Griffin W.E.B. - The Corps 08 - In Dangers Path

«Who are these gypsies?»

«Mostly, son, they're a group of old sailors and soldiers and Marines who didn't like the idea of surrendering to the Japanese. And until they talked to you, I suspect many of them were beginning to wonder if the Navy had forgotten about them.»

Which raises an entirely new question

, Admiral Wagam thought.

How the hell are we going to get thirty-three women and children

—

not to mention the men

—

out of the Gobi Desert

?

«May I have this?» Admiral Wagam asked, holding up the sheet of yellow paper.

Commander Toner looked uncomfortable.

«I'll get it back to you,» Admiral Wagam said. «I think Admiral Nimitz will want to have a look at it.»

«Of course, sir.»

«When Major Dillon shows up, send him over to my office.»

«Aye, aye, sir,» Commander Toner said.

«Keep up the good work, son,» Admiral Wagam said to Seaman Epstein. «Thank you for the coffee, Chief.»

Jake Dillon drove up in a civilian Ford station wagon as Admiral Wagam was about to get into a staff car.

He looks, damn him, despite the hour

, Admiral Wagam thought,

as if he's about to go on parade

.

«Follow me to my quarters, Dillon, and you can read what we have. Admiral Nimitz said to let him know immediately of developments, whatever the hour; but he's going to have to wait until I have a shave and get into a decent uniform.»

«Aye, aye, sir,» Dillon said. «Good news or bad, Admiral?»

«I suppose that would depend, Major, on whether or not you are a pilot who's about to be ordered to find a submarine in the Yellow Sea and then somebody in the Gobi Desert.»

The Commander in Chief, Pacific, in a crisp white uniform, was having a cup of coffee when Admiral Wagam and Major Dillon were shown into his office.

«This is the original, sir, I hope you'll be able to understand the jargon.»

«It may come as a shock to you, Dan, but before I got this job, I was actually a seagoing sailor. Let me see what you have.»

«Aye, aye, sir.»

«Help yourself to some coffee, Dillon,» Admiral Nimitz said. «The steward doesn't come on duty until 0630.»

«Thank you, sir.»

Nimitz read the long sheet of yellow paper. «I don't like that 'unreliable' position report,» he said.

«They're going to be in contact again in five hours, sir,» Wagam said. «Perhaps they'll be able to give us a better one then.»

«But this means, as I read it, that neither Pickering's people, nor the people they found, seem to know exactly where they are.»

«Yes, sir, it would seem so.»

«Is this position, the unreliable one, within range of the Catalinas?»

«Yes, sir.»

«Then I suppose you'd better alert Colonel Dawkins, and start this thing rolling.»

«Aye, aye, sir.»

«As I recall the Opplan, the aircraft will depart at midnight to give them daylight both at the rendezvous site and in the desert?»

«Yes, sir,» Wagam said. «The exact time is 2330, sir.»

«Then we still have time to get them off today,» Nimitz said. «But I'd like an on-site weather report from the

Sunfish

before we send them.»

«Aye, aye, sir.»

«Tell Colonel Dawkins to prepare for a 2330 departure,» Nimitz ordered. «Subject to change. And get off a Special Channel personal to General Pickering. We were expecting contact before this, and he's probably concerned.»

«Aye, aye, sir,» Admiral Wagam said.

Chapter Twenty-Four

note 96

Kiangpeh, Chungking, China

1115 2 May 1943

«Good morning, General,» Lieutenant Colonel Richard C. Platt said, saluting as he came through the door of McCoy's house.

«Thank you for coming so quickly,» Pickering said. «To get right to the point, get word to Yümen immediately that the expedition is not to move into the desert until further orders.»

«Is that wise, sir?» Platt said.

«The proper reply in the Marine Corps to an order is 'Aye, aye, sir,' which means the order is understood and will be obeyed. What do they say in the Army, Colonel?»

«Sir, no disrespect was intended. But under the circumstances, sir, I felt obliged—«

«The circumstances? Meaning that Captain McCoy has not been heard from, and that we must reluctantly conclude that he has been lost in a futile hunt for Americans who we must also reluctantly conclude are lost?»

«Yes, sir.»

«In the Marine Corps, Colonel, if we feel an explanation of an order is necessary, we say, 'Aye, aye, sir. May I ask to be told the reason?' If you had done that, Colonel, I would have shown you this.» He handed Colonel Platt the most recent message to have come over the Special Channel.

T O P S E C R E T

CINCPAC HAWAII

VIA SPECIAL CHANNEL

DUPLICATION FORBIDDEN

0700 LOCAL TIME 1 MAY 1943

US MILITARY MISSION TO CHINA

EYES ONLY BRIQGEN FLEMING PICKERING, USMC

BEGIN PERSONAL FROM RADM WAGAM TO BRIG GEN PICKERING

DEAR FLEMING:

AT 0430 THIS MORNING CINCPAC WAS CONTACTED BY MCCOY. HE IS IN GOOD SHAPE AND WITH THE GYPSIES, WHO NUMBER FIFTY-SEVEN (57) INCLUDING THIRTY-THREE (33) WOMEN AND CHILDREN WHO ARE ALSO IN GOOD SHAPE.

REFERENCE OPPLAN GOBI DESERT MAP OVERLAY NUMBER THREE, HE GIVES HIS COORDINATES AS 1456 X 3401 REPEAT 1456 X 3401 BUT STATES THEY ARE UNRELIABLE. HOWEVER EVEN ALLOWING FOR A TWO HUNDRED (200) MILE ERROR THIS POSITION IS WITHIN CATALTNA RANGE.

ANOTHER CONTACT IS SCHEDULED IN SEVERAL HOURS, AND PERHAPS HE WILL BE ABLE TO FURNISH A MORE PRECISE LOCATION AT THAT TIME.

ADMIRAL NTMTTZ HAS ORDERED THE CATALINAS TO BE PREPARED TO DEPART AT 2330 1 MAY BY WHICH TIME WE SHOULD HAVE AN ON SITE WEATHER REPORT FROM

SUNFISH

, WHICH WILL ALSO BE ADVISED OF CATALINA ETA ON SITE.

I WILL OF COURSE KEEP YOU ADVISED OF ALL DEVELOPMENTS.

BEST PERSONAL REGARDS,

DAN

END PERSONAL FROM RADM WAGAM TO BRIGGEN PICKERING

T O P S E C R E T

«This is very good news, General,» Colonel Platt said.

'Yes, I thought so. That will be all, Colonel, you are dismissed.»

note 97

United States Submarine Sunfish

121° 03» East Longitude 39° 58» North Latitude

Yellow Sea

1025 2 May 1943

Since he'd come aboard the

Sunfish

, Chief Carpenter's Mate Peter T. McGuire, USNR, had to some extent increased his knowledge of the customs of the Naval Service. Thus as he stuck his head through the port leading to the conning tower, he politely inquired, «Permission to come up, sir?»

Lieutenant Commander Warren T. Houser, USN, and Lieutenant Chambers D. Lewis III, USN, looked down at him. Except for his face, Chief McGuire was bundled in cold-weather gear, including a parka with a wolf fur-trimmed hood. All of those on the conning tower were wearing cold-weather gear. «Permission granted,» Captain Houser said.

The third man on the conning tower, the chief of the boat, chief bo'sun's mate Patrick J. Buchanan, did not look at Chief McGuire. Chief Buchanan had come to loathe and detest Chief McGuire—who had the bunk immediately above his— virtually from McGuire's first moment aboard. He did not wish to look at him. If he never saw him again in his life, it would be too soon.

These feelings were perhaps not very charitable, and he knew it. He was well aware that some lesser human beings were simply not equipped by their Maker to sail aboard submersible vessels. In fact, he was usually quite sympathetic to their plight. But Buchanan's patience and understanding had been pushed beyond his limits.

Early on, Captain Houser explained to him that Chief McGuire suffered from claustrophobia, a malady that was unsuspected until the first time the