Military story thread

Indianfighter

Junior Member
Gnat Brotherhood takes off, first reunion in city

Sunanda Mehta

Pune, August 31: WHEN some 80 former Gnat pilots get together in Pune on September 22 for a reunion, memories will come alive and unending stories will pour out. Some of them will centre around how Squadron Leader Trevor Greene formulated the tactics that the Gnats adopted in the 1965 war to lure the Pakistani Sabres into battle.

They will also relive the heroic action of Flying Officer Nirmal Jit Sekhon who fought a long and lone battle against four Pakistanis in Srinagar, earning the first and only Param Vir Chakra for the Indian Air Force.

Many other episodes about the life and times of IAF’s Gnat pilots will be recounted and relived at their first ever reunion at the RSI Golf Club.

The hours will be special for Air Vice Marshal Ravi D Limaye (Retd) . ‘‘Not everyone could fly the Gnat because there was no trainer aircraft. One was briefed well and sent on your first flight alone as the Gnat could only take one person,’’ says Limaye who flew them in the Indo-Pak wars.

‘‘After the havoc they wrecked in 1965, they earned the label of Sabre Slayers. In the 1971 war, the Pakistani Air Force had instructed their pilots not to engage in combat with Gnats. We, of course, learnt about this much later,’’ adds Limaye, who also commanded a Gnat squadron.

The reunion, which will have Gnat pilots from all over the country and three from the US, will bring back a rush of memories for Air Chief Marshal H Moolgavkar (Retd).

Though he was not in the Gnat squadron, Moolgavkar was one of the first officers to fly the plane as part of the IAF evaluation team that went to the UK in 1954 and approved the Midge for induction into the Air Force.

When Midge’s inventor WEW Petter developed the Gnat —a better version of the Midge for the IAF, Moolgavkar went back to evaluate the aircraft. A team, that included India’s foremost test pilot, Squadron Leader Suranjan Das, was sent to Folland in the UK for the technical evaluation. ‘‘The Gnat’s strength lay in its power-to-weight ratio,’’ says Moolgavkar.

Air Commodore AD Chibber (retd) , who flew the fighter planes for five years, says he found it one of the most challenging aircraft to fly, while Group Captain AK Datta can recall the innumerable sorties he took at Halwara in Punjab on the fighter plane.

Says Wing Commander S F Soares (Retd) , ‘‘The IAF was the only air force to use the aircraft. For some reason, no other country took to it. Which makes us the only Gnat pilots in the world and that justifies the reunion.’’ He did 26 war sorties in the Gnat.

Soares was also part of the Gnat team that shot down three Pakistani Sabres in the 1971 war. ‘‘It was the high point of my career.’’

Flying high


* Gnat is the smallest and deadliest fighter aircraft, agile, difficult to spot and highly manoeuvrable.

* It has a wing span of 21 feet and is 29 feet long.

* The first aircraft was delivered to India in 1958

* The first Gnat assembled by HAL from a kit, flew in Bangalore in 1959.

* It entered the squadron service in 1960.

* HAL built 195 Gnats and in 1976 came up with an improved Gnat called Ajeet. The Gnat-Ajeet was phased out of the IAF in 1991.

* The Gnat Brotherhood reunion will mark the golden jubilee of the agreement signed between Hindustan Aeronautics Limited and Folland in 1956. Air Chief Marshal SP Tyagi is expected for the occasion.

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All the following images are due to the courtesy of Bharat-Rakshak.com. The last 2 images are courtesy of Peter Steinman from "Touching the Skies" :

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Ajeet2.jpg


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DPRKPTboat

Junior Member
Silent Telephone (Part 2)

After receiving orders direct from President Hu to silence Michael Moore for trying to release his controversial pro-Taiwan and anti-superpower film "Island of Gold" in China, Hong Kong and now Taiwan, MSS head Xu Yongye assembles a crack team of four specially trained MSS agents to assainate the leftist director in operation "Tiger's strike" - the most high-level targeted assasination mission ever taken by Chinese agents.
Each member of this assigned squad signs away their employment in the MSS. They are all oficially registered as unemployed and unheard of - they are not officially recognised by the Chinese government or any other government. They are now labled as "unexistant". The squad is to act independently, only reporting back to home base when the target is eliminated, or by contact with other MSS operatives. Xu authorises the use of explosives to elimiate the target, so a bombmaker is included in the team. Moore is due to make a tour of the Asia-Pacific region, including Taiwan. But his first stop will be Seoul, South Korea, where his film is due to make its premier in the country.
With assistance from North Korean intelligence services, the operatives manage to obtain a safehouse in Seoul, where bombs can be made and guns readied. The safehouse is normally used by the North's agents in the South (This story is unconnected to the Fall of Pyongyang, set two years before).
The North Koreans also help three of the Chinese operatives to infiltrate the South's police force.
The night before Moore's premier, three of the "policemen" seal off a section of the road that Moore's motorcade is due to drive along to the theatre, claiming they are checking it for bombs. In reality, they are planting a bomb themselves. The device is placed in a small drain opening in a gutter, at a set of crossroads. Concealed by the grille covering the opening, the bomb is fitted with a short range radar and other sensors, designed to detect vehicles within its 3-metre range. These are activated when the device is switched on. In order to catch the limo and increase the chance of killing who's inside, the plastic C4 explosive used is very powerful. When a large radar contact is detected (say, from a limousine), a signal is sent to the detonator, and the bomb explodes. All that is needed now is to lie in wait.
It is May 12, 2010. The weather is perfect in Seoul for today's "Island of Gold" premier. Crowds gather to welcome Michael Moore, which mostly consist of his suppourters. Defaced American flags are visible flying on either side of the road as the limo drives steadily along. Some conservatives in the corwd boo the director, but three of the people present today have a much different intention.
Three Chinese agents, dressed as police officers in their patrol car at the side of the road to keep order, watch the motorcade as it heads steadily towards the end of the road. The bomb is then turned on by a pocket remote control. The radar and sensorary systems are activated, and begin seeking out their target. All that Limo has to do is to drive within three metres of the small drain where the road meets the crossroads, and the agent's job is done.
But then something unexpected happens. A large tanker truck, carrying large quantities of petroleum, is driving down a road on the other side of the block. The driver is late for his delivery, and decides to take a shortcut via the nearby crossroads, not knowing that they are blocked off due to the premier. When he spots the police barricades, he brakes hard but to late, and smashes through the barricades and into the range of the bomb radar. The sensors pick up this new target, and send their signal through the device's circuits.
A massive explosion ensues, killing the truck driver instantly and sending the crowd into a panicked stampede. The explosion also reaches the tanker trailer, igniting the petroleum cargo, and causing a second, even larger explosion, turing the end of the road into a firery inferno, which Moore's limo is driving straight into. Seeing this, the Limo driver desperately tries to swerve and advoid the flames, but it is to late. The limousine crashes into the truck cab, and the flames spread onto it. Moore's bodyguard drags him and his driver out of the car, which soon bursts into flames. They are both rushed to the nearest hospital. As well as the truck driver, 3 innocent bystanders and 2 South Korean policemen were killed in the attack. Moore's driver suffered severe injuries, including third degree burns and a head injury, and later dies in hospital. Moore himself suffered a severe back injuury, but besides this and some minor burns and cuts, he is mostly unharmed. This is dissapointing for the squad, but Xu Yongye is furious, not only that Moore escaped alive, but that foreign civillians were killed. He gives strict orders to the team to take more suttle and clean aproaches in future. He does not want "an assaination intended for one man to become a 9/11".
The rest of the world hears, reads and sees the news everywhere in disbelief. They now know from investigations by the authorities that the bomb was some sort of proximity device, and had been placed in the road to intercept Moore's limo, with the intent of killing him. There is outrage across the world that someone had tried to kill such a popular figure, but there is also strong calls to Mr. Moore, even from the U.S. government, to end his tour and come back to the safety of the U.S. Moore stubbournly refuses from his hospital bed, and orders security stepped up. The main question on everyone's minds is "who is trying to kill Michael Moore?" Many suspect the CIA, others suggest DPRK agents may have been involved, in order to try to damage the South's image and economy. Few suspect China, much to the relief of Xu Yongye.
Due to Moore's order to increase security, the hospital is now heavily guarded, so Chinese agents decide to abort a proposed attempt to shoot the target in his bed.
With Moore out of the assasins' reach, Xu expands the target list to individuals involved with smuggling the movie "Island of Gold" and Moore's messages to the Chinese people into the PRC. The minor smugglers are easily apprehended by the PAP and over domestic security forces. But Xu wants those involved with the production of the movie dealt with as well. The producer of Island of Gold, Jim Czarneki, is currently in Hong Kong. He is responsible for the production of the Movie everywhere, including Hong Kong. Xu decides to add him to the target list. So the assasination team proceeds to Hong Kong Island.
It is on the 15th of May, 2010, at 10:30pm, that producer Jim Czarneki is struck down. Exhausted after receiving a flood of questions on the condition of Moore and his attempted assasination, as well as the danger of inciting controversey with China, Czarneki returns to the Hong Kong Langham hotel and retires to his room. To his surprise, he finds a complimentary bottle of champagne on his drinks table. Although he knows the hotel issues one to every room, he did not expect it to arrive until tommorow moring. Yet unsuspicous, and tempted by the bottle, he decides to have an evening drink before bed. He inserts a bottle opener and pulls out the cork.
The ensuing process lasts but seconds. As soon as Czarneki pulls out the cork, it is not just champagne foam that spurts out, but lethal sarin gas, which rushes out of the bottleneck, forming an unseen poison cloud around the holder of the bottle. Czarneki chokes and suffocates with a few seconds. He then falls backwards, his body recked by spasms from the nerve agent and sprawled on the floor, dropping the bottle which shatters into dozens of glass fragments. A mixture of sarin and champagne spills onto the fine carpet, creating an ugly stain. The scene is not revealed until the morning, to the screams of a hotel maid.

To be concluded.....
 
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Finn McCool

Captain
Registered Member
Chapter 5: The Fall of Mecca

The Western Allies in the Caliphate War knew they had to sieze the oil fields of Arabia as soon as possible. Without them, they and the world risked economic collape. Oil prices were above or around $100 a barrel, depending on the progress of the war. Thus NATO command decided that it would attack from captured parts of Jordan into Saudi Arabia with a three part offensive. One part, led mostly by the Europeans, would attack down the Red Sea coast, through a reigion know as the Hejaz, with the objective of capturing the port cities of Duba, Jeddah, and Yanbu' al Bahr, to facilitate the transportation of oil out of Saudi Arabia. This force, know as Southern Army Group , was also to surround the holy cities of Mecca and Medina, but not attack or fire on them unless necessesary. The other group, Central Army Group, was almost entirely American troops. Its job was to race across the Saudi Desert, bypassing Riyadh and capturing the Persian Gulf Coast and what was Kuwait, with the objectives being King Khalid Military City (a massive military base deep in the desert), the oil fields of Eastern Saudi Arabia and the port city of Ad Dharan with the critical Ras Tafrana oil field. Kuwait City was the secondary objective, to be taken by a swing north after the other targets had been taken. Supporting them would be the 101st and 82nd Airborne Divisions and British Airborne units who were to attack the oil fields themselves several days ahead of the main force to prevent their destruction. A large force was necessesary because of the enormus size of the oil fields.

At the same time, the Eastern Allies, Russia, China and India, were preparing to attack Pakistan and Iran. They could hit both India and with the Russian-Chinese forces in Afghanistan. Also, the Russian Army was planning an amphibious operation in the Caspian Sea, to attack its shore near Tehran.

By this time, March 2009, the Caliphate had succeded in executing several terrorist attacks against targets in the West and in Russia, China and India. A series of restaurants, nightclubs and movie theaters were bombed in France, terrorists succeded in destroying three packed apartment blocks in Xian, China, a suicide bomber detonated himself in a packed line for a football match in Britain, 8 civillian targets in St. Petersburg and the next day 2 in Moscow were hit by suicide bombers on foot and sucide gunmen, and several Hindu temples were hit in India, causing massive loss of life. An oil tanker was blown up by a suicide boat in the Straits of Mallaca, shutting it for weeks as much of its surface was covered with burning oil. Caliphate-trained and funded terrorists even managed to fire several homemade Qassam-like rockets at the White House, one of which actually landed on the sidewalk in front of it. This worldwide wave of terrorism had been seriously effecting the world economy, driving down the amount of money people spent on travel and leisure in almost all countries. However, after the initial attacks in late 2008 to mid-2009, law enforcement managed to wrap up almost all Caliphate cells in the countries where they were operating. Some escaped though, graphically illustrated by an incident in November 2009 when a Caliphate cell that had succeded in going underground shot down a Lufthansa Airbus 3000, killing hundreds. Overall, the Caliphate terrorism offensive was not succesful, as it merely increased worldwide determination to see the Caliphate's destruction, though it did certainly make the war more difficult and painful for all Allied civillian populations.

By this point in the war, the international media was beginning to reveal war crimes committed by the Allied side. Most NATO nations ended up having a war crimes tribunal of some kind for their own soldiers, as the new McCain Administration (the American public was willing to elect a moderate Republican because of the war, even though the stain of Bush and neo-conservatism lingered over the party for years to come) was far less adverse to prosecuting American soldiers than the Bush Administration had been. Israel too had some of its first real war crimes trials, as Israeli troops had been directly responsible for scores of civillian deaths in desperate, bloody the Battle of Damascus. American troops were mostly prosecuted for their actions in the withdrawl from Iraq, during which some had deliberatly killed civillians and wreaked havoc as they left the country. (Many parts of Iraq were by this time in open sectarian war, something that the Caliphate government could not control. Also, the peshmerga of Kurdistan were exercising control of a massive area in Southern Turkey, Western Iran and Northern Iraq, protected by Allied air support. The Caliphate did not have the resources to subdue them.) European nations were not spared either. German, French and British troops were all accused and prosecuted mainly for massacres committed and other crimes inflicted while they were attempting to subdue Hezbollah, which was waging an active guerilla war in Allied occupied Lebanon and Syria. China and Russia howver were by far the worst offenders, with the Russians using some of the same tactics they had used in Chechnya and Afghanistan to put down guerilla resistance in Central Asia. In both countries there were some show trials, but not true investigation and prosecution like in the West. Overall, the tribunals increased the Allied will to fight, as they highlighted the justness of the Allied cause.

In Jordan, American and European troops were preparing for the attack into Saudi Arabia. The operation commenced on 17 April 2009, with American and European tank forces striking out into the desert like in Desert Storm almost twenty years before. Central Army group encountered little resistance, as the Caliphate intended to take on the Americans in Eastern Saudi Arabia at the end of long, cross-desert supply lines. The Amerincans had traveled about 150 miles in two days, encountering almost no resistance. However, the Caliphate had sent small teams of men, some with camels, some with 4x4 vehicles, into the desert to slow the American advance. They were armed with ATGMs and night vision, and they were deadly effective. Hiding in wadis and behind Jebels, and using the sheer distance and heat mirage of the desert as cover, they fired ATGMs into the advancing American tanks from the flanks, picking them off. Many of these groups were killed soon after by MBT fire or attack helicopters. Many escaped into the desert to attack again. They also hit American fuel trucks and supply units coming up behind the tanks APCs and IFVs. At times they also approached stationary American positions and hit them with mortars, and although these attacks were not effective they put even more fear into the American GIs. Regardless of the desert raiders, the US armour continued to advance toward the oil fields. On 23 April Operation Silver Cloud was launched. Dozens of transport planes flew out of airfields in Jordan with thousands of paratroopers in their bellies. Hours later, in the depth of night, they jumped into the oil fields. In places they discovered enemy troops planting explosives on the wells, and in some places the wells were already blown, but they managed to secure 85% of wells intact. By dawn, defensive perimeters had been established and the second wave of paratoopers was landing from helicopters. The Ghwar Field, the worlds largest, was the center of one defensive area, with others protecting other fields and critical areas of pipeline, etc. Defending the oil fields was made difficult by the presence of large numbers of Caliphate troops, many in fortified positions, within the fields themselves. The Caliphate troops were usually surrounded because US and British soldiers had dropped in on all sides, but in many places they outnumbered the forces surrouding them. Around midday on 24 April, the Caliphate troops in the area counterattacked with a column of troops moving out of the cities of Khobar and Dammam and out of the areas of the oil fields they occupied. The Allied paratroopers had few vehicles but used Apaches (which had flown in with them) TOWs, Spikes and Strykers with mounted guns to good effect. In many places the fighting resembled WWI, with infantry, both Allied and Caliphate, advancing across wide open spaces of desert. Despite heavy air support, the paratroopers fell back in some places but held the line in most, and the counterattack petered out in the desert. Soon the American tanks were to arrive and take the all imporant oil fields for good if the Caliphate could not stop them.

I'll edit in the rest later. Still not done yet
 
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DPRKPTboat

Junior Member
Silent Telephone (part 3)

One of the first news agencies to report Czarneki's death is the BBC world service. The Radio announcement is heard with disbelief by the rest of the world:

"Last night film producer Jim Czarneki, who produced Michael Moore's contorversial doocumentary Island of Gold, was pronounced dead in what has been called one of the most bizarre murders since the death of Georgi Markov in 1978. Czarneki was found dead in his hotel room at the Langham hotel in Hong Kong, after presumably opening a bottle that contained toxic sarin gas. The gas had been placed in the bottle at high pressure, and released by a tiny widget system. Czarneki unknowingly opened the bottle, releasing the poisonus gas, killing him instantly. The report comes 3 days after the attempted assasination of Michael Moore using a powerful roadside bomb in Seoul, South Korea. It is believed that the same people are responsible, but who they are remains unknown. Chinese authorities have refused to comment on the murder, but the FBI is currently conducting an investigation."

The FBI examine the remains of the Killer Champagne bottle, and find that it was made using great expertise. The glass bottle had contained ordinary champagne, but Sarin gas had been pumped into it at high pressure, presumably using a powerful air pump. The bottle had been kept air tight to stop the gas being dilluted. The tiny widget that had pushed the gas out was placed at the bottom the bottle, concealed by the ice bucket that the bottle had been placed in when the victim had entered the room. Since a bottle of champagne was given to every room in the hotel, whoever delivered the sarin bottle must have got jobs at the hotel, so they could reach the victim easily. An ingenious yet horrifying method of assasination.
Due to the James Bond style method, and the evident level of expertise used, many investigators suspect a government agency being involved. Many in the public point the finger at the CIA, but a good deal also suspect China's MSS, due to the fact the murder happened in a Chinese territory. Both Washington and Bejing deny any involvement with the Czarneki assasination.
Behind the scenes, Xu Yongye is pleased. He congragulates the Tiger's strike team, and shows further pleasure that they took his advice by using more suttle methods of assasination. He recommends they use a similar method for Moore, but next time insure that no evidence is left behind for investigators. Hu Jintao is also pleased, and hopes Czarneki will serve as an example to Moore and any others who seek to breach China's domestic security and interfere in her affairs.
But to Hu's dissapointment, Moore leaves hospital two days later, and makes a defiant speech at a press conference in Tokyo, in which he sends condolences to Czarneki's family and responds to his attempted assasination:

"I think its pretty clear that a lot of conservatives don't like me. I never imagined someone would try to kill me. It looks like they got Jim, but even if they get me, my film is out already, and the message has been received. If soemone thinks they can stop it by killing me, they're wrong. I think I have a good idea who's behind this, and three things are obvious. One, they're American. Two, they rpobably live in the White house, and three, they're probably White."

But due to Moore's one-sided view of the world, he fails suspect that his tormentors don't live in the white house, and are neither American nor white (no racism intended).
He continues his tour of the Asia-Pacific region undeterred, making his final stop in Taiwan, where he will be greated by corwds and a brass band, before attendng a rally. The MSS squad proceed to the Island, and propose to infiltrate the band, and kill the target using a blowpipe hidden in a trumpet, that would fire a tiny but lethal ricin dart into the victim as he would pass the band on the red carpet. The pain and firing of the weapon would be almost unoticable.
On the day of the visit, 19th May 2010, Moore is walking down the red carpet, signing autographs. The Brass band plays on the other side, and the trumpet player assassin readies his weapon. He takes aim at the target and presses one of the valve keys that fires the blowpipe. But the dart misses its target, due to a slight breeze, and instead hits one of Moore's bodyguards, Larry Fergurson, in the neck. Due to the fact the blowpipe could only fire one dart, the mission is aborted, and the agent/trumpet player makes a quick getaway in a car waiting just outside the barriers at the event - just after the band finishes playing. Fortunately, the attempted murder goes mostly unoticed for now. Fergurson only felt a slight sting in his neck. But later that evening he develops a high fever and fins a swollen mark on his neck. He dies two days later, suffering from what looked like high fever. But the local authorities are suspicous. A post-mortem of his body discovers a tiny dart, which had been designed to dissolve in the body. The dart is cone shaped, with two holes drilled through the sides that were filled with ricin toxin. The holes had been drilled using a powerful laser beam. As with the champagne bottle, high expertise was used. At frist it is unclear where the dart came from, but eyewitness accounts, and later TV footage, show one of the trumpeters in the brass band turning his trumpet in the direction of where Michael Moore was singing autographs in the crowd, then blowing unusually hard on the instrument. Footage shows something very small flying out of it, suppourting the theory that the dart was fired from the trumpet. It is very clear that Moore is still under threat, and his pursuers are becoming more inventive in ways to kill him.
Taking a hint from this, and knowing that he is still being hunted, Moore cuts his tour short and flies back to the United states. He now keeps a low profile, rarely emerging in the open, travelling in secret.
Xu Yongye now has a hard time completing the operation. He promised President Hu he would dispose of Moore by the end of May. Now it seems he will dissapoint the President, and he knows that will mean the end of his position as MSS head. But then he gets another chance. He gets a tip from a anonymous source that Moore will attend a rally in Hollywood, L.A. He sends the Tiger's strike team to Los Angeles, and orders them to track down the target, and to find out where he is staying so they can pick him off.
Then the same anonymous individual sends them another tip that Moore is staying at the Beverely hills hotel. So they decide to get some extra help.
At precisely 9:30 pm, on the 30th May 2010, a receptionist at Beverely Hills Hotel receives a strange telephone call. The dialouge goes like this:

Receptionist: Hello, Beverely Hills Hotel how can we help you?

Caller: Hello, this is Cheng Xia, Taipei Times. Is Michael Moore there?

Receptionist: Yes, he's here, Room 72. Why do you need him? How did you know he was staying here?

Caller: We requested an interview with him on the 21st, but due to certain circumstances he cancelled the interview. We heard from various sources he was staying here, so now we request an interview in Hollywood. Can I speak to him now?

Receptionist: He asked not to be distrubed. He might not do an interview over the phone right now.

Caller: So we are aware. But I simply want to quickly ask him if we can arrange an interview at a later date. Is that possible?

Receptionist: Hold on Mr. Cheng, I'll check.

(she calls the room)

Receptionist: He says yes, so I'll put you through now.

Caller: Thank you.

(Line transfers to the room)

Michael Moore: Hello?

Caller: Michael Moore?

Michael Moore: Yes, you asked about an interview?

Although Moore does not know it at the time, these are his last words. Before he can say any more, Cyanide gas rushes out of the talking end of the phone. There is the sound of violent choking on the phone, then the crash of a body falling, and the clang of the phone as it lands back on the bedside table. The gas has done its work. Then phosphorus explosive placed inside the base of the telephone detonates, igniting the air inside the room and incinerating everything inside, including any evidence that the telepone could have provided. Both Moore and the telephone are silenced forever.
The blast is heard and seen throughout Beverely hills. Firefighters quckly arrive at the hotel, putting out the blaze in Room 72. But as the news of what happened travels around the world, everyone knows that Moore is dead - the killers have won. But still no one knows who they are, and since no-one heard the phone conversation between Moore and the mysterious caller, everyone believed that he was killed by the bomb in his telephone. How the telephone was placed in his room without anyone knowing is also a mystery. The only tip as to who the killers might be is from the receptionist, who says that the caller had spoken with a thick Chinese accent.
But then more witnesses come forward. Many claim to have seen a black Jaguar saloon parked at the car park at the hotel, with three men inside. They seemed to be waiting for something, as they had been there for an unusually long time. But when the explosion occured, the car manouvered out of the car park and drove off swiftly. This was confirmed by CCTV footage of the car park, which showed the car and its sudden departure at the moment of the explosion. Another witness described a man in a phone booth across the road from the hotel, in view of the men in the black Jaguar. The man was described as wearing a grey bussiness suit, with a black club tie. He was a man in his fifties, with dark, short combed hair, thick spectacles and oriental features. At one point he heavily stamped his foot twice in the booth, a visible signal to the men in the car (it was later believed that the first stamp was a signal telling them that it was definetly Moore on the phone, and that they could release the gas, the second stamp a signal that the gas had done its work and that they could detonate the bomb). When the explosion occured, he ran out of the booth, and to the next block, where other witnesses claim they saw the car quickly stop, and the man bundling into the back seat of the car, which quickly drove off. Another witness also described the man, and that he made a call when the light in the window of he room next door to Moore's room went out. This was believed to be a signal that Moore was in the room.
Some of the witnesses provided the liscene-plate number of the black car seen at the hotel. The FBI, working with the LAPD, traced the number, and found out it was a hired car. They managed to find the residence of those who had hired the car, but by the time they do, they find it empty and abandoned. The killers had escaped.
Unknown to all in Los Angeles, the killers were safely back in China, where they were congragulated personally by Hu Jintao and Xu Yongye, who is relieved to still have his job, since he just manged to fufill the promise he made to Hu. The radio station in Taiwan that Moore broadcast his messages on has stopped broadcasting to the mainland, due to numerous death threats and letterbombs from unknown sources.
Armed with the evidence provided by eyewitnesses, analysts now suspect Chinese agents killed both Moore and Czarneki, although many still suspect the CIA. Both organisations deny responsibility, but then suspicions are confirmed one year later.
Conservative Radio Host Glenn Beck, who was a vocal critic of Moore and even threatened to kill him in May 2005, admitted to the FBI investigators in January 2011 that he had been involved in the Moore assasination. He had been recruited by four men who identified themselves as Chinese agents. It began when he received a phone call on the 27th May 2010 telling him they had a job which was "right up your alley". Intruiged, he had been ordered to meet them at Sunset Boulevard, where the same Black Jaguar saloon seen on the night of Moore's death picked him up and took him to the same appartment raided by police after the assasination. He did not know where it was, as he was blindfolded during the journey. Once he arrived, he was offered compensation for the $95,000 that he lost when Moore filed a lawsuit against him Febuary 2008. After that lawsuit, Beck had sworn revenge. The MSS offered him both the money and revenge. So Beck immediately agreed to assist them. Since Chinese agents masquerading as hotel staff were likely to be caught, the agents wanted to use Beck to plant the telephone in Moore's room. As a member of showbiz and a regular visitor to the hotel, he would not arouse suspicion. He told the FBI that the telephone had been made to the exact model used in the Deluxe suites of Beverly hills hotel, the room type that Moore was staying in. The talking/receiving section of the telephone contained a small cannister of Zyklon B cyanide gas, that would be sprayed out of the talking end of the telephone when Moore was speaking on it. When the phone was picked up, it sent a signal to the men in the car, in the form of a green light flashing on the remote control used to release the gas and detonate the bomb. Once the gas was released, a phosphorus explosive device placed inside the telephone base was detonated to destroy the evidence. The MSS agents had told him that the telephone, the blowpipe trumpet and the sarin champagne bottle were all made by the technical staff of the MSS fourth (technology) bureau.
Beck's job was to check into the room next door to room 72, and then enter Moore's room while he was out at his rally by means of a hotel master key provided to him by the Chinese. He unplugged the normal phone in the room, took it away and replaced it with what he called "the phone of death". Beck's second task was to keep a watch on the room, and when Moore returned to it, he turned off his light and vacated his own room next door. This was a signal to the Chinese agents waiting outside that the target was in his room, allowing to make the call to the hotel. Beck then checked out and left quickly, giving the agents the all-clear to eliminate the target. This was confirmed by CCTV footage in the car park of the Radio-host getting into his car and leaving a few minutes before the bomb explosion. This had not been noticed prevously. After Moore had been killed, they called on him in his residence, and gave him the $95,000 dollars in payment. But he said that he was very frightened by their appearence, especially when they threatened him if he broke his silence abut the assasination, saying "the same will happen to you if you talk". He said he was terrified every time he saw them. The FBI place him under arrest, but also make sure he is well protected from a reprisal killing. When asked how the Chinese knew where Moore was, Beck awnsered that they had received a tip, but that neither he nor the agents knew where it had come from.
As a result, Glenn Beck was given a life sentence for treason, as he had helped foreign agents kill an American citizen, as well as for conspiracy to murder and involvement in murder. The Moore assasination soured relations between China and the U.S.A, and the U.S. government returned to its original stance on Taiwan, a very tough stance under president Hillary Clinton.
As to who informed the MSS of the whereabouts of Michael Moore, the awnser from the authorities was that they still did not know. But if anyone wanted to know, they only had to ask the Bush family....

The End
 
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IronsightSniper

Junior Member
The Hour of the Bear - A War Story fiction

To be quite honest, not sure where this goes, so move/baleet accordingly. I just wrote it one bored day too by the way, and do fix any historical inaccuracies!



The Hour of the Bear


December 12th, 2014, 0800 hours Zulu. A Russian Carrier Battle Group has been detected by British Early Warning Airborne radars flying over the North Sea. This is not a Training exercise. The British with their main Maritime interdiction forces stationed in the Falklands over a recent conflict with the Argentinians and the French, with their Charles de Gaulle carrier conducting interdiction missions over Myanmar, were incapacitated to advise over this event. With the common inability to do anything, the EU suggestively asks for support from the U.S.N. A Nimitz classed Carrier Battle Group, Carrier Strike Group 2, is sent to intercept the Russian Carrier Battle Group.

Carrier Strike Group 2 is your regular U.S.N. Carrier Battle Group. At her helm is their lead ship, the CVN-77 George H.W. Bush. A big fellow, 100,000 tonnes, 6,000 men and women, 3 Phalanx CIWS, 2 RIM-116 launchers, 2 ESSM (Evolved Sea Sparrow Missiles) launchers, 2 Squadrons of F/A-18E/F Superhornets and 2 Squadrons of F/A-18 Hornets. At her side are 2 Ticonderoga class Cruisers, each fitted with BGM-109 Tomahawks in all 122 cells of her VLS, the CG-72, CG-61. Holding the rear are 2 Arleigh Burke class Destroyers, DDG-103, DDG-94, each armed with 32 SM-2 and 64 ESSM missiles. With the addition of 8 Harpoon missiles per Ticonderoga class and 2 Phalanx CIWS per each Ticonderoga class, the total number of Guns that this CSG (Carrier Strike Group) can bring to bare are 7 Phalanx CIWSs and the total number of Missiles are 42 RIM-116s, 16 Harpoons, 244 Tomahawks, 64 SM-2s, and 128 ESSMs.

December 15th, 2014, 0400 hours Zulu. First radar contact via E-2 Hawkeyes has been made with the Russian Carrier Battle Group. Their size is as follows: 1 Kuznetsov class Aircraft carrying Heavy Missile Cruiser (presumably the Admiral Kuznetsov), 1 Kirov class Battlecruiser (presumably the Pyotr Velikiy), 1 Slava class Cruiser (presumably the Moskva), 1 Udaloy II class Destroyer (presumably the Admiral Chabanenko), and 1 Steregushcy class Corvette (presumably the Steregushchiy). This is a very formidable force. The Admiral Kuznetsov itself can hold it's own against a USN CSG, weighing over 50,000 tonnes, with 1 Squadron of Su-33s and a dozen Early Warning helicopters, along with 8 AK-630 CIWSs, 8 Kashtan CIWS (each Kashtan has 2 six-barreled 30 mm autocannons and 8 missiles ready to fire with 32 stored below), 192 3K95 Kinzhal stored in VLS, and 12 P-700 Granits stored in VLS. The Pyotr Velikiy itself has 20 P-700 Granits, 96 S-300FMs, 192 3K95 Kinzhal, 44 OSA-MA, and 6 Kashtans. The Moskva has 16 P-500 Bazalts, 64 S-300PMUs, 48 OSA-MA, and 6 Kashtans. The Admiral Chabaneko has 8 Moskits (Sunburns), 64 3K95 Kinzhals, and 2 Kashtans. Finally, the Steregushchiy has 2 Kashtans and 6 3M-54 Klubs. This is a very powerful force.

December 15th, 2014, 0420 hours, Zulu. Radio contact has not been established. The Russians have gone dark. This can only mean one thing but our CO won't say it. 200 km out, the attack starts. 32 P-700 Granits, 16 P-500 Bazalts, 8 Moskits, 6 Klubs. P-700s are dangerous motherfuckers. 600 km range, 750 kg HE warhead, Mach 1.5 sea skimmer. P-500s are dangerous too, 500 km range, 1,000 kg HE warhead, Mach 1.5 sea skimmer. Moskits and Klubs are the most dangerous though. Moskits, 200 km range, 300 kg HE warhead, Mach 2.2 sea skimmer, Klubs, 300 km range, 200 kg HE warhead, Mach 3 sea skimmer. Luckily for us, the P-500/P-700 operated in Swarm mode, which meant one in the swarms would have to climb to 7,000 meters and give targeting info to the others, those were easy to catch, but when we took one down, another took it's place. Before you know it, P-500/700s were on our doorstep, less than 50 km out, that's when our CO ordered us to fire all of our Tomahawks and scramble every Squadron.

We only had 100 seconds before those P-500/700s hit, and in that time, a salvo of about 60 Tomahawks 16 Harpoons, along with 2 Squadrons of Superhornets were scrambled. At 0430 hours, we got nicked. Although we took out over half of the P-500/700s, 1 P-700 smashed the DDG-103 and 2 P-700s smashed the DDG-94, both were sunk within the hour. The Ticonderogas had it better, 1 P-700 hit each one, CG-61 got a nick on their Engine room, they were stuck. CG-72 took a Granit midship, knocked out all Fire control systems. That's not the worst though, 2 Bazalts and 1 Granit blew 10 meter wide holes into the hull of the George H.W. Bush. Almost wrecked our Aviation facilities, which would of blew a bigger hole in our hull.

Lucky us. Because only 8 Moskits and 6 Klubs were shot at us, our ESSMs weren't entirely overwhelmed. I think we shot down about 7 Moskits, 2 were near misses by a ESSM (but it's Frag warhead blew the Moskit to the sea), and the other 5 were whacked by RIM-116s, was expected, that big of a missile moving Mach 2.2 that low in altitude generates a lot of heat, good for our IR guided missiles. One Moskit did get through though, and it payed for all the losses that we inflicted on it's Moskit friends. It hit dead-center on CG-72's VLS. That 300 kg warhead moving at Mach 2.2 went through all that Kevlar armor and completely eradicated all the Tomahawks left in CG-72, blew that Tico in two. Klubs were a different story though. Our ESSMs couldn't go that low (3 meters above sea level), and only our RIMs could do anything. They were running low on missiles though, so we could only spare 1 RIM-116 per Klub. They weren't as easy to hit as Moskits, they were smaller, had RAM, had a reduced thermal signature, oh and, was faster too. We ended up only destroying 1 Klub, and we had to use 2 RIM-116s for that. 3 Klubs was all it took to sink CG-61, 2 hits Port bow, and 1 hit Midship. The two other Klubs hit the Rec center on the George H.W. Bush, luckily we were all at our Battlestations at that time so casualties were few. The other Klub, heh, maybe it was God, maybe it was luck, but a big wave of water hit that Klub, and turned it into a torpedo. Missed us by 10 meters.

Ivan got what was coming to him. Those 2 Squadrons of Superhornets were each loaded with 1 Harpoon and 4 AIM-120Ds. They were flying low, trying to avoid Radar detection, but Su-33s armed with 4 R-77Ms were already scrambled and detected the Superhornets before they could descend to their cruising altitude. The Superhornets were hoping not to be detected, but they were. The Su-33 pilots descended 9,000 meters above the Superhornets, and each Su-33 pilot shot 2 R-77Ms at each one of us. We quickly gained some altitude and reduced our flight speed to perform high-g maneuvers all while degrading the radars on those R-77Ms with our ECW platforms. That didn't work too well though, Superhornet is not a highly maneuverable plane and only the experienced pilots with advanced knowledge of combat maneuvers escaped the R-77's grasps, which ended up being only 6 Superhornets.

By that time we were already in Harpoon range so we let off our Harpoons, which also gave us a better Thrust to Weight ratio and thus maneuverability. Our AIM-120Ds were just like their R-77Ms, LOAL (Lock On After Launch), Ramjet engine, 80 km+ range, etc. What remained of our Strike Group, launched all of our AIM-120Ds, 2 per Sukhoi. AIM-120Ds aren't like R-77Ms in one section, and that's maneuverability. Some estimates put the R-77M's maneuverability at 90 Gs. Those estimates put the AIM-120Ds at 30 Gs. We had good missile but they weren't great, Sukhoi being a very maneuverable fighter had easier time dodging, but those weren't very experienced pilots, barely got 100 hours of flight on their back, about 9 Bogies were hit, leaving only 3 Sukhois to fight us. One more thing we had, we were taught how to Dogfight, they weren't. Those 3 Sukhois climbed altitude and afterburned back to home. We did the same, we wouldn't have caught them anyways.

Ivan has their hand full now. We launched 60 Tomahawks, each with a 450 kg warhead, and had 22 Harpoons on the way, each with a 200 kg warhead. They were slow though, subsonic too, traveled at Mach 0.8, or 270 meters per second. The Tomahawks were very easy for the Russians to track, because they cruised at about 100 meters, which meant a 57 km radar horizon, at 270 meters per second, that gave the Russian Carrier Battle Group 210 seconds to defend against it. Luck be it to the Russians, they can launch a 3K95 Kinzhal every 3 seconds, they have 5 ships that can do that, so they can shoot 5 Kinzhals every 3 seconds, and even better for them, 3K95 Kinzhals were meant to kill Tomahawks! In less than 12 seconds, all Tomahawks have been removed. But we still had a trick up our sleeves, those Harpoons were sea skimmers, 10 meter cruise altitude, Russians didn't see it until they were 30 km out. They still had over a 100 seconds to react to them though. And react they did, they had a total of 14 AK-630s, which is what our Phalanx is a copy of, and a total of 18 Kashtans, which was like combining 2 Phalanxes with a SEA-RAM.

We shoulda knew better, even a saturation attack with 22 Harpoons and 60 Tomahawks won't cut it if they were slow as dirt. The Russians managed to take down all but 3 Harpoons, and those were the ones we shot from the Superhornets, must have caught Ivan reloading or something, the time delay got them off guard. Those Harpoons locked onto the biggest target out there at the time, the Kuznetsov. 2 Harpoons literally hit the same spot, and even with their small warhead and horrible combat history, made the same hole as that P-500 Bazalt made in the Nimitz. The other Harpoon got beat by Chaff, again.

Our CO was a pussy. He saw what the Russians did, sank the entire Battle Group and left us, the George H.W. Bush, with a three 30 foot gashes. He wanted to retreat, go back to Norfolk and get reinforcements. But we know the Russians were out of ammunition, and that they had to go home. They did start going home too, maybe that was their mission, destroy us, Carrier Strike Group 2, and go back to Moscow to a couple bottles of Vodka and lots of happy hookers. We the crew didn't want that, and we were angry. Angry that they killed our brother men, angry that they toyed with us like this, we defied orders, commandeered the ship (although pretty much the entire crew save the CO didn't want revenge), and ordered a Kamikaze attack with what's left of our Superhornet and Hornet squadrons. They were to replace their weapons officer with a Navy Seal, who would eject and board one of their ships, probably the Kuznetsov, and kill their Captain.

It was a daring plan, and it required the blood of our Fighter men. We had 1 Squadron of Hornets (the other Squadron were destroyed in the attack) and 6 Superhornets left. That means 18 planes, each carrying 6.5 to 8 tonnes of weapons and not to mention the fuel. That means at least 120 tonnes of explosives, crashing down on the Kuznetsov. Not to mention our kinetic energy, the planes were diving at Mach 1.5, weighing 23 tonnes each, lots of power there. And so we were off, cruising at 10,000 meters, we know the Russians saw us and would shoot at us, but we took that risk. 10 km from Kuznetsov, we started our dive, and then they knew what we were going to do. S-300s started firing, then Kinzhals, then Kashtans. We made no evasive maneuvers, we just kept on diving. My Wingman was the first to be hit, he got hit by a S-300FM from the Pyotr Velikiy, telephone sized SAM, blew him out of the sky, no chance to even eject. The Hornets were hit too, and they were hit hard. I'd say that I lived because Superhornets had a reduced RCS, but that didn't save everyone else. All 12 Hornets were hit by either Kinzhals or Kashtans. The ones hit by Kinzhals had a chance to bail, so were the ones that were hit by Kashtans. I think only 1 other Superhornets besides my Wingman's were hit also by S-300s. We were only 3 km out now, and this was when we were to eject, we Navy Seals.

It was a rough eject, but it was good. My Pilot, Jonathan Vikolev, wanted to serve with us to stop what horrors the Communists inflicted on him from happening to anyone else. Once I ejected, god damnit, 3 Kashtans turned their total of 6 guns, each with 6 barrels at him, and at 5,000 rounds per minute, started turning his Superhornet into Swiss cheese. The same fate was met with everyone else's Superhornets. It was either S-300s, Kinzhals, Kashtans, doesn't matter, we were desperate and this attack was idiotic at best. We did achieve two objectives, a Squad of Navy Seals has been delivered to raid the Kuznetsov, and Vikolev's Superhornet, did it's job, it crashed right on the Kuznetsov's ski ramp, turning her into a mission kill.

Their Air crew was shocked to see us. All those Green shirts, Purple Shirts, Yellow Shirts, dropped their assignments and made a run for the Control tower. It was like a turkey shoot, when our ACRs ran out of ammunition, we just switched over to our Beretta. Didn't even have to double tap, one shot, brain stem, dead man. Our Demolition Expert, Mack Lee, set up some C4s on their VLS systems, what Kinzhals they had left we were going to blow. We quickly advanced towards their Control tower, massacring everyone we saw, and soon enough, we made it to their Bridge. By that time, their Naval Spetsnaz were on our tail, so we shut the doors and locked them tight. We were surrounded too, just us, 4 SEALs, the Bridge crew, and Spetsnaz all around us. It just happened to me, we weren't going make this some cliche interrogation like in Hollywood. We started shooting all Bridge crew in their abdomens, or their knees, or their shoulders. The Commander wasn't even phased at all. He looked at me in the eyes, and said something in Russian, "Исполните заказ пятьдесят девять." Jimmy DeFallio, who was our Linguist, immediately knew what this meant, and he screamed, "Everyone, down!"

There was only a flash, then there was fire, and then, pain. I think those Spetsnaz had breached the doors with RPG-28s, which as I recall, can shoot through 1 meter of steel. Then a couple of them, shot a few GM-94 grenades at us, thermobaric grenades. Mack, Jimmy, and Enrique, who was our Support gunner, all got whacked by one of those grenades. I saw Jimmy's lungs hanging from his mouth, Mack's face wasn't recognizable, and Enrique, was, Enrique, except you can tell that he was dead. I was the only one left alive, as I had ducked behind a rather large table. The Commander got up, flicked a few pieces of dirt off his shirt, drank a shot of vodka and said, "Try harder."

Soon, they discovered where we planted our C4s, dismantled them, and discarded them. Their Commander took me to Deck, and told me to point out where the George H.W. Bush was, and surprising me, it was within our Visual horizon. He told me to look closer, so I did, and what I saw was that they actually didn't use up all of their Munitions in their initial barrage, they still had Kh-41s that could be shot from their 3 Su-33, and they did. They also used what S-300FMs they had for a Surface attack role, which they did. First thing they did we destroy whatever Aviation facilities the George H.W. Bush had left, then blew off the Air Control tower. To make matters worst, they also sent several boats full of Spetsnaz to attack the George H.W. Bush. Minutes later, to my disdain, the Spetsnaz came onboard, gave me a shot of Whiskey (and I can tell from the taste, it was my CO's whiskey), and told me to laugh.

I asked why, and he said, "Look at your ship!"

To which I said, "Where?"

And he replies with, "Exactly!"

And then, all I could see was light.
 

bd popeye

The Last Jedi
VIP Professional
Ah ha! I remember this thread. A new member,
IronsightSniper, posted a new story.. what do you story tellers/writers think??
 

bd popeye

The Last Jedi
VIP Professional
We the crew didn't want that, and we were angry. Angry that they killed our brother men, angry that they toyed with us like this, we defied orders, commandeered the ship (although pretty much the entire crew save the CO didn't want revenge), and ordered a Kamikaze attack with what's left of our Superhornet and Hornet squadrons.

Would never ever happen. Never. Not in a bazillion years. It's called mutiny or sedition. Punishable by death. And a kamikaze attack with your remaining assets? Not going to happen. Ever.

Also you had no mention of damage control efforts other than the ships were at battle stations..

Also where were the Prowlers or Growlers? They should have been jamming those Russians so they could get very few shots off.

.....just my opinion..
 

IronsightSniper

Junior Member
Well, the idea of air dropping Navy Seals via ejection seat is pretty damn ludicrous too, if I wanted to write a War analysis, I wouldn't put up that Mutiny part because that's emotions and not stats in play. So yeah, those absurd parts were for story.

As for damage control effort, no one likes to hear about firefighters! Asides from that, I didn't want to bore people talking about other people using fire extinguishers, although I could put a few lines like, "I saw my buddy mark on fire" to add some more emotions but I really wanted to get back to missile spam.

As for Prowlers/Growlers, if you want, I could always say that Su-33 shot em down prior to Missile spam :D
 
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