into military service. Lee had cited numerous technical points to support his
contention that they were fully loaded, and that suggested that they were
beginning a new campaign now that they had neutralized Keflavik and given the
Jefferson battle group a bloody nose.
The possibility gained credence when taken in conjunction with activity
reported around Murmansk, where elite Soviet paratroopers had been kept in
reserve practically since the start of the conflict. Now they seemed to be
getting ready to move out. Lee couldn’t predict where they would strike, but
it was his opinion that the Soviets at this point had few options left.
“The Norwegians are dug in tight and ready for damn near anything that
comes in on the ground,” Lee had said at one point. “They’re fighting the
kind of war they were always supposed to fight, holding a few key passes
against Russian columns that can’t push them back without unacceptable
casualties. If they keep following the same basic strategy they’ve been using
the Russians’ll try an end run starting near the coast. Drop a major
desantniki force near a usable port, then funnel in all the amphibious troops
they can manage. All of a sudden the RNA’s got a whole corps inside their
lines and driving on Bergen, and that’s all she wrote.”
“If it’s that predictable, will they really try it this time?” Magruder
had asked, still not entirely comfortable with the ins and outs of ground
strategy and tactics.
“No guarantees, of course,” Lee had replied. “They could make maybe two
other moves. One would be a major drop right behind the lines somewhere near
the center of the Bergen defensive perimeter, with the idea of creating a
large hole in the line that the armor could exploit. Problem with that is
that Norway’s still an easy place for a defender. They run the risk of
achieving nothing more than a short advance before getting bogged down all
over again.”
“And the other option?” Magruder had pressed.
“Use the naval force as a decoy, then drop the paratroops behind the end
of the line opposite Oslo. They’ve built up a pretty fair contingent around
the capital, and a determined drive on that side supported by desant troops
could lead to a nice little penetration.”
“But you don’t think that’s what they’ll try?”
“Not really. First off, that’s the longest overland route to Bergen
they’ve got, and again they’re up against the defensive advantage. Number
two, all their logistical support down there would have to come in by air.
They’ve got air superiority now and they could have air supremacy in a few
more days, but a determined offensive by the RNAF or even a spell of nasty
weather could cut those troops off with virtually no supplies. They’re
already at risk keeping Oslo fully supplied. I really don’t think they’d want
to risk the whole offensive on something like that.” He had grinned. “Don’t
forget, the Soviets’ve had experience seeing what kind of havoc a determined
partisan with a hand-held Stinger can play with a well-planned op.
Afghanistan’s going to haunt them the way Vietnam did our boys until the Gulf
War came along.”
It all made good sense, and Magruder was willing to rely on Lee’s expert
opinion. In addition to his Intelligence experience, the man had a genuine
flair for strategy. He seemed able to pick out the advantages and
disadvantages of just about anything the Russians chose to do. But in the
end, Tombstone didn’t see that any of it would be much help.
He stopped rubbing his throbbing forehead and looked at the map again.
“All right, we can spot their airdrops as they happen. The satellite coverage
gives us that much. If they do what you expect, then this amphibious force
will start moving in to support the parachute troops within a few hours.
Assuming we can sort through whatever diversions they mount, we’ll be able to
predict where they’re heading and probably their ETA. Right?”
Lee nodded. “Almost certainly. They’ll stay bunched up so the escorts
can cover them from subs and missile attacks. Don’t forget, the Norwegians
still have some of their navy left. But they wouldn’t be much good in a