Retreat, Hell! Part 23

Smith grunted.

"In terrain like that of northeast Korea, General," Smith said, "cohesion of your forces is critical. You can't string them out, and, worse, you can't outrun your logistics."

"I know. I had a division in Italy. It's hard to get ammunition-not to mention hot rations-up the side of a mountain in a snowstorm."

"So, I understand General Almond had a division in Italy," Smith said. "And in the presumption that General Almond learned what you did there, and will not issue orders requiring me to separate elements of the division, or order me to move so far or so fast that my ration and ammo trains will be strained, I have no objection to the Marines going ash.o.r.e at Wonsan. Or anywhere else they think we can do the job."

"Thank you," Howe said. "That will not go further than Pickering and the President."

"G.o.d, I hate canned peaches," Smith said, holding a peach half aloft on his fork.

"I hate to admit this, but I'm getting to like the Salisbury steak," Howe said.

"You've been here too long, General," Smith said, chuckling.

"You ever see McCoy?" Smith asked.

"Frequently."

"When you see him, ask him, please-tell him I told you to ask-what, if anything, I can do to help him."

"I will, of course, but he will say, 'Thank you, sir, I have everything I need.' "

Smith looked at him for a moment. "Why do I think something went unsaid, General?" he asked.

"General, does Baker Company, 5th Marines, ring a bell?" Howe asked.

"Yes. They're the people who were the reserve for the clandestine operation on the Flying Fish Channel Islands."

"They're now at K-14, guarding a couple of secret Army helicopters."

"Secret Army helicopters?" Smith parroted incredulously. "Almond asked me if he could have them for a couple of days. I said, 'Yes, sir.' I didn't know what they would be doing."

"McCoy doesn't have enough people," Howe said.

"Is that what he's doing now, guarding secret Army helicopters?"

"I meant for his intelligence activities, and looking for Major Pickering."

"He tell you that?"

"That's my opinion."

"And he asked for these people?"

"No."

Smith grunted, then raised his voice. "Gunny!"

Master Gunnery Sergeant Macey came through the canvas flap.

"Sir?"

"Baker Company, 5th Marines," Smith said.

"They're in Division Special Reserve, sir. They're the people who were detached when we left the Perimeter-"

"I know," Smith cut him off. "Tell the G-3 they are to remain in Special Reserve until released by me, personally."

"Aye, aye, sir."

"And send a messenger to the company commander . . . Where did you say they were, General Howe?"

"In a hangar across from base operations at K-14," Howe furnished.

". . . that, until further orders from me to the contrary, he will take his orders from Major McCoy. He knows who he is."

"Aye, aye, sir."

[FIVE].

THE HOUSE SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA 1625 30 SEPTEMBER 1950.

Major Alex Donald, who was in the act of extending his hand to take a crystal whiskey gla.s.s full of beer from a tray extended to him by a middle-aged Korean woman, was surprised when Majors McCoy and Dunston, Master Gunner Zimmerman, and Technical Sergeant Jennings suddenly rose to their feet and stood to attention as military men do when a senior officer suddenly appears.

This-"mansion" was the only word that fit-did not seem to be a bastion of the fine points of military courtesy and the customs of the service. And neither did its inhabitants. Technical sergeants do not normally sit around drinking with officers.

He took the gla.s.s of beer, then glanced at the door. A graying master sergeant in fatigues was coming through it. Then another man in fatigues came through, and there were two silver stars on each of his collar points.

Donald popped somewhat awkwardly to attention, the gla.s.s of beer in his hand.

"Stand at ease, gentlemen," General Ralph Howe said. He smiled and added: "We'd hoped to arrive at the c.o.c.ktail hour."

"Or at least before you drank everything," Master Sergeant Charley Rogers said.

He smiled at the Korean woman and held up two fingers. She bowed and left the room.

Howe looked curiously at Major Donald.

"General, this is Major Donald," McCoy said.

"I think we've met, haven't we, Major?" Howe asked.

"Yes, sir," Donald said. "Yesterday, at Kimpo."

"Right," Howe said, as if remembering. "You're the man with the new helicopters."

"Yes, sir."

Howe looked at McCoy for an explanation.

"General," McCoy said, "those helicopters-and Major Donald and his people-have been a.s.signed to us."

Howe pursed his lips thoughtfully.

"Interesting," he said. He looked at Donald. "How did that happen?"

Donald looked at McCoy, remembering what McCoy had said about telling anyone anything.

"You can tell General Howe, Donald. You can-and you'd better-answer anything and everything he asks."

"Sir, at Kimpo, General Almond told me that, at the direction of General MacArthur, the helicopters and everyone a.s.sociated with them were transferred to Major McCoy."

"He said, 'Transferred to Major McCoy'?"

"No, sir," Donald said. "He said the CIA. And that someone would contact me with further orders. And then Major McCoy, and these other officers, came to Kimpo."

"But he didn't say 'to Major McCoy'?"

"No, sir. I misspoke. General Almond said 'to the CIA.' "

"Interesting," Howe said. "I wonder what General MacArthur had in mind. You know anything about this, Ken? Dunston?"

Dunston said, "No, sir."

McCoy said, "Not a hint, sir."

"I presume by now, Major," Howe said to Donald, "that you have received from Major McCoy, or Major Dunston, the speech about what happens to people who talk too much?"

"Yes, sir, I have."

The Korean woman came back into the room with two crystal whiskey gla.s.ses of beer. Howe took one and raised it to Donald.

"Well, in that case, Major, welcome to the CIA and Mc-Coy's private army."

"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir."

Howe and Master Sergeant Charley Rogers exchanged glances, and both thought just about the same thing: Good. McCoy has no idea that it was arranged by Major General Ralph Howe, NGUS Good. McCoy has no idea that it was arranged by Major General Ralph Howe, NGUS.

"Can you use these aircraft, Ken?" Howe asked. "Have you given that any thought?"

"We already have, General," Zimmerman said happily. "We made a very successful raid on supply depots at Inchon in them."

McCoy flashed him a dirty look.

"And then we went looking for Pickering," McCoy said.

"Oh? How did that go?"

"We didn't find him, or any sign of him, but if we had had these helos just a week ago, I think we'd have him back. They're going to be very useful. I've already got some other ideas. Actually, sir, that's what we were about to get into when you came in. We just got back."

"I'd like to sit in on that," Howe said. "But before you get started, two important things. I've got to get a message off. General Almond told me MacArthur ordered him to reembark X Corps 'as soon as possible after Eighth Army makes it up the peninsula to Seoul.' He wants to land them on the East Coast, probably at Wonsan, and cut off the North Korean retreat northward." He paused. "I want to make sure the President knows about that."

"Sir, wouldn't General Pickering have heard about that, and sent that intel?"

"I don't know if he knows, Ken, and it's better not to a.s.sume that he does. I presume you know he's on his way to Was.h.i.+ngton?"

"No, sir, I didn't," McCoy said, and looked at Dunston, who shook his head no.

"Give Charley time to get that message off, and for the both of us to have a shower, and then we can talk about how you're planning to use the helicopters."

"Yes, sir," McCoy said.

Everyone was sitting around the table waiting for Master Sergeant Rogers to finish his shower when the Korean woman who was in charge of the radio room came in and handed McCoy a sheet of typewriter paper.

He read it, then slid it across the table to General Howe.

"From Billy Dunn," he explained to the others. "No sign, either visual or from aerial photographs, of our wanderer."

"Which does not mean he's not out there, right?" Howe said.

"No, sir, it doesn't."

"And, from what you've seen, these helicopters MacArthur gave you are going to be useful in getting him back?"

"Absolutely, sir."

Master Sergeant Rogers came into the room.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, but I thought that was important enough to wait for an acknowledgment."

"And you got one?" Howe asked.

"Keller must have been sitting on his radio," Rogers said. "He acknowledged, told us to Hold One, and then sent, 'I have acknowledgment from Camp Pendleton.' "

"Good man, Charley," Howe said. "And I'm sure Colonel Banning will make sure General Pickering sees it before he leaves the coast for Was.h.i.+ngton."

He turned to McCoy.

"Okay, Ken, tell us how you're going to use General MacArthur's helicopters."

"Aside from looking for Pickering, the first thing that comes to mind is using them to insert and extract people behind the NK lines. Maybe even other places, too. . . ."

When he sensed Howe was about to say something, McCoy stopped. Howe paused, his mouth open, and then said nothing.

". . . But before I can start seriously thinking about any of this, there's a lot I have to know."

"For example?" Howe asked.