Figure 22 - HUP1 H25 Mule
“The Next Level”
0630
Drydock Slips 43 & 44
Newport News Naval Shipyard
Newport News, Virginia
The three experienced men stood amid the loud din of ship construction, and marveled at the two hulking hulls being refitted, at break-neck speed, from their original purpose: Iowa-class battleships. They looked in wondrous awe at the transformation as both ships had been razed to the deck-line, the former BB-65 Illinois and former BB-66 Kentucky were being converted into something resembling aircraft carriers, but different.
There was a test flight of the Army's new helicopters, H-19 and H-25, borrowed by the Navy, on behalf of the Marine Corps. The results were phenomenal. The most amazing part was that the tests were conducted off of three Essex-class aircraft carriers, off the coast of Newport News, Virginia. The irony could not have been lost on the Powers That Be. Three squadrons of 15 helicopters (10 H-19's and 5 H-25's) each were flown from ship to ship, then from ship to shore, in a coordinated operation. All of the helicopters were piloted by freshly-trained Naval Aviators, who passed the Army's rotary-wing training program at Camp Rucker, Alabama, and in the last exercise, carried full complements of Marines with full combat loads, to disgorge them onto a target zone. To the admirals and Marine generals in attendance, this test was a resoundingly amazing success.
As a result, the two hulls that were destined to be built as modern floating long-range artillery batteries, were now slated to be built as combat assault ships. In other words, these ships were to be helicopter-carrying super-troopships, purpose-built to take the U.S. Marines' fight directly to the heart of the enemy. They would be known as the Peleliu-class Combat Landing Ship (Helicopter). The first two ships of this class would be LPD-1 Peleliu and LPD-2 Iwo Jima. All the while, their crews will be training aboard the three original aircraft carriers the tests were conducted on: CV-13 Franklin, CV-17 Bunker Hill and CV-20 Bennington. [cliv]
LPD-1 USS Peleliu Receives First Flight of H-25 Helicopters
Desmans Too
Yeorgi had somehow made it back to the Caucasus Mountains near his grandparent’s home. He had spent many a summer here when he was younger. He was now 21 years old but felt more like 61. The toll of battle had weighed heavily on his body, mind and especially spirit.
He had personally killed over 47 men. He had seen his bullets rip through their bodies through a Mosin Nagant model 91/31 PU sniper scope. You get a pretty good view of the results of your shots through 3.5 magnification. These images will forever be etched in his mind.
He had purposefully only missed a target once. He still did not know why he did not kill the young Spaniard who was clearly in his sights. Perhaps it was because his commanding officer was not present and looking through the spotting scope or maybe he was just tired of the killing that particular day.
Or it may have been the call of the Desman [clv] he had heard just minutes before the opportunity arose to take the shot. For whatever reason, he had missed and missed on purpose.
The Spaniard would have been his 38th kill but that dubious honor was given to another. The fighting in the Pyrenees had slowed down considerably after his miss. Personally, he was glad for the change.
A few months later he was ordered to get on a truck and to make his way towards Vienna. He was one of only a handful of his squad ordered to the east. He was almost killed twice by marauding Amerikosi planes in his three-week trek to Austria. Once there he was placed across the river from the Amerikosi and did not have many chances to increase his score. Which was just fine with him.
It was a curious assignment to just sit there and watch the Yankees. No major attempt was made to attack them and he considered the Red Army units facing the Americans to be of inferior quality to the ones he served with in Spain. It almost seemed like they were here just to keep the enemy from advancing further and there was no thought of actually launching an offensive to dislodge them from Vienna. Who was he to second guess the Stavka? Better to not think of such things.
He was on the river for only a couple of weeks when he and his new unit were ordered to board trucks once again and told they were headed for the Black Sea area. The rumor was that a large Soviet force had been trapped in the Levant by the Amerikosi and they were now on their way to the oil fields of Baku.
His heart almost leaped out of his chest when he heard this news. Could it actually be that he was going home? That he would be assigned to be near his grandparent’s village?
On the one hand, it would be wonderful to hear the Desman’s shrill cry once more but on the other his grandparents would be in danger. He thought about asking his commander for a leave of absence if he was assigned close to Stavropol. His grandparent’s village was close by. After all he was a decorated hero.
The area they were going to was pretty quiet so why not give the troops some leave? He began a rumor that they were all going to be sent home for a rest before the Amerikosi arrived. It wasn’t true but he wanted to see if he could generate the idea. Maybe they would be allowed to visit Novorossiysk. It was a beautiful city with a white sand beach and one of the best harbors on the Black Sea.
His grandparents had visited there once the Great Patriotic War was over and they mentioned in a letter that the port facilities were devastated. The facilities were attacked by both Soviet and German forces at various times during the last war.
He had heard of the legend of Malaya Zemlya or Small Land. A disastrous and rare Soviet amphibious assault on 3 February 1943 that was almost completely destroyed. A small party of naval infantry succeeded and establishing a bridgehead and held off all Nazi attacks for 225 days. [clvi]
The Soviet strong point near the harbor denied the German’s use of the port during those 225 days. Novorossiysk was liberated on 16 September 1943. The story was a source of great pride for any true Soviet who heard it. It was an amazing feat for any group of men.
Oh how he would love to wet his feet in the warm waters and feel the white sand between his toes. Even if the port facilities were destroyed he doubted that all that beach could have been ruined. There must still be some clean sand remaining and the waters had probably washed away the stains of war.
103 WPM
5 July 1947
William White had become an even faster typist. He could now type 103 words a minute with 98% accuracy. Whatever security concerns the CIA previously had about him suddenly disappeared. Currently he was typing the most Top Secret documents the government had.
Today’s was a whopper. The report was over fifty pages long and he was to type it by himself. In his mind, it was quite an honor. In reality, it was probably a matter of practicality for his boss.
The communique was a very comprehensive wrap up of where matters stood in the war to date. As usual his mind wandered and he was able to cut through the standard bureaucratic mumbo jumbo and get to the true meaning. As he typed what was on the handwritten original he mentally paraphrased, for his own amusement, what he was reading without missing a beat.
Over 250,000 Reds were trapped when we invaded Beirut. Even an amateur like him could see it was a brilliant move by the Joint Chiefs to invade behind the commies who were attacking the British positions on the Suez.
The operation was very similar to the landings at Anzio, Italy during World War Two…executed to a tee by US 7th Army Commander General Griswold and his lead combat commander of the V Corps General Gerow…. Gerow would lead his Corps from as close to the front as he was allowed.
New subject: The bombers were still taking it on the chin despite the Soviet’s loss of oil production…LeMay might have to be relieved for psychological reasons…just doesn’t seem to understand that 14% losses are unacceptable and unwarranted. He just keeps sending his men into the fire.
Atomic bomb program officially on hold but CIA backed super-secret effort still underway.
Red losses estimated to be on par with ours in the air but the
ir supply lines shorter…Ruskie oil production still increasing and will be up to full capacity in four months.
Shit, that’s disappointing…. There appears to be a slight decrease in Soviet pilot training but ours is declining as well. Air war a drain on both sides.
New subject: Navy is doing very well…Commie mini-subs being beaten back and shipping increasing to Trieste and Beirut invasion sites…camouflage (damn mistake…hate that word).
William stops for a brief moment and snatches his round pink typewriter eraser and eraser shield to make a quick correction. Using the brush on the eraser he sweeps away the crumbs. Luckily the CIA’s use of heavyweight, high-rag-content bond paper hides errors.
Figure 23 - Typewriter Eraser
Stupid shit, he thought, where was I?…Oh yeah.
The Skinner paint jobs are continuing to be effective. So far the Soviets have not trained their bird pilots to improve accuracy. Upwards of 50 missiles a day are launched at convoys plying the Mediterranean and the English Channel. On average, three missiles a day strike ships for a 6% hit rate. Still devastating, but manageable.
As I recall over 20 ships a day were being sunk by the German submarines during their “Happy Time” in World War Two. There are indications that the missiles are becoming more accurate with ten hits already this month, and it’s only the fifth.
The defensive line from Trieste to Vienna had tied up 25 NATO divisions against approximately 60 of the Soviets. Weeks ago, the Reds had stopped attacking Vienna and were digging in. It was estimated that the commies had used up a month’s worth of fuel getting their units in place, including a good portion of their air force. Many of the Ruskie casualties were reportedly caused by US Naval and Air Force attacks. The NATO forces were able to take advantage as the enemy transferred up to 40 divisions from the Pyrenees and Western Europe to the Vienna and Trieste areas.
The US Navy was keeping the Reds from effectively attacking Trieste and any part of the Trieste/Vienna Line 200 miles north of the bridgehead. VIII Corps Commander General Middleton was receiving high praise for his use of defensive positions and tactical movement of combat units. First Army Commander General Walker was his usual irascible self but was incredibly skilled at getting Middleton what he needed.
Admiral Nimitz and Walker had developed a good working relationship (that’s a surprise). Walker was chomping at the bit to expand his area of control. Also Walker, was expressing irritation at all the resources General Griswold was receiving in his drive from Beirut to the Caucasus. Eisenhower assured Bulldog in a personal letter that his day was coming as soon as the Baltic Sea operations commenced.
The helicopter maneuvers are proceeding. Humm…it appears that there are a number of screw-ups but enough men are being transported to accomplish the mission.
I wonder what the hell that means? What in tarnation is a helicopter?
“The aircraft can hold up to 7 soldiers and drop them in a clearing with great accuracy up to 100 miles from a Combat Landing Ship (Helicopter).”
There’s that helicopter word again. Must be some kind of parachute transport that can land on ships. Sure beats me what it is. The terms used are Vertical Envelopment and Heliborne Operations.[clvii]
Let’s see…“Vertical Envelopment will occur in critical points along the attack route and Heliborne Operations will precede the naval taskforces eliminating Soviet defensive placements along the proposed path.” Hummm…“see Attachment 14”. Didn’t give me that one. Sounds like a complex plan.
“The 8th and 15th Air Force will conduct Carpet Bombing in selected areas along the proposed route.” Wow, haven’t typed the term “Carpet Bombing” in a long time. I thought those tactics were over due to those Soviet SAM missiles. “Concentrated bomber formations can be used over lightly defended areas such as the scheduled Operations Triple Cross and Backyard. Ground, air and naval intelligence operatives and overflights have confirmed the lack of air defenses in both areas of operation. Large caliber guns and naval barriers have been marked and located. The invasion routes will be nominally free of major obstructions and mine fields due to the efforts of the Freedom Partisans in critical zones of ingress.
The fortifications and minefields that remain will be attacked by air units and Vertical Envelopment.” The Turkish are to be commended for their willingness to sabotage their own strongpoints leading along the route chosen for Operation Triple Cross…Swedish and Dane partisans are finishing up the identification of all newly placed obstructions etc.
Hours later William is reaching the end of the report.
Finally, the wrap up… The scheduled Operations should induce the Soviets into consuming about 4 months’ worth of fuel. This projected amount of oil would be necessary to move the minimum required units into blocking positions opposing a NATO advance. Such a counter move should drain the remaining fuel and, as a result ground the VVS and halt all Soviet air to ground attacks.
NATO forces should be able to drive back the Soviet defenders who would be lacking ground attack support for the first time in this conflict. In contrast, the US Air Force would be able to gain overall air superiority, negating one of the Red Army’s most effective capabilities.
If Ruskies screw-up and don’t use the fuel to transport troops into defensive positions, millions of Red soldiers will be trapped throughout Europe.
William thought, Holy shit, that’s really something. The Reds are sure in a dire predicament. Damned if they do and damned if they don’t.
Rotor Wash
“Jeeeesus those things are loud.”
“What!”
“Very funny!”
“What!”
The din of one HUP-1 25 helicopters landing close by is deafening. The racket of a dozen is almost overwhelming. Over 72 individual rotors tearing through the air with no regard for noise abeyance is harmful to the ears at 120 decibels.
General J. Lawton Collins and General Lucian Truscott are witnessing one of the final run throughs off the coast of Greenland. The terrain chosen was similar to what they would encounter later.
General Collins speaks first.
“They’re going to hear those things miles away Lucian. At least parachutes are quiet. Those things are slow as well. What’s the max speed anyway?”
“Matt we’ve been over this before. The sound of the helicopters is so unusual that the Reds will never know what hit then. We’ve done all the tests using both British and Canadian troops in dummy runs on facilities in the UK and no one reacted until it was too late.
It will be just fine and a stellar operation and you know it.”
“Well your wrong…I don’t know it. Give me my boys hanging from some fine proven silk any day over those noisy eggbeaters. Shit we had 2 crash just last week.”
“That was last week Lawton and you know we found the problem. Come-on, this is not like you. You have been embracing change your whole career! Are you going to crap out on us now?”
“You know I got your back Lucian. Just pre-game jitters is all.”
“I suggest that we keep toeing the company line and not let anyone else know of your concerns. It’s a little too late to change the game plan, don’t you agree?”
“Of course, I do and I appreciate your candor.
And another thing Lucian, we’ve never really worked together before and I want to thank you for the opportunity.”
“You know as well as I do Lawton that commanding a corps is three times harder than running an army. It’s where the rubber hits the road.
“I jumped at the chance to work with the 82nd and 101st Divisions in such an important operation.”
“They’ve made the transition well thanks to your leadership Lawton. Think of it this way using the helicopter we can land or move troops with unheard of accuracy. No more drifting with the wind and having to spend days forming up while fighting through the enemy. In this operation you will only have to take the objective and hold on for a matter of hours instead of days or weeks like you did in No
rmandy and Arnhem.
Your own helicopters will resupply you if need be. All indications are that the surprise will be complete and we’ll be landing your support and relief before you have to dig a slit trench.”
“We will give it our all Lucian, you know that. The 82nd and 101st don’t back down from a fight. We showed that at Bastogne. Even with all the new recruits we are still the best we got.”
“I agree Lawton and we are going to need you to prove it once again. What changes have you made since I was last here?”
“We increased the loadout from 6 GIs to 7 by boosting the engine power. It also helped that the pilots have gotten more training time and can deal with the extra weight better now. Before it was a little too much to ask.”
“So, same amount of ammo and supplies for each man?”
“Yes.”
“That is great news Lawton, just outstanding. How are Gavin and Taylor adjusting?”
“Just fine Lucian. Both are real innovators and have each added their own spin to the SOP developed before we had any real experience on how this was going to work. Once the units are united on the drop zone they function pretty much as they have since the inception of the airborne concept.”
“Outstanding!”
Brainstorming
The room was beyond spartan. Irritatingly bright lights filled all the space with the point of being blinding. There were no windows and the air ducts were barely working. For such a new and costly building the Pentagon was surprisingly devoid of modern conveniences.
Figure 24 - Skinner's Office Pentagon
Skinner was settled in his new office inside the huge five-sided building. He was working 16-hour days ever since he was informed that the Stalin’s Fire Missile strike percentage on ships had increased. The spike started on the first of July. The increase in hits was approaching an alarming number rapidly.
World War Three 1946 Series Boxed Set: Stalin Strikes First Page 120
