MAYDAY! MAYDAY! - Part 3

Jamie has to report back to his original task rapidly.

 

BACK TO WORK

 

 

‘Hullo Foxtrot One this is Foxtrot Two, mission accomplished, now returning to join you, over.’ Jamie was returning from an impromptu response to help out some soldiers who were injured and awaiting death or capture at the hands of the enemy. He despatched the enemy then left the rescue helicopter to pick up the injured friendly forces. 

            ‘Foxtrot One roger, would appreciate you putting your foot down, according to my radar, we have uninvited guests, over.’

            ‘Foxtrot Two roger out,’ Jamie replied.

            Jamie warned Dave his navigator by intercom, ‘Prepare for afterburners mate.’ Then he hit the switch and they were both pressed into their seats as the aircraft climbed and accelerated. Dave said, ‘Jeez...’ and Jamie allowed himself a rueful smile.

 

            ‘Hullo Echo One this is Foxtrot Two, I will be coming in from above so I can welcome our guests over.’

            ‘Echo One,’ the Hercules pilot replied, ‘should I take any evasive action yet over?’

            ‘Foxtrot Two, no. I suggest you lose some altitude for your own safety but stay on bearing, over.’

            ‘Echo One roger out.’

            ‘Echo One and Foxtrot One, this Foxtrot Two,’ Jamie said, ‘my intention is to come down on our guests on their port side from about 15000 feet. It means I’ll be above and behind you guys on my approach, over.’

            ‘Foxtrot One, roger. I take it you are pretending to be on a different flight path until you dive, over?’

            ‘Foxtrot Two, got it exactly Joe,’ Jamie confirmed, ‘be within striking distance in less than one minute over.’

            ‘Foxtrot One,’ Joe replied, ‘when I see your strike I’ll gain some altitude, over.’

            ‘Foxtrot Two, roger out.’

 

 

            Seconds after the contact with Jamie, Joe and his navigator saw one of the three approaching enemy fighters disappear from radar. Simultaneously a blinding flash appeared on their starboard side as the aircraft disintegrated. Immediately, the two surviving enemy planes broke formation. One pilot still intent on attacking the Hercules and it’s escort. The second enemy fighter was off to look for whoever or whatever had destroyed their colleague.

            As Joe in Foxtrot One said he would, he pulled his aircraft into a steep climb.  One of the enemy aircraft went screaming through the empty space he left behind, then started to climb to gave chase. The pilot flicked the cover from his switches and grinned at the thought of how easy this kill was going to be. Suddenly, Foxtrot One banked to port and seemed to fall out of the sky. Joe brought his aircraft around in a tight fast turn and lined up behind the plane that had seconds before been zeroing in on him.  ‘Gotcha.’ Joe said quietly.

            The enemy pilot looked around the sky in alarm trying to see his target. Nothing. At least it was nothing until his radar lit up to inform him there was a plane behind him and he had two incoming missiles. He may have been good, but he was wise enough to know when he had been outwitted. Seconds before Foxtrot Two’s missiles impacted, the enemy pilot took a rapid breath and pulled on a large lever. The young pilot was clear enough not to be injured by the destruction of his own plane. He looked around the sky and saw Joe’s plane make a turn and head back towards him. Joe passed him at speed about 300 metres away. The man in the parachute threw up a salute to acknowledge the manoeuvre.

            Although there is the professional skill to be considered in a ‘dog fight’ and it is necessary to destroy the enemy aircraft, it does not follow that the pilot must die. The man was now no more than a parachutist, escaping from his plane. Not a legitimate target.

 

            Jamie had not seen how his ‘oppo’ Joe had faired in Foxtrot One. His own initial concern was to reduce the enemy flight to two planes and that he had done. Once Jamie had removed the first of the three planes it would be a ‘natural’ pairing off to deal with the others. 

            In Foxtrot Two, Jamie didn’t have to brief Dave his navigator to keep him posted on how Foxtrot One was doing. Dave would report the situation when he reckoned the timing was right. The pilot had enough to contend with.  The plane that Jamie was chasing was in the hands of a very good pilot and Jamie said as much to Dave, ‘We’ve got a wily one here mate. Hold on for some rapid response flying.’ Whilst Jamie admired the pilot’s evasive flying and how he seemed to be using every trick in the book it still came as a shock when Dave shouted into the intercom, ‘Jamie he’s making a roundabout job of it, but he’s still aiming to get down behind the Hercules.’

            Jamie got closer within seconds and armed his missiles. The joy ride was over. His display showed that he was locked on and he pressed the switch. Nothing. No pair of smoke trails as the two guided missiles left his plane. He pressed again. Nothing. He tried to get closer to use machine guns. Jamie saw the enemy pilot suddenly drop in altitude to get right behind the fleeing and vulnerable Hercules. 

Jamie said to Dave, ‘He knows we’ve got a problem and I can’t shoot at him now in case I hit the Hercules. He made the only call he could and spoke to the Hercules pilot. ‘Echo One this is Foxtrot Two you have a bandit on your tail. My weapons are jammed. Take evasive action, I say again, take evasive action, over.’

            Instantly the large aircraft banked to port and dropped further out of the sky. The enemy plane went down easily behind it, taking it’s time to line up for total destruction. 

           

            Jamie was still cursing his equipment when he heard the calm voice of Joe in Foxtrot One, ‘Hullo Foxtrot Two this is Foxtrot One, if you’d like to move over I am right behind you and ready to acquire target over.’

            Rather than take time to use the radio Jamie immediately banked to starboard to make room for Joe’s missiles. When there was fresh air between Joe’s plane and the enemy a pair of guided missiles went whistling towards the enemy plane.

            The enemy fighter pilot knew the pilot of the Hercules would have him on radar and also know that he was about to be blown out of the sky, but he sadistically hung on to take the perfect shot using first hand sight. A flash on his radar caught his eye and he looked down to see two small objects homing in on him at high speed. Too late he reached for his ejector handle. He was so close to the Hercules that the pilot of the larger plane heard the explosion and felt the air pressure change. He glanced down at his radar and was pleased to see nothing behind him, but two familiar signals coming up slowly on either side. The pilot looked left and right and in both cases got a ‘thumbs up’ from the escort pilots. He would happily have these guys on any further missions.

 

            That evening in the Officer’s Mess the Hercules pilot and the two escort crews were all having a ‘debrief’ session in the bar. They were all off duty for 48 hours now and felt there was need of a small celebration.

           

             A heavily built man in Army uniform approached the table. 

            ‘Good evening gentlemen. I believe one of you is Captain Jamie Gardner.’

            Jamie stood up. ‘That would be me. How can I help you sir?’

            ‘I’m Brigadier Alfie Thomson-Smythe. I’m in charge of the ground forces in this territory. I just dropped by to say a very sincere thank you from my chaps waiting for that rescue chopper today.’ He extended a large hand and continued, ‘You undoubtedly saved their lives and we are all eternally grateful to you.’

            ‘Thank you,’ Jamie said, ‘and I’d appreciate it if you’d let your lads know that they are doing a job I couldn’t do.’

            The Brigadier laughed briefly, ‘They’ll be pleased to hear that young man.’

            As the Army officer walked away, the flying officers heard him still muttering, ‘Damn fine bunch of chaps...damn fine...’ They raised their glasses in unison. ‘To us.’

 

 

The End

           

Author's Note

Third and final story in the series. If you haven't read the others first it should work, but it they read better in sequence. All comments appreciated. Tom