by M. L. Maki
“Roger, hit high. Zoom. Thatch.”
Gandhi says, “We’ll hit 45 seconds after you. As we fire, we’ll tell you to zoom.”
Puck says, “Roger, Gandhi.” At 900 knots, it doesn’t take long to eat up the distance.
Speedy says, “Roger, Gandhi, make like an astronaut.”
At 15 miles, Puck says, “Good tone. Fox 1, Fox 1, Fox 1, Fox 1.” Spike pickles off all four missiles, “Rolling off burners, Puck.”
Puck on the radio, “Burners off.” Both pilots throttle off the fuel guzzling afterburners. Then on intercom, “Thud, right, behind.”
Spike says, “Switching to guns.”
The two aircraft are still faster than the speed of sound, but slowing as they follow their missiles in. The first and third missiles find their target, the second fails to lock, and the fourth’s Zero turns violently into the missile and jinks up, causing the missile to lose lock. On the radio, “Splash five meatballs,” says Speedy, “two for you, three for us.”
“Grunt,” says Spike, as they pull through the formation. Spike climbs to line up on a Zero, shoots it in the belly, then spins violently to avoid the explosion, then has to break right to miss another. The Zero is way too close to shoot, as they pass canopy to canopy, missing each other by feet.
ZERO FIGHTER
Lt. Kenzo Koizumi saw the missile flying at him and turned by instinct. Born the son of a regional magistrate in Fukui, a small town on the shore of Honshu, west of Tokyo, he’s been a pilot for six years. Working his way up to flight leader while fighting the American Flying Tigers, with four kills, he his respected by his colleagues and commanders. The huge fighters approaching his formation are flying faster than anything he has ever seen. As big as bombers, he knows they are not. After he jinks up, he turns to dive at the enemy planes, but they are past him too fast. He pulls out of his dive at about 800 feet, looks up, and sees another of his A6M Rei-sen destroyed. The new planes soar above them like a bird of prey. Knowing he cannot match their speed, he rolls back into the fight anyway, calling on the radio, “TAKAO, Flight 73 leader, the Americans have a super weapon, fast planes that shake the air. They kill like sharks among tuna.”
KNIGHT 211
As she and Thud clear the formation, Puck says, “Thud, right, Spike.”
Spike says, “Thatch, rolling left.”
Puck relays, “Thatch rolling left, Speedy.”
“Acknowledged, thatch, rolling right.” The two F-14s roll apart and dive into the scattering Zeros. As she rolls in, a Zero climbs to meet her, a quick burst of the 20mm and its engine bursts into flames. They pass each other and she can see the shocked look on the pilot’s face, he’s covered in blood, his mouth agape. Puck says, “Thud’s closing, pull a little right to miss him.”
“Ok.” And as they pass, Thud misses them by only a few feet, rocking in their jet wash.
“Speedy calls, “Puck, we adjust to you. If we both adjust, we die.”
“Understood, my fault, Speedy.”
“No problem, rolling in.” They do the weave one more time, and Thud gets a Zero.
Then on radio, “Gandhi, “Spike, Thud, zoom, Fox 1, Fox 1.”
Thud and Spike level out, pull their sticks full back, and the ‘14s rocket up. Spike says, “Burners,” and lights them to maintain her speed of 600 knots. Puck relays the order, and Thud follows, closing back into a loose deuce.
On the radio they hear, “Death Star Down, say again, Death Star Down.” Gandhi says “Good, we got the carrier.”
“Swede, this is Frosty, we are sans ordinance and bingo fuel. RTB.”
Gandhi says, “Roger that, Frosty. Keep it on the deck and we’ll catch up to you after we clean up a bit.”
ZERO FIGHTER
Lt. Koizumi, flying just above the jungle canopy, has managed twice to evade rockets fired by the Americans. His confidence growing, he knows his command in Takao need to know how to beat the American super planes.
CHAPTER 18
KNIGHT 211, OVER LUZON, 0715, 22 DECEMBER, 1941
Spike rolls level at 25,ooo feet and 500 knots, “Burners off.” Rolling onto their right side to see the carnage below. They she realizes they’re over the Lingayen Gulf, about a quarter mile ahead a puff of black smoke appears, then another, closer. “What the hell is that?” Another appears only few hundred feet away.
Puck says, “Shit. Climb.” Then, “Climb, Thud, we’re over water. It’s ack-ack from the Japanese ships.”
Spike says, “Damn,” and climbs past 30,000 feet, and circles back east, the ack-ack detonating below.
“Hey, Puck, those ships are shooting at us,” says Speedy.
“How uncivilized of them.”
Then, Gandhi, “Knight Flight 3, mark your fuel state.”
Puck says, “10.”
Speedy says, “9 decimal 8, we are muy Bueno.”
GQ says, “10 decimal 2.”
Spike says to Puck, “Remember what Thud said about their torpedoes?”
“Yeah, I like it,” then on radio, “Gandhi, GQ, they use lox for their torpedoes. We want to go after the destroyers.” Then on intercom, “We have four sidewinders and about 150 rounds of 20mm. You best shoot careful.”
“Okay, I will.”
Gandhi asks, “Brother Swede wants to know how you plan to engage the destroyers?”
Puck says, “Guns, Gandhi.”
“Okay, we’ll shoot a couple of AIM-7s first, to get their attention. Pull out going east and we’ll form up and go home.”
Puck, Speedy, and GQ say, “Roger.”
Gandhi says, “One each, GQ,” then they both say, “Fox 1,” and two AIM-7 Sparrows fly toward the destroyers.
Spike says, “Okay, Puck, let’s get ‘em.” She noses down the ’14 into a near vertical dive and Thud follows. The wings automatically go back as they accelerate and pass the speed of sound. Not needing afterburners, or even a high throttle setting, as they exchange altitude for speed. They see the missiles hit home on two destroyers. As they pass 5,000 feet, they see the flash of tracers, the rounds missing. The F -14s pull seven g’s coming out of the dive 1,000 feet above the waves, and descend to 100 feet as they close their targets. They line up their gun reticules on the torpedo launcher amidships and fire.
JAPANESE LIGHT CRUISER JINTSU
Seiichi Ueno has proudly served on the Jintsu since completing his training two years ago. Proud of his gunnery skills, he aims the 76.2mm anti-aircraft gun at the planes flying toward them. His gun’s range is only 7600 meters, so he waited and aimed. When the aircraft are in range, he fires, a round every three seconds. But the fuse setter is setting the rounds to detonate too late, “Set the fuses faster!” Then the planes levels out at 100 feet above the water, and his stomach knots as one of them flies straight at Jintsu. He sees the sparkle as a gun fires at them, first falling short, then hitting amidships. Then it is gone from sight. He swings his gun to port, trying to reacquire the enemy, thankful no bombs were dropped, when a violent explosion shakes the Jintsu.
KNIGHT 211
Spike turns right, climbing out, “Grunt. Where’s Thud?”
“Right, quarter mile.”
Then, she turns back left, seeing ack-ack near, she rolls, turning right again, “Grunt.” Thud pulls back onto their wing in loose deuce, and a few seconds later they’re flying 2,000 feet over the invasion beaches, well clear of the anti-aircraft fire.
Puck says, “My God! Spike, turn left and look at the ships we hit!” Rolling to the left, she can see over her left shoulder. The destroyer she hit is breaking in half and sinking. Thud’s cruiser is burning end to end, and as she watches, rolls onto its port side and settles at the bow. The two destroyers hit by the AIM missiles are on fire, but still afloat.
She breathes, “Oh, My God!”
On radio, Speedy says, “That’s for the Stoddert, you sons of bitches!”
Gandhi says, “Damn fine shooting. Economical climb to angels 20 and we’ll form up. Steer 020.”
Frost
y says, “Beefeater flight is feet wet,” as they all climb over the Pacific on the way home.
The flight back to the Vinson is quiet, Spike and Puck alone with their thoughts. Every warrior wonders what they will do when they face combat for the first time. Training is an attempt at preparing, but until the bullets fly, no one really knows. Now, both Sam and Eric know, and it’s tempered with a feeling of deep loss. No rational human can take the life of another without cost. They have taken many lives today, and as the adrenalin burns out, it hits home.
KNIGHT 212
“Oh, my God, Jose, did you see that cruiser go up?”
Forgetting the accent, Speedy says, “Holy shit man! You are awesome.”
“No, man, we were awesome. Damn, how many kills? I know we are aces, but damn.”
“I don’t know, Thud, I kinda lost count.”
“Did you see many ejection seats? Oh, damn, damn, Speedy, they don’t have ejection seats. God man, how many people did we kill today?”
“It was our job, Thud. It was us or them, you know that.”
“Was it really? Not one of those guys could catch us, or really even hurt us. We just killed them. Just like that.”
“What about the guys in PI they were trying to kill? We saved American lives today, Thud.”
“I know, I…God, man. It still feels like murder.”
USS CARL VINSON FLIGHT DECK, 0805, 22 DECEMBER, 1941
Thud and Spike each catch the three wire when they land. They idle their engines and lift the hooks as the yellow shirts direct them to a spot near elevator 2. Then they spool down their engines as the purple shirts pull fuel hoses toward their planes, and red-shirted ordinance crew wheel more missiles to under their wings. ‘Handy’ Washington climbs the steps to the cockpit, “Hey, LT! Did you get any? They’re going to send you back up, but you have time to pee.”
“Thanks for the heads up. Okay, Puck, head break.” They guys have a tube and cup installed so they can urinate in flight, but they’ve never managed to design one for women. Some female pilots wear adult diapers and others take potty breaks when they can. Spike and Hot Pants both wear diapers, but will never give up the chance to use the head and both un-ass their birds to use the facilities. In the female head, Gloria asks, “You okay, Sam?”
“I’m…I’m fine. You?”
“Not nearly as happy as I thought I’d be. I’m mostly tired and kind of sad, you know?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t care about the stupid bet anymore. What kind of sick bitch I must be to bet about killing people.”
“You had no idea, none of us did. You can’t beat yourself up about it. Think about all the men on the ground you probably saved.
“True, but it’s still terrible, and, I think we’re good at it, good at killing planes. In the middle of it all, my blood was up, and thank God, GQ stayed calm and kept me from getting stupid. How are you and Puck managing?”
“Good, actually.”
“He’s still not pissed at you?”
“We worked it out, so I think we’re good, but I’ll ask. We seem to be doing pretty good up there.”
Gloria flushes, “Better not keep the boys waiting too long. They might decide to two-time us and fly behind someone else.”
Sam chuckles, “No, I don’t think so.”
HEADQUARTERS, 11TH AIR FLEET, FORMOSA, 0815, 22 DECEMBER, 1941
Lt. Koizumi briefs his commanding officer, Colonel Tetsuo Oshiro, “Colonel, the American aircraft are large, too large to be fighters, nearly as large as a bomber. They flew as a falcon among sparrows. They had to be a fighter. They could climb like a rocket, and we’re armed with one machine cannon and rockets. The accuracy of the rockets defied belief. Nearly everyone found their target. It seemed to steer right me. Had I not turned suddenly at the last moment before impact, I, too, would be lost. That is the key to defeating them. Though they are exceedingly fast, they are not maneuverable. We can exploit that weakness.”
“How, Lieutenant?”
“We change our formation, sir, and we use surprise.”
“I have reports that they have mounted radar on their aircraft. It will be difficult to surprise them.”
“Do we know where they came from, Colonel?”
“I believe they came from a large aircraft carrier. A submarine reported sighting one before attacking. The submarine is missing.”
“We must attack it, Colonel. It is their weakness.”
FLIGHT DECK, 0820, 22 DECEMBER, 1941
Spike climbs back into her plane, ignoring the chaos around her. Launching and landing planes at the same time means only catapult 1 and 2 are available, so they wait to launch. They can hear flight control on the radio communicating with the rest of the aircraft. Making his approach in Knight 221, the Landing Signal Officer is talking him in, “You’re high. You’re high. You’re high. Wave off. Go around.”
Bo-Bo lands next, then ‘Jail Bait’ Funk in Beefeater 611 launches form Cat 2. Lt. JG Tommy ‘Wingnut’ Urland of the VF-32 Tomcatters is next to land, catching the coveted 3 wire. Next, Swede launches from Cat 1, and Book comes in for his second approach. “Knight 221, call the ball.”
“Roger, ball, 49,” says Packs, Books RIO.
“You’re good, you’re low, you’re low, power, power, bolter, bolter.” Book hits the deck late, missing all four wires. Using full afterburner, he gets back in the air.
Thud launches from Cat 1, a few seconds before Hot Pants launches from Cat 2. Spike lines up on Cat 2, “are we good, Puck?”
“We are green.”
She gets the signal and runs the engines up to full afterburner, the fighter straining against the hold back bar. A final instrument check, she salutes, and grabs the stick. A moment later they are airborne. As she climbs out and turns west, she hears Book finally trap. They climb straight to the assembly point 100 miles southwest of the carrier. As they approach assembly point Zulu at angels 30, Puck says, “Okay, I got the others in left orbit at 30 miles. If you steer two degrees right and drop 50, we can tuck right in.”
“Roger, that. Thanks Puck,” and adjusts her course.
ASSEMBLY POINT ZULU, 0856, 22 DECEMBER, 1941
“Welcome back, brothers and sisters,” says Gandhi. “Today we have the distinct pleasure of a fighter sweep. We’re to fly south along the west edge of the archipelago down to Mindoro Island, south of Manila, then back up the east side. If it flies with Meat Ball Airlines, we splash it. Loose deuce, 5 miles separation, my element will lead, Spikes will trail. Questions?”
“Do we need your permission to engage?” asks Speedy.
“Stick with your wingman and try to spread it around, so we all have ammo on the return leg. You’re otherwise free to engage.”
They roll out of the turn, flying south and west, slowly climbing to angels 35. As they overfly the northern Philippines, the sky is blue, with puffy clouds. The emerald islands below set as gems in the lapis lazuli sea. Spike breathes, “Beautiful.”
“It is. It’s almost impossible that a couple of hours ago we were fighting just over there.”
“See anything?”
“Four ‘18s working over the invasion area and some ‘14s are north bound off to the east. “It’s quiet.”
“Good, any word on how our forces down there are dealing with us?
“Haven’t heard anything, Spike.” They approach Lingayen Gulf and see the remaining naval vessels, some firing at them. They maneuver away.
“Gandhi says, “Not our mission, guys. Maybe if we have some missiles left on the return leg.”
They pass over the Panasinan Peninsula, and continue down the coast, changing course to due south. As they overfly Cabangan, with Mt. Penatubo to their left, GQ says, “Four bogies, 65 miles at ten o’clock low. Looks like their near Manila.”
Gandhi says, “Roger, GQ. We’ll meet them. Puck, stay at altitude as over watch.” The four fighters turn southeast and the lead element descends.
Puck says, “Okay, got them on c
amera. They’re not Zeros. I can’t tell the markings. They’re head on.”
The lead ‘14s gain speed as they descend, wings back. Spike and Thud are cruising at 450 knots, conserving fuel and falling behind. Spike opens up her throttles to stay with Swede and Thud follows suit. As the vertical separation between the elements grows, Puck says, “Gandhi, they’re friendly. I see the star.”
On radio, Speedy says, “I confirm, Gandhi, the bogies are Papa Four Zero’s, American fighters.”
Gandhi answers, “Roger, weapons tight. Let’s meet them, GQ. Keep some separation so our wash doesn’t crash ‘em. Puck, sweep the frequencies, let’s see if we can talk.”
Puck asks, “You want me to talk, right?”
Gandhi says, “Nope, brother Swede wants them to hear Spike’s sweet southern drawl.”
Spike, on intercom, “Okay, Puck, what frequency?”
Gandhi says, “Invert, let’s pass above them and give them a good look.”
Puck says, “Got it, 116.4. Wonder if someone else has already made contact?”
Spike goes to frequency 116.4, “American fighters hold course and speed, we’re friendly.”
Swede and Hot Pants are near the speed of sound as they pass 500 feet above the P-40 Warhawks. Gandhi says, “Reverse Immelmann and form up on each side, brakes out.” They dive in a loop, reversing course, and bleeding speed with their air brakes extended.”
“Unidentified planes, this is Major Curtis Army Air Corp Far East, identify yourselves and state aircraft type.”
“Guess, they didn’t contact anyone, Puck,” drawls Spike.
“Nope, it’s up to us.”
“Tell Swede we have contact.”
Puck relay’s the message and Gandhi says, “Okay, tell Spike to put on the charm. These guys look a little shaky,” and Swede and Hotpants pull to each side of the P-40s.
Puck relays Gandhi’s orders, and Spike takes a deep breath, “P-40 flight, this is Knight Flight 3, hope you didn’t root for the Yankees.”