All it would take was one final push, and the humiliations of a decade would vanish forever.
CHAPTER 20
“So what you’re telling me is that we can predict what they’re going to do, but we can’t do a hell of a lot about it.” Tombstone Magruder massaged his forehead with both hands. He had been awake most of the night going over every aspect of the military situation, but all he had to show for his work was a pile of file folders on his desk and a headache ten times worse than any he’d ever suffered from G-forces in a fighter cockpit.
“I can’t speak for what we can do, sir,” Lieutenant Commander Arthur Lee replied. “But yes, we’ll see what they’re up to. Satellite recon will be able to monitor the bastards, and I’m confident we can sort out any decoy operations.”
Since the fighting the day before, Jefferson had continued on course into the Norwegian Sea, but cautiously, carefully. ASW forces had flushed six more subs in that time, with two more confirmed kills and the others either knocked out or driven off. Magruder’s involvement in the submarine-hunting had been peripheral at best, but each reported contact had brought back thoughts of Gridley’s destruction. No number of successes could erase that first disastrous failure.
Through the night hours Commander Lee had been working with Aiken’s OZ division to analyze every scrap of available intelligence data. Satellite recon images had been tracking some major Russian activity overnight, and now Lee was prepared to make solid preparations concerning enemy activity in Scandinavia.
The most noticeable development was the increased naval activity along the coast. Photographs taken by an orbiting KEYHOLE spy satellite had tracked nearly fifty ships gathering near Trondheim. Some were clearly warships, centered around the powerful helicopter cruiser Kiev. But the majority had been identified as troop carriers, ranging from two Ivan Rogov-class LSDs to a mixed bag of smaller LSTs and several freighters plainly pressed from civilian 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 head-on fight with the Soviets.”
“Okay. That’s the good news then. The bad news is their air power. They already have a damned strong contingent of fighters and bombers from Frontal Aviation out there, and you say they’re about to reactivate Orland with more squadrons of MiGs and Sukhois.”
“It’s already in service on a limited scale, Commander,” Lee corrected. “By tomorrow they’ll be flying six or eight squadrons out of there.”
Magruder rubbed his chin. “And, of course, we’ve got their naval air to contend with. Not just as extra cover for their operations ashore, but as a direct threat to us as well. I don’t like these odds, Art.”
Lee shrugged. “I can’t do much about that, sir. I deal in facts. This is what we’ve got to work with.”
“How reliable is our coordination with the Norwegians? Can we get any help from them at all?”
“They’re pretty hard-pressed, Commander,” Lee said slowly. “You know they’ll be doing everything they can, but I expect their resources will be stretched to the limit by what they’re already up against.” He paused, studying the map with a thoughtful expression. “One thing we might do is encourage them to mount a strong raid toward Oslo, though.”