in the middle. That’s the only place where, at high tide, the channel is deep enough for the attack transports.”
“Okay,” Howe said after he’d studied the map a moment.
“The channel there is within artillery range of guns on either island,” Taylor finished.
“Which means they’d have to be taken out before the attack transports—or anything else—could use the channel? ” Pickering asked, but it was really a statement rather than a question.
“And taking them out would be a pretty good signal of our intentions, wouldn’t it?” Howe said, thoughtfully.
“Yonghung-do, Paega-do, and all these islands east of there are held by the North Koreans,” Taylor said, pointing.
“And west of there?” McCoy asked. It was the first question he had asked.
“The South Korean national police holds them,” Taylor said. “I don’t mean . . .”
“You said ‘police’?” General Howe asked.
“Yes, sir. They hold the major islands, sir, is what I mean. They don’t have people on every island.”
“The front, the battle line, is way down the peninsula, almost to Pusan,” Howe said. “Why don’t the North Koreans at least try to run the South Koreans off those islands?”
“I can only guess, sir, that they don’t consider them a major threat; that they’re waiting until they take Pusan. Once that happens, they’ll have the means to clean up—”
“Hey,” McCoy said. “They’re not going to take Pusan.”
“They’re not?” Taylor asked, dubiously.
“The Marines have landed, haven’t you heard?”
“You really think the Marines can hold Pusan, McCoy?” General Howe asked. “Or are you just parroting the official Marine Corps line?”
“Not by themselves, sir, I didn’t mean to suggest that. But if they can help the Army hold on to it a little longer, until the Army can get some more troops in there . . . The last prisoners Ernie and I talked to not only looked beat, but admitted they were running out of food, ammunition— everything. That’s a long supply line they’re running.”
“Why should the Marines do any better than the Army has? It looks to me like the more men the Army sends to Korea, the further Eighth Army has to retreat.”
“Sir, most of the Provisional Brigade officers and non-coms have combat experience in the Second War. And—at least down to company level—they’ve trained together.”
“How do you know that?”
“General Craig told me, sir.”
“The Provisional Brigade commander?”
“Yes, sir.”
“You two had a little chat? In my experience—and remember, Captain, I used to be Captain Howe—generals don’t have many conversations with captains.”
“You’re having one right now, General,” General Pickering said.
“Point taken,” Howe said, with a smile.
“I spoke with General Craig in San Diego, sir,” McCoy said. “When the brigade was getting on the transports, and yesterday . . .” He paused. “Yeah, that was only yesterday. It seems a lot longer. I saw General Craig and the brigade debarking in Pusan.”
Howe looked at him.
“You were about to say something else,” he said. “Say it.”
“The Marines in the Brigade looked like . . . Marines, sir.”
“You mean they looked to you as if they could fight?”
“Yes, sir,” McCoy said.
“Well, let’s hope you’re right, McCoy,” General Howe said. “Now, where were we?”
“You were talking about the islands from which artillery could be brought to bear on the invasion fleet,” General Pickering said.
“Right,” Howe said. “So what does General MacArthur plan to do about them?”
“I believe the current plan is to take them on D Minus One, sir,” Lieutenant Taylor said.
“You mean twenty-four hours before the actual landing at Inchon?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Which would certainly tell the North Koreans we were going to land at Inchon, and give them twenty-four hours to bring up reinforcements, right?”
“Yes, sir,” Taylor said.
“Nobody had a better idea than that?” Howe asked.
“Sir,” Taylor said, and stopped.
“Go on,” Howe ordered.
“Sir, I’ve given that some thought—”
“You have an idea, ideas?”
“Yes, sir,” Taylor said. “I think it would be possible—”
Howe stopped him by holding up his hand.
“Not now,” he said. “Later.”
“Yes, sir.”
“No, I mean later. I want to hear them. But right now, I have to send the President what I have so far about MacArthur’s idea to land two divisions of men he doesn’t have some place where an invasion can be held on only one or two days a month, and where the tides are thirty feet. Let’s go, Charley, and you, too, Keller.”
He got to his feet, gestured for the others to keep their seats, and walked out of the room, with Master Sergeants Rogers and Keller on his heels.
“Taylor,” General Pickering asked, “these ideas of yours, have you put them on paper?”