James Barrington - Foxbat

Documentary evidence exists that condemned prisoners are transported to Camp 22 by the Pyongyang regime specifically to be used in human experimentation into the effects of poisonous gases and liquids.

These ‘experiments’ range from detailed observations of the effects of newly developed substances in the gas chamber to rough-and-ready executions carried out in the most casual manner. In one reported case, some fifty women were selected at random and fed cabbage leaves laced with an unidentified poison that resulted in them vomiting blood and suffering agonizing deaths within about twenty minutes. In other instances, entire families were gassed simultaneously, the parents desperately trying to protect their children as the lethal concoction began its work.

The gas chamber itself is roughly three metres square and two metres high and primarily made of glass. This allows the ‘doctors’ and ‘scientists’ outside, who film the proceedings and take notes, to have a clear view of the experiments. In this novel I have made one small change in my description: I have described the observation as being made from the side of the gas chamber, whereas the process is normally watched from above, through the glass roof.

Camp 22 holds upwards of 50,000 prisoners. Those who aren’t put in the gas chamber, or tortured to death for the pleasure of the guards, are forced to work on the land or in the nearby Chungbong coal mine. Many there die from their regular beatings or simply through exhaustion because of the appalling conditions.

Women as well as men are sent to this concentration camp and, inevitably, some give birth whilst they are incarcerated. Caring for infants is not a part of the remit of Camp 22, and it has been reliably reported that the guards are instructed to kill all new-born children by stamping on their heads and necks.

Life is hard in the ‘Hermit Kingdom’, but death is harder still.

203Slang term for the American Colt M16A2 5.56mm assault rifle fitted with a 203 grenade launcher clipped under the barrel. This is the preferred weapon of the SAS, whose troopers refuse to use the clumsy and unreliable SA-80, the standard British Army rifle

AA-6See ‘Acrid’

ACRBAircrew Refreshment Bar. Informal snack bar where aircrew can eat and drink before or after a mission

AcridNATO reporting name for the Russian R-40 air-to-air missile, also known as the AA-6. First constructed in the 1960s, the missile had two variants: the R-40T (infrared homing) and R-40R (semi-active radar homing), and in the late 1970s two longer-range versions, the R-40TD and R-40RD were introduced. Production was discontinued in 1991

ADDAssociate Deputy Director of the CIA

AegisGeneric term for the American SPY-1F radar and associated missile launch system installed on ships from several navies. The system is optimized for engaging high-flying, high-speed targets

AEWAirborne Early Warning

AIM-9Sidewinder. Short-range air-to-air missile

AlphaRussian hunter-killer submarine

ALR-67Super Hornet Radar Warning Receiver

AMRAAMAIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missile

An-28Antonov twin turbo-prop light transport aircraft, NATO reporting name ‘Cash’

An-72Antonov STOL twin turbofan transport aircraft, NATO reporting name ‘Coaler’

BagmanSlang term for an AEW Sea King observer, after the shape of the inflatable fabric dome covering the modified Searchwater radar that dangles from the side of the aircraft like a large grey pustule

BergenStandard-issue British Army rucksack

BoomerSlang term for a ballistic-missile-carrying nuclear submarine or SSBN

BrimstoneSolid-fuel anti-armour missile

Bureau 39The North Korean government department responsible for the cultivation, transport, export and sale of illegal drugs

BusDevice in the nose of an ICBM that supports the warhead

BusterFull chat, maximum speed

CAGCommander, Air Group. The officer in charge of the air wing on an American carrier

CAPCombat Air Patrol. Defensive air patrol usually mounted by pairs of fighters to protect the aircraft carrier and other vessels from air attack

CBGCarrier Battle Group. American surface group headed by an aircraft carrier

CDSChief of the Defence Staff

CFCCombined Forces Command. The joint American/South Korean military organization

CICCombat Information Center. The tactical nerve centre of a US Navy aircraft carrier where data is collected and collated for the command

CINCFLEETCommander-In-Chief Fleet

ClaymoreA directional fragmentation mine that can be triggered by trip-wires, infrared sensors, or by command detonation

COMINTCommunications Intelligence

ComSatCommunications Satellite

COMSECCommunications Security

Cover AllAmerican Strategic Air Command’s airborne command post. One Cover All aircraft is airborne at all times, and additional units are launched in times of crisis. See also ‘E-6B’

CRV7Ground-attack rocket, fired from an under-wing pod

DEFCONDefense Condition. A measure of the alert state of the American military machine. The DEFCON state runs from Five – the normal peacetime state – to One, which implies that America is either at war or about to go to war

DFCDedicated Flying Course. Course steered by a carrier when recovering aircraft

DMZDemilitarized Zone. Buffer separating the two Korean nations

DNIDirector of National Intelligence. The highest position in the American intelligence organization

DPRKDemocratic People’s Republic of Korea. Like most Communist states, it’s neither democratic nor a republic, and certainly isn’t run by or for the people

E-2CAll-weather tactical airborne warning and control system aircraft flown from US carriers. Commonly known as a Hawkeye

E-4BThe Nightwatch Boeing 747-200 aircraft designed as a command post for the US President and military chiefs. Known as the National Airborne Operations Center or the National Emergency Airborne Command Post – NEACP or ‘Kneecap’

E-6BA modified Boeing 707 that acts as an airborne command post. Known as Cover All, its primary task is relaying instructions from the National Command Authority

EA-6BElectronic warfare aircraft designed to suppress enemy radars and communication systems. Commonly known as a Prowler

ECMElectronic Counter-Measures. Equipment used to counter any form of electronic surveillance or tracking devices, such as radar

EMCONEmission Control. EMCON policy is a statement of intent governing the use of radios and radar

EMPElectromagnetic Pulse. Surge following the detonation of a nuclear weapon, capable of destroying unshielded solid-state electronic devices

F-5Shenyang F-5. Chinese-built version of the Russian MiG-17 fighter

F/A-18Twin-engine, multi-role fighter/attack aircraft that has replaced several earlier types. Commonly known as a Super Hornet

Fan SongTracking and guidance radar for the SA-2 SAM system

Fat AlbertSlang term for a C-130 Hercules transport aircraft. Also known as a ‘Herky-bird’