by M. L. Maki
Chaos, “I do. 14. They’re spreading out.”
Spike, “We have four Phoenix and two Longbows. Steer behind the center of the formation.”
“Left five. How close this time?”
“At 25, we pickle off the ‘54s. We close to 15, then fire the AIM-1s. You take the shots. Any further and we reach gimble lock.”
“Got it. Left 25. Got ‘em, Spike. Volley Fox 3.” Four Phoenix missiles drop. One fails to fire its engine and tumbles away. The last three are gathered in by the radar beam and sorted to their targets. They fly true and hit three bombers. As the planes fall, all three lose their wings.
Spike, “Odd. Every time we hit them, they shed their wings.”
Chaos, “Approaching 15. Volley Fox 3.” Both missiles fire, capture the beam and soar upward. But the climb against gravity is too much. The engines run out of fuel and sputter out before they can reach the bombers.
Spike, “It’s what we thought. RTB.”
COMMODORE HOTEL, NEW YORK CITY
The hotel was hit dead center and is fully engulfed. The battalion chief yells, “Get some water on the buildings to either side. I see paint peeling.”
A police officer, “What about the hotel?”
“It’s a goner. Nothing we can do.”
CARRIER WING 9 OFFICE, MIRAMAR, CALIFORNIA
0830, 28 December, 1942
An aid knocks and enters Captain Charlie Forrester’s office, “A message, sir.”
“Thank you.”
To: CAG-9 and 10
From: CDR Hunt
Reg: German Raid NYC
Sir, a force of 35+ German high-altitude bombers is attacking New York. If available, please detach, or move, squadrons to north east air bases to intercept future attacks.
CDR Hunt
Forrester picks up his phone and there’s a knock on his door. Swede, Thud, and Packs walk in.
Swede, “Your yeoman suggested we see you. What’s up, sir?”
Forrester, “New York City just got attacked by high-altitude jet bombers. Spike asked me to send squadrons. Which of you can get to New York the fastest?”
Thud, “Swede, you have the most experienced pilots. If you want, I can swap out my cream short-term and we can send you. She’s getting your squadron anyway.”
Swede, “You need who you have. Sir, we’ll need transports to haul our ground crews and gear. I can’t be in the air in less than twelve hours. We need a base to fly out of. Nova Scotia would be best.”
Thud, “Swede, fly out of Grumman for now. Use their ground crews and gear until yours can catch up. I’ll handle that on this end. Just go.”
Swede, “Thanks, Thud. Sir, we’ll be in the air within the hour. See we if can dedicate airborne radar to this. I’ll turn over my squadron while I’m there.”
Forrester. “That works. Swede, go kick some ass. Thud, Packs, get your squadrons ready to follow his. Check out Nova Scotia. Swede is right. It’s the best place to intercept attacks from Germany.”
In unison, Thud and Packs, “Yes, sir.”
CARRIER AIR WING 10 OFFICE, OCEANA, VIRGINIA
Captain David ‘Yankee’ Crocket hands the message to Lieutenant Colonel Louis ‘Shotgun’ Mossberg. “Can your unit go?”
Mossberg nods, “Yes. If we fly straight to Grumman, we can use their ground personnel until our people catch up.”
“Make it happen.”
WHITE HOUSE, WASHINGTON, DC
Roosevelt waits in the Cabinet room with Admiral Leahy for his cabinet to arrive. An aid walks in, “Report from Admiral Lee at Grumman, sir.”
Roosevelt reads it, “She’s always where we need her. Hunt downed eleven. Lee and Commander Mohr downed twelve more. That’s a great many bombs that did not land on New York.”
Leahy, “So, Lee got to fly another combat sortie.” He shakes his head and smiles, “Well, they’re both excellent pilots.”
Roosevelt, “I want to promote her.”
“Yes, sir. Are we making progress with the Senate?”
“I’m still talking to them. This matter needs to be resolved.”
Another aid enters, “Sir, a message from Carrier Wings 9 and 10. The Black Knights and Black Sheep squadrons are in route to New York. They’re being detached to cover further attacks until the Army Air Corps can train and position fighters.”
Leahy reaches for the message, “Who approved that?” He reads the message, “I see. Hunt requested and the CAGs and Halsey approved.”
Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson enters with his assistant for air, Robert A. Lovett. Stimson, “Sir, I would rather the Army Air Force provide the defense of our country. It’s clearly their strength.”
Roosevelt, “Henry, how soon can you locate units to prevent further attacks on our country?”
“May I pull units from Britain, Mr. President.”
Roosevelt, “How soon.”
Stimson looks at Lovett, who says, “A couple of weeks, sir. We’ve a squadron finishing their training at Pensacola. They’re already learning the F/A-14.”
Roosevelt, “Where would you put them?”
Leahy, “Sir, in Nova Scotia. Their landing field is of sufficient length and has landing aids for bad weather. From Nova Scotia, we can defend the whole of the United States and Canada.”
Stimson, “Why Nova Scotia?”
Leahy, “The Germans have to fly around Britain. A great circle route puts them near Nova Scotia.”
Roosevelt, “Put the Navy units there now. Have the Army relieve them as soon as a new squadron is ready. Also, see if our units in Britain can take a pass at them on their way over.” He turns to Leahy, “William, I need to speak to the American people about this.”
“Yes, sir.”
CITY HALL, NEW YORK
Mayor Fiorello La Guardia stands behind the phone table watching his people responding to the disaster. The police chief comes up to him, “Sir, we have an unexploded bomb in Washington Square. I ordered the area cleared. Our bomb squad is on it.”
La Guardia, “Thank you.”
“Yes, sir.”
The fire chief walks up, “Sir, I have to report the Commodore is a total loss. They’re working on containing the damage to adjoining buildings.”
“I see.” He sits down and sighs.
The chief of the transportation department walks up, “Sir, engineers report the east bound lanes of the Williamsburg bridge are closed, but the west bound lanes can be reopened.”
La Guardia, “Good. Make the bridge one lane each way for now.”
The fire chief interrupts them, “Sir, the fire in the East Village is contained between East 14th, 2nd Avenue, and Houston.”
La Guardia, “That’s damn near eighty city blocks. My God, all those people are trapped.”
“Sir, the area has no water pressure because the mains are down.”
La Guardia takes a breath, “Understood. Tell them to evacuate as many as they can. God.”
Sir, “The Governor on line one.”
La Guardia picks up the phone, “Mr. Poletti.”
“Fiorello, what do you need?”
La Guardia, “Can you send me resources for clearing rubble and reopening streets?”
“That’s already on the way.”
“Thank you. I’ll have a lot of homeless people that will need food and shelter.”
Poletti, “You’ll need materials and supplies. I’ll get that going.”
“Thank you. What’s going on with the Army Air Force?”
Poletti, “I don’t know. Commander Hunt and two Navy aircraft engaged the enemy. I’m told they shot down twenty-three.”
“Thank you. That’s good to know. Well, this is going to cost a lot to fix. We’ll be sorting out the damage for a while. And, we have unexploded ordinance in the city. Our bomb squad is on that. We’ve evacuated those areas as best we could.”
The police chief, “Sir, unexploded ordinance in front of the New York City Library.”
La Guardia pales, “Call
the Army. We need the help.”
The fire chief, “Sir, we have the fire at Penn station under control.”
La Guardia, “As you can hear, we have our hands full, Governor. Please send what you can.” He hangs up.
The city engineer, “Sir, the Navy is moving several small ships to support our firefighting efforts. They’ve also sent forty hose teams.”
“What about the Brooklyn Navy Yard?”
“It was spared, sir.”
READY ROOM, GRUMMAN FIELD, LONG ISLAND, NEW YORK
1710, 28 December, 1942
The three air crews sit down with Leroy Grumman. A secretary brings in coffee. Spike, “Admiral, why did you choose the call sign Arthur 324?”
Lee, “Spike, you have more experience managing combat than I do. Also, admirals are not to command units. They’re honored guests that occasionally get to fly sorties. Spike, this is your show.” He looks over to Too Tall.
Mike nods his head, “My wheel house is air to ground. Spike, I trust you with this completely.”
Spike takes a deep breath, “I see. Admiral, can you make us priority one for AIM-54s? We need techs out here from Hanford to figure out why we have a twenty percent failure rate.”
Lee, “On it.”
Grumman, “I’ll have my people investigate as well.”
Spike, “Thank you. We can’t engage the bombers without the Phoenix right now. We’re out. We can warn the cities. Until we get E-2s, we fly around the clock. Leroy, is there a place we can bunk down here at the field.”
“Yes, Spike. We can park your jets outside your door. The bunk room has heat and a phone so you can be scrambled.”
“Thank you. This is costing Grumman money to support us. Admiral, is this an unfunded liability?”
Lee, “No, it’s a national emergency. I’ll have my office cut the paper for it.”
Grumman, “This is our country, too. Unless my bean counters force me to write something, it’s gratis.”
Spike smiles, “Thank you. A squadron, or three, are arriving in the next few days. Ultimately, I would like to park the squadrons in Nova Scotia. It gives us more time to engage them before they reach any city. I’ll write up requests to that end. Meanwhile, if it works for you, I’ll take the next shift.” She pauses when she hears the sound of two F/A-14s on final. She smiles and looks at Grumman. He shakes his head.
Lee, “That was fast.”
Spike grins, “It was. Too Tall, I need you to fly the fighter for a while. Does that work?”
“Hell, yeah. I’d never flown air to air, before. It was shooting fish in a barrel, and we got it done.”
“Yes, you did. We need to greet our back up.” She stands to the sounds of two more planes landing.
BOBLINGEN FIELD, GERMANY
2328, 28 December, 1942
Oberstleutnant Oscar Mentz climbs out of his aircraft, his legs wobbly and cramping. Exhaustion forces him to lean on the ladder as he works his way down. The ground crews help him and Hauptmann Gant off the ladder. They gingerly shuffle toward the hanger. Mentz says, “You did good, Hauptmann.”
“Thank you, sir. Do you think you’ll be given the group? Mein Gott, I’m sore.”
“I don’t know.”
A sedan pulls up in front of them and a driver gets out and opens the rear door. Reichsmarschall Hermann Goering steps out. Both men salute. Goering, “Oberstleutnant, a word, please.”
“Yes, sir.”
“What happened to Oberst Grubber?”
“His aircraft was destroyed by an American missile.”
“Was he flying too low?”
“No, Herr Reichsmarschall, he was at altitude. We all were. We lost nearly half our force to American missiles. And sir, the Drachendame spoke to us on the radio.”
“What did she say?”
“She hoped we’d kissed our wives, because she was going to make them widows. For too many, she did. Sir, do you know why twenty-two of my planes had engine problems?”
“Yes. Water in the fuel. It’s being addressed. Please tell me you bombed New York.”
“Yes, sir. We left it in flames, sir. An inferno.”
“Good, then it was worth it. Oberst Mentz, please step into my car. We have much to discuss.”
“Yes, Herr Reichsmarschall.”
CHAPTER 37
HUNT FARM, STONE MOUNTAIN, TENNESSEE
0115, 29 December, 1942
Jeremiah Buford pulls up to the farm house and shuts off the Packard. “We made it.”
Fukue, asleep on her grandfather’s shoulder, wakes up, “Where are we?”
Lights come on in the house. Jere, answers, “The Hunt farm if the post box is right. I’ll go ask.” He gets out and walks onto the porch.
The front door opens and Leigh Hunt walks out, “Jeremiah Buford?”
“Yes, sir.” He puts out his hand and Leigh shakes it. “They’re pretty tired, sir.” He turns and calls out, “It’s the right farm.”
He and Leigh walk to the car and help Asahi and Fukue out. David runs out, “I’ll get the bags.”
Margaret steps out, “Hello, Lieutenant.”
“Hello, ma’am.”
She smiles and turns to her new guests, “Hello, welcome to our home. David, put their bags in your brother’s room and the guest room. Thank you.” She turns back to Asahi and Fukue, “Please come in. You must be so tired. Tea or coffee?”
Fukue looks up at Margaret, tears in her eyes, “Tea, please. Thank you so much.”
Margaret, “No trouble at all. Please come in. It’s freezing out here.”
Inside, the warm air embraces them. David comes back down stairs, “All the bags are up, Mom.”
Jere settles his charges into chairs in front of the fire and turns to Leigh and Margaret, “Mister and Mrs. Hunt, David, may I introduce Asahi Koizumi and Fukue Hisakawa.”
Leigh, “It’s a pleasure to meet you both.” He takes their hands.
Margaret, “The kettles on. Tea will be ready soon. Are you hungry?”
Fukue, “Ma’am, may I help you?”
“Just Margaret, please. Have you eaten?”
Jeremiah, “We ate in Kingsport.”
“Well than, you must be famished.”
Fukue gets up, “I’m quite fine. Grandfather?”
Asahi, “I as well. Thank you.”
Jere, “I’m fine too. I can crash on the floor or a couch and give the rooms to Fukue and Asahi.”
Leigh, “That works. Mr. Koizumi, your accent is British.”
“Please, Asahi. I was educated at Oxford.”
Margaret looks up, “Is that where Samantha was in England?”
Asahi, “I believe she was near Cambridge to the north.”
Fukue helps Margaret arrange the tea service and pour the tea. Margaret smiles, “You are very graceful, Fukue.”
Fukue blushes and looks down, “I was taught…” She looks at her grandfather. “It was part of my education, Mrs. Hunt.”
Leigh, “Lieutenant, when do you have to leave?”
“I was granted a day to settle them in, then I have to catch the train west.”
Margaret, “How is she?”
Jere, “She’s well, ma’am. Thank you for taking such good care of her when she was here. She’s a different person than she was in England.”
Margaret, “She was skin and bones when she got here, and so tired.”
Leigh, “How did you two meet?”
Jere, “My unit was assigned to England for a mission. I met her on the tarmac when she greeted the team.” Jere smiles, “Yeah, I have to admit now that it was love at first sight. I doubted it then.”
Margaret, “She isn’t easy. How did you…?”
Jere looks at Margaret, “You’re right, she isn’t easy. I knew in my heart, but my mind told me it was impossible. My closest friends dying wish was that I ask her.” He looks down, pausing, “Yeah. He was right. She doubted, but didn’t say no. Later, maybe became yes. Our first date was in London.”
Leigh, “So, you’re a pilot?”
“No, sir. I’m a SEAL, a combat swimmer.”
David pops up, “I know what that is, Sam explained it to me. Sir, you’re a real SEAL?”
Jere, “Yes. I’m the assistant team leader of SEAL Team 1, Platoon 2. Right now, I’m on temporary staff duty while I recover from some injuries.”
David, “Could you meet with my football team tomorrow? They all have a letter from Sam so they can join the SEALs. She tested us.”
Jere, “Did you pass?”
“Yes, sir, but I’m going into aviation. A few guys passed the first time out. We’ve all been working out four days a week.”
Jere grins, “David, how did you do?”
“I passed first time, but never as good as Sam. Sometimes, I almost caught up with her. You know, she used a hand stand to lever herself out of the pool, then walked it out. Then, she complained she was out of shape.”
Jere laughs, “Sounds like her. Pool tomorrow?”
“Yeah, it’s our regular day. It’s down at the college in Athens.”
“Let your team know they’re going to be tested again. If they pass, I’ll write them a letter, too. They need to understand that the letters only get them in. To make it, they have to prove themselves every day.”
Margaret, “More tea, Jeremiah?”
He turns to her, “Yes, please.”
“Where were you injured?”
“The worst is my arm. It’s getting better, but it’s only been a couple of months.”
David, “What happened?”
Jere, “I was stupid and lifted my elbow when I was shooting. A German took advantage of my mistake.”
David frowns, “England.”
Jere, “Yeah.” He takes a sip of tea, “Mr. Hunt, I would like your permission to ask you granddaughter, Samantha, for her hand in marriage.”
Leigh chokes, swallows, and puts his cup down. He locks his gaze on Jere, “Samantha means a great deal to us, and our whole community. If it’s at all possible, we need to get the two families together for the wedding. I understand you’re from Montana.”
“Yes, sir, outside of Missoula on the Bar B Bar. Sir, there’s just no way to get everyone together during the war.”
“Yes, I see that. You two think it over and decide what you want to do.” Leigh frowns, “Did you come back in time, too?”