Free Target 5 by Colin Forbes

message a second time. Americans preparing . . . over polar pack . .. general area Target-5 . .. Beaumont going in over ice to meet target . . . American planes Curtis Field . . . Beaumont force ...
    Without a word the Siberian stood up, strode out of his room into the office next door where the American tele printer was still chattering away, spewing out a stream of reports from Soviet bases spread out across the Arctic. Be hind chromium-leg desks four men were working away on reports and answering telephones. Papanin took a small curved pipe from his tunic pocket and started filling it from an old pouch as he stared up at the wall map.
    It was not unlike the huge wall map in Gen Dawes's office, but here the Arctic was seen from a different angle: the Russian coast low down, near the floor, the distant coasts of Greenland and Canada and Alaska high up near the ceiling. 'There is Curtis Field,' he said to Kramer, pointing with his pipe-stem to the airfield on the Greenland coast nearest to Target-5- He called to one of the men behind the desks. 'Petrov, fill me in on the position of the ships in this area ...'
    'The trawler fleet k49, sir?'
    'That will do for a start.'
    'As you see, it's a long way north of Iceland at the moment, but it's heading south now - to watch the NATO sea exercise Sea Lion, There are twelve ships - all equipped with the normal electronic gear ...'
    'Including wireless-jamming apparatus?'
    'Yes, sir. The helicopter carrier Gorki west of Spitsbergen has also turned south with the same mission ..,'
    'What about the Revolution? It's the closest vessel to Ice berg Alley.'
    'She'll be there for several weeks - she's tracking American satellites.'
    'This American vessel . .,' Papanin's pipe-stem stabbed at a marker higher up.
    'The American icebreaker Elroy, sir. We've just moved her position, less than an hour ago. She was heading south and now she's turned due north again - a helicopter from the Gorki saw her.'
    'Thank you.' Papanin was always polite to junior members of his staff: the more senior men like Kramer could look after themselves. He marched straight back inside his office and went behind his desk. His normally explosive manner had gone and when he issued the dramatic order to the Bait his voice was quiet and calm.
    'Order a state of alert throughout the entire Arctic Zone. Every coastal base, every airfield, every ice island - includ ing those off the Alaska coast. Radio Murmansk that I want a Bison bomber standing by night and day, fully tanked up. Warn Leningrad airport to have a plane ready to fly me to Murmansk at one hour's notice ...'
    'I clear this with Moscow first, of course . ..'
    'Send Vronsky and his special security detachment to Murmansk - they must be in the air in thirty minutes ...'
    'Surely we must refer this to Moscow?'
    'The detachment will wear civilian clothes and will be fully armed with personal weapons. Bring me the latest met reports of the Target-5 area ...'
    'Without reference to Moscow, sir? Operations on this scale need General Syrtov's approval.'
    Papanin removed the pipe he had just placed in his wide mouth. 'You don't understand any of this, do you, Comrade? You can't stand the pressure of having two large holes to look into at the same time, can you?'
    'Crocodile's message doesn't make sense ...'
    'It does, if you know Crocodile. The Americans are planning some big operation near their floating base, Target-5-They are using the code-word Beaumont for the operation. We have to get in our opening gambit first.'
    'You still want Peter Gorov brought here from Tallinn?'
    'Of course.' Papanin relit his pipe, watching Kramer. 'That is a separate problem. And now,' he went on with out any change of tone, 'get the bloody lead out of your boots.'

    Curtis Field stands on top of a three hundred foot high cliff rising sheer from the east Greenland coast. It is debatable whether flying in or out is the more chilling experience - but probably the latter is worse. The plane