by James Rosone
Their command acknowledged and told them to standby while a strike package was put together.
Three minutes later, Henhouse came back over the radio, informing them that a pair of Vipers would fly in to suppress the enemy air defense while a couple of pairs of Marine F/A-18 Hornets brought the pain. Jordy and Chucky exchanged smiles knowing what was heading towards that Chinese column, and then they passed the word down to the others to be ready. So far, they had not spotted any enemy soldiers near them or looking for them, but that might change if the Chinese believed their positions were being monitored from the hills above them.
Fifteen minutes later, as they continued to observe the vehicles arrive at the destroyed DPRK airbase, a flurry of activity began. The men manning the air defense vehicles began to get them ready to engage an unseen enemy. The other armored vehicles and tanks in the group began to scatter to different portions of the airbase while the infantry soldiers began to run to various dugout shelters.
The few remaining North Korean forces at the base waved in the direction the air attack would most likely come from. The SA-22, which had both missiles and twin 30mm cannons, turned and swung its weapons in that direction. In seconds, the two cannons immediately began to open fire, throwing hundreds of projectiles in the direction of the American aircraft. These were quickly followed by several SAMs being launched at the incoming threats. A few seconds later, an American missile streaked across the sky and plowed into the vehicle, exploding it into a million little pieces.
The second SA-22 and the SA-19 Grison both opened up with their 30mm auto-cannons and their own anti-air missiles. A second American missile plowed into the Grison, shattering it in spectacular fashion. At this point, the remaining SA-22 had turned off his radar and moved his vehicle back several hundred feet at high speed. Another American missile plowed into the dirt where it had just been. In seconds, the SA-22 turned its search radar back on and fired off four anti-air missiles at the incoming F/A-18s and the Vipers still trying to kill them.
As Chucky and Jordy observed the fighting going on below them, they couldn’t help but marvel at the skill of the men on both sides trying to leverage their technology and weapon systems in an effort to defeat each other. When the SA-22 fired off four anti-air missiles, they watched as one of them zeroed in on an F-16. The missile exploded below and just behind the aircraft, though it was clear to see the fighter had sustained heavy damage. The F16 began trailing smoke and tried to maneuver back towards friendly lines.
One of the F/A-18s that had dove in on the airfield to attack the armored column flew in fast, releasing a series of 500 lbs. bombs, ripping multiple vehicles apart in their destructive wake. As the Hornet angled skyward to gain altitude, the lone remaining SA-22 was tracking it and fired a string of 30mm cannon fire in its direction. The American aircraft jinked hard from one side to another in an attempt to dodge the incoming enemy rounds.
The first F/A-18 was lucky and gained enough altitude to escape the enemy fire; however, his partner flew right into it. The second F/A-18 was blown apart in a million little pieces before it was able to release its ordinance. The pilot was able to eject, and as chance would have it, the aircraft came apart as it flew over ODA 1110’s observation point. When the pilot ejected, he was nearly on top of them. As his chute opened and descended, several members from Chucky’s team were there to greet him and keep him silent. They brought him into their lines, along with the other pilot they had rescued earlier.
Chucky walked up to the Marine aviator and held his hand out, “I’m Chief Warrant Officer 4, Charles Lee. I’m in charge of this Special Forces A-Team you dropped into. Until we are relieved or extracted, you are now going to operate under my control. Is that understood Major…Woods?”
Major Woods wasn’t sure what to make of the men in green faces that had just rescued him. He had practically been on top of them when he ejected from his aircraft. Ultimately, he was just glad they had found him and not the Chinese or the North Koreans.
Woods chuckled quietly and then smiled. “It sounds like you have a deal, Chief. I can’t thank you guys enough for recovering me. I thought for certain I’d be captured,” he said as he shook Chucky’s hand. Chucky led the two of them to the center of their perimeter so they could talk a little more freely for a few minutes.
Turning to look at the Marine aviator, Chucky explained, “Listen, we’ve been deep behind enemy lines since before the start of the war. So far, we haven’t been spotted, but it’s only a matter of time. If the Marines establish a beachhead, do you think you could speak to them and have them bail us out?” he asked. They had not gotten any sort of confirmation from Henhouse on their extraction, but with them recovering this second downed pilot, the likelihood of them needing an extraction was increasing by the hour. It would not take the Chinese or KPA long before they sent a search party in this direction.
Woods thought about this question for a minute, not sure how much information he should disclose. Seeing that his own life may depend on the answer, he decided to be direct and give them the truth. “The Marines have already secured a beachhead. They’ve pushed about ten miles inland, so believe it or not, they are only around ninety miles from this position. The fact that the PLA is moving a lot of units here is not good. It means they are going to try and push our Marines back into the ocean. As for an extraction, I’m not sure. As you just saw, the enemy air defense capability around here is pretty strong. I’m not sure our helicopters would survive. If the Air Force can get a few more Viper missions to suppress them then yeah, I think it’s possible.”
The two of them talked for a few minutes longer before they gave the Major a commandeered AK-47 and about a dozen magazines. They placed him in a fighter hole near one of the other SF soldiers on the perimeter, and told him to stay silent and watch while they reported their position to higher headquarters and asked for an extraction.
For the next ten minutes, they went back and forth with Henhouse on the details. It was determined that the Air Force would have to conduct additional wild weasel missions. Once the enemy had been thinned out, then they could try for an extraction.
*******
DPRK Hwangsuwon Airbase
Brigadier General Cho was not happy. His division had been getting harassed from the air for the past several days by the Americans and Japanese, greatly slowing down his progress. He should have arrived at this DPRK airbase two days ago, so they could get it operational for the People’s Liberation Army Air Force. However, just as his lead battalion arrived at the base, they came under additional air attacks by American F-16s and F/A-18s.
“Colonel Fang, I need you to keep these Yankee aircraft off our backs! How soon until the rest of your air defense brigade is able to setup a perimeter at the DPRK airbase and stop these attacks?!” Cho demanded angrily.
Colonel Fang had been doing his best to provide air defense for the 39th Army, but it had been nearly impossible to keep the Americans from getting through. Between their stealth aircraft and electronic jamming, his air defense systems were having a hard time suppressing the American air superiority.
“I know what the problem is General Cho, and we are working on solving it. I just lost two of the three SAM systems I sent to the airbase earlier today. The air force is supposed to start providing us with more fighter support. That should help the situation until I can get additional SA-21 systems set up,” he responded. The accusation that his brigade was not doing the best they could made him hot under the collar. He had been getting yelled at by nearly every division and brigade commander since their army group had crossed into North Korea at the start of the war.
Walking over to Colonel Fang, General Cho leaned in and said in a low voice, “Look, the American Marines are less than ninety miles from the Hwangsuwon Airbase. Once they land enough forces, they are going to make a concerted push in this direction. With the North Koreans having just surrendered to the allies, we have to secure as much of the country as possible. What can you do
to establish some sort of air defense corridor to allow us to marshal enough forces to push them back into the sea?” he asked in a much calmer tone.
“Sometimes the best way to get what you want is to apply honey when the vinegar has clearly not worked,” Cho remembered.
The sudden surrender of the North Koreans had caught the Chinese army off guard, and certainly made things a bit more complicated. The PLA now had to secure as much of the country as possible. Pausing for a minute before responding, Colonel Fang replied, “I need you to secure the surrounding hills and ridges around the airbase. We need to make sure there are no enemy soldiers nearby calling in airstrikes on us. From the reports I read from one of my units at the base, they came under air attack almost as soon as they arrived at the base. Clearly an enemy force is operating in the area. Find and destroy them, and I will get you an air defense corridor.”
General Cho nodded. “I will have my division start to clear the surrounding hills and ensure there are no Americans observing the base. In the meantime, please move additional air defense vehicles to the base. My infantry forces will work with your men to identify new positions to locate the SAMs and anti-aircraft guns to best protect the base.”
The two men talked for a few more minutes and then went their separate ways to get things moving.
General Cho waved to his executive officer for him to come over to him. Cho unfolded his map on the side of his command ZBD-04A infantry fighting vehicle and spit the piece of gum he had been chewing into his hand. Then he applied it to both corners of the map, and pressed them against the side armor of the vehicle.
“You didn’t want to use one of the tables?” his XO said in a slight chuckle as he approached his commander.
Smiling and then laughing at what he had just done, “Sometimes when you have an idea, you just have to run with it before it fades away. Come here and look at the map of the DPRK airbase. I just got done talking with Colonel Fang from our air defense brigade. He insisted that there must be an American, ROK, or Japanese unit operating on one of these ridges or hilltops near the airbase, calling in airstrikes. He has asked if we could help clear these areas, so he can bring in additional air defense systems. Then the engineers can work on getting the airfield operational again for the air force.”
General Cho showed his XO multiple hilltops and ridgelines in the vicinity of the airbase. “Colonel Fang also said they had shot down two aircraft. One of the pilots was able to eject in the vicinity of this hilltop, roughly a mile and a half from the airbase, but no one has gone looking for the pilot yet.”
The XO gave a puzzled look. “Why didn’t anyone send a search party?” he wondered. “Seems like someone isn’t doing their job…”
“I am going to call fifth brigade and find out why they have not secured that downed pilot yet. They should have,” he replied. “We have a Special Forces battalion we can call and see if they will support us in trying to ferret out this enemy force in the area. Would you like me to give them a call and see if they can spare any units?” his XO offered. He knew his commander was under a lot of pressure to secure the airbase and then move to the coast to make contact with the American Marines.
General Cho nodded and signaled that it was time for them to get back on the road. “Have the rest of the division continue to move towards the airbase. We need to get it secured and back operational within the next 24 hours, if possible.”
*******
Hilltop 079
Maverick signaled Chunk, their demolition expert, to crawl over to his position. Sighing, Chunk slowly crawled out of his fighting position and made his way over to Maverick’s little foxhole, which was fifteen yards away from his own. “This had better be good--I just opened my tortellini and cheese, and they are going to get cold,” he said in reference to his MRE, snickering.
Maverick ignored the joke and handed him his spotting lens. “What do you see down there at the base of the hill?”
Chunk grudgingly took the glasses from Maverick and began to scan down below. The bottom of the hill was roughly 4,000 yards below them and had a fairly steep elevation. A soldier on foot could easily scale it, but not a tracked vehicle. As he peered through the trees towards the clearing at the bottom of the hill, his eyes spotted something. At first, it was just a couple of what appeared to be Chinese soldiers. But as he scanned the area, he spotted dozens of infantrymen, all heading up the hill towards their position.
“I see we have company joining us for lunch,” he replied as he handed the binoculars back. “You better tell Chucky.”
Keying his mic, Maverick said, “Chucky, we have company heading our direction from the base of the hill. Chunk and I spotted at least a couple dozen infantrymen. How do you want us to proceed?”
CW4 Lee was hoping they could stay undetected for a little while longer, but with the downing of the Hornet pilot, he knew that was becoming less and less likely.
“This is going to get ugly fast,” he thought.
Keying his own mic, Chucky responded, “Standby and monitor them. I’m going to raise Henhouse and advise them of our situation.”
“Henhouse, this is Watchman Five. We have enemy soldiers heading towards our position. What is the likelihood of us being able to get an extraction?” he asked for probably the tenth time in the last three hours.
A couple of minutes went by before they heard the familiar voice of Henhouse. “The Air Force is going to vector in two pairs of wild weasels to your position. Depending on their success, we may be able to arrange for an extraction on the back side of Hill 079, roughly 2,000 yards from your current position. How copy?”
CW4 Lee smiled at that news. They had been going around and around trying to get an extraction. “That’s a good copy, Henhouse. How soon until the Vipers show up?”
The radio came back to life quickly in response. “They should be in bound in less than five mikes. Standby and report back on any battle damage assessments.”
As the enemy soldiers slowly began to climb up the hill they were dug in on, additional armored troop carriers and tanks fanned out around the airbase. Several pieces of construction equipment showed up as well; two bulldozers and a couple of graders had begun the process of filling in the craters on the runways and taxiways. Two more SA-22s had also shown up and it looked like an SA-10 was being set up not far from the dam and the edge of the reservoir. Then, they heard the unmistakable sound of jet engines.
Once the jets could be heard, the SA-22s and SA-20s immediately began to fill the sky with surface-to-air missiles, intermixed with their 30mm anti-aircraft guns. Several PGZ95 Chinese self-propelled anti-aircraft vehicles also opened up with their quad 25mm autocannons, filling the sky with green tracers and SAMs. The overwhelming rumble of war was incredible; the thunderous booms of hundreds of 30mm and 25mm autocannon rounds echoed throughout the valley and filled the sky. Then Chucky and the rest of his team saw several missiles impact against the body of two PGZ95s, which blew up violently, throwing flames and shrapnel in all directions.
Then, one of the SA-20s exploded in spectacular fashion, just as the others had earlier in the day. Only this time, they saw one of the F-16s explode in mid-air as one of the SAMs collided with it. As more SAMs flew after the F-16s and additional anti-aircraft fire continued to light up the sky, another Viper pilot was hit, though he managed to limp his aircraft away. Fortunately, before he had to leave the battle, he managed to shoot down two more of the anti-aircraft vehicles.
There was just one more SA-22 left in the vicinity of the airbase as the last two Viper pilots zoomed in to go after it. They both released a series of snake eye 500 lbs. bombs as they banked hard to the north, lighting up their afterburners and putting as much space as possible between themselves and the bombs they had just released.
The four bombs landed near the SA-22 and several other ZBD infantry fighting vehicles, tearing them apart, killing the crews and the nearby soldiers instantly. As the remaining American aircraft headed out to sea and the re
lative safety it provided, the carnage they left below was impressive. While they had lost one F-16 in the short engagement, they had also eliminated the remaining SAM and anti-aircraft vehicles near the DPRK airbase. Meanwhile, additional tanks, infantry fighting vehicles and other self-propelled artillery guns continued to arrive with little to no air defense systems left to protect them. It would not be long until additional SAMs were brought in; however, until that happened, Chucky signaled for Jordy to try and call in as much air support as possible on the enemy vehicles marshaling at the base below.
As Jordy was on the radio setting up the airstrikes, a company-size element of Chinese infantry continued to steadily move up the ridge, towards the spot where their team had dug in. CW4 Lee was left with two hard decisions: one, they could give up the tactical advantage they held right now of controlling the top of the hill and being entrenched, or, they could leave the safety of the high ground and try to evade down the backside of the slope. If they chose the second option, they would have to try to set up a new landing zone and hope for the best.
“The problem with escaping is we have these two downed pilots with us,” Chucky thought. “Neither of them have the equipment or training in how to evade to the level that my team can. This will only slow my team down, and in all likelihood, it will give our position away.”
In that moment, he made his decision; they would stand and fight while they waited for their extraction to get close enough for them to bug out.