Several old Bradley fighting vehicles with cannons and TOW missiles had arrived from the Ohio area, 35 Mutts (jeeps) with TOW missiles and dozens more vehicles—mostly old jeeps with all types of cannons made to be temporary anti-aircraft defense vehicles— waited for targets, any targets, and Colonel Patterson hoped that the one lame duck could be the beginning of an ambush for the more advanced hawks—the hawks that would have to fly in close under the low cloud base to see what was so important below the single aircraft.
Another hundred old, antiquated units, mostly with TOW missiles, had been positioned between the Verrazano Narrows Bridge and around the New York harbor area and could open up on the aircraft if needed. The destroyers and frigates could also fire at the C-130, but that would give their complete element of surprise away to the enemy, and as the slow sun rose and the dark skies became a lighter grey, nothing happened.
Sporadic shooting had been heard throughout the night as snipers around the harbor shot at anything that moved on the streets below. There were few civilians in the area—any people the military had met before the day of the attack had been given a case of military rations per person and told to get out of the area. Dozens of city blocks in New York and New Jersey were covered with snipers on the roofs of every building, and it was two hours before dawn before everything went quiet as the snow began to fall and the snipers moved lower and lower to street-level to make sure nobody was missed.
*****
On the enemy ships out at sea nobody was in a great hurry. Their powerful engines kept them still in the calm water and thousands of men waited for the chairman to give his command to start the day’s action.
He was on deck sniffing the air and looking towards the dark grey shoreline three miles away. The American coastline could just be seen through the tapering snow and, drinking from a large china cup of steaming green tea, he held off the attack hoping that the clouds would lift with the sun’s rays warming the area and giving them more sight. He wanted to watch the action unfold.
For another ten minutes, he drank from his cup, leaning on the balcony of the ship, just looking towards his new country. Several camouflaged military personnel around him waited with their aides wearing backpack radios to communicate his orders. He had been told about the three aircraft on the radar screens and had asked his Air Force commander why the closest American airplane was so far from shore. The commander had replied that either it was air support for ground troops coming into New York to fight, or the airport where the rest of their aircraft were stationed, or it was the Americans’ early-warning system using its radar to search for incoming aircraft or shipping.
“So they already know that we are here, three miles offshore?” the chairman asked and the man confirmed that. “They still have guided missiles that can destroy our aircraft?” he then asked. Again the commander nodded to confirm this.
“But our aircraft’s satellite-guided missiles can attack their aircraft from a much further distance. Also, their aircraft can take off once ours take off, as they will see our aircraft taking off on their radar screens, yes?” was the chairman’s next question as he drank the last sip of tea. He looked around and noticed that the snow had stopped, and even though the temperature was slightly below freezing, the clouds had risen slightly and he could just make out the towers of the Verrazano Narrows Bridge, which in an hour or two he would officially rename as the aircraft carrier passed under. The Air Force commander confirmed the chairman’s last question, and then it got serious. “How long can our fighters stay in the air?” he asked.
“Three to four hours depending on fuel usage. Less than one hour if they are in battle conditions,” replied the commander.
“Let’s take our new country, gentlemen,” the chairman ordered. “Admiral, send in the five food ships. I want to know what, or who is going to attack us, and I want to make sure our engineers and our troops are in the harbor area and not American soldiers like our commander said yesterday. I hear no shooting or loud explosions and I believe everything is quiet and ready. I want 12 fighters to take off and go and destroy that pesky fly out there and destroy everything below where that American plane is flying. Get ready to refuel and rearm those aircraft when they return and then get the remainder of the aircraft off the carrier once any enemy contact has been made. I want as much ammunition on deck to resupply the aircraft as quickly as possible. It will be safe on deck once we have the second flight of aircraft in the air to protect us. Tell the first wave to go in low, and as soon as they get halfway to that American aircraft, the first fighter will release their missiles to blow it out of the sky.
“That will be the start of the battle. Get the container ships into the off-loading facilities as quickly as possible. Our ground troops should be ready and our engineers will be there to welcome the container ships. Admiral, since we don’t have tugs to help the ships berth, tell them to be careful and to follow the simple berthing plan we have given them. Make sure that the container ship with the 1,500 Red Special Guards ready to scale down her sides goes in first, just in case.”
Orders were communicated, and ships began to creep forward again inch by inch, as the massive engines powered the great ships forward and the whine of jet engines could be heard several flights below as the chairman looked down to survey the action on the flight deck. He was extremely excited for the first time in his life.
*****
“We see heat spots increasing on the carrier deck, and we are descending to 2,500 feet,” stated the radar engineers in Blue Moon as she hung in the air above Morrisville Airport, the 400 men below ready to fire on any incoming aircraft once the enemy opened fire. “Roger that,” replied Colonel Patterson. “Immediately after the last fighter takes off, get her down onto the ground, into the prepared snow-walled area, get her propellers stopped, and get the white tarps over her. Gentlemen, I believe you will have five minutes once their missiles are scrambled by us and go into space before they come in with guns blazing. All anti-aircraft commanders around Morrisville only—open fire once the first missile is released, or you have visual.”
“All harbor troops, I’ve been told of ship movement, and the five container ships are edging forward. Do not fire on any shipping until ordered. I repeat, no harbor gunfire until my direct order. Please confirm that!” Hundreds of radios replied with their confirmation. “I believe that all five ships will dock on either side of that one Global Terminal area. The snipers will be ordered to fire once the first ships are secure and our guys are safely out of harm’s way. A message to our official welcoming party at the terminal, my old friend Comrade Wong at the terminal—if the war out here hasn’t started and it’s safe for you to do so, go out and wave to the men on the container ships. Get dozens of your large welcoming silver helium balloons into the air and look happy. We want to entice the other ships in ASAP and the balloons will help screw up their aiming systems.”
“We have the first aircraft off the carrier,” reported Blue Moon. “We are going into final approach and will land once they form up and come towards us. Have fun guys, enjoy it! Out.” The aircraft dropped down to 1,500 feet and turned onto very short finals, less than a mile out and literally dropped out of the sky towards the runway. Once down, she would shoot straight into her little hideaway surrounded by snow walls ten feet high and large white tarpaulins would be draped over her. She was no match for the incoming fighters.