Cold Warriors: The Essex Class in the Cold War

[SSgtC]

June 26, 1957
Bombay, India

Russi Karanjia gave the final approval for the latest issue of his tabloid, Blitz. The front page was emblazoned with a photograph of Indonesian President Sukarno. The headline, which was splashed across the cover read, The Plot to Overthrow Sukarno. Russi had a very good source on this, the Cultural Attache from the Russian Consulate. While he pretended not to know that the "Cultural Attache" was actually a spy, he didn't become one of the leading investigative journalists in India by being stupid. And the man gave him some absolute gold to publish.

And this story about the United States plotting the overthrow of Sukarno was a bombshell. His readers would devour it. And it would hopefully shame the United States into not overthrowing yet another country. The United States was not well liked in this part of the world. They tended to try and throw their weight around too much for his taste and the tastes of his readers. He knew that the Soviet Union was using his paper to advance their own agenda. But their agenda tended to align with his own. Particularly in regard to some of the exposes that he was able to publish.

And this story tomorrow was sure to boost his readership. He had already ordered more copies than usual printed. How he wished he could see the look on the American President's face when he realized his carefully planned secret mission was exposed for all to see.

 

[SSgtC]

June 28, 1957
Langley, VA, USA

Heads were rolling at the CIA. The operation to overthrow Sukarno had only been approved a week previously and already the full details of the operation had been published in a KGB controlled tabloid. Hard questions were being asked in the Directorate of Plans about just how in the hell the Soviets had already found out about this. Several people had suggested canceling the operation outright as it would not have a prayer of succeeding now. Those people were overruled. The operation would continue. Though consideration was given to changing certain aspects of it to increase the odds of it succeeding.

 

[Icefox]

Huh I guess the KGB really WAS the better spy organization

 

[SSgtC]

Huh I guess the KGB really WAS the better spy organization

Click to shrink...

This is actually slowed down from OTL. In OTL, the KGB knew about the plot to overthrow Sukarno three days after Eisenhower ordered it. The story was also published in Blitz in OTL as well.

 

[Icefox]

Holy crap the CIA sucks!!

 

[AntonioCC]

Holy crap the CIA sucks!!

Click to shrink...

Do you remember teh plans to kill Castro that were straight out from a bad spy novel? Exploding and poisoned cigars, ballpoint pell with a hidden hypodermic syringe (full of poison, obviously), or the less lethal attempt including thallium poisoning and LSD in his radio studio.

 

[SSgtC]

July 2, 1957
Central Sumatra, Indonesia

Filipino CIA paramilitary officers met with Colonels Hussein and Sumual to begin assisting them in their planned rebellion against the government of President Sukarno. Filipino officers were chosen as they would be able to better blend in with the general populace. The first order of business was setting up training camps for the men under the Colonels' command.

The second was working out how to equip and supply those forces. The need for modern small arms, light artillery and combat aircraft was acute if the rebellion was to have any chance at all of succeeding. The CIA Operatives had a list of equipment that the CIA could provide, most of it taken from American "boneyards" in the Southwestern United States.

The final point was "preparing the battlespace," by conducting psychological warfare. The CIA would finance and set up radio stations throughout Indonesia to broadcast anti-Sukarno propaganda. It was hoped that the rebels would be able to conduct a successful campaign against the government within the next six months to a year.

 

[SSgtC]

July 3, 1957
Den Helder Naval Base, North Holland, Netherlands

The destroyers Gelderland and Friesland depart for West New Guinea. They are the first reinforcements being sent to the island. Though officially stationed in West New Guinea for the duration of their deployment, both ships are expected to make several good will port visits to Australia, New Zealand, Malaya, the Philippines and Thailand. A request for a port visit to Indonesia was flatly refused by the Indonesian authorities.

 

[SSgtC]

July 15, 1957
Tucson, AZ, USA

The twin Wright R-2600 radial engines roared to life for the first time since 1949. The Douglas A-20G Havoc light bomber had been retired from American service eight years earlier. But it was a rugged and simple design and would provide good service to the Indonesian rebels. The particular aircraft was only the first one to be overhauled and returned to service. Nineteen more were also being sent to the Indonesian island of Sulawesi to equip the Rebel force. The CIA had originally planned on sending a different Douglas product, the A-26 Invader. But a shortage of suitable airframes led to the selection of the nearly as capable Havoc being chosen instead.

In another section of the boneyard at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, a single Pratt & Whitney R-2800 turned over and began to rumble. The Republic P-47 Thunderbolt, known as the Jug by its crews, was another of the aircraft being supplied to the rebel force. Though outdated, the CIA had a very poor opinion of the Indonesian Air Force and felt that the Thunderbolt would be more than suitable for the Rebels.

 

[SSgtC]

July 20, 1957
Sulawesi and Sumatra, Indonesia

The first two anti-Sukarno radio stations begin broadcasting in Indonesia. Set up with funding and equipment provided by the CIA, the stations will broadcast their message twenty-fours a day. Beginning with only a small number of listeners, the stations on Sulawesi and Central Sumatra quickly begin to gain popularity. The mix of popular Indonesian and Malayan music with the occasional American song ensured more people began to listen to the rebel stations over Radio Republik Indonesia. And as the popularity of the two stations grew, so did their anti-Sukarno message.

In Jakarta, President Sukarno was furious. All he wanted was what was best for his country. He had tried negotiating with the Rebel forces and finding a common ground with them. While they may disagree on the best path to take get there, they all wanted what was best for Indonesia. And that he could respect. But this was a bridge too far. Calling for General Nassution to join him in his office, the President and the Commanding General of Indonesia's military began to explore their options.

 

[SSgtC]

July 28, 1957
Port of Tanjung Perak, East Java, Indonesia

The Soviet Freighter MV Admiral Ushakov arrives in Indonesia carrying the first eight crated MiG-15 trainers for the Indonesian Air Force. The crated aircraft, along with their associated spare parts, are loaded onto trucks for the short trip to Iswahyudi Air Force Base where they will be assembled primarily by Soviet technicians with the Indonesian personnel learning on the job. The first equipment for the Indonesian Ground Controled Intercept stations is also delivered, with the first set being trucked to Iswahyudi along with the aircraft. In addition to the military cargo, the ship also carries Soviet consumer goods and manufactured products. A return cargo of rubber, tin and copper is reloaded into the Admiral Ushakov for her return voyage to Vladivostok. Given the increasingly close relationship between the Soviet Union and Indonesia, the Admiral Ushakov will spend significant amounts of her life plying the trade routes between Russia and the islands of Indonesia.

 

[SSgtC]

August 1, 1957
Sulawesi, Indonesia

Major General Suharto met with Colonels Hussein and Sumal. As the representative of the Government in Jakarta, he was there to make one last ditch effort to bring the rebel officers back into the fold. He was there because he could sympathize with the rebellious Colonels nationalist views. Like them, he had no love of the Communists. But the Soviet Union was one of the only countries willing to support them in their anti-imperialist claims. Particularly in regard to West Irian and Malaya. So he was willing to work with them. A case of the enemy of my enemy, is my friend.

Now if only he could convince these men of that. His offer was straight forward. The government in Jakarta would make a greater effort to develop some of the more outlying islands like Sulawesi and Sumatra instead of concentrating so much on Java. The Officers would receive amnesty and be allowed to honorably retire with a full pension. The common soldiers under them would also be granted amnesty and would be allowed to continue with their careers with no negative repercussions. And the government would reevaluate their relationship with the Soviet Union once the West Irian situation was resolved. But if they refused, no mercy would be shown to them and the Government would order in the Army to burn them out, root and stem.

The offer by General Suharto was turned down. The rebel officers were sure of their cause and their abilities to win through to ultimate victory. They were so sure of the outcome, that they made a counter-offer. They offered to have General Suharto join them in their cause. In nearly any capacity he wished. The nascent rebellion could use a man of his skills. Either as a military commander, or as their man inside the government to inform them of how the military intended to respond them. Like General Suharto's offer to them, their offer to him was refused. Suharto would not turn his back on his government.

 

[SSgtC]

August 5, 1957
Iswahyudi Air Force Base, East Java, Indonesia

Colonel Sutyagin smiles under his oxygen mask as he takes the first of the completed MiG-15s into the air. The stick felt good in his hand as the trainer rocketed up into the sky. Perhaps the combat take-off was a bit much on what was supposed to be a check flight to make sure everything worked on the aircraft, but he just couldn't resist showing off a little bit. Leveling the MiG off at ten thousand meters, he began running down his checklist and verifying system functionality.

Two and a half hours later, Nikolai gently set the fighter down on runway 17R and taxied to the hanger. The technicians had done well. His gripe list was actually fairly short. With luck, they could make the few repairs needed in short order and they could begin training the Indonesians in proper Soviet tactics. And as the ground crew assembled more aircraft they would hopefully get better at it and take less time while making fewer errors.

 

[SSgtC]

August 7, 1957
Iswahyudi Air Force Base, East Java, Indonesia

The first and second MiG-15s launched into the still morning air of East Java. This is the second flight for the first trainer, meant only to verify that Colonel Sutyagin's gripe sheet had been cleared, while it is the first flight for the second trainer. At the controls of the second aircraft is Captain Saleh Basarah while Major Siskov was in the rear seat as both an instructor and safety pilot in case the Indonesian Captain was unable to complete the aircraft's check flight.

Captain Basarah was the first Indonesian pilot to complete the ground syllabus for the MiG-15 and had been given the honor of taking the second MiG off the ground for the first time. As Captain Basarah began running down the checklist for the newly assembled aircraft, Major Siskov quickly came to the realization that the Indonesian pilot in the front seat was a complete professional and a natural born pilot.

Unlike the day before, the gripe sheet from this flight is considerably longer. Included on the sheet is a potentially fatal flaw. The rear controls of the trainer failed during the flight. Fortunately for both Major Siskov and Captain Basarah, the front controls continued functioning while they two men executed an emergency decent and returned to base.

 

[SSgtC]

August 13, 1957
Washington, DC, USA

In a hearing before the Senate Appropriations Committee, Secretary of Defense Charles Wilson, Secretary of the Navy Thomas Gates and the Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Arleigh Burke are arguing for Congress to approve a second Enterprise class carrier following the loss of Independence in New York. The committee is not entirely opposed to the idea of ordering a second carrier, but they do present several serious reservations over ordering two ships of a brand new and unproven type at the same time. Several hours are spent showcasing the possible benefits of a two carrier buy, chief among them are the proposed reductions in prices that Newport News Shipbuilding believes they can achieve from building two carriers nearly simultaneously. The hearing concludes on a positive note though the Committee tells the three men before them that they do need to study the proposal more before approving it.

 

[SSgtC]

August 18, 1957
Washington, DC, USA

In a second hearing before the Senate Appropriations committee and with the Senate Armed Services Committee also present, Secretaries Wilson and Gates and Admiral Burke are offered a compromise. The two Senate committees will approve a two carrier buy of the first two Enterprise class if the Navy will agree to cutbacks elsewhere. In particular, the decommissioning of older ships. The unmodernized Essex class in particular.

After spending the day in discussions, and making several requests to have information sent to the Capitol from the Pentagon, an agreement is reached. The Navy will mothball two of their Essex class ships early in exchange for a second nuclear carrier. For the first time since he was informed of the fire on Independence, Admiral Burke was happy with the state of his fleet.

 

[SSgtC]

August 19, 1957
Iswahyudi Air Force Base, East Java, Indonesia

The last of the initial batch of MiG-15UTIs takes it maiden flight. After the near-fatal mishap on the 7th, Colonel Sutyagin ordered every trainer to be inspected from top to bottom by the senior Soviet technicians to ensure nothing was missed. Fortunately for both the Indonesian and Soviet technicians, no further in flight mishaps occurred. The senior technicians however did discover three further problems in two of the nearly completed aircraft that, had they taken to the sky, would have likely resulted in the loss of the aircraft.

After that particularly nasty discovery, Colonel Sutyagin ordered further training and instruction of the Indonesian maintenance personnel. He also quietly ordered his technicians to pay more attention to what the Indonesian techs were doing to try and catch problems before an aircraft was fully assembled.

 

[SSgtC]

August 19, 1957
Amsterdam, New Holland, Netherlands

322 Squadron departs Holland for West New Guinea. The squadron is being permanently transferred to the island and as such, the families of the men assigned to the squadron are traveling with them aboard the chartered liner SS Nieuw Amsterdam. The squadron's aircraft and other equipment had been loaded aboard the freighter SS Stad Maassluis for shipment. The 6,700 Gross Register Ton freighter was considerably slower than the Nieuw Amsterdam and as such, the chartered liner would arrive in New Guinea more than a week earlier than the freighter carrying the squadron's equipment. This would give the men of the squadron time to prepare for the arrival of their aircraft at their new home of Mokmer Airfield on Biak. While the Dutch government would have far preferred shipping the fighters of the squadron on their aircraft carrier Karel Doorman, she was currently in drydock receiving a comprehensive overhaul to enable her to operate fast jets.

 

[SSgtC]

August 23, 1957
Norfolk, VA, USA

USS Lake Champlain is eased into dry dock in Norfolk, VA. Her planned, then cancelled, then reauthorized SCB-125A refit is scheduled to take between twenty-four and twenty-six months. After which, she would emerge with an aluminum clad angled flight deck, enclosed hurricane bow, steam catapults and an enlarged forward elevator among other changes.

Air Task Group 182, currently serving as Lake Champlain's Air Group is disestablished concurrent with Lake Champlain's move into drydock. The squadrons that the ATG had "borrowed" are returned to the operational control of their parent Carrier Air Groups. Lake Champlain would have no need of them for the foreseeable future.

 

[SSgtC]

August 25, 1957
Port of Tanjung Perak, East Java, Indonesia

The Chinese flagged cargo ship SS Sheng Neng arrives at the Port of Tanjung Perak. In her holds she has numerous light industrial products, rice and the first six crated Shenyang F-5 fighters for the Indonesian Air Force. The fighters are the first thing offloaded onto trucks and quickly sent to Iswahyudi Airbase for assembly. Chinese and Soviet technicians are present at the airbase to train the Indonesian ground crews on how to assemble and service the new aircraft.

 

[SSgtC]

September 1, 1957
Washington, DC, USA

In an effort to reduce costs after reauthorizing Lake Champlain's SCB-125A refit, and as part of the deal negotiated with Congress to get a second Enterprise class carrier ordered, the US Navy announces that USS Leyte (CVS-32) will be decommissioned following the completion of her current deployment to the Mediterranean. Upon her return to her home port of Quonset Point, RI she will offload stores and then sail to the Brooklyn Navy Yard for her preinactivation overhaul.

Authors Note: In OTL, Leyte was not decommissioned until 1959.

 

[SSgtC]

September 5, 1957
Clark Air Base, Luzon, Philippines

Allen Pope completed his walk around of the Douglas A-20 that had just been reassembled at the large American Air Force Base. He had been recalled from his previous assignment in Vietnam and ordered to the Philippines to take part in a covert CIA operation to support the Indonesian rebels. His part in that would be flying the Havoc to attack government targets as directed by the Permesta rebels.

Unlike the other aircraft on the flight line at Clark which were all clearly identified as US Air Force aircraft, his aircraft was painted a matte black and all it's identifying markings had been obscured. This was not his first rodeo for the CIA. He knew that this was an operation that would never see the light of day if it was performed properly. He could live with that. It was also not his first introduction to combat. He had flown numerous bombing missions over Korea during his service in the Air Force. Now he would be doing the same for the CIA. Though now, his mission also included training Indonesian pilots to fly the aircraft themselves.

Strapping into the cockpit, he turned the twin engines over and let them warm up before taxing to runway 02R. Easing the throttles forward to send the light bomber hurtling down the runway in the late afternoon sun, he carefully watched his airspeed increase to the point where he could lift his aircraft's nose off the runway and take to the air. Leaving the ground behind him, Allen climbed into the sky and felt the freedom of flight once again.

Two hours later, having completed his check flight, he gently set the old bomber down on the runway and returned it to the disused hanger that the CIA had appropriated for their use. He had no complaints about the condition of the aircraft. When the time came, he would be flying this aircraft to a rebel held airfield on Sulawesi and commencing bombing missions for the CIA.

 

[SSgtC]

September 8, 1957
Port of Tanjung Perak, East Java, Indonesia

The now familiar sight of the Admiral Ushakov once again enters the busy East Javan port. Aboard are the final twelve MiG-15UTI trainers. The first dozen jets are already flying with the Indonesian Air Force, training their pilots in modern aerial combat. Also aboard is a single crated MiG-19PM. The brand new missile armed fighter is a demonstration unit intended to entice Indonesia into buying the new supersonic aircraft. Two of her missiles are also onboard the Soviet Freighter. The Kaliningrad K-5 beam riding missile was no star performer. But against bombers like the Australian Canberras and New Zealand Avengers, they were deadly. If purchased, the MiG-19 would become the first supersonic fighter in service with any country in the Southwest Pacific.

 

[SSgtC]

September 12, 1957
Iswahyudi Air Force Base, East Java, Indonesia

Four aircraft were forming a classic "string of pearls" as they lined up at two mile intervals while approaching the runway for landing. The twin engine aircraft were completing a ferry flight that had started days earlier in Irkutsk, Russia. As the aircraft touched down one after another, they quickly exited the runway and taxied to the prepared hangers where they were met by the Soviet training detachment and their Indonesian students. Servicing of the aircraft began at once. In the morning, the four planes would be officially transferred to the Indonesian Air Force.

From a control room high up in one of the hangers, President Sukarno smiled. His country now had to means to directly attack the damn Dutch on West Irian. Soon, they would have a full squadron of the aircraft he saw below him. As the lights shined down on the flight of four light bombers, Soviet and Indonesian ground crew started the process of replacing the Soviet Red Star with a red Indonesian roundel on the IL-28s that would soon constitute the striking arm of the Indonesian Air Force.

 

[SSgtC]

September 21, 1957
Iswahyudi Air Force Base, East Java, Indonesia

The first completed Shenyang F-5 leaves the runway at Iswahyudi. Unlike the Soviets who sent a large training detachment led by a full Colonel, the Chinese training detachment is significantly smaller. Also unlike the Soviet detachment, the first flight is not being made by the detachment commander, but by Senior Officer (Captain) Zhao Baotong. The Major commanding the detachment had good reason for this though. Shang wei Zhao was an ace of the Korean War with nine kills to his name, the highest scoring pilot of the Peoples Liberation Army Air Force. He had also been trained as a test pilot after the war, so was the ideal man to test a newly assembled fighter.

As Shang wei Zhao put his newly reassembled Fresco through its paces and ran down the checklist to ensure everything had been put back together satisfactorily, he looked out over the vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean from his cockpit at ten thousand meters and savored the view. Indonesia sure as hell beat Korea when it came to foreign postings. He was honored that he had been chosen to be part of the training detachment.