Initiative (The Red Gambit Series Book 6) Read Online Free PDF

Tibbets’ words, so he stopped and let his boys have their moment.
    The noise subsided gradually, as senior aircrew called the rest to order.
    “We go on Wednesday 29th. You all know the mission profile… this is what we’ve been training for… and soon it all comes good.”
    He nodded at his Intelligence officer to start.
    Lieutenant Colonel Hazen Payette, the 509th Composite’s intelligence officer, pulled back the red cover, revealing the map, with its taped routes and targets clear in the eye of every man present.
    As he spoke, occasionally pointing at the map, notes were taken, even by those who were not tasked for Mission 17, just in case a failure or a loss promoted them to participating in the greatest bombing raid in history.
    Hazen drew their attention to the new fighter aircraft that had wounded and killed men from other units in the 313th Bombardment Wing the day beforehand.
    “Intelligence suggests that they’re Nakajima 87’s, a specialised high-altitude interceptor. Seems like 679th Bombardment Squadron also had a run-in a couple of days beforehand.”
    No one stated the obvious about the lack of intelligence communications on the matter.
    “Anyway, they don’t seem to have many of them, but they’re bad news for sure. The powers-that-be’ve upgraded our fighter support, and three squadrons of long-range Mustangs, not one, will be staging out of our foothold on Taiwan to escort you all the way in and out.”
    Nods gave the seal of approval to the upgrade in fighter protection.
    Hazen finished up and ceded the floor to Colonel Tibbets.
    “Final mission allocation, gentlemen.”
    He pulled aside the black cloth, revealing the aircraft assigned to which task.
    There were whoops and groans, depending on the job allocated, the deeper groans from those whose call sign was not on display and therefore had no role in Special mission 17.
    Major JP Crail spoke to his boys through the hubbub of joy and disappointment.
    “At least we get to fly, boys. And who knows, eh?”
    There were three possible targets for the mission, a situation brought about by the unpredictable nature of Japanese weather. The alternates were listed, should there be obscuration issues over target number one.
    Hiroshima.
    The B-29 could bomb by radar, but the mission parameters required a visual drop.
    Hiroshima and the two alternates, Kokura and Nagasaki, each had a weather assessment aircraft assigned, the three B-29 crews happy to be involved, but restrained because they had no active role to play.
    Dimples 85, 71, and 83 were assigned to Hiroshima, Nagasaki, and Kokura, each aircraft recorded by their nose name, as ‘Straight Flush’, ‘Jabit III’, and ‘Full House’ respectively.
    Dimples 89, ‘The Great Artiste’, was slated for the bombing group, its blast measuring gear there to record what happened when the mission hit the target.
    ‘Necessary Evil’, call sign Dimples 91, was also in the bomb group, included as official observation and photography unit.
    Tibbets would take ‘Enola Gay’, Dimples 82, and carry the Atomic bomb, serial number L-11, as primary strike aircraft on the mission.
    Which left Crail and his crew, in Dimples 98, who would be armed with L-9, a fully operational device that they would take into the air and bring back home, unless Tibbets and Enola Gay fell by the wayside.
    Crail smiled across at Eddie Costello of ‘Laggin Dragon’, who was not rostered to play any part.
    The hurt in his friend’s eyes gave him a moment’s pause.
    In the background, he heard the ‘dismiss’, which was underlined by the scrape of chairs as men rose up.
    He nodded sympathetically to Costello and brought his attention back to his disappointed crew.
    “Could be worse, guys,” he inclined his head towards the silent crew of the ‘Dragon’.
    “Now, let’s grab some chow.”
     

     
    Crail’s crew were a quality team, brought together by their excellence at their individual crafts, and welded into a