Things were not much better further south. Mendler’s armored brigade caught Task Force Shazli by surprise. The 128th Armored Brigade’s older T-34s were no match for the Israeli Centurions and the Egyptians were routed. A relieving force from the 6th Mechanized’s 125th Armored Brigade ran into an ambush by Israeli Super Shermans13 and was sent reeling. Egypt’s southern thrust was stymied.
By the morning of June 20, serious fighting was continuing in the Sinai and the Israelis had counter-attacked the Jordanians in Jerusalem and the West Bank. That was when 381’s missiles hit the America and changed the regional conflict into a global one.
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A moment of disbelief froze most of the US sailors who witnessed the missile explosions on the America. The big carrier began to turn away as its deck swarmed with damage control efforts. The Lawe responded first from 100 yards away from the Soviet ship. As the Goa missile launchers recycled with new missiles, the US destroyer opened fire with its forward 5-inch mount, the only one closed up and ready at Condition Three. The point blank shots shattered the 381’s bridge. Two other destroyers veered to engage the Soviet ship as it began to trade shots with the Lawe. The other two ships were hampered by the Lawe’s close proximity to their intended target, but by ten minutes after firing its missiles, a deluge of US 5-inch shells had left the 381 holed, drifting and on fire.
Two miles away, billowing black smoke marked the location of the America as fires continued to rage. Condition Three had placed a full squadron of armed A-4 Skyhawks on its deck. Explosions as these planes were engulfed spread the fire and cut down the personnel who tried to fight the blaze. Vice Admiral William Martin, Commander of the Sixth Fleet,14 from his vantage point on the bridge of the USS Little Rock, ordered the carrier and one destroyer to turn west and move toward his other carrier group, some 150 miles away.
Martin then turned his attention to the threat on the horizon. Twelve miles away, the Soviet cruiser Dzerzhinski and its eight escorts were closing in on the battle scene at nearly 30 knots. With America limping away at half that speed and most of its aircraft out of operation, Martin had just his cruiser and three effective destroyers—Lawe was heavily damaged—to face the Soviet squadron. Air cover was limited to six F-4s of America’s combat air patrol and whatever the USS Saratoga could provide. He ordered the Sara to get planes in the air and close on his position as soon as possible. He also authorized them to get rid of their Soviet tattle tail.15
Overall the odds against the remaining US ships were not particularly good. In 1967 US carrier battle groups depended on air power to provide most of their offense and defense. The escorts were expected to deal with submarines and aircraft. As ship-to-ship gun duels were thought to be a thing of the past, escort shipboard weaponry was being converted to missiles and anti-submarine torpedoes. The remaining naval guns were solely for shore bombardment.
Little Rock and the US destroyers were prime examples of that thinking. The best long-range anti-surface weapon was the twin Talos missile launcher on the Little Rock. The Talos missile carried a 100kg warhead and rode a beam to its target. It was expected to be an anti-aircraft weapon, but could be used against ships as well. Other than the Talos, the Little Rock had a single turret with three 6-inch guns with a range of 12,000 yards, plus a twin 5-inch turret. The remaining escorts altogether sported 15 5-inch guns with a much shorter range. All of their torpedoes were anti-submarine weapons.
The Soviet Navy was in the midst of a major transformation to missiles as well, so the squadron bearing down on Martin was not all that much better prepared for surface action. The Dzerzhinski sported three triple turrets of 152mm guns that outranged the Little Rock’s by a good mile. The two Kotlin Class destroyers had four 130mm naval guns and the three Riga Class frigates each had a single 100mm mount. The two Kasbin destroyers, and the Kynda Class cruiser Varyag only had short range 76.2mm anti-aircraft mounts but, as the Lawe had discovered, these could be used against ships.
The biggest advantage in a surface engagement lay with the Varyag’s primary weapon system. Designed solely as an anti-carrier ship, it carried two quadruple missile launchers fore and aft, holding massive SS-N-3 Shaddock anti-ship missiles. The radar-guided Shaddock had a range of over 250 kilometers and held a 1,000kg high explosive warhead—ten times the size of a Talos.
The escort ships trailed after the America, limited by its speed and the need to stay between the Soviets and their charge. To the west the Saratoga began launching its ready squadron of 14 Skyhawks, armed with bombs, plus two F-4 fighters for cover. The Soviet intelligence trawler Alidada, tailing the Saratoga, had monitored the verbal warfare going on to the south and its sudden escalation. The Alidada was reporting the aircraft launches, when the USS Galveston fired on it from 8,000 yards away. The two Talos missiles, fired from the rear launchers of the cruiser, impacted eight seconds later, leaving the trawler sinking.
The US came on the receiving end minutes later when the Varyag fired its missiles at the America and its escorts. One of the big ten-meter long missiles failed as it launched, splashing down near the Soviet flagship, but the other three quickly crossed the 16,000 yards between the two squadrons. Circling F-4 fighters screamed the warning as did an E-1B Tracer Early Warning aircraft, but it took only 15 seconds for the missiles to reach their target area.
Radar-guided in their terminal phase, the missiles locked on to the escorts. The US ships got off only a few anti-aircraft rounds at the incoming missiles—an incredibly lucky hit exploded one missile. But another slammed into and through the aft Talos missile launcher and exploded deep in the Little Rock’s engineering spaces, its 1,000kg warhead nearly cutting the ship in half. Some 1,500 yards away, the other Shaddock impacted the Lawe, virtually destroying the ship.
The Varyag was maneuvering to bring its aft launchers to bear, when an F-4 dove on it through a curtain of anti-aircraft fire. Without guns aboard, the fighter could only fire two Sidewinder air-to-air missiles point blank into the rear of the Soviet vessel. The launcher exploded, detonating the missile’s fuel and warheads and turning the rear of the cruiser into an inferno.16 The Phantom was hit moments later, but the two crewmen were able to eject.
Despite the sudden loss of the Varyag, the Soviet commander, Rear-Admiral N.I. Khovrin, continued his rush forward. With the America still visible on the horizon and only three small destroyers in his way, the advantage in the battle seemed to be his.
But the Soviets suddenly paid a heavy price for their high-speed pursuit. Their anti-submarine frigates, whose sonar performance was severely degraded by the squadron’s speed, picked up incoming torpedoes. The warning came too late. Two of the weapons hit the Dzerzhinski and another ripped off the bow of the Kashin destroyer 383. The cruiser drifted to a halt as its engine rooms flooded. The torpedoes had been launched from the America’s unseen escort, a nuclear attack submarine.17
As the Soviet squadron dealt with the sudden loss of their flagship, A-4 Skyhawks from the Saratoga’s VA-44 Hornets squadron arrived overhead. The Soviets sent up a swarm of Goa missiles, destroying one Skyhawk and sending another limping north trailing smoke. But the others bore in, hitting the floundering Dzerzhinski with three 250kg bombs and Kashin 296 with two others, leaving the destroyer on fire. With attacks mounting and submarines in the area, Khovrin called off his pursuit, ordering his ships to aid in rescue and salvage from their damaged consorts.18 His opponent, Martin, called off further American attacks as well and had his remaining ships stand by to help his derelicts.
The 45 minutes of battle had left the sea littered with burning and sinking ships. The US ultimately lost the Little Rock and Lawe, plus extensive damage to the America. The carrier finally got its fires under control but at a cost of nearly 135 lives and the loss of 40 aircraft.19 The Soviets lost their only two guided missile cruisers, the Dzerzbinski and the Varyag, and two destroyers, the 381 and 383, plus damage to a third.
The Jordanians Are Left Holding the Bag
In the S
inai, oblivious to the events off shore, the Israelis continued their attack, with Tal’s division breaking into the Egyptian 7th Division’s lines toward Khan Yunis. Egyptian resistance was faltering as rumors of a disaster in the south circulated. In mid-morning, on learning that the Abu Agheila defensive position had been overrun, leaving Israeli armor a clear path to cut off the 7th Division, Field Marshal Amer sent messages to all his commanders, ordering them to fall back immediately across the Suez Canal. He then left his headquarters to break the news to his president and try to find a way to explain the disaster. Egyptian resistance fell apart quickly after the orders, leading to a destructive rout to the Canal.
Elsewhere the Jordanians struggled to hold Jerusalem and the West Bank against the converging Israelis. Most of their infantry brigades were poorly positioned and ill equipped to react to the fast moving Israeli columns. The bulk of the fighting fell to the tanks of the 40th and 60th Armored Brigades, but these units had to fall back as Israeli air superiority made itself felt.
Two other factors made the situation worse for the Jordanians. First was the total inactivity of the supporting Iraqi division. The four brigades had been invited in to Jordan under the Egypt–Jordan defense pact, expressly to help the Jordanians defend their territory. Now, they refused to move from their bivouacs despite continuous requests for help by Hussein. Second, to the north, the Syrians also did little, apart from some desultory artillery fire and minor probes. Fighting alone, Hussein had little choice—he ordered his troops to pull back to the East Bank of the Jordan River.
The events of June 20 led to intense posturing by diplomats and serious internal discussions within each government. For the first time the Washington-Moscow hot line was used, but there was little resolution as President Johnson and Premier Kosygin simply reiterated their own side’s sketchy story and blamed the other. Stunned by the Arab military collapse and the sudden conflict with the USA, the Soviet leaders found themselves in a quandary. They could not afford to ignore the provocative attacks on their ships in the Mediterranean, but retaliation would almost certainly lead to escalation to a global war, something the Soviets were not prepared for. Some form of middle ground had to be found. The Egyptians gave them the opening.
Nasser and Amer had been at a loss on how to deal with the disaster unfolding in the Sinai. However, on learning of the US–Soviet clash at sea, Nasser chose to go public with the “explanation” that US aircraft had aided Israel in destroying the Egyptian Air Force and that their Soviet allies had come to their aid. Given the unilateral US actions at the Strait of Tiran, the lie was believable to most Arab governments. Algeria, Syria, Iraq, Sudan and Yemen all joined Egypt in breaking diplomatic relations with the United States. In addition, Nasser asked for more Soviet aircraft to replace his losses.
The Soviets decided to grant his request—with a side task for the aircraft in question.
The United States was as stunned by the turn of events as the Soviets, but pictures of the burning America and the sinking of the Little Rock brought Congressional demands for President Johnson to reinforce the area. Orders went out to the Franklin D. Roosevelt (CVA.42) and the Wasp (CVS. 18) to sail immediately into the Mediterranean from the Atlantic. The British offered two carriers, Victorious and Hermes, as well. In the Mediterranean, the Saratoga battle group had merged with the America’s and Admiral Martin transferred his flag to the Galveston from the Massey, the destroyer that had rescued him from the water. The combined group set course east for Malta.
Claws of the Bear
The Soviet plan was a calculated risk. Normal Soviet doctrine for strikes against a carrier group called for a coordinated effort by air, sea, and submarine forces all hitting at the same time. However, the Kremlin leaders felt strongly that such an attack would trigger the feared all-out global exchange. So their plan was fairly simple. A regiment of 36 Tu-16 bombers, each with two AS-1 Kennel anti-ship missiles, would take off for Egypt from bases in Yugoslavia. MiG-23s would accompany the bombers, carrying Atoll air-to-air missiles and drop tanks. Flying in squadron groups of 12, some 100 miles apart, they would ostensibly be heading for Alexandria as replacements for the Egyptians. They expected the US would intercept the bombers, but they gambled that the US would not engage if the bombers stayed out of range of their combined carrier force. A single squadron would turn and run toward the US ships and launch missiles at the escorts at maximum range. By using only a third of the bombers in the attack, they expected the US would get the point without a risk of global war.
At 0230, June 21, 1967, the bombers began to take off. Bombers and escorts formed up over Albania and headed south. About 45 minutes later NATO radar picked up the flights and passed the word to the US Sixth Fleet.
The activity worried Admiral Martin. The America was out of action, its planes unavailable except for five F-4s from the VF-102 Diamondbacks which had been in the air prior to the attack. The Saratoga could put up 22 F-4s from its two fighter squadrons; armed with Sparrow and Sidewinder missiles, they should be able to handle the Russians. He had more concerns about the possibility of some bombers and their missiles getting through. Much of the vaunted US electronic hardware touted by current naval literature was a bluff. Half their three-dimensional height-finding radars were inoperative, and their electronic jamming system, the ULQ-6, would be effective only if a small number of missiles attacked the battlegroup.
The Saratoga launched its F-4s, dividing the two squadrons into three groups to cover each of the three Russian formations. Flying to within two miles of the Russians, the F-4s sent the Russian commander an explicit ultimatum that no Russian plane should come within 200 miles of the US carriers or it would be shot down. The Soviets did not respond, but their flight course kept them outside the restricted zone.
Two hours later, however, at 0515, the Russians made their move. Twelve MiGs, escorting the third bomber squadron, turned toward the F-4s and launched Atolls. Two F-4s went down to the sudden barrage and the remaining fighters found themselves locked in a dogfight. Twelve Tu-16s dove and accelerated toward the US ships.
Martin waited momentarily to see what the other Russian groups would do; when they continued on their way, he ordered half the Phantoms escorting the nearest group to intercept and sent his combat air patrol to do the same. Eight Phantoms went to full power to converge on the Russian bombers as far from the ships as possible.
The US fighters caught up with the bombers 20 miles outside their Kennel launching distance. Nine bombers were shot down, but three made it through to launch. Six Kennel missiles roared off to continue the attack. All three bombers fell to the Phantoms moments later.
Martin had his battle group reverse course, unmasking the three missile launchers he had. The Galveston began firing Talos missiles as soon as the turn was complete, taking advantage of the longer range of these missiles. The system, however, malfunctioned after six missiles were launched. His two guided missile destroyers, the USS Sellars and Sampson, began firing their Tartar missiles when the range closed to around 17 miles, but Sampson’s missile control radar failed to guide. The remaining ships opened fire with 5-inch guns at five miles range.
Two Kennels fell to the missiles and guns. One barely missed the Sampson, detonating 50 yards off its port side. Its sister ship, the Sellars, was not as lucky. The missile slammed home, detonating the missile magazine and blowing the Sellars’ stern off. The third missile hit the Galveston amidships, tearing into the superstructure and exploding below the bridge. The warhead’s explosion killed most of the Sixth Fleet staff, including Admiral Martin, and caused a massive fire. The final missile failed to lock on the wounded cruiser and targeted the America instead. However, the Kennel ran out of fuel and splashed into the ocean just: short of the carrier.
The fact that only a third of the bombers participated in the attack was not lost on Admiral Geis, who assumed command after Martin’s death. Both he and his superiors in Washington recognized the demonstration for what it was. The demonstrat
ion had cost the US six F-4 fighters, the USS Sellars and heavy casualties on the Galveston. The Soviets had spent nine MiG-23s and 12 Tu-16s to make their point. In no mood to compromise and with Congress supporting action, the US chose to respond.
Counter-Punch off Kithira
The Soviet Navy had negotiated an anchorage for their Mediterranean squadron at the southern end of the Greek island of Kithira with the previous left-wing Greek government. The island lay 50 miles northeast of Crete and 20 miles off the Greek mainland. Shortly after 0800, June 21, 1967, radar on a patrolling Soviet destroyer picked up low flying aircraft approaching the anchorage. There were 11 ships at anchor that morning, the largest being the Kirov, an all-guns cruiser. More importantly, all the service and support vessels for the squadron were there. In the three minutes between the first warning and the onslaught, these ships had little time to do anything other than man their guns.
Twenty A-4 Skyhawks of the Saratoga’s VA-216 Black Diamond squadron swept in. A barrage of Shrike anti-radar missiles that preceded the A-4s nullified what missile defenses the Soviets had left, limiting the defense to 37mm and 45mm guns. One A-4 was shot down and four others damaged, but the attack devastated the anchorage. When the planes departed, Kirov was burning from eight 250kg bomb hits. The Soviets’ only tanker was on fire and settling. One cargo ship had already capsized; another burned, throwing rockets of flaming debris from exploding ammunition all over the water. The stored torpedoes in the submarine tender Victor Kotelnikov blew up, ripped the big ship apart and sank the Foxtrot submarine moored next to it.
Cold War Hot: Alternate Decisions of the Cold War Page 14
