As in the usual days, the naval fighters were commanded by old faces over the Black Sea.

In the midst of a large number of fighters flying across the sky, piloting the F-14D "Super Cat" and his comrades-in-arms, Lieutenant Colonel Sean Phelps, who commanded the VFA-11 "Red Boar" squadron, looked around the sky in the cockpit.

From following the aircraft carrier to the Mediterranean Sea and being involved in the battle in the Southern Theater, how many times has this been lifted off to battle?

If it weren't for the war, flying your beloved fighter under the blue sky and white clouds would probably be a very pleasant and enjoyable experience.

Thinking of the frenzied air battles in recent days, and the long-rumored gossip that "coalition forces are planning to land in the Balkans" on the naval side, Lieutenant Colonel Phelps turned his head from the cockpit with a blank face, and to be honest, he really didn't have a good impression of this kind of gossip that was passed around and often sat down. Isn't it, in the face of the Balkan countries, which have strong people's customs and large armies, and there is a grass grass in the middle of the wall, Italy, if the senior generals of the navy have not yet lost their minds, they should directly reject this kind of combat arrangement, even if it is an order from the Pentagon?

Speaking of which, the current commander of the fleet, Rear Admiral Lawrence, seems to be a rather pragmatic naval officer in his dealings - at least he didn't let himself fly a nuclear-armed "super cat" to assault the terrible "Caucasian Reaper" like Mark Mitchell......

In the midst of the fierce war, the lieutenant colonel remembered the last nuclear bomb crisis. He instinctively felt a chill. Probably this is a kind of fear of an unknown fate.

Thinking of the advent of nuclear weapons. Fearing that the war would get out of control, he wasn't just worried about this kind of problem.

Late on the night before the decisive battle, the US Central Command was located in the underground base of Ankara, and the generals of the three armed services, including General Clark, who directly commanded the "Typhoon" operation, were also facing the same problem; After receiving the top-secret materials presented by the communication team, the commanders looked at the long table again and again, and their expressions were a little dignified.

This analysis report from the Pentagon is not lengthy for the time being, but the final conclusions can be communicated to the front-line operational commanders of the Central Command. Of course, only a few people at the level of generals can see it.

In the report, after listing a large number of relevant figures and classifying them, the trend of the war situation in the south since the outbreak of the war was analyzed and studied. Examining the overall quantitative comparison of the belligerents, and the strategic nuclear forces in particular, the report concludes with a cautiously optimistic conclusion: "Even if the coalition forces complete Operation Typhoon and the forward advances to the Rostov-Astrakhan line, the Warsaw Pact strategic response should be quite cautious; At present, there does not appear to be a risk of a nuclear war, or the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons in a campaign. ”

"'No risk yet'...... Is it. ”

Expressionlessly, he read the secret report, in fact, some of the content in it had long been expected, and General Clark's sharp eyes swept over everyone. Linger for a moment on the face of the Joint Chief of Staff at the head of the conference table:

"In short, let's let go and fight, there's nothing to worry about; Such a simple and straightforward fact. The RAND Corporation and the CIA gang want to make it look like a secret room magic. - Hah! I've known this for a long time, and no one has the courage to 'let the world enter a nuclear winter full of radioactive fallout,' not even the bullshit Russians. ”

"Your Excellency, in the face of any kind of complicated situation, maintaining reason and making prudent decisions is the only way to strive for ultimate victory."

"Victory is a bloody battle, that's the motto I believe in."

Probably an older and extremely powerful person, General Clark, who had a cold face, raised his hand and waved it, saying something that seemed to be very choking, and then continued his high-minded remarks: "Of course, I don't mean to be brutal, but now everyone can see that these Russians are about to be unbearable!" -- Mr. Douglas, I think you know better than anyone else about the success of the 4th Marine Division and the 101st Air Assault Division in Kutaisi; As long as we have two or three more days, the boys of the Air Force will attack with a high profile as always, dropping the bombs of the free world on the heads of the Ivan one by one!

After the elimination of the Russian mechanized forces in Transcaucasia, the second phase of combat operations can be immediately launched, and it's that simple, isn't it. ”

Speaking of this, the general turned his head to the staff officer of the 82nd Airborne Division, who was sitting on his right hand and had a straight uniform:

"The Airborne Forces are ready for battle, aren't they, Brigadier General Halsey?"

"Yes, Your Excellency! The 82nd Division is fully ready, the transport fleet is ready, and it will be ready for action immediately. ”

Seeing that Brigadier General Halsey was very cooperative in playing the package ticket, probably thinking that this Caucasian tug-of-war had finally shown the dawn of victory, General Clark's face also turned very ruddy, as if the fatigue and busyness of many days had disappeared all at once; But just as he looked at the chief of staff rather proudly, and the latter stopped talking with a strange expression, a general in a white military uniform across the long table suddenly broke the silence and spoke loudly in a hoarse voice:

"That's amazing! Not bad boys, but I must confirm on behalf of the Navy when the rumored 'Rainstorm' operation to land on the Balkans will be carried out.

You must know that since I learned of this operation, I have given full authority to take stock of the oil and ammunition reserves on the 'BigE' and 'Eisenhower' so that the various units can use them sparingly, and now a part of the amphibious fleet is still conducting landing drills and combat preparations in the waters near Benghazi. The young men of the Marine Corps were bored with the fact that they were on the ship every day, and when would the Pentagon give an order for the glorious Marines to tread the winding and rugged coastline of the Balkan Peninsula?

I said Glass, I, a veteran of the battlefield, am now angry and have a headache, and I am going to do it again! The thought of those damned Red Guys entrenched in Greece makes me want to rush into battle, haven't you heard anything yet? ”

"Ah...... Operation 'Rainstorm'?"

Sitting at the end of the long table under the mercury lamp, the Chief of Staff was completely confused by Vice Admiral John Ford in front of him, and he was speechless for a moment, and then remembered that this "rainstorm" operation was nothing at all, just a smokescreen released by the intelligence department, in order to interfere with the strategic deployment of the Warsaw Pact bloc; Of course, if you can, it's best to induce them to misjudge the next direction of the war.

But now, I didn't expect the aging vice admiral to believe it, in fact, the chief of staff knew very well in his heart that the huge fleet commanded by Vice Admiral Ford, and the amphibious assault ships in it, were not originally deployed to attack southeastern Europe.

Yes, the so-called "rainstorm" operation, just think about how ridiculous it is!

For the Balkans, which detonated the First World War and were torn apart in both world wars, it is completely a hard nut to crack, and this land with rugged terrain and complex geographies is simply not suitable for large forces to fight, who will be idle and jump into this quagmire? In other words, if the tide of war changes and the Russian armored flood suddenly rushes into Asia Minor, then the landing force in the fleet will do their best to launch a counteroffensive, appear where it is most needed and immediately extinguish the fire.

Thinking of this, the chief of staff raised his hand and coughed lightly, he felt that there was no need to explain so much to the vice admiral in front of him:

"Uh, General Ford, the command's arrangements for the next battle...... There are no plans to attack the Balkans, and the task of the fleet is still to contain the battle-"

"What? - That is, to stand still? ”

Before the chief of staff could finish speaking, Lieutenant General Ford, who was dissatisfied, stood up in a hurry, "If you don't attack the Balkans, then what will we do with our amphibious forces in the Mediterranean?" Ah," he said, shifting his firepower, and the aged general began to fire on his fellow army officers again, "you hateful army have not recaptured Constantinople for so long!" To say that there is no malfeasance or perfunctory element in this, I absolutely do not believe it. In short, believe me, the Balkans are very important to the Russians, and we must take this area quickly, otherwise there will be no way to fight later!

Come to think of it, Hitler lost here, and we must not repeat it-"

"Just kidding! The Balkans are a big quagmire,"

Seeing that the vice admiral in a crisp naval uniform was still chattering, General Clark, who had lost a little patience, cut off his words:

"We can't afford to waste time here. According to the principles of analysis of the battle of Yiqiē and the strategic offensive, the Caucasus is the best entry point to defeat this polar bear, and we have now made very gratifying progress; So all things considered, the navy should strictly implement the predetermined plan to lure the enemy, and set up an offensive position in the Mediterranean, so that the Russians cannot get any additional mobile forces from the Balkan countries! ”

"Waste of time? - I tell you that this is not a waste of time. ”

Lieutenant General Ford shook his head as if he had been slandered, and he straightened his waist and grabbed the military cap on the table. (To be continued......)