tc.redstormrising-第107节

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nschweig　is　the　first　of　them。　The　others　e　from　their　theater　reserve；　and　these　two　ing　south　are　reserve　formations　from　their　northern　army　group。〃
〃So　you　think　that　they　are　making　this　their　main　point　of　attack？〃　SACEUR　asked。
〃Ja。〃　The　German　General　nodded。　〃The　Schwerpunkt　is　here。〃
SACEUR　frowned。　The　rational　thing　to　do　would　be　to　withdraw　behind　the　river　Weser　to　shorten　his　defensive　line　and　reorganize　his　forces。　But　that　would　mean　abandoning　Hannover。　The　Germans　would　never　accept　that。　Their　own　national　strategy　of　defending　each　home　and　field　had　cost　the　Russians　dear…and　stretched　NATO　forces　to　the　breaking　point。　Politically　they　would　never　accept　such　a　strategic　withdrawal。　West　German　units　would　fight　on　alone　if　they　had　to：　he　could　see　it　clearly　enough　in　the　eyes　of　his　own　intelligence　chief。　And　if　somebody　invaded　New　Hampshire；　he　admitted　to　himself；　would　I　withdraw　into　Pennsylvania？
An　hour　later；　half　of　the　existing　NATO　reserves　were　heading　east　from　Osnabruck　to　Hameln。　The　battle　for　Germany　would　be　won　or　lost　on　the　right　bank　of　the　Weser。

STORNOWAY；　SCOTLAND
The　returning　Tomcats　got　little　rest。　As　soon　as　they　landed；　the　British　and　American　ground　crewmen　refueled　and　rearmed　the　fighters。　The　Russians　were　raiding　the　British　northern　airfields　more　carefully　now。　The　American　airborne　radar　aircraft　supporting　the　British　Nimrods　and　Shackletons　were　making　life　hard　on　the　twin…engine　Blinder　bombers　flying　out　of　Andoya　in　Norway。　Royal　Air　Force　Tornados　flew　bat　air…patrol　missions　two　hundred　miles　offshore　while　the　American　pilots　rested；　a　few　enterprising　crew　chiefs　painted　red　stars　underneath　the　cockpits；　and　intelligence　officers　evaluated　gunsight　videotapes　and　recordings　of　Soviet　missile　radars。
〃Looks　like　we　hurt　them；〃　Toland　judged。　The　kill　claims　were　too　high；　but　with　fighter　pilots　they　always　were。
〃Bet　your　ass！〃　replied　the　mander　of　the　Jolly　Rogers。　The　Navy　mander　chewed　on　a　cigar。　He　claimed　personal　credit　for　a　pair　of　MiGs。　〃Question　is；　will　they　reinforce？　It　worked　once；　but　they　won't　fall　for　that　gag　again。　You　tell　me；　Toland：　can　they　replace　what　we　culled　out？〃
〃I　don't　think　so。　The　MiG…29　is　about　the　only　fighter　they　can　stage　out　that　far。　The　rest　of　those　are　in　Germany；　and　they've　taken　a　beating　there；　too。　If　the　Russians　decided　to　cut　loose　some　MiG…31s；　I　think　they　can　reach　that　far；　but　I　don't　see　them　releasing　their　prime　bomber…interceptor　for　this　kind　of　mission。〃
The　Jolly　Rogers's　skipper　nodded　agreement。　〃Okay。　Next　step　then　is　we　put　a　bat　air　patrol　close　to　Iceland　and　start　beating　on　those　Backfire　raids　for…real。〃
〃They　might　just　e　looking　for　us；　too；〃　Toland　warned。　〃They　have　to　know　now　what　we　did；　and　where　we　did　it　from。〃　The　mander　of　VF…41　looked　out　the　window。　One　of　his　Tomcats　sat　half　a　mile　away　between　two　piles　of　sandbags。　Four　missiles　were　visible　on　the　airframe。　He　fingered　the　Ace　of　Spades　emblem　on　his　chest　and　turned　back。
〃Good。　If　they　want　to　fight　us　on　our　turf；　in　our　radar　cover；　fine。〃

ALFELD；　FEDERAL　REPUBLIC　OF　GERMANY
Alekseyev　left　his　helicopter　on　the　outskirts　of　the　town　and　climbed　into　yet　another　BMP　infantry　carrier。　Two　ribbon　bridges　were　operating。　Fragments　of　at　least　five　others　littered　the　riverbanks；　along　with　countless　burned…out　tanks　and　trucks。　The　mander　of　20th　Tanks　rode　with　them。
〃NATO　air　attacks　are　murderous；〃　General　Beregovoy　said。　〃I've　never　seen　anything　like　it。　Even　with　our　SAMs　they　close　in。　We　get　our　share；　but　it's　not　enough；　and　things　only　get　worse　as　we　approach　the　front。〃
〃What　progress　have　you　made　today？〃
〃The　main　opposition　at　the　moment　is　English。　At　least　a　brigade　of　tanks。　We've　pushed　them　back　two　kilometers　since　dawn。〃
〃There's　supposed　to　be　a　Belgian　force　out　there　also；〃　Sergetov　pointed　out。
〃They've　disappeared。　We　don't　know　where　they　are…and；　yes；　that　worries　me　also。　I've　placed　one　of　the　new　divisions　on　our　left　flank　to　guard　against　counterattack。　The　other　will　join　20th　Tanks　when　we　resume　the　attack　this　afternoon。〃
〃Strength？〃　Alekseyev　asked。
〃The　Twentieth　is　down　to　ninety　working　tanks。　Maybe　less；〃　the　General　said。　〃That　number　is　four　hours　old。　Our　infantry　has　done　better；　but　the　division　is　now　under　fifty…percent　nominal　strength。〃
Their　vehicle　angled　down　onto　the　floating　ribbon　bridge。　Each　boxlike　segment　was　bolted　to　two　others；　and　the　vehicle　bobbed　up　and　down　like　a　small　boat　in　the　surf　as　they　drove　across　the　Leine。　All　three　officers　controlled　their　feelings；　but　none　liked　being　locked　inside　a　steel　box　over　the　water。　The　BMP　infantry　assault　vehicle　was　technically　amphibious；　but　many　had　sunk　without　warning　and　it　was　rare　for　anyone　to　escape　when　that　happened。　They　could　hear　distant　artillery　fire。　Air　attacks　at　Alfeld　happened　without　warning。　It　took　just　over　a　minute　to　plete　the　crossing。
〃In　case　you're　curious；　that　bridge　we　just　crossed　holds　the　record　for　the　longest　survival。〃　He　checked　his　watch。　〃Seven　hours。〃
〃What　of　that　major　you　requested　the　gold　star　for？〃　Alekseyev　asked。
〃He　was　wounded　in　an　air　attack。　He'll　live。〃
〃Give　him　this。　Perhaps　it　will　speed　his　recovery。〃　Alekseyev　reached　into　a　pocket　and　came　out　with　a　five…pointed　gold　star　attached　to　a　bloodred　ribbon。　He　handed　it　to　the　General。　That　major　of　engineers　was　now　a　Hero　of　the　Soviet　Union。

USS　CHICAGO
All　the　boats　slowed　on　reaching　the　icepack。　McCafferty　inspected　it　through　his　periscope；　a　thin　white　line　less　than　two　miles　away。　There　was　nothing　else　visible。　Few　ships　lingered　so　near　the　ice；　and　no　aircraft　were　visible。
Sonar　reported　a　gratifying　amount　of　noise。　The　serrated　fringe　of　the　pack　was　posed　of　thousands　of　individual　floes；　slabs　of　ice　a　few　feet　thick；　ranging　in　size　from　a　few　square　feet　to　several　acres。　Every　year　they　came　loose　with　the　spring　thaw　and　drifted　at　random　until　the　freeze　began　again。　While　loose　in　the　brief　arctic　summer；　they　drifted　at　random；　grinding　against　one　another　in　a　process　that　destroyed　some　of　the　smaller　floes；　which　added　to　the　never…ending　groans　and　pops　of　the　solid　ice　that　went　across　the　top　of　the　pole　all　the　way　to　the　North　Slope　of　Alaska。
〃What's　that？〃　McCafferty　adjusted　the　scope　slightly；　turning　the　handle　to　the　twelve…power　setting。　He'd　glimpsed　what　might　have　been　a　periscope　for　the　merest　instant。　It　was　gone　now　and…reappeared：　the　swordlike　dorsal　fin　of　a　male　killer　whale。　A　puff　of　spray　marked　its　breath；　condensing　to　vapor　in　the　polar　air；　then　a　few　more　whales　appeared。　What　was　it　they　called　a　family　of　orcas？　A　school…no；　a　pod。　Up　here　hunting　seals；　probably。　He　wondered　if　the　omen　was　good　or　bad。　Orcinus　orca　was　the　scientific　name：　Bringer　of　Death。
〃Sonar；　do　you　have　anything　at　one…three…nine？〃
〃Conn；　we　have　eleven　killer　whales　on　that　bearing。　I　make　it　three　males；　six　females；　and　two　adolescents。　Pretty　close　in；　I　think。　Bearing　is　changing　slowly。〃　The　sonar　chief　responded　as　if　insulted。　There　were　standing　orders　not　to　report　〃biologicals〃　unless　specifically　ordered　otherwise。
〃Very　well。〃　McCafferty　had　to　grin　in　spite　of　himself。
The　other　submarines　of　Operation　Doolittle　were　strung　out　on　a　line　more　than　ten　miles　across。　One　by　one　they　went　deep　and　headed　under　the　pack。　An　hour　later　the　freight　train　headed　east；　five　miles　inside　the　nominal　edge　of　the　pack。　Twelve　thousand　feet　below　them　was　the　floor　of　the　Barents　Abyssal　Plain。

ICELAND
〃Haven't　seen　a　chopper　all　day；〃　Sergeant　Smith　observed。
Conversation；　Edwards　noted；　made　a　nice　distraction　from　the　fact　that　they　were　eating　raw　fish。　He　checked　his　watch。　It　was　time　to　call　in　again。　It　had　gotten　so　that　he　could　assemble　the　radio　antenna　in　his　sleep。
〃Doghouse；　this　is　Beagle；　and　things　could　be　a　lot　better；　over。〃
〃Beagle；　we　read　you。　Where　are　you　now？〃
〃About　forty…six　kilometers　from　our　objective；〃　Edwards　replied。　He　gave　them　map　coordinates。　There　was　one　road　yet　to　cross；　and　only　one　more　row　of　hills；　according　to　the　map。　〃Nothing　much　to　report　except　we　have　not　seen　any　choppers　today。　In　fact　we　haven't　seen　any　aircraft　at　all。〃　Edwards　looked　up。　The　sky　was　pretty　clear；　too。　Usually　they　spotted　fighters　once　or　twice　a　day　as　they　patrolled　overhead。
〃Roger　that；　Beagle。　Be　advised　that　the　Navy　sent　some　fighters　over　and　beat　them　up　pretty　good　around　dawn。〃
〃All　right！　We　haven't　seen　any　Russians　since　the　chopper　looked　us　over。〃　In　Scotland　his　controller　shuddered　at　that。　Edwards　went　on；　〃We're　down　to　eating　fish　we　catch；　but　the　fishing's　pretty　good。〃
〃How's　your　lady　friend？〃
Mike　had　to　smile　at　that　one。　〃She's　not　holding　us　back；　if　that's　what　you　mean。　Anything　else？〃
〃Negative。〃
〃Okay；　we'll　be　back　if　we　see　anything。　Out。〃　Edwards　flipped　the　power　switch　on　the　radio　pack。　〃Our　friends　say　the　Navy　chewed　up　some　Russian　fighters　today。〃
〃Bout　time；〃　Smith　said。　He　was　down　to　his　last　five　cigarettes　and　stared　at　one　now；　deciding　whether　or　not　to　reduce　his　supply　to　four。　As　Edwards　watched；　he　opened　his　lighter　to