by Unknown
“Very well, Captain. Continue with your operational orders. I want to be on station by 0600,” said Hustvedt. “Your navigation team did a fine job. I’ll be down in flag plot.”
Leaving the bridge wing, Hustvedt made his way down and entered his darkened plot room. Looking at the screen he could see that about half of the force was already through the straits. He eased up to Jeffers and sat beside him. “Everybody making it through?”
“Yes, sir,” said Jeffers. The slower ones came through first and are going as fast as they can to the rendezvous. The faster ones will be out within the hour and will catch up. Iowa, Port Royal and the Freedom will be the last through and will head west instead of east as planned. They should be on station tomorrow and will transit at a slower speed. I did get a message that our submarines are in place. The increase in speed should cause any Russians in the area to come take a look. Our guys will be waiting,” he said.
Hustvedt nodded. “Good. I liked your idea of sending one to tail the Iowa group. Nice piece of insurance. Will we make it on time?”
Jeffers glanced at the clock. “Well, we started the transit just before dusk at around 4:30 pm local. Sunrise is not until about eight a.m. That gives us about fourteen or fifteen hours to cover the distance, so we’ll just barely make it. We knew we were cutting it a little thin,” Jeffers said.
Hustvedt nodded. “That should be fine. The bombardment alone will take over an hour. That will give us time to get forces ashore. My big worry is air strikes. Not ours, but theirs. I am just hoping we shake them up enough that they can’t mount anything for a few hours. That will give us the time to get ashore with enough forces to make this work.” They were interrupted when General Richardson came in the space.
“I see I’m not the only one not sleeping,” she said as she pulled up a chair. “How’s it looking?”
“Most of the fleet is through and we’re high tailing it to the jumping off site,” said Hustvedt. “Jeffers and I were discussing how tight the scheduling is.”
“Yes, it’s tight, but we can make it happen. I have already told my troops to station themselves in the aircraft and the LCACs by 0500. That way no matter when we kick off, early or late, our guys will be ready,” she said. “I plan on going over in the second wave. Once I get enough numbers, I plan on moving in. No use is slowing things up. When do the Turks kick off?”
“Just before dawn about 0700. Once the paratroops give the signal, they start moving in. A wave of those drones will help clear the way,” Hustvedt said.
“That helps,” said Richardson. “When are those drones coming ashore for my people?
“A little later on today. I want the supplies in first. This isn’t going to be another Guadalcanal.”
Richardson grinned. “I appreciate that,” she said. Glancing over at Jeffers she commented, “Haven’t you been in here all day?”
Jeffers smiled. “Most of it. I mean, it’s my baby and I want to make sure it’s not stillborn,” he said.
She laughed at the comment. “Oh, you don’t have to worry about that. This is going to work, just don’t burn yourself out before you see if it’s a boy or a girl,” she said.
“Who has the watch?” asked Hustvedt.
“Colonel Davis right now. He’s over reading the message traffic.”
“Okay, then you drag your ass to bed. I already warned you not to try and do it all yourself. I need you back here fit as a fiddle by 0300 so we can keep track of all this. So hit the bricks,” Hustvedt said with a grin.
“I never argue with my superiors,” said Jeffers as he stood and gathered a couple of things. “Good night,” he said.
Hustvedt and Richardson watched him leave. “Chris, he has his shit together better than half the people around here including the senior officers,” said Richardson.
“I agree. Roger Hammond told me he was flag officer material and I believe him. He is smart, gets the job done, has an uncanny ability to lead people and has the personality of the boy next door. Hell, I wish I could promote him myself, but he already got deep selected once. I doubt anyone could do it again. If I thought it would do him some good, I’d let you take him along just to get the experience,” said Hustvedt.
“Oh no, don’t do that. I need people around me trained to pound ground and shoot people. The way he goes at things, he would get himself killed,” she said, “in a most heroic fashion. We need him just where he is. But I will say he will be fun to watch after this is over with. Imagine what he might do in command of a ship or fleet,” she said with a wistful look in her eyes.
As Jeffers came up to his stateroom he saw someone standing opposite his door. It was his friend Evan Chambers. “What are you doing out here?” Jeffers asked in a low tone.
“Just wanted to talk a second, if you don’t mind,” Chambers said. He had a worried look on his face.
“Shouldn’t you be getting some rest?”
Chambers smiled a weak smile. “Yea, but I have something on my mind.”
Jeffers opened his door. “Come on in,” he said.
The two entered the room and Jeffers plopped down in a chair. “What’s up Evan?”
Chambers sat in the other chair. “It’s kind of hard to say. I’ve been worrying lately about what we’re getting ready to do and what might happen. It’s got me a little afraid,” he said.
“Yea, well, I guess that proves you’re normal. Everybody I know has gotten a little on edge. We just can’t let it get us down,” Jeffers said.
“No, it’s more than that. You see, ever since I came aboard, you are the only one of these jokers I really consider a friend. We’ve been together a long time and my fear is that you might get hurt. After you left the Kings Mountain, I felt alone. Yea, I had others I was friends with but you’ve always kind of been there for me and got me through things. Remember when I was an Ensign and you helped bail me out when my chief was having problems? Or the times you helped me with my surface warfare quals? You never seemed to resent having me around or when I bothered you. Although I have a brother and sister, you’re the closest thing to family I’ve felt in a long time. So you see, I’m not worried about what might happen to me. I’m worried I might lose you,” he said with some emotion. “You’re my best friend.”
Jeffers could see the emotion clouding Chamber’s face. He never knew that Evan felt this way. Yes, Chambers was his best friend. Fortunately, he made friends easily and never had to worry about not having friends around. Chambers was a little different. He was shy and cautious. But when he did make a friend, Jeffers knew it was for life. He stood and pulled his friend in for a hug, wrapping his arms around him and patting him on the back. They stood together for a moment before Jeffers said, “Thanks, man. But don’t worry about me. We’re both too stubborn to get killed. We’re going to be friends till the very end,” he said. Jeffers looked him in the eye. “Besides, I want you to be there to be an uncle to my children. I may even name my first boy after you.”
Chambers laughed. “Not if I name mine first,” he said.
Both men had tears in their eyes now and Chambers pulled him in for another hug, holding Jeffers tightly. “Once again, you pulled me out of a problem,” said Chambers with a forced chuckle.
“That’s my job. Besides, we have to stay around just to play our music and annoy your Captain,” said Jeffers. They both laughed this time. Jeffers placed his hand on the side of Chambers’ face. “Now go get some sleep. We’re both going to be busy tomorrow.”
Chambers looked visibly relieved. He nodded and turned toward the door. “See you in the morning,” he said as he left the stateroom.
Chapter 13
Going on the Offensive
Georgia
The early morning hours were disturbed by the sounds of turboprop engines and jets cruising overhead. Most people living in the farms along southern Georgia were having a difficult time just keeping warm. Few bothered to get out of the bed to see what was going on. Then one came very close to one of the far
mhouses, frightening the family inside and causing them to get up and rush to the windows. In the dim moonlight they could see thousands of figures in the sky drifting downward. A second close flyby and a large aircraft zoomed past the cottage and dropped something very big out of its back end.
Within a minute, there was a knock at the door. The father pulled on some pants and made his way to the door, cautiously opening it. To his surprise, it was a soldier in a camouflage uniform. He was carrying a rifle. “Excuse me, sir,” the man said in Russian. “We don’t mean to frighten you, but we are making a landing here. If you would, please keep your family inside. Once we are ready, I will let you know when it is safe to come out,” he said.
The older man nodded. “I understand. Who are you?”
“Sir, I’m Lieutenant Kendrick of the United States Eighty Second Airborne Division. There will be a lot of us dropping in tonight, so please stay safe,” he said as he turned and left.
The man didn’t know what to think. He knew that his homeland was being invaded, but the young man was very nice about it. He even was concerned for the safety of his family. He shrugged to himself. There was nothing he could do about the invasion, so he would do as the man asked and stay inside where it was safe.
“What is it Papa?” asked his wife from the bedroom.
“It appears we are being invaded, Mama. Go back to bed.” He then sat down beside the window and watched as the invaders floated down like angels. Several went to the large item dropped from the plane and within a few minutes he saw the outline of a tank drive off toward the south. Several more also went by, followed by some trucks. By now his whole family was at the windows watching. As some of the men walked by, they waved at his children. As the sun rose, the valley the farmer lived in had been turned into an armed camp. He saw someone coming toward the cottage with a box. The man knocked at the door. Once again the old farmer answered it.
The smiling face was back. “Good morning. I hope we are not disturbing you too much. We had an extra box of food we would like to share with your family. It appears we will be leaving soon, but we hope we have not inconvenienced you in any way,” Kendrick said.
The older farmer was still having trouble understanding all that was happening. “You have invaded our country and you bring us this? I do not understand,” he stammered out.
“Well, sir, you didn’t start the war, your government did. If you are like my father, all you want to do is take care of your family. We don’t want to make war on someone doing the right thing. Once this is over, I hope we will all be friends again,” Kendrick said.
The farmer extended his hand. “Thank you for helping my family,” he said.
Lieutenant Kendrick smiled and bid the man farewell, then walked a few feet away where some other soldiers were standing. They all looked so young, the farmer thought. His little girl came and stood beside him. Several of the soldiers waved at her. One even walked over and said hello to both of them. He spoke English, so the farmer didn’t understand. The young man took off his helmet and reached into his pocket. He handed the little girl a Hershey bar. She took it and said “Spasiva.”
The young man smiled, gave her a wave and nodded thanks to her father before turning to rejoin the others. The farmer ushered his daughter inside and looked at his wife. “These are nice boys,” he said. “They told me they will be leaving soon. They’re not even taking our food and stock.”
The mother had already opened the large box. Inside were some canned meats and vegetables, rice, noodles and tea. Then there were several smaller boxes with words written in Cyrillic. “What is this Meals Ready to Eat?” she asked. Reading the instructions, she found boxes labeled beef stew, chicken teriyaki, Salisbury steak and beef Stroganoff. “Just add water,” she murmured in Russian. “Humph,” she grunted. “Some of this sounds Russian,” she said. At least today they would eat well.
Just before dawn the people along the shore were wakened by the sounds of hundreds of aircraft. The ground began to shake as they fighters and bombers began clearing the way for troops to come ashore. Some even looked out their windows to see a line of three battleships open fire on targets further inland. It seemed as if every second the ground would shake from a new impact. The residents scrambled for the shelters and basements fearing for their lives.
The army detachment assigned to this part of the coast scrambled to get to their trucks and meet the assault, although they weren’t sure where the assault was coming from. As they ran toward their trucks and tanks they saw them explode in front of them. A call went out to the nearest air base to get help.
One mile behind the battleships was a line of ten Farragut class destroyers. They were modifications of the Zumwalt class of destroyer designed to carry the newest of naval artillery – the electro-magnetic gun. Built with extreme capacity to produce electricity, each ship carried four of the guns. They didn’t rely on propellant or an explosive shell. These guns fired by use of electro-magnetic force. It sounded like a gun when it went off. There was even flame, but the projectile was a simple stainless steel dart. When fired, it left the barrel doing Mach 7. On each ship, the barrels elevated and fired.
The air base was forty miles inland. Within seconds, the darts struck still doing Mach 6. There was no need for explosive. The kinetic energy alone destroyed everything in its path. Runways became unusable, hangers collapsed and aircraft burst into flames. Pilots scrambled out of their barracks to get to their planes only to be shredded by the mounds of shrapnel generated by the darts whenever they struck something. Every twenty seconds a volley hit the base. Within just fifteen minutes, there was nothing left to fly and no runways left to take off from.
The next army unit was just ten miles away. After making sure the immediate area was clear, the battleships switched to secondary targets designated by the Link 16. The first rounds tore into the armory, leveling it. The motor pool was ravaged and finally the fuel tanks were ruptured and set afire. The few soldiers left, could do nothing but stand and watch it burn.
The LCACs began moving in. Because this was a relatively lightly populated area of shore, they came in unopposed. Moving up the beach, they deposited their troops and tanks, then turned around and went back for more. The Ospreys were next. Swooping in from the ships, the Ospreys landed further inland and disgorged their troops. Wave after wave came in. Within an hour, over 20,000 troops had been set down on the beach. Two hours later fifty thousand more were there and moving inland.
Poland
The skies became filled with Allied aircraft. They dashed across the battle lines and struck targets deep into occupied territory. Everything was hit. Tanks, trucks, aircraft, supply depots, tent cities, everything that was of military importance was laid to waste. Russian troops reported the aircraft overhead, but no radar systems saw a target. Russian fighters were scrambled and dashed to the front, only to be met by planes their radars could not see or lock onto. Because of the American Eyeball system, American controllers were able to vector aircraft in behind the advancing fighters and blow them out of the sky. Only twice did a Russian fighter get behind an American and loose a heat seeker. One of those times, the countermeasures worked. With the loss of that one aircraft, the Allied forces decimated over three hundred Russian planes in just the first hour.
Drone units were launched and went in ahead of tanks and infantry, making sure that opposition was quelled before they got to an area. In three cases, a specialized drone went in and sprayed the area around a company of tanks with a specialized liquid. Upon hitting the ground it expanded leaving a thick ooze on the ground. Tanks, trucks and other vehicles simply got mired in the stuff and anyone inside the tank had a hard time getting out without slipping and breaking their necks.
The American Abrams, Bradleys and Humvees poured across the line along with Leopards, Chieftans and Leclercs. Polish and German units that had been harassing the enemy rear were pulled back for a rest. The Russian lines began to disintegrate.
Sakhalin Isla
nd
A lone sentry made his way along the cold, snowy beach on Sakhalin Island. He considered his duty hell. It was always cold there. There hadn’t been electricity. Only the administration building and the officers’ quarters had the use of a generator. The rest stayed cold and hungry. They had even run out of fuel to drive the men back and forth to their lonely outposts. The sentries rode bicycles back and forth. Only vodka seemed to take the chill off and even it was in short supply. Stationed in a small town of Nogliki on the eastern shore, everyone was suffering. There had already been three deaths from the cold. True, they had been old, but to freeze to death was not something the sentry looked forward to.
The wind had mercifully died an hour before and a mist had rolled in to cover everything. You couldn’t see past 100 meters. Something caught the sentry’s ear. It was a strange noise he hadn’t heard before. He pulled his rifle from his shoulder, not that he would be able to stop anyone trying to invade this god forsaken place. The noise got louder. Suddenly, out of the mist, a huge machine plowed ashore almost directly in front of him. It was followed by several others. The sentry watched in horror as the machine seemed to circle him and then stop. It looked like it sank into the ground before a large ramp dropped in from of it and men began running out. Several pointed their weapons at him. The sentry threw down the gun and raised his hands. One of the men motioned for him to come forward. As he approached, the man said in Russian, “Go aboard the craft and get some food. Don’t do anything stupid and you will be fine.”
The men then turned and walked away. Just then a tank came out of the craft. He decided to follow his instructions and walked aboard. Two other soldiers led him inside where it was warm. There were some pastries and some coffee in the small galley. Another man came up and began asking him questions. He barely realized he had become a prisoner of war.