tc.redstormrising-第95章

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ul　intercept　meant　a　round　trip　of　two　thousand　miles；　which　meant　that　only　two　aircraft　could　reach　far　enough；　and　they　were　stretching　to　the　limit。
The　Nimrod　circled　two　hundred　miles　east　of　Jan　Mayen　Land。　The　Norwegian　island　had　been　subjected　to　several　air　attacks；　destroying　the　radar　there；　though　so　far　the　Russians　had　not　launched　a　ground　attack　as　expected。　The　British　patrol　aircraft　bristled　with　antennae　but　carried　no　armament　of　her　own。　If　the　Russians　sent　escorting　fighters　out　with　the　bomber/tanker　force；　she　could　only　evade。　One　team　listened　in　on　the　bands　used　by　the　Russians　to　municate　between　aircraft；　another　on　radar　frequencies。
It　was　a　long；　tense　wait。　Two　hours　after　the　raid　warning；　a　garbled　transmission　was　heard；　interpreted　as　a　warning　to　a　Backfire　pilot　approaching　a　tanker。　The　bearing　was　plotted；　and　the　Nimrod　turned　east　hoping　for　a　cross　bearing　on　the　next　such　signal。　None　was　detected。　Without　a　firm　fix；　the　fighters　had　only　the　slimmest　hope　of　an　intercept。　They　were　kept　on　the　ground。　Next　time；　they　decided；　there'd　be　a　pair　of　snoopers　up。

USS　CHICAGO
The　QZB　bell…ringer　call　arrived　just　after　lunch。　McCafferty　brought　his　submarine　to　antenna　depth　and　received　orders　to　proceed　to　Faslane；　the　Royal　Navy　submarine　base　in　Scotland。　Since　losing　contact　with　the　Russian　surface　force；　they　had　not　tracked　a　single　positive　contact。　It　was　crazy。　All　the　pre…war　assessments　told　McCafferty　to　expect　a　〃target…rich　environment。〃　So　far　he　was　rich　only　in　frustration。　The　executive　officer　took　them　back　down　to　a　deep　cruising　depth　while　McCafferty　began　to　write　up　his　patrol　report。

BIEBEN；　FEDERAL　REPUBLIC　OF　GERMANY
〃You're　pretty　exposed　here；〃　the　captain　observed；　crouching　just　behind　the　turret。
〃True　enough；〃　Sergeant　Mackall　agreed。　His　M…1　Abrams　tank　was　dug　into　the　reverse　slope　of　a　hill；　its　gun　barely　clear　of　the　ground　behind　a　row　of　shrubs。　Mackall　looked　down　a　shallow　valley　to　a　treeline　fifteen　hundred　meters　away。　The　Russians　were　in　there；　surveying　the　ridges　with　powerful　field　glasses；　and　he　hoped　that　they　could　not　make　out　the　squat；　ominous　profile　of　the　main　battle　tank。　He　was　in　one　of　three　prepared　firing　positions；　a　sloped　hole　in　the　ground　dug　by　the　engineers'　bulldozers；　helped　over　the　last　few　days　by　local　German　farmers　who　had　taken　to　the　task　with　a　will。　The　bad　news　was　that　the　next　line　of　such　positions　required　traversing　five　hundred　meters　of　open　fields。　They'd　been　planted　with　something　a　bare　six　weeks　before。　Those　crops　would　never　amount　to　much；　the　sergeant　knew。
〃Ivan　must　love　this　weather；〃　Mackall　observed。　There　was　an　overcast　at　about　thirteen　hundred　feet。　Whatever　air　support　he　could　expect　would　have　a　bare　five　seconds　to　acquire　and　engage　their　targets　before　having　to　break　clear　of　the　battlefield。　〃What　can　you　give　us；　sir？〃
〃I　can　call　four　A…10s；　maybe　some　German　birds；〃　the　Air　Force　captain　replied。　He　surveyed　the　terrain　himself　from　a　slightly　different　perspective。　What　was　the　best　way　to　get　the　ground…attack　fighters　in　and　out？　The　first　Russian　attack　on　this　position　had　been　repulsed；　but　he　could　see　the　remains　of　two　NATO　aircraft　that　had　died　in　the　effort。　〃There　should　be　three　choppers；　too。〃
That　surprised　Mackall…and　worried　him。　Just　what　sort　of　attack　were　they　expecting　here？
〃Okay。〃　The　captain　stood　and　turned　back　to　his　armored　mand　vehicle。　〃When　you　hear　'Zulu；　Zulu；　Zulu；'　that　means　the　air　is　less　than　five　minutes　out。　If　you　see　any　SAM　vehicles　or　antiair　guns；　for　Christ's　sake　take　them　out。　The　Warthogs　have　been　hit　real　hard；　Sarge。〃
〃You　got　it；　Cap'n。　You　better　get　your　ass　outa　here；　it's　gonna　be　showtime　soon。〃　One　thing　Mackall　had　learned　was　just　how　important　a　good　forward　air…control　officer　was；　and　this　one　had　dug　the　sergeant's　troop　out　of　a　really　bad　scrape　three　days　before。　He　watched　the　officer　sprint　fifty　yards　to　the　waiting　vehicle；　its　engine　already　turning。　The　rear　door　hadn't　yet　closed　when　the　driver　pulled　out　fast；　zigzagging　down　the　slope　and　across　the　plowed　field　toward　the　mand　post。
B　Troop；　1st　Squadron；　1lth　Armored　Cavalry　Regiment　had　once　been　fourteen　tanks。　Five　of　the　originals　were　gone；　and　there　had　been　only　two　replacements。　Of　the　rest；　all　had　been　damaged　to　one　degree　or　another。　His　platoon　leader　had　been　killed　on　the　second　day　of　the　war；　leaving　Mackall　in　mand　of　the　three…tank　platoon；　covering　nearly　a　kilometer　of　front。　Dug　in　between　his　tanks　was　a　pany　of　German　infantry…men　of　the　Landwehr；　the　local　equivalent　of　the　National　Guard；　farmers　and　shop　owners　for　the　most　part；　men　fighting　to　defend　not　just　their　country；　but　their　own　homes。　They；　too；　had　taken　serious　losses。　The　〃pany〃　was　no　more　than　two　platoons　of　effectives。　Surely　the　Russians　know　just　how　thin　we're　spread；　Mackall　thought。　Everyone　was　dug　in…deep。　The　power　of　Russian　artillery　had　e　as　a　shock　despite　all　the　pre…war　warnings　they'd　had。
〃The　Americans　must　love　this。〃　The　colonel　gestured　at　the　low　clouds。　〃Their　damned　airplanes　e　swooping　in　too　low　for　our　radar；　and　this　way　we　have　practically　no　chance　to　see　them　before　they　fire。〃
〃How　badly　have　they　hurt　you？〃
〃See　for　yourself。〃　The　colonel　gestured　at　the　battlefield。　Fifteen　tanks　lay　in　view…the　burned…out　remains。　〃That　American　low…level　fighter　did　this…the　Thunderbolt。　Our　men　call　it　the　Devil's　Cross。〃
〃But　you　killed　two　aircraft　yesterday；〃　Sergetov　objected。
〃Yes；　and　only　one　of　four　gun　vehicles　survived　the　effort。　The　same　vehicle　got　bothSenior　Sergeant　Lupenko。　I　remended　him　for　the　Red　Banner。　It　will　be　posthumousthe　second　aircraft　crashed　right　on　his　vehicle。　My　best　gunner；〃　the　colonel　said　bitterly。　Two　kilometers　away；　the　wreckage　of　a　German　Alphajet　was　a　charred　garnish　atop　the　remains　of　a　ZSU…30　gun　vehicle。　No　doubt　it　had　been　deliberate；　the　colonel　thought；　that　German　had　wanted　to　kill　just　a　few　more　Soviets　before　he　died。　A　sergeant　handed　his　colonel　a　radio　headset。　The　officer　listened　for　half　a　minute　before　speaking　a　few　words　that　he　punctuated　with　a　quick　nod。
〃Five　minutes；　rades。　My　men　are　fully　in　place。　Would　you　follow　me；　please？〃
The　mand　bunker　had　been　hastily　built　of　logs　and　earth；　with　a　full　meter　of　overhead　cover。　Twenty　men　were　crammed　into　it；　munications　men　for　the　two　regiments　in　the　assault。　The　division's　third　regiment　waited　to　exploit　the　breakthrough　and　pave　the　way　for　the　reserve　armored　division　to　break　into　the　enemy's　rear。　If；　Alekseyev　reminded　himself；　everything　went　as　planned。
No　enemy　troops　or　vehicles　could　be　seen；　of　course。　They　would　be　in　the　woods　atop　the　ridge　less　than　two　kilometers　away；　dug　in　deep。　He　watched　the　divisional　mander　nod　to　his　artillery　chief；　who　lifted　a　field　phone　and　spoke　two　words：
〃mence　firing。〃
It　took　several　seconds　for　the　sound　to　reach　them。　Every　gun　the　division　owned；　with　an　additional　battery　from　the　tank　division；　spoke　as　one　dreadful　voice；　and　the　thunder　echoed　across　the　countryside　The　shells　arched　overhead；　at　first　striking　short　of　the　opposite　ridgeline；　then　closing　on　it。　What　had　once　been　a　gentle　hill　covered　with　lush　grass　turned　into　a　brown　obscenity　of　bare　earth　and　smoke。

〃I　think　they're　serious；　Sarge；〃　the　loader　said；　pulling　his　hatch　down　tight。
Mackall　adjusted　his　helmet　and　microphone　as　he　peered　out　the　view　ports　built　into　his　mander's　cupola。　The　thick　armor　plate　kept　most　of　the　noise　out；　but　when　the　ground　shook　beneath　them；　the　shock　came　through　the　treads　and　suspension　to　rock　the　vehicle；　and　each　crewman　reflected　to　himself　on　the　force　needed　to　budge　a　sixty…ton　tank。　This　was　how　the　lieutenant　had　bought　it…a　one…in…a…thousand　shot　from　a　heavy　gun　had　landed　a　round　right　on　his　turret；　and　it　had　burrowed　through　the　thin　overhead　armor　to　explode　the　vehicle。
Left　and　right　of　Mackall's　tank；　the　largely　middle…aged　German　territorials　cowered　in　their　deep；　narrow　holes；　their　emotions　oscillating　between　terror　and　rage　at　what　was　happening　to　them　and　their　country…and　t