tc.redstormrising-第107章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


O'Malley　thought　about　that　briefly。　His　first　two　were　for　rescues；　not　for　killing　other　men。
〃How　soon　will　you　be　ready　to　go　up　again？〃
〃How　does　next　week　grab　you？〃
〃Get　dressed。　We'll　talk　in　the　wardroom。〃
The　pilot　raked　his　hair　into　place　and　changed　into　fresh　clothing。　He　remembered　the　last　time　his　wife　had　told　him　to　use　baby　powder　to　protect　his　skin　from　the　abuse　of　sweaty；　tight　clothes；　and　how　stupid　he'd　been　to　reject　the　suggestion　as　not　in　keeping　with　aviator　machismo。　Despite　the　shower；　there　were　a　few　patches　of　skin　that　would　continue　to　itch　and　chafe。　When　he　went　to　the　wardroom；　he　found　Morris　waiting　for　him　with　a　pitcher　of　iced　bug　juice。
〃You　got　a　diesel　boat　and　two　missile　boats。　How　were　they　operating？　Anything　unusual？〃
〃Awfully　aggressive。　That　Papa　should　have　backed　off。　The　Charlie　took　a　smart　route；　but　he　was　boring　in　pretty　hard；　too。〃　O'Malley　thought　it　over　as　he　drained　his　first　glass。　〃You're　right。　They　are　pushing　awful　hard。〃
〃Harder　than　I　expected。　They're　taking　chances　they　ordinarily　wouldn't　take。　What's　that　tell　us？〃
〃It　tells　us　we　got　two　more　busy　days　ahead；　I　guess。　Sorry；　Captain；　I'm　a　little　too　wasted　for　deep　thinking　at　the　moment。〃
〃Get　some　rest。〃

37　…　The　Race　of　the　Cripples

STENDAL；　GERMAN　DEMOCRATIC　REPUBLIC
Two　o'clock　in　the　morning。　The　attack　would　begin　in　four　hours　despite　all　his　efforts　to　change　it。　Alekseyev　stared　at　the　map　with　its　symbols　of　friendly　units　and　intelligence　estimates　of　enemies。
〃Cheer　up；　Pasha！〃　mander…in…Chief　West　said。　〃I　know　that　you　think　we　use　up　too　much　fuel。　It　will　also　destroy　their　remaining　stocks　of　war　supplies。〃
〃They　can　resupply；　too。〃
〃Nonsense。　Their　convoys　have　suffered　heavily；　as　our　own　intelligence　reports　have　told　us。　They　are　sending　one　massive　shipment　across　now；　but　the　Navy　tells　me　they　are　sending　everything　they　have　against　it。　And　in　any　case　it　will　arrive　too　late。〃
Alekseyev　told　himself　that　his　boss　was　probably　right。　After　all；　he　had　made　his　rank　on　the　basis　of　a　distinguished　career。　But　still　。　。　。
〃Where　do　you　want　me？〃
〃With　the　OMG　mand　post。　No　closer　to　the　front　than　that。〃
The　OMG　mand　post；　Pavel　thought　ironically。　First　20th　Guards　Tank　Division　was　supposed　to　be　the　operational…maneuver　group；　then　a　two…division　formation；　then　three　divisions。　Every　time　the　breakthrough　maneuver　had　been　frustrated；　until　the　very　term　〃operational…maneuver　group〃　sounded　like　some　kind　of　absurd　joke。　His　pessimism　returned。　The　reserve　formations　held　for　exploitation　of　the　attack　were　far　behind　the　front；　so　as　to　be　able　to　move　to　wherever　the　best　penetration　of　NATO　lines　happened。　It　might　take　hours　for　them　to　reach　the　proper　point。　NATO　had　demonstrated　a　remarkable　ability　to　pensate　for　sudden　breakthroughs；　he　reminded　himself。　Alekseyev　set　this　thought　aside　as　he　had　with　so　many　others　and　left　the　mand　center；　collected　Sergetov；　and　once　again　found　a　helicopter　to　take　him　on　the　trip　west。　His　aircraft　waited　on　the　ground　for　its　usual　fighter　escort。
The　use　of　fighters　to　escort　a　single　helicopter　lifting　off　from　Stendal　was　a　pattern　NATO　air…control　officers　had　noted　before；　but　they'd　never　had　the　available　units　to　do　anything　about　it。　This　time　it　was　different。　An　AWACS　control　aircraft　over　the　Rhein　watched　the　chopper　lift　off　with　three　MiGs　in　attendance。　The　sector　controller　had　a　pair　of　F…4　Phantoms　returning　from　a　counter…air　mission　south　of　Berlin；　and　he　vectored　them　north。　The　fighters　skimmed　the　trees；　their　own　radars　off　as　they　followed　a　safe…transit　lane　used　by　Russian　aircraft。
Alekseyev　and　Sergetov　sat　alone　in　the　back　of　the　Mi…24　attack　helicopter。　There　was　room　for　eight　bat…loaded　infantrymen；　so　both　had　room　to　stretch　and　Sergetov　took　the　chance　for　a　nap。　Their　escorting　MiGs　were　a　thousand　meters　overhead；　circling　continuously　as　they　watched　for　low…flying　NATO　fighters。
〃Six　miles；〃　came　the　call　from　the　AWACS。
One　Phantom　popped　up；　illuminated　two　MiGs　with　its　radar；　and　loosed　a　pair　of　Sparrow　missiles。　The　other　fired　two　Sidewinders　at　the　helicopter。
The　MiGs　were　caught　looking　the　wrong　way　when　their　threat　receivers　went　off。　One　dashed　to　the　ground　and　evaded。　The　other　exploded　in　midair　as　the　surviving　wingman　radioed　a　warning。　Alekseyev　blinked　in　surprise　at　the　sudden　gout　of　light　overhead；　then　grabbed　for　his　seatbelt　as　the　helicopter　turned　hard　left　and　dropped　like　a　stone。　It　was　almost　in　the　trees　when　the　Sidewinder　chopped　off　the　tail　rotor。　Sergetov　awoke　and　shouted　in　surprise　and　alarm。　The　Mi…24　spun　in　the　air　as　it　crashed　into　the　trees　and　bounced　the　last　fifty　feet　to　the　ground。　The　main　rotor　came　apart；　sending　pieces　in　all　directions；　and　the　sliding　door　on　the　left　side　of　the　aircraft　popped　off　as　though　made　of　plastic。　Alekseyev　went　out　right　behind　it；　dragging　Sergetov　with　him。　Once　again　his　instincts　had　saved　him。　The　two　officers　were　twenty　meters　away　when　the　fuel　tanks　exploded。　They　never　heard　or　saw　the　Phantoms　that　continued　west　to　safety。
〃Are　you　hurt；　Vanya？〃　the　General　asked。
'I　didn't　even　piss　my　pants。　That　must　mean　I'm　a　seasoned　veteran。〃　The　joke　didn't　work。　The　young　man's　voice　shook　along　with　his　hands。　〃Where　the　hell　are　we？〃
〃An　excellent　question。〃　Alekseyev　looked　around。　He　hoped　to　see　lights；　but　the　entire　country　had　a　blackout　in　force；　and　Soviet　units　had　learned　the　hard　way　about　using　lights　on　the　highways。　〃We　have　to　find　a　road。　We'll　head　south　until　we　hit　one。〃
〃Where　is　south？〃
〃Opposite　from　north。　That　is　north。〃　The　General　pointed　to　a　star；　then　turned　to　select　another。　〃That　one　will　lead　us　south。〃

SEVEROMORSK；　R。S。F。S。R。
Admiral　Yuri　Novikov　monitored　the　progress　of　the　battle　from　his　underground　headquarters　a　few　kilometers　from　his　main　fleet　base。　He　was　stung　by　the　loss　of　his　principal　long…range　weapon…the　Backfire　bombers…but　the　way　the　Politburo　had　reacted　to　the　missile　attack　was　a　greater　shock。　Somehow　the　politicians　thought　that　it　meant　a　ballistic…missile　attack　from　the　same　area　was　possible；　and　no　amount　of　argument　to　the　contrary　would　change　their　minds。　As　if　the　Americans　would　risk　their　precious　ballistic…missile　subs　in　such　restricted　waters！　the　Admiral　growled　to　himself。　He　was　up　against　fast…attack　boats…he　was　certain　of　it…and　he　was　being　forced　to　go　after　them　with　half　his　assets　to　prevent　their　escape。　He　didn't　have　that　many　assets　to　go　around。
The　mander…in…Chief　of　Soviet　Northern　Fleet　had　had　a　good　war　to　this　point。　The　operation　to　seize　Iceland　had　gone　almost　perfectly…the　boldest　Soviet　attack　ever　staged！　The　very　next　day　he　had　smashed　a　carrier　battle　group；　an　epic　victory　for　his　forces。　His　plan　to　use　his　missile…armed　bombers　and　submarines　in　bination　against　the　convoys　had　worked　well；　particularly　after　he'd　decided　to　use　the　bombers　to　eliminate　the　escort　ships　first。　Submarine　losses　to　date　had　been　heavy；　but　he'd　expected　that。　The　NATO　navies　had　practiced　antisubmarine　warfare　for　generations。　There　had　to　be　losses。　He'd　made　mistakes；　Novikov　admitted　to　himself。　He　should　have　gone　after　the　escorts　in　a　systematic　way　sooner…but　Moscow　wanted　the　merchants　killed　most　of　all；　and　he'd　acceded　to　the　〃suggestion。〃
Things　were　changing　now。　The　sudden　loss　of　his　Backfire　force…it　would　be　out　of　action　for　another　five　days…forced　him　to　take　his　dedicated　anticarrier　submarine　teams　and　send　them　against　the　convoys；　which　meant　crossing　NATO's　picket　line　of　submarines；　and　losses　there　were　heavy；　too。　His　force　of　Bear　reconnaissance　bombers　was　hard　hit。　The　damned　war　was　supposed　to　be　over　by　now；　Novikov　thought　angrily。　He　had　a　powerful　surface　force　waiting　to　escort　additional　troops　to　Iceland；　but　he　couldn't　move　that　group　until　the　campaign　in　Germany　was　within　sight　of　its　conclusion。　No　battle　plan　survives　the　first　contact　with　the　enemy；　he　reminded　himself。
〃rade　Admiral；　satellite　photographs　have　arrived。〃　His　aide　handed　over　a　leather　dispatch　case。　The　fleet　intelligence　chief　arrived　a　few　minutes　later　with　his　senior　photo…interpretation　expert。　The　photos　were　spread　out　across　a　table。
〃Ali；　we　have　a　problem　here；〃　the　photo　expert　said。
Novikov　didn't　need　the　expert　to　tell　him　that。　The　piers　at　Little　Creek；　Virginia；　were　empty。　The　American　amphibious　assault　force　had　sailed　with　a　full　Marine　division。　Novikov　had　watched　the　progress　of　Pacific　Fleet　units　to　Norfolk　with　great　interest；　but　then　his　ocean…reconnaissance　satellites　had　both　been　killed；　and　launch　authority　on　the　last　of　them　had　been　withheld。　The　next　photo　showed　the　carrier　berths；　also　empty。
〃Nimitz　is　still　at　Southampton；〃　his　intelligence　chief　pointed　out。　〃He　came　into　port　with　a　severe　list；　and　there　is　no　drydock　large　enough　to　acmodate　him。　He's　tied　to　the　Ocean　Dock；　he's　not　going　anywhere。　That　gives　the　Americans　three　carriers：　Coral　Sea；　America；　and　Independence。　Saratoga　is　being　used　for　convoy　escorting　duties。　The　rest　of　their　Atlantic　Fleet　carriers　are　in　the　Indian　Ocean。〃
Novikov　grunted。　That　was　bad　news　for　the　Indian　Ocean　squadron；　but　they　were　part　of　the　Soviet　Pacific　Fleet。　Not　his　problem。　He　had　enough　of　his　own。　For　the　first　time　he　faced　a　dilemma　that　he'd　inflicted　on　the　NATO　navies。　He　had　more　tasks　than　he　had　ships；　and　sending　half　of　his　dedicated　ASW　forces　after　submarines　that　were　already　retreating　didn't　help　matters！

NORTHWOOD；　ENGLAND
〃Hello　again；　Admiral；〃　Toland　said。
Beattie　looked　much　better。　The　blue　eyes　had　the　gleam　of　crystal　now　and　the　Admiral's　back　was　ramrod…straight　as　he　stood　in　front　of　his　wall…sized　map　with　his　arms　folded。
〃How　are　things　in　Scotland；　mander？〃
〃Good；　sir。　The　last　two　raids　got　chewed　up。　May　I　ask　how　the　Doolittle　force　made　out？　One　of　the　boats　is　manded　by　a　friend　of　mine。〃
Beattie　turned。　〃Which？〃
〃Chicago；　sir。　Dan　McCafferty。〃
〃Oh。　It　would　seem　that　one　of　the　boats　was　damaged。　Chicago　and　one　other　are　escorting　her　out。　In　fact；　they　are　raising　quite　a　rumpus　in　the　eastern　Barents。　We　have　indications　that　the　Soviets　are　sending　a　sizable　force　after　them。　In　any　case；　you're　going　back　to　your　carrier　fleet；　and　you're　to　meet　with　my　intelligence　staff　so　that　you　can　bring　your　chaps　up　to　date　when　you　get　there。　I　wanted　to　see　you　personally　to　thank　you　for　that　telex　you　sent　about　trailing　the　Backfires　to　their　doorstep。　That　idea　was　very　useful　to　us。　You're　a　reservist；　I　understand。　How　on　earth　did　they　ever　let　you　go？〃
〃I　put　my　destroyer　on　a　sandbar　once。〃
〃I　see。　You　have　atoned　for　that　error；　mander。〃　Beattie　offered　his　hand。

WACHERSLEBEN；　GERMAN　DEMOCRATIC　REPUBLIC
〃Stop　that　Goddamned　truck！〃　Alekseyev　screamed。　He　stood　in　the　middle　of　the　road；　daring　the　vehicle　to　run　over　him。　It　stopped　and　he　ran　around　to　the　cab。
〃Who　the　hell　are　you？〃　the　corporal　asked。
〃I　am　General　Colonel　Alekseyev；〃　he　answered　agreeably。　〃Who　might　you　be；　rade？〃
〃I　am　Corporal　Vladimir　Ivan'ch　Maryakhin。〃　He　managed　to　say　this　despite　a　mouth　that　hung　open　on　seeing　the　Gene