CARRIER 5: MAELSTROM By Keith Douglass

CAP.”

The Kirov alone possessed formidable SAM defenses–SA-N-6 Grumbles and

SA-N-4 Geckos, plus Gatling guns similar to the American Phalanx CIWS. Any

Intruder attack would suffer savage losses.

“Not much we can do about the escorts,” Tombstone said slowly. “But we

could whittle down their air a bit.”

“Draw them away?” Paul Aiken asked. “With what, a diversion?”

“Several diversions, actually.” Tombstone gestured at the ragged coast

of Norway. “If we launch, oh, maybe three alpha strikes at their land bases,

one after another, they might feel compelled to beef up their air assets

ashore with carrier air. We could catch them scattered halfway across the

Norwegian Sea.”

Tarrant nodded, staring at the map. “I like it. Cape Bremanger in

reverse. Gentlemen, I move we plan things in that direction. But we’re going

to have to develop this thing fast, before they realize we have the Soyuz

spotted.”

“And,” Brandt added darkly, “before they spot us the same way.”

A week earlier, Tombstone had deployed a carrier-air attack–an alpha

strike in Navy parlance–against the Soviet amphibious ships and their escorts

making their way south along the Norwegian coast off Cape Bremanger. In order

to help clear the way for Jefferson’s aircraft, he’d ordered a diversionary

strike against the Soviet battle group, a feint designed to draw the Russian

carrier air back to the defense of the Soyuz. Against impossible odds, the

diversion had actually scored at least two Harpoon hits against the Russian

carrier.

Now, Tombstone was suggesting a reversal of that strategy. The Soviets

had captured dozens of Norwegian military air bases from North Cape to the

front lines north of Trondheim. Most of those bases were occupied now by

Soviet Frontal Aviation units shuttled in from the Kola Peninsula, units

engaged in close-support and air-superiority missions against the Norwegians

… or in the search for the American battle group. If Jefferson launched a

crippling attack against the most important of those bases, Soyuz would almost

certainly deploy its MiGs and Sukhois to help protect the captured airfields

and to track down the source of the strike.

And while part of the Soyuz’s air arm was defending the Norwegian

airfields, Jefferson would attack the carrier.

“Okay,” Tarrant said, after they had worked out the broad sweep of the

plan. “My staff and I will transfer to Shiloh this afternoon.”

“Sir?” Tombstone looked up, surprised. He’d expected Tarrant to run the

battle from Jefferson’s CIC.

“I’ll be able to follow things overall better from Shiloh’s CDC,” Tarrant

said. “And if a general surface action develops, I’ll want to have some sea

room for maneuver. But I want you to manage the air battle from here.”

Tombstone felt cold. “Yes, sir.”

Tarrant seemed to sense his surprise … and his worry. “I’ve got every

confidence in you, Commander. In your ability. And in your judgment.” His

eyes flicked across to Brody. “How about it, Jim? You don’t mind some help

down here from CAG, do you?”

“Nope.” The Operations Officer was studying the mosaic. “Frankly,

Admiral, I’ll be glad to have Stoney take it. This is a pretty far-flung op.”

Meaning you don’t know whether or not it’s going to work, Tombstone

thought. The hell of it is, neither do I. It was a long-odds gamble that

risked everything. If CVW-20’s losses were too high, if Jefferson’s hiding

spot in Romsdalfjord was discovered …

Soyuz had to be sunk or disabled first, or the American intervention in

Norway would be over before it had properly begun.

1050 hours Zulu (1150 hours Zone)

The Norwegian Theater of Operations

Norway

The EA-6B Prowlers went in first. Designed as electronic-warfare

aircraft, their primary mission was to jam enemy radar, but this time they

were also going in armed. Based on the Navy’s venerable and highly successful

A-6 Intruder, Prowlers were equipped to carry only one offensive weapon, the

HARM AGM-88A.

High-speed Anti-Radiation Missiles homed on radar emissions. Each was

over thirteen feet long, weighed eight hundred pounds, and had a cross section

so narrow it was almost invisible to enemy radar. With a range of eighty

nautical miles, the HARM missiles came skimming over the mountains of central

Norway before the Soviet radar operators knew they were under attack.

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