“My front line commanders are being attacked from every point on the compass by Allied aircraft. We have lost almost 500 tanks just in the two hours since daybreak! Down south it is not much better. Our supply lines have been decimated. The Slovaks and Czechs are now almost completely across Slovakia. I have called up the reserves to bolster the lines. Our troops currently resting must go back immediately,” General Pusko said.
“I ordered our air forces into the air. My orders are to close and shoot the planes down with gunfire if necessary. This assault has to stop,” said Leanov.
“I have ordered a sortie of our naval fleet in the Black Sea. Our most powerful ship is going in with them. A hail of missiles should finish the amphibious forces in short order,” said Admiral Dosvetski.
“But what of the forces already on the ground?” demanded Borodin.
“I am pulling forces from other areas to deal with it,” said Pusko.
“And in the Arctic?”
Pusko grinned. “Don’t forget it is the Russian winter. The Arctic is even colder. They may have landed, but it will be another thing to operate. We can send the fleet in Vladivostok to challenge them. Anyone on the ground will have to be a polar bear to survive.”
“Mayor Severov, we didn’t come here to demand a surrender,” said Colonel Greg Tillman. “Yes, the United States has occupied the island, but I am here to ask if we can help you and the people here by providing electricity and food. I know that you have been without either for a while and we do not wish you to suffer,” he said.
Severov was taken aback. He had always imagined the Americans would simply come and either shoot everyone or put everyone in a gulag. Asking if they could help was outside his understanding. “What do you wish in return?” he asked.
The colonel smiled. “Nothing, actually. My people will remain outside your town and you are free to continue with your lives. We hope to make our presence a negligible influence on your people,” he said.
“Am I to be a hostage?”
“No, sir. You are still the mayor and you may govern as you wish,” the colonel said.
“May I ask why you have come here?”
“Well, your government declared war on the Allies, including the US, France, Britain and Poland. We are here because of the strategic plan to persuade your government to end the war. We don’t really want to be here, but since we are, I hope we can treat each other fairly.”
“You are invading my country. I am not sure we can allow this,” Severov said.
The colonel shrugged. “I understand, but we are here and I am offering to help. My people will otherwise stay out of your way.”
Severov thought a moment. The government in Moscow rarely came to the island. All they wanted was the oil anyway. In the meantime, his people were suffering from the cold and lack of supplies. The government hadn’t done anything about that for three months. Perhaps he could just let it happen. After all, he had no weapons to challenge these soldiers. “Colonel, we would appreciate any help you can provide my people, however, we cannot give the impression we are aiding you. This may be held against us later on,” he said quietly.
Tillman nodded. “I fully understand. I will keep my people out of your city. We will provide food and services as a part of our, occupation,” he said with a wink. “If there are problems, please come to see me. I will try to make everything as pleasant as possible.”
“Thank you, sir,” the mayor said.
Things were going too well. There had been no attacks on the ships or the ground forces. Already General Richardson was a good twenty miles from the beach and the offloading of the supplies was continuing smoothly.
“Why haven’t they come at us?” asked Commander Still. He and the rest of the staff were huddled in flag plot keeping an eye on things. The link showed no incoming aircraft or ships except for the fleet just making its way from Sevastopol. They were traveling at a speed that would have them in ideal position by dawn the next morning.
“I would guess they are massing their attack. Don’t be surprised if they have planes in the air coming from inside Russia itself,” said Jeffers. He had anticipated such an attack, but was surprised at its tardiness.
“That’s why we sent some of the heavies up the coast to hit targets of opportunity. We spread out what we have. They won’t be able to see us on radar, which means they will have to eyeball it,” said Hustvedt.
Jeffers reached up and extended the range of the Link 16 image. In a few minutes they began to see aircraft gathering nearly 500 miles to the north. “That’s them,” said Hustvedt. “Send a message on the link to prepare for hostile air attack. All cloaks are to remain on,” he said.
In seconds the message was received. Supply operations were suspended and the boats went in to shore. Aboard the carriers of the fleet, the planes were fueled and made ready. In ten minutes, the first of the defenders launched from the deck of the Abraham Lincoln. These pilots had a bone to pick with the Russians and this was their time to do it. In all, four carriers launched over 160 aircraft. The LHAs launched forty more. The planes began heading north to intercept. Unfortunately the staff could see that there were over 500 aircraft coming down from Russia.
***
Commander Jim Hartsell brought his squadrons to the east and up to 20,000 feet. The link showed the incoming aircraft around 15,000 feet in three levels. The only thing the link didn’t show them was what type aircraft they were, but Hartsell could tell that a section just above the others was jinking from side to side slightly. That would mean the heavier bombers and attack aircraft were in the bottom two layers. Using his touchpad, he selected “auto assign.” This would allow the link to assign the missiles for each aircraft. That way none would be double targeted.
No radios were used and Hartsell prayed that those panels that were supposed to make them invisible did their job. He looked off to his left and could see the Enterprise squadrons joining up. They would take the lower force. The squadrons from the Gerald Ford would go for the fighters. That left Hartsell and the aircraft from the Abraham Lincoln. Every aviator on the ship wanted in on this. He only hoped that the Lightnings from the LHAs would be able to protect the ships while they did the dirty work.
Hartsell watched the screen. The Russians were maintaining their course and speed. It appeared that those cloaks really did work. Signaling his squadrons, Hartsell made his turn to the west to intercept. By coming in from the east, they were coming at the Russians from the sun. From that angle, the AIM-132 Advanced Short Range Air to Air Missile (ASRAAM) would have no problem finding a target. Minutes dragged on, but eventually he began to see the Russian aircraft in the distance. They were still in formation and still on the same course and speed. When they were nearly in range, Hartsell increased his speed to near supersonic. He heard a warble in his headset and the link indicated it was time to fire. Hartsell squeezed the trigger.
The weapons bay opened and an ASRAAM screamed out toward its prey. Almost immediately a second warble was heard as the system automatically switched to a second target. The trigger was squeezed again. It happened six more times. Hartsell watched the last missile leave the aircraft. In the distance, he could see missiles and aircraft exploding all over the sky. It was almost depressing. There would be a bright ball of flame that would then angle downward trailing a string of black smoke. Each trail was a dead aircraft and pilot. It almost didn’t seem fair. The new missiles were a fire and forget missile. It had a longer range than the old Sidewinder and much more sensitive. That meant that the Russian pilots never saw them coming.