tc.redstormrising-第106节

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〃Amber　Moon。　Say　again；　Amber　Moon。〃
The　B…52s　turned　back　east　and　dove；　opening　their　bomb　bays　to　disgorge　tons　of　aluminum　chaff　that　no　radar　signal　could　penetrate。　As　soon　as　they　saw　that；　the　American　fighters　all　dropped　their　external　fuel　tanks；　and　the　Prowlers　broke　off　from　the　bombers　to　orbit　just　west　of　the　chaff。　Now　came　the　tricky　part。　The　fighters　of　both　sides　were　closing　at　a　bined　speed　of　over　one　thousand　miles　per　hour。
〃Queer　check；〃　the　mission　mander　radioed。
〃Blackie　check；〃　acknowledged　the　skipper　of　VF…41。
〃Jolly　check；〃　replied　the　mander　of　VF…84。　Everyone　was　in　position。
〃Execute。〃　The　four　Prowlers　flipped　on　their　antimissile　jamming　gear。
The　twelve　Tomcats　of　the　Jolly　Rogers　were　strung　on　a　line　at　thirty　thousand　feet。　On　mand　they　activated　their　missile…guidance　radars。
〃American　fighters！〃　shouted　a　number　of　Russian　pilots。　Their　threat　receivers　instantly　told　the　pilots　that　fighter…type　radars　were　locked　on　their　aircraft。
The　Soviet　fighter　mander　was　not　surprised。　Surely　the　Americans　would　not　risk　their　heavy　bombers　again　without　a　proper　escort。　He'd　ignore　these　and　bore　in　for　the　B…52s；　as　his　training　dictated。　The　MiG　radars　were　heavily　jammed；　their　ranges　cut　in　half　and　as　yet　unable　to　track　any　targets　at　all。　He　ordered　his　pilots　to　be　alert　for　ining　missiles；　confident　that　they　could　avoid　those　that　they　saw；　and　had　all　his　aircraft　increase　power。　Next；　he　ordered　all　but　two　of　his　reserve　force　to　leave　Keflavik　and　e　east　to　support　him。
The　Americans　needed　only　seconds　to　lock　onto　targets。　Each　Tomcat　carried　four　Sparrows　and　four　Sidewinders。　The　Sparrows　went　first。　There　were　sixteen　MiGs　in　the　air。　Most　had　at　least　two　missiles　targeted；　but　the　Sparrows　were　radar…guided。　Each　American　fighter　had　to　remain　pointed　at　its　target　until　the　missile　hit。　This　ran　the　risk　of　closing　within　range　of　Soviet　missiles；　and　the　Tomcats　were　not　equipped　with　protective　jammers。
The　Americans　had　taken　position　up…sun　from　the　Russians。　Just　as　their　radars　began　to　burn　through　the　American　jamming；　the　Sparrows　arrived；　the　first　directly　from　the　sun；　exploding　its　MiG　in　midair　and　warning　everyone　in　its　flight。　The　Soviet　aircraft　began　radical　jinks　up　and　down；　some　pilots　breaking　into　hard　turns　as　they　saw　the　seven…inch　wide　missiles　racing　in；　but　four　more　found　their　targets；　and　in　moments　there　were　three　hard　kills　and　one　severely　damaged　aircraft　that　turned　to　limp　for　home。
The　Jolly　Rogers　turned　as　soon　as　their　missiles　were　spent　and　ran　northeast　with　the　Soviets　in　pursuit。　The　Russian　mander　was　relieved　that　the　American　missiles　had　performed　so　poorly；　yet　still　enraged　at　the　loss　of　five　aircraft。　His　remaining　aircraft　bore　in　on　after…burner　as　their　targeting　radars　began　to　defeat　the　American　jamming。　The　American　fighter　escort　had　had　its　turn；　he　knew。　Now　it　was　his　turn。　They　ran　northeast；　their　visored　eyes　alternating　between　squints　into　the　sun　and　quick　looks　at　their　radarscopes　to　pick　out　targets。　They　never　looked　down。　The　lead　MiG　finally　had　a　target　and　launched　two　missiles。
Twenty　thousand　feet　below　them；　shielded　from　ground　radar　by　a　pair　of　mountains；　twelve　Tomcats　of　the　Black　Aces　went　to　afterburner；　their　radars　shut　off　as　the　twin…engined　fighters　rocketed　skyward。　Within　ninety　seconds　the　pilots　began　to　hear　the　growling　signal　that　indicated　their　Sidewinder　heat…seeking　missiles　were　tracking　targets。　Seconds　later；　sixteen　missiles　were　fired　from　a　range　of　two　miles。
Six　Russian　pilots　never　knew　what　hit　them。　Of　the　eleven　MiGs；　eight　were　hit　in　a　matter　of　seconds。　The　mander's　luck　remained　briefly　as　he　jerked　his　fighter　around；　causing　a　Sidewinder　to　break　lock　and　fly　into　the　sun；　but　now　what　could　he　do？　He　saw　two　Tomcats　running　south；　away　from　his　remaining　fighters。　It　was　too　late　to　organize　an　attack…his　wingman　was　gone；　and　the　only　friendly　aircraft　he　could　see　was　to　his　north…so　the　colonel　reefed　his　MiG　into　an　eight…g　turn　and　dove　at　the　American；　oblivious　to　the　warning　buzz　of　his　threat　receiver。　Both　Sparrows　launched　from　the　second　group　of　Black　Aces　struck　his　wing。　The　MiG　came　apart　around　him。
The　Americans　had　no　time　to　gloat。　The　mission　mander　reported　a　second　group　of　MiGs　heading　their　way　and　the　American　squadrons　regrouped　to　meet　them；　forming　a　solid　wall　of　twenty…four　aircraft；　their　radars　shut　down　for　two　minutes　as　the　MiGs　raced　into　the　cloud　of　jamming。　The　Russian　second…in…mand　was　making　a　serious　error。　His　fellow　pilots　were　in　danger。　He　had　to　go　to　their　rescue。　One　group　of　Tomcat　volleyed　off　its　remaining　Sparrows；　the　other　fired　Sidewinders。　A　total　of　thirty…eight　missiles　closed　in　on　eight　Soviet　aircraft　who　had　no　clear　picture　of　what　they　were　running　into。　Half　of　them　never　did；　blotted　out　of　the　sky　by　American　air…to…air　missiles；　three　more　were　damaged。
The　Tomcat　pilots　all　wanted　to　close；　but　the　mander　ordered　them　off。　They　were　all　short　of　fuel；　and　Stornoway　was　seven　hundred　miles　off。　They　turned　east；　ducking　through　the　cloud　of　aluminum　chaff　left　by　the　B…52s。　The　Americans　would　claim　thirty…seven　kills；　quite　a　score　since　they　had　expected　a　total　of　only　twenty…seven　Russian　aircraft。　In　fact；　of　twenty…six　MiGs；　only　five　undamaged　aircraft　remained。　A　stunned　air　base　mander　immediately　began　rescue　operations。　Soon　the　parachute　division's　attack　helicopters　were　flying　northeast；　searching　for　downed　pilots。

STENDAL；　GERMAN　DEMOCRATIC　REPUBLIC
Thirty　kilometers　from　Alfeld　to　Hameln；　Alekseyev　thought。　An　hour's　drive　in　a　tank。　Elements　of　three　divisions　were　making　that　drive　now；　and　since　the　crossing　bad　been　achieved；　they'd　advanced　a　total　of　only　eighteen　kilometers。　This　time　it　was　the　English：　the　tanks　of　the　Royal　Tank　Regiment　and　21st　Lancers　had　stopped　his　leading　elements　cold　halfway　to　Hameln　and　hadn't　budged　in　eighteen　hours。
There　was　real　danger　here。　For　a　mechanized　formation；　safety　lay　in　movement。　The　Soviets　were　feeding　units　into　the　gap；　but　NATO　was　using　its　air　power　to　the　utmost。　The　bridges　on　the　Leine　were　being　destroyed　almost　as　fast　as　they　could　be　repaired。　Engineers　had　prepared　crossing　points　on　the　riverbanks；　and　the　Russians　were　able　to　swim　their　infantry　carriers　across　now；　but　the　tanks　couldn't　swim；　and　every　attempt　to　run　them　across　underwater…as　they　were　supposedly　equipped　to　do…had　been　a　failure。　Too　many　units　had　had　to　be　deployed　to　protect　the　breach　in　NATO's　lines；　and　too　few　were　able　to　exploit　it。　Alekseyev　had　achieved　a　perfect　textbook　breakthrough　only　to　see　that　the　other　side　had　its　own　textbook　for　containing　and　smashing　it。　Western　Theater　had　a　total　of　six　reserve　class…A　divisions　to　send　into　the　fighting。　After　that　they　would　have　to　start　using　class…B　units　posed　of　reservists；　with　older　men　and　equipment。　There　were　many　of　them；　but　they　would　not…could　not…perform　as　well　as　the　younger　soldiers。　The　General　bridled　at　the　necessity　of　mitting　units　to　battle　that　would　certainly　take　higher　casualties　than　normal。
But　he　had　no　choice。　His　political　masters　wanted　it；　and　he　was　only　the　executor　of　political　policy。
〃I　have　to　go　back　forward；〃　Alekseyev　told　his　boss。
〃Yes；　but　no　closer　than　five　kilometers　to　the　front　line；　Pasha。　I　cannot　afford　to　lose　you　now。〃

BRUSSELS；　BELGIUM
The　Supreme　Allied　mander；　Europe；　looked　at　his　own　tally　sheet。　Nearly　all　of　his　reserves　were　mitted　to　the　fighting　now；　and　the　Russians　seemed　to　have　an　endless　supply　of　men　and　vehicles　moving　forward。　His　units　had　no　time　to　reorganize　and　redeploy。　NATO　faced　the　nightmare　of　all　armies：　they　could　only　react　to　the　moves　of　their　opponent；　with　almost　no　chance　to　launch　their　own　initiatives。　So　far　things　were　holding　together…but　only　barely。　Southeast　of　Hameln　his　map　showed　a　British　brigade。　In　fact　it　was　nothing　more　than　a　reinforced　regiment　posed　of　exhausted　men　and　damaged　equipment。　Artillery　and　aircraft　were　all　that　allowed　him　to　prevent　a　collapse；　and　even　that　would　not　be　enough　if　his　units　didn't　get　much　more　replacement　equipment。　More　ominously；　NATO　was　now　down　to　two　weeks　of　ordnance；　and　the　resupply　ing　from　America　had　been　seriously　impeded　by　attacks　on　the　convoys。　What　could　he　tell　his　men？　Reduce　munitions　expenditurers…when　the　only　thing　stopping　the　Russians　was　the　profligate　use　of　every　weapon　at　hand？
His　morning　intelligence　brief　was　starting。　The　chief　NATO　intelligence　officer　was　a　German　general　who　was　acpanied　by　a　Dutch　major　carrying　a　videotape　cassette；　For　something　this　important；　the　intel　officer　knew；　SACEUR　wanted　to　see　the　raw　data；　not　just　the　analysis。　The　Dutch　officer　set　up　the　machine。
A　puter…generated　map　appeared；　then　units　showed　up。　The　tape　took　under　two　minutes　to　display　five　hours　of　data；　repeating　it　several　times　so　that　the　officers　could　discern　patterns。
〃General；　we　estimate　that　the　Soviets　are　sending　six　full　divisions　towards　Alfeld。　The　movement　you　see　here　on　the　main　road　from　Braunschweig　is　the　first　of　them。　The　others　e　from　their