After a day of war, the "Grim Reaper" that appeared over the Black Sea caused shocks within NATO is far from over.

In the evening of the same day, at the office of the US Central Command in Ankara, the capital of Turkey, a joint meeting of the three services was in full swing. As the easternmost member of NATO, Turkey has always been under the responsibility of the U.S. European Command; But since the outbreak of major war in Europe and the rolling red iron stream has broken the fragile defenses of the Iberian Peninsula, the country has been temporarily placed under the command of the United States Central Command.

Judging from the current operational situation on the Black Sea and the Caucasus front, this decision is quite wise.

In the spacious and bright conference room, on the large projection screen hanging on the wall, there is a military map of 1:1.2 million; Thin red rays of light shoot out from the laser pointer, creating a wandering red flare on the projection screen.

As the air conditioner whirred, the intelligence officer sent by the local C.I.A. was detailing the latest movements of the Warsaw Pact group, and the man was wearing a shirt, trousers, and tie, forming an abrupt contrast to the large number of officers in military uniforms present. While holding a laser pointer and scribbling back and forth on the screen, while switching images from time to time, the man spat and introduced the general shape of the current Caucasian theater of operations, and then sat down and left time for the military explainer.

"Well, ahem......"

As Air Force General Clarke, who was sitting at the top of the table, gestured, a dark-skinned major general next to him opened his paper folder and cleared his throat before speaking, as if he was a little unconfident about what he was going to say:

"Colleagues, the progress of the air strike over the past week. The article sent to you has very detailed statistics and analysis. Next. I would like to briefly report on the incident that took place today. Kindness...... About the reappearance of 'Viktor Rezenov' in the Caucasus. ”

"Hmph-,"

As the major general's words landed, the middle-aged general in army uniform, sitting on the other side of the long table, snorted,

"You're talking about that 'Caucasian Grim Reaper', who appeared in the war zone again?"

Hearing the rude questioning of his colleague, the major general seemed a little embarrassed, but could only respond without a temper:

"Yes. In today's encounter over the Black Sea, we lost a total of six fighters, and the search and rescue of the parachuted pilot is still ongoing. Synthesis of reports from various parties. In particular, Lieutenant Colonel Johnson of the Eighth Wing testified that we were almost certain that the encounter was the work of the 'Caucasian Grim Reaper', and that the reappearance of the Russian ace who had caused great trouble for more than half a month was not good news for us. ”

"Oh, I think that's the same."

Hearing the weak statement of the air force, it seemed that he had been beaten by the unscrupulous Russian ace in the sky, and Rear Admiral Lawrence, who had come all the way from the aircraft carrier to attend the joint meeting of the three services, lightly echoed the remarks.

After the last joint operation in which Vice Admiral Mark Mitchell was responsible for the deployment of dozens of fighters of the Navy and Air Force, but still failed to solve the "Reaper", the Navy no longer has much confidence in the Air Force's command and coordination capabilities and the combat effectiveness of its pilots, or its own pilots. To put it bluntly, the current Major General Lawrence is soberly aware. In the huge combat sequence of the US Navy and Air Force, there is not even one ace pilot who can match the "Grim Reaper"; And if you still want to rely on wolf pack tactics and flood the Russians with an overwhelming sea of machines-

Come on. The last fiasco in the Caucasus, the brutal reality of the loss of a dozen fighters, was enough to discourage anyone from continuing to gamble!

Thinking of this, Lawrence did not question angrily like his army colleagues who were about to go on the battlefield but still couldn't ensure the safety of their heads, but just asked a very realistic question with a calm face:

"General Clark, the command has given instructions to the Navy to launch a large-scale amphibious assault in the direction of the Black Sea in conjunction with the Army's 'pincer offensive' that will soon be launched, and to coordinate the operations of ground forces through the landing of naval vessels, helicopter landings, and long-range fire support.

But the problem now is this: without strong cover from the air force, frankly speaking, the Navy's aircraft carriers will not be able to pass through the Turkish straits, which are already controlled by Russian shore-based anti-ship missiles; Without the strong cover of the fighter units, we do not have the confidence to launch an offensive directly and complete the mission under the intensive fire of the Russians. ”

"- So are we! In the face of the heavy clusters of Russian troops in South-Eastern Europe and the Caucasus, with a ground offensive alone, I do not believe that the Turks will use their lives as hard as our lads; If sufficient air pressure is not maintained to block the Russians' tactical strike aircraft from the battle line, the so-called 'two-week advance to the northern shore of the Black Sea' is just empty talk! ”

"Okay, okay! Gentlemen. ”

Some of them raised their hands and rubbed their temples, and General Clark waved his hand impatiently, telling his colleagues to stop these meaningless complaints and accusations for a while. Taking off his glasses and looking at the straight-clad generals at the long table, he suddenly felt that this scene was very funny, these battlefield veterans who also swore under the Star-Spangled flag, and their subordinates who were waiting for their backs, had now reached the point where they would not fight without air support?

If that's the case, it's a lot worse than the Russians they have always looked down on!

Moreover, what is meant by "providing strong cover" -- the general flipped through the printed records in front of him, and NATO tactical air force had lost nearly 200 fighters and almost the same number of air crews in the Caucasus in the last month, while the Russian air power was still as active as ever, with little sign of being suppressed.

Thinking that in the Middle East, which is not far from Ankara, the general was almost distracted for a while, and he recalled the "Desert Storm" operation five years ago, and how good it would be if this opponent had been like the Saddam regime and allowed them to completely gain air supremacy on the battlefield in just one week.

Admittedly, in the face of a strong, grumpy polar bear, this thought is indeed a pipe dream; But in the face of the groundless accusations of his colleagues, the general immediately responded firmly:

"The instructions from the Pentagon are clear to all of us here. Personally, then, I agree with you: a simultaneous large-scale offensive from the Turkish Straits and the Caucasus Corridor will depend not only on the efforts of my naval colleagues,"

Speaking of which, the general glanced at Major General Lawrence, who was expressionless,

"It is all the more necessary for the Air Force to give strong guarantees to ensure that air supremacy in the theater is obtained and maintained at the beginning of the campaign; As for the next step of the Air Force's operational arrangements, we can contact my adjutant in the follow-up consultation talks. (To be continued......)