rattled the Soviets, who put up no more than a token defense before fleeing
northeast.
The Hornets made the first attack run, launching a wave of Harpoons
toward the Soviet escorts. Lacking the central control of the American Aegis
system, without an AEW aircraft to sort through threats, and hampered by
jamming from the Prowler accompanying Thor Flight, the Russian ships were
hard-pressed to defend themselves, much less extend their protection to the
ill-assorted fleet of transports in their care.
That was the moment Commander Max Harrison had been waiting for. All ten
S-3Bs had been pressed into service as attack planes under Magruder’s plan.
Harrison had opposed it from the start. A Viking was a sub-hunter, not a poor
man’s Intruder, and he hadn’t believed it possible to open up the enemy
defenses far enough for the slow, ill-armed Vikings to actually challenge the
Soviet Red Banner Fleet.
But it fell into place as Magruder had predicted, and by the time the
twenty Harpoons were on their way it was almost an anticlimax. The Vikings
turned for home, but behind them rippling flashes of light marked the end of
the Soviet amphibious force … and perhaps of Russian hopes for completing
the conquest of Norway.
0105 hours Zulu (0105 hours Zone)
Flag Plot, Soviet Aircraft Carrier Soyuz
In the Norwegian Sea
Admiral Khenkin slumped in his seat, overwhelmed by the reports streaming
in from all sides. Soyuz was on fire, with half her complement of aircraft
destroyed or fled and most of the rest trapped useless on deck or in her
hangars. The ship’s captain had requested permission to turn him about and
withdraw to the north, farther from the Americans, in case they planned to
rearm and launch a follow-up strike.
And the invasion ships were scattered or destroyed. There would be no
hope of supporting the paratroops at Brekke now, no hope of the quick
breakthrough that would carry the Soviets to victory. The only good news in
any of it was the recovery of some of the pilots lost off Cape Bremanger.
Fortunately the captain of the Kiev had deployed helicopters to carry out
search and rescue as soon as he had seen the air battle develop.
Young Terekhov was one of the survivors. Now that the incompetent
Glushko was dead, Khenkin thought, there was no better officer in the air wing
to take his place than Terekhov, though he lacked the seniority for such a
position. Terekhov’s ideas made up for his junior rank, though. If he had
been in charge from the start, perhaps the Americans would never have found
the opening they exploited.
Khenkin picked up an intercom handset. “Captain,” he began reluctantly.
“Khenkin. Da. Order the fleet to steer north. All ships will rendezvous
around North Cape. And inform me when you have repairs in hand.”
He set down the handset again and let out a sigh. It had been a costly
defeat, and it might be costlier still for him once the Kremlin started
seeking a scapegoat. But the war was not over yet, and if he remained in
command he would not underestimate the Americans again.
0115 hours Zulu (0115 hours Zone)
CIC Air Ops module, U.S.S. Thomas Jefferson
In the Norwegian Sea
They were cheering in CIC again, this time in response to word passed
from the Hawkeye that enemy ships had been detected turning north. The
Soviets were in retreat … at least for the moment.
Commander Matthew Magruder sagged back in his chair, physically and
emotionally drained. Now that the crisis was over, he wanted nothing more
than a chance to seek out his quarters and sleep for a week or two.
But that wouldn’t be possible yet, of course. The strike forces were
only now beginning to return to Jefferson. They would need to be debriefed,
and their planes would have to be checked over by the technical people in the
Air Department. Combat Air Patrols would have to be organized, and perhaps a
Tomcat carrying a TARPS pod would have to be sent to confirm the initial
estimates of the damage to the Soviet fleet. Until the Russians had withdrawn
further it would be necessary to maintain a high state of readiness, just in