turned the apes' mourning and sadness into anger and a urge to "avenge" their fallen king. As Malcolm and his team fled, the apes prepared for an attack against the humans.
The Apes Attack[]
Although they had far superior firepower and technology, the humans were extremely unprepared for the coming attack, as they had not expected it and were completely unaware the apes stormed the armory and raided the weapons stored there. By the time the humans were aware of the forthcoming assault, the apes were already on the offensive.
Battle[]
Apes vs. Man[]
Spotting the oncoming apes riding horses on California Street, the human front line above the gates were almost instantly peppered with machine gun fire by the ape front line, headed by Koba. Dreyfus' Army immediately returned fire upon the apes, taking out multiple apes and horses with grenades and motor fire, and inflicting heavy casualties for the apes. Despite that, the apes have numbers on their side and continues to charge at the tower.
With human casualties reaching past Dreyfus' comprehension, he brought in a rocket launcher to blast fuel barrels, and killed several apes. When the fire was blocking the path, Koba orders the apes to start climbing on the poles to reach to the tower. Soon, Buck throws the burning fuel barrel at the door which disoriented the humans around the front door as the apes overrun the outer perimeter.
The apes were then caught off-guard by a sudden blast that took out a abandoned tram which wounded or killed many apes. The blast was from an arriving APC that began slaughtering any apes in its path, putting the odds in the human's favor before Koba hijacked the vehicle and turned the tank towards the gates of the human settlement, paving way for the ape invasion. The apes killed all armed humans and those that were deemed a threat, leaving the survivors to be rallied up and locked up into disused Simian Flu medical paddocks to teach the human race about knowing "life in cage".
Apes Takeover[]
The next day, Koba and his army took over the city and the power hungry ape made his rule was official by making an example out of any ape that did not follow his revolution because of their friendship and loyalty to Caesar, leaving them to suffer the same fate as the imprisoned humans. However, Caesar was not dead as believed and was secretly taken to his former family home by three kind humans. Koba's vile actions over the humans and apes alike caused Blue Eyes to turn against him and lead him to finding out from Malcolm that his father was still alive being tended by his family. Blue Eyes helped his father recover and freed the human prisoners and the imprisoned apes who were loyal to Caesar.
Caesar vs. Koba[]
Upon recovering from his wound Caesar confronted Koba on the incomplete tower of the human colony where he set out to end the bonobo's violent reign. This encounter led to a few tense words being said and an intense battle breaking out over who gets to be the rightful Ape King. But as this was happening, Dreyfus and select few others who escaped captivity or death attempted to ignite a bomb under the skyscraper to exact revenge on the apes, despite being delayed by Malcolm. This proved to fail as Dreyfus informed Malcolm that he and his men have already made contact with surviving soldiers at a military base up north and he pulls out the trigger and presses it, simultaneously killing himself and destroying the tower. The explosion wounded or killed many apes, forcing Caesar to cease his battle with Koba and tend to his fallen people inside the crumbling skyscraper.
Ending the Madness[]
However, Koba was not one that liked being ignored. After taking a gun from a trapped Grey, he opened fire on the other apes while trying to kill Caesar, wounding or killing several more apes, with one his stray bullets striking Maurice, injuring the orangutan. This cruel display was stopped by Caesar who tackled Koba, causing both to fall off the ground and placing Koba in a position where he would beg Caesar for help. Caesar, after disowning Koba as a true ape, dropped the treacherous bonobo to his death in revenge for his atrocities against apes and humans.
Aftermath[]
The apes then cheered on Caesar and soon regrouped in the city streets with the ape wives and children who had stayed in the woods until it was time for them to enter the city. Caesar watched as his followers embraced their families until a few apes appear holding Malcolm at gunpoint before Caesar ordered them to back off. Malcolm then informed Caesar that because of Koba's violent revolution, any chance of peace between apes and humans were completely severed, as Dreyfus' people had managed to make contact with another human militia, who were on their way to fight the apes. Malcolm warned Caesar to leave the city for his own safety. However, Caesar refused, saying war was inevitable as his people started it and that humans would not forgive their actions. He told Malcolm to take his family and leave instead before the battle began and the two friends lamented on the lost chance for peace. Malcolm then slipped into the shadows as Caesar was reunited with his family and had a moment of peace with his people and prepared for the upcoming war.
Notes[]
- Behind the scenes documentaries on the Blu-ray release of Dawn of the Planet of the Apes explain what the holding cells were used for during the Simian Flu Pandemic.
Trivia[]
Image Gallery[]
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