“Take your tanks and BMDs to the train station and begin loading them for Bikin. I’ll be along in a few minutes,” he ordered the captain.
A few minutes later the colonel was on board and staying out of sight in a cabin below deck when the Markov slowly backed away from the pier and swung its bow around so it could sail back to Russia for another load of troops and armor. The captain commanding the battalion’s tank company stood on the dock with his mouth open as he watched the Markov’s gangplank being raised and the ship’s mooring lines cast off—then he rushed to his tank and it hurriedly clanked off to catch up with the battalion.
At that moment, though he did not yet know it, the command of the Second Battalion of the Thirty Eighth passed to a thirty three year old major, Konstantine Tulun, the battalion’s executive officer. Major Tulun was more than a little surprised when the excited captain gave him the news.
More unexpected trouble came when Major Tulun’s rain-soaked Russian Marines reach the railroad station and started to form up in ranks under the tin roof that covers the station’s four tracks. The last of their tanks and BMDs were rumbling onto the station platform for loading on the waiting flat cars when an absolutely spotless old Zil limousine drove up and an admiral jumped out and demanded to speak to the battalion commander.
Upon learning that Major Tulun has just assumed command as a result of the battalion’s colonel somehow sailing with the Markov back to Russia, Admiral Krusak immediately countermanded the battalion’s orders to move north to a blocking position at Bikin.
“Wait here.” He ordered the confused major who was just beginning to realize that he was now in command of the battalion. An hour later Russian navy buses began arriving.
******
The NSA was seriously monitoring communications coming in and out of Vladivostok. So it was not surprising that the NSA listeners picked up the order to send the buses to the train station and take the troops of the Second Battalion to positions on the Vladivostok defense line, positions vacated earlier by one of the naval infantry battalions General Danovsky had ordered north.
Diverting troops scheduled to take up blocking positions in the Bikin area in order to reinforce Vladivostok was a major change of plans. An alert NSA duty officer caught it and quickly informed the Pentagon. I got the word in the middle of the night and immediately called Danovsky to find out why his dispositions were changing. Does he know something we don’t?
It took me a while to get through to Danovsky. Apparently he and an entourage including Colonel Lindauer, Martin Shapiro, and David Teniers were getting ready to go on an inspection tour of his air bases and troop dispositions.
When I finally reached him Danovsky was more than a little pissed when I gave him the news and asked him why he was changing his plans.
“It’s that damn Krusak. Not me. He doesn’t want the railroad line to stay open; he wants it closed as soon as possible so the troops and equipment that offload in Vladivostok will remain there and to be available to defend the port.”
“What will you do?’ I asked.
Two hours later I was again awakened by a call. Ann sat up and listened as two calls arrived almost at the same moment—first from Bill Hammond, and then from Colonel Lindauer calling from Chita where he was traveling with Danovsky.
They both told me the same thing; Admiral Krusak has been recalled to Moscow and General Turpin is being sent to assume temporary command of Vladivostok. Turpin will arrive tomorrow and be accompanied by a small but lethal “support force” of military police from the airborne division to ensure the transition to army control occurs smoothly.
“That’s good news, John,” I told Lindauer. “The reinforcements and equipment coming through Vladivostok are really important. It’s something we really need to keep on top of. If it’s not too late, see if you can get Danovsky to let Evans and Hurlburt ride on Turpin’s plane so they can get off at Vladivostok and go up there as observers. We need to know how long they think that part of the rail line can be held.”
The sun was coming up and Ann had already handed me a cup of hot tea and the morning paper by the time Bill and I finished talking. After I hung up the phone I just stood in the window with a cup in my hand and watched the sunrise reflect off the pond. Damn I like this place.
******
Things had gone off track in a good way at Danovsky’s headquarters when Colonel Lindauer started to introduce Vern and me to Colonel Chernenko. Both General Danovsky and Colonel Lindauer were more than a little surprised when Chernenko greeted us with a big smile and friendly bear hugs and cheek kisses.
Chernenko, Colonel Lindauer finally was able to explain to us after everything settled down, had just been ordered to build a scratch Russian brigade around an armored infantry battalion of Russian Marines that had just arrived at Vladivostok. His brigade’s assignment was to protect the rail line and road from Khabarovsk to Vladivostok and keep them open as long as possible.
It took a while for things to settle down because Chernenko immediately leaned out the window of the headquarters building and called in two of the men who had gone forward with us last week for more salutes and greetings. Then he had them take off the medals on their uniforms and pin them on ours. He’d replace them immediately, he assured everyone with a smile, as Danovsky and Turpin beamed their approval. Nice looking red medals with big red stars. Wonder what they mean?
According to Colonel Lindauer, General Evans thinks that the railroad running north from Vladivostok, and how long it is kept open, will be one of the keys to whether Russia wins or loses the war. Even one or two additional trainloads of troops and armor getting through to Chita could be the difference between winning and losing the coming war.
At General Evans’ request, Lindauer explained, with Danovsky and Turpin listening carefully, Vern and I are to fly with Chernenko to Vladivostok. Then we would go north with him to some place called Bikin by either helicopter or train.
Bikin was apparently a mostly abandoned village, a whistle-stop on the railroad in the middle of nowhere. But it was important because the geography around where it was located mad it the logical place for the Chinese to try to cut the rail line and highway between Vladivostok and Kharbarovsk. We were supposed to evaluate Chernenko’s ability to hold Bikin and keep the railroad and the two-lane highway running next to it open.
The troops who will be the core of Chernenko’s brigade are four companies of Russian infantry who apparently had staggered off a Russian destroyer yesterday and a bedraggled reinforced battalion of Russian naval infantry who just arrived by in Vladivostok on a missile cruiser.
The Russian Marines, according to Chernenko, who was consulting a piece of paper he was holding while periodically puffing on a cigarette drooping from the corner of his mouth, have nine light tanks and eight BMD infantry fighting vehicles. “They’ve probably got some mortars also,” he added.
Chernenko’s brigade will also include three additional companies of army troops and a forty man Spetsnaz company, all veterans of Russia’s overseas efforts in Afghanistan and Africa. The army and Spetsnaz guys have already been flown into Khabarovsk from Moscow and are, supposedly, in the process of being trucked down to Bikin. The four companies of infantry that came off the destroyer are either already there or will be shortly.
If all goes well, Colonel Lindauer informed us, the Russians plan to add more troops and equipment to Chernenko’s brigade as they become available.
“You two are to leave before the shooting starts. I’ll send a helicopter for you.” I should hope so. If the Chinese overrun Bikin, the Russians who survive, if any, will have to walk out. It will be a very long walk.
******
Four helicopters carrying Generals Danovsky, Rutman and Karatonov and their entourages from Chita to the field at Darasun raised great clouds of dust as they settled to the ground. They landed in an open area next to long lines of tanks and other vehicles all neatly lined up for inspection.
Captain Shapi
ro and I were on the number four bird with our interpreter and a bunch of Russian colonels. As I jumped down from the doorway I could see the generals ducking their heads under the blades as they made their way through the billowing dust to a number of waiting Jeeps and officers.
Almost immediately we could see that there was some kind of trouble. Rutman was pointing and waving at the lines of tanks and vehicles; and it didn’t take a rocket scientist to pick up the anger in his gestures and the frightened postures of the officers in front of him. They were standing at rigid attention and he was screaming into their faces from about three inches away. Even with the helicopter engines still winding down I could hear him.
Karatonov was standing belligerently with his hands on his hips frowning at the assembled officers and Danovsky was talking intensely to a couple of colonels who had flown in with him. I didn’t know what Rutman was saying but Karatonov and Danovsky were obviously as pissed as Rutman about something.
Then Rutman turned and said something to Karatonov which caused him to turn and look over towards me and Shapiro. Then Karatonov said something to Pylcyn who was standing behind him and motions, I think, for us to join them. Almost immediately one of Pylcyn’s Spetsnaz troopers dashed over to us in an all-out run and confirmed Karatonov’s summons with some gasped Russian and “come” gestures with his hands.
Marty and I double-timed over to the generals with Piotr hurrying along behind us. An officer we had never seen before shouted “American officers here please” in English as we jogged up.
“General Karatonov tell you please with him to headquarters.”
The local Russian officers who had greeted the generals literally ran to their Jeeps. It was almost as if they were trying to escape, and perhaps they were. Danovsky and Rutman stomped after them, with Karatonov and the officers who had flown in with them hurrying along right behind them.
Karatonov, with us following, reached a Jeep and barked an order that had the officers in it hastily get out as he climbed in the front with the driver. Then he waved me and Marty into the rear seats along with Piotra, our interpreter and said something to the driver in Russian, obviously an order to ‘step on it.’
“Big Generals,” Piotra reported as he settled into a corner seat and grasped the sides to steady himself for the bumpy ride ahead, “are no pleased tanks and personnel carriers are in inspection ready instead of in fight ready.”
******
Russian military headquarters at Darasun was on the military side of the airfield’s relatively short concrete runway. It was a shabby square three story concrete building with a muddy parking lot and dirty gray concrete stairs running up to front door. About forty years ago it might have been painted white.
We parked next to Rutman’s Jeep and got out on to the muddy gravel in time to watch Danovsky and Rutman, and then Karatonov who rushed to join them, bound two or three stairs at a time up the stairs and into the building. We followed and tried to keep up.
Several dozen or more anxious looking Russian officers, both army and air force, copied the generals rapid entrance and so did we and Colonel Lindauer who was now, interestingly enough, wearing a Russian uniform with a colonel’s epaulets. I’m going to ask Marty to ask someone about that; I thought we weren’t supposed to wear uniforms with Russian ranks.
Our three generals and several of the senior officers who met them went straight into an office and closed the door; the rest of us were ushered into what was obviously a briefing room with a table at one end and five or six rows of chairs in front of it. There are maps on all the walls. Marty and I sat in the corner on a couple of rickety wooden chairs with Piotra standing behind us.
The officers who did not go behind the closed doors with the generals quickly filed into the room behind us and began talking nervously and quietly among themselves. They obviously did not know what was going on and appeared to be more than a little apprehensive.
We quickly became the objects of interest even though we are wearing Russian officer uniforms without insignia or rank. One of the officers said something to Marty. He just shrugged—but Piotra, our interpreter, spoke up and whatever he said obviously surprised the hell out of the Russians. Their jaws literally dropped and they all stared at us in total disbelief, every single one of them.
“What did you tell them?” Marty asked Piotra.
“Officers tell me to tell who is you. I tell you American airfield defend experts. Tell you American Marine officers fight in Germany and Turkey.”
Marty started to say something but stopped as the door opened and generals came in. Everyone including me and Marty jumped to attention. The three officers who had met with the generals privately, an air force general and two army colonels, followed our three generals up to the front of the room. All six of them look grim and determined.
Danovsky said something and everyone sat down. So did we. Then he launched into a flood of Russian. I had no idea what he was telling them but the officers suddenly sat up even straighter and I heard several of them sitting near us literally gasp out loud in surprise. What the hell is he telling them?
“What is he telling them,” I ask our equally stunned interpreter who is sitting between me and Marty.
“He tell big Chinese attack come Chita and Darasun. Tell Chinese want all of Russia east of Lake Baikal.”… “Is true?” Piotra asked.
Then Rutman said something else and gestured towards Karatonov, and then towards one of the colonels who accompanied us to Chita, and then towards us. There are more surprised faces and everyone turned and looked at us incredulously.
“He tell Chinese come big parachute attack on airbases. Tell Darasun for sure. Tell Colonel Altaysk is command Russian forces for airfield war here. Tell you are American airfield defend experts and all officers who do not immediate Colonel Altaysk obey is being shoot. No time for court martial.” he translated it to us with a shrug of his shoulders.
Things began to move faster and faster. We and the other aides and assistants just sat there and looked on as the generals and colonels gathered around a big map on the table. Every so often an order was barked and an anxious officer or two hurried to the front of the room, received orders, saluted, and rushed out.
I was just coming back from taking a piss in the smelly latrine down the hall, and starting to get hungry, when the meeting finally broke up and Karatonov brought Colonel Altaysk over to us. We jumped to attention and saluted as we are introduced.
It seems the two of us, or three if Piotra is included, are going to spend the rest of the afternoon helping Altaysk prepare the Darasun airbase defenses for a Chinese airborne or airmobile assault. Tomorrow we’ll fly with the Generals to another Russian base and repeat the process with another colonel. Altaysk will stay here with the local division commander and be responsible for the defense of the Darasun field.
What we want at each air base, Karatonov told us with Piotra constantly translating, "is to make the defenses so strong that either the Chinese won’t even try to take them, or, if they do, they’ll suffer huge casualties and fail."
It quickly became apparent that, at least initially, the defense of Darasun was going to be very different from that of Reykjavik. Rutman and Danovsky have obviously decided to kill two birds with one stone. They are going to initially hold some of the local division’s armor around the airport as reserves so they can be rushed to reinforce whatever Russian troops are bearing the initial burden of the main Chinese attack.
The decision to hold the local commander’s armor reserves around the airbase was both significant and smart. It meant an airborne assault by lightly armed Chinese paratroopers and air assault helicopters would face a storm of fire from both its infantry defenders and from the tanks and armored vehicles that would be concentrated around it.
Even so, the airbase will also have to be ready to repel an airborne or helicopter assault if it occured after the armor moved out. That means Colonel Altaysk, the man who would remain and command the infantry left to
defend the Darasun base, must establish fighting positions and policies as if there was no armor. That, apparently, is where Marty and I come in.
******
Not all was going well for Chairman Xi and China. The Chinese negotiations with Japanese were still not finalized despite the initial general agreement that had been announced. Japan had agreed to use its troops to take Sakhalin Island and to coordinate their attack with the Chinese—if Japan gets to keep all of Sakhalin and can permanently take possession of Kamchatka at the same time.
After a lot of talking and messages back and forth to Beijing, the Chinese negotiators agree that the Japanese can have Kamchatka—on the condition that the Japanese government simultaneously orders various Japanese companies to build factories in China and share their technologies with the Chinese.
According the CIA, the Chinese negotiators even gave the Japanese a list of the factories and technologies they want. The problem was that the Chinese could not get their arms around the reality that Japanese manufacturers are only influenced, not controlled, by the Japanese government.
Japan’s manufacturers must have been consulted, said the NSA, because many of them quickly made it clear to the Japanese negotiators that they will never agree to give away the technologies of their production processes to potential competitors. According to the NSA, the talks then adjourned so the Chinese negotiators could consult with Beijing.
A somewhat similar, and far less important, Chinese outreach was intended to deny the Russian navy access to South Korean ports and supplies. It was going even worse—absolutely nowhere. Vague Chinese promises regarding the reunification of North Korea with South Korea were not greeted with enthusiasm by the southerners. To the surprise of the Chinese, South Korea did not see much value in merging with North Korea and “sharing power” with the Kim family who control the north.
“We are finally beginning to enjoy real economic progress. Bringing in all those poor people and foolish economic policies from the North would, at the very least, cause real damage to our economy and our people. Even worse, it might end up resulting in another war.” And if there is a fight you will undoubtedly help North Korea, not us. That was what every South Korean around the table was thinking but was too diplomatic to say.
Our Next Great War Page 26