John Schettler - Fallen Angels - 9 Days Falling, Volume II

“Those will be radar pickets,” Karpov decided. “Begin jamming on all bandwidths we identified earlier. Isolate any new radar signals we can detect and begin jamming those as well.”

“Aye, sir.”

Rodenko had been correct. The American ships were advancing north, closing the range, and soon the ship began to get direct surface returns at extreme range, with additional contacts advancing on the left of the Halsey group. Ziggy Sprague was on the move as well.

“Yet the numbers we’re seeing in this maneuver do not represent the whole surface fleet to the south. Perhaps they are forming an advanced screen.” Karpov studied his Tactical board with the positions of every contact glowing softly. “They must be holding something back, at least a third of their force.”

“The carriers, sir,” Rodenko suggested. “They would not want to advance with those ships.”

“Yes, and they most likely left a screen of smaller destroyer class units with them. That means the ships we are seeing in this advance would be their heavier class units, perhaps accompanied by more destroyers and radar pickets. “

“They’re trying to get in close so they can then make a rush at us for a gun battle,” Rodenko pointed at the screen, gesturing with his finger.

“Of course, Mister Rodenko, they have no Moskit-IIs . And I believe the reason why their carriers have not launched yet is because they wish to try and coordinate the air attack with a surface engagement. If they can find us with their surface ships first, then those units can vector in their air groups.”

Rodenko nodded his agreement, and Karpov considered the situation, stroking his chin as he looked at the tactical board. They had been cruising at fifteen knots, and now the Captain turned to the comm station.

“Mister Nikolin. Signal the flotilla to assume a heading 90 degrees due east and increase to 30 knots. Orlan will lead, with Admiral Golovko off the starboard side.” The Captain looked at Rodenko, and winked at him. “Let’s get some breathing room.”

“Sir, aye,” said Rodenko, and he repeated the order to the helmsman.

Karpov was still thinking. The carriers must be the contacts hovering beyond their surface radar range. At the moment they were still the real threat in his mind. Old and slow as these aircraft were, a massed air strike by hundreds of planes could be very difficult to handle. But I still have S-400’s, he thought. I can hit them even as they launch as long as the KA-226 can remain aloft in an AEW role. They will have no idea we can fire at such range, and it could deliver a nasty shock as they form up over their carriers, and before they disperse as Rodenko suggests.

The light of battle was in his eyes now, and he knew it would not be long before it was kindled in the fiery tails of his missiles. They remain silent in the face of my demonstration of overwhelming power. Very well, two can play that game. Let us see how long it is before they are calling me on the radio.

He turned to Rodenko again, and saw he was watching him, a curious look on his face. “Mister Rodenko,” he said. “Bring the ship to battle stations and signal same to the fleet.”

“Battle stations. Aye, sir. Signaling now.” Then another thought occurred to him and he approached the Captain with a question. “Sir, what about those two radar pickets in close?”

Sprague’s group still had two ships very near the Russians. They had been shadowing at a range of fifteen kilometers for some time, yet had never attempted to come any closer.

“Time to lose our shadow,” said Karpov. “We’ll give our young Captain on Admiral Golovko a taste of battle. He could use the experience. Tell Ryakhin I want him to put one P-800 Oniks on each of those shadowing ships.”

Known as the Yakhont on the export markets, the missile was a fast supersonic sea skimmer much like the original Moskit. Karpov knew his order was provocative, another jab at the raging bull to the south, but he could not allow those ships to stay within visual range. He ordered Nikolin to warn them off and, when they saw no compliance, the signal to fire was sent over to Admiral Golovko.

The battle was finally joined.

Spraguewas out on the weather deck watching the air crews spotting the Helldivers on the flight deck below. Movement at last, he thought. The word had come down from on high just minutes ago, and flashed to all fleet Task Groups in theater. The massive naval juggernaut was turning north; not just a few radar pickets this time, or a single strike wave off a few carriers. No, this time they were going in force to say hello to Uncle Joe up north and put the Russians in their place.

He had seen the massive detonation hours ago on the far horizon to the northeast. The evil looking mushroom cloud had loomed up in the distance, towering higher by the minute, and it took hours for the upper level winds to shear off its top and blow the colossal war cloud into a pallid smear over the sea. Whatever had caused it had been massive, an explosion far greater than anything he had ever seen in his life. He had heard the rumors of another event in the north Atlantic, though he was not there to see it firsthand. This war is going to end just like it started, he thought. We lost the Wasp in ’41, and then it was said some kind of massive bomb sent Mississippi and TF 16 to their doom. Now we lose the Wasp again, and look what’s on my horizon—another bomb.

There was a dull echo to it all, a hollow ring that spoke of impending doom. No matter, he thought. We’re going up to see about it. I’ve got the fast cruisers and destroyers out in front, four light cruisers with the eight destroyers in Desron 62. Halsey has even better ships in his front scrimmage line—five cruisers, three of them heavy, and Desron 50. Behind them come the real heavy hitters. I’m sending South Dakota and North Carolina , Halsey has Missouri and Iowa . Let any one of them get in range of these Russian ships and you can call it a day. All it will take is one battleship to get in close.

We’ve been through tough situations before. The Japanese threw four battleships led by Yamato at me off Samar, along with eight cruisers and eleven destroyers, and all I had was a hand full of destroyer escorts with 5 inch pop guns to protect the jeep carriers. But we held the enemy at bay, and licked them in the end. That’s exactly what we’ll do now, he thought. We’re going to ram an iron fist into the Russians and end this war once and for all.

He looked at his watch. They were ordered to spot strike groups and be ready for takeoff by 16:00 hours. He had been ready for the last ten minutes. With Wasp gone and casualties from the first sortie up north he was light on aircraft, but 180 of his original force of 260 planes were still crammed onto the decks of his three remaining carriers. Halsey had another 350. Let them have a look at over 500 planes darkening their skies when the order comes in. Even as he thought this he also knew the Brits were coming as well. Admiral Fraser was taking TF.37 around the north cape of Hokkaido, watching the far left flank in case the Russians had anything left in Vladivostok. He had four more carriers, 27 surface ships, including two more good battleships, and another 260 strike planes.

Any way he added it up, it spelled a swift and overwhelming victory, but it was a new world now. That distant cloud on the horizon loomed over the sea with a threat of utter extinction at its root. The world went absolutely crazy these last years, he thought. My God… Look what we did to Tokyo when Curtis Lemay let the bombers loose. The world went insane, and now we’ve really got the means to end it all if it comes to another general war.