a leader; it simply no longer made sense to have an army’s generals out
front with the flag, the first to die as they inspired their men.
But at this point, the actual development of the battle was largely out
of Tombstone’s hands. He’d assembled flight lists and schedules, orders
of battle and logistical needs, all based on the Pentagon’s preliminary
work on Operation White Storm. The targets were set, and all he could
do was sit in his chair in Air Ops, watching the radars and listening to
the voices of his people as they engaged the enemy.
So he’d put himself down to lead a TACCAP, a tactical combat air patrol
covering a bombing raid going in over the Kola Inlet later that morning.
“Admiral on deck!”
The men at the Air Ops consoles did not stand, but Tombstone and the
other officers watching the operation stood as Admiral Tarrant, flanked
by his chief of staff and Captain Brandt, strode in.
“Good morning, CAG,” Tarrant said. “They told me I could find you down
here.”
“You didn’t need to come hunting for me, Admiral. I could’ve come up to
the fresh air and sunshine.”
Tarrant grinned as he glanced around the Ops compartment, red-lit and
claustrophobic. “It is something like a cave down here. I can
understand you wanting to get out for a change.”
Tombstone suspected he was driving at something. “Sir?”
“I’m disallowing your request, CAG. I need you here, directing your
wing. Things are going to get damn complicated this morning when the
Marines hit the beaches, and I don’t want you off over Russia somewhere.
Clear?”
Tombstone’s hands flexed briefly at his sides. He knew better than to
argue this one. “Clear, sir.”
“What kind of casualties have you been running?”
“Remarkably light so far, Admiral. We lost one Tomcat and four
Intruders yesterday. We lost another A-6 during recovery.”
“What, a crash on the deck?”
“Not quite, sir. Lieutenant Commander Payne had a hydraulics failure
after completing his run. He took a hit from triple-A over Vladimir,
and his gear failed when he hit the deck. We ditched the aircraft to
keep the deck clear, but Payne and his B/N got out okay.”
Tarrant nodded. “Eisenhower reported similar losses. Light.
Suspiciously SO.”
“Maybe the Russians are too far extended in the south,” Captain Brandt
suggested.
“That’s what everybody back in Washington keeps telling me,” Tarrant
said, “but I don’t quite dare believe it. They’re holding something
back, and I want to know what it is.”
“We had a couple of TARPS aircraft up last night, Admiral,” Tombstone
said. TARPS–the Tactical Air Reconnaissance Pod System–was a
streamlined package flown on the belly of certain specially equipped
Tomcats, containing a CAI KS-87-B frame camera, a Fairchild KA-99
panoramic camera, and a Honeywell AAD-5 infrared scanner. It gave
excellent and highly detailed photographs of the terrain below, by day
or night. “It looks like the bombing strikes have been hurting them
pretty bad.”
“No argument there. We’ve been getting the same story through
satellites and high-altitude reconnaissance flights. The word from the
Pentagon this morning was that we’ve been putting six out of ten of our
targets out of action on the first pass, and we’ve already started
doubling up on most of the targets that are left. Most of their major
SAM sites have been knocked out, and their communications network is in
a shambles. That the impression your aircrews have been bringing back?”
“Yes, sir. At this point, the biggest problem our planes face is from
mobile triple-A, shoulder-launched weapons, even small-arms fire. Some
of our planes have been landing with 7.62mm holes in their wings.”
Tarrant glanced at Brandt, then back to Tombstone. “Gentlemen, about
five hours ago the Pentagon got the final nod from the President. There
was some question about how deeply the United States should get itself
involved in Russia’s internal conflict, but the word now is that White
Storm is a go. The President has publicly declared full American
support for UN Resolutions 982 and 984, and we are prepared to back them
up with direct military intervention on the ground. We are going in to
disarm the Russians, gentlemen. One way or another. CAG, you can pass