by M L Maki
COMMODORE’S OFFICE, RAF KENLEY
1440, 27 September, 1942
Spike sits at her desk, writing. Her pen poised, she stares, then:
Dear Mr. and Mrs. Luke,
I am terribly saddened by your loss. Lieutenant Luke was an outstanding aviator and good friend. We met in training when I was transitioning to fighters and he was learning to be a pilot. He was kind, strong, and very funny. He received his call sign, ‘Jedi’ from a movie that was extremely popular in 1977. The movie’s protagonist was named Luke and he learned to be a Jedi Knight. Kind of a mystical and spiritual warrior, a mix of Samurai and Knights Templar. In no way was Lorne mystical or spiritual. He was the squadron clown. He never said an unkind word, even when prov…
There’s a knock on her door. “Radar.”
Cooper pops his head in, “I know, Spike, but Patton is on the phone. It’s urgent.”
She picks up the phone, “Hunt.”
“Commodore, the Krauts have changed tactics. They’re hitting our artillery and logistics. No way we can hold out at York without supplies.”
“Understood. Thank you, General.”
“George, please.”
“Thank you, George. Sam or Spike, just not ma’am.”
He chuckles, “Fair enough.”
“I’ll direct cover for your supplies.”
“Thank you.”
TADCASTER ROAD, SOUTH BANK, YORK
1445, 27 September, 1942
PVT Mead drives their M-4 tank down the middle of the road. Most of the refugees have already fled south, so the road is fairly clear. Smoke rises from the rail yard and most of the city. SGT Steve Gains stands in the commander’s hatch despite the rain and cold. They’re the lead tank in a line of five more M-4s. His captain’s tank broke down forty miles ago and his first sergeant’s tank broke down outside Cambridge. His second lieutenant is with another platoon somewhere far behind.
A jet swoops over and he sees the cross. “Shit, air raid. Call it out.” He swings his M-2, 50 caliber machine gun, but holds fire. The jet is gone. He searches the sky and sees a bomb right before it lands. It hits two hundred yards ahead of his tank digging a huge crater. Rocks and pavement blocks bounce off his tank and he’s covered in dust. “Right track.” His voice sounds muted. “Right track!” He cannot hear the reply, but feels the tank turn. “Straight!”
He looks back. The five tanks are hugging the sides of the road where trees give them some concealment. As the jet approaches again, he leads it and fires a long burst. The jet passes too fast, and he misses. “Lead it, dumb shit.”
GUNTER’S ‘262, OVER THE RIVER DERWENT, EAST OF YORK
Gunter rolls his aircraft and looks down. He sees dirt and water shoot up. He makes a large turn and studies the fields. He realizes they are flooded. He switches to ground frequency, “4th Corps, Red 1.”
“Red 1, we hear you.”
“Nearly all the fields east of York and north of the rivers are flooded. The British are damming the rivers and streams.”
“Understood. Thank you, Red 1.”
Gunter sees a flight of four American attack jets and turns to close, his wingman on his left.
HEADQUARTERS, GERMAN 4TH CORPS
Rommel studies a map, “If they push me to the coast, I’ll be pinned against the Humber and destroyed.” He picks up the radio, “All units east of York, reverse. We’ll run direct through the city.”
FLIGHT 1, VA-11, IRON ANGELS, NOE, OVER THE DERWENT, SOUTH OF GERMAN 4TH CORPS
LCDR William ‘Book’ Leonard spots the ‘262s on the deck to his north and turns toward them. “Rusty flight, Rusty 1, stay on the deck. If they climb, don’t follow.”
“Book, Mower, who are you talking about. Oh.”
Book adjusts and fires his 30mm cannon at the lead plane. It climbs out. He switches to the German’s wingman and fires again. His rounds hit and the German plane shreds. His first ‘262 and sixth kill. “Rusty flight, Rusty 1, we fly a lose right turn if he pounces on one of us. The trailing bird engages.”
GUNTER’S ‘262
In a climbing turn, he watches his wingman auger in. “Fuck. Fucking hell.” He rolls over the top and studies the movements of the attack jets. He puts his aircraft into a shallow dive. “They’re circling, clever.” He pushes his throttles over and makes a pass on the A-10s. He puts rounds in one and climbs out. 30mm rounds fall well behind him. Circling in to try again, he catches a glint above him.
PERCIVAL 1, WEST OF GUNTER
Hot Pants sees the German ‘262 clearly. The A-10s in camouflage are harder to see, but their movement draws her gaze. “He’s diving on them.”
GQ, “I got him. Fox 1.”
Hotpants pickles off an AIM-7 and watches it streak toward the German jet.
GUNTER
Gunter sees the incoming fire. He breaks north, diving for the ground and laying on all the power he can.
PERCIVAL 1
Hotpants, “We’ll let him go. Our mission is to cover the Warthogs and the supply trains.”
GQ puts her directions out on the radio as they climb back to 25,000 feet.
Hotpants asks, “How is William? Did he evacuate?”
“Not yet. He’s helping move production and assembly gear south. They’re going to disperse production so it’s harder for the Germans to find.”
“But, you two are all right, right?”
“Yeah, he’s awesome. We are…we just jive together, you know?”
“I get it. Swede and I are like that. He’s an amazing guy. I think most people see a big tough guy, but he thinks deeply about stuff. I was an idiot not to see him before.”
“Are you two going to get married?”
“Yeah, when we can. He already asked. Well, I asked and he said yes. Right now, it would fuck up the chain of command.”
“You heard about him and the boss in the bathroom?”
“Yes.” She laughs and it sounds like water dancing down a brook. “Oh, God. He told me immediately, like I was going to be mad. Those two.”
“What was it about?”
“It was right after we lost Jedi and Stinky. My love was a mess and she could see it. She dragged him into the head and chewed his ass.”
He chuckles, “She has changed.”
“Yeah, a few months ago, she was afraid of command. Now, she wears it with confidence. The kills fuck her up, though.”
“Sister, I get that. I have nightmares about it.”
“Me, too. Last night, I was in a court room with all the people I killed pointing an accusing finger at me.”
“We killed.”
“Yes, brother, we killed. Anyway, I couldn’t see the judge, but I could hear his voice. It sounded like James Earl Jones. He wasn’t happy with me.”
GQ, “Last night, I dreamt we were in a night fight. Bullets were flying at us from all directions and I couldn’t make sense of it. Parts were falling from our plane. I woke before we augured in.”
“What can we do?”
“I don’t know. Thirty-four kills. When I was in high school, I would read about World War II pilots. All their kills sounded cool, you know, heroes and shit. Reality is hard.”
“It is, damn hard.” Hotpants asks, “Do you worry about dying?”
“No. Not really. If we go, we go. I know how good you are, and how good we are as a team. But I also know anything can happen. Hell is going to suck, though.”
“You’re a good man, Byron.”
“I’m a killer and I’m gay. There’s no room for my type in heaven.”
“Bull shit. Any religion that curses true love is evil. I’ve heard God loves fools and soldiers. Anyway, we’re here to save people, millions of people, and you know it. We are his instruments. We may hate it, but that’s what God is counting on; that we hate it, but we do it anyway, because it needs doing. If we loved it, then that’s a big problem. Other than that, because God is love, he doesn’t care. Okay?”
GQ is silent for a moment, “Wow, you’ve
really figured this thing out.”
“Yeah, I had to. It’s all that damn Catholic conditioning. I had to understand why we are here. It’s to shorten the war so that more may live. Simple. We just can’t like it, and that makes sense. He loves you, Byron, never forget it.”
“Thanks, sis, I’ll think about it.
CHAPTER 14
81ST ARMORED RECONNAISSANCE BATTALION, LANCASTER, UK
1544, 27 September, 1942
LT Colonel Charles J. Hoy stands beside the cockpit in the first of eight LCACs as it races toward the low banked shore at nearly fifty miles per hour. He leans his head in, “I see the jetty.”
“Yes, sir.” The pilot slows the huge hovercraft and they run up the beach, and with a bump, they’re onto grass. The long grass is blown away from the hovercraft as it slows to a stop. Hoy, his men, mount their vehicles.
The sailors unchain the armor and the front ramp drops. The lift fans stop causing the LCAC to sit on the ground, making the ramp easier to traverse. Hoy, “Driver, proceed.” His tank runs out clear of the LCAC, moves out of the way, and stops. The whole debarkation process takes less than two minutes. In ten minutes, half of his battalion is formed up in the sandy field.
BOOTHAM, NORTH YORK, UK
1620, 27 September, 1942
General George Patton stands tall in his command tank watching the battle unfold in front of him. In trenches dug into the soggy ground and behind stone fences, his men are dug in for the fight. The tank to his right is hit. He shifts his glasses to the front, “Target, tank, eleven o’clock.”
The 75mm gun in his Sherman tank fires. He follows the track of the projectile and sees it hit the big German tank and bounce off. “Again.”
The German tank fires and another tank to his right goes away.
His tank fires, and hits the German’s turret to no effect. “Again.”
His crew is well trained and they get off a round before the Germans, but, again, the round has no effect.
His gunner shouts, “Back, right track!” His tank lurches and he feels the German round whip past him.
Patton keys the radio, “Division, Corps, have 67th Regiment fall back. 66th and 41st, hold if you can. I want a pocket.”
Major General Ernest N. Harmon, commander of 2nd Armored Division replies, “Sir, we’re engaging with artillery. Do you have another plan?”
As they speak, artillery shells fall onto the German lines.
Patton, “Ernest, we need to get a shot at their rear where they’re vulnerable.”
“Yes, sir.”
The artillery rounds continue falling. Patton watches as some hit, but most just explode in the soggy ground. Patton surveys the scene, “The Kraut’s will fall back. They have too.”
4TH CORPS, GERMAN HEADQUARTERS, NORTH OF PATTON
Rommel surveys the fields from the hatch of his Tiger tank. A junior officer approaches, “Herr Field Marshal, 101st Battalion has broken through west of Leeds.”
“Understood.” He hears the artillery rounds shrieking in, “Seek cover, Hubert.” He keys the mic, “All units, rapid advance. Close the Americans.”
His tanks had been dueling, now, they rush forward.
PATTON’S TANK
“You clever, clever bastard.” On radio, “They’re coming in. Stick with the plan. Get them in the pocket. Hit them on their flanks where they’re vulnerable. Send in the reserves.”
“Sir, the reserves are already committed.”
WIGGINTON ROAD, NORTH YORK
SGT Gains is still at the front of his column. They’ve been attacked by air again and now have four tanks with extra men hanging onto the operational tanks. He sees a Sherman going in the opposite direction and shouts, “What gives?”
The TC, a second lieutenant, shouts, “They’ve broken through. We’re falling back.”
“Did Patton order the retreat, sir?”
The other is silent, “The German tanks, you can’t kill them.”
“Sir. Turn the fuck around and join us.”
The officer’s face pales, “No.”
SGT Gains, “Sir. If you do not turn around, you will regret it the rest of your life.”
“No.”
“Then, sir, un-ass your track. I have crew that can use it.”
SGT Gains unit finally makes it to the front and he calls on radio, “Any command, we are a tank platoon on Corban Lane.”
He hears a British voice, “Yank, you’re in our sector. We see you. I’ve directed a man to guide you in.”
He sees the Brit and follows him to the line. Incoming rounds fill the air. At first, he can’t see the Germans, then he sees the flash of flame at the tree line. They’re close. “Gunner, tank, eleven o’clock.”
“Up.”
“Away.” The round hits the Panzer 4, but it keeps coming. “Again.”
PATTON’S TANK
1708, 27 September, 1942
George Patton studies the battle. The pocket never properly formed. Rommel focused his attack on the left flank. The artillery duel continues and attack jets are diving on the Germans, killing them. He sees a lone Lancaster bomber flying over at low altitude.
GULF CHARLEY VICTOR, OVER THE BATTLE OF NORTH YORK
Looking out over one of the miniguns, LT Hammond studies the battle beneath him. He pushes the button on his crew helmet, “Pilot, Hamm. See the troop concentration by the clump of trees next to the ruined green barn?”
Flight Lieutenant David John Pryer Lee says, “Got it.” He adjusts his flight path and the gun next to Hammond wakes up. 36,000 bullets rain down on the designated area. What was German infantry, is now a carnage of churned dirt and blood.
Hammond, “Behind the tanks,” and the guns speak again. Sparks flash on the tanks. The infantry, not covered by tanks, are pulped by the 20mm cannon.
Hammond sees a missile corkscrew toward them, “Countermeasures. Break left.” He hears the rattle of flares and chaff exiting the rear of the plane as it turns violently on its side. The missile explodes behind them, but another is launched.
Flight Lieutenant Lee orients his plane to put the missile on his beam and fires as he rolls. The missile explodes and a moment later, so does the German half-track that was firing it.
RAF KENLEY
0855, 28 September, 1942
Spike enters the landing pattern behind Merlin, their EA-6B. Merlin is making the break when she spots something in the distance. “Bogies twelve o’clock.”
Lizard, “Yankee, what do we have to our front?”
“Arthur, Yankee, Navy 122 and 123.”
“Roger, Yankee.”
Spike, “Two more planes, good.” She makes the break and soon their down and taxiing to their hanger.
Lizard, “Admiral Lee?”
“Yeah, Lizard. Two more jets. You suppose he caught hell for flying with us?”
“Probably. But I wouldn’t care and I doubt he does. Dixie’s a good one.”
“Yes, he is.”
“I heard he has a girlfriend in DC.”
“You heard from whom?”
“Boss, don’t a guy get to have some secrets?”
“Okay, Lizard. I hope he’s happy. This source of yours, what else are you getting from Washington?”
“The new carrier, Yorktown, has been launched and is being fitted out. It’s the one made from a battleship hull.”
“That’s good. The Midway class couldn’t handle Tomcats. Do you suppose this one can?”
“It should. That’s what we’re building.”
“True.”
“The Enterprise is launching soon, and the sponsor is the First Lady.”
“I see, and?”
“Puck is in Bethesda.”
“I know that.”
“Admiral Klindt is getting married next spring.”
“Good for him.”
“We’re finally launching missile destroyers, cruisers, and battleships.”
“My friend, Hughes, is serving on one.”
; “Oh, well, that’s about all I know related to the war.”
“Okay. If you learn anything relevant and new, please let me know.”
“Will do.”
Spike climbs down out of the F-14 and stretches her stiff muscles as she walks to the head. When she’s finished, she walks back out and toward the new birds. She walks up to ‘Dixie’ Lee, “Hey, dad. I heard you have a new girlfriend.” She grins.
Looking abashed, Lee says, “You’re learning to keep your ear to the ground, good. Her name is Ashley Smith. She’s beautiful, kind, and smart as a whip. Are you okay with dad having a love life?”
“I’m great with you having a love life. You deserve to be happy.”
“You know, darlin, you deserve a love life, too.”
She looks away, then turns back and meets his eyes, “Let’s go to control. I have a jeep back here.”
“I take it Control isn’t close?”
“Nope. This base is laid out differently.” She waves off her driver and gets behind the wheel.
“They let you drive?”
“I give them no choice.”
“Atta girl.”
“Dad, we lost Jedi and Stinky.”
“Damn. When?”
“Yesterday.”
“I’m sorry, Sam.”
“The Germans have fielded a new long-range missile. Jedi and Gunner were closing dark and got surprised. Gunner and NOB managed to eject. Jedi and Stinky went up with their bird.”
“What happened next, darlin?”
“I got ice cold angry and went on a killing spree.”
“How many?”
“Eleven…in about three minutes, Dad. I’m a fucking killer.” He sees tears filling her eyes.
“Listen to me, darlin. You’re no such thing.”
“Dad, I was hitting cockpits. I did it on purpose. I just ended them. I ended them like they ended Jedi and Stinky. I’m a monster.” She pulls off on the side of the road near the tower and puts her head on her hands on the steering wheel.
“Darlin, nothing I say, nothing I do, can take your pain away. I want to. Lord knows I want to, but I can’t.” She turns her head and looks into his eyes. “Darlin, what I can do is tell you, I love you. Unconditional, unlimited, total love, and I can relate to how you feel. That and one more thing.”