Chapter 10: Dragon's Jaw
The wind blew precariously, flowing through Roberta's red hair and chilling her to the bone. She stood up a little straighter, and cautiously walked towards Holly. The once frightened eyebrows relaxed, as tears trickled from her emerald green eyes. "Holly… Baby, I can't believe it's you…"
"Hi mom, it's nice to finally meet you." Holly trembled, brushing away tears.
Roberta attempted to move in for a hug, then stopped herself. "I can't imagine what you've been through. I don't deserve to hug you, after everything I subjected you to…"
Holly smiled. "I'm not mad at you. All this time, I just wanted to know my mother, and tell her that I love her. Maybe you were scared and couldn't be there for me, but it ultimately shaped who I am now. Because of you, I learned how to fend for myself. Because of you, I became bolder and joined the Air Force. Because of you, I am part of something bigger than I could ever imagine. And because of you, I have found my family…"
Roberta took a step back. "Does that mean, you don't need me now?"
"Well… I've already grown up. I'm practically an adult and surely there's no need to burden your household." Holly admitted.
"I'm sorry, that was selfish of me to say." Roberta hung her head. "Not a day has gone by that I don't regret giving you up. Your father and I met at Barksdale shortly after the Pacific War and fell in love. We lived together for a few years and even got engaged. He was an Air Force transport captain, but he passed away when his plane was caught in an electrical storm southwest of Baton Rouge and crashed… I was scared, I wasn't ready to take care of a child on my own. When I put you up for adoption, they were legally bound and couldn't tell me where you were or what had happened to you. All this time… I had hoped that we would meet again, and I could raise you properly as my daughter. Except… you're already an adult now, you have your own life, and there's nothing I can give that would benefit you."
"It's not like we have to be separate though. I can still visit you and we can catch up over dinner or something. It might be weird, but… we're not the most normal daughter and mother you know." Holly giggled.
Roberta's eyes lit up. "Don't tell me you also have the gift…?"
"Hm?" Holly's eyes widened.
"Oh… nothing." Roberta laughed nervously. "I would like to spend time with you though. We've got a lot of catching up to do…"
Suddenly, Roberta noticed Denise poking her curious head through the doorway.
"Hi Denise, we were just-" Roberta began.
"...I KNEW IT!" Denise exclaimed. "I always knew there was something weird about you two. The face, the hairstyle, the dress - at least in the instructor's old photos - and, and the call sign."
Holly and Roberta looked at each other curiously.
"She's a damn sight smarter than we are." Holly grinned foolishly.
"Like mother, like daughter huh?" Roberta smiled back.
The two hugged each other, as Denise cheered for them. "Oh by the way." Denise interjected. "The Captain has scheduled an informal briefing this evening for tomorrow's big mission."
"What mission?" Roberta and Holly echoed in unison.
"Something about a dragon… and a bridge. I stopped paying attention when the cookies came out." Denise smiled nervously.
Later, in the war room…
Kurosawa leaned over the end of a map table, as one of the assistants brought her a hot cup of coffee. There were multiple flags around a pin which stuck proudly out of the Nam Ma river.
"Nineteen degrees, fifty minutes, seventeen seconds north by one oh five degrees, forty-seven minutes, thirty-nine seconds east." Kurosawa said flatly.
"Thanh Hoa bridge." Theresa straightened up. "The Dragon's Jaw."
"You're familiar with it?" Aiko raised an eyebrow, sipping her coffee.
"I had a friend in 'Sandy' flight, A-1H pilot Waltrud Draeger. She was listed as MIA during one of her support missions." Theresa admitted.
"Then for those of you who don't know, this bridge is a linchpin for the northbound ground forces." Aiko frowned. "It's the fastest route up to Hanoi, and there's a radar site there which needs to be destroyed to allow safe passage through Teki airspace. However, the bridge is heavily defended by five Teki heavy AAA squadrons, and at least two armored brigades. They're well dug in, and we can't get an accurate fix on the AAA units. We've already lost two RF-101 'Voodoo' recon planes just finding out this much. That said, we're going to try and work smarter, not harder. SAC is detaching an EC-121 Warning Star witch from her orbit patrol duties, so she can provide real-time battle assessment and attack directions as necessary. You'll be meeting Lt. Olivia Sears en route to Thanh Hoa tomorrow, and she'll provide an in-flight briefing with your designated targets. Any questions?"
"What's our force strength?" Hailey asked.
"There will be three waves of attack craft besides you. Twelve F-4 Phantoms from 8th TFW from the Thailand base, eight of which carry our new AGM-62 'Walleye' laser guided bombs. Another four A-7 Corsairs from USS America will be carrying a mix of Walleye's and Mk.84 unguided munitions. If the enemy is still standing, a third wave of ten F-105D's from Phu Cat Air Base will approach from the south equipped with sixteen 750lb bombs per plane and they'll attempt a high-speed pass to clean things up."
"Estimated losses?" Hailey pressed worriedly.
"To date, 104 American pilots have been shot down within a 75 square mile area of this bridge." Aiko stated, as she grimly locked eyes with Hailey. "I can't give you an estimate, but if the AAA are knocked out and the Walleye's work properly, we can open up a path for the ground forces and cut losses dramatically." She stood up straighter. "I never thought I'd say this, but everything is riding on you girls for this mission. Our fighters aren't agile enough to neutralize the threat, but you girls can. If you do get in trouble, there's another squadron of F-4C Phantoms on standby at USS America to support you. You probably won't need them – I know we got off to a bad start, but I've come to believe in you all, and I think you're up to the task."
The girls beamed proudly, even Roberta who was watching from the sidelines.
"Thank you, Captain Kurosawa. You're not so bad yourself." Hailey replied. "Captain Chambers would be proud of you."
Aiko frowned, tipping her head down and away as she remembered him. "Yes, well. I appreciate that. You girls get some sleep, it's a big day tomorrow."
The next morning, the 7th JSF prepared to launch from Midway's deck in full force. Denise eagerly ran to the elevator with her gear, ready to combat prove the new AC-119 units. Instructor Roberta had left that morning on the C-2 Greyhound, returning the combat reports to SAC's HQ in Nebraska. Even so, Holly felt as if that rediscovered part of her life was gone once more, as she tried to regain a mission mindset.
"Ok everyone." She hollered over the commotion as the elevator arrived at the flight deck. "This'll be our first time working with a dedicated AWACS. Lt. Sears is our eye in the sky and will assign you each to a target. I know you're used to working together, but SAC wants to prove whether this is a valid tactic. If for any reason you lose the comm link to Sears, you will have to engage at your own discretion. Be on the lookout for the EC-121D Warning Star witch, we should arrive in her airspace halfway to the target."
The girls saluted in unison and verbally affirmed her orders, as they each proceeded to launch positions and were catapulted into the skies. Kurosawa watched them until they were out of visible range, before descending to the medical bay to check on Chambers.
Meanwhile, about 7 kilometers above Vinh City, a somewhat chubby young girl with curly autumn brown hair rumbled northbound through the sky with her Wright R-3350-34 Turbo Compound radial engines. Her AWACS unit was rather odd, having three vertical tailfins, a thin and elongated fuselage, and wingtip external fuel tanks with lightning arresters on the ends. The most peculiar thing about her unit was the dorsal AN/APS-103 height finder radar dome placed vertically on top and the ventral AN/APS-95 air search radar dome placed horizontally under her. These radomes allowed her to detect aerial contacts beneath or above her, and accurately locate their approximate location, speed, and heading. The radar incited a blip in her headphones, as the jade green-eyed girl straightened her light brown flight jacket which fit snugly over her sky-blue uniform and navy-blue leggings. She also sported small dark fluffy ears, and a short dark feathered tail, reminiscent of a Coastal Great Horned Owl.
"Attention, new radar contacts party of ten, this is AWACS callsign 'Triple Nickel,' you have entered my airspace. State your unit and callsign." Her sweet voice glided along the airwaves.
"This is the 7th JSF off USS Midway, Major Holly Jones callsign 'Memphis Belle II' reporting." Holly answered.
"Good to hear friendly voices. I don't socialize much when out on patrol, but I look forward to working with you." Olivia replied. "I'm Lt. Olivia Sears, but you can call me 'Livy.' Considering RF-101C 'Voodoo' losses in this area, command obliged us with U-2 Dragonlady recon witch intel this morning, courtesy of Captain Francine Powers. I have the combat report with me, and my radar display has been updated accordingly. For the record, this operation will be classified as 'Operation Jupiter.' So far, we have ascertained the five heavy AAA squadrons hiding in the jungle. Envision a 75 square mile box around the Thanh Hoa bridge, and at each of the four corners there is one AAA squadron, with the fifth one directly guarding the bridge, the armored units, and the radar site. Each AAA squadron also has their own short-range radar to assist the gun laying of their heavy AAA artillery. To ensure the maximum benefit of your attacks, we will need to have two witches attacking each squadron at the same time. The central radar station has trouble tracking targets at low altitude, but the short-range radars will spot you regardless. The plan of attack calls for each of the four outer AAA installations to be destroyed simultaneously, and for the fifth one to be destroyed within 60 seconds of those strikes. If the fifth station is not destroyed within that window, they will have enough time to call for fighter support which will endanger the strike mission. It is therefore imperative that you carry this mission out with precision and proper timing. Understood?"
"Squadron acknowledges Triple Nickel. Shall we begin?" Holly inquired.
"Confirm, begin Operation Jupiter." Olivia affirmed.
"Airman Hailey Confer, callsign 'Boiling Point' here. Quick question if I may, Triple Nickel." Hailey interrupted.
"Roger, go ahead." Olivia replied, quite intrigued.
"I'm sure you know what we're all equipped with, but what do you have if the situation should arise?" Hailey asked curiously, as Holly cast a displeased look at her.
"Well… IF for any reason I should need to defend myself, I do have my special T20E2HB Garand with a 20 round BAR style box magazine plus a modified heavy barrel, and an M9 Beretta for self-defense." Olivia admitted. "As for special abilities, I can utilize a skill called 'Antemortem,' which is Latin for 'Before Death.' It entails the reduction of aerodynamic disturbances along my unit, body and propulsion, which results in silent movement – typically useful for sneaking up on an enemy. I also have a 22mm M7 grenade launcher attachment for my Garand which can fire anti-armor, smoke, and even chaff grenades. One last thing to note, I can transmit approach vectors to your HUD or radar display if you need assistance on an attack run."
"Now that your question is answered Confer, let's focus on the mission then." Holly closed the conversation. "Danielle and Jane will take the northwest battery, Denise and Shannon will take the northeast battery, Glenda and Theresa will take the southwest battery, Meryl and Candice will take the southeast battery. Addison and I will take the central battery and the radar station. If there are no complaints…" Holly lingered, looking around. "Battle stations."
The girls sighed, and grudgingly split up to attack their targets after synchronizing their watches. Danielle and Jane skimmed the edge of the radar network to arrive at the northwest attack zone, while Denise and Shannon proceeded to the northeast battery. Glenda and Theresa delayed their approach to the southwest target, while Meryl and Candice flew to the southeast battery. Holly prepared for a low altitude run straight up the middle and checked her watch.
"We'll only have one chance to get this right. Are you all ready?" Olivia asked, orbiting the battlefield.
"Roger that, we are go for Operation Jupiter." Holly confirmed.
As the predetermined time approached, the girls began their coordinated attack on the enemy AAA sites. The Teki gunners seemed surprised when the ground erupted from aerial bombs going off and had very little time to react. Denise and Shannon produced an unending stream of bullets that sliced right through their targets like a laser, while the other witches pounded the ground with ordnance. Holly and Addison rushed towards their target at treetop level, flooring the throttle. Suddenly, Addison noticed gunfire coming from makeshift dugouts around the radar station.
"Major! Watch out for that rats nest!" Addison warned, firing an AGM-65 through their vision slits as the firing position collapsed.
"Not bad Yellow Rose." Holly said, before dropping a bomb on the stragglers. "You missed one though."
Addison shrugged, as they neared the Thanh Hoa bridge. The final AAA emplacement fired wildly at them with its repeating laser cannon, filling the air with light as it attempted to track them. Just as they were about to attack, Holly heard a missile lock tone.
"Missile! Missile! Break!" She cried, as a portable surface to air missile whizzed between them. "Shoulder launched SAMs, enemy foot troops in the jungle!"
"They aren't showing up on my radar." Addison noted.
"Negative, radar is clear. I don't see any launchers." Olivia retorted. "Firefly and Spooky 21, once you've cleaned up move to support Memphis Belle II and Yellow Rose. Calamity Jane and Spirit of Great Britain standby for close air support bombing."
"Roger!" They responded in quick succession.
While Holly and Addison distracted the AA defenses, Denise and Shannon traced the missile exhaust to its source and hosed the jungle with bullets until there was a triumphant explosion. Olivia then gave Jane and Danielle vectors to bomb the fixed AA emplacement and radar station as iron rained from the sky and crushed the Teki gun crews.
"Triple Nickel to allied strike force, you are cleared for attack run on enemy armor." Olivia announced, as the fighter bombers moved in for the kill. The Phantoms and Corsairs swooped down like pelicans, dropping their guided Walleye bombs right on top of the Teki armored troops.
As the Phantoms and Corsairs were turning around, Olivia discovered new contacts on her radar. "Warning, new aerial contacts on radar."
"Friendly or foe?" Holly asked warily.
"No friendly response… enemy fighters. We didn't destroy the enemy radar fast enough." Olivia grumbled.
"We've beat them before, no sweat." Glenda smirked.
"No," Holly answered wearily. "We've mostly been up against their fighter-bombers. These are dedicated fighter craft, and they can be very dangerous according to our intel. They're small and nimble targets, but you have the weight and top speed advantage. If you remember nothing else, do NOT get into a turn fight or you will be one dead witch."
"You get that from Robin Olds?" Theresa inquired.
"Yeah, if you want to be the best, you learn from the best." Holly chuckled.
"This is F-105 flight lead, callsign 'Dagger 1,' we have radar contact – hostile fighters to the north of Thanh Hoa, about 50 kilometers out at 20 degrees, altitude ~900 meters. We can't outrun them on a full belly and we're almost bingo on fuel – requesting a ground target so we can ditch these bombs and run."
"Roger, friendly armor appears to have engaged remaining enemy armor, assist them at your discretion with close air support." Olivia instructed. "I'm sending the approach vectors to your onboard computer, you should see the marks on your radar display."
The F-105 pilot watched as the new coordinates appeared on his display and changed heading to follow the marker. The other F-105's roared in behind Dagger 1, each holding 16 x 750lb UGBL (UnGuided Bombs Large). The planes dropped their munitions and rolled slightly right as they pulled up into an Immelmann turn and looped out of the drop zone. The ground erupted with bombshells, either disabling or outright destroying them while the F-105's ran for home.
It wasn't long before the Teki fighters arrived, blazing through the air like little flying silverfish with wings. Bright red laser bullets streaked through the sky, as two of the trailing F-105's lost their wings and the pilots ejected.
"Get on those Teki, girls! Stay fast and stay alert!" Holly shouted, as they assumed a defensive formation.
"You're going to need support, I'll call USS America and get those Phantoms over here with a search and rescue chopper." Olivia interjected.
The A-7 Corsairs headed back towards the carrier, with their F-4's in tow. USS America had been alerted of the incoming fighters as well by Olivia and began readying a second wave of F-4C's equipped with AIM-7 Sparrow and AIM-9 Sidewinder air to air missiles. The catapult barriers were raised, and the Condor Squadron were launched into the sky. They raced towards the Bomber Witches, with a pair of Huey med-evac choppers trailing behind them.
When the Condor F-4's arrived, there was a substantial furball waiting for them as the witches exchanged fire with their more agile opponents. Meryl and Jane had the most trouble, having the least agility of the group, as the fighters swarmed around them.
"Go away, you stalkers!" Jane cried, rocking her wings to avoid enemy fire.
Suddenly, she heard an incoming missile tone, as an AIM-7 Sparrow missile exploded behind her and incapacitated the enemy fighter.
Jane glanced to her right as an F-4C Phantom rocketed past her.
"Holy rock and rolly…" Jane muttered, her ears ringing from the engine noise.
"It's good to see you, Condor Squadron." Holly sighed with relief. "We couldn't hit the radar station in time and they were able to call Hanoi."
"I can see that – Not a problem Major Jones. We'll clear your tails and get you home safe." Condor 1 ordered.
"Roger that sir, lead the way." Holly smiled.
There were still several Teki fighters threatening the squadrons, as the F-4C's lumbered into the combat zone. Meryl could hear the warning buzzers as an enemy missile was locking on to her. Condor 1 used the heavy weight of his Phantom to dive in behind Meryl and the Teki, as he locked up the enemy and pulled the trigger. An AIM-9 Sidewinder heat seeking missile rocketed off his left wingtip pylon, as it went flying off, got confused, and locked on to the next closest heat source – the sun.
"Unbelievable." The pilot growled, firing an AIM-7 radar guided missile. It dropped off his plane, didn't ignite, and went hurtling toward the ground.
"Any day now…!" Meryl voiced her concern, deploying chaff as a Teki missile flew dangerously close to her and then swerved to follow the countermeasures.
The Phantom fired yet another AIM-7, this one finding the target and detonating on impact.
"Whew! Thank you, sir!" Meryl saluted, as he returned the salute.
"About damn time…" Condor 1 chuckled.
Denise and Shannon found themselves back to back, as the remaining Teki fighters surrounded them. The glanced over their shoulders at each other, with a devious nod as they both revved up their miniguns. The girls began to rotate with their backs against each other and filled the sky with bullets as the enemy melted before them.
"Yeah, get some!" Denise roared.
Shannon was about to taunt as well, when her gun suddenly jammed.
"Oh, not now…!" She squealed, attempting to shake out the spent ammo links.
Her eyes widened as she looked up and saw the last fighter heading for her.
"Cmon… cmon cmon CMON!" She yelled desperately, clearing the chamber and restarting the rotary drive.
The XM197 came to life again, expressively delivering the last fifty bullets in her ammo backpack before winding down again. The enemy fighter was ripped to shreds, and its burning carcass fell into the jungle.
"That was close… too close." Shannon wiped her forehead.
"Good job, Shan." Denise smiled.
"Easy for you to say!" Shannon playfully elbowed Denise.
Once the fighters had been swept up, the Condor squadron escorted the Bomber Witches back to the Midway as the sun was beginning to set on the Southeast Asian sky. The Huey's were able to find the downed pilots via a signal flare, and put them on stretchers as the choppers returned to USS America.