 
# The Mandalay Conspiracy

# By Lloyd R Martin

# All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book, or portions therof, in any form. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered in any form without written permission from the author. Please purchase only authorised electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of copyrighted materials.

# This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase another copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to you supplier and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

# -o – O – o –

# Dedicated to the memory of my dear wife Joan. She was always patient when I went prattling on incessantly about this book.

# \- o – O – o –

# Chapters

# Prologue

# 1 The Ozarks

# 2 Canada

# 3 Europe

# 4 US Army Air Force

# 5 Scallywags

# 6 The Panzergrenadier and Feldwebel

# 7 Lilly Leighton

# 8 Photo Recce

# 9 Indecent Haste

# 10 Warton

# 11 Specifications and Demands

# 12 The Elimination Process

# 13 Buccaneer

# 13 Not So Much of a Debrief

# 15 Testing

# 16 The Stone that melted

# 17 Security

# 18 Debreifing

# 19 Engine Runs

# 20 The Road to Mandalay

# 21 The Star Chamber

# 22 Leaving Fort Hertz

# 23 Tiger to Nightingale

# 24 Typhoon Force

# 25 Order of Battle

# 26 Loaded for Bear

# 27 Tiger & Squib

# 28 Chasing Donkeys

# 29 The First Gun Kill

# 30 Russian Action in China

# 31 Hurricane Force

# 32 The Long Drag

# 33 Oboe, Trombone and Saxophone

# 34 Six-gun Fowler to the Rescue

# 35 PPP

# 36 Endgame

# 37 The Reconing

# 38 Supplimentary 1993

# \- o – O – o –

# Prologue

# The thin light grew stronger as the sun began to rise. If there were to be any activity it would be coming out of the sun.

# The P-38 Lightning, named 'Fireduck' nosed down into a 150 shallow dive. The speed quickly increased to 450 mph, the whole aircraft began to shake as the under-wing dive flaps began to take effect. Connie pressed on, levelling out and allowing the speed to stabilise; and the aircraft began to steady.

# Connie was not alone in the sky as dawn broke over Suffolk on that summer's day in 1944. Out to the east were two aircraft he couldn't see in the bright light that was soon to become the brilliant sun as it passed between clouds that made it difficult to keep an eye on that part of the sky. He squinted to the east just as the sun burst from behind a cloud, blinding him.

# Staffelkapitan Rudolf von Kreuz and his wing-man Oberleutnant Werner Clun were the lead elements of a unit still being formed. They only had seven aircraft in the embryo JV 44, and less than half of them were serviceable at any one time. These aircraft were the new Messerschmitt Me 262a jet fighter. Armed with four 30mm cannons each, and about the fastest aircraft in the world at that time, these were a big threat to Connie.

# The two German jets came streaking in towards Connie as he started his run across The Deben. He was aiming at the village of Hollesey. The radio crackled,

# 'Leopard One from Rubber Duck, you have two at one hundred, angels ten.'

# This told Connie, who's call sign today was leopard, that he had two aircraft coming at him from one hundred degrees (just south of due east), flying at 10 thousand feet. If they were the oldest fighters in the German inventory it would still be trouble for the boy from the Ozarks. But they were the fastest, with the heaviest armament. And they were coming down on him, giving them the advantage of speed and position. One could attack him from the side, whilst the other waited to see where he went, then give chase from the rear with a speed advantage from the dive down to the 200 feet Connie was reaching as he began to run his cameras. The next thing for the Germans to do was to manoeuvre around to Connie's vulnerable rear and, one either side preventing him from turning to escape, take their time shooting him down. With the P-38 being a photo-reconnaissance aircraft it carried no armament, Connie's best ally was speed and the element of surprise. Rudolf and Werner had already spotted the American; therefore there was no element of surprise. The jets were about 150 mph faster than the P-38 in level flight, so there was no speed advantage either.

# \- o – O – o –

# Chapter One

# The Ozarks 1940

# The grass around the Fowler place was not exactly lush. There was none, the scrawny chickens had seen to that. It wasn't only the chickens to blame, not much grew in Porter County, Arkansas. Hundred year old forests were about all there was stopping the soil dispersing as worthless dust to the four winds, the greyish yellow dirt already coated everything, unless it rained, then it became mud and slush. This same dust was kicked up by 16 year-old Coniston Fowler as he ran towards the ramshackle old shed where his father had been making another batch of 'shine. Smoke was pouring out of the jagged hole in the roof and under the poorly fitting eaves.

# 'Don't get too close.' warned Connie's friend Keith, 'It might blow again.'

# Just then the black and white smoke turned bright orange and the roof lifted, broke, and then fell, taking one wall with it. Dust and dirt mixed with smoke and flames. Connie and Keith stopped abruptly by a fallen tree.

# 'Shit. We can't do nutin now.' Connie muttered, 'what am I gonna tell Ma?'

# Keith sank down and sat on the tree trunk to catch his breath. 'Your Pa was pretty good at cookin', this shouldn't have happened.'

# 'Well it did. I suppose it had to sooner or later. We never get enough food, but too much to drink.'

# The areas of the Ozark plateau in north central Arkansas have historically been a poor area. There has never been any sort of industrial production. The agricultural fortunes have never been good. The region has experienced short-term economic booms based on cotton (20 years to 1900) and lumber (1900 for 20 years). However, both booms were unsustainable because they were based on practices that led to their own destruction. One of the poorest regions in the U.S., the Great Depression added to the problems within the Ozarks. Some farmers were beginning to raise cattle, but there is no money in the whole area. In fact the states of Missouri and Arkansas in 1940 were still reeling from the depression of the 1930s. Whilst these two states were heavily reliant upon agriculture themselves, at least they had good communications and land upon which to base future growth, But to have growth in any area there has to be both long- and short- term investment. The Ozarks stood no chance of getting any investment, they had poor roads, poor land, poor people, and not a good record of providing good returns on investments – indeed it has been said that even God made a bad loss when He tried to make a go of the Ozarks. Now cattle production is being looked upon as a new hope. Not a great white one, but the only thing desperate farmers have to cling on to. Small and medium-scale farmers/ranchers began converting forest lands to pasture lands at an increasing rate.

# Connie's mother, Diane-Linda Coniston tried to be stoical about suddenly becoming a widow.

# 'We'll have to be rid of the horse.'

# 'Florence-Mavis ain't gonna like that.' Coniston referred to his younger sister who treated the horse like an extension to her family.

# 'There ain't no way we can afford the feed for it, I don't even know if'n we can afford to feed ourselves.' She said as she threw a pair of her husband's shoes into what they used as a wardrobe.

# Two days later, Connie was chopping wood on an old tree stump when the Sheriff came by. He is met on the wooden porch by little Florence-Mavis.

# 'Ask me inside, I need to talk with your Ma.' He says to the young girl, not seeing Coniston, leaning on the axe.

# 'What you want with our Ma?' Connie called across the dull light brown dirt they called the yard.

# The lawman turned quickly at the unexpected call.

# 'I heard about your Pa.' he replied, removing his Stetson,

# 'I'm sure sorry for you all. It ain't no concern of mine what was going on up there, but old Bob down at the general store reckons your Pa owes him for about half a ton of sugar. Now, as I say, I ain't concerned what your Pa was up to, but he sure as hell wasn't makin' no fudge.'

# 'Just get to what you're a sayin here.' Coniston stood by the tree stump.

# 'What I'm a sayin' here is,' the Sheriff turned, then looked back towards the house door, then back to the 16-year-old, 'What you need to do is get together what money you can, there are gonna be some hard times a-comin your way.' He started down the steps when Flo approached him,

# 'What about George?' she didn't know that the horse had to go.

# 'I reckon that's up to your Ma.' said the Sheriff as he turned and left.

# Connie walked slowly over to his sister.

# 'Flo, you know last winter we had to let Aurelia feed and stable George.' He took her by the arm and turned her towards the shack they called home, 'Well, we'll be havin to let her do it again, but this time it will have to be more permanent.'

# 'Will I be able to go see him?' little Flo asked.

# 'Course you can.' Coniston knew it was probable that she wouldn't, it all depended on if and how the family stayed together, he knew there was little chance of a smooth transition to the future.

# The next day Connie was talking to his life-long friend, Keith Cornwell, about the situation.

# 'There was a guy down at Scott's Bakery tellin, about an army recruitment post 'cross in Proctor County.' KC offers this in the hope that it may provide a solution.

# 'Hell, that's clear seven miles away, how we going to get there?' Connie responded.

# 'We could walk it in under three hours.' It was obvious that Keith was in with Connie as far as it took.

# Country folk don't lie in bed long after the sun rises. The very next day Connie and KC hit the trail before six, by nine they were walking down the main street of Janal, the main township in Proctor County. One flag on a pole told them that that was where the recruitment office was. KC dutifully knocked before entering; Ozarks people wait to be invited in before stepping over a threshold.

# The recruiting sergeant was a typical Doughboy, dressed in a uniform reminiscent of World War One. By the time our duo arrived there was already a sizeable queue, Connie was eventually seen by the sergeant. The military man was impressed by the young man's composure, but his dress would impress no-one. He had just come from the hills; dirty, dishevelled, his clothes had all seen better days; his jeans looked as if they would stand up on their own.

# 'Why do you want to join the army?' straight to the point, the sergeant did not mince his words, or meanings.

# 'I want to fight.' Neither did Connie, the look in his eyes told the sergeant that he meant what he said.

# 'We ain't fighting anyone, and we don't want any troublemakers.'

# 'No sir, I ain't gonna make no trouble.' Connie replied.

# 'OK son,' the sergeant continued, 'now, why do you want to join the army?'

# 'There ain't no livin to be made here.'

# 'So you see it as a way out?'

# 'It's gotta be better than sod-bustin fur nutin here.'

# The sergeant rifled through some papers on his desk. 'And you think life in the modern army is easier, do you?'

# 'I reckon things cain't be much worse than they are here.' Connie was holding his own without giving the real reason why he wanted to be away from the Ozarks.

# The next question was, 'Where you from, son?'

# 'Porter County.'

# A puzzled look came across the Sergeant's face as he turned to a Sheriff's deputy sitting behind him,

# 'Where the hell is that?' he asked the man in the dusty pale grey Stetson.

# 'Where'd he say?'

# 'Porter County.' The sergeant turned to Coniston and KC for confirmation as he spoke they nodded.

# 'That must be plumb seven to ten miles away.' The local lawman replied.

# 'How did you get here?' asked the sergeant.

# 'We walked.' Connie and KC replied together.

# The sergeant picked up a pencil and started filling in a form.

# 'OK, name.'

# 'Coniston Fowler.'

# 'Any other names?'

# 'No, sir.'

# 'How old are you?'

# '16 last fall, sir.'

# 'That means you are a minor in the eyes of the US Army, we will need the consent of your parents.' He turned to KC,

# 'You boys together?' they did have a 'Porter County' look about them after their long walk.

# 'Yes, sir.'

# 'Did you finish school yet?' In a single succinct sentence the military man illustrated the standards expected were not too high.

# 'Yes, Sir, we finished Fourth Grade.'

# Coniston and Keith were proud to have got through to finish Fourth Grade with distinction.

# That showed that they were smarter than average up here in the hill country of the Ozark Plateau, that and the fact that they had showed such commitment was enough for the recruiting sergeant. He had been told that the army was going to be in need of strong young men, and these two certainly filled the bill.

# Placing the pencil down, the sergeant asked KC, 'How old are you, son?'

# '16 last fall, sir.'

# 'OK, the same applies to you.' He filled in the name section on the next form, and then handed them to the perspiring young men. 'Will there be any problems getting your parents' permission to join up?'

# KC was first to answer, partly to protect his friend, 'Not from mine, sir. I been looking for a way off'n this hill since I quit schoolin'.'

# 'You OK, too, son?' he looked at Coniston who had looked away for the first time.

# 'Pa ain't with us no more. Ma, well I don't rightly know. I'll ask.' He replied, more quietly now.

# They took the forms off the sergeant when he had finished writing more details.

# 'Fill these out, post them to the address on the envelope, and details will be sent out to you. There's no need to come all the way back here.'

# As they turned to leave the Deputy asked, 'How you boys fixin' to get back to Porter?'

# 'Same way we got here, there's plenty of daylight left.' Connie answered, 'We ain't askin' for what could be offered.'

# The Deputy looked out of the window, then turned to the boys,

# 'Wilson Patterson over yonder's a-victualin' up; his spread's over Porter way.' He placed his hat back on his head as he stepped into the watery light from a sun still low in the sky. 'I reckon he'll be glad of some company on the way home.'

# Keith's parents were indeed eager for their son to join the army to escape the conditions in Porter County. In America in 1940 the war in Europe was a long way off, so the army was not looked upon as a hazardous occupation, and it was a lot safer than cutting down trees on the slopes of the Ozark hills.

# Connie was not so lucky.

# 'You will be needed to help me run this here farm, if we can keep it.' Diane-Linda had said.

# 'Salmon offered to help there, didn't he?' Connie was trying to see a way ahead; his grand-cousin, once removed on his father's brother's side, Salmon had offered to come and help Diane-Linda keep the farm. More likely that he was trying to help himself.

# 'The help Salmon offered was conditional.' She told him.

# 'How do you mean, conditional?'

# 'He comes to live here, you have to go help his cousin Gallop over in Budge County.'

# 'That's two counties away, Ma. Why would I want to do that?'

# 'I know you don't get on with Salmon, but I'm pretty sure you won't get on with Gallop either. Hell, he's my Pa's cousin, but I make sure I don't piss him off.'

# 'I heard he's a nasty piece of work.' Connie admitted.

# 'You better believe it, boy; more than a few hands have gone missing up there.'

# 'Hell, Ma, that ain't no answer, and what would happen to Flo-Ma, we only just got enough room in here as it is, we can only manage 'cause we are family. Where's Salmon think he's gonna sleep, on the eatin' table?'

# There was not much furniture in the house, in the two rooms there was only one bed, a table, two rickety chairs, mended several times, two barrels and a sack. What was in the sack is not known.

# 'There is another option.' Diane-Linda turned to look into the doorless wardrobe. 'You and Flo could take your Pa's old banjo here and go on the road, sending me all the money you make, so I can get fat on it!'

# 'You know that ain't gonna work, Ma. Flo-Ma won't go anywhere without George, and he can't play or sing. We could never make the big time with a sherilee like that hangin' round our neck.'

# \- o – O – o –

# Glen Pittinger was not what you could call successful, but in Ozark terms he was. He had been running a dry goods store in nearby Isobel County for five years with his business partner Ira Perlin. Recently Ira had taken him a bride, Sherry Clinton. The dry goods store had an advantage in that there was living accommodation on top of the shop. For two bachelor farm boys it was adequate, sharing the same room sometimes, depending on how much stock there was to store; but now Ira had to find something more in keeping with a steady married man. He and Sherry needed a place of their own. There were plenty of places around for a couple to live on love, but 'love don't butter no parsnips', as the old adage reminds us. Sherry's father had made money in Chicago dealing in gold thread. He was now moving back to Isobel County to start a small forestry plantation on the slopes of the Ozark Plateau. Ira and Sherry came to an arrangement with her father to buy into his forestry business, and move into one of the wooden shacks in the forest they had now acquired.

# This meant that Glen was left with half a store he couldn't keep going on his own, so it was agreed that they would sell the store as a going concern in its own right. Firstly they would get more for it, secondly, Glen would be spared the prospect of having to share his life and living with someone he couldn't get on with, there were a lot of people like Gallop and Salmon in the hills.

# The owner of the General Store in Porter County was known to all and sundry as 'Old Bob'. He was more aware of Di-Li Fowler's predicament than most, Pa Fowler still owed him for two or three loads of sugar when he went to meet his maker in the sky, by a very direct route, and it was now almost a month since the incident. Old Bob also knew that the dry goods store in Isobel County was up for sale, he knew Glen and Ira, everyone knew about Ira and Sherry, so Bob presumed that Glen was selling up, and may need a place to stay and invest in.

# o – O – o –

# Keith Cornwell was overjoyed when his parents agreed to sign his enrolment form for the US Army. They were pleased that he had the opportunity to better himself in a career with more prospects than here in the Ozarks. KC ran across to his life-long friend Coniston's place with the good news. As he approached the last rickety fence he saw a large dust cloud moving towards the same place as him. When a real car, not the usual pick-up truck, came into view KC knew there was something afoot. He stepped down from the fence. His right foot landed on a large stone, he stumbled, and his left hand touched the gritty ground, his right arm circled round. Looking up he saw that the car actually had a shine on the paintwork. Up here where there was more dust than water it was obvious that here was a stranger.

# Connie saw the dust cloud about the same time as KC. He moved out of the shade of the shed he was in. As the car pulled up in the front yard of dirt Connie moved between it and the house as Di-Li looked through the curtains at the scene outside.

# Two men emerged from the car. One in a continental suit, the other in shirtsleeves, both wore sober ties.

# 'This the Fowler place?' suit asked.

# 'Who's askin?' Connie replied.

# 'We're from the Revenue.' Came the dreaded reply.

# KC approached cautiously. From where he was, he could see shirtsleeves from behind, KC saw he had a gun holster on his belt.

# All hill people hate the Revenue men; they have a different standard to work to. Hill people barely scratch out a living in harsh conditions, with more pride than help from the authorities, they have little or no chance to enjoy themselves. Even harvest time in the Ozarks is not a time of plenty and rejoicing. It is a time of worry and conservation. Usually the only thing they have a plentiful supply of is timber for the winter fires, and that ferocious mountain spirit; held in high regard over the generations for the tenacity to cling on in the harshest of conditions, and fight off the bitterest frosts of winter. That was what had killed Coniston's father. Work in the unyielding barren dirt on the hills did not pay enough to buy the luxuries other Americans took for granted. They had to supply their own light, heating, music, entertainment, and alcohol. It was this last thing that the Revenue was opposed to; it was the spirit that Pa Fowler was cooking up when the Still exploded.

# Coniston turned to go back into the shed when he heard the words 'Revenue men'. Three dogs shot out into the yard, turned and fled into the woods.

# Shirtsleeves moved his hand towards his gun when he saw Coniston head back to the shed. The lace curtains in the shack twitched slightly.

# KC reached down, picked up a rock and threw it at the man. It caught him in the middle of his back. His arms flew out involuntarily, he cried out as if he had been shot, he thought he had. The rock continued on to hit the side of the car with a loud clang. Suit dropped to one knee and reached inside his jacket to grab his own gun. Connie made a dash and disappeared inside the dark shed.

# 'You OK, Burt?' called suit as he scanned the surroundings.

# 'I guess so.' His comrade replied, 'I think there's someone behind us.'

# Then two shots rang out almost simultaneously. One came from the shed, the other from the shack. Crack, another rock hit the top of the car, bounced off and just missed suit as he looked up to see if he could see Burt.

# One of the shots hit the left wing of the car about eight inches in front of suit; the other went through the windscreen, leaving cracks clear across the glass. Then another rock hit Burt's left shoulder. He spun round, and then realised that he had turned his back on a man with a gun.

# 'We'd better get out of here, fast.' He called as he reached for the door.

# 'OK' suit replied as another shot whistled past his head.

# Then Di-Li put a bullet through the rear door as the Revenue men hastily got into their car and drove off in a cloud of dust followed by a hail of rocks thrown by KC.

# I already told you that Ozark people make their own entertainment. This was as good as it gets!

# 'We didn't do nuthin wrong.' Exclaimed Di-Li as she poured tea for the boys.

# 'The hounds worked well.' KC commented, 'how long did it take you to train them to cause a diversion two miles away just when you need one?'

# 'Oh, yea, they're damned good at runnin' away.' Connie replied.

# o – O – o –

# Old Bob, the local storekeeper, didn't know anyone in Isobel County. But he knew Mister Gideon. Everyone in the town knew him only as Mister Gideon, the local lawyer. A resourceful man, he will know someone in Isobel, reasoned Bob when he went to see Mr Gideon.

# 'I don't see how it's any concern of yours.' Mr Gideon said to Bob when asked if he could contact Glenn at the dry goods store in Isobel and tell him that Di-Li Fowler may be interested in doing a deal.

# 'Truth is,' explained Bob, 'The Pa owed me for stuff when he had his accident, the widow ain't got two beans to rub together, so I figure if she and Glenn work something out I might just get paid.'

# 'I see.'

# Glen Pittinger borrowed a customer's pickup for the journey across to Porter County. There he met up with Mister Gideon. They then drove to the Fowler place in Mister Gideon's Chrysler. Given the incident of three days earlier with the Revenue men, they might have been better using the dusty old pickup.

# 'Connie, put Flo under the table n get the shotgun ready,' Di-Li called when saw the shiny car heading their way. 'The Revenue ain't had enough by the look of it.'

# 'You sure it's the Revenue, Ma?' Connie asked.

# 'Who else would be a commin' up here in a shiny car I ask you.'

# 'They ain't gonna be no bible pushers in a car.' Admitted Connie as he loaded the 12 gauge.

# Di-Li grabbed the squirrel gun and checked in the doorless wardrobe for more ammo.

# As the dark blue Chrysler pulled up in front of the battered old picket fence Connie looked out to see Mister Gideon in the driver's seat, he checked the shotgun without looking at it as he tried to make out who was next to the local lawyer.

# 'It's Mister Gideon, Ma.' He called.

# 'Is he on his own?' Di-Li couldn't see from where she was.

# 'No, I can't see the other guy clearly yet.'

# 'I can't see Mister Gideon takin' sides with the Revenue, so don't do anything rash, son.'

# Then Glen got out of the car and Connie could see his head and shoulders.

# 'He ain't no revenue man, Ma.'

# Di-Li and Connie greeted their visitors still holding their guns. Firearms are not uncommon in the hills, but you don't usually come to the door armed, unless you are Di-Li's father's cousin Salmon or Gallop.

# 'What brings you to this neck of the woods, Mister Gideon?' Di-Li asked as she held out her hand to shake his.

# 'This here's Glen Pittinger.' Mister Gideon turned to Glen, who extended his hand. 'We got us some business to discuss, if you could ask us in.'

# The men sat around the table, Di-Li poured more tea. Mister Gideon opened with,

# 'Glen here is looking for a spread to invest in.'

# 'That a fact?' responded Di-Li as she took her place at the rough table, 'How's that effect me?'

# 'I reckon Glenn here is the only guy in three counties with cash on the hip.' Explained Mister Gideon, 'you have the honour and privilege to be the first person he has approached with a view of doing business.'

# 'Well, my cousin Salmon has made a petition here already.' Di-Li didn't want to appear as desperate as she was.

# 'What Glenn here has to offer may be more attractive than your first application.'

# 'OK, cards on the table, let's hear it.' Di-Li sat back in her chair, it creaked in an old familiar way that comforted her. She brushed dust from her jeans as Mister Gideon continued,

# 'With your man gone you will find it hard to cope here on your own, what with havin the children and all.' Mr Gideon began, 'Glen has a hankerin' to buy into a plantation, if the right place can be found.'

# 'I'm a mountain man and I am willing to do the heavy liftin' around the place in a partnership.' Glen added.

# Di-Li looked at the two men, her countenance took on a harder appearance, 'What about the money? How much are you going to pay, and for what?'

# 'Eighteen hundred dollars for half your land.' Glen offered.

# 'And how in darnation are we to work out which half is yours, and which is mine?' Di-Li responded, 'This is nothin but forest and scrub we got out there.'

# Mister Gideon then put forward the suggestion that he and Glenn had worked out.

# 'The solution is simple, Glen here lives in one of the abandoned houses in the woods, the two of you then operate the whole spread as a partnership.'

# This was a neat answer because there were plenty of 'abandoned houses' in the woods. They were actually little more than one-room shacks made from the plentiful timber that grew slowly all around. Woodsmen would move into an area, build a shack, and work the in the vicinity.

# 'I have a better idea,' Di-Li said, 'Glen, you move in here, and me and the kids will take a house in the woods, there is one with three rooms we can use.'

# This suited Di-Li because if the Revenue men returned they would never find her and the family.

# 'Sounds like we have a deal here.' Mister Gideon said, looking at the new partners.

# 'Sure looks that way.' Glen rose to his feet and offered his hand to Di-Li.

# 'You see to it that I get the money, and we're in business.' She looked at Mister Gideon as she took Glen's hand.

# Four days later Connie and Flo-Ma were loading the last of their family possessions on to the old cart behind George when he noticed a cloud of dust moving towards them. All the guns had already gone to the new house, even the axe was gone. If this was the Revenue he was in trouble, he couldn't outrun a car with George pulling the old cart, he couldn't see them off like he did before, and this time they would have more men, and the local Sheriff. In view of what happened the last time they had come, he might not get chance to go home for some time. At best he would allow them to find their new home, and money.

# The rough hessian sack was the last thing thrown up on to the cart. Connie thought of heading into town to throw them off his trail, but that was the direction they were coming from. He had no choice but to stand his ground and see what fate will deliver for him, his little sister, and George the horse.

# -o – O – o –

# The marching feet of the armed men raised the loose dust from the street.

# In truth, they were a motley lot, but to Keith they looked like a small army practising for manoeuvres. He was in town to sell some eggs and buy some victuals, exactly what and how much he bought depended on how much he could get for the eggs. If he didn't do well they would have to settle for a small sack of beans, if he did not manage to sell any he would have to return home without buying anything, but at least they still had the eggs.

# The marching group was made up of all sorts of people; there were even two women in there. Phillippa Dewhurst still wore the black eye she acquired two days ago in a barn when she tried smoking her father's clay pipe with some of the Pure Lataciya he smoked in it. The stubby little farm girl took one drag, tried to inhale, then fell over backwards from the barrel on which she was sitting, much to the amusement of the gathered group who had put her up to it. The black eye came from some piece of agricultural equipment that fell on her as her 'friends' fell about in fervent laughter. Now she was carrying another farm implement; a pitchfork. Some said that she would be more dangerous with this than with a rifle because she was such a bad shot. When out shooting squirrels it was once said that she would fare better if she gave the squirrels the gun and hope they committed suicide.

# The 11 strong squad wheeled right round a corner; Phillippa's pitchfork nearly claimed its first victim there and then. It was a shambles. In a practised and drilled squad the soldiers on the inside of the turn slow appreciatively in order for the ones on the outside to keep up. This didn't happen. The men on the outside had to open their stride a lot in order to make the turn at roughly the same time. They called for the inside marchers to slow down. Phillippa was one of these asked to slow, but she didn't know what the shouting was about, so she turned to look. Freck, the man in front of her slowed as requested just as the pitchfork clipped him on the back of the head. This caused him to drop his shotgun, which discharged as it hit the ground, taking the battered hat off the man in front of him. The front ranks spun round as if to do battle with an unseen enemy. One young man even took a shot at the hat as it flew through the air.

# Keith thought to himself,

# 'I don't know who they are gonna fight, but they sure scare the hell out of me.'

# The vehicle on the dirt road dropped behind an outcrop of trees. Connie could keep track of the progress of the vehicle by its dust cloud. He dare not even turn the cart, lest he gave away the direction of the new home.

# 'Get down in the cart and lie down.' He said to his younger sister.

# Flo-Ma snuggled up to the sack, the smell of the hessien still very evident despite its age.

# George shuffled his feet as if impatient to get away, but none was keener than Connie to get away; still he stood his ground.

# A glint shone through the trees every now and then as the vehicle made its way up the mountain trail. Connie tried to make out if there was more than one vehicle. If the sheriff were there it would make things even more difficult. With the Revenue men Connie could say anything he wanted, but the local sheriff was looked on as a respected friend who would not take another's side without good reason.

# He wished he could change places with George. A horse doesn't have to explain anything, or answer for events. If only Revenue men turn up he thought he might get away with saying that Di-Li had left the State, but that doesn't get him off the hook for shooting at Government officials. He felt very alone and vulnerable. If they arrest him Flo-Ma will have to walk George back to the new home; he couldn't decide which one of them would find the way back.

# Then the vehicle pulled into the yard to Connie's right. He could see that it was not a shiny car, nor did the sheriff follow it. He thought it may be Glenn, but Glenn had sandy hair, and the two men in the grey pickup truck had dark hair. The passenger got out, he was dressed like everyone else around here, jeans, two shirts, two coats, battered hat, everything vaguely dust coloured.

# When he looked up at the cart Connie saw the man's face for the first time.

# 'What the fuck do you want round here?' Connie demanded.

# The man nodded acknowledgement to the pickup driver, who then drove off.

# 'You ain't stayin round here.' Connie called.

# 'That ain't up to you.' The man spoke to Connie for the first time.

# 'You pissed off four years ago and we don't want you back.'

# 'Yeah.' Added Flo-Ma from the cart.

# 'Let's see what Ma has to say about it.' The interloper said.

# 'I fail to see how you are going to arrange that, as you can see, we are moving out.' Connie realised that he couldn't move off yet, but was relieved not to be negotiating down the barrel of a gun

# The man standing by the side of the cart that day was Connie and Flo-Ma's older brother, Gordon.

# 'I heard about Pa,' Gordon tried normal conversation. 'I figured that I could be some use to help Ma.'

# 'More likely to help yourself, like you always did.' Connie countered.

# 'Pa said I could take that money.' Gordon said.

# 'No he didn't, you are only sayin that cause he ain't here no more to say otherwise.' Connie took hold of the reins in preparation to move off. 'Town's that way, we don't want you round here.'

# 'Well I reckon that ain't entirely up to you.'

# 'Maybe, but I ain't gonna help you.'

# With that he turned to the horse and made off down the wooded trail to the new house. Gordon followed.

# 'Hi, Connnie. Everything go ok?' Di-Li finished taking what was left of the doors off a built-in wardrobe as Connie and Flo-Ma entered the not-so-new house.

# 'No, Ma.' But before Connie could put his thoughts into words Flo-Ma pushed past him and ran into the room.

# 'We had a visit from Gordie, Ma.'

# 'What do you mean a visit from Gordie?'

# Connie explained, 'Gordie, our long lost no-good brother, turned up at the house.'

# 'Why, what did he want?'

# 'Ask him yourself, Ma.' Gordon announced as he stepped into the small room.

# 'I already told you,' Connie responded, 'You ain't welcome round here.'

# 'Now hold on,' Di-Li said, 'let's hear just what he has to say, he is our flesh and blood.'

# 'That's right, Ma.' Gordon responded, 'the stones been cast and I belong here.'

# 'The hell you do, you gave up that right when you robbed us and took off.'

# 'I done told you once, Pa said I could have that money.'

# 'No he didn't you lying bastard,' Connie turned to Di-Li, 'Ma, did Pa tell you that he was giving slime-ball here our money?'

# 'I don't remember him saying so, but that don't mean he didn't. I think we should give Gordon here the benefit of the doubt.'

# 'Benefit of the doubt, benefit of the doubt! I'll give him the benefit of my boot up his stupid ass.'

# 'Any time little bro.'

# Then Flo-Ma, the smallest person pointed out something not yet mentioned,

# 'Ma, you don't suppose Gordon has heard about Glenn's money?'

# Di-Li sat down and looked at the table, there was a new cloth spread over the old wood.

# Presently she looked up at Gordon,

# 'Have you heard about Glenn Pittinger?'

# 'Who's that? Glenn what?' Gordon asked.

# 'He's lying again, Ma.' Connie butted in, 'he's pretending he don't know.'

# 'I don't need to pretend what I don't know.'

# 'Mighty strange you turn up just when it looks like Ma is gonna get back on her feet again.'

# 'I sure am glad to hear that, Ma.' Gordon turned to look at his mother, 'and I want to help as much as I can.'

# 'I'll bet you do. Just as long as you can get into some money.' Connie would not let go.

# 'What's the matter with you, Connie?' Di-Li asked her youngest son, 'Can't we let bygones be bygones and let sleeping dogs lie?'

# 'You got it right there, Ma.' Connie replied, 'this lying dog would love you to forget what a low-down thieving bastard he is.'

# 'I just about had enough of you.' Gordon then took a swing at Connie, who was too quick for him. Whilst Gordon was off balance Connie caught him a swift kick on the backside. This gave Connie chance to get the upper hand, he grabbed a stool and began to swing it at his brother's head when Di-Li cried,

# 'No! Not the good furniture!'

# It was only then that Connie realised that it was a new stool, so instead of hitting Gordon with it he just pushed him away with it.

# This caused Gordon to overbalance. As he reached out with his right hand it fell into the doorless cupboard. As he fell in amongst the coats he came across a squirrel gun. When he emerged with the gun Di-Li quickly took the skillet off the stove and threatened Gordon with it.

# 'Put that squirrel gun down or I will brain you.'

# Gordon changed from enraged beast to obedient acquiescent son.

# 'Now just you two stop this here bickering, or I'll bend this here skillet over your heads, then bang them both together.'

# 'We got company.' Gordon said to Connie then realised that his mother had the backbone and strength of character to run things.

# 'You boys had better learn to get on.' She said, turning to Connie. 'Gordie here says he wants to help around the place, and I for one am not about to refuse any kind of help.'

# 'Well you will have to do it without me.' With that Connie turned and left.

# Later that day Connie was telling Keith what had happened.

# 'What can we do now?' this question from Keith showed his dedication to his friend and his plight.

# 'Well, our original plan was to join the army.' Connie replied.

# 'Yeah, I got my Ma to sing the form yesterday.'

# Connie picked some dry bark off the log upon which they were sitting.

# 'I ain't too sure that is such a good idea now.'

# 'Well it sure beats sittin' around on logs a-waitin' for ants to find your butt.' Keith jumped up momentarily.

# As he settled himself back on to the log he noticed someone walking up the dusty trail that lead to the Cornwell house.

# There was something strange about this visitor. As the small figure got closer Connie called out,

# 'How did you find me here?'

# 'Well, let's face it, you cain't hide for toffee.'

# 'There ain't no way you are coming with me – especially if you ain't brought George.'

# 12-year-old Flo-Ma caught up with Connie with no trouble.

# 'Ma said she don't want you to leave with nuthin.' She explained to her bigger brother handing him a rough looking package. Wrapped in a gunny sack was a squirrel gun, Pa's banjo and a very neatly wrapped blanket.

# Connie looked into the sack only long enough to register the items therein.

# He turned to his sister,

# 'Tell Ma I am grateful for the things here, and I sure am sorry to leave like this, but I couldn't live with Gordie after what he did, and how he behaves.'

# 'Ma said to find out what you are intending to do.'

# 'We were just discussing that very thing.' Connie slapped Keith's shoulder rather hard, 'Keith here wants to join the Doughboys carrying a rifle. But he has no idea who to fight.'

# 'Given the present situation I think it's the best choice we got.' Keith responded.

# 'Yeah, but I really want to learn to fly an airplane.'

# 'The only place you can do that is in the army, they got more planes than anybody else.'

# Connie turned to his friend with a look of resignation on his face,

# 'I know that, Keith. But they want people with more schoolin' than we have. To them we is just foot soldiers. Now I know that is better than what we have here, but I want to fly. Anyway, I didn't get Ma to sign my form for the US Army.'

# 'Well, that's just dandy, ain't it?' Keith turned to Flo-Ma.

# 'The Wright brothers started as bicycle makers over in Ohio, but I cain't see how that helps us.' Connie said as he threw the piece of bark into a rain butt that was half full of water.

# 'What about the Navy?' he said, 'I hear they have some planes.'

# Keith had heard about the US Navy.

# 'OK, wise guy, exactly where do we sign up for the Navy? I don't see no oceans around here, and I kinda think they like to have things like that, great expanses of water, to sail their ships on.'

# 'All right, all right. I see what you mean, we don't even have a rowing boat no more since Phillippa put a shot-gun blast through the bottom.'

# Keith tried to be more analytical about their situation,

# 'So what we need is someone with lots of airplanes and a need for people to fly them.'

# Keith was trying to put a positive slant on things,

# 'We can't join up with the Barnstormers, 'cause they have all gone to Europe.'

# 'Ain't they a-warring over in Europe?' asked Flo-Ma, wondering if she was just losing the plot.

# 'Yes, but I don't see how that can help me get into flying.' Connie replied, 'I need to get trained up first.'

# 'Wait a minute,' Keith had an idea, 'Ain't the British best pals with Canada?'

# 'That's right,' Connie jumped to his feet in excitement, Flo-Ma stepped back in surprise, 'I heard that new pilots are being trained in Canada for the RAF. All we got to do is get to Canada.'

# Keith turned to Flo-Ma,

# 'Go fetch George. If we stick wings on him, he can fly us up to Canada.'

# 'I think you ought to look in the blanket Ma sent for you.' Flo-Ma said to Connie.

# He rummaged around in the sack, found the blanket and withdrew it. He glanced a look at first Flo-Ma, then to Keith, Connie slowly unfolded the blanket. Inside he found a clean shirt stuffed with money.

# They headed north, walking for two days through woodland, shooting rabbits, digging for roots, pulses and mushrooms until they got a lift in a Ford model T into Jefferson City.

# From there they got a coach to Kansas City with some of the money. Here is where they try to get work to raise money to continue their journey. This got them as far as Des Moines, Idaho. After two months working bars they moved on.

# St Paul was the next stop. Here they got jobs driving pick-up trucks, when Keith got one to deliver to Duluth they decided not to go back, but to make a concerted effort to get across the border to Canada.

# By the time they reached Fort William, Canada, Connie has turned seventeen, and had convinced himself that he can pass for eighteen, so can join the military.

# \- o – O – o –

# Chapter Two

# Canada

# The recruiting sergeant at Fort William looked very different from the guy Connie and Keith had met back home. But to the young boys all military people tended to look the same – clean and with a sense of purpose.

# 'What can I do for you boys?' the sight before Master Sergeant Richard Jones was not of two scruffy farm workers from Arkansas; they had taken a lot of trouble to give a good impression. Di-Li had always told Connie that you only get one chance to make a first impression, after that it can be modified, but people always remember that first imprint.

# 'We're looking to join up.' Connie spoke up.

# 'We have been journeying up here to see if we can get into this war that is a going on in Europe.'

# 'That's very commendable of you. How old are you?'

# 'We are both eighteen.' Connie was not accustomed to telling lies, but he felt this one was justified.

# 'Just wait here whilst I get the paperwork. Have a seat.' With that Richard left the room.

# Five minutes later he returned with a bundle of papers and an Officer.

# The two men sat behind the desk.

# 'The Sergeant here tells me you want to join up.' Captain Howard Mackenzie watched the boys with suspicion.

# 'Yes, sir.' Both boys answered in unison.

# Richard began leafing through the papers. It seemed these papers were not for Connie and Keith to use.

# 'We have to be careful who we take on here, we cannot take just about any Tom, Dick or Harry that walks in from the street.' Howard continued.

# 'Do the authorities in the USA want you for anything? Do you have any outstanding warrants?'

# 'No, sir.'

# 'Where have you come from, and how did you get here?'

# 'We are from Porter County, Arkansas, sir.' Connie led the explaination, 'We worked for a while in Kansas City, then Des Moines driving trucks.'

# Howard turned to Richard and said,

# 'Phone the Police in these two places to make sure.' Then turning to the boys, 'You guys don't mind if we check, do you?'

# 'No, sir. We ain't got nuthin to hide.'

# The sergeant left the room to make the calls.

# 'You boys have any paperwork? Passport, Driving license?' asked the Officer.

# 'Yes, sir.' Connie and Keith handed over the relevant documents.

# Howard looked through them and gave them back.

# 'Seems ok so far.'

# Presently the Sergeant returned.

# 'All clear from the States, Sir.' He reported.

# 'How are you boys at filling out forms?' Howard asked the two ex-farm workers.

# Connie smiled,

# 'Got a pencil?'

# Kitted out, the first thing the new recruits had to do was basic training. Being fit and keen this did not prove to be a problem, and they sailed through. Next was aircrew selection.

# Their first aircraft was the venerable old Avro 504K. There were also Tiger Moths on station, but Connie and Keith were given their first lessons in the old '504. After a total of only 4 hours on both aircraft types Connie was given the chance to go solo.

# The weather was calm and clear. Connie and Keith walked around the aircraft and did the ground checks together, this was not a test to see how either of them did, they were checking the aircraft for servicability and to make sure it was in a fit state and condition to take to the air.

# Ground checks completed Connie climbed into the front cockpit, Keith jumped on to the wing to wish his friend luck.

# 'Try not to stray too far from the field,' he remarked, 'You know we will all worry 'cause you are so crap.'

# 'Just swing that prop, this aint no glider.'

# Keith jumped down and walked to the front of the aircraft.

# Taking hold of the propeller he called out,

# 'Ignition Off, Sucking in.'

# Connie checked the ignition switches,

# 'Ignition Off.'

# Keith then slowly turned the prop the opposite way to which it normally turns. This is to allow fuel to be drawn into the engine.

# Keith then called to Connie,

# 'Ignition On, Throttle Set, Full Rich.'

# Connie replied,

# 'Ignition On, Throttle Set, Full Rich.'

# With both hands on the prop Keith gave a mighty haul, allowing himself to be thrown out of the way by the effort.

# The Gipsy Major four cylinder inline engine burst into life immediately. Keith looked around the aircraft and gave the thumbs up as he pulled the ropes holding the chocks in place.

# With that Connie opened the throttle a little to get the aircraft moving, then moved the lever back. He looked all around to check for other air movements, then gunned the throttle a couple of times to make sure all cylinders were firing. He checked the oil pressure as he rode across the bumpy grass to the take-off point. Once there he had enough airflow over the airframe to make the rudder effective, so he kicked hard left rudder and the aircraft slued to a stop.

# Another good look round for other aircraft and Connie tightened his straps. The engine was pushing a wind at him that was equivalent to travelling at 60 mph on a motorbike, but still he was sweating. This was the first time he had sat in an aircraft about to take off without someone else correcting any slight error before you crashed and burned. He felt his heart pounding.

# The little aircraft rocked as Connie opened the throttle to over half way. Then he switched off one of the magnetos. The engine note changed, he switched it back on, then the other. Mag tests done, engine warmed up, all readings ok, one more look around, the sky was clear, no more delays. Connie pushed his back into the seat, secured his feet on the rudder pedals and opened the throttle.

# The aircraft began to accelerate. The bumps in the grass became more noticeable; he had never realised before how they get more viscous with every dip. Will the prop hit the ground when he lifts the tail? Then the left wheel went into a dip. Connie quickly looked at the left wing tip of the lower wing, will it dig in and cartwheel him? He fought the instinct to counter with the controls, but remembered that this kind of thing had happened many times, and he never countered before. Just then the left wheel came out of the dip, causing the right wing to drop. Speed was building nicely, 20 mph, 25 mph. He pushed forward on the stick to get the tail to lift, he had neglected the fact that there was no-one in the back seat, so the tail was lighter than he was used to, and therefore will lift at a slower speed. Up it came giving him a kick in the back at the same time the horizon in front of him shot up. The propeller skimmed the grass. He made the control column come right back to counter the movement. As the fuselage levelled the main wheels left the ground and the bumping ceased. Then the tail came very close to the ground as Connie pushed the stick to a central position. He knew what he had done, the classic 'Kangeroo take-off' of a novice. But he managed to keep the wings level, then damp out the bounces. Hopefully no-one had noticed.

# Now he had only the roar of the engine and smooth, peaceful flight.

# \- o – O – o –

# Chapter Three

# Europe

# Once qualified, Connie and Keith were employed in shipping various aircraft across Canada. Eventually they were sent to the Victory Aircraft consortium, Ontario to take delivery of a Handley Page Hampden twin engined bomber to be taken to Patricia Bay (Victoria Airport). There the aircraft, and they, were taken into 32 OCU. This is where they learned to fly the Hampden. Day and night they practised all manner of flying activities, including low level torpedo dropping.

# Summer 1941 saw Connie and Keith on a liner sailing to Liverpool. They could not tell how many Canadians there were on board, but there were literally hundreds. On rounding the top of Ireland they were given instructions on what to do upon reaching port. The air element (which included them) was to assemble on the south corner of the dock where an air force officer would meet them.

# Some 150 aircrew were assembled on the dockside that cool summers day.

# 'Its nice to know that someone around here knows what is going on.' Remarked Keith.

# 'Who told you that?' answered Connie, 'You believe everything that is told to you, don't you?'

# 'Well, someone must know what is happening.'

# 'And what makes you think that?'

# 'Just look over there.' With that Keith nodded towards a treble line of canvas backed trucks that stretched all the way down the Dock Road as far as the Pier Head. Just then a head appeared out of the roof of the cab of one of the trucks. He wore no hat, which was unusual for a military man. A quick jerk and his shoulders appeared then his waist. He took hold of the ring he had risen from and hauled his legs out. Kneeling on the cab roof he reached inside and retrieved his cap, it was an officer's cap, which he hurriedly placed on his head. Next came a megaphone. This impaired him, as he stood upright to address the crowd.

# 'Air Element from Canada. Air Element from Canada.'

# Only the fifty or so nearest him could hear him. Lowering the megaphone the officer turned to an NCO standing close by.

# 'Sergeant-Major, get them to quiten down, would you?'

# 'Sir.' The Sergeant Major about-turned smartly, marched purposefully towards the milling group, halted, and bellowed even louder than the loud-hailer.

# 'QUIET. Listen to the officer.' That did the trick. The throng fell silent.

# 'Thank you Sarnt Major.' Then through the horn, 'These trucks will take you to your disembarkation points. From there you will be told where to go. Fifteen men per truck. You may board now. Carry on.'

# The megaphone was consigned to the inside of the truck and the officer followed it as the crowd moved to the waiting trucks.

# Upon completing the administrations required Connie and Keith were given a slip of paper telling them to report to an RAF base called Syerston where they will be taken on strength of 408 Squadron Royal Canadian Air Force. At last an operational posting.

# 408 Squadron were just working up on the Handley Page Hampden, a twin engined medium bomber nicknamed 'The Flying Suitcase' because of its slim, slab-sided fuselage.

# After only one week to familiarise themselves with the Hampden and the surrounding terrain the two ex farm boys found themselves in the boss's office.

# 'This is Group Captain Fullerton-Thorpe, RAF Liaison Officer here.'

# Before them stood a slightly built chap in an RAF uniform, but what stood out most of all to Connie and Keith was the gigantic handlebar moustache.

# 'Do you chaps know the Samlesbury run? What, what?'

# 'Er, yes, sir.' Connie replied.

# 'Right, you will be going on it tomorrow, what. 0600 the lorry will leave from the guardhouse, 24 hour rations will be issued from the mess, so don't miss brekkers, what, what.'

# 'Sir.'

# 'Here is your paperwork, what. You will be picking up aircraft AE354, don't let them palm you off with any others, what, what.'

# 'Sir.'

# As they left the office, the door had barely closed when Keith turned to Connie and said,

# 'What just happened in there?'

# 'Fucked if I know.' Connie replied.

# 'But you agreed to everything said, what the fuck is the Samlesbury run, anyway? And why did that strange guy have a dead cat under his nose?'

# 'I don't know what the Samlesbury run is, but you don't let them know that there is something you don't know.'

# 'Well, lets see what this paperwork can tell us, it sounded as if we were going to pick up a new aircraft.'

# 0600 the following day saw our intrepid airmen waiting by the guardhouse, kit packed and ready. They had made enquiries and found that Samlesbury is in Lancashire, and that the lorry will take all day to get them there. They are only due to take the aircraft on charge the day after, so accommodation will have to be found. Also they were warned that it is very rare to be able to get an aircraft on the exact day arranged; in wartime all manner of shortages, inconsistency of materials, troublesome instruments and engines, any problems will delay flight testing.

# Much to Connie and Keith's dismay the truck simply turned around and left them at the gatehouse just as night began to fall. They were escorted to 2 shed where they found AE354. A lot of work was being done around the engines.

# 'When will it be ready?' asked Connie.

# Roy Walder was just descending the wooden stairs giving access to the engines,

# 'We have to give it the primary engine run yet, and there's no light trap in here, so it will have to be tomorrow before we can even start the engines.'

# 'What is a light trap?' asked Keith.

# 'It is like a separate room outside the shed. The aircraft is wheeled in there, the shed doors closed, all the lights in the light trap are put out, then the outer doors are opened without spilling any light and giving away our works.' Roy explained.

# 'And you don't have one in this, shed?'

# 'No. You see, the main airframes are assembled here in 2 shed. Then they go across to 4 shed for flight-testing where they can be moved about freely at night.'

# 'Why do you call these hangars sheds.' Keith could help himself no longer.

# 'It comes from the cotton industry around here. When they started building these big hangars they couldn't tell anyone that we were going to produce military aircraft. When you don't tell people what something is, they will name it for you. The same is true of tanks. People thought they were building boilers or tanks, but they were wrong for boilers, so they called them tanks, and still do.'

# 'So it looks like we will be having a late start tomorrow.' Connie asked Roy.

# 'I would say very, very late. This crate has not even been outside. We have to do ground runs yet, then test flights before she will be ready. It could take a week, but normally two more days should do it.'

# 'Ok, bud, how do we get somewhere to sleep tonight?' asked Keith.

# 'There's The Myerscough pub just across the road, if they are full, a nice lady a few doors down takes people in. we call her 'Auntie Chatty' on account that she talks a lot.' Roy did not prepare them fully for the experience of staying with 'Auntie Chatty'. To most people in England at that time packed earth floors were unusual. No lino, or floorboards, packed earth. But Connie and Keith were used to such things, so felt quite at home.

# There were only two bedrooms in the little terraced house, Auntie Chatty had the front room, whilst guests had the use of the back room, food was good and homemade. The availability of the typical English public house next door was not lost on the two airmen.

# Whilst at Samlesbury they saw that the new Halifax four engined bomber was going into production.

# 'Can we get a look inside?' Connie asked Les, their escort, who then consulted Roy Walder.

# Roy shook his head, 'You are allowed to look around it, but are not allowed inside. They tell me that Tom Forrester the mad riveter is locked inside, and it is not safe to go inside whilst he is in there.'

# Three days later they left Samlesbury with a brand new Hampden bomber.

# 'Does this mean we now have our own bomber?' Keith asked Connie as they walked across the grass at dispersal.

# 'I doubt it, buddy. For a start we are both qualified pilots, and there is no room for a second pilot in the flying suitcase. And for another there is too much movement of personnel.'

# As they walked into the flight ops hut they were greeted by 'Old FT what what', the RAF Liaison Officer.

# 'Good flight, what, what?'

# 'Yes, sir. No problems, controls crisp, engines sweet. Just as it should be.'

# 'I want to see you two as soon as you have been de-briefed. What. Fourteen hundred in the boss's office, what, what.' Connie and Keith saluted, turned about and left.

# This was November 1941, only a matter of weeks before America would be entering the conflict.

# As they entered they saw Old FT What what sitting behind the boss's desk.

# 'Don't salute me,' Old FT began, 'I am not wearing a cap, so can't return it.'

# 'Weird lot, these limeys.' Thought Connie.

# 'We have decided to give you guys a go at another aircraft type, what.' Old FT What-What spoke on behalf of the RAF and the Station Commander,

# 'What we would like you to do is go back to Lancashire, at Woodford airfield they are testing the new Avro Lancaster. This is a top secret four motor heavy bomber similar to the Halifax you might have seen at Samlesbury. What'

# 'Yes, sir. We did see the new Halifax at Samlesbury, but they wouldn't let us in to it.' Connie explained.

# 'Well this time it will be different, what, what.'

#  Fullerton-Thorpe stroked his moustache,

# 'This time we want you to familiarise yourself with the new machine and take it up for a spin. What. Not literally you understand, what, what.'

# 'Shame.' Keith commented.

# 'Same travel arrangements as before, what.'

# FT looked at his watch,

# 'You leave on the 23rd, that's the day after tomorrow, what, what.'

# 'Yes sir.' Both pilots saluted, turned and left.

# The Lancaster first flew the previous January, it was powered by four Rolls Royce Merlin XX engines. Nearly 70 feet wing span and 70 feet long, it was a lot bigger than the Hampden. And the Hampden weighed in at about 20,000lbs, whilst the Lancaster was 65,000lbs.

# The American pilots were given a day's lecturing and instruction before they were allowed in to the aircraft. This was only to familiarise them with the internal layout of the bomber. The biggest problem they had with that was the journey from the rear door up through the fuselage towards the pilot's seat. Not far into this clamber was a massive spar. Everything was painted matt black, and was sharp and hard. This made the trip even more hazardous. Upon arriving in the cockpit they found the view to be much better than expected. They even had side blisters built into the side of the canopy to give the two pilots, or pilot and flight engineer, the ability to look straight down. Their instructor came and stood behind the men and explained what all the bits were about. This was hardly possible in the Hampden with its tight cockpit. What came next is not possible in the Hampden either.

# 'Tomorrow we shall be going through the ground checks, then, if time permits, you will have a dual flight check-out.' The instructor told them. They had not had a dual flight since leaving Canada.

# The following day they found that the ground checks are mainly done by the ground crew due to the height of the aircraft off the ground.

# Once on board Connie began the engine checks, checked the brake pressures. Check the idle cut-off and ground/flight switch.

# 'Undercarriage warning lights and flap indicators.' He called to Keith.

# 'Set Throttle, lock undercarriage, close bomb doors, check flaps neutral, set props.' Keith responded.

# 'Air intakes to cold, all master cocks off, number two tanks select and on.'

# 'Check.'

# 'Selecting master cock, ignition on, booster on, prime engine.'

# Connie continued,

# 'Ready to start engines.'

# The instructor stretched up to look out at the ground crew below.

# 'Ok.'

# Connie pressed the starter button. The number one engine alongside him turned over hesitantly at first, then the propeller jerked a couple of times as the engine burst into life with billows of smoke from the exhaust stacks connected directly to the 24 cylinders. The row was immense. Connie pressed the starter for the engine on the other side, number two. The noise doubled. Then engine number three, then four.

# In order to get both pilots on this flight Keith was doubling as flight engineer. As such it was it was his job to monitor the oil pressures, engine temperatures and check the operations of the bomb bay doors and flaps.

# Checks done Connie taxied the black bomber round to the main runway at Woodford under the very watchful eye of the instructor. Before turning on to the main runway Connie stopped the aircraft to do his final engine checks. One by one the engines were opened up to full throttle. On each engine there are two magnetos, to test that all eight are working they are switched off one at a time. As each one is switched off the engine note should change, thus signifying that there is workload on that engine when the mag is switched on.

# All readings being satisfactory Connie swung the big bomber on to the main runway.

# 'Clear for take-off.' Came over the radio. With the throttles fully open the aircraft began its take-off run. Slowly at first, but more progressively the lumbering aircraft gained speed. Connie quickly glanced at the Air Speed Indicator as it approached 45 knots. Seconds later he pushed gently on the control yoke, and the gigantic tail section lifted clear of the ground, the control yoke was pulled back to balance the aircraft on the main wheels. Slight corrections with the twin rudders to keep the run as straight as possible, and before they knew it the speed had reached an amazing 70 knots. Then the weight was transferred from wheels to wings. Keith looked out of the side window at the wings stretching out 35 feet either side of them. He was amazed to see the wing tips had bent up about 3 feet.

# \- o – O – o –

# Chapter Four

# US Army Air Force

# When the USA entered the war Connie and Keith transferred to the United States Army Air Force at Burtonwood. There they converted to the 4-engined B-17 bomber.

# On the rear fuselage of the B-17, just in front of the tailplane, is a small entrance door. Two very young airmen approached this for the first time.

# 'Well I think I can get in,' commented Connie with a sly leer at Keith, 'but you will have trouble, you big fat lump.'

# Keith took a swing at Connie's arm, but Connie anticipated it and dipped his shoulder as the blow missed and Keith's hand simply slipped across the back of Connie's new leather jacket.

# 'Cheeky thin bastard.' He replied.

# 'But don't worry, we can always lower the ball turret to get you in.' Connie said, pointing at the glass sphere that hung below the belly of the bomber.

# There were no steps, the sill was just below waist height, Connie placed one knee in the aircraft and pulled himself inside. He squatted as he looked around, allowing his vision to get accustomed to the darkness of the interior. Keith peered inside whilst keeping his feet on the ground.

# 'Ain't it funny how all aircraft smell the same?' he observed.

# 'Combination of electrical wiring and sweat.' Connie responded as he looked up to see if there was anything impeding his standing up. He could just make out the roof only a few feet above his head. Slowly he raised himself, keeping his head bowed to avoid banging it. The aircraft sits on a wheel at the tail end, so this gives the inside a slope up towards the nose. Connie moved gingerly forwards, steadying himself on the stringers on either side. As Keith joined him, he looked back to the tail gunner's position in the extreme tail.

# 'Even a dwarf like you will have trouble getting in there.' He called to Connie.

# The first things they encountered were the .50 cal machine guns of the waist positions, one either side.

# 'Christ.' Exclaimed Connie. 'These guys must really get in each other's way.'

# The next obstacle they came across was a pole surrounded by large ammunition boxes, below which, in a hole in the floor was a strange, small metal dome.

# 'Is that what I think it is?' asked KC.

# 'It looks like the top of the ball turret, but it is so small, even I would have difficulty getting in there. It probably opens out a little below what we can see here.'

# Connie bent down and opened the entrance door that was built into the top of the sphere.

# Both men peered down into a strange, almost alien world.

# Letting out a long whistle, Keith said, 'Imagine what that must look like at 40,000 feet. No claustrophobics, or agoraphobics, or vertigo sufferers need apply.'

# They had to shuffle past the rectangular ammunition boxes and belts of bullets that fed the ball turret, then through a door in the bulkhead into the main navigation section with windows above and to the sides. And another .50 machine gun, complete with ammunition belt right in front of the door they had just come through. Connie nearly banged his head on this as he entered the room. When Keith came through, Connie tapped him on the head to make him think that he had caught something unseen, then Connie rattled the ammo belt and made an alarmed sound as if Keith had done some real damage.

# Keith bent down even lower, twisted his head round to see what was happening, reached out to steady himself on a chair, only to find that it was a swiveling chair. His hand fell down the back as he stumbled and regained his balance.

# 'Silly bastard.' He remarked, 'Hey, this is ok. We could start a card school in here if we get bored.'

# In between two banks of black painted instruments was the next door. Connie opened it to find that there was no floor in the next compartment.

# This was the bomb bay. A narrow walkway led to the forward bulkhead that contained the next door. On either side were vertical racks with straps, pins and other paraphernalia for use with bombs.

# 'This must be where they put the coffee machines.' Quipped Connie.

# As they moved carefully across the walkway they noticed that small chinks of light came in through the bomb doors far below.

# The last door opened towards them to Connie's surprise. They were both standing on the walkway, and had to step back in order to open the door.

# When Connie tried to enter the next compartment he found his way restricted by more ammunition boxes and belts of bullets. These were mounted on the frames attached to the top turret. He nearly tripped on the pedestal upon which the turret operator stands. Directly in front of this were the two pilot's seats.

# 'Right,' said Connie, 'let's get down to business.'

# Squeezing between the seats they both managed to sit on the bulky straps that would hold them in place during flight and fighting. Settling down and getting organised Connie drew out the pilot's manual.

# Methodically he and Keith went through the start up procedure without actually touching anything.

# 'Emergency Ignition switch on.'

# 'Master battery switches on.'

# 'Hydraulic pump switch on. Auto.'

# 'Landing gear switch neutral.'

# 'Flap Control switch, neutral.'

# 'Set parking brake, that's you.'

# 'Full and free movement of flight controls.'

# 'Prepare to start engines.'

# 'All ignition switches off.'

# Keith announced, 'Ground crew to turn propellers for three revolutions on number one engine.'

# 'Flight Engineer to select 'Servicing' on check valve.'

# 'Hydraulic pressure 600 pounds per square inch pressure.'

# 'Cowl flaps and return valves to 'Locked' position.'

# 'Intercooler controls to 'Cold'.'

# Connie added, 'Open fuel shut-off valves.'

# 'Crack throttles'

# Keith, 'Start fuel booster pump.'

# 'Check six to eight pounds per square inch pressure.'

# 'Start engine.'

# 'Hold starter for 30 seconds, unlock primer and expel air.'

# 'Move starter switch to 'Mesh'.'

# Connie made an engine starting sound and jumped up and down in his seat.

# Keith looked at him and said, 'Yes, very good. You even smell like a Pratt and Whitney engine.'

# 'Now for the fun bit.' Connie announced, We are getting out as if it were an emergency.'

# He reached down between the seats and opened a trap door.

# 'After you, I have to save the ship.'

# Keith slid down to the lower floor where the front hatch was already open, and just by his feet. No ladder, he simply dropped the five and a half feet to the ground.

# When Connie and Keith were sent to deliver a B-17 to Wisbech in Cambridgeshire they met up with Brian Kendall and Jimmy Lee Brockbank. All four were posted to Hunstanton for operations, but not before Connie had met Pam.

# Connie flew B-17s from Hunstanton. He flew them from there, but his buddies were fond of reminding him that he seldom returned them there.

# He was originally based at Wisbech, further north. Whilst there, he had got involved with a local girl. The Fowler family's ancestors originally came from the Norwich area, and this Cambridgeshire gal's accent had driven the young Connie bonkers. Many was the time when his B-17, named 'Fireduck', returned from a raid with some problem or other (occasionally genuine) causing him to land at the first airfield after they had crossed the coast. He knew that if they came in over The Wash the first airfield would be Wisbech. After six or seven of these forced landings his crew worked out that they had flown past the whole of East Anglia before crossing the coast, so they ordered a shot-gun wedding in the spring of 1944.

# 'We are getting sick of sleeping in the aircraft.' They told him.

# 'You don't all have to sleep in the aircraft,' he countered, 'as long as some-one keeps an eye on things, we're cool.'

# 'What are you doing with that little lady?' Brian asked. It was his turn to sleep in 'Fireduck' the next time they 'diverted'.

# I ain't doin' nuthin,' the mock indignation was evident, 'she won't let me.'

# 'Now, look here, Connie.' Brian was Connie's pal on the flight, 'I cover for ya as much as I can, but we gotta know what you intend to do here.' He led the pilot away from the others for a quiet word.

# 'What do you mean, Brian?'

# Brian continued to try to find out if his friend's intentions were, 'Are you just fooling around with this gal, or is it serious?'

# 'To be quite honest, Brian, I plumb don't know.' Connie confided.

# 'She sure is a sweet little thing, and we have a good laugh together. I see her face light up when she sees me, and I am always happier when I see her, but I just don't know how serious this thing is.'

# Coniston was suffering from the doubts all young people feel when first experiencing the early pangs of emotion during times of difficulty.

# And the difficulty was only just beginning.

# Not only had The Eighth Air Force declared war on Europe; but Europe had declared war on the Eighth Air Force; in particular it's bases in East Anglia.

# Some bases seem to have been singled out for special attention:

# Just as the sun went down on May 15th 1944, Connie, KC, and crew were on final approach to runway 09 at Horham. They were returning from bombing V-1 sites in northern France. The sun was setting behind them, they had a wonderful view of the airfield and the Suffolk countryside around. As they turned gently over Bury St Edmonds Connie began landing procedures.

# '880 to Hotel Oscar Romeo.' He called the base,

# 'Request final approach details, over.'

# 'Hotel Oscar Romeo to 880, you are cleared to approach, QFE is 1.3, over.'

# '880, Roger that.'

# As he turned the automatic flight systems off Connie called to Keith,

# 'Carburettor Filters on.'

# Keith responded by reciting the next part of his procedure,

# 'Automatic Rich, Filters On.'

# 'Gear Down.' Connie said to KC.

# 'Green light, tailwheel locked.'

# Connie asked the flight engineer to assist,

# 'Brian, check ball turret and retract trailing antennae.'

# 'Roger.'

# Now Connie was waiting for the speed to drop below 147 mph before he lowered the flaps. It is always a good idea to keep a good lookout at all times, especially when approaching an airfield where other aircraft may be doing the same, they could be in difficulties and not have the chance to avoid you.

# Connie looked out of the left cockpit window and noticed a formation of aircraft about 3 miles away.

# 'They look like they are going into Mendlesham.' He said to Keith.

# As the formation changed course slightly towards them he noticed that these B-17s did not look right. As they drew closer he realised that they only had one engine on each wing, they were twin-engined aircraft, maybe British Blenheims, Connie thought as he made the call,

# '880 to Hotel Oscar Romeo, do you have a formation of twins in your circuit?'

# 'Hotel Oscar Romeo to 880, we do not have any twins in the vicinity, can you see them now?'

# Flight Lieutenant Louis Birkenshaw was RAF liason officer at Horsham, as the air traffic controllers in the tower at Horsham were waiting for the stragglers to come home he burst into the room,

# 'The Observer Corps has a group of Ju-88s heading this way.' He called out to no one in particular.

# Seven Ju88s from KG76 were about to attack Horham. Specially equipped with 20mm cannons and incendiary bombs, they approached the airfield boundary at full speed 500 feet above the ground. Then flipped open their dive brake to allow them greater accuracy for their incendiary bombs and cannon shells.

# The timing was good; 95th Bomb Group was in the middle of refuelling and rearming. 337th Bombardment Squadron lost every one of its B-17s. When the Germans left a mere 18 minutes later only nine B-17s were left intact across the whole four Bombardment Squadrons. The loss of life was even more devastating. Two hangars were completely destroyed; all the people in them were killed in the ensuing fires. A total of 1,870 Americans were lost in that one raid, mainly maintenance personnel. These are needed to keep the aircraft flying, and such immense losses will take a lot of replacing. The vast production facilities in the USA were turning out B-17s at a rate of up to 175 every month. The maintenance crews were not as easy to produce. This was an Achilles' Heel.

# -o – O – o –

# Connie, KC and the crew had been moved to Horham in February 1944. During that early spring the Germans started hitting airfields to the east of the Gog Magog Hills using special Ju-88 bombers.

# Sudbury, Levenham, Woodbridge, Bentwaters, Ruttlesden, Horham, Mendlesham, Great Ashfield, Framlingham and Ridgewell had all been subjected to interdiction missions by Ju 88 bombers on a regular basis.

# The ten airfields mentioned above might not seem a lot, but there were a lot of high value targets there, all highly vulnerable to attack. A Bomb Group of B-17s can total 64 aircraft on one airfield.

# The Germans had realised that this was a far more effective way of dealing with the Americans than trying to shoot their aircraft down one at a time over Germany or France. In this first raid on Horham the Luftwaffe lost four Junkers Ju88s, 22 aircrew were either killed or taken prisoner, more than 50% of their force. Would they think it worth the losses?

# Over the next weeks other airfields attacked were Sudbury, attacked on the 18th May, Woodbridge on the 20th, Bentwaters on the 24th, and Levenham, all near Ipswich. Also Ruddlesden, Mendlesham and Great Ashfield near Bury St Edmunds, losses to the attackers were mounting; of the six Ju88s that hit Sudbury, two were lost.

# Seven hit Woodbridge, three were lost.

# Nine hit Bentwaters, three were lost.

# However, the Germans went back and reported that they had destroyed more than 50 B-17s on every raid. The real damage was in the loss of life among the American maintenance personnel. Although the three bases still had a total of 53 intact and serviceable B-17s; they no longer had sufficient personnel and hangerage to keep them flying.

# During the rest of May and into June Ruddlesden, Mendlesham and Great Ashfield were struck in a similar way.

# The Allies thought these were chosen because it was easier to attack them, considering their proximity to the sea.

# They were to be proven very wrong.

# To the Allies the answer was obvious. Withdraw the bombers and replace them with fighters. This played right in to the German's hands.

# The P-51 Mustangs that flew into the bases were day fighters. The Luftwaffe had regular overflights by Junkers Ju-86P high-altitude spy planes, so they knew this. Heinkel He 111 medium bombers took on the role of airfield strike at night.

# By June the American fighters were finding it difficult to operate effectively.

# June 5th 1944 was D-Day. The day the Allies planned to invade and begin to re-take Europe. Half of the fighters in Suffolk were moved closer to the South coast, and all fighter-bombers were now concentrated on the Channel.

# However, the weather was atrocious. Just when the moon and tides were right, the English Channel threw up one of its biggest storms.

# The Allied Strategic Commander, Eisenhower, decided he had no choice but to postpone for one day. Of his meteorological advisors only one, Group Captain J.M. Stagg, RAF said conditions would make a landing feasible on the sixth.

# Given the sheer size of the responsibility and number of lives at risk it was decided that the danger of massive loss of life and opportunity was not worth the risk, D-Day was postponed again.

# An added element, not known until recently, was the notification from the code-breakers at Bletchley Park that the Germans were giving off a significant increase in radio traffic just to the North of Calais. Most of this traffic was German Navy coding; this was the strongest of the Enigma cyphers, and the most difficult to break. Most of the messages could not be broken and read in less than three of four days. So it was presumed that the German navy, the Kriegsmarine, was planning to come down through the Straights of Dover to attack the Allied forces as they sailed across to Normandy.

# This was a risk they could not take. Too many American, British, Canadian, and other nationalities would be at high risk during the long crossing.

# As it turned out the Germans did not know about the proposed landings at Normandy. They were concerned that a crossing might take place at the Pas de Calais, but the main application of their efforts was not in repelling an invasion.

# -o – O – o –

# With the destruction of so many B-17s and ground personnel there was now a surfeit of aircrew. This led to Connie being posted to a P-38 Lightning unit specialising in photo-reconnaissance. One of the first jobs he had was to photograph the barges seen gathering on waterways between Dunkirk and Ostend.

# On the early morning of June 21st Connie left his new base at Luton in a dull green twin-tailed Lightning with vivid black and white stripes to fly across the Channel in search of German barges and other shipping.

# When he reached the Thames estuary at Southend he altered course slightly to overfly Margate and Ramsgate. This then led him straight across the Straits of Dover to landfall at Dunkirk. There he turned left and followed the coast, looking for barges from his height of 10,000 feet, but the cloud cover was obscuring his view of most of the coast, so he went down to 5,000 feet. This was not much better, for most of the time he was actually inside the cloud base. So he dropped down to 2,000 feet, by now he had reached the port of Nieuwpoort. It was almost empty. So was Ostend. Not wishing to waste his mission he continued on to Zeebrugge, photographing every empty waterway he came across. Visibility was less than 20 miles, so he could not see the Wester Schelde, but he knew it was there, and it could be holding the vessels he was supposed to be photographing. Standing Orders prohibited photo-reconnaissance aircraft from flying over the continent unless their mission expressly requested it. Connie's mission did not authorise him to fly over Belgium, Holland , or France. As he interpreted it, his mission was to photograph the barges that had been seen there on the northern coast of occupied Europe.

# So he continued up the shoreline until he saw the vast estuary of the Wester Schelde, then he turned right to follow the wide waterway with Zeeland on the left. Still no sign of the heavy shipping he was sent to find and photograph. When the Schelde turned sharp right, he continued on a roughly northerly course over the thin spate of land to the Ooster Schelde, then further north to Grevelingen. By now he could almost see the Hook of Holland. There was still no sign of barges when Connie tipped his left wing down to the vertical to turn for home.

# Climbing to 10,000 feet the clouds slowly dispersed as he made his way back over where the Straits of Dover meet the North Sea. He was further north than on the way out, with Margate on his left horizon; he was heading for Foulness Island to make landfall back in the UK. He looked to the right, over a vast expanse of sea in case there was an aircraft sent out from one of the German fighter bases to intercept him. Then he saw, about 20 miles away something that looked like white lines on the sea. He turned right to investigate. Seven minutes later he found what he had been sent out to photograph. He also found why he had not been intercepted; virtually all of the Luftwaffe aircraft in Northern Europe were escorting the shipping across the North Sea.

# The German 7th Army under Eberbach, and elements of 5th Panzer Army under Dietrich, backed up by II Para Corps under Meindl, had come ashore between Felixstowe and Orford. There were no Allied bombers or even fighter-bombers in the area to oppose them, the American and British forces were all assembled near the Isle of Wight. And now the Germans had two major air basis, Woodbridge and Bentwaters, within their reach, still more importantly, a major seaport, Felixstowe.

# \- o – O – o –

# Coniston Fowler landed back at Luton and reported what he had seen and photographed. The results were rushed to US Army Air Force's VIII Bomber Command at High Wycombe, where General Ira Eaker called for the reconnaissance pilot to report personally to an emergency planning meeting that very night. Also at this meeting were Connie's boss, Captain Olaf South, his boss, 5th Recon Wing leader Brigadier General Loren J Darwen and other Army ranks. Including Maj. Gen William J. Donovan. Donovan had proposed an "organisation which will procure intelligence both by overt and covert methods and will at the same time provide intelligence guidance, determine national intelligence objectives, and correlate the intelligence material collected by all government agencies." This was submitted to President Roosevelt, and involved a separation of the Office of Strategic Services (OSS) from the Joint Chiefs of Staff with the new organisation having direct Presidential supervision.

# 'If these bastards have landed here,' began Gen Ira Eaker pointing at the area near Ipswich on the wall map, 'we will have the devil of a job keeping them from overrunning both Bentwaters and Woodbridge.'

# 'Then, if they wheel left they will reach the port of Felixstowe in less than a week.' Added Olaf.

# 'What defences do the Brits have in this area?' asked Maj. Gen William J. Donovan.

# 'Diddley squat.' Came the reply from Olaf. 'They have been concentrating their efforts on building up forces in preparation for D-Day, which didn't happen. So now they have all their men and equipment on the wrong end of the English Channel. So do we.'

# 'What about strategic reserves?' said Ira, 'Every army has strategic reserves made up of units resting, refitting, or being raised.'

# 'The Brits have been in this war for nearly five years now, Sir.' Explained Olaf, 'They have been on the back foot since being thrown out of France in 1940.'

# 'You mean to say they have no reserve forces for defence?'

# 'What forces they had in the East Anglia region,' Olaf waved his hand over the appropriate area of the map, 'they have redeployed to the Pas de Calais.' Olaf preferred to use the French title for the Straits of Dover because of his upbringing where French was spoken more than English.

# Ira quizzed him some more, 'You mean that area is completely defenceless?'

# 'Not exactly, Sir.'

# 'Why, how, where, who?'

# 'The Brits have a civil defence set-up called the Home Guard. There are units of the Home Guard called Auxiliers, also known as 'Scallywags'; they expect them to slow the Germans down until reinforcements can be brought into the battle.'

# 'And can they do this? What kind of kit do they have?'

# 'They will be operating for 10 to 15 days, that's as much as I can tell you.' Olaf seemed very final in this.

# Ira didn't want to let it go at that, 'Will they prevent the Germans from reaching our airfields?' he turned to the others present. 'And how can we work with them?'

# Olaf's southern roots came to the fore as he said,

# 'Ahh cain't see ya awl a-dooin' thaet.'

# 'But if there's no co-ordinated defence plan we are wide open.' Ira protested.

# 'Ahh do believe they have their own plans.' If Olaf knew these plans he certainly wasn't going to let on here.

# 'OK, lets look at what we have, and what is at risk here.' Ira turned to the main map on the wall.

# 'I understand we have P-47 Thunderbolt repair shops at Woodbridge, and a Fighter Group on each base, with the usual defence set-up. Is that correct?' He turned to Captain Harold J Hall who had flown in from Woodbridge. Wounded at Kasserine, Harold had been given the command of Woodbridge by way of 'light duties'. Things were about to change.

# 'Yes, Sir.' Harold replied, 'But we are only equipped to supply perimeter defence; if the Germans have got that close, things will have got beyond our control.'

# The ground column of the Luftwaffe's First Gruppe of Jadgeschwader 26 turned away from Reimes, the Third Gruppe was bound for Nancy when it, too turned and began heading north. The Second Gruppe had left Mont de Marsan, near Biarritz three days earlier.

# The build-up continued when JG 2, also equipped with the excellent Focke-Wulf Fw 190A, was redeployed. There was a meeting of all four stafflen (a stafflen was roughly equivalent to a squadron consisting of some 12 aircraft) of I Gruppe at Cormeilles, France. Major Hohagen, Commander in Chief, read out an Order of the Day, which came directly from Reichmarschall Goering. The whole Geschwader was moving out of northern France. It was felt that there were sufficient Luftwaffe resources along the Channel coast to hold an invasion on the beachhead long enough for the Wermacht, with its well-dispersed panzer regiments, to mount a counter-attack.

# JG 2's III Gruppe started moving towards the French Atlantic coast when it was ordered to turn back and make for Belgium. Staffelkapitan of II Gruppe, Hauptmann Georg Schroder took his men by train to Germany to collect new equipment in the shape of Messerscmitt Bf 109Gs, then fly them to a small airfield just inland of Oostende, Belgium. The Ist Gruppe was dispersed to Nancy in eastern France.

# Two of the Luftwaffe's most experienced and best-equipped fighter wings have now been moved away from the English Channel, where the Germans were only half expecting an Allied invasion. They didn't know that the whole thing had been cancelled, but the German plans had not.

# \- o – O – o –

# Chapter Five

#  Scallywags

# The Germans had landed between Bardsey and Shingle Street. But the Scallywags there were ready for them.

# 203 Battalion Home Guard was made up from men who had attended a weekend course at Coleshill House, Wiltshire. The 'Scallywags' were the highly-trained and very determined 'stay behinds' who were to remain undetected in carefully constructed hideouts as the invading German Army made its way through Britain.

# There they were trained in the arts of guerrilla warfare including assassination, unarmed combat, demolition, sabotage, and more.

# Their training was simple, yet effective. Every Thursday evening at Coleshill House groups would arrive to be housed in the stable block. By day they got instruction on explosives, weapons and unarmed combat. At night they were taken out into the countryside and had to find their own way back.

# Connie noticed that Olaf was quiet after the mention of British defences, so when they left the meeting he said quietly to his boss,

# 'You know more than you're telling about this, don't you?'

# Olaf looked carefully around before replying,

# 'These Scallywags are like the British versions of Minutemen, but with a twist. Our Minutemen turned out to do battle in the open. These Scallywags are too few in number to be able to do that, so they are relying on stealth, cunning, and a fanaticism the like of which I have never seen before.'

# Connie got into the jeep as Olaf bent forwards to press the starter button on the floor. With a loud clatter and cloud of petrol fumes the engine started. Olaf crashed into second gear and drove off. He turned to Connie and said,

# 'You are the best recon pilot I've got, you proved that when you went looking for those barges. I had an idea they wouldn't be where they were supposed to be, but I didn't expect you to find them at sea.'

# Connie pulled his soft cap down to prevent it from blowing off as Olaf hit top gear and charged on into the night.

# 'So I will give you the low-down on what I know about these people, but it must not go beyond this here vehicle. It's between you and me only.'

# Connie nodded his agreement. Then he was nearly thrown out of the jeep as Olaf took a left bend at speed.

# 'OK, you're the boss.' He said as he grasped the dash to steady himself.

# 'They are a very secretive bunch. They have learned from experiences with the French Resistance that it is risky for any one unit to know about another, so they do not know who or where any other unit is.'

# A bumpy bit of road, taken too fast had them both leaving their seats.

# 'Operating from near Little Glemham, and the Mendlesham Forest one unit of Scallywags decided that petrol, oil, diesel, or any flammable liquid was to be the most effective weapon to use against a superior force.'

# Olaf didn't bother to change gear as they came on a hill; he just gunned the engine and the little vehicle shot up the rise with ease.

# 'To this end they acquired a quantity of flame-throwers, and some 50 gall drums of scrap fuel oil. Their deadliest weapon is a simple Very signal pistol.'

# Connie turned to look at Olaf, however in the dark he could only make out the silhouette.

# 'You mean they send up a red flare and the Germans know to stop?'

# 'Have you ever wondered what happens to the old oil from an aircraft engine when it has an oil change? Or when contaminated petrol is found in a fuel system?'

# 'Yea. A Bomb Wing of twenty-one B-17s, that's 84 engines. How often do they have an oil change? Every couple of weeks when there's a push on.'

# 'The Scallywags have found a novel way to pour oil on troubled waters. They rolled 50 Gall drums below low water, and dropped some into deeper water offshore. The drums have bungs connected to winches on shore; if the Germans come, all they have to do is fire up the winches. The bungs come out, the oil bubbles up. Flares will then light the way, and the sea shall consume them – toasted.'

# 'How on earth do you know this?'

# 'Who the hell do you think acquired the stuff?'

# 'How stupid of me.'

# The jeep belted on through the night to Luton.

# 'I don't know if you want to sleep or not.' Olaf said to Connie as they dismounted the jeep, 'But I need you over those landing sites at first light.'

# \- o – O – o –

# 'It is now 2330.' Connie looked at his watch to confirm this, 'It starts to get light at about 0345. If I get 2 hours I will be lucky. But that should be enough.'

# Next morning at dispersal Connie was surprised to see Olaf, still in the same clothes he had on last evening.

# 'We have not been able to establish contact with the fighter boys at either Bentwaters or Woodbridge, so I can't guarantee any fighter cover.' Olaf told Connie as they approached the twin-tailed aircraft from the rear.

# 'It's times like this I wish they had not painted these black and white stripes on my aircraft.' Connie commented. 'I want to sneak in and out.'

# 'It may help you go that little bit faster.'

# 'What will help me go that bit faster are these dive flaps.'

# 'How can flaps help you go faster?' Olaf wanted to know.

# 'They operate at speeds above 420 mph. They don't actually slow me down, what they do is break up the shock wave that causes compressibility; that means I keep control until much higher speeds.'

# 'Coniston, I know you are very good at your job. I also know that is because you can anticipate the unknowable, and plan your actions accordingly. So what do you intend to do this time?'

# 'On this occasion I am presuming the Germans have not had chance to base any fighters on either Woodbridge or Bentwaters, so any threats will be coming from Germany or Belgium.' Connie rattled the flaps to see if there was any play in the mechanism, then ran his hand along the aileron as he and Olaf made their way around the tip of the wing.

# With his hand sliding down the leading edge of the wing, Connie turned to Olaf in the darkness and said, 'The Brits have radar operating from at least one of the Martello Towers, with an uninterrupted view all the way to Belgium. I have their radio frequency, and have asked them to warm up their equipment about now.' He looked at his watch, then peered into the chin intake below the left propeller of the P-38 Lightning. Not being able to see anything in the darkness, he thrust his hand in to check for debris and nests.

# 'If they give me the all-clear, as I expect, I shall be over Felixstowe at 350 mph and 500 feet. I then intend to descend in a 150 dive to reach 450 mph at 200 feet over The Deben. This will put me over the target for only 50 seconds.' His hand took a sweeping motion in the way that pilots do.

# Olaf took a step away from the nose in order to avoid bumping into it, 'Emergency diversion Martlesham Heath.' He called to Connie, then jumped into his jeep and drove off to let the pilot get on with his preparations.

# A groundcrewman, Jim Rohn, jumped on to the wing as Connie slid into the seat. Without looking up the pilot said,

# 'Have you nothing better to do?'

# 'Orders from HQ, sir. I have to make sure the right person gets strapped in. Last week a monkey managed to get in and fly a mission.' Jim replied as he checked the straps for twists and kinks.

# 'Couldn't find him now, could you?' Connie clicked the lugs into the quick-release fitting.

# 'Sorry, sir. He must have more sense. Would sir like to start the engines before take-off?'

# 'Clear the bloody props, please.'

# Jim straightened up and shouted, 'Clear for engine start.'

# A similar procedure was taking place on the other side of the North Sea.

# Dawn was breaking on Connie's right as he descended to 500 feet, approaching Felixstowe. A scattering of thin cloud, very high up, turned pale yellow as the dark skies below began to lighten.

# There had been no word from the radar people. He had been told that would be the case if everything were clear, they didn't want to give their presence away by using radio if possible, their normal communications being on landlines.

# The thin light grew stronger as the sun began to rise. If there were to be any activity it would be coming out of the sun.

# The P-38 Lightning, named 'Fireduck' nosed down into a 150 shallow dive. The speed quickly increased to 450 mph, the whole aircraft began to shake as the under-wing dive flaps began to take effect. Connie pressed on, levelling out and allowing the speed to stabilise; and the aircraft began to steady.

# Connie was not alone in the sky as dawn broke over Suffolk on that summer's day in 1944. Out to the east were two aircraft he couldn't see in the bright light that was soon to become the brilliant sun as it passed between clouds that made it difficult to keep an eye on that part of the sky. He squinted to the east just as the sun burst from behind a cloud, blinding him.

# Staffelkapitan Rudolf von Kreuz and his wing-man Oberleutnant Werner Clun were the lead elements of a unit still being formed. They only had seven aircraft in the embryo JV 44, and less than half of them were serviceable at any one time. These aircraft were the new Messerschmitt Me 262a jet fighter. Armed with four 30mm cannons each, and about the fastest aircraft in the world at that time, these were a big threat to Connie.

# The two German jets came streaking in towards Connie as he started his run across The Deben. He was aiming at the village of Hollesey. The radio crackled,

# 'Leopard One from Rubber Duck, you have two at one hundred, angels ten.'

# This told Connie, who's call sign today was leopard, that he had two aircraft coming at him from one hundred degrees (just south of due east), flying at 10 thousand feet. If they were the oldest fighters in the German inventory it would still be trouble for the boy from the Ozarks. But they were the fastest, with the heaviest armament. And they were coming down on him, giving them the advantage of speed and position. One could attack him from the side, whilst the other waited to see where he went, then give chase from the rear with a speed advantage from the dive down to the 200 feet Connie was reaching as he began to run his cameras. The next thing for the Germans to do was to manoeuvre around to Connie's vulnerable rear and, one either side preventing him from turning to escape, take their time shooting him down. With the P-38 being a photo-reconnaissance aircraft it carried no armament, Connie's best ally was speed and the element of surprise. Rudolf and Werner had already spotted the American; therefore there was no element of surprise. The jets were about 150 mph faster than the P-38 in level flight, so there was no speed advantage either.

# Staffelkapitan von Kreuz and Oberstleutnant Clun had no communications with the ground. Even if they did there was no German radar cover. The Wartzburg and other German radars were not long-ranged enough, nor were they portable. But it didn't matter. Connie was flying a fairly large P-38 with black and white stripes all over it. With the rising sun behind them and pre-dawn mists ascending from the fields of Suffolk inland, the conditions for spotting Connie were very good.

# von Kreuz was the first to spot the interdictor,

# 'Alder Ein, lone Flugzeug von links nach rechts etwa 12 Kilomete. sehr gering.' (Alder One lone aircraft moving from left to right about 12 kilometres. Very low.)

# 'Yes, I see him. What are your orders?'

# 'You break left, then wing over to the right to attack from behind, I will make a beam assault. Wait for me to pass over him before you attack.'

# Werner replied 'Remember the Fuhrerorder not to fly inland.'

# 'No, no. I will simply wing over and join you as we finish him off.'

# As they began their shallow dive Obstlt Clun called on the radio,

# 'Alder Two, Left engine overheating, I will have to turn back.'

# 'You are smoking badly, you had better shut that engine down. I will finish my attack before rejoining you. Good luck.'

# \- o – O – o –

# Chapter Six

# The Panzergrenadier and the Feldwebel

# The smooth sandy beaches of Hollesley bay were fringed by grass. It was as if the fields came down to the seaside for a vacation. In places cattle used to graze down to the sand, but not today. Felwebel Walter Konig reslung the heavy tripod mounting on to his back and shook the sand off his machine pistol.

# He stayed on one knee whilst he looked around and caught his breath.

# 'I'm not carrying this contraption if you have lost or damaged the MG42.' He said, turning to Panzergrenadier Gunther Bodie.

# 'Don't worry, it is here and quite safe.' Tall and very blond, Gunther had hit his head as they were spilled out of the barge when it came upon an unexpected underwater sand bar when they approached the Suffolk coastline. Their landing craft had been swept to one side of the landing ground when this occurred. As the gentle swell moved the craft further south than intended, the wind picked up in the opposite direction causing a fairly calm sea to become choppy. The direction of the wind also meant that the main fires were kept away from them.

# Gunther shouldered the strap of the large heavy machine gun on to his left shoulder, then picked up his helmet.

# 'I prefer to carry this for now, I feel my head is bruised.'

# Still in crouched positions the two soldiers scanned the horizon. The flat lie of the land meant that they could see for miles in some directions. But in most directions all they could see was smoke. Dense, oily black smoke. There was no question of setting up the MG42, there were just no targets. The landing had been almost unopposed; only the occasional burst of shooting. Or what sounded like shooting. It was more likley to be ammunition going off sparodically in the flames.

# 'Is that a German helmet?' Walter asked his gunner.

# 'Where?'

# 'Over there near that hedge.'

# Walter unslung his smeitscher sub-machine gun.

# Gunther scanned and studied the figure in the distance. His head started to throb. He shook it, then squinted to see the shape of the helmet more clearly.

# 'It isn't English, or American.' He concluded.

# Then the figure moved and they saw the unmistakable shape of the gas mask canister carried by all German soldiers.

# 'Where are you going?' Gunther called out. This was not the casual question it appeared to be; it was in fact the first part of a pre-arranged greetings code.

# 'Something like Niedersachsen.'

# 'You mean Saxmunden.'

# 'Ja.' This, then, was Sergeant-Artificer Karl-Heinz Gaskell.

# 'What are we to do now?' he asked his new comrades as he dropped into the hollow the two soldiers occupied.

# 'All the Officers seem to have disappeared, our units are scattered to God knows where, and I am pretty sure that we have now lost the element of surprise.'

# Karl-Heinz made a sweeping gesture toward the main area where the gigantic pall of smoke was coming from. Just then there came a lone Lockheed P-38 Lightning flying fast over the beach.

# 'and he is certainly not helping.'

# 'Right,' Gunther got to his feet and took a firm grip on the MG42,

# 'I am not going to sit here and wait for the Tommies to find us unprepared.'

# The three Germans moved off, away from the sea. Leaving a scene of complete devastation behind them.

# As they moved cautiously on to the grass Walter thought about mines.

# 'They told us the landing ground would not be mined.' He said. 'How would they know?'

# 'Arial reconnaissance.' Gunther replied, 'Twice a day they fly over and photograph the cow shit. If there are new dollops and cows, there can not be mines. Mind that dollop.'

# A small hedge offered scant cover, but it was the first thing they had seen to hide behind, so they did.

# Karl-Heinz felt for his binoculars. They should have been hanging round his neck.

# 'Shit! My binoculars, they must have fallen off when I left the boat.'

# Sgt-Art. Karl-Heinz Gaskell was not in the same boat as Gunther and Walter for the landing. His was a larger craft all together because it carried one of the famous 88mm anti-tank and anti-aircraft guns, with ammunition. It was the presence of this that got everyone moving when the Scallywags set fire to the sea. There was still more than 100 yards to go before hitting the beach, and the sea around them was beginning to burn. The flames seemed to begin behind them, out to sea, and were washing in with the boats. Slowly, one by one the barges became surrounded. Karl-Heinz decided his best chance was in the water. He kept hold of his helmet, carefully holding it in an upright position as if it were on his head. This served two purposes. It helped him stay afloat, being full of air. And could serve as and emergency air supply if and when he had to duck under the water. It was a larger than usual helmet, the type usually issued to the artillary. This was probably why Gunther and Walter had trouble identifying him as German earlier on.

# Behind the small hedge the three soldiers began checking their wet uniforms and equipment.

# 'Let's see just what we have got.' Suggested Gunther.

# 'We have all got our gas masks and water canteen, Ja?'

# 'Ja.'

# 'Ja.'

# 'Digging tools.'

# 'I have lost mine.' Karl-Heinz admitted.

# 'Food satchels?'

# 'Ja.'

# 'Ja.'

# 'Guns and ammunition.' Gunther began by patting the gigantic MG42, 'We have this for long-range work, and I have my Luger.'

# Walter unslung the MG42 tripod from his back and placed it near the hedge. 'I also have my Luger, and the smeitscher, but very little ammunition.'

# 'That is more or less what I have too, plus one stick grenade, and four ammunition pouches.' Karl-Heinz seemed to have nearly all of the spare ammunition.'

# Walter could almost stand upright behind the hedge without being seen by the enemy. This he did to gain a momentary glimpse of the countryside they were facing.

# Another small hawthorn hedge ran off to their right to a larger hedgerow with what looked like earthworks along part of its length.

# 'There is a more substantial hedge over there, and it looks likes there could be some trenchwork along part of it's length.'

# 'That could be useful.' Gunter replied. 'Any sign of the enemy?'

# 'No, and I can't see any buildings either.'

# 'Well, that should be our perimiter, we shall look at setting up the MG42 there and see what develops.'

# Having set up the MG 42 Gunter took a good look around. Nothing but empty fields in front of them, no German front line – they were it. He looked behind, a massive curtain of dense smoke hid the rising sun. The sea still glowed red, and there was no sign of the light tanks they were promised.

# 'Where is the 5th Panzer Army?' he asked no-one in particular.

# 'And the 7th Army.' Added Karl-Heinz.

# They were not in the best shape. Their uniforms were not drying fast enough, they had personal rations for three days at most, some ammunition, but if faced with a strong counter-attack it would only last about 30 minutes. On the plus side, they were alive and still had a fighting spirit, but no-one to fight, and no radio to find out what was happening. They honkered down behind the only substantial hedgerow they could find..

# \- o – O – o –

# Chapter Seven

# Lilly Leighton

# Pam was expecting a friend from her past. It had been a long time since she had seen Lilian Leighton, but is was difficult to travel from Warrington to Luton in wartime. First Lilly had to catch a train from Warrington New Street to Coventry, then change for Luton and a bus out to Pam's. But on two previous attempts she had made, the train had been diverted first to Liverpool, then Birmingham before heading for London. It was at Birmingham just after two o'clock in the afternoon that she decided to give up and return to Lancashire. Not only was the problem of not being able to travel directly of concern, but the trains were full, mainly of service personnel.

# This time she was lucky. The track to Liverpool was out of service, and Coventry was open again. Before lunch the steam locomotive chugged slowly into Luton station.

# Lilly alighted from the old charabanc bus at the junction of Thetford Drive. She adjusted the gas mask box as the noisy, smoky exhaust belched out of the bus.

# Sensible shoes would have been in order, but to Lilly these were sensible.

# She avoided walking on the grass by the roadside to keep her shoes clean, and because she knew the heels would sink into the soil.

# It was high summer in Bedfordshire, the trees were in full leaf, and the tops of some could be seen above the roofs opposite as they swayed in the stiff breeze. The storms of the last two days seemed to have passed and this inland part of England has escaped the worst of the weather, unlike the Channel Ports. The unsettled weather at the beginning of June had led the planners of the invasion of Continental Europe to at first delay the operation by one day, to the 6th, but this was the last time when the tides and moon would be suitable to such a massive undertaking. The next time the conditions coincided would be in the autumn, and the days would not be long enough for the completion of the landings in daylight. But a greater threat to the landings across the Channel at one of its widest points was the weather. Landing craft are not very stable, they have to have flat bottoms, heavy equipment and open tops, not good in heavy seas with rain lashing down. The landings were cancelled.

# The short front gardens with low hedges or picket fences were overlooked by bay windows. These were not like other billets for servicemen, Olaf had arranged this house for Connie and Pam; he liked to keep his people happy. Pam would not have liked to be referred to as one of Olaf's people, but as long as she was with Connie, Olaf took it as part of his responsibility to keep them both happy. It didn't stop her worrying about his work, but they both felt special to be living amongst civilians.

# It was good to have her friend Lilly visit. They had not seen each other for some time; Lilly's bloke had been posted to RAF Mildenhall in Suffolk. They had kept in touch by letter, but travel from Suffolk to Luton was difficult during wartime. It meant catching a bus to Cambridge, then train to London to change for Luton before getting the old charabanc to Thetford Drive. The problems brought about by the current events might mean that a train was missing, or got part way there and had to stop. You never knew until it was too late and you could have wasted a day, not to mention the fares paid. And the travel was never easy; mainly servicemen and equipment crowded all transport.

# Lilly was worried about her neck.

# 'Alison said this egg mix would stop my neck ageing.'

# Pam was not really taking much notice of what her friend was saying.

# 'You know what a Brontosaurus was?'

# There was no response from Pam as Lilly stroked down her neck, stretching out her lower jaw at the same time,

# 'I think I am becoming a cross between a lizard and a Brontosaurus. Pam, are you ok?'

# Hands thrust into her skirt pockets, Pam just stood looking into the garden.

# 'You never get used to it, do you?' Pam seemed to be addressing the trees and bushes. 'The waiting, not knowing.'

# 'Coniston's away again, is he?'

# 'Yes. Three days this time. Said it could be longer.'

# It was little comfort to Pam who knows that many who went away on duty did not return, or were captured and did not return for years, their families not knowing were they were, how they were, or when they would see them again.

# 'Let me make you coffee.' Lilly turned into the kitchen, calling as she walked, 'You need to keep yourself busy.'

# Pam shook her head quickly but vigorously. 'I know you are right, but he takes on the most difficult and dangerous jobs.'

# Both these women were on the small side, they carried off the fashion of full summer weight skirts very well. The curves of the lower back being emphasised by close fitting light sweaters. Lilly always wore a low neckline, and was more conscious of her appearance than usual. Pam, on the other hand, tended to wear higher necklines, but her more ample bosom was just as noticeable.

# 'Let me do your hair.' Offered Lilly.

# 'Maybe this afternoon.' Pam smiled as she recognised the support within the proposal,

# 'The more he mixes with that Olaf character the less I like it.'

# 'There has been a lot of wasted activity lately,' Lilly said as she poured hot water into the percolator, 'There is even talk that the boys may be sent home for Thanksgiving.'

# Pam reached up for the cookie jar, 'They can't say that, they don't know what is gonna happen the day after tomorrow, how can any sane person attempt to predict five months into the future?'

# 'Do we have any cream?' Lilly said as she smelled the freshly percolated coffee.

# 'No, I'm fresh out. We'll have to have it black.'

# 'Or with dried milk!'

# They both laughed at this possibility.

# As they sat with their coffee Lilly began asking her friend about the relationship with Connie.

# 'You get really worked up whenever he's away.'

# 'No more than anyone else does.' Pam replied.

# 'Is it because everything he does is dangerous?'

# 'Everything everyone does is dangerous these days. Anyway, I can't talk about what he does because he never tells me.'

# 'That must add to the suspense and tension.'

# 'And the excitement.' Pam took a Craven 'A' from the packet and offered them to Lilly.

# Lilly took one and looked at the packet.

# 'Did you buy these?'

# 'Yes, we ran out of Camels, so I got some with another animal on the pack.' Pam showed the black cat to Lilly, her lips were pressed together as if to stop laughing.

# Smoke rose as the Zippo did its work. Silence befell the pair, Pam was aware that The Authorities sometimes quiz servicemen's partners to see if they are likely to know or tell secrets. She had known Lilly since they moved here eight months ago and it was more than conceivable that Lilly could be involved in the security system. All of the women could be involved; it was in their best interests, after all.

# 'Have you ever been on the base?' Pam asked.

# Lilly looked around, took another puff on her cigarette before replying,

# 'Well, yes. One of the guys smuggled me on to have a look around once. They are very proud of what they do, even though they cannot tell anyone about it.'

# 'Did you get close to the aircraft?'

# 'Sort of, but not for long. We just walked past the open end of a hangar and looked inside.'

# 'Connie managed to get permission from Olaf to take me right up to the aircraft.'

# This interested Lilly, 'I've never been able to get really close up to any of the machines, not even the bombers when they were here.'

# 'Me neither, this is the only time I have been up close to the real thing. That is what worries me. There is nothing to them. This P-30-something that Connie flies, the engines are out on the wings, in a P-51 or Spitfire they sit behind a great big engine, that can protect them from bullets, but Connie is in this pod thing. The whole aircraft is so flimsy you can't touch most of it.'

# 'You actually got to touch it?'

# 'Oh, yeah. He let me get into his seat. When we talked about it, he said I should wear shorts and pumps. When you climb on the wing you have to be careful where you stand, the thing is so flimsy, if you wore heels they could go through the metal, bullets would have no problem, and these things are full of high octane petrol.' Pam knocked the ash off her cigarette and took a sip of coffee,

# 'That is why I am so worried. He sits with nothing to protect him from bullets, even the glass is not glass; it's something they call Perpex, or something like that.'

# 'The Man-machine interface.' Lilly adopted a mock American accent, taking a drag from her cigarette in the corner of her mouth.

# 'I don't know if it was a good idea for me to look around like I did. I sat there, with a massive strap digging into my backside, looking forwards with nothing for protection, if a German came at him from the front he wouldn't stand a chance.' Her carefully manicured eyebrows puckered into a worried frown, she bit her bottom lip, smearing her teeth with bright red lipstick.

# 'You've got it real bad for this bloke, haven't you?'

# 'It's not love, don't be ridiculous.' Pam says.

# 'But if you've never been in love, how can you know.'

# 'I believe that Connie has some real feelings for me, I think I have some for him too. I believe we can make it work.'

# 'If you spend your life thinking and believing, you have to really know about the other person. If there is only you in it there will never be an answer, only questions. You can't spend the rest of your life waiting for answers that can never come.'

# \- o – O – o –

# Connie was approaching Hollesley as he looked out to the east. What he saw gave him a fright. A big plume of smoke curving from behind Werner, and a fainter trail with Staffelkapitan Rudolf von Kreuz at its head. Rudolf was now diving at almost 650 mph. He knew he was well over the design maximum speed for the airframe. He had already throttled back to prevent engine damage, but if he tried to manoeuvre too sharply the aircraft would tear itself apart.

# Gently he eased the stick back to aim at a piece of sky directly in front of the P-38. Connie was about to fly into a hail of 30mm explosive cannon shells.

# Having finished his photograph run the speed of the P-38 had dropped to a little over 400 mph when Connie turned the twin-boomed PR fighter on to its right wing tip,

# At the same time he pulled hard back on the wheel. (P-38 Lightning's do not have a stick, they have a sort of yoke-shaped wheel) The G-forces forced him down into the small cockpit as the aircraft skidded round to face his attacker. When the Messerschmitt appeared directly in front of him Connie straightened the aircraft up to fly head-on towards the German as he opened up with his cannons. The white-hot cannon shells passed by the left of Connie's fighter due to Rudolf aiming-off to allow for Connie flying in a direction he was no longer going in. Rudolf dare not apply too much rudder to correct because he was going too fast for his fighter to react. They were heading for each other with a closing speed of about 1,000 mph. The cannon shells must have passed at something like 2,000 mph.

# Rudolf smelled the cordite as he swept past Connie to his left. Now, what to do next? The first thing he must do is lose some airspeed. The ASI told him he was still above the design maximum for the airframe. A little tweak back on the stick. The controls were very stiff; rather like stirring concrete, after it has set. For all he knew there would be a turnbuckle, cleat, hinge, rocker, or cable that just found the pressure too great, and gave out. He would probably never know what had happened, the most likely would be that German engineering would hold good, but the forces on the flying surfaces could put too much workload on the actual airframe, and the frame itself crumples under the overstressing load.

# The nose came up slightly, the horizon began dropping, and he was climbing again. The speed was dropping; 600 mph, still too high to risk engaging the rudder and putting a strain on the tail structure.

# 'Alder Two to Alder One. Butcher Birds coming your way. Do not intercept.' A message from Werner to warn Rudolf that Focke-Wulf Fw190 fighters were heading for him, he was not to intercept them.

# 'Very good, thank you' was what Rudolf said over the radio. What he wanted to say was,

# 'I am going the wrong way against orders. Is the American going to turn on me and shoot me down over enemy territory when I begin my turn'

# Rudolf did not realise that Connie was flying an unarmed reconnaissance aircraft, he recognised a P-38 Lightning, but presumed that it was a standard fighter with a battery of cannons and machine guns in the nose.

# He squirmed around in his cockpit trying to see behind himself, first to the left, then to the right. This is where a wing-man comes in useful. He was not worried that someone would be coming from behind to attack him, he was still travelling faster than any other aircraft could; he was looking for Connie to see which way he turned.

# Covering ground over Suffolk at more than 550 mph, the Staffelkapitan was worried. He was not allowed to fly inland in this top-secret jet, yet here he was, frantically trying to lose speed without overstressing the airframe. His height was only 1,000 feet, so he was vulnerable to small arms fire from the ground. Travelling at this speed there was no way he could get out of a stricken aeroplane. Even if it were to maintain straight and level flight the tail fin would chop him in two as he exited the cockpit, but in all likelihood it would start writhing about with such violence as to make major bits like engines and tail sections wrench themselves free. He would be thrown about to such an extent, the few milliseconds he had to effect an escape would be lost as he was thrown about, he would be unable to control his own arms and legs enough to get the canopy open, release his straps, then climb out.

# He looked to his left. The Wermacht had not yet desecrated the patchwork of English fields with country lanes running through them, so he knew he was behind enemy lines. As he gained altitude the sped began to drop, until at 4,000 feet Rudolf felt that it was safe to begin a medium rate turn to the left, just as Woodbridge came into view. He managed to skirt to the left of the town, in case there were any anti-aircraft guns there. Then he saw an airfield straight in front.

# This was Martlesham Heath, a Mosquito base that was just coming to life in the early light.

# At 4,000 feet they could hear the engines of the Messerschmitt 262 – this was not good, it had never been seen over England before. The whistling sound made by its jet engines gave it away as not a piston engined aircraft. As a result everyone on the RAF base looked up, especially the anti-aircraft gunners.

# Connie levelled the P-38 Lightning off from an almost vertical banked turn as the Messerschmitt 262 fired its four 30mm cannons. Facing each other, and with a closing speed in the region of 1,000 mph, this part of the dogfight is over in the twinkle of an eye. Connie is speeding towards the coast at 300 feet. Connie looked down as he approached the beaches, and what he saw shocked him.

# The shoreline was black with barges, vehicles, equipment and bodies, yes, bodies. Where the estuary of River Ore turns sharp right and follows the coast-line there was a mass of smouldering debris, it was impossible to distinguish what it once was. Connie had the presence of mind to switch on his cameras again as he over-flew the morass. German anti-aircraft fire had become a threat now, so Connie flew out to sea at low level before turning back to re-cross the coast at Felixstowe, having gained 5,000 feet in altitude.

# 'Leopard One, you have a bogie coming at you, zero one, angels 5.' Came the call over the radio. The guys on the Martello Tower were still working.

# This was Rudolf coming away from Martlesham, he had opened the taps on the jet engines and climbed whilst accelerating to put the gunners off their aim. He saw Connie was about to pass from his left to his right slightly lower than the Messerschmitt. The Staffelkapitan dropped the fighter's nose a little and prepared to aim slightly ahead of the P-38 to allow for the American's speed again. But Connie was having none of it. As soon as he saw the '262 he stood the P-38 on its right wing tip and kicked bottom rudder (right). As the aircraft turned to face his opponent, Connie levelled the wings. By now he was below the nose of the German, who had momentarily lost sight of him, so Rudolf increased his angle of dive. This meant that his speed increased. Connie then pulled back a little on the controls to bring his aircraft into a slight climb. This had two advantages, one, it made him a much smaller target, and two, the enemy aircraft would think this was a normal P-38 fighter with a powerful punch in the nose making an attacking pass at him, it was an aggressive manoeuvre.

# Rudolf had no choice, if he veered off in any direction he would present an open target, they were less than a quarter of a mile apart now, and closing at about 750 mph.

# Connie had a strange advantage; he didn't need to keep an aiming line on the other aircraft because he had no guns to aim. So he applied right rudder and opposite aileron, and at the same time cutting the throttle on the left engine. This made the fighter skid to the right in an unpredictable way, making it more difficult to hit. At the same time Rudolf pulled the trigger for a short burst, missed again, then they shot past each other. Rudolf turned hard for the coast; Connie turned inland and headed for Luton. That part of the fight was over.

# As he climbed out to sea Connie saw a cloud of aircraft coming towards him. These were the main aerial cover for the beaches, made up of over 60 Fw-190 and Bf-109 fighters. He didn't want to mix it with them! Turning on to a southerly heading Connie maintained his altitude of 2,000 feet and opened the throttles, figuring that the Germans would only be interested in covering the landing area, and would not want to waste fuel chasing an aircraft they probably couldn't catch anyway.

# As he crossed over a cross-roads a small group of Germans opened up at him with small arms fire. Connie didn't even notice this, there was no tracer to see. Small arms fire is a bit of a misnomer. A rifle is classed as small arms, yet it fires a bullet 1/3rd inch across. Sub-machine guns usually fire the same ammunition, but a lot more of it. Assault rifles normally fire high-velocity rounds that will do more damage at longer ranges.

# What hit Connie's aircraft was combination of all three, all lucky shots, but they managed to damage his left engine and puncture one fuel tank with three holes as the bullets went in, and three larger ones as they came out. The three upper holes will not spill any fuel out, but lots of petrol fumes can cause problems. Fuel was pouring out of the lower holes, but not enough to be even noticed. Connie just heard two or three slight pings. The bullet that hit the left engine caused coolant to leak away. A thin trail of escaping glycol now streamed behind the fleeing Lightning, much to the delight of the Germans who had so far not had a good day.

# Connie did not notice the temperature rising on the port engine. Then lights came on to get his attention, but by now all of the coolant had gone. The engine was throttled back, but within minutes it seized up, the prop stopped very suddenly and the aircraft slewed hard to port. Connie took care of the engine emergency shut-down procedure before looking at where he was going. He opened up the throttle on his remaining good engine and engaged full opposite rudder to counter the asymmetric swing. Then he noticed that he was now travelling in the direction from which he had come. As he banked to turn around, the only happy Germans in England opened fire again. No more than two bullets merely skimmed the dead engine. This should matter not a jot, but the shots gave off sparks, they in turn ignited the fumes escaping from the punctured petrol tank.

# At 150 feet Connie could not bail out, but he was still travelling at 275 mph, so he traded speed for height. Once the altimeter read 3,000 feet he released his straps, jettisoned the hood. Now he remembered the tail empenage. It was a commonly held belief that baling out of a P-38 would result in the hapless pilot being unceremoniously chopped in half by the tailplane. They were told that there were two ways to safely exit the aircraft whilst in flight: turn the stricken aircraft upside down, then simply fall out, or climb out on to the wing, then slide off the trailing edge. This is what Connie did. As he drifted down on his parachute he wondered if he would land in an area occupied by Germans.

# \- o – O – o –

# As underground shelters go, it was almost palatial; there were three separate rooms, not counting the privy. Making a small trap door under a hedge had very cunningly concealed the entrance. At 45/H2 you made an entry by sliding through this small door, only 2 feet by 1 foot six, and then sliding down a 45o slope, which had a small jink in it to prevent anyone making a swift attack without forewarning any occupants of their arrival. This was not one of a set, nor was it unique. There was a general plan for these types of structures; men who had more than the normal rural skills built them in the field (literally).

# Harry Wilkinson was the local squire, and had been a part of the land for all of his life. Herbert Moss was his Gamekeeper. Together they had begun the dig sixteen months ago. Only sixteen months, but in that time the Auxiliaries had been mobilised, trained and sent on their individual missions. They were all exceptional people, and were given an exceptional task. To build this hiding place was one of them. Harry had a meeting with Fred Morris, a cabinet maker and part time game warden from nearby Alderton, Fred suggested making the entrance as small as possible.

# In an informal meeting at the Rose and Crown they discussed the project.

# 'If we build it with a slope down we can make an attacking entrance as difficult as possible.' Fred suggested,

# 'To make this even more unlikely there should be some kind of bend half way down with the final egress into a corner of a room via some kind of sword step.'

# 'What on earth is a sword step?' queried Harry.

# 'A sword step was a step on the bend of a staircase where one step is higher than the rest in order to cause an attacker to stumble in such a position as to allow a sword thrust as they flounder.'

# 'Jolly good, how about a murder hole too? After all, we are building a dungeon'

# 'Another flagon of ale, I think.' Fred got up and went to the bar.

# 'Two flagons of your finest falling-over water, if you please, buxom barmaid.'

# There was only the landlord behind the bar.

# 'I think you have had enough, my good fellow, it is beginning to effect your eyesight.'

# 'You are much uglier than the other one, that shows I still have the capacity for reasoned and accurate judgement.'

# The landlord began pouring the libations.

# 'How do you think this war is going to go, then?' he asked Fred the question on everyone's mind.

# 'Can't see it having much effect round here; people got to eat, so we'll just keep on providing it.'

# Fred took the pints and turned to say,

# 'It will probably fizzle out anyway, no need to worry; we can't go there and they can't come here.'

# Harry agreed as Fred sat down,

# 'And with the number of yanks arriving here, there will be no point invading, they have already done it.'

# Fred returned to the matter in hand,

# 'We can't discuss this here, but how many men will be involved in the construction?'

# 'As few as possible. Probably only five.'

# 'We shall make more headway in this once we look over the plans.' Fred looked around to make sure there was no-one close enough to hear.

# Harry and Fred decided to start the build at the main entrance, already described, and work towards the rear emergency exit. This meant they would not disturb the gorse bush they were to use as cover.

# 'The spoil from the dig is not too much of a problem.' Harry and Herbert considered the build after one month,

# 'Have you seen the job that Fred has done on the entrance?' Herbert asked.

# 'I have. And what a job, too. Did you like what he calls the sword step?

# 'The what?'

# 'When you slide in, after the bend you then stand up, take a pace forward, open the door then have to stride over a concrete step. In the dark we expect a stranger to stumble over that. Being concrete it also protects the door from grenades being rolled in.'

# Six weeks later the structure was finished and replanting around the rear took place. Fully equipped with Sterling sub-machine guns, satchel charges, mines and all sorts of munitions that may be needed to counter an enemy.

# \- o – O – o –

# Chapter Eight

#  Photo-recce

# Olaf was worried. Connie was half an hour late. In a 20-minute flight during wartime a gap like that is noticeable. He picked up the phone and called an acquaintance at 8th Air Force HQ.

# 'We got a guy missing on a vital photo-recce mission.'

# He said, 'You have a guy in Polebrook I would like to borrow.'

# 'On whose authority is this being done, Olaf?'

# 'I can get Ike to phone it through, but I need this guy right now, we have a man down, and a job to complete. We are prepping an aircraft for him even as we speak. Minutes count, hell, even seconds count will you fly him down to Luton right now please?'

# 'Ok, ok. I'll put him in the hack myself, who is it you want?'

# 'His name is Keith Cornwell.'

# Less than 20 minutes later Keith touched down at Luton in the Stinson the unit used as a 'hack' aircraft to fly parts and personnel about.

# 'Ever flown a P-38?' Olaf greeted him with.

# 'Yes, once. I took one over from Base Air depot One at Burtonwood. It was only supposed to go to BAD 2 at Warton, but I had to take it to some place called Levenham I think.'

# 'Christ, a simple 'Yes' or 'No' would have done, I ain't gotten time for your life history.' Olaf pointed at a P-38. That's your crate, this is your mission. He gave Keith a map covering the area from Harwich to Bury St Edmonds.

# 'We want you to fly over this area here, just north of Felixstowe as far as this little inlet, and take pictures as you go.'

# 'Right. Is there anything else I should know, sir?'

# 'Yes, Connie's missing. He went on this very same mission this morning and has not reported back yet. See if you can find anything out.'

# 'Oh. Ok, sir.' Keith walked slowly over to the waiting aircraft. A ground crewman jumped down from the rear of the wing and greeted him with a salute.

# 'The bird's checked and ready to go, sir.'

# Even the engines were warmed up. All Keith had to do was get in and fly.

# After less than 15 minutes flying due east Keith approached the coast at Walton-on-the Naze. He turned left and followed the coast to the estuary of the River Stour where Harwich and Felixstowe docks are. Here he opened the throttle to full military power and began a slight dive to give him more speed, just as Connie had done.

# What he saw through his windscreen took his breath away. In wartime you do see some strange sights, but this one was beyond his expectations. On his left were the flat expanses of Suffolk. On his right the grey sea, flecked with little white wave tops. But in front was a vast black cloud. To see the top of the black pillar he had to look through the roof of his canopy. Then he saw something else; tiny black dots swarming around the smoke like flies round a dung heap. The P-38 was now travelling at 400 mph, so it was not long until Keith could make out what the dots were. They were fighter aircraft. In combat you first see dots, then you have to do two things, manoeuvre into an attacking position, then identify the dots to see if they are friend or foe. Either way, they are doing exactly the same thing. This posturing can take an inordinate amount of time. Time was something Keith did not have – especially in view of the fact that they all knew he was not on their side and could therefore go straight into attack mode. That is exactly what four Fw-190D-9s did. But a P-38 doing over 400 mph is no easy target, especially if you are attacking from the front quarter, you have to compute where the enemy will be when your bullets have travelled across the sky to him. Then allow for drop, and wind as well as the movement of your own plane. Also there was the movement of his plane, plus combined speeds and many other small elements that are multiplied many times by various factors.

# Keith did not even see the tracer arching and weaving towards him. Focke-Wulf Fw-190D-9s have machine guns and cannon that fire exploding shells to get your attention. This quartet of Germans had a total of eight 20mm cannons and eight 7.62 machine-guns pointing at our boy. Looking from the German's viewpoint the tracer all converged on the lone P-38. But in fact some of it was bound to miss, because of the factors mentioned earlier. In fact all of it missed. The first Keith knew was a glint of something on the left caught his eye. As he turned his attentions to the area concerned a black shape grew so fast it had passed over him before he even had time to turn his head. Instinctively he looked for the arming button for his own cannons and machine-guns. He forgot he was in an unarmed reconnaissance machine, and when he thought he was arming his guns he actually set the cameras off on automatic. Upon realising his mistake he decided that things were even more desperate than he first thought. A quick scan around to look for other aircraft told Keith that he could not trust his own eyesight; he saw none, but he knew there were plenty around.

# 'This has turned into one cock-a-mami stupid war.' He recounted to himself as he turned the Lightning on to one wing tip and pulled hard on the yoke. Just then two more Fw-190s shot from underneath him without firing a shot. This proved that his instincts and training were more reliable than thinking. So he reversed the bank, and allowed the aircraft to turn upside down, allowing the opportunity to check where the last two came from. Surely enough, there were another six waiting for him to settle down and keep still to be killed. Whilst inverted he saw that the black cloud was close enough for him to reach, so he headed straight for the cover of smoke.

# Once inside the black smoke Keith found that it wasn't like being inside a cloud. The smoke cut off all light, then began seeping into the cockpit. As he began coughing Keith dropped down in height, at about 100 feet he found himself out into clear air again. As he looked around he saw that at this height the black column was made up of separate pillars rising from individual fires.

# 'This can work for me.' He said to himself.

# Keeping a wary eye out for other aircraft Keith began weaving between the pillars. This did three things: It kept him safe from other fighters because he was manoeuvring violently, it allowed the camera to get some interesting shots, and he was gradually moving towards safety – wherever that was.

# At 1,200 feet Connie's parachute opened with a snap. He thought at first his boots had come off. As he drifted down he kept wondering if he would be landing amongst friends or enemies, to this end he identified the area he would be heading for once he alighted. There was an oblong wooded area just to the north of where he would be landing in a very short time. He wondered if he should draw his side-arm, but then thought he may have a bumpy landing and then lose it, so he left it holstered. Then the grass came up at him at a very fast rate, the horizon shot up so fast he didn't see it go, all he could see was Suffolk grass racing up to meet his nose at an alarming rate. He felt his back begin to arch, then he saw his hands come out in front of him to touch the cool , wet grass as he rolled over and got entangled in his parachute lines. Breathing heavily he began to lose his 'chute. Then he looked around for the wooded area – nothing. Just flat fields and stunted hedgerows. Connie managed to gather his parachute and stuffed it under a small hedge. Then he got his compass out and began heading north.

# Trying to keep his head down as he trudged north toward what he hoped would be some cover Connie moved from one small hedgerow to another. Sometimes he made a zig zag to keep as close to cover as possible in case of German presence, after all, it was Germans here who shot him down, so he knew they were there. As he examined the next bit of cover he saw a strange looking branch sticking out from the base. He slowly approached the greenery. As he got closer he could see that there was the shape of a man lying just below the surface. In true fighter pilot tradition Connie crept quietly behind the man before making his move. He drew his .45 automatic pistol as he carefully approached the man's feet. Should he say something in German? He had never killed a man face to face, as it were. Now he decided that if he could take the man prisoner he could provide invaluable information.

# 'Make one move and I will blow your fucking head off.'

# 'If he doesn't I will.'

# Connie froze. He hadn't said a word.

# 'Handy hock.' Fred indicated an upward motion with his Sterling machine gun.

# Connie just froze to the spot. The man on the ground stayed as still as Connie.

# 'What do you propose we do with him now?' asked Herbert Moss, 'You know we can't take prisoners.'

# 'You English?' Connie almost whispered.

# 'Fucking brilliant. A German who lands in England then acts surprised when the English show up.' Fred remarked.

# 'Next you know he will be saying he made a mistake and meant to invade Ireland.' Herbert replied.

# 'No, you guys don't understand, I'm American.' Connie was almost elated with expectation.

# 'What were you doing flying a German aircraft?' Fred asked, then turned to Herbert, 'He must think we came in on the last banana boat.'

# 'Vat est your task here?' Herbert tried some German.

# 'Will you stop pissing about you stupid Godamned Limeys? I'm an American pilot shot down by some Germans at a crossroads near here.' Connie complained, 'If you let me lower my hands I can prove it.'

# 'Und how do you propose to do that?' Fred's 'German' was getting less convincing by the minute.

# 'I have a pack of American smokes in my pocket, and some gum.'

# 'Shit, I thought you would do better than that. Any German spy worth his salt can do better than that. What about the Hershey Bar? Every American carries Hershey Bars.'

# 'Not into combat in a P-38. I was flying a P-38; it has radiators either side of the cockpit. It gets pretty hot in there and the chocolate melts, cools and sets with the result that you can't get out.'

# 'Ooh, he's good, Fred. He probably got that from a downed P-38 pilot in Germany. I didn't see any P-38s around here today, did you, Fred?'

# 'Nope. Tell you what, we will give you the benefit of the doubt for now. You could still be an American working for the Germans, which we could never prove. But if there was no P-38 shot down near here you must have come from a German aircraft.'

# 'Bailed out at 3,000 feet with one engine at full throttle. The aircraft could be half way to fucking Wales now. How can I possibly prove that I was in a P-38 now?'

# 'Easy,' replied Fred, there is an Observer Corps Post not too far away, they will know if any American aircraft have been seen in the vicinity. We will go and ask them, meanwhile we will keep a very close eye on you my lad, and any attempt to slip away will meet with a quick burst from a machine gun.'

# 'What about him?' Connie pointed at the still prone body of the man he first saw.

# 'I think we shall leave him where he is, it's a dummy, made to draw activity away from us.'

# 'Well it certainly worked on me.'

# On a small rise in the ground sat a rather forlorn looking hut, the roof of which was occupied by three Observers looking out for aircraft. One was wearing a head and breast set, a 1940's sort of hands-free setup.

# On duty that day was Leading Observer Don Washington.

# 'Hello, Herbert. What are you doing round here? You know the Germans have landed? I wouldn't hang around if I were you.'

# 'I'm helping Fred, here. He's a Game Warden and we hear some German has been poaching rabbits. Can't have that, can we?'

# Fred entered the conversation,

# 'We need some information from you, but can't tell you why.'

# 'What can I tell you?'

# 'Have there been any reports of P-38s in this area today?'

# 'I can't give you that kind of information, it's classified you know.'

# 'You don't need to tell us what it was doing or anything like that, just if there was one, this chap here says he was flying one and it was shot down. If we can't prove one way or the other we will have to pass him on to the police.'

# 'I suppose I can tell you what you could have seen with your own eyes, but that is all I can do.'

# 'That's good enough for me.'

# 'There was a report of a P-38 trailing white smoke about 45 minutes ago.'

# Connie was first to react,

# 'Thank fuck for that.'

# Don commented on the remark,

# 'He's got to be a Yank, using language like that.'

# 'We had be sure, Yank.' Fred moved his Sterling to his left hand and offered his right, which Connie took with gratitude.

# 'You had a pistol out before, what were you going to do with it?'

# 'I would have fired if I needed to.'

# 'Well, young cowboy, you may well have to fire before this day is out. I presume that you know that the Germans have landed?'

# 'Yeah, you kinda notice things like that.'

# 'I can't tell you much about us, or what we do, but we have to stop this.' Fred looked even more determined, 'You can help us whilst you are here. But where are you going to go to?'

# 'My base is just outside Luton.'

# 'Well, you won't be catching no charabang for some time, and I don't fancy your chances of simply walking there from here, we don't know where the Krauts are.'

# As the three men walked back to the wooded area they kept a very wary eye out for any activity.

# 'Now we know we are all on the same side, can you tell us anything about the landing that you could have seen from flying over it?' Fred asked Connie.

# 'What a fucking mess. The area between Alderton and Hollesley seems to be the target. I flew about a mile inland, all I could see to the right was fire and smoke. In the fields I couldn't see any movement.'

# 'No tanks or heavy equipment like artillery?'

# 'None that I could see. The fires seemed to start before the barges had chance to land anything.'

# 'Stop.' Herbert whispered, 'Freeze, don't move.'

# All three stopped as if walking into a minefield.

# 'Very slowly and quietly get down.'

# Connie followed the examples set by Fred and Herbert. As they all reached a crouched kneeling position Herbert pointed silently at a hedgerow some 200 yards away. He held up three fingers to signify that he had seen three men.

# More signs between the Scallywags indicated that the three men spotted were moving in the same direction as they were, and the presence of a heavy machine gun was likely. Sight of the other men had been lost when the Brits and the American took cover, but Herbert thought the others had not continued for much further before taking cover, probably as a precaution. With hand cupped over their mouths the three huddled together and considered their options.

# 'I'm pretty sure they didn't spot us.' Herbert whispered, 'I definitely saw a German helmet, and the top of a Lafette 42 tripod for a Spandau.'

# This was not good news. The optimum operating crew of an MG 42 (sometimes called Spandau by British troops from the manufacturer's plates noting the district of Berlin where some were produced) was six men for sustained fire operation. The gun commander, who carried and fired the gun, the No.2 who carried the tripod, and Nos.3, 4, and 5 who carried ammunition, spare barrels, entrenching tools, and other items. This large team was often reduced to just three: the gunner, the loader (also barrel carrier), and the spotter. Sustained fire in this case meant about 1,200 rounds per minute. At such a high rate the human ear cannot easily discern the sound of individual bullets being fired, and in use the gun makes a sound described as like ripping cloth and giving rise to the nickname 'Hitler's buzzsaw'. With a killing range of up to 1 mile this one gun alone can pin down a small army.

# 'Harry's back at the hide,' Fred whispered to Herbert, 'give the Yank your Sterling, get Harry and circle round that hedgerow and lets see if we can outflank 'em.'

# Without a word, Herbert passed his machine gun on to Connie, turned, and left without either making a sound, or raising his head above cover.

# The call, 'Fleetwood Friend Solo.' Told Harry Wilkinson that one of the three-man crew of his outfit was returning on his own.

# As Herbert entered the room Harry offered him a cup of tea, there always seemed time for tea,

# 'Had a brew yet, Bert?'

# 'No, but if we don't get a bloody move on Fred will be getting bratvurst!'

# 'Christ, what's happened?' Harry stuffed a couple of grenades in his pocket, then started to clip on his webbing, this contained pockets with ammunition for the Sterlings.

# 'We picked up this Yank, then ran into some Jerries. They don't know we are here yet. Fred wants us to outflank them, there may be only three, but there could be six.'

# 'How do you work that out? '

# 'Cause that is the usual number in support of a Spandau machine gun.'

# 'So there's three of us against maybe six Jerries with a Spandau – the poor bastards, they don't stand a chance.'

# 'And don't forget the Yank flyer.'

# 'Where are they?' Harry returned to the serious point.

# 'About half a mile from here, the Krauts are one side of a hedge, Fred is on the other. They are closer to the hedge than Fred.' Herbert drew imaginary lines in the air with his hands.

# 'Fred and the Yank are near a stream, so they can move about without being seen. What Fred is worried about is if they set that Spandau up it could form part of a front line.'

# 'Any news on heavy equipment landing?'

# 'The Yank flew over just before he was shot down, he says he didn't see any.'

# 'Will we need a Piat?' Harry pointed to a stubby anti-tank weapon.

# 'You never know, it might come in useful, but I doubt it, there doesn't seem to be any tanks.'

# 'Ok, let's go.'

# Herbert and Harry moved off on a course more to the left than Herbert's original course in. this would then take them to an area the Germans were previously headed for.

#  Sergeant-Artificer Karl-Heinz Gaskell carefully placed his helmet on his head. The headache he acquired on the barge was still throbbing and swollen. He removed the helmet and adjusted the strapping to allow more room, then replaced it. Gunter and Walter were either side of him looking through the hedge. They saw nothing.

# 'It all seems very quiet.' Panzergrenadier Gunther Bodie reported.

# 'It shouldn't be. Where are the rest of the assault troops?' Feldwebel Walter Konig replied.

# Karl-Heinz looked towards the sea. All he could see was smoke rising from the beaches.

# 'No-one is coming. We are stranded here.'

# Quarter of a mile away Herbert and Harry slipped into a position on the flank of the German's location.

# Armed with the Piat, two Sterlings, six grenades and pistols, they were ready for anything. The only down side was the fact that they had no communications with Fred, so there could be no co-ordinated attack.

# Gunter looked towards where Harry and Herbert lie. He didn't see anything, the Scallywags were too cunning for that.

# Karl-Heinz had set up the MG 42 looking through the hedge, straight at Fred and Connie. If either of them showed as much as a head it would be blown off, but they didn't know that. Herbert checked his weapons, then got his binoculars out. He knew where the Germans were the last time he saw them, then he saw the hedge move slightly.

# 'If that's a Sparrow, it's a big bastard.' He said quietly. He swung his binos around to where he last saw Fred. By concentrating very hard he could just make out the round heads of his two compatriots.

# 'That's just dandy. They are right in front of the bloody Krauts. We can't mess about here now,' he turned to Harry,

# 'What the hell did you bring that dirty great contraption for?' he said, pointing at the Piat.

# 'It was doing no good back at base.'

# 'Can you run with it?'

# 'How far?'

# 'Nearly 200 yards over open ground.'

# 'What have you got planned?'

# 'Fred is holed up in front of that Spandau. What I propose is for me to move to a position to the other side, to the rear of the Jerries, then we can attack them from two directions in a pincer 100 degrees apart. I can't come in from behind them because of Fred and the Yank over there.'

# Harry thought about this for a while.

# 'We will have to be quick, if Fred stands up when he hears shooting he will be right in front of that bloody big gun.'

# 'Right,' Herbert began to prepare to move, 'when I am in position I will stand up and give you a wave, then drop down and be ready to give you covering fire if they see you running.'

# With that he started on his surreptitious circuitous route to circle round the unsuspecting Germans.

# Walter took a ration pack from his satchel.

# 'Is that a Kubelwagen?' He pointed in the general direction that Herbert was heading.

# 'Yes, I think it is.' replied Gunther, 'Do you think we could sail back to Germany in it?'

# 'The enemy is in front of us.' Karl-Heinz sternly reminded his comrades, who dutifully turned to face the other way.

# Herbert then continued his expedition. Upon arriving at his chosen destination he stopped to draw breath. Through his binoculars he saw that Harry was waiting and watching, he stood up, waved until Harry began his run, then dropped to his belly and aimed his Sterling at the Germans.

# Just as Herbert dropped to the ground a hail of bullets came flying over his head from behind him. Harry saw this and he, too dropped to the ground. But Harry had no cover, he was in open ground. Luckily no-one had spotted him. But someone had spotted Herbert, and they knew where he was hiding. Whoever it was kept up enough fire to keep Herbert's head down. By then the group lead by Karl-Heinz became aware that someone was firing in their rear. Walter and Karl-Heinz began turning the MG 42 around whilst Gustav gave covering fire with his Schmeitzer sub-machine gun. This got Connie's attention, he looked over the lip of the small valley they were in, only to see two Germans struggling to get a gigantic machine gun free from the hedgerow. He had just registered this when he felt a sharp kick on the shins. The grass came rushing up to his face for the second time that day as his feet seemed to gain height. By the time his nose hit the grass it was travelling downwards at a fair rate of knots. His hands were stretched out above his head, so they could not prevent the nasal collision.

# 'Don't you know the sounds of rounds coming towards you?' Fred seemed more surprised than anything.

# Connie opened his mouth to speak, but it filled with blood from his damaged proboscis.

# Fred signalled him to come and move further along the little valley. From there they could take a safer look at what was happening.

# Harry could see muzzle flashes from behind where Herbert was hiding. So could Fred and Connie. But they were all too far away to do anything, the Sterling was a short range weapon. Then Walter managed to get the tripod set up, and Karl-Heinz opened up with the MG 42 'Spandau'. With the loudest rip you have ever heard the big machine gun announced its presence. A one and a half-second burst was all it took, the firing stopped. No one knew who was firing at whom now, but Herbert was glad it had stopped, he knew he had to keep his head down, but could see Harry out in the open, if anyone took an interest in him, he knew he would have to reveal his own position.

# 'See if you can work your way round and see who is down there.' Karl-Heinz instructed Gustav. Keeping as low as he could Gustav moved away first to the right, then towards the firing position they had seen. Herbert was very surprised to see a German crawling towards him. He selected single shot on his Sterling and let Gustav have it. The bullet entered his shoulder and continued down his chest to exit by his hip. He did not move again.

# 'Very good. Gustav must have found the enemy and dispatched him.' Karl-Heinz said.

# Walter then felt safe enough to raise his head and look around. Then he saw Harry,

# 'There's another one!' He cried.

# Karl-Heinz knew he could not bring the MG 42 to bear in time as Harry opened fire with his Sterling, but they were out of effective range. Walter began firing with his Schmeitzer, but this too was ineffective at this range.

# Herbert then knelt on one knee and he, too opened fire with the same result. Fred and Connie then decided to join in with their Sterlings, this time with a strange effect. The Germans realised that they were surrounded and took cover. Harry realised that the machine guns were not having the desired effect from this range, and he was in the open anyway, so he moved in closer.

# When he was about 150 yards away he dropped to one knee, unslung the Piat from his back, primed it and fired at the sheltering Germans. The resulting explosion destroyed the MG 42 and everything around it, then the group went in search of the fire that came from behind Herbert. They found a single German who had been wounded by the MG 42. Scallywags cannot take prisoners.

# \- o – O – o –

# Back at Luton, the photographic film taken by Connie on his previous overflight, and the pictures taken by Keith were taken to the section led by Group Commander Louis Birkinshaw. This section had the task of analysing the pictures and passing on the resulting information to the relevant authorities. Louis was a serving RAF officer, unusual in this area; the majority of the personnel in the nissen huts were American. Most of the photographs they were studying came from Olaf South's people; because they were in the right place at the right time.

# The whole beach area was a blackened mess, even where the tide had gone out, it had left blackness behind, as if the scorched remnants could not be cleaned up. Dozens of burned-out barges, some still smouldering, littered the shoreline. Some vehicles had managed to disembark on to the sand, but they too were now burned out. Just to the left of the line Connie flew along was the junction of Hollesley Road and Buccanay Lane; here there seemed to be some activity around the trees.

# 'I think you should look at this, sir.' 1st Lieutenant Felix Self looked up from his magnifying frame and called across to Louis.

# 'What is it, Felix?'

# 'There is something going on here.'

# 'Let's have a look.' Louis peered into the twin magnifying glasses that give a limited stereoscopic view.

# 'Someone is having a picnic all right.' He looked around the room,

# 'Olaf, could you have a look at this, Are these your chaps?'

# Olaf walked across to the table and looked at the photograph.

# 'If all the Scallywags in Suffolk gathered together there wouldn't be that many, and you wouldn't see them anyway.' He commented.

# Louis looked at Felix, 'Well spotted Felix, ring it off as enemy activity. I'll see if we can get some activity of our own to deal with it.'

# 45 minutes later six B-25s dropped high explosives on the junction.

# Over the next six months Connie flew more dangerous recce missions for Olaf.

# The work of the Scallywags did a lot of damage to the Germans. 65% of the men involved didn't even land. Nearly all of the barges were lost, any chance they had of re-enforcement was cancelled out by the Royal Navy and fighter-bombers flown in from all over the UK. The men on the ground were denied the opportunity of getting to Felixstowe by harrying attacks at the hands of the Scallywags and Army units brought in from their preparations for D-Day by the transport aircraft that were supposed to take them across to France, mainly paras.

# After the end of the war things were not as dangerous for the pilots flying intelligence gathering missions; until the USA began to want to know exactly what the Soviet Union was up to behind the Iron Curtain.

# Then came the Korean War. Connie was seconded 'on loan' to work with the 323rd Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron flying out of Japan. They were flying the RB-45 Tornado, a four-engined jet bomber whose design began in 1945. Most of the missions these recce aircraft were sent on were sensitive, secret, and dangerous, and all over enemy territory without escort, and little chance of rescue if compromised.

# As the North Koreans began to equip with the MiG-15 these missions became more and more dangerous. The new Russian fighters could catch the RB-45s if given enough warning and time to get to altitude.

# Before the Korean War was over Connie was again transferred to England. Risky missions were being carried out over the Soviet Union. Olaf was involved, so his old team was called into action.

# Britain was also using the RB-45C; four aircraft were attached to an USAF squadron based in RAF Sculthorpe, Norfolk. With RAF markings, these performed significant operations over the Soviet Union during a period when the President of the United States prohibited such USAF overflight operations. That didn't worry Olaf, he wasn't USAF, neither were his people. So they were all transferred from the Korean Theater of Operations to UK.

# One well-known op consisted of three of the four RB-45C's deployed on 'Operation Ju-jitsu' on April 17, 1952. They flew over Russia at 36,000 feet gathering electronic intelligence and photographs of the targets before returning to Sculthorpe ten hours later. On this operation all went according to plan, but on the next such operation, on April 28, 1954, again the three aircraft took off from Sculthorpe. The leader of the RAF detachment, Squadron Leader Crampton was tasked with overflying Kiev. On this occasion he was tracked by ground radar and came under anti-aircraft fire. Applying full power meant that a return to Sculthorpe would not be possible, so he immediately turned and headed for Germany. Soviet night fighters were dispatched to hunt him down, but were unsuccessful. Subsequent flights over the Soviet Union were carried out using English Electric Canberras under the codename 'Operation Robin', operating at higher altitudes of around 54,000 feet.

# Nothing is known of Connie's activities during this time, but after the shooting down of the U-2 flown by Gary Powers in 1960 Olaf's flying escapades were curtailed, with the return to civilian life of his aircrews.

# But not for long; in February 1965 Connie was still living in England when he received an 'invitation' from Olaf to meet with him and visit Samlesbury airfield in the north of the country.

# The development and flight testing of a new military aircraft is a monumental task. A much more palatable solution is to acquire machinery 'off the shelf', if such an aircraft can be found and made available.

# \- o – O – o –

# Historical note

# Thursday 8th April 1965

# The Brussels Treaty was signed establishing a single commission for the three countries in the EEC.

# Top of the Pops featured Unity 4 + 2 with their

# Number one single, 'Concrete and Clay'.

# The recently formed British Aircraft Corporation were producing the Lightning F3 in Lancashire.

# On 2 March 1965, following an attack on a U.S. Marine barracks at Pleiku, Operation Flaming Dart was initiated. Operation Rolling Thunder and Operation Arc Light followed. The bombing campaign, which ultimately lasted three years, was intended to force North Vietnam to cease its support for the National Front for the Liberation of South Vietnam (NLF) by threatening to destroy North Vietnam's air defences and industrial infrastructure. Between March 1965 and November 1968, "Rolling Thunder" deluged the north with a million tons of missiles, rockets and bombs.

# A cajun Fiddle is confiscated at Manchester Airport.

# \- o – O – o –

# Chapter Nine

# Indecent Haste

# Kat kicked the heavy steel door, but it didn't budge.

# 'It must open outwards, this is an air raid shelter.' He thought to himself.

# Two more kicks and a shower of dust and rust, old paint and dead spiders were thrown into a shaft of light as the old door cracked open. Then slammed shut again.

# 'Brilliant, thank you very much.' muttered Kat as he was showered with ancient debris.

# In the gloom of the 20-year-old bulb he couldn't see what was falling on him, just as well. He put his shoulder to the door and gave it a heave. The floor felt very uncertain. It hadn't been swept for decades. This part of the hangar probably had not been used since the Halifax went out of production. His feet crunched as if he was walking on dry twigs.

# As the door reluctantly swung open and bright light streamed in he could see what he was standing on. It was the roots of bushes and plants growing up the side of the hangar. Outside were rampant Brambles, Deadly Nightshade and Elderberry, over the decades they had sent roots in to look for water and nutrients. Nature gets it wrong sometimes.

# Kat looked around the inside of this little room, built on to the side of the hangar. The whitewash was still on the walls and ceiling. The roof looked like wood, but he knew it to be concrete, the wood-like features were formed when the concrete was poured into rough wooden moulds during the war.

# As he forced the door open he heard a strange whoosh, like the sound of an aircraft landing on the runway on the other side of the hangar, but this was no Canberra.

# The village of Mellor lies downwind of Samlesbury airfield. Standing on top of the hill, two miles from the end of the runway is the church, with its steeple being the highest point in this part of the Ribble Valley.

# At 08.15 one Tuesday morning a lumbering Blackburn Beverley swooped by the church. This was the biggest aircraft seen on a level with the steeple.

# With its Four Bristol Centaurus sleeve-valved radial engines on idle, the big transport's fixed undercarriage brushed the piano keys on the threshold of runway 25-07. As weight was transferred from wings to wheels the propellers were reversed pitch, the pilot opened the throttles, and the aircraft stopped about half way down the concrete strip. This was before the intersection of the short runway, thereby enabling the aircraft to turn right towards the quieter side of the airfield. The main hangars and apron lay to the left as XB285 started its journey along the short runway when a grey van with a yellow roof appeared. A crude 'Follow Me' sign had been strung up on the back of the vehicle. Inside the van were Lol Ashcroft and Frank Richardson, they had been given instructions to escort the aircraft to the annexe of shed 3B. So, instead of turning left towards the main part of the airfield, the bulbous aircraft was led round the back of 3B.

# Before the engines stopped the large clamshell doors opened, the loading ramp was lowered and XB285 disgorged its own tractor. With the use of this it was possible to turn the aircraft in its own length.

# Engines were shut down and all fell silent again. Ten minutes later another Beverley arrived and took its place alongside XB285. This place was ideal, the two aircraft were surrounded on 2 sides by a high banking, the third side was the hangar, and the way they had come in was curved, so passers by could not see them.

# Frank Richardson had the gait of a cowboy, but that did not impress the armed American guards outside the door to the annexe.

# As they approached the door to the annexe they saw one of the guards talking to four smartly dressed men. They looked distinctly out of place, you don't see sunglasses worn at Samlesbury in March, well, not by undertakers, and that is what Frank and Lol thought they were. Apart from the crocodile skin shoes one of them was wearing.

# 'Sorry, Sir. But without the correct authority I can't let you in here'. The second guard said as he lowered his M-16 assault rifle. Crocodile shoes turned and placed his hand inside his jacket, even the cigar smoke emitting from him looked menacing. Olaf G South was still annoyed at the loss of his old fiddle at the airport. The authorities said it may harbour strange worms, or even stranger fungi. These two Brits did not look as if they could help at all. With him stood Jonny Bretherton, Logistics CIA, Harold J Hall Finance, and Coniston Fowler.

# 'What business do you boys have round here?' asked Olaf in a very taciturn manner. 'This here is classed as United States Territory, so you will be needing your passports to get in here.'

# Lol removed his pipe only long enough to say,

# 'We just want to make sure everything's ok.'

# Jonny Bretherton replied,

# 'Sure, we got all we need, except some decent weather.' He tried to defuse the situation; these guys had turned white.

# 'Sorry, we can't do anything about that.' Lol said.

# With that Frank and Lol turned and went into the Component Repair and Spare Parts store in the main body of the hangar. This was very full now. Large items used to be kept in the annexe, but they had to be moved. Twelve Avon engines from Canberras and Lightnings were now stacked in the main alleyway and two Canberra wings hung by a wall like gigantic decorations.

# Everything had to be moved out of the annexe, this move started about 25th March, some six weeks before the 'unexpected' cancellation of TSR 2.

# The story put out by BAC was that the area would be needed for examination.

# 'We were told that a crashed P1 (Lightning) had been recovered from Pilling Sands, and that they would need a restricted area to carry out an investigation.' Kat commented.

# He continued, 'We accepted this because it was a development prototype and had to be thoroughly examined. But we never saw the wreck of a plane. What we did see was hundreds of cages of brand new bits and dark green jigs.'

# Kat was a member of the Royal Observer Corps, specialising in aircraft recognition; he had a more than usual interest in what went on at this military aircraft production and development facility.

# 'Strange thing was, though, that they didn't all come in through the main gate. Some came in via Short Belfast transports, but most came by road. About 50% came in through the main gate. The other half came in through the South Gate. That is near Samlesbury Engineering, where they designed Donald Campbell's Bluebird.' The eyewitness testimonial continued,

# 'I saw the centre fuselage of XR225 one-day when I arrived at half past seven in the morning. That must have been about 28th April. These movements happened 24 hours a day. I know, because the guys on security work an 80-hour week and they moaned because they couldn't get their heads down for all the traffic! Good scheme, though, because both of those roads are dead at night.'

# A flurry of activity took place for about Four weeks. During which time the new C 130B Hercules, having recently entered service with the USAF's Military Airlift Command made two visits. The first one on 30th April to pick up a centre fuselage, and again the following week to be loaded with boxes and big dark green jigs.

# Cameras were not allowed into the site at Samlesbury, but one photograph exists of a silver C-130 at Samlesbury. Soon after this all USAF C-130s were camouflaged.

# 'We don't know what happened after the equipment was shipped. No one was sent with it, there was no Liaison Officer. It was as if they had simply taken part of the scrap contract. Not only did aeroplanes, parts and jigs disappear, so did most of the people working on TSR 2.'

# In 1977 a relatively unknown airbase in the US held an open day. The event was not publicised. It was meant to be an extended families day to show the families of people employed on top secret projects what their relatives had been working on. This is not the first time equipment held to be secret has been put on display. The British were proud to display their first jet engine and even demonstrate it to German dignitaries in 1939!

# \- o – O – o –

# Chapter Ten

# Warton

# Let us jump some 25 years forwards now.

# On 4th June 1989 I organised a visit to Warton for aircraft enthusiasts from USAF Mildenhall. This was a reciprocal tour in return for showing us round the SR-71 Blackbirds on station at Mildenhall, and meeting the flight crew. By then there were only six SR-71 Blackbirds operational in the whole world. There were two in a USAF base at Beale, California, two at Kadena, Japan, and two here at Mildenhall. This phenomenal reconnaissance aircraft was capable of overflying anywhere in the Northern Hemisphere at 86,000ft whilst flying at Mach three from one of these three bases. These were rare and important aeroplanes.

# So I was determined that these guys, who had travelled a long way to have a walk round Warton, should have as much historical information as was available.

# At the flight line end of 2 hangar there are two rectangular irregularities where holes have been dug and since filled in again. I explained that this was where TSR 2 XR220 underwent extra undercarriage retraction trials to overcome problems with its unusual tandem wheel unit. The prototype, XR219 had experienced difficulties when the whole unit failed to rotate in flight. I showed them a picture of '219 with this problem.

# Mick Bentley then said 'I've seen one of those. But it didn't have that funny wheel arrangement.'

# I asked him where he had seen this, expecting him to say either Cosford or Duxford. But he shocked us all when he said 'It was in the States.'

# We spent the rest of the visit naming every American aircraft that had ever been painted white.

# But then he nailed us when he told us that:

# It had British roundels on it.-

# And British serial numbers.-

# And he had a picture of it!

#

Mick Bentley's picture of the American TSR2

# On that historic day in 1977, at an American air base, some unknown prototypes were rolled out into the daylight for the first time.

# In the photograph he kindly posted to me was a pre-production B57A (actually a Canberra used as a pattern) and, still bearing RAF markings, a TSR 2.

# It was noticed that the TSR 2 had two serial numbers, the fuselage carried the number XR225, whilst the wings had the number XR223.

# Mick Bentley said 'The normal TSR 2 undercarriage of two wheels in tandem had been replaced by a single wheel, and the undercarriage doors showed signs of major re-working, most of them were in primer. They wouldn't let me photograph them, but I did manage to get one shot showing the modified doors and long oleo leg. Someone was standing in front of the wheel, but you can tell that if it had the big tandem layout you would be able to see it. And the shadow would be bigger.'

# Mick went on to say 'We must presume from this that undercarriage retraction trials took place with this airframe. I say airframe because there were no engines fitted, and none in evidence anywhere.'

# The only question left was 'Where did you see this, Mick?' I voiced the question in everyone's mind.

# 'In the Seventies and early Eighties I went to every air show I could get to.' Mick replied,

# 'With long summers and short winters there was a lot of travelling and a lot of shows. I have tried to work it out systematically by getting lists from the Blue Angels (US Navy) and the Thunderbirds (USAF), but it was no good because I even went to events that were classed as out of season, so there were no aerobatic display teams taking part. Sorry, guys, I just don't know – it was 20 years ago!

# \- o – O – o –

# Chapter 11

#  Specifications and Demands.

# Historical note

# October 1964

# 15th October, General Election in UK.

# The Conservatives under Alec Douglas-Hulme lost 66 seats to Labour lead by Harold Wilson.

# On the 16th China let off its first nuclear explosion.

# 'The Andy Williams Show' on US TV featured Jack Benny and Janet Leigh.

# Khrushchev is ousted from power Replaced by Leonid Brezhnev as leader of Soviet Union

# China tests its first atom bomb.

# China masses troops along its border with Vietnam in response to US increase in involvement.

# o – O – o –

# Olaf G South was just that, an Olaf from the South, the Deep South, Zidaco Country.

# He was a thorough and focused man with singular purpose. This meant that he had monocular vision, bordering on tunnel vision. What he was aiming at was all that counted – nothing else mattered. This level of ruthlessness gave him the reputation for taking the 'o' out of country.

# He grew up in the Deep South, in the hot sultry days in Coushatta, Louisiana he used to play in the woods behind the First Baptist Church. He would often gather together half a dozen friends and associates to raid the play area around the Antioch Missionary Baptist Church a little further to the north. There were plenty of wooded areas for the groups to roam in, but the young Olaf seemed to have a natural knack for gaining the upper hand.

# On one occasion, near Coushatta, down by the Esperanza River, where it snakes around in the mud flats looking for a place to flow into a little lake, eight 'Antis' jumped Olaf and three of his gang; these were a rival group who frequented the Antiock Church in town. The woods around here were little more than scrub and Olaf and the high school kids sometimes had to crouch down to try to keep out of sight of the larger gang. As they reached the causeway on Esperanza Road there was no cover, so the three had no choice but to make a run for it out in the open. The eight chasing Antis saw this and gave chase with baseball bats and branches. The pursued lads had a dash of over 1,300 feet before they could get to some cover, but even then they were not out of the woods because the ground there was treacherous and muddy. To be caught there would be worse than having to face a straight fight three versus eight. By the time they had covered less than 600 feet they were getting out of breath and beginning to slow in the oppressive heat. The eight Antis were gaining and getting more aggressive and agitated.

# 'Nous avons maintenant les salauds, viens.' ('We have the bastards now, come on.') Olaf encouraged his pals to continue the run.

# When they reached cover, the Antis were surprised to see the three continue on the road instead of taking to the cover of the trees. By now they were only thirty feet behind them and could taunt them with threats and calls. Olaf led his team still further, fighting for breath.

# Then he heard what he was waiting for,

# 'Attack.' The call did not come from the chasing Antis, it came from further away.

# 'Bon, MAINTENANT.' ('Right, NOW.') Olaf called. The three of them turned as one. Just in time to see 10 of their own gang emerge from cover behind the chasing Antis and set upon them.

# The trap had been sprung and eight high school kids had to miss a few lessons – Olaf was scheming even then.

# Now he was the Chief Field Operative, Black Ops.

# Dave Armistead started out as an accountant. When he finished college he was conscripted for Korea and took to fighting instead of counting. Carrying a little more weight than in his hey-day, he still liked to keep up with his sporting activities, but had to stop playing football because it took him longer and longer to recover from injuries every time they hit him. Dave was Deputy Chief Field Operative, Black Ops.

# It was a sunny warm day in Rockville, 20 miles outside Washington, DC.. The Vietnam Conflict was just getting under way. It was obvious to anyone who had followed the French adventures in what was once French Indo-China that this was an unwinnable confrontation as long as the Chinese backed the North Vietnamese.

# Olaf and Dave walked over to their car. They had shared the same vehicle for the ride to the golf club because Olaf wanted to talk. Olaf still had some bounce in his step, which Dave found surprising. Dave popped the trunk as Olaf picked up his heavy golf trolley. He didn't even bend down; he simply dropped one shoulder, scooped the leather bag up and placed it in the open trunk. Before turning to get into the driving seat Olaf noticed the back of Dave's head had a perfectly round bald patch like a medieval monk.

# As he joined Olaf in the car Dave said,

# 'You got something on your mind, I could tell from the way you were hitting off the tees. You nearly killed an eagle on the twelfth.'

# 'Yeah,' replied Olaf, 'We need something to hit the Chinese once, and hard, to make em wake up to the fact that we know what they are doing, and we ain't gonna put up with it, boy.'

# He turned right up Glen Mill Road, the soft clicking of the traficators stopped as he cancelled the signal manually out of habit.

# 'If the air force mounted a major op it would start another war.' Observed Dave.

# 'Oh, yeah.' Olaf came back, 'What I have in mind is more in the way of a subtle surgical strike. Like a wake-up call rather than being kicked out of bed into an ice bath.'

# 'And what, exactly, is subtle about the support they are giving the Viet Cong?' Dave asked.

# Olaf turned onto Darnstown Road, then left onto Shadygrove Road before replying,

# 'We ain't Chinese, Dave. We can show our power without being brutal and severe.'

# 'This is going to be good.' Dave said in an inviting sort of way.

# 'Our boys down in New Mexico have been developing the Bullpup missile to work like a high altitude electronics denial weapon.' Olaf explained as they drove down the straight road.

# 'They reckon they can get a big enough explosion, at height, to knock out nearly all comms and radars over a large area. That will then give the message that we can effectively neutralise most of their country's military activity with impunity; thereby leaving them exposed.'

# 'And do we have a carrier and launch platform for this super missile, cause as I recall, the Bullpup don't exactly live up to what it says in its brochures.' Dave asked.

# 'That is our dilemma right there, buddy.' Olaf looked across at Dave as if to bring him right in to the problem,

# 'The Pedros say it will work if it can be launched at 200 mph, going uphill around 5,000 feet. But the whole missile package with its new electronics cannot be carried externally at supersonic speeds; they would be cooked by the aerodynamic heating, at Mach two the temperature can reach 250 degrees Farenheight. It has to be carried internally.'

# As they crossed over the Washington National Pike, Dave looked out the side window. The road rose gently over the surrounding countryside, he always thought it felt like flying.

# 'That limits our choice, somewhat.' he observed as he turned back to Olaf, 'It rules out the new Phantom.'

# Olaf stopped at the junction with Gaiter Road,

# 'Let's look at what there is left.' He said as he checked for traffic, then moved off.

# 'Can the new TFX carry internally? That is a deal-breaker. B-58 Hustler, Vigilante. Can they do the job, can they be gotten?'

# Olaf turned in to Muldoons where they had arranged to eat and meet someone who may be able to shed light on the matter.

# John Stack worked at NASA, Langley. The US Navy consulted him when they were looking for a heavy jet strike fighter. When it came to state-of-the-art fighter-bombers, John was your man.

# As Olaf and Dave pulled into the car park, five other cars looking remarkably similar disgorged two people from each machine. All looking the same, they converged on the main entrance. Anywhere else in the World, this would have been out of place. But this was Rockville, only 14 miles from the Capital, CIA, FBI, and the Pentagon, security was important and even security men need coffee.

# 'We need a quiet booth.' Olaf gave the coded instruction to the waitress. She knew from both the simple message and the appearance of men in sharp suits, shades, and forward-facing haircuts, exactly what was required – a booth with vacant booths around and positions for security personnel within earshot.

# Pleasantries over with, coffee and menus distributed to the three men, Olaf, Dave and John Stack got down to business.

# 'We need an aircraft for a future development project.' Began Olaf, he knew that they might not get one off the shelf to meet their requirements. 'It needs to have an enhanced survivability capability, that means fast at low level. Long range, 8 or 900 miles plus air to air refuelling.'

# John Stack made a few notes whilst muttering 'OK, OK, OK.'

# Olaf continued,

# 'A decent internal bomb bay, and to be available in secret. We are talking Black Ops here, gentlemen.'

# John asked,

# 'That all?'

# 'Can you draw up a list of what is or could be available? We can do quite a lot of development work if necessary.' Olaf's department was working closely with Lockheed and other parts suppliers on another project. They called it Oxcart. We would come to know it as the SR-71 Blackbird.

# 'This range requirement,'

# John asked, 'I presume it is not high altitude, subsonic.'

# 'It sure ain't.' Olaf's slow southern drawl made the small sentence seem a lot longer than it actually was, 'Ideally we would be looking for a supersonic lo-lo-lo profile.'

# 'Is that all?' John commented, 'You don't want much do you?'

# Olaf reached for the menu, 'I hear the Steak and eggs is to be recommended.' As he flashed a wicked smile at John.

# \- o – O – o –

# Three weeks later, somewhere in Langley, VA. A meeting took place. Seated around the table were a set of very disciplined gentlemen who looked out of place in civilian clothes.

# On the right, nearest the projector screen sat Eugene (Jack) Macarthy III, Head of Black Ops. Eugene was nicknamed 'Jack' because of his resemblance to an emerging film star. Some had even said that if Eugene had to attend a difficult meeting, he would send in Jack to take the flak.

# Next to Eugene sat Jonny Bretherton from the Logistics Department of the CIA. An analyst specialising in military hardware, Jonny had been asked to work on the new space project being run by NASA, but he couldn't surrender the freedom of movement he got from working in the field.

# Harold J Hall, financial advisor to the White House was a veteran of Operation Torch in North Africa during the Second World War where he fought at the Kasserine Pass. It was there that he realised the importance of buying the right equipment for the job. The Americans had Sherman medium tanks trying to fight entrenched German positions equipped with the infamous 88 anti-tank and anti-aircraft guns. Like many others he was wounded there. He spent the next 12 months recovering, after which time he was declared as unfit for active service. Posted to the Eighth Air Force, Harold worked on various air bases in East Anglia until the end of the war. Upon being discharged, he followed his original carreer choice. He had taken an interest in high finance during his convalescence and decided to continue his education with studies in business and finance.

# Olaf G South was seated next to Dave Armistead.

# Conspicuous by their absence were the blue uniforms of the air force.

# John Stack had sent in Bill Embery to do the presentation. Bill used to work in aviation production. He was closely involved in the development of the all-moving tailplane on the F-86 Sabre during the Korean War. It was this innovation that allowed the Sabre to have such a devastating advantage over the MiG 15s.

# Ken Oscar assisted Bill for this presentation. Ken used to work on flight test for some of the latest jets. He was the nicest bloke you could wish to meet. Ken would go out of his way to help anyone. But he had a mishap. When a modern aircraft's controls are worked by hydraulics, it is commonplace to fill the system with another liquid to test them. In the early days the liquid used was mercury. This behaves better than hydraulic fluid. Pressures transmitted can be measured to much higher tolerances, joints can be put under much higher loads. One fast jet was allowed to fly with mercury in its systems. The flight test was a success, but the aircraft had to be written off – a complete new fighter, everything worked perfectly. There were no doubt many people in the chain of responsibility, any one of them should have spotted the error. Ken was the last in line, so he took the can.

# \- o – O – o –

# 'Gentlemen, we have seven aircraft for you to peruse.' Bill Embery began his address without pre-amble, pictures, or handouts.

# 'I will begin by giving you a potted history of each.'

# 'First we have the F-111 Ardvark.' Bill began his introductions to the four agents.

# ' Originally known as the TFX, it has now been in development since a request from the Navy for a new design low-altitude strike fighter some four years.

# John Stack from NASA looked into the matter and found that a British low altitude strike fighter, the NA 39, would be much more advanced than the new navy aircraft. So he suggested the application of variable sweep to leapfrog the capabilities of the NA 39. This would make it bigger, and more expensive than the British fighter-bomber.'

# Bill referred to his notes; he was meticulous in his attention to detail.

# He looked up and resumed,

# 'Following briefings by Langley personnel to the Navy, the mission specifications for the new Navy fighter were expanded to include multimission capability with a requirement that variable-sweep applications be studied. The request for proposals went to industry in early December 1959 and set the stage for what would ultimately become the Tactical Fighter Experimental (TFX) Program.'

# Bill looked across the room at the small, tall table that carried the slide projector with its carousel sitting in place waiting to be of service.

# What was originally known as TFX eventually became the General Dynamics F-111

# Bill switched on the slide projector. A picture of one of the F-111 prototypes burst on to the screen.

# 'Meanwhile, the Air Force Tactical Air Command (TAC) Requirements Division at Langley Air Force Base (adjacent to the NASA Langley Research Center) was attempting to define a replacement for the F-105 Thunderchief fighter-bomber aircraft. TAC was interested in an aircraft that could carry nuclear weapons internally, fly transatlantic routes without refuelling, operate from semiprepared fields in Europe, have a top speed of Mach number of 2.5 at high altitudes, and fly at high subsonic speeds at low altitudes.'

# This sounded like just the kind of thing they were looking for.

# Bill's commentary built upon their hopes and expectations,

# 'The aircraft would perform a "low-low-low-high" mission, wherein it would cruise into the vicinity of the target at low altitudes and subsonic speeds, perform a low-altitude dash to and from the target at high subsonic speed, and then perform a high-altitude, long-range cruise back to base at subsonic speeds.'

# Olaf was nearly rubbing his hands with glee.

# 'John Stack approached the TAC planners in 1959. He had worked out that with the benefits of variable sweep it would be possible to develop an aircraft to meet these performance requirements. Together with Curtiss le May, Commander of TAC, John Stack laid out a realistic set of aircraft performance requirements that included the desired low-altitude dash capability at high subsonic speeds. Unfortunately, as the requirements went through the TAC system for approval, the final specifications called for a dash at sea level for 210 nautical miles (nm), at a speed that had increased from Mach 0.9 to Mach 1.2. Upon learning of the supersonic low-altitude speed requirement, NASA Langley quickly informed the Air Force that this capability was impossible to meet for the range specified. NASA had worked out that in a supersonic dash at sea level the aircraft would have a range of less than 50 miles.'

# This caused disconcerting looks from the gathered men. Dave asked,

# 'Can we have this information in written form?'

# 'Certainly, all the information I am passing on to you today has been printed out and will be distributed.' He turned to Ken, 'If you could distribute the relevant file as I come to each aircraft please, Ken.'

# 'Sir' was all Ken said as he hurriedly distributed the relevant files for the TFX / F-111.

# 'To conclude the development so far, the US Air Force and Navy could not agree on the basic mission requirements, so Secretary of Defense Robert S. McNamara defined the basic mission, and so initiated the Tactical Fighter Experimental (TFX) program.

# McNamara overruled the source selection board, despite Boeing having won all four stages of the competition that followed, and awarded a development contract to General Dynamics and Grumman.

# The first TFXs are due to fly next year, but neither of the customers want it.'

# Bill had more disturbing news,

# 'Because of high cost overruns, trouble in meeting performance objectives, and difficulties in adapting the plane to Navy use, the TFX's future has become more uncertain. It is reckoned that if the navy quit, the unit cost is going to be about five times the planned cost per airframe.'

# Dave Armistead asked,

# 'Why would the Navy quit? It's their baby after all.'

# Bill Embery replied,

# 'Simple. It won't fit on to the elevators on our carriers.'

# 'That means they will be back at square one, needing a new aeroplane. Does that mean they will be buying the NA39 from the British?' Dave was veering away from the subject in hand now.

# Bill tried to answer,

# 'I doubt it. These sailors are a stubborn lot, they will no doubt struggle on with their new F-4 Phantom and upgrade the Crusader.'

# 'I fail to see how this has any bearing on why we are here.' Interjected Harold J Hall, 'will this F-111 meet our specifications?'

# Bill turned to Eugene McCarthy,

# 'Not at the moment, but it is a new airframe and may be developed to meet your requirements.'

# Olaf then asked a question,

# 'How safe a bet is it that it would be able to do what we require?'

# Bill sat down and thumbed through his notes with a thoughtful and puzzled expression.

# 'Technically it is possible. The budget may be a problem, if the Navy come out, and you have a fairly small number of aircraft, the impact of an increase would be huge. The other dilemma is to develop it from where it is now to where you want it would require a lot of co-operation with the manufacturers, you could not do it on your own. A Black Op in those circumstances would be very difficult.'

# \- o – O – o –

# Bill stood up again.

# 'The B-58 Hustler has just gone out of production. The jigs and equipment are now available for a scrap price.'

# Bill changed the slide picture with a push of a button on a wire that turned the carousel.

# 'The first test Hustler flew at the end of 1956. Twenty-nine test and pre-production aircraft were followed by a short production run of 86 B-58As.'

# Ken handed out folders marked – 'Secret B-58A Hustler'.

# Bill continued,

# 'It can do Mach 2.1 at 55,000 feet. Mach 0.92 at sea level. Tactical radius flying at Mach 0.9 for 500 miles on approach, then climbing to height and Mach two over target, then return at Mach 0.9, 1,200 miles all told.'

# There were nods of approval around the table.

# 'The bomb load is normally encapsulated in the large under-fuselage pod. If you have already got a missile developed, you will need to re-think that.

# The supersonic B-58 Hustler was derived from a concept conceived in the late 1940s and early 1950s. If you chose to develop this it could be very interesting.'

# He looked around the room to see that he still had everyone's attention.

# 'The original design is now some 13 years old, but it has many revolutionary features. New construction methods and materials had to be created. The airframe structure came under special demands, not only aerodynamic loads, but skin friction heating.

# The next slide then came up showing a schematic of the Hustler. Bill continued,

# 'In order to build as strong an airframe as possible the B-58 Hustler is constructed like a Navy destroyer with transverse spanwise spars. The wing is covered in a new material made up of top and bottom sheets of aircraft standard duralumin about one mm thick, with resin fibreglass honeycomb. This gives immense strength, good thermal insulating qualities, it is very stiff, strong and easy to repair. Because it is impossible to bend a finished sandwich panel the wing skins must be built in a special jig before assembly.

# The Convair engineers designed and built the B-58 as a high-density concept. Every space is utilised to carry fuel. The Hustler is such a thirsty aircraft it has been designed to take on more fuel than it can take off with – 101,627lbs. That is 14,000lbs more than its maximum take-off weight will allow. This can only be done by taking on more fuel after take-off.'

# Bill stops for breath and a sip of water.

# Olaf turned to Dave and said

# 'Je ne suis pas sûr de ce rase-mottes capacités', (I'm not sure about it's hedge-hopping capabilities)

# Olaf had a habit of talking in his native Cajun French if he didn't want to be overheard.

# Bill looked up to the screen. He pointed toward the cockpit area,

# 'Another unique feature about the B-58 Hustler is the escape system. Each of the three cockpits has its own pressurised capsule to enable the crew to bail out at high altitude and speeds. Aircrew have to be sized for operations on B-58 Hustlers. If they are too big, they cannot fly.

# The avionics fit is quite impressive. The Sperry-built AN/ASQ-42 bombing/navigation system, when in navigation mode operates the aircraft through the autopilot and can keep the aircraft on a given Mach number to any point on Earth. One of the main sensors helping it do that is the Inertial Navigational System, the so-called stable table three. This is completely stable in all three axis.

# In bombing mode the AN/ASQ takes the aircraft on a rumb line course over the target. During the execution of this task it compensates for the Coriolis effect and wind drift. The bombsight is electronically generated and contains all offset points, fixpoints, etc..'

# Bill closed the file as he summed up,

# 'This is a very complex aircraft. It takes each crew six months to learn how to fly it. Optimised for the lo-hi-lo attack profile it is immensely strong, but immensely thirsty.'

# Bill looked around the room. This was a very disciplined group he thought to himself. Only Jonny Bretherton was making any notes.

# The next slide in the display was delayed as the slide projector jammed. The screen blasted out pure white light, dazzling everyone in the room.

# 'Holy shit.' Dave Armistead declared, ' Where's the broad with the ices?'

# Harold J Hall then piped up,

# 'There will now be a short intermission whilst we show you a short Buggs Bunny film.'

# Bill switched the machine off, tweaked the carousel, switched it on again, then a big picture of a North American Vigilante splashed on to the screen.

# \- o – O – o –

# 'Next we have the North American Aviation A-5 Vigilante.'

# Bill began,

# 'Started as a private venture in 1953, the company, North American, decided they could do better than what was being put out at the time, so they decided to build an advanced carrier-based nuclear-strike bomber.

# After discussions with the Navy, the NAA-233 concept took shape as a twin-engine aircraft with advanced combat avionics, Mach two performance, and an interesting "linear bomb bay" in which a nuclear weapon was popped out the tail to give the aircraft a better chance of escaping the atomic blast.'

# Ken found the folders marked – 'Secret – A-5 Vigilante' and handed them round.

# Bill referred to the big picture on the screen,

# 'Twin General Electric J79 engines, the same as the Phantom, power the Vigilante. The engine bays are made mostly of titanium.

# The Vigilante features a long list of new technologies that include:

# The advanced AN/ASB-12 Bomb Directing Set,

# A multi-mode radar.

# A TV camera under the nose for daylight target sighting.

# Radar-Equipped Inertial Navigation System.

# A digital computer system designated the "Versatile Digital Analyser (VERDAN)", known in Navy circles as "Very Effective Replacement for a Dumb-Ass Navigator".

# The Vigilante was also one of the first aircraft to have a "fly by wire" flight control system.

# The linear bomb bay scheme sounded nice on paper, but it might be problematic in practice. The bomb bay tube runs up the fuselage between the engines, and covered with gold film to reflect heat. Since the bomb bay is much longer than the nuclear store, expendable fuel tanks are tacked on in the rear of the store. During a strike, the entire assembly was popped out the tail with an explosive cartridge driving it down launch rails.'

# He drew a pointer along the screen, it flexed slightly with this slight pressure.

# Eugene lit up another cigar, the smoke wafted across the room, casting faint shadows on the screen.

# Bill placed his pointer down and returned to his notes,

# 'Performance.' He continued,

# 'Maximum speed Mach 2.1 at 40,000 feet, Mach 0.95 at sea level. Range 1,200 miles.'

# 'Now hold on a minute.' Jonny Bretherton leafed through his notes.

# 'Something don't add up here. Just a minute.'

# Silence fell upon the room, only the whirring of the slide projector humming in the gloom.

# 'Here it is.' Jonny exclaimed. 'Earlier you said that the B-58 Hustler could carry up to 101,000lbs of fuel for something like a range of 1,200 miles. Now you are telling us that an aircraft weighing in at only 70,000lbs all up weight, complete, can do the same on one tank of gas? Just how reliable are these figures, Bill?'

# Bill looked shocked that he hadn't seen this himself.

# 'The figures all come directly from the manufacturers.'

# Bill explained. 'I think we have a definite anomaly here, I will check it out personally.'

# He placed the folder to one side.

# \- o – O – o –

# 'The Republic F-105 Thunderchief.' Bill regained his composure and turned everyone's attention to the new picture on the screen. It was the latest photograph of the F-105F, a two-seat version of Republic's supersonic attack aircraft.

# 'Currently our biggest hitter in Vietnam, the F-105 is carrying out somewhere in the region of 70 to 75% of the air strikes on North Vietnam. The type began life as a private venture to replace the F-84 on the company's production lines and was intended to be a supersonic nuclear tactical strike fighter. By 1953 the Department of Defence placed an order for 37 aircraft. The USAF then changed its plans for the future plans following the end of the Korean war, and the F-105 was redesigned to become a long range nuclear bomber.'

# Jonny leaned over to Olaf,

# 'This looks better.'

# 'First flight took place in October 1955, during which a speed of Mach 1.2 was attained. Then Eglin Air Force Base took the '105 on strength and became the first USAF combat base to operate a Mach 2 strike aircraft.'

# Eugene McCarthy put down his cigar,

# 'Hell, these aircraft are so good, they are being used by the Thunderbirds aerobatic team. But I hear they have to have special modifications for the job.'

# 'That is right, General. The main modification involves the changing out of the whole vertical fin for a stainless steel one instead of the normal alumin. This is to enable them to withstand the heat of the jet exhausts coming from the other aircraft in the tight formation.'

# 'I don't think we will be a needin' that kinda protection.' Harold J Hall remarked.

# Jonny replied,

# 'No, but it shows that there is a level of versatility we might need.'

# 'I think we should be looking at the F-105D here, sir.' Bill referred to his written notes.

# 'The J-75-P-19W powerplant is capable of delivering up to 26,000lb thrust with afterburner. We have an APN-131 Doppler airborne navigation system, the latest there is. And the ASG-19 fire control system, which is tied in with the NASARR R-14A all purpose monopulse radar, and the Bendix computer, which allows great accuracy for toss-bombing.'

# 'Toss-bombing? What the deuce is that?' asked Harold.

# 'Toss-bombing is when a really fast ship, like this one, approaches its target at a fairly low level and very high speed. With the engine putting out nearly as much thrust as the aircraft weighs it will not slow down as the pilot pulls back into a steep climb. As the aircraft passes the vertical the weapon is released. The Bendix computer controls the whole operation, the pilot simply tells it where he wants the bomb to land, it then take information in about the speed, height, engine condition - hell, it even checks the weather conditions!'

# As the smoke rose from Eugene's cigar, so did his eyebrows.

# 'These birds are operating all over the world, they have even been offered to the Europeans, so a black op would be easy to conceal .'

# 'Speed is good,' Bill continued, 'Mach 1.25 at sea level, Mach 2.13 at 36,000 feet. There is a small bomb bay, this could be enlarged if need be.'

# 'What about range?' asked Jonny Bretherton.

# 'With the bomb bay in use it is limited to two 450 US Gal drop tanks and internal fuel. That gives it a combat radius of 550 nautical miles, a range of 1,100 nautical miles.'

# 'And if we chose to use it without the tanks?' Jonny asked whilst taking notes furiously.

# 'There would be less drag, so consumption would be slightly better, we might get 2 miles per gallon. That would give about 660 nautical miles range.' Bill replied.

# 'Is that at low-level attack speed?' Olaf was keen to get to the nitty gritty.

# 'Er, no.' Bill didn't have to look at his papers this time, 'these figures are for economical cruise at height.'

# 'What about at low-level?' Olaf pursued the point.

# Bill though a little then said, 'Maybe half the figures given for economical cruise. But if you use the wing drop tanks, like they do now, you would get a range of about 600 nautical miles.'

# There was silence and indecision in the room.

# \- o – O – o –

# 'To continue, We have three foreign options.'

# Another picture flashed up.

# 'Mirage IVA. Just coming off the French production lines. This is a supersonic bomber, first flown in 1959, in September 1960 it set the world speed record at 1,130.9 mph. Essentially a scaled-up Mirage III, production is said to be limited to 60 machines.

# It has two SNECMA Atar turbojets in the rear fuselage, with air intakes on both sides of the fuselage, very similar to two other aircraft we are looking at here today. It can reach high supersonic speeds: the aircraft is redlined at Mach 2.2 at altitude because of airframe temperature restrictions, but it is capable of higher speeds. Although the aircraft has 4,440 US gal of internal fuel, its engines are quite thirsty, especially in afterburner.

# The crew of two are seated in tandem cockpits under separate canopies. Bombing/navigation radar is housed within a radome in the fuselage under the intakes, aft of the cockpit.'

# This part of the aircraft did not show up on the photograph, so Bill pointed to the area in question with his pointer.

# 'The Mirage IV has two pylons under each wing, with the inboard pylons being normally used for large drop tanks of 792 US gal capacity.

# The weapon is semi-recessed, but an external bomb bay would not be out of the question.'

# Olaf turned to Dave again,

# 'Une beauté élégante gallique, mais la même question se pose.' (a sleek gallic beauty, but the same question arises.)

# 'Bill consulted his notes again before continuing,

# 'Performance:

# Maximum speed is 1,263 knots, Mach 2.2 at 40,000 ft. however, at low altitude that will be reduced to about 500 kts. Similarly, range is given as over 1,700 miles, but we gotta presume this to be ferry range at altitude.'

# \- o – O – o –

# 'Next the British NA 39, this is the program that convinced NASA that the TFX has to be a swing-wing and multi-role contraption to get one step ahead of the British.'

# Another picture flashed on to the screen.

# 'First flown in April 1958, this is a transonic attack aircraft, capable of Mach 1 at sea level. This keeps it honest. The Mirage IV can probably only just make this, but it claims to fly at Mach two plus.

# Ken handed out folders marked ' – Secret NA 39 Buccaneer '

# The NA 39, named Buccaneer, was designed to fly an attack at 200 feet, making a high-speed delivery in a tossing manoeuvre, throwing the bomb at the target. A conventional bomb-bay door was not suitable for high-speed delivery so the idea of a 180-degree rotating door was conceived with the weapons carried on the inside of the door.'

# 'C'est la première chose sensée que j'ai vu ici.' (That's the first sensible thing I have seen here) Olaf confided to Dave,

# 'Quelle idée brillante, la plus lente des avions que nous avons, avec la livraison la plus rapide. (What a brilliant idea, the slowest aircraft we got, with the fastest delivery).

# Harold thumbed through his folder to try to find an illustration of this device. But it was to no avail.

# Bill explained,

# 'We don't have any detailed information or pictures of this device, but we have contacts in South Africa who are hopeful that they will soon be able to supply the info.'

# He then returned to the picture on the screen.

# 'The airframe had to be very strong to withstand low altitude flight in the transonic range, so it is constructed around three large frame spiders, which literally clamp the two engines together.'

# 'The aircraft was also unique in using area rule on the fuselage, the object of this is to smooth the airflow so reducing drag – this gives it that coke bottle shape.'

# 'In the nose there is room for a decent American radar, the current Buccaneers carry a thing called 'Blue Parrot', but we don't know anything about this equipment, or even if it really exists. There are some people who think that an aircraft called Buccaneer with radar called Blue Parrot may be a British joke.

# Power is supplied by Gyron Junior engines giving 7,100 lb static thrust, but the British have upgraded the thrust by putting in Rolls-Royce Speys which deliver 11,200 lb static thrust, and improved fuel consumption.

# The other thing worth mentioning is the escape system. The B-58 Hustler has escape modules for high speed, high altitude ejection. The Buccaneer goes the opposite way. Apart from zero-zero ejection capability, that is zero height, zero speed, the Buccaneer crew has the ability to eject under water!'

# Harold J Hall said to no one in particular,

# 'Let's hope we don't need that.'

# Bill smiled in agreement,

# 'Performance: The range given in the brochure is ferry range with slipper tanks and a bomb bay stuffed full of fuel, this is an impressive 3,200 miles. In attack configuration on a lo-lo-hi we are looking at a radius of action in the region of 1,100 miles. Pretty impressive, we believe this figure is so much higher than the others are because it is subsonic.'

# \- o – O – o –

# 'Finally we have something the Brits are playing with that we wish they weren't. The TSR 2 is to be a dedicated low-level nuclear strike bomber with a radius of action in the region of 1,000 miles, even with the use of a supersonic attack profile.

# It hasn't flown yet, but if it delivers everything that it promises on paper we will have nothing to touch it.'

# Ken issued the thinnest folder so far to the group.

# Bill pressed the slide projector button to change the picture and a big white screen flashed up again.

# He tried pulling the button back, to reverse the carousel, but nothing happened. He manually tried to move it either way, but it was jammed. Ken said,

# 'Try pulling the button back, whilst I move it manually.'

# This they did and the picture of the Buccaneer reappeared. Then Ken examined the slides, gave the whole carousel a good shake,

# 'Try that.' He called to Bill.

# Bill pressed the button and a new picture appeared. This was taken directly from publicity material issued by BAC, and depicted an artist's impression of what the finished aircraft will look like.

# Bill resumed,

# 'They are developing new engines called Bristol Siddeley Olympus, which will deliver no less than 30,610 lbs static thrust each. To carry enough fuel for these monsters they have designed a massive piece of kit. Almost 90 feet long, weighing in at 96,000 lbs.

# The main load is to be carried in a long bomb bay between the wheels, we don't yet know if this is one of those spinning contraptions or not, but it is a good bet that it is, in order to allow for a fast delivery.'

# Bill drew his pointer around the wing of the aircraft on the screen,

# 'This thing has a small wing, the reason for that is to give what is referred to as a low gust response. When the aircraft is barrelling along at low level the air can be very lumpy. With a small wing this thing will fly through the bumps giving the crew a better ride that they can endure longer, and the airframe will last longer.'

# There were only two pages to the notes Bill and the others had. Bill turned the page, so did all the others.

# 'Performance. There is some conjecture about these figures, but the Brits are pushing this aircraft on the International market, and you cannot get away with false figures if you want to sell an aircraft to a foreign buyer.

# The engines will deliver over 30,000 lb static thrust, each. These give the aircraft a top speed in the region of Mach two plus at altitude, and 726 knots, Mach 1.1 at sea level. But what is impressing everyone is the range at low level. The Brits reckon this thing can fly 1,600 miles with a 2,000 lb bomb load in under three hours at sea level.

# What else do we know about this aircraft? Not much, really. The Brits are being very secretive with this one. The main source for our information comes from the Australians who are looking at buying it.'

# Bill stacked his folders up and passed them to Ken. Looking at the screen as he turned it off, Bill said,

# 'Thank you, Gentlemen, I have been more than explicit, there will be no questions.'

# Bill was from an organisation that asked questions, not answer them.

# Olaf and Dave rode in the back of one car, Jonny Bretherton and Harold J Hall rode in a second down to Jonny's boat.

# In the back of each vehicle two sets of six folders were being studied and shuffled, dissected and discussed.

# Dave Armistead was first to speak in their car,

# 'Are you sure about this Mirage thing? It looks like a load of crap to me.' He said with a wry smile.

# Olaf was quick to respond.

# 'Si les Français disent qu'il fera le travail, il peut, mais il doen't question, car ils nous les donner pour rien.'

# (If the French say it will do the job, it might, but it doesn't matter, because they will give it to us for nothing.)

# 'Are you saying that they may be stretching the truth a little?' Dave asked sarcastically.

# 'No, they never lie a little.' Olaf reverted to English again, 'They figure that if the lie is big enough, everyone will believe it. It's like holding the tip of your nose against a Giant Sequoia, then trying to count the trees.'

# The cars turned on to George Washington Memorial Parkway and picked up speed.

# In the second car Jonny was looking at three folders in particular.

# 'These deltas look like they were designed for high altitude work. I just wonder if they are up to the job at low level.'

# Harold asked

# 'In what way? The B-58 looks tough enough, the Vigilante is new enough. What gives you cause for doubt about all three?'

# 'Delta shaped wings are good for high altitude operations because they have low wing loading, that is they have a good area for the aircraft weight. That makes them good at high altitudes where the air is thinner. But down in the weeds the air is not only thicker, but it is also full of bumps. This makes for a rough ride, which the crew cannot take for long, neither can the airframe. We are not only talking about crew comfort here. They have a job to do, and they can't do it if they are being shaken about as if they were in a spin dryer.'

# In the first car Dave Armistead pointed out,

# 'Fuel consumption at low level on some of these birds is quite alarming.'

# He rustled through his folders.

# 'The B-58 will burn through all its 100,000 lbs of fuel in less than an hour, covering less than 500 miles. The Mirage also comes close to these figures.'

# 'I agree.' Added Olaf, 'These were probably put in just because they are supersonic. I wonder if that part of the specification is going to get in the way of us getting the best plane for the job.'

# And so the first two aircraft out of the competition were out even before the men got together to discuss the matter.

# \- o – O – o –

# Chapter 12

# The Elimination Process

# The main elimination process continued on the boat.

# As the cars drove across Key Bridge, the occupants began stowing their papers and preparing to disembark.

# The sleek black limousines cruised over the Potomac, the cool black water reflected to perfection in the highly polished bodywork. A black window rolled down a quarter of the way and a cigar butt was ejected, a small wisp of smoke came out before the window was closed again.

# Dave told the driver,

# 'Hang a right at the end, then right again.'

# This took them to the waterfront, a small road running parallel to the river. The cars were reflected in the rippled surface as they travelled along, not at a fast pace, but stately as befitting the best limos the United States could make.

# They stopped at a small pier, a small cloud of dust caught up with them, then passed by. Four black-suited men with identical brief cases and shades emerged. The one with crocodile shoes waited for one of the others to lead the way, Olaf gestured, inviting Jonny Bretherton to lead the way. 'Apres vous.' He said.

# Jonny walked up the jetty to his boat, the other three followed and were directed to go down below. The drivers took up positions topside, whilst Jonny cast off and drove the boat into the main channel.

# When they were five minutes downstream he stopped and tied up to a mooring post just out of the main traffic lane.

# Before going to meet the others below he donned a captain's cap at a jaunty angle and entered the cabin.

# 'Officer on deck, you land lubbers!' He jokingly called. 'The sun's over the yardarm, where's the booze?'

# 'We got serious work to do here, good buddy.' Olaf responded, whilst proffering up an empty glass.

# The hum of activity soon reached a crescendo, but it died down as each participant became absorbed in his folders.

# 'How the hell are we going to do this, Olaf.' Came the opening comment from Harold J Hall, 'They all got faults, but any one could be adapted to do the job, to a lesser, or a greater extent.'

# 'Well, what we have to decide is, which will do the best job, with the least development work' Answered Olaf.

# 'In order to try to simplify the task in front of us I suggest that we eliminate the ones with the least chance of doing the job.' Reasoned Jonny Bretherton.

# 'Il va de votre Mirage.' (there goes your Mirage.) Dave poked fun at Olaf's French background.

# 'Il va y arriver plus rapidement que toute autre chose.' (It will get there faster than anything else.) Olaf responed.

# 'Let us start by looking at the two deltas.' Jonny Bretherton was the technical wizard in the group, so it was logical he should lead the debate. Anyway, it was his boat.

# 'The Mirage IV. The French are willing to give us a good deal on this. We will have to build a bomb bay sort of arrangement, at the moment the stores are carried half in and half out of the fuselage, that wouldn't be a problem.' Jonny was trying to be positive.

# 'Then we come to the fuel consumption. The range is given as 1,737 miles. That is gonna be at height, this thing can fly up to 65,000 feet. We need to know the low-level penetration range. As a rough guide, you take the best range at altitude and quarter it. So our Mirage is expected to put in a penetration range of about 400 miles at Mach 0.9. What the ride quality is like at that height and speed I wouldn't like to guess.'

# Harold J Hall was pouring over maps with a pen and notebook. Eventually he spoke,

# 'By my reckoning I think we will need the whole force tanked up half way up the Gulf, then again just after they come off their targets, one will have to be tanked as it begins its run in. I don't think we can live with 500 miles range.'

# Dave Armistead suggested,

# 'What about auxiliary tanks on the aircraft?'

# Jonny replied, 'Tanks are subsonic, and increase the fuel consumption. At full throttle you only get one tank of fuel by carrying two tanks, the other one is consumed by the added drag of the tanks. Anyhow, that could only be a solution if we were near the requirement. We sure as hell ain't even close.'

# Olaf then said,

# 'That's that, then,' and threw the Mirage folder in a corner, quickly followed by five more. 'Au reviour, Mirage.' With this he lifted his glass.

# 'Next, the B-58 Hustler, lets see if it can hustle its way in here.' He continued.

# Dave then spoke up,

# 'The Hustler has a bigger fuel problem at low level than the Mirage. The J-79 engines are very thirsty. I reckon the low-level penetration range of the B-58 is somewhere in the region of 500 miles. That is 100,000 lbs of fuel.'

# 'Au revior, Hustler.' Glass raised, folder flying, Olaf consigned another aircraft to the corner.

# 'I like this next one.' Announced Jonny Bretherton. 'The A-5 Vigilante.'

# 'Is that 'cause NASA want one?' asked Dave with a smile.

# 'I think you will find that they are going in the opposite direction to us. They are going up, we are going down, to downtown China.'

# 'Alright, Jonny, why do you like this one?' asked Olaf as he re-arranged his papers on the low table.

# Jonny looked at the picture in front of him.

# 'It is new, it is American, and I think it is capable of doing the job.' He announced.

# 'Let's cut to the chase, here.' Harold said. 'What are its penetration characteristics?'

# Jonny replied,

# 'The brochure speaks of a ferry range of 2,600 miles. That will be at 35,000 feet with four tanks and bomb bay full of fuel. Our contact says the combat range is more likely to be in the region of 1,500 miles with a combat profile hi-lo-hi.'

# 'How does that translate into our requirement? Can it do the job?' asked Harold

# 'It's a new aircraft,' Jonny explained, 'There are a lot of claims being made for it that do not stack up. It weighs twice as much as a Phantom, has the same engines, but almost double the range. These are good old American engines, we do not make economical powerplants. I hold judgement on the actual range, but I believe that it will be in the ball park we require.'

# Harold remarked, 'That makes detailed planning a whole shit-bucketful of laughs. Now, what about speed? Will it be supersonic during the attack run?'

# Jonny shook his head,

# 'No. Especially if carrying external tanks. Maximum speed on the deck, according to our source, has been measured at 600 knots. We don't know if that was with tanks or not, he thinks not.'

# Jonny studied the photographs in his folder.

# 'Weapons release is through the back end. The Super Bullpup won't come out that way, we will have to build in bomb bay doors, but that shouldn't be a problem.'

# Olaf was first to speak.

# 'I see why you like this one.' He remarked.

# Dave then came on line,

# 'I'm not too sure. There are too many grey areas. The engines develop 34.000 lbs thrust between them. The Hustler needs 64,000 lbs to do the same. And they expect us to believe that the Vigilante can go nearly as far on about half the thrust. I don't think it will come anywhere near what we need. And the attack speed is already a bit low, given that there seems to be a certain amount of, shall we say optimism, in the figures already supplied. It seems reasonable to presume that this figure will come down with the attachment of external tanks or armaments.'

# Olaf then delivered the coup-de-gras.

# 'North American are not keen to allow development of the Vigilante as a black op. Yet another grey area.'

# He looked around the room at the other three men.

# 'Do we keep it as a possible, or is it the corner with the other two?' he asked.

# As Jonny began saying

# 'I don't know...'

# Harold sent his folder sailing across the room, quickly followed by Dave's. Olaf shrugged his shoulders, placed his papers back in the folder. Closed it and looked at Jonny.

# Jonny muttered,

# 'Aw, Fuck it.' Then sent his papers fluttering towards the corner, followed by the empty folder.

# 'The TFX holds more promise.' Opined Olaf.

# 'But not much hope.' Interjected Dave.

# Olaf responded,

# 'Yes, it is a new project and therefore has a few problems. But let's see if any are deal-breakers here.'

# 'It turns out that the whole programme was not wanted by either the US Navy, or the USAF, they both agreed that a single design could not meet their differing requirements.' Olaf began, Dave then added,

# 'Costings we have got are vague to say the least. We don't know if the values are excluding R & D, are they flyaway prices, program costs, or investment requirements? Difficult to know who's buying what, the Air Force requirement is less than the Navy's. The Air Force started out saying they wanted 779, then it went up to 1,495, then back down to 749. The Navy were no better, they stared out asking for 934, then 231, then back up to 350. And the cost per aircraft to the Air Force has now gone up by 153%.'

# Harold butted in,

# 'This is a new programme, are we going to be able to purloin some in secret, or will it be more secure to buy in the jigs from a finished project?'

# 'Can we take one and copy it?' asked Jonny Bretherton. 'Would there be any point in so doing? It looks as if there is so much development work to be done it would be a waste of time trying to get the thing to work properly.'

# Olaf gave a quick overview of the design problems,

# 'It would appear that design studies done by groups outside the Navy and Air Force were too optimistic, and too demanding to be technically feasible, this coupled with the strong political influence makes this a particularly problematic project.'

# Another four folders sailed in the air across to the corner of the room.

# 'Next the Thud.' Jonny opened his folder marked F-105 Thunderchief.

# 'I like this one.' Olaf was quite keen on the Republic F-105 Thunderchief. He continued, 'It's fast, supersonic at sea level, a 2-man cockpit, fantastic range, proven attack record, production about to come to an end,..'

# 'Ladies and Gentlemen,' Jonny Bretherton interjected, 'Olaf will be re-joining us on planet earth as soon as the check from Republic has finished bouncing.'

# 'Whaaat, it is fantastic.' Olaf responded. 'Just what we are looking for.'

# Jonny countered.

# 'What is the combat radius with a missile in the bomb bay in full afterburner?'

# 'It may be down to about 200 nautical miles.' Olaf admitted, adding, 'but that J75 engine is a thirsty beast, we may be able to'

# Jonny butted in,

# 'We may be able to do better when it comes to radius of action. The Thud is fast at all altitudes, yes, but at the cost of fuel efficiency. These guys will need tanking every ten minutes. You could remove the guy in back and put in another fuel tank, but then you just have a single engined single seat aircraft, and we don't want either of these.'

# Harold supported Jonny,

# 'Sorry, Olaf, he has two very good points there. Two engines are preferable to a single engine.'

# Harold reached across the low table, picked up Olaf's folder, placed it on top of his own and sent both of them sailing into the corner.

# \- o – O – o –

# Chapter 13

#  Buccaneer

# Olaf took a long drink to drain his glass. Jonny Bretherton, ever the perfect host, refuelled him.

# Then Olaf opened the next folder.

# 'The last two are Brits, one is a little on the small side, the other don't exist yet, so we may be re-assessing some of our earlier rejects.' He gestured his thumb towards the corner where most of the folders had landed.

# Four folders marked 'NA39 Buccaneer' were opened on the low table and a silence fell as people studied the technical information before them.

# Jonny was first to speak,

# He quoted from the paper. 'Designed to fly an attack at 200 feet, making a high-speed delivery in a tossing manoeuvre, throwing the bomb at the target. At least these people are talking the same language that we are.' He continued,

# 'I like the way they got round the problem of weapons release at high speed, a 180-degree rotating door with the weapons carried inside it.'

# Dave commented,

# 'This thing is faster than anything else we have looked at, at sea level, 600 knots. But this is not a big aircraft, can it carry enough fuel to have a decent range?'

# Jonny Bretherton answered,

# 'On internal fuel the radius on a hi-lo-lo-hi mission, the profile we are looking at, is 500 – 600 miles.

# 'Performancewise, it ticks all the boxes.' Harold J Hall added, 'What about the logistics side, can it be made available as a black op?'

# Olaf answered,

# 'We have a source in South Africa, they are buying the aircraft, we might be able to get it through them, or directly from the Brits.'

# 'What's the next move?' asked Dave.

# 'I suppose we had better organise a more in depth evaluation. The only other option, TSR 2, does not exist yet. The South Africans will be getting the Buccaneer about the same time as the TSR 2 enters flight testing, so the best way ahead is to take a close look at the Buccaneer as soon at the South Africans get one, and keep a wary eye on TSR 2. I don't think we can expect the Brits to let us have their nuclear bomber, but the Buccaneer is possible.' Olaf closed the little meeting.

# Overberg Air Base is situated right on the tip of South Africa. Two weeks after the selection meeting on Jonny's boat, Coniston Fowler and Jonny Bretherton walked out into the bright South African sun on the apron of Overberg Air Base to inspect one of the first Buccaneers belonging to the South African Air Force. David Kersopp, the base liaison officer greeted them, he took the smart-suited Americans to meet mechanical engineer Clive Rhodes and American pilot Jon-Jo Hendy, who had been working for the South Africans since leaving the US Air Force in 1959.

# Clive led the strange group into the hangar where a lone Buccaneer stood. Engine bay doors were open, ladders were attached to the cockpit sill.

# 'If you would follow me, gentlemen.' Clive began, 'Please allow me to introduce you to the Hawker Siddeley Buccaneer.'

# His hand ran along the dirty yellow coloured nose radome.

# 'In here we have the British Blue Parrot radar.' The rather course South African accent had more than a hint of Dutch in it.

# 'An excellent piece of kit, it gives terrain warning to allow you to fly low in poor visibility. Atop that we have the in-flight refuelling probe. It looks a bit crude, but it turned out to be the lightest, most effective way to do the job.'

# The tour outside of the aircraft continued for a full forty five minutes.

# The two things that interested Jonny were the external fuel tanks that were fitted flush with the leading edge of the wing, and the rotary bomb door.

# 'I can't show you the bomb door in action, there is no power on to the aircraft here, but you will see it operate when we get it started up tomorrow.' Jon-Jo explained, his American accent ringing with cosy familiarity to the visitors.

# 'If you would like to climb into the cockpit, I will talk you through the inner workings of the aircraft.' JJ gestured toward the ladders leading up to the cockpits.

# Connie leapt forward to the ladder and began climbing the six steps to the open cockpit. He clambered in as Jonny Bretherton started up the rear ladder. It felt strange climbing into a military jet wearing a suit. As he got to the top he looked back towards the strange hump near the tail. Clive had explained that this was brought about by something called 'Area Ruling'. As he looked around he couldn't help thinking that there was something missing. He stood on the side of the cockpit and bent down to balance himself using the arch of the top of the open canopy, it was then that he realised what was missing. In just about every military aircraft that he had flown in the canopy opened upwards on hydraulic jacks. This one slid back, there was no danger of you hitting your head on the way in.

# Jonny was used to the way military equipment can sometimes hurt you. Every now and then something reminded him that you need to be protected from this harshness, the Buccaneer's rear seat he was climbing into had its own windscreen to protect the occupant from windblast during ejection.

# JJ then gave them a fairly short instruction on the niceties of the Buccaneer's cockpits.

# As they descended the ladders, David Kersopp greeted them with,

# 'After coffee we will go into the Flying Clothing Section and see about getting you guys kitted out for tomorrow.'

# That night the two Americans were wined and dined at the Officers Mess where they were treated to some scare stories about the new strike aircraft. Most of the officers present were not South African in origin, there were Americans, and Brits, Germans, Dutch and a few others the visitors were unable to recognise.

# David Kersopp met them the next day to take them down to get their flying clothing. Suited, booted and suitably helmeted, they made their way down to the flight line. There Jon-Jo Hendy, and one of the pilots they met last night had made the aircraft ready.

# 'Jonny,' JJ called to Jonny Bretherton, 'I remember that you wanted to see the rotary bomb door in action.'

# 'Yeah.' Replied Jonny.

# 'Well, look at this.' JJ squatted down between the air intake and the undercarriage. Jonny joined him. Amid the din of the Houchin charger, compressor, idling engines and escaping gasses the single bomb bay door slid open and rotated to the fully open position, locked in place, then reversed its rotation to close, all in less than 5 seconds.

# 'Let's kick the tires and lite the fires.' JJ slapped Jon's shoulder as they moved towards the ladders.

# As they slid down into the seats the groundcrewman adjusted the straps and various connections around them. Once strapped and connected to the aircraft the ground crew climbed down the ladders and lifted them free.

# Connie looked around the small cockpit. He was seated behind JJ. The matt grey of the canopy frame contrasting with bright red pipes and 'remove before flight' pins stowed by the back of the pilot's seat.

# JJ looked across at the other aircraft, seeing he was ready, the American waved the chocks away and began taxiing.

# JJ lowered his black visor for take-off and announced to Connie,

# 'We will take off together,' his voice seemed only slightly distorted over the intercom, 'then establish a defensive pattern as we leave the land behind. We will fly out to five miles, then turn as if to mount an interdiction mission.'

# 'Sounds good to me.' Connie spoke for both passengers, for that is exactly what they will be for the next 25 minutes.

# As they thundered down the runway the distance between the two light bombers remained constant. There was a satisfying thud as the undercarriage was retracted and the aircraft cleaned up.

# Both Buccaneers flew over the coast without gaining much height after take-off. Then, without a word, or any other communication, both aircraft turned in toward each other. Connie, in the Buccaneer on the left felt the aircraft pitch suddenly to the right. He looked up through the canopy. The sea was there. His arms would not move as he was subjected to 4 g, and the aircraft lost height. A shadow flashed by his canopy, it was Jonny Bretherton going the other way. Then the world spun again, and sea and sky changed places. Straining his neck muscles Connie managed to look straight up, he was horrified to see the other Buccaneer heading straight for them seeming to be balanced on one wingtip. As they crossed the bank angle was reversed again, but not for as long this time. JJ levelled the wings and allowed the aircraft to sink down almost to the waves. Both Jonny and Connie could immediately see the advantage to this ultra low level flying. They were about one mile apart, flying parallel, but it was very difficult to see the other aircraft.

# 'When flying like this, we don't rely on the curvature of the earth to hide us.' JJ commented, 'we rely on hiding between the waves.'

# Just then the two aircraft pulled another scissors crossover manoeuvre, the same time altering course by 90 degrees.

# 'This is like an aerial ballet.' Commented Connie.

# 'You should see us when we are on a naval exercise and there are multiple targets.' Replied JJ.

# Then another strange crossover move, aimed at allowing each aircraft to cover the other whilst giving the enemy as confusing a picture as possible, and turning left again to head back toward the land.

# Most of the coastline of South Africa is deserted, as is the land. This means that you can come in as low and as fast as you like. By the time they hit the beach they were doing 600 knots, Mach 0.92. at 100 feet. Connie looked out to the left to see palm trees flashing by, above his eyeline. That was because they were banked into a turn. Jonny was just in front and slightly above (in relative terms). Connie could see his wing tip occasionally kick up sand with the tip vortices. Then he disappeared in a flash as JJ yanked the aircraft on to its left side in order to put one mile of separation between them.

# Mountains and valleys emerged on the horizon, which was not that far, given the height and speed they were at.

# 'Now it gets a bit stickier, and you will see just what this bird can do'. JJ reported.

# They levelled off as the beautiful South African coastline slipped a few feet below them at 540 knots, Mach 0.82. Leaving the blue sea behind; they flashed over the narrow strip of golden beach and into a flat tree-covered area.

# The aircraft were about ¼ mile apart, razor-backed blue foothills were to the left, a small promontory to the right and a wide tree-covered valley in between and no signs of habitation.

# A long hill emerged in front of them with the silver trail of a river running towards a valley. As the two aircraft streaked towards this valley Connie was alarmed to find that they were suddenly on their left side, it was then that he realised that the river was no more than a stream some four feet across. As the wing tip dropped below the stream he could see the white water as it broke around the rocks. He moved his gaze up to look forwards again just in time to see a large rocky outcrop flash past the top of the canopy.

# A rough bolder-strewn valley lay to their right, but he saw little of this due to their bank hard to the left, just then JJ levelled the wings. The nose dropped before the bank was reversed to follow the stream to the right, pulling 3 g on the way round.

# The ground below sped by quickly, Connie thought it seemed to turn brown, he could now see rocks down to the size of coke cans. The nose dropped alarmingly again as JJ levelled the wings momentarily before another sharp bank left and a more gradual turn.

# The hills were more like mountains now, and the Americans were heading for the base of the biggest one in view. They were not going to go round it, there was no way round. Smaller hills and crags kept flashing past as they maintained their low-level flight. Then JJ pulled up at the last minute and zoomed up the mountainside. Connie nearly jumped out of his skin as the pilot flipped the aircraft on to its back as they neared the peak. Cresting the summit the men in the aircraft could see every rock and detail through the top of the canopy. They may have been upside down, but the force equivalent to three times that of gravity pushed them into their seats as JJ pulled over the peak and down the other side, keeping the aircraft only feet away from the rough and unforgiving terrain.

# Upon returning to Overberg, Connie saw the other aircraft again. He had completely forgotten about it when they had entered the mountains.

# 'What happened to you?' he asked Jonny as they walked rather unsteadily away from the Buccaneers.

# 'We were right with you on the port quarter.' Jonny replied.

# Just then the two American pilots joined them.

# 'What do you think of our little bomber now?' asked Jon Thomas as he removed his helmet'

# 'It was very impressive.' Jonny replied, 'How long were we up for?'

# '25 minutes.' JJ told him.

# 'How long can you keep that performance up, and how far would that take you?' Connie asked.

# JJ thought for a moment, probably deciding whether to divulge the information or not.

# 'The best we have done so far is two hours five minutes, we travelled 700 miles. On top of that we had 70 miles transit to and from the low flying area, without external fuel.'

# 'And you can do toss-bombing with this aircraft?' Jonny then asked.

# JJ was quicker to answer this time, 'That is what it was designed for.'

# \- o – O – o –

# Chapter 14

# Not so Much a Debrief.

# Historical note

# November 1964

# King Saud of Saudi Arabia is deposed by his half brother, King Faisel.

# US Presidental elections.

# Lyndon Baines Johnson duly elected.

# The first attack by Viet Cong against US forces in Vietnam. The Bien Hoa air base, 12 miles north of Saigon is subjected to a pre-dawn mortar assault. Five Americans are killed, along with two South Vietnamese, and wounds nearly a hundred others. President Johnson dismisses all recommendations for a retaliatory air strike against North Vietnam.

# \- o – O – o –

# Back at Langley, Dave Armistead met Jonny Bretherton and Connie. He greeted them with,

# 'Olaf wants you two back at HQ ASAP.'

# Harold J replied,

# 'What, no "Hi guys, what a great job you have done. Gee it's great to have you back, we have lots of work to do"?'

# Dave responded with,

# 'OK, Hi guys, what a great job you have done. Gee it's great to have you back, we have lots of work to do.' He said this without drawing breath. Then he added,

# 'Now, get your butts down to HQ. Oh, by the way, the last bit was not strictly true, it was related to the first part, and the middle is only true if you are going to get the beers in.'

# Then with seriousness,

# 'Gentlemen, it looks like we will need another fan.'

# In a quiet lounge they met Olaf. He had four folders with him.

# Three scotch and sodas joined the Southern Comfort on the low table where Olaf sat.

# 'I'd like to begin by saying you guys have done a great job.' Olaf tapped the ash off the end of his cigar and took a breath.

# 'Thanks,' Jonny was quick to get on with his recommendations.

# 'We found a great team of people over there, they will be tremendous to work with, and the aircraft will do just about everything we need, off the shelf.'

# He reached into his briefcase, but before he could remove anything Olaf butted in,

# 'I said I'd like to say that you guys have done a great job, but it seems the Brits have done a better one.'

# ' How do you mean, Olaf. They have certainly done a great job on that aircraft.' Connie asked, Jonny just sat there, hand in briefcase.

# 'It turns out the Brits had an agent from MI6 at Overberg. He, or she, reported back directly to their Minister of Foreign Affairs. He got on to his opposite number over here, who said he would look into it, but doubted that we had any involvement.'

# Jonny and Connie looked at each other in astonishment.

# Olaf continued,

# 'Our Diplomat rang round all his contacts and advisors. They all said the same thing. That US forces have no interest in buying the Buccaneer. So he got back to the Brits and told them so.'

# Harold's briefcase fell to the floor, then collapsed on to its side. No-one noticed.

# Olaf exchanged his cigar for his Southern Comfort, then continued,

# 'The Brits knew that someone from the USA was out there looking at the aircraft with a view to acquiring some, so they persisted. This time it was their Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, no less. An unholy Diplomatic row followed. Then Macnamara asked Eugene McCarthy if he knew anything about the whole affair. He said that you two were over there having a bit of extra-service training, but he told me that he didn't think he was believed. Anyway, the Brits have taken umbrage and made sure we can't possibly get the Buccaneer, they won't even sell any more to the South Africans either, so we have screwed up their deal too. They have only got 16, they wanted another 16, but that has now gone out of the window.'

# 'Shit.' Was all anyone said as they took a long draw at their drinks.

# 'All is not lost.' Olaf reached for the folders he had brought with him.

# 'The last aircraft on the selection list, the one that I said didn't exist, well it does now. The first prototype has been completed and is about to enter flight trials. We have it on good authority that the Brits will not be continuing with it.'

# Silence from all around as Olaf continued,

# 'One of our diplomatic sources has reported that because they have ceased developing bigger nukes they will need more of these new aircraft, but the government are not willing to pay for any more than they have budgeted for. The upshot of that means that the aircraft will not be able to fulfil its requirement, despite good performance.' He looked round to see that he had everyone's full attention.

# 'The upshot of all that is that the aircraft is likely to fall short of their original goals.'

# 'And these were?' asked Dave Armistead.

# Olaf replied with a typical southern confident drawl. 'The original intention was to design an attack machine that would be able to take out any tactical threat from the Soviet Union with the use of nuclear weapons. We can all live with that, but the politicians constantly meddled with the concept, design and manufacture – something of which they have no knowledge. They have pretty well scuppered it before it has chance to fly.'

# 'That's all very well, but I don't see how we fit in to this.' Jonny Bretherton remarked.

# 'I'm coming to that. The original specification for this TSR2 was even more ambitious than our little plan, but along very similar lines.'

# Olaf pretended to shuffle his papers, causing a deliberate pause before continuing, 'Here are the most up-to-date details that we have got on this thing. I think you will see that it promises quite a lot.' With that he handed out the folders he had brought with him.

# 'The Australians have backed out of the project, now it looks as if the Brits will have to go it alone. If they cancel the project, and it looks like they will, we can take it over, the whole caboodle.'

# 'Flight development is a big challenge, there is a lot of work to be done there.' Jonny asked, 'Can we afford to devote the time to developing and producing such a machine?'

# 'We developed and built the U-2, we are now developing a brand new airplane with brand new engines to fly faster and higher than any service pilot has ever flown before; The Project Oxcart will fly at more than three times the speed of sound on the fringe of space. OK, the TSR2 will take some time, their test pilot, Roly Beamont has admitted that it will take some 30,000 flying hours to develop it to operational level.'

# Jonny butted in, 'That could take four or five years, will our plan still be viable in 1969?

# \- o – O – o –

# Chapter 15

# Testing.

# Historical note

# November 1967

# Robert McNamara announces his resignation as Defence Secretary during a press briefing, stating, "Mr. President...I cannot find words to express what lies in my heart today..." Behind closed doors, he had begun regularly expressing doubts over Johnson's war strategy, angering the President.

# British Prime Minister Harold Wilson defends the decision to devalue the Pound on the world market by saying:

# 'it will not effect the Pound in your pocket.'

# The Beatles released the record 'Hello Goodbye' with 'I am the Walrus' on the 'B' side.

# At the battle of Loc Ninh the 1st Battalion 1st Infantry Division, took on elements of the 271st Viet Cong Regiment. For the first time the Americans used Scout Dogs in conjunction with fire support from artillery, helicopter gun ships and tactical air force units.

# Well into the development phase of the American TSR2, aircrew procedures had to be put in place and men trained both to operate it and maintain the force. This meant building up a whole squadron from scratch, without anyone knowing.

# Luckily they could disperse quite a lot of this activity by setting up satellite training organisations in Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, Japan. These were used for training and getting ready to operate the aircraft and it's crews. Flight-testing was done at Beale AFB, Nellis AFB, Edwards AFB.

The TFX had by now been given the title F-111, so the next number along was given to the TSR2, F112.

The aircraft were intended for night interdictor missions, so were painted black underneath, and being a two seat aircraft capable of mach 2, it was inevitable that they would be nick named Black Deuce.

# A specially equipped A-5 Vigilante had been fitted out with the cockpit and navigation instrumentation of the F-112 for crew training. They flew this as far as RAF Machrahanish, in Scotland. White Sands missile testing facility was also used to test the missiles.

# \- - o – O – o –

# Forty-three minutes had elapsed. Ray Beech stuck his head out into the fierce desert sun to see if he could hear anything. He knew better than to even try to look at the sky to look for the returning aircraft. As the searing, baking heat of the Nevada desert seemed to assault his head from all sides he started to sweat. Ray looked intensely at a small rock about three feet away from him. A small scorpion scuttered from underneath as if it didn't like being looked at. Ray still looked at the rock. Crow's feet grew from the outer corners of his eyes as he prepared to look towards the horizon. As he lifted his tanned face the perspiration began to trickle round his throat before making its way down to his T-shirt neck. The bright, bright blue of the sky was empty, apart from the merciless sun. He turned and went back indoors.

# Twenty five thousand feet above the vast hot desert, pilot Coniston Fowler was about to test the prototype XF-112, the American TSR 2. It had already been given the nickname Black Deuce because it has two seats, two engines, is capable of Mach 2, and was painted blcak underneath. Today Connie was testing the aircraft's low speed handling at high altitude. He was to explore the flight envelope, find the edges, and work out how to handle things in these challenging conditions. In the back seat was Curtiss W Hutchinson whose job it was to monitor the test equipment, particularly the strain gauges that were placed in the wings, fuselage, fin and tailplanes.

# Connie had to keep up a running commentary on what was happening. All these reports are recorded in the cockpit and transmitted down to ground stations at the same time. This is not because test pilots have bad memories, it is in case something catastrophic happens, and the train of events leading up to the tragedy may be the only information available to investigators who need to prevent the same thing happening again.

# 'Twenty five thousand feet, RPM 8200, EGT (Exhaust Gas Temperature) 720, Mach 0.85, 340 knots indicated airspeed. Fuel tank auto sequence. Tanks 1 and 4 on. Tank selection; add 2 and 3 pumps on. Contents confirm. Throttling back to 75%.' Connie moved the throttles back a little.

# 'Straight and level, RPM 7,500, EGT 720, CG (Centre of Gravity) 18%. All readings normal.' Connie in the front seat reported. 'Do you concur?' Call signs were not necessary, because they were not talking to another aircraft.

# Curtiss responded 'I concur.'

# 'Radar is clear, you are clear to begin your test.' Came the authority from the ground controller.

# 'Commencing test, Auto Stabilisation Off, All servos engaged, No lights on, Auto Pilot Off, Internal Nav Off, Throttling back to 30%.' Connie's gloved left hand slowly eased the throttle levers back until the engines slowed right down and the noise decreased alarmingly, things are not usually this quiet whilst flying. Their instincts told them that something was wrong, although they knew that it was intended and deliberate, it still felt weird and worrying.

# '30%, RPM 4,080, JTP 620, straight and level, VS (Vertical Speed) zero, 320 knots, and holding stable.'

# Curtiss added 'Sink Rate, zero. No lights on, all functioning.' The needles on the strain gauges trembled with a combination of normal vibrations and registering slight stresses and strains on the aircraft.

# 'Angle of Attack plus 5.' Connie had to bring the nose of the aircraft up to avoid sinking and losing height. This meant losing speed, but that was the intention.

# 'No buffeting, or yaw. 30%, RPM 4,080, JTP 620, Mach 0.84, 320 knots indicated airspeed, Angle plus 7, VS zero, and holding stable.'

# The aircraft was not losing enough speed to do the test.

# 'Reducing throttle to 20%.' Connie said as he slowly brought the two levers back.

# 'No buffeting, or yaw. 20%, RPM 3,100, JTP 540, Mach 0.83, 286 knots indicated airspeed, Angle plus 9, VS zero, still holding stable.'

# Seconds later they both saw at once that they had begun to drop slightly. Curtiss was the first to report,

# 'Six feet per second sink.' He called.

# 'Roger that.' Connie replied as he applied slight backwards pressure on the stick. The hydraulics moved the tailerons, and the nose rose a little more.

# 'Twelve degrees angle. Slight buffeting, yaw steady. 20%, RPM 3,100, JTP 540, 230 knots indicated, Angle plus 12, VS seven feet per second, still holding stable Altitude 24,000 feet.'

# This was the normal set-up for landing, but without flaps or slats, and given the height there is barely enough lift to keep the aircraft in the air.

# Now the speed started to drop off alarmingly.

# 'Fifteen degrees angle, More buffeting, yaw held with rudder. 20%, RPM 3,100, JTP 540, 190 knots indicated airspeed, Angle plus 15, VS eleven feet per. Altitude 22,000 feet.'

# The intention was to attempt a low speed turn at 200 knots, as Connie continued holding the tailerons at an angle to keep the nose from dropping the bomber suddenly decided it no longer wanted to continue flying. The nose dropped below the horizon, then the right wing dropped.

# 'Full stall. RPM 3,100, 183 knots Altitude 21,000 feet. Right wing drop. Applying right rudder now.'

# Having entered the stall the aircraft was falling out of the sky. To apply full right rudder meant that it was going round as well as down. The aircrew were thrown about the cockpit, only their straps preventing serious harm, but their heads were not restrained. As they flopped from side to side they tried to focus on their instruments.

# 'Nineteen thousand. What's the strain?' Connie asked Curtiss.

# 'Within parameters.' Curtiss replied, 'Fin twitching, and the Alleytroyds have moved.'

# Alleytroyds are specially designed long tubes mounted on the fuselage in three positions, one on top, and one on each side near the bottom. They are there to measure how much the long front fuselage moves, and in which direction.

# Three turns later Connie was thinking about spin recovery.

# 'Fin minus three, plus three. Port front plus three, starboard front minus 3. All three Alleytroyds at four.' Curtiss reported.

# Connie was trying to hold the rudder steady through all this, he could feel the fin trying to move.

# 'Sixteen thousand.' He called, 'Beginning recovery now.'

# With that he opened the throttles slowly.

# '30% RPM 4,000. Centralising controls.'

# The nose was rising and falling, the whole world was spinning, and the crew continued to be thrown about. Connie applied gentle forward pressure on the stick.

# 'Pushing forwards. No effect.' He said, 'Eighteen thousand feet. Port engine surge.'

# Because the aircraft was spinning to the right, the left engine air intake was partially blanked by the front fuselage. This caused it to lose power.

# 'Throttles to 45%, RPM 5,600 and 2,000.' The trick now was to wait for the spinning to stop, but Connie was worried about the engine. He applied a small amount of left rudder to help slow things down a bit.

# 'Fin minus 5, plus 2.' Came the report from the rear cockpit. 'Alleytroyds all at maximum.'

# This meant that the fuselage was twisting amazingly.

# 'Deploying spin chute.' Connie pulled the toggle that would release the little parachute attached to the special 'A' frame that was bolted on to the rear, above the jet exhausts. The job of this chute is to apply a slight force to allow the aircraft to stop spinning.

# As he did the aircraft dropped its right wing to a vertical position causing the aircraft to drop like a stone. The force of this buckled the 'A' frame and snapped it off. At the same time, there are extreme forces induced on the side of the fin, and it too broke clean off.

# \- o – O – o –

# With the aircraft tumbling and spinning, the crew had no choice but to eject.

# 'Uncontrollable spin, eject, eject.' Connie called as he pulled the ejection lever. Before Curtiss had chance to reach for his handle the canopy above his head exploded.

# Telemetry from the flight was relayed to flight ops at Nellis Air Force Base. As Ray Beech entered the room he heard Connie Fowler announce that he was about to begin spin recovery.

# 'Everything OK?' he asked no-one in particular.

# 'So far, so good.' Came the reply from Trigger, who didn't even look up from his charts. 'They started at 25 thousand.' Then he was interrupted by another crackley voice that came from ten miles up –

# '30% RPM 4,000. Centralising controls.'

# 'They are down to 19 thousand now.' Trigger continued, shouldn't be long now, they are only doing one.'

# 'Pushing forwards. No effect. Eighteen thousand feet. Port engine surge.'

# Everyone looked up at the speaker with anticipation. This was not unusual during spin trials, but you never quite get used to it.

# 'Throttles to 45%, RPM 5,600 and 2,000.'

# The quiet murmur of activity in the room died down completely. Everyone listened intently for the next development.

# 'Fin minus 5, plus 2. Alleytroyds all at maximum.'

# The vibrations experienced by the crew were almost tangible over the loudspeaker.

# 'Deploying spin chute.'

# The gentle sighs seemed to give approval to the manoeuvre. Ray sat on a nearby chair that looked like it had been camouflaged.

# 'Kin ell.'

# Half of the room was startled by this interjection, the other half thought that the aircrew had been taken by surprise by the effect of the anti-spin chute.

# 'Uncontrollable spin, eject, eject.'

# Ray leapt up out of his chair and made a dash for the door. He emerged from the air-conditioned control room into the brilliant searing heat of Nevada without breaking step. He could see, about a quarter of a mile away, his buddies pouring out of the firehouse in preparation for the alarm bell.

# Curtiss 'experienced' more the either saw or heard the canopy go. As he began to look up he felt his chin hit his chest, he saw his instruments briefly before they became a blur. His right hand was heading for the ejection handle, but before it got there it was clamped down on top of his thigh, his left hand hit the left side of his seat as it shot upwards.

# Connie had the ejection sequence set on 'Command'; this meant that as he pulled his ejection handle it initiated both ejection sequences. First the rear canopy was shattered by miniature detonating cord (MDC). This is simply a small explosive charge in a flattened wire that is threaded through the canopy. A split second later the seat is propelled upwards by rockets built into its back. Then the same thing happens in the pilot's cockpit. The whole sequence takes less than one second.

# The aircrew never saw their aeroplane again. As their seats propelled them upwards they were moving away from the stricken plane. With the weight of the canopies, seats, equipment and men now gone the aircraft became tail heavy. The engines were still at 45% throttle setting; the port (left) engine had stabilised and was now delivering 15,000 lbs of thrust, as was the right engine. Unfortunately the aircraft was still spinning erratically, so it was going nowhere at a hell of a speed. By the time the men on parachutes had worked out what was happening and taken stock of the situation the aircraft, minus fin, was 25 miles away at 20,000 feet. It was about then that the aerodynamics took another body blow when the whole front fuselage, just in front of the air intakes, broke away and the two pieces fell to earth in 2 minutes 43 seconds, engines screaming to no avail.

# A small drogue chute opened above the seats, stabilising them and slowing their fall. They were still above 10,000 feet, so they were breathing oxygen from a supply in the seat, therefore had to stay with them. As they descended below 10,000 feet the air became thicker and contained enough oxygen to allow them to breathe unaided. It was only then that the seat separation apparatus operated. The straps holding them in the seats were released, then a simple pushing device discharged them out into the very wide, very blue yonder. Their parachutes are attached to the seat by lanyard cables. A metal ejector seat falls a lot faster than a man, so when the two are 12 feet apart the lanyard pulls the rip cord and the parachute is opened automatically.

# Connie Fowler was facing roughly the same direction as the aircraft impact as he dangled below his parachute. The flash caught his eye and he saw the big mushroom cloud rise up above the desert into the clear blue sky. Curtiss was not so lucky. He was hanging by his straps. Blood filled his left grey leather glove. Connie saw his crewman was not active. They were only about half a mile apart. Connie removed his oxygen mask and tried shouting, but got no response. Then he tried pulling on the toggles and rigging lines of his parachute to get a little closer. Slowly they drifted closer. Curtiss still had his mask on and was slumped as if unconscious. Connie reached into his life-vest for his emergency radio.

# 'Osprey One, Osprey One to Toucan.' Connie tried to contact Flight Ops.

# 'Osprey One to Toucan.'

# 'Osprey One, this is Toucan. We got you. What is your status? Over.'

# 'Osprey One, two descending. One OK, one rate two.'

# This told the people on the ground that one of them would probably need an ambulance on landing.

# 'Roger that Osprey One, we got your fix, estimate time of arrival 4 minutes. Over.'

# 'Roger that, Toucan. Out.'

# Connie was closer to his crewman now, but quite a bit lower. He tried to get a good look at Curtiss's face, but he still had his visor down and his oxygen mask on. The end of which was flapping in the breeze, this had been automatically disconnected when he was separated from the seat. The end was open to allow air in to allow him to breathe.

# Connie was worried. Curtiss was not moving, he just hung there in his straps, his arms by his sides, head down.

# Connie thought about getting close enough to get a better look, but there was always the danger that his parachute canopy would become fouled. Then he saw Curtiss's left glove fall off, followed by a trickle of blood.

# Connie decided that the most useful thing he could do was to get on to the ground before his crewman to give aid and assistance as he landed. In order to do this Connie began pulling on his control toggles and made the parachute rotate, eventually swinging him to first one side, then the other, then round and round. As the pilot spun at an angle to the perpendicular, the parachute canopy was also tilted at an angle, thereby spilling out air, making him descend faster.

# The ground came rushing up at Connie as he straightened his approach path. Heat from the ground was now noticeable. Small rocks were scattered around, but Connie thought he could avoid them. As he landed he rolled over. He had avoided the rocks with his feet, thereby saving his ankles, but he found some with his back. Ignoring the searing pain from his ribs he quickly dropped his parachute harness whilst looking for Curtiss. The hapless airman was dropping quite slowly about 50 feet away. Still about 80 feet up, Connie had time to make it over to the spot where Curtiss would land.

# 14 minutes earlier.

# Ray Beech leapt into the ambulance as Lorenzo Gonzales floored it. Dust and rocks flew as the old vehicle sped into the desert.

# 'By now they should be on their parachutes.' Ray informed the crew. There were four of them in the ambulance, Ray and Jude Garcia were medical orderlies, J. Gavin Harrison Jr, a doctor specialising in aviation medicine. He didn't usually attend events such as this, but was available, and was keen to see at first hand exactly what the first responders had to deal with.

# Riding through the desert at speed is not a comfortable experience, but they had to do it. Ray had picked up the co-ordinates of the probable landing area for the downed fliers, and it looked like a 12-mile trip over bumpy terrain.

# All eyes were on the sky, looking for signs of a parachute or flare. Should the fliers land before rescuers were in the area, they would let off a flare to give the ground units chance to steer in the right direction.

# The ambulance was just over half way to the co-ordinates when Connie Fowler, still over 1,500 feet high on his parachute, saw the dust trail put out by the truck ambulance as it sped towards him. The men and woman in the ambulance were still too far away to see the parachutes drifting down, they weren't even sure that they were going the right way, so the two men and Jude in the front had divided the sky into three areas for search. Lorenzo took the left quadrant, Ray the right, and Jude concentrated on the centre. Jude had a problem, the centre post of the windscreen obscured her view. Well, it would if it kept still, but the way the vehicle was bouncing about, and they were bouncing, the main problem was being able to focus and not miss a piece of sky. There was little Lorenzo could use as a reference point, the horizon was too hazy, any trees or cacti were pretty indistinct, so he was using a compass bearing to keep on track. After 10 minutes bouncing Ray and Jude shouted together,

# 'There, I got em.' And pointed in the direction of the Parachute they had spotted. But where was the second one.

# Ray got on the emergency frequency,

# 'Osprey One, Osprey One from Rescue One. We got you visual, where's your buddy?'

# Ray didn't know which of the aircrew was on the chute, but it didn't matter, there should have been two.

# 'Osprey One, he's following on a bit later, he don't look too good. Over.'

# 'Roger that. We got a Doctor on board, we can take care of him. Over.'

# 'OK, I reckon we will be on the ground about five minutes before you get to us, so I will send up a flare when I get to Curtiss.'

# 'Roger that. Rescue One out.'

# The truck bounced on for another 6 minutes before a flare was seen straight in front of them.

# As Curtiss dropped to the ground, Connie grabbed him to stop him from being dragged. Connie didn't know what injuries his comrade had sustained, so he decided not to try to hold his legs. Leg injuries are not uncommon in emergency evacuations, but back injuries are more common. So Connie took hold of Curtiss's life vest and gently laid him on the ground, clearing rocks away with his foot as best he could.

# The injured airman groaned as Connie removed his parachute harness to prevent the half-filled 'chute trying to drag him along the ground.

# He left the helmet on, but removed the oxygen mask. He could see that Curtiss's left hand was red with blood.

# 'Curt, Curt.' Connie tried to get a response from the limp body. He dared not touch him in fear of exacerbating any injuries already sustained during the violent ejection sequence. Blood was still emitting from Curtiss's arm, Connie didn't know if it was life threatening or not. But he did know enough to raise the arm above the level of the heart to lessen the blood loss. As he took hold of Curtiss's sleeve he saw a military ambulance below a large cloud of dust.

# Connie stood holding Curtiss's cuff about knee high when Ray jumped out of the ambulance.

# 'You Ok?' Ray asked Connie.

# 'Yeah, I'm fine, but my buddy here has lost some blood.' Connie replied.

# 'Right, let's have a look at him.' Gavin said as he jogged over to the prone Curtiss. 'Ray, see what you can do with that arm.'

# 'OK, Doc.' Ray got to work cutting the blood-stained sleeve away.

# 'Looks like we have a broken arm here.' Ray didn't need x-ray eyes to decide this. The side of Curtiss's ejector seat had caught his arm a glancing blow on the way out. That was enough to break both the radius and the ulna, and push the broken bones through the flesh.

# 'Hey, Jude, help me bandage this up.'

# Jude was holding Curtiss's head steady in case of spine trauma.

# 'Is that OK, Doc?' she asked Gavin.

# 'Seems clear for major body problems.' Gavin nodded at Jude.

# Curtiss groaned and seemed to be regaining conciseness. This allowed Gavin to confirm his original diagnosis that there was no major damage to the head, spine or torso.

# Meanwhile, Lorenzo had taken Connie to the ambulance and checked him over for any injuries that might not have shown up because of the shock of everything that had happened during the last half-hour.

# We know that there were four flight-test machines. One did not fly for long, but was used for equipment fitting and fatigue testing, along with the pattern aircraft and equipment sent from England, and then this had to happen.

# The remaining two soldiered on

# What they ended up with was an aircraft crammed with American equipment, and a revolving bomb door.

# Bigger, faster and longer ranging than the F-105 Thunderchief, much of the low-level testing was done with the 'Thud' as chase. One pilot has been quoted saying that,

# 'The Deuce can out fly the Thud in all regimes of the flight envelope.'

# Transonic testing was done with the F-100 Super Sabre and F-104 Starfighter.

# \- o – O – o –

# Chapter 16

# The Stone That Melted

# The aircrew had been picked, but not briefed. They first had to get to know the aircraft.

# Surrounded by metal and glass, Billy Lee Rigby eased himself into the rear seat for the first time.

# 'This sure ain't no Phantom.' He remarked to Steve Steele, who was in the front seat.

# 'Ain't no Thud, either.' Replied Steve.

# This was a familiarisation visit in the Black Deuce; they were not going flying today.

# Flight test crew and groundcrew buzzed around to give assistance and advice whenever it was needed.

# Steve took out the Aircrew Notes. Flicking through the pages, he soon found the section on starting engines. Coniston Fowler was the test pilot who had been putting these aircraft through their paces, he crouched on the staging alongside the cockpit. Steve turned to Connie he said,

# 'Let's see how we make this bird fly.'

# Whilst he and Connie discussed the procedure for starting up, Billy Lee was discussing the rear cockpit layout with Johnny T Merchant, who had done most of the back seat flight-testing after Curtiss's injury.

# 'I can't wait to get this moving map display working.' Billy Lee said. 'As a trained Navigator I look forward to not having to do star shots and dead reckoning to get us out and back.'

# 'You will still have to manage the fuel consumption, but it is a lot easier knowing exactly where you are without having to piss about with maps.' Johnny replied.

# 'Do you find any discrepancy when flying a long distance?' Billy Lee had an idea where they were going on their eventual mission, and wanted to know how reliable this new system was likely to be.

# 'The aircraft's Nav Computer can compensate for the lack of transmitting beacons, we call them Oboe,' Johnny explained, 'Over land it compares input from the terrain following radar with the contours on the map, but over water it has to rely on dead reckoning. Much like you would normally do.'

# 'And have you been out of range of Oboes?' Billy Lee asked.

# 'It ain't easy, but low down over the desert they sometimes disappear.' Johnny reported.

# 'What happens then?' Billy Lee was interested.

# 'You get a mark on the side of the display to tell you that contact has been lost, then a slider bar comes up here,' he pointed to the left side of the moving map display, 'this shows how good the information is. Over the desert it ain't too good!'

# 'Not many contours, huh?' Billy Lee was following this very closely.

# 'None that are accurate, the sand moves around like waves, but slower. Even so, they can't produce maps that quick.' Johnny explained.

# But Billy Lee was concerned that there were no accurate maps of where they were going.

# Without wishing to give too much away he pressed on.

# 'It's a great system for flying over friendly territory, but this is intended to be an interdictor. I can't see Uncle Joe erecting homing transmitters for us,'

# 'I guess not,' replied Johnny, 'But this is a new system, with development there may be aircraft circling at altitude relaying the positional information to aircraft over enemy territory. We are right at the beginning of a whole new navigational technology, everything has to start somewhere. Remember, long, long ago some guy found that a rock by his campfire melted. That's how they found metal. Who would have thought that from that melting rock would be developed this aircraft?'

# Billy Lee returned to the matter in hand, 'Is this thing accurate with only one Oboe?'

# 'Yes, we found that it uses its dead reckoning software to compensate for the loss of triangulation capability.' Johnny explained.

# Billy Lee knew that a new invention was here before him. Not only that, but it was also using another new invention, high above and so secret he couldn't even tell Johnny – one of the first communication satellites was now orbiting over The South China Sea.

# Billy Lee sat back in his seat. 'I'd sure like one in my car.' He mused.

# 'You would need a U-Haul trailer for the computer!" Johnny quipped, 'And another for the generator, this thing used up a lot of power.'

# \- o – O – o –

# Chapter 17

# Security

# Historical note

# Sunday 16th February 1969

# In the England, on Sundays pubs were only allowed to open between 12 noon and 2 p.m., then 7 o'clock and 10.30 in the evening.

# The last major operation by US Marines, Operation Dewey Canyon, takes place in the Da Krong valley.

# 1st and 2nd Battalions of the 1st Division, 28th Infantry Regiment US Army deployed to Vietnam.

# TV show 'Joe 90' first aired.

# Viet Cong attack 110 targets throughout South Vietnam, including Saigon.

# \- o – O – o –

# Four men stood on the wide sidewalk at Brawner Street, McClean, Langley, VA. These were no ordinary men; they stood in a straight line exactly two feet four inches apart and rigidly to attention in the hot Virginia sun. The evenly tanned faces contrasting slightly with very white teeth, and forward facing haircuts. Black funeral suits, pressed within an inch of their lives. Shoes with a shine no dancer ever had, they had a deep military polish born of experienced buffing and furbishing, no patent leather here. It was obvious that these civilians were of military or alien origins. The sun glinted off the black sunglasses as they marched off in complete unison without a word being spoken.

# Clint 1, Clint 2, Clint 3 and Clint 4 strode out knowing that everyone would be looking at them, but they also knew that people were not looking at them, but at what they were doing and how they presented this spectacle.

# A feeling of pride in doing something quite majestic with ease rippled through the formation. Even the smart suits emulated each other, the shoes made a sort of 'apfaid' sound as they hit the concrete four at a time.

# The only sound the young ex-marines could hear was:

# apfaid

# apfaid

# apfaid

# apfaid

# apfaid

# apfaid

# apfaid

# When they reached the corner of Chain Bridge Road they executed a perfect left wheel to remain in line abreast, the rubber soled high gloss shoes paced out in perfect harmony.

# This was not a show of power, it was a show of supremacy.

# The men are not used to showing off in this way, by virtue of the very nature of their work they were normally secretive.

# As they marched along the formation changed, at 1386 Chain Bridge Road the two on the right dropped back and slid in behind the front two, forming a box four, once again without a word being said.

# As they reached their car they approached from the rear, each man reaching his door at exactly the same instant, the doors opened as one, the suits did not crease, even as the men got into the car. All four doors closed with a single 'crump'.

# The black Ford sped off, blacked out windows preventing outsiders from seeing who was in the car.

# These anonymous men had been called in to provide security for a special meeting of the Star Chamber.

# \- o – O – o –

# 'Screw the freaking President.'

# Eugene Macarthy the third was a seasoned leatherneck with a look of the actor Jack Nicholson, for this reason he was known universally as Jack.

# 'He may well be gone to oblivion by the time this lot is over, either that or planting peanuts like the other loser.'

# As head of Black Ops at Langley you would think he had a bit more respect for the Chief of Staff in charge of the whole military machine of the most powerful country in the world.

# This meeting took place just outside Langley, VA. The austere outside was not intended entirely as camouflage, it was originally built as an underground shelter. But then it was realised that it would not be big enough to accommodate the Governing Council, the police department, the fire department, emergency medical teams, and the debating facilities required by today's politicians. So a bigger one is being built. In the meantime, the Secret Service has moved in, and is using the old Sector Control converted to high-security meeting rooms.

# Two walls were covered with a large map of Vietnam, the wall directly behind Eugene Macarthy had a large map of Far Eastern Asia from Japan to the Indian border.

# Plastered on the opposite wall were 16 aerial photographs of installations.

# Above the grand central table was a huge chandelier, the like of which has never been seen in an underground bunker before.

# In this opulent office were Permanent Members of the Star Chamber:

# Eugene (Jack) Macarthy III, Head Black Ops

# Olaf G South, Chief Field Op, Black Ops

# David J. Armistead Dep.Chief Field Op, Black Ops

# Jonny Bretherton Logistics, CIA

# Harold J. Hall. Finance

# Coniston Fowler, Flight Ops

# Clint 1.Security

# Clint 2. Security

# Clint 3. Security

# Clint 4. Security

# Guests

# Lieutenant Colonel Wilson-Jon Butcher. USAF

# Captain Kendal Martin. USAF

# Major Gordon Barrie. US Army

# Captain John Halsall. US Army

# Commander Danny Barrow. US Navy

# Lieutenant Annie-Marie Quattro. US Navy

# Captain Buzz Owen. US Marines

# Eugene Macarthy III opened the proceedings without standing.

# 'Gentlemen, - and lady. Sorry, ma'am, I nearly didn't see you there. This Vietnam thing is dragging on too long. It seems that the more men we put in there, the more Gooks we find. We know they are getting supplies down the Ho Chi Minh trail, but it is costing us about 10,000 dollars for every truck we destroy. And we are losing men doing it. They seem to have a ready supply of trucks and replacement people.

# In an out-and-out slogging match we can knock the socks off em. But they are not playing by those rules. We need to force them to the negotiating table, and soon, and with their tails between their legs.'

# Jonny Bretherton of Logistics, CIA sat forward in his chair, he was a slightly greying man of more advanced years than he looked,

# 'What we are looking for here, gentlemen, is a game plan that has an exit strategy. There is no way we can occupy the North. Hell, we can only just hang on to the area we have in the South. And even here Charlie seems to be able to appear and give us trouble just about anywheres he likes..'

# Lieutenant Colonel Wilson-Jon Butcher was quite a short man with a lifetime of military service. He offered the USAF view,

# 'We have been bombing the hell out of that damned trail, day and night. They don't seem to mind at all.'

# Commander Danny Barrow, his resplendent gleaming white uniform giving his already dark complexion even more darkness, gave the Navy viewpoint.

# 'These are the most powerful ships in the World out there, and we don't seem to be making a dint in their fighting capabilities. If there is a better strategy anywhere, I would like to hear about it.'

# Olaf G South stood up. He was a tall man in the smart uniform of a Marine Captain with Special Forces badges. The flat-topped crew cut was not out of place, it was impossible to decern the colour of his hair, there was so little of it.

# 'The only way we are going to kick their butts is to cut off their supply lines. These people fight like a snake. The only way to tackle a snake is to grab it firmly behind the head and watch it writhe.

# We have identified 14 targets, which, if taken out, will enable us to enter by the back door in a rapid deployment of forces along the border with China. This will have the effect of strangling their reinforcements. That will leave their fighting men in the South, whilst we deal with the logistics centres in the North. We believe these to be poorly guarded by non-combatants.'

# Also from the US Navy, Lieutenant Annie-Marie Quattro looked quite out of place with her almost round face, delicate chin and small nose. Her hair was greying and a small mole on her full cheek seemed to add character.

# She asked an almost rhetorical question

# 'Are you therefore suggesting that we escalate this conflict?'

# Olaf was swift to respond,

# 'Ah shureley am, Ma'am. You can't beat a 'gator by tickling him.'

# W-J Butcher offered some support.

# 'We can hit 14 targets, day or night, anywhere you please. It's about time this cock-a-mamy war got some movement. It's like trench warfare with trees out there. The grunts on the ground can't even use tanks most of the time.'

# Major Gordon Barrie, US Army, agreed.

# 'That is certainly true. Most of the time we seem to be fighting lightly armed guerrillas who appear from nowhere, strike fast, and disappear back into the jungle before we can bring any heavy armaments to bear. The only way ahead is to find his Achilles' heel.'

# Eugine Macarthy interjected.

# 'Gentlemen. I do believe we have found his Achilles heel.'

# He stood up and turned to the map on the wall behind him, the one of South Eastern Asia.

# 'These are the targets we have identified. If we hit these all at once it will render this whole area exposed and vulnerable to attack from the air, land and sea.'

# His hand swept across Southern China.

# 'Just like we should have done in Korea.' Added Major Barrie.

# This seasoned old war-horse had seen at first hand many blunders from the politicians. The medals on his chest showed that he had been through enough campaigns to know that the military should be allowed to run the battles, or that is how he sees things.

# 'Please tell me this is a Government operation.'

# Annie-Marie Quattro almost whispered.

# Harold J Hall replied, 'Strictly speaking, it is. But don't tell them.' And he didn't mean the people here.

# Jonny Bretherton spoke up next.

# 'With a clean, surgical strike on these targets the enemy's ability to fight in the whole area will be severely curtailed. This will allow us to reign supreme across the whole region. Without regular supplies his armies will simply melt away back to the farms. The Chinese will not be able to do anything because we will have the whole area locked down. This will be such a shock to both countries that they will not recover from it easily, then we can drag them kicking and screaming to the negotiating table and finally get out of there.'

# Captain John Halsall, US Army, asked for more detail.

# 'When you say hit these targets, exactly what level of munitions were you looking at putting down?'

# W-J Butcher came in quickly,

# 'Five B-52s on each target will reduce it to rubble, no problem.'

# 'Wait just a minute here.' Buzz Owen jumped to his feet, pushing the chair back until it slid into the wall behind him.

# 'Are you suggesting that we invade another sovereign nation?' His fine Marine crew cut seemed to bristle even more.

# 'They are already up to their grubby little necks in It.' responded Eugene Macarthy.

# 'We can't just invade without any provocation at all.' Buzz Owen replied.

# Captain Kendal Martin gave the answer.

# ' We have already been in combat with these guys. Only last week MiG 21s with no markings intercepted four F 105 Thunderchiefs of 388th Tactical Fighter Wing. The throttle jockeys are convinced they were not Viet Cong pilots attacking them, they were too good.'

# John Halsall tries again,

# 'Can we get back to my question, what level of munitions are you proposing to use the do this job?'

# 'With the Big Belly modification, each B-52 we have on station now has enough capacity for a total of 60,000 pounds in 108 bombs.' Captain Kendal explained.

# 'If we send these in three abreast they will destroy an area two miles wide and four miles long. Jonny Bretherton then asked, 'I presume these will be bombing from 40,000 feet. What level of accuracy can you expect?'

# Captain Kendal had to think a bit here.

# 'Looking at the map I can see that only three of these targets are in places where we can be fairly sure about the weather. The rest are in mountainous areas where the wind can do some strange things to munitions on their way down. Dumb bombs in such circumstances can be a bit unpredictable. This one to the left here,' he pointed to the target South of Tali, 'in the foothills of the Nu Shan Mountain range. It will be impossible to predict the wind conditions in that valley, even if it were in Washington State we would have trouble working out parameters for our bombsights. Given a carpet footprint of two miles by four, the CEP for that target could be in the region of four miles.'

# 'What?' exclaimed Buzz Owen 'You mean to tell us that you may be as much as four miles off target?'

# Captain Kendal explained,

# 'The wind at altitude does some very strange things, during the war with Japan we were flying B-29s over Tokyo when they found that the bomb sights went off the scale. Curtiss le May was in charge at that time, he didn't believe that B 29s could be travelling at almost 400-mph ground speed. That gives you some idea of the power of wind at altitude, and when wind starts whipping around mountains and valleys it can be very unpredictable.'

# 'Given this CEP (circular error probability), how many aircraft would be needed to carry out this mission?' John Halsall asked.

# Captain Kendal and Wilson-Jon Butcher stood looking at the map on the wall. With their backs to the meeting they worked things out between themselves –

# 'If CEP on that is four miles, it must be on that one, and that one.' The Captain worked things out as he assessed the targets.

# 'These two may be a little better, Anshun, Liuchow, they could come out at 2.5 miles.' W-J added.

# 'Mengtzu I'd put at 1.5.' Captain Kendal noted.

# 'The rest don't look too bad.' W-J concluded.

# Jonny Bretherton got to work on the calculations.

# 'To allow for a CEP of four miles we will need nine aircraft, plus one as reserve. Three targets with a CEP of four miles therefore needs 30 aircraft. Then these two, Anshun and Liuchow,' he indicated their positions on the wall mounted map.

# 'With a CEP of 2.5 miles, they will need six aircraft each, plus one in reserve.' He searched the map for Mengtzu. When he found it he pointed to it and said,

# 'Mengtzu you give a CEP of 1.5 miles that's as good as zero. So Mengtzu and all the others will only need three B-52s to guarantee to knock them out. Lets see, that's three, six, nine, 12, 15, plus 18 here, that's 33, Liuchow and Anshun 12 between them, 45, plus 30 for the difficult ones, that comes to a grand total of 75 aircraft.'

# Annie-Marie Quattro raised another concern now.

# 'What about collateral damage?'

# Jonny Bretherton answered a question with a question,

# 'How do you mean, ma'am.'

# 'The damage done to the surrounding areas that may have nothing to do with the target function.' Annie-Marie continued.

# 'Take these three up here, Kunming, for instance. There is a town close by I see. You propose laying down a carpet six miles by four just to hit a target. The civilian population are not the target, but they will be taking the brunt of it all.'

# Olaf W South commented quietly to David J. Armistead, 'Asseyez-vous grinçant petite chatte.' (Sit down you squeaky little twat)

# Buzz Owen then asked,

# 'Is there any way of increasing the accuracy of the bombers?'

# Wilson-Jon Butcher was quick to reply.

# 'We could put them in at 100 feet. They can barrel down these valleys and pop up at the target before they know they are there.'

# Commander Barrow spotted a possible flaw in this approach,

# 'And will these huge aircraft be doing this low level flying in close formation?'

# Wilson-Jon Butcher retorted,

# 'It depends how narrow the valleys are.'

# Logistics expert Jonny Bretherton offered something here,

# 'Didn't we have a problem early in the Conflict involving B-52 bombers?'

# Captain Kendal knew to what Jonny was referring,

# 'It was the first combat mission of Operation Arc Light, 30 bombers of the 9th and 441st Bombardment Squadrons struck a communist stronghold near Ben Cat in South Vietnam. The first wave of bombers arrived too early at a designated rendezvous point, and while manoeuvring to maintain station, two B-52s collided, resulting in the loss of both bombers and eight crewmen.'

# Jonny responded,

# 'Given the risk on these mission profiles, how many aircraft do you expect to lose, Captain Kendal?'

# 'That's a hard one.' Captain Kendal replied,

# 'The low-level mission would mean fewer aircraft, but is inherently more dangerous. Not only because the aircraft are closer together, but also they are closer to the ground. This means they are more likely to hit it, and they may well come under small arms fire at any time. If we lose 30% on that mission I wouldn't be surprised. Given the territory and the height flown at, a wounded '52 would stand little chance of making it back.'

# He stroked his chin and thought a little. 'The larger force, at altitude, over China could gain the attentions of SAMs. Remember Gary Powers. If we lost 20%, it would be 120 aircrew. At the very least the secret would be impossible to keep. And Boeing would have to be put on overtime to replace the B-52s.'

# 'Given the strange gathering we have here,' John Halsall observed,

# 'I think we can safely say that this mission has to be carried out without political enlightenment.'

# 'I think we can safely say you have grasped the intention here.' Olaf responded.

# 'Let's see if I have grasped it' Annie-Marie Quattro then added,

# 'You dreamers are proposing that we carpet bomb large areas of China, scatter wrecked B-52s all over the place, with the loss of aircrew. And the politicians will not notice? I know they can be pretty dim, but this is asking too much.'

# Buzz Owen came to Annie-Marie's aid,

# 'I can see where Lieutenant Quattro's coming from.' He took a breath,

# 'If 120 men are killed on this raid, in one day, 120 families will have to be devastated by the news. You can't say they all died as a result of flying accidents – in the same day.'

# 'The logistics of this plan would prove difficult to pull off.' Captain Kendal observed.

# 'We can get the 75 aircraft required, but it will not be secret very long.'

# 'So what you are saying here is we have a sound plan.' Eugene Macarthy III rounded up the feeling of the meeting,

# 'Apart from carpet bombing parts of China, risking men and machines, and being unable to keep it a secret.'

# 'We desperately need to break the deadlock we find ourselves in.' Buzz Owen concurred.

# 'But this is just too damned dangerous.'

# The meeting dispersed without conclusion.

# \- o – O – o –

# Chapter 18

#  Debriefing

# Buzz Owen had contacts at Quantico Marine base. He went to see them the day after the Star Chamber meeting.

# He met up with Annie-Marie Quattro in the early afternoon and they went together to FBI Academy Building 9, J Edgar Hoover Rd, Quantico, VA for a formal appointment.

# The debrief itself was not formal.

# Marine Captain Jeffrey Hill greeted them at reception, as visitors they had to be escorted within the building, 'You two have had an interesting day.' He said. 'Come inside and talk to me about it.'

# FBI agent Dave Mason and White House secretary Samantha Mascoury joined the three of them in the meeting room.

# Jeff opened the proceedings by introducing the group to each other. He then explained to Dave and Sam.

# 'Annie and Buzz here have just attended a meeting held by some of our very own Secret Service agencies in which they promulgated a possible solution to the South-East Asia Conflict. Now I'll let them tell their own story.' He turned to Buzz; 'Captain, you have the floor.'

# Jackets were removed and the atmosphere was relaxed. Annie eased off her shoes under the table; it had been a long day.

# 'For a start, there will be no names in this report. If you think about telling someone else about what we are about to reveal, just think, they may have been there.' Annie gave this mandate.

# Jeff continued to explain any concealment of information within his report.

# 'We are not trying to protect the guilty here, we are only trying to protect ourselves. I will be brief.' He looked round to check that the door was closed, then continued,

# 'The thrux of the plan is to neutralise the Chinese who are helping the Viet Cong. We all know that it is happening, but we believe that we cannot do anything about it.'

# The eagle-eyed marine paused, then said,

# 'Our Secret Services have hatched a plan to bomb 14 key targets, mostly in Southern China. That, they hope, will convince the Chinese that they are vulnerable and we could then invade. Or at least cut off supplies to North Vietnam. To accomplish this they reckon they will need over 70 B-52s. We know the aircraft are in theater, but none of them can be tasked to cross the Chinese border, which makes your job that little bit easier. Watch all bomber movements, if there are requests for navigational authority to enter Chinese airspace, or if there is a spike in activity for no apparent reason, we could be going to war with China.'

# Only a quiet comment from Samantha Mascoury followed,

# 'Holy sheeat!'

# As they left the meeting room Jeff took Sam to one side and impressed upon her the need for absolute secrecy.

# 'That meeting never took place.' He looked her straight in the eyes from inches away. He was deadly serious, 'What was reported was only a rough sketch of what some people would like to see happen, the truth of the matter is that they do not have the resources. We do not have the resources, so it cannot happen. However, those two are risking a lot to report it to us, if even a little innuendo is leaked out they would be in great danger. Do you understand?'

# Sam took a step back.

# "I assure you, Captain, my job calls for absolute confidentiality in all matters. I can be trusted implicitly.'

# o – O – o –

# It was too early for dinner when Buzz and Annie left FBI building 9, so they went back to her hotel for her to change out of uniform.

# 'That idiot Macarthy thinks he can start wars all over the place and get away with it.' Annie-Marie Quattro exclaimed as they entered the hotel room.

# Buzz Owen was not so impetuous. 'Don't be too quick to call him an idiot.'

# He replied, making sure the door was firmly closed behind them.

# 'If he were an idiot he would not be so dangerous.'

# 'Well it's up to the Bureau now, we have done our job, they wanted to know what he was up to, I bet that knocks their socks off!' Annie-Marie replied.

# 'Yes,' Buzz replied,

# 'All they have to do is keep an eye on B-52 movements. It should be quite easy to spot 75 heavy bombers moving together for no apparent reason.'

# She took off her Navy overcoat and took his Marine coat. 'Would you like a coffee?' she asked him.

# 'If it's not too much trouble.' He said

# 'You remember how I like it?'

# 'I remember how you like it all right, Now how about the coffee?' she cheekily responded.

# He picked up a copy of Scientific American and sat by the low coffee table.

# 'Do you mind if I take a quick shower whilst the coffee makes itself?' she asked from over her shoulder as she moved into the next room.

# Buzz was too engrossed in his magazine to even respond, but when the percolator bubbled up he called,

'I'll get the coffee, you finish your shower.'

# Annie-Marie Quattro got out of the shower and donned the towel dressing gown. As she walked towards the coffee table her feet dried on the plush carpet. She deliberately bent down facing Buzz as she picked up the coffee cups, knowing he could see down the open neck of her dressing gown.

# 'Would you like some more?' she asked.

# 'Not coffee.' He replied as he stood up. He took the cups off her and put them back down on the coffee table.

# 'I think these can wait.'

# 'I'm not sure I can.' she replied with a smile as he moved his right hand around her waist. She moved her right hand to caress his neck as he slid his left hand across her shoulder blades to bring her closer to him.

# They kissed passionately, breaking off only to undo her dressing gown cord, whilst she undid his tie.

# With his right hand cupping her warm left breast, she began shaking gently in anticipation.

# 'And you shall get it, my dear, all in the fullness of time.' He stroked the lips of her vagina before gently entering her dilated opening with the tip of his second finger.

# 'Oh, Oh.' She murmured. 'Yes, Yes, Yes.'

# His finger was dry at first, but the more he probed, the more juice came forth.

# She was producing fluid at a prodigious rate.

# Her legs turned to jelly as she fell back on to the bed, her abundant bosom bouncing out of the dressing gown, her knees moving much further apart. He licked her left breast, caressing the nipple with his tongue. He then cupped the other breast with his hand and began kissing her stomach, working his way slowly downwards. He had shaved that morning, but the slight roughness of his stubble on her naked belly was erotic in the extreme. Annie-Marie was now panting furiously in eager anticipation. Her groans grew in intensity the lower he moved; now he was crossing that faint line between stomach and pubic triangle. Her back arched up involuntarily and her mind exploded with ecstatic anticipation.

# \- o – O – o –

# Chapter 19

# Engine runs.

# The Black Deuce was chained down.

# The nose wheel leg was squashed down to almost half its original length.

# With its tail in the air, its nose radome almost touched the ground.

# 'Ready burner on one'

# Connie's voice from the cockpit was distorted and high-pitched to overcome the deafening roar of two jet engines that were powerful enough to propel an aircraft carrier.

# Main gear and nosewheel were all firmly anchored to the concrete to keep the big bomber from leaping forward as the engines were run up to full throttle. Delivering over 60,000lbs of thrust in an aircraft weighing about 60,000lbs, it would be impossible to stop the machine from moving without anchoring it down. Now it looked as if it was trying to break free. As the power is increased and the noise level rises, the whole airframe shakes and bucks like a bronco.

# The fin, now over 20 feet in the air, carries the black letters LN, but this aircraft has never been near Lakenheath. The serial numbers were also bogus. Some wag had used the numbers 493, this was the squadron, 493rd Tactical Fighter Squadron, 48th Tactical Fighter Wing, that was supposed to get these aircraft, had the development been approved by Congress. But Congress did not approve them; they were developed as a black op.

# Any spy worth his salt could look at these birds and see that there was something amiss. All eight had the same serial number.

# As black ops go, this one had an unusual start.

# It began as a white aircraft.

# U-2 and SR-71 had similar secret beginnings, but they became well known. The B-45 Tornado started out normally, but became secretive.

# The Black Deuce stayed a secret – even now.

# \- o – O – o –

# The US Air Force refuelling system, known as the flying boom, was installed, which meant re-plumbing most of the fuel system. This freed up area used in RAF aircraft for the retractable flight-refuelling probe so with judicious shuffling of other equipment a really good sideways looking radar was installed. The AAS 24 infrared surveillance system was also installed as standard.

# But the biggest change came with the undercarriage. The tandem wheel layout of the prototype TSR 2 was brought about by a dictate from the British Government. These politicians who come from all walks of life and are only elected for a maximum of five years pretended that they knew what they wanted from a supersonic bomber and insisted that it be capable of taking off from a ploughed field!!

# The United States Air Force does not fly from ploughed fields, so the main undercarriage was allowed to return to its original form. This saved a tremendous amount of weight and complex machinery; it also opened up a very useful avionics bay and home for the legendary M61 A1 Vulcan rotary cannon in relatively easy reach from the ground. The advantage of this is not wasted on the F-112A Washington's groundcrew because most of the maintenance panels on this aircraft are well out of reach without major scaffolding.

# For long-range, high-speed interdiction the Black Deuce, is incomparable.

# Faster than Wild Weasels, and equipped to do the job at the same time as the bomber role, the Deuce was more manoeuvrable than the venerable F-4, right down to the deck. And this was where it really started to perform. Nothing can travel at Mach one at treetop height. Deuce can, then accelerate to speed missiles have difficulty following!

# One year four months later these developments were brought together.

# \- o – O – o –

# Chapter 20

# The Road to Mandalay

# Historic notes

# Tuesday 12th November 1968

# In Britain it was revealed that the Minister Without Portfolio is to visit the illegal regime of Ian Smith in Rhodesia, this news was only released 3 days after the Rhodesians reported it.

# Equatorial Guinea joins the UN.

# Operation Rolling Thunder ends as President Johnson announces a complete halt of U.S. bombing of North Vietnam in the hope of restarting the peace talks.

# Throughout the three and a half year bombing campaign, the U.S. dropped a million tons of bombs on North Vietnam, the equivalent of 800 tons per day, with little actual success in halting the flow of soldiers and supplies into the South or in damaging North Vietnamese morale. In fact, the opposite has occurred as the North Vietnamese have patriotically rallied around their Communist leaders as a result of the onslaught. By now, many towns south of Hanoi have been levelled with a U.S. estimate of 52,000 civilian deaths

# \- o – O – o –

# The silver Sabreliner touched down at Annisaton airfield, Mandalay just before the hottest time of day.

# As Olaf and his entourage moved around inside the small aircraft prior to disembarking the effects of the air conditioning were not noticed.

# But when the outer door was opened it was like walking into an oven. Olaf stepped out into the bright sunshine. His immaculate suit seemed to absorb heat directly from the sun; at least the black sunglasses were not out of place this time. With him stood David J. Armistead and Coniston Fowler.

# 'Just like 'weesianna without the air con.' Olaf muttered under his breath in a deep southern drawl. The heat reminded him of his childhood in the swamplands of Louisiana.

# At the base of the aircraft steps was a welcoming party. The Americans expected them to be dressed in colourful fine silken robes. The olive drab that Olaf was met with came as a shock. The dubious guard of honour looked like they were in fatigues. It turned out that the only uniforms that looked uniform had been liberated from the Chinese. It wasn't helped by the arrogant and threatening demeanour emanating from the armed guards whom looked more Chinese than was expected. The Americans wondered if they were being guarded or scrutinised, escorted or kidnapped.

# The names of the participants didn't sound familiar; none of them were on the manifest they had been given by the Bureau of Foreign Affairs.

# 'Ho Flung Shit there gave me a dirty look.' David J. Armistead commented after the handshaking was over.

# 'Who the hell are we dealing with here?' whispered Dave as the three men in suits walked to the shade of a hangar.

# Olaf's reply was swift and to the point 'The President and people of the United States.'

# Just then a commotion broke out over by the plane.

# 'Qu'est-ce qui s'est passe? Qu'est-ce qui s'est passe?' (what's happening? what's happening?) Called Olaf to the nearest Burmese aide to him. Olaf's first language was French, Cajun French from Louisiana. It was the common language, so chosen for negotiations.

# 'Sont là armé des hommes sortent de votre avion' was the response. (Armed men are getting off your aeroplane)

# Olaf quickly replied 'Ces hommes sont de garder le périmètre autour de l'avion'. (these men are guarding the perimeter of our aircraft)

# The Ho Flung character explained 'Nous ne pouvons pas avoir des soldats étrangers portant des armes sur le sol Birman.' (We cannot have foreign soldiers bearing weapons on Burmese soil)

# 'Poser vos armes en bas ou nous tirerons.' (Lay your weapons down or we will shoot) the leader of the welcoming committee called out.

# 'We cain't have people shooting in the direction of the plane.' Dave observed.

# 'Holy fucking shit, no.' a fine southern orator, Olaf showed his firm grasp of pure American expressionism, 'Put your guns on the ground, but keep a hold of them.' He called out to the Americans who had emerged from the aircraft. This was the signal to enter a new defence structure. The people who had not yet left the aircraft cabin stayed there and prepared to defend at short range. The five men on the ground dropped on to their right knee and levelled their M16 assault rifles on the ground, but kept hold of them in such a way as to be able to bring them to bear and put to good use very quickly, safety catches off.

# In this scenario the three negotiators would not let the aircraft out of their sight.

# 'Nous préfère garder le périmètre autour de notre avion' (We prefer to guard the perimeter around our aircraft)

# Olaf offered the explanation 'Il épargne vos gens un travail' (It saves your guys a job)

# 'Vous avez à rien ne craindre ici à Mandalay' (You have nothing to fear here at Mandalay) Ho Flung told him.

# 'Alors pourquoi gaspiller le temps de votre gens quand nous pouvons le faire pour vous, je suis sûr que vos hommes ont choses plus des importantes à faire.' (Then why waste your people's time when we can do it for you, I'm sure your men have more important things to do.) Olaf countered.

# 'Très bien' (Very well) with that Ho Flung signalled the guard to stand down.

# The alligator shoes looked out of place here, but Olaf insisted on wearing them whenever they were away from Washington. The three men stood in the hangar doors surveying the scene before them. By now eight burly men in sharp suits carrying M16 assault rifles stood around the rear engined Sabreliner. The sunglasses must have been issue because they were all exactly the same, so were the suits. The men also tended to look the same as each other.

# There was a general hive of activity here and there around the airport, but nothing seemed to be getting done. What was obvious was that there were plenty of people around, but most of them seemed to have no particular purpose, just wandering about aimlessly.

# It was the American's job to secure a secret operating base in Burma, as an operating base this one would not be secret for long.

# A fleet of four cars was waiting outside the airport to whisk the party to a city centre hotel, which had been cleared of guests for the day.

# The three Secret Service 'diplomats' followed their hosts into a prepared suite of rooms in the Hotel by the Red Canal.

# The room was far from austere, but not quite as plush as an American room at a casino hotel in Vegas.

# The large table in the centre of the room was far too big to be a dining table, so the Americans figured that the room had been used for negotiations and meetings before. So they knew it must be bugged. They had no chance to sweep it for listening devices. The most effective thing to do now was for the Americans to talk amongst themselves in Sioux, or Commanche. The Burmese would never be able to make sense of that. But, unfortunately, neither would they.

# Olaf suggested that they find a local dialect or strong accent, like a Bronx accent, or Italian. Olaf was from the Deep South, Dave hailed from Seattle and Connie was a hillbilly from the Ozarks, so they didn't have an accent to stand on, apart from good old Uncle Sam.

# At length it was Olaf who offered a solution. 'Bollocks.' He exclaimed, 'Who gives a flying fuck who hears what we got to say anyway? We are here to give 'em a shit load of Dollars so that we can rebuild some of their real estate and use it. If they got problem with that, they ain't human, everybody likes the old greenback.'

# Tea was served, the Americans declined, and Olaf lit up a cigar.

# The neat, sexy young Burmese girl left and a third Burmese negotiator entered the room. He was introduced as Khun Suu Kyi. The six men sat down at the table.

# 'Quels moyens avez-vous cherchez, monsieur?' ('What kind of facilities were you looking for, Monsieur?') the Burmese negotiator one began.

# 'Nous allons être besoin d'un petit aérodrome pour nos transports, ils sont de vol en provenance d'Inde pour aider le peuple du Laos.' ('We will be needing a small airfield for our transports, they are flying from India to help the people of Laos.)' Olaf lied.

# 'Comment voulez-vous dire, en aidant le peuple du Laos?' 'How do you mean, helping the people of Laos?'

# 'Nous volons dans les denrées alimentaires et autres fournitures nécessaires pour les zones qui ont été durement touchés par la sécheresse et autres catastrophes naturelles. Ces gens ont un temps difficile et nous essayons de les aider'

# ('We are flying in food and other needed supplies to areas that have been hard hit by drought and other natural disasters. These people are having a hard time and we are trying to help them') David J. Armistead offered in support of Olaf.

# The guy known only as Ho Flung interjected, 'Vous serez dans un avion militaire, non?'

# ('You will be flying in military aircraft, no?')

# 'Non, non.' Olaf quickly replied, 'Ils seront civile personnel navigant des avions de transport Douglas Skytrain. ('They will be civilian aircrew flying Douglas Skytrain transport planes.')

# Dave explained further, 'Ils ont besoin de seulement un motif d'atterrissage d'urgence avec quelques installations de réparation.' ('They only need an emergency landing ground with some repair facilities.')

# Ho Flung sipped his tea.

# The main man seemed to be warming to the idea.

# 'Quel est l'avantage allons-nous sortir de cette situation?' ('What advantage do we get out of this?')

# Olaf took a drag on his cigar and took a deep breath. 'Nous allons mettre à niveau votre aéroport, donner beaucoup de travail à la population locale et de rapporter beaucoup de dollars à l'économie locale. Il y mai être certains avantages sociaux aussi.' ('We will upgrade your airport, give a lot of work to local people and bring in a lot of Dollars to the local economy. There may be some fringe benefits also.')

# 'Qu'entendez-vous des avantages sociaux?' ('What do you mean Fringe Benefits?') Asked the Burmese Diplomat.

# 'Nous sommes prêts à payer pour tout inconvénient subi le long du chemin. ('We are willing to pay for any inconvenience suffered along the way.') Olaf explained with a twinkle in his eye.

# Olaf leaned back in his chair and looked around at Connie. '200 mille dollars américains, comme un acompte pour l'autorisation de commencer à travailler sur un site approprié' ('200 thousand Dollars US as a down payment for clearance to start work on a suitable site.') Was his reply.

# 'Et Que. pensez-vous que nous pouvons faire avec l'argent, monsieur Avez-vous vu une branche du grand magasin Macy's ici à Mandalay?' ('And what do you think we can do with Dollars, monsieur? Have you seen a branch of Macy's here in Mandalay?') retorted Ho Flung.

# Dave responded 'Il doit y avoir des milliers de choses que votre pays souhaiterait importer de nombreux pays, avec des dollars, vous pouvez le faire à une fraction du coût.' ('There must be thousands of things your country would like to import from many countries, with Dollars you can do that at a fraction of the cost.')

# Olaf turned to Connie and nodded at him.

# 'Et bien sûr, nous ne sommes que trop heureux d'offrir à payer pour cette somptueuse salle de réunion, si vous me le permettez.' ('And of course we are only too pleased to offer to pay for this sumptuous meeting room, if you would permit me.') With that he reached into the brief case he had chained to his wrist. 'Je suis sûr que doit-elle couvrir.' 'I'm sure that should cover it.' With that he placed 12 Gold Krugerands in the middle of the table. All three Americans sat back to watch the reaction, they knew the room was provided by the state.

# 'You are very generous, monsieur.' Khun Suu Kyi said in reasonable English. 'And after the down payment may we presume that a certain rental would be paid for the use of our land?'

# Dave turned to Olaf, it was Olaf's job to work the main negotiator, but now they seemed to have a new main man to deal with.

# Olaf quietly said to Dave 'Ok.' then turned to Khun Suu Kyi and replied 'Upon completion of the work to build the facilities required we are willing to pay 150 thousand Dollars a month for as long as we need it. We expect the building to take about five months.'

# Khun Suu Kyi then said 'And the downpayment? When can we expect it?'

# 'As soon as the paperwork has been signed.' Olaf told him.

# 'Then we shall have it ready in two day's time.' Came the reply. 'Can you have such a large sum of cash so soon?'

# Olaf answered 'As long as we can find a suitable location. Annisaton is too far south for our needs.'

# Khun Suu Kyi asked Ho Flung something in Burmese. He got up and left the room, returning five minutes later with a roll of maps.

# 'These guys are prepared.' Commented Connie.

# Negotiator one spread the maps on the table and the six men scanned the topographical display.

# Khun Suu Kyi pointed to a valley in the north of Burma, just north of Myitkyina. The country was quite narrow here, with China only inches away.

# 'There is an airstrip here in this valley that should suit your requirements.' He said.

# Putao also had an outpost they liked the sound of, Fort Hertz. There was only a rudimentary road in, nothing out, and an almost serviceable runway. The mountains and remote location would make sure the furious activities were not noticed. But Olaf and his cronies already knew all of that. They had flown over Fort Hertz on their way in to Mandalay to view the area they wished to move into.

# 'Ok, Mr Suu Kyi, it looks like we have a deal. Now, where do we go from here?' Olaf said.

# 'We can have the necessary paperwork here the day after tomorrow.' Khun Suu Kyi explained, 'Can you get the downpayment here by then? I see you have a fast aeroplane at your disposal.'

# He didn't know that the money was already in the Sabreliner, under armed guard.

# 'Yes, we can use that to get the money.' Olaf responded, 'Can we view the area around Putao, especially the road in. If we are to bring in heavy construction equipment we will have to make sure it can take it. If necessary we will strengthen it.'

# 'Cela ne devrait pas être un problème, nous nous arrangerons pour vous voler jusqu'à demain là-bas'

# ('That should not be a problem, we will arrange to fly you up there tomorrow.') The first negotiator replied.

# Olaf was surprised to find that there had been an American presence at Fort Hertz during WW II.

# In August 1943 the Levies at Kachin were in a state of disrepair, the British General Stilwell sent a British team to Fort Hertz to rebuild them. Also diverted from training the Chinese infantry divisions to Fort Hertz were eight American officers and 40 sergeants (radiomen, cryptographers and medics). From that remote outpost, they were to expand the partisan war in Burma by advising and supporting the Kachins in conducting guerrilla warfare behind Japanese lines.

# The V-Force advisers had acquired skills in language, medicine, demolition, radio and cryptology to complement their experience as infantrymen. They transmitted their daily intelligence reports and to request air resupply and medical evacuation in coded messages to relay stations. British units operated from Fort Hertz north to Ledo, from Chindwin to Kohima, and in the mountains west of Imphal. American teams worked south to Myitkyina, sending their reports to Ledo and to their forward logistics.base at Tagap-Ga.

# \- o – O – o –

# Chapter 21

# The Star Chamber

# Historic note

# 14th March 1969

# The Kray twins begin life sentences for the killing of Jack 'The Hat' McVitie.

# President Nixon threatens to resume bombing North Vietnam in retaliation for Viet Cong offenses in the South.

# 2 days after Paul McCartney married Linda Eastman, John Lennon and Yoko Ono decide to marry too.

# The TV series 'Star Trek' was nearing the end of its third series with an episode set in Star Date 5943.7 entitled 'All Our Yesterdays'.

# In Vietnam the Viet Cong began firing a French 75mm pack howitzer.

# Elements of the 35th Infantry, 25th Division were ambushed on the East bank of the Ong Muong with heavy casualties.

# Apollo 9 returns to earth after completing 151 earth orbits

# \- o – O – o –

# Eugene Macarthy had invited Lieutenant Colonel Wilson-Jon Butcher, USAF; Gordon Barrie, Army and Danny Barrow US Navy, back to a second planning meeting two days after the first.

# Also at this meeting were the permanent members of the Star Chamber;

# Eugene (Jack) Macarthy III,

# Olaf G South ,

# David J. Armistead,

# Jonny Bretherton,

# Harold J Hall,

# Coniston Fowler

# 'Thank you for returning gentlemen.' Eugene began.

# 'The reason for getting you together again is simply to put the main operational plan to you.'

# A curious silence fell on the room.

# 'Only five people know about this plan, and they are all sitting in this room.'

# He took full advantage of the silence. He knew the other four would not speak yet, and everyone else was eager to know.

# He took a deep breath, the slightly dank air so familiar to anyone who has lived underground filled his nostrils.

# 'I think we all agreed the other day that something has to be done about the situation in Vietnam. And we put together a cohesive plan, but given the present equipment levels it could not be made to work. Another reason for re-convening the meeting is that in the original group were two people in the pay of the Government.' Puzzled looks flashed around the room.

# 'That is to say, they were spies reporting back to outside agencies'.

# Just then Wilson-Jon Butcher noticed that there were no silent suited security men in black sunglasses.

# 'Must have been the blind civilians.' He said quietly (or what passes as quiet to him) to Gordon Barrie. Gordon turned to him and replied,

# 'No, Doctor, the Navy are one short and the Marines haven't turned up at all.'

# 'Holy shit.' Wilson-Jon Butcher exclaimed,

# 'Who the fuck can you trust these days?'

# 'As you will recall, the plan put forward yesterday called for 14 strikes on selected targets.' Eugene stood by the map showing Southern China, North Vietnam, Laos and Northern Burma,

# 'The problem we had yesterday was the delivery system. Instead of dozens of B-52s carpet bombing each area from height, how if we had a single aircraft flying close to the speed of sound, hugging the ground. With the capability to knock out one of these targets on its own?'

# Wilson-Jon Butcher responded quickly, 'We could certainly do with something like that.'

# 'We have such an aircraft. Gentlemen, this is Black Deuce.'

# He uncovered a large model on the table. 'The full title for it is Northrop/General Dynamics/BAC Washington II attack/ strike bombers.' 'Jack' continued.

# 'You say only one of these can knock out one of your targets,' Danny Barrow began,

# 'How?'

# Jonny Bretherton spoke for the first time that afternoon, 'Special armaments.'

# 'Exactly how special, Jack, to enable one aircraft do the job of five B-52s?' Gordon turned to Eugene (Jack) Macarthy, who simply replied, 'One Hundred Kiloton special.'

# Jonny Bretherton then interjected,

# 'You see, gentlemen, the B-52s would have devastated an area 10 miles by six, we reckon with a high burst in the 100 kiloton range the area flattened would be reduced considerably. The damage we want is to their communications systems and radars. They would be taken care of over a very much larger area due to the electromagnetic pulse from a burst over 10,000 feet. Our scientists tell us that the thermal footprint is likely to be less than four miles from that height, with little or no blast damage. There will be no fallout from that type of burst, so it's quick, clean, and we can stand a chance of getting out with no losses on our side.'

# The stunned silence was broken by a question from Danny Barrow,

# 'And exactly how many of these magical aeroplanes do you have, Mr. MacCarthy?'

# 'There were 21 built. One was only a pattern and did not fly for long before being grounded for experimental fittings and the like, two more were pre production prototypes and fitted out for test flying, not combat. So we have at our disposal two of the pre production aircraft and the complete production run of 16 aircraft.'

# David J. Armistead then made a comment, 'That actually leaves us one short. You see, the plan involves 11 aircraft taking on these nine targets. Nine aircraft are bombers, two are REC aircraft. The Recce, Escort and Control aircraft had similar equipment to the bombers, with the exception of the bomb bay. They did not have the nuclear Super Bullpup. In place of this they carried an electronic warfare package internally with a Recce pod on the outside, hanging between the main undercarriage bays. To facilitate this the bomb bay doors were removed. The front portion of the resulting abyss was filled with receiving apparatus for the electronic warfare package. The rear housed cameras for 'before and after' pics.'

# He continued, 'five aircraft will fly out of northern Burma, a strip we have prepared especially for this mission. They will attack these four targets over the Nu Shan Mountains, which will give them plenty of cover. They will have a REC aircraft with them. So will the force that attacks Mengtzu. The only force without REC cover are the chaps who stay legal. They are to stay in North Vietnam. Three bombers will take out Phuc Yen and Kep, as well as the important town of Thai Nguyen. They have no recce backup. We would like to have some recce backup if you could help us here.'

# Danny Barrow thought for a little while.

# 'The RA-5C Vigilante is just coming on line. It is supersonic and based on the bigger carriers. We could send one off on a training sortie in that area at supersonic speed to see what it can see.'

# 'These aerial pictures, I presume they are from before the Conflict.' Gordon Barrie commented, looking closely at the target pictures.

# 'We ain't been able to get any up-to-date Intel about the Chinese since they finished that darned wall.'

# 'I think the oldest one is from last week.' Replied Jonny Bretherton.

# 'How the hell did you manage to get them, ' Wilson-Jon Butcher was almost indignant,

# 'We ain't allowed to overfly China.'

# 'We have another Black Project,' explained Harold J Hall,

# ' The A-12 Oxcart can fly at three times the speed of sound on the fringe of space. They tried to launch missiles at it, but by the time they ran out of gas, we were long gone.'

# The Army, USAF and US Navy representatives were visibly shocked.

# 'All this is, of course strictly Top Secret,' Eugene instructed,

# 'And must never be mentioned outside these walls.'

# 'Timing is crucial.' Continued David J. Armistead,

# 'Typhoon Force of eleven aircraft will leave Tiger Island in time to arrive over Nightingale Island in the middle of The Gulf of Tonkin at exactly 0645 hours. The aircraft will then split into four sections to continue their attacks, which will take place at 0700 hours precisely. Two aircraft from Typhoon Force will leave Tiger Island 11 minutes before the rest to allow them time to get to Liuchow for exactly 0800 hours.' Dave took a sip of water before continuing.

# 'Hurricane Force of five aircraft will leave Fort Hertz at 0600 hours, splitting over the Nu Shan Mountains at 0630 hours.' He sat down and looked across at Eugene.

# 'Are there any questions?' asked the chairman.

# 'This all sounds very certain, a bit of a fait acompli.' Gordon Barrie remarked,

# 'When do you think it will be feasible to look into a go-ahead for this mission?' he asked.

# Eugene sat back in his chair and looked around the room. 'We launch the day after tomorrow.' He said.

# \- - o – O – o –

# Chapter 22

# Leaving Fort Hertz

# Historical note

# Saturday March 15th 1969

# Millions march across America in protest against the Vietnam conflict, this movement was know as the Peace Moratorium.

# Chinese troops are repelled from Zhanbao Island (also know as Demasky Island) with significant losses at the hands of Russian troops.

# According to Chinese historian Chen Shan the USSR considered a full-scale nuclear attack on China at this time. The Soviets even went as far as to probe the US to see what their reaction to this would be.

# In the UK, Swindon Town won the League Cup by beating Arsenal 3 - 1

# U.S. troops go on the offensive inside the Demilitarized Zone for the first time since 1968.

# Letters from Vietnam veteran Ronald Ridenhour result in a U.S. Army investigation into the My Lai massacre.

# \- o – O – o –

# 'How the fuck are we to survive a bang-out with kit like this?' Coniston Fowler, call sign Fireduck, was dressing for flight and combat at Fort Hertz airbase.

# The first targets for his tirade were his boots. American issue jungle boots reach half way up the shin, they were made of heavy-duty leather, and needed extra long socks to prevent rubbing.

# Connie continued - 'If we had only to walk home I would welcome these beetlecrushers, and if you have to hang on to the end of a parachute they would guarantee which end of you hit the earth first. But it is what happens after that hit that worries me.'

# 'Flightsuit ready, Sir' Jimmy B Angle was trying to move Connie along a little faster.

# 'I ain't ready for that yet.' Connie was sitting in his woollen long Johns and T-shirt, doing up his boots. He still had to don his thermal long-sleeved undershirt.

# More talcum powder filled the air.

# Across from Connie was his back-seater. The weapons and systems operative for this mission was Billy-Lee Rigby code-name Painter. Painter was quietly getting ready whilst listening to Connie's comments.

# 'You'd think he hated this job, wouldn't you?' Painter remarked.

# 'I would like to remind you that if we have to bang out, you go first.' Connie responded,

# 'That means that you land first, so I have something soft to land on!'

# They both slipped on their one-piece olive drab flying suits and did up the zips at the bottom of the legs causing the tops of their boots to be hidden. Then the long front zips. Plain green Velcro patches showed where all badges had been removed.

# They crammed maps, charts and target photos into pockets and thighpads.

# 'Where are the waistcoats, Jimmy?' asked Connie.

# 'They are in the outer room.' Came the reply, 'I had to do some unusual mods to the equipment.'

# 'OK, Bill, grab your crash-hat and let's go.' Connie picked up his expensive Lombard hand built helmet with oxygen mask and microphone attached. With a single sweep he scooped up his canvas inner skullcap and made his way out of the personal equipment room to the outer room.

# 'All this stuff has been modified to long-range with 250 miles capability.' Jimmy told the aircrew. ' If you have to use it you must dial it down or you will waken people in Hong Kong!'

# 'They make bespoke shoes in Hong Kong,' quipped Painter, 'Just the thing for old twinkle-toes here.'

# Down at flight ops it was less than a formality due to the fact that most of the paperwork was stamped NTK, Need To Know. This was a unique classification for what was otherwise known as Black Ops. The reasoning ran – 'If you need to ask, then you don't need to know'.

# The aircraft were positioned on the far side of the airfield, well out of sight of the civilian support staff, so the aircrew had to be transported by trucks. By now an additional six aircrew had joined them, whilst another four aircrew travelled in a separate truck.

# This was Fort Hertz, Burma, the same activity was carried out on two other bases, Laos and Korat, Cambodia.

# \- o – O – o –

# Connie and Painter climbed their ladders and entered into their respective cockpit positions.

# Painter called air traffic for clearance to start engines.

# 'Typhoon 01 to Hertz tower. Ready to start engines.'

# 'Hertz tower, Roger Typhoon 01 clear to start, Altimeter one thousand and fifteen, outside air plus seventy five, and the wind is two nine zero at seven knots.'

# 'Typhoon 01, Roger Hertz tower.'

# Painter then advised Connie that they had clearance. 'OK, we have radio clearance for engine start.'

# Connie began reading the checklist 'Engine Air Switch.'

# Painter responded 'Normal'.

# 'Ignition switch'

# 'On,'

# 'Engine Master Switch'

# 'On,'

# 'Fuel Crossfeed EMI.'

# 'Open'

# Connie turned to look outside at the Ground Crew Chief, Mickey Tap, with whom he has communication. 'When the boost is ready,'

# 'Wiggley amps running and flowing.' Came the rejoinder. 'Boost ready now,'

# Again returning to his checklist, Connie called 'Number One engine boost circuit.'

# Painter responded 'Closed'

# 'Number One fluid engine circuit switch'

# 'Closed'

# In a louder, clearer voice Connie called

# 'Clear One', looking around outside in a careful pattern with a discipline born of training.

# Painter looked at the ground crew outside before responding 'Clear One'

# Connie pressed the engine start button and it lit up, this told him the electrical boost start circuit is ok.

# A loud whirring noise is the turbine on the starter booster. This was followed by an ominous rumble, and the noise level in the cockpit rapidly climbed to high levels. Although the engines were about 50 feet behind the cockpits the noise was transmitted quite effectively through the airframe, this was also accompanied by slowly increasing vibration.

# Painter advised Connie that the oil pressure has reached 15lb/sq in, signalling that the engine was ready to be started. 'Oil pressure.' He called into the mike in the oxygen mask that hung from one side of his helmet, by now the noise level made normal voice communications impossible, so both aircrew fastened their masks.

# 'Oil pressure.' Connie responded. He pressed the Engine Ignite Button, 'Ignite One.'

# The ignitor initiated combustion and the engine accelerated, this is shown on both cockpit engine display panels.

# Painter confirmed that he had good readings, 'Still turning.'

# 'Stage three. Fifteen, sixteen, lights out, seventeen. Fuel flow.' Connie called, followed shortly by 'RPM self-sustaining.'

# The engine then cut off the ignitors and electrical boost automatically, at the same time it cancelled the starter button light, Connie and Painter then knew that the engine has started. Only then does the pilot release the starter button.

# 'Hydraulics good, fuel flow.' Connie called to confirm that things were OK.

# No 2 engine was then started in exactly the same way.

# 'Two engines running, all lights out' Connie called, 'Ignition switch'

# 'On,'

# 'Engine Master Switch'

# 'On,'

# 'How's your rpm?'

# '8,000 and 8,000.'

# Connie looked down to Mickey Tap. 'Auxiliary Air intakes.'

# Mickey Tap looked back to two groundcrew members who were watching the air intakes. They both gave the thumbs up sign as they checked the small air intake doors that were located just behind the main air intakes. 'All open.' Mickey Tap reported in the intercom.

# 'Nose bleed check.' Connie asked the Chief to check for leaks in the nosewheel bay.

# 'All OK' he reported as one of the groundcrew emerged from underneath the front of the aircraft.

# 'Bomb bay bleed check' Connie was following the book.

# 'Can't do that.' The Chief reported, 'Recce pack fitted.'

# 'Undercarriage bleed check.' Was Connie's next request.

# The Groundcrew men who had checked the intakes then did a strange thing. They walked back to the undercarriage bay and just waved a hand near the opening. This is to check for high-pressure air leaks from the engines, which ran above the undercarriage bay. If there were a leak and you put your hand in there you could lose fingers at least.

# The ground crew signal all is OK. Mickey reports to Connie, 'All OK.'

# Connie says to Painter 'Cockpit air switches.'

# Painter checks his switches. 'All set.'

# Connie then operated the air brakes and calls to Mickey, 'Air brakes, In. Out. In.'

# The ground crews watch and signal appropriately, Mickey Tapp reports to the pilot. 'Check, Check, Check. All clear.'

# Control surfaces are then checked for full and free movement whilst at least two ground crewmen confirm movements are as required.

# Working his way down his checklist, Connie calls to Painter, 'Hydraulic pressure.'

# Painter checks his gauges, '3,000lbs.'

# The pilot then taps the brakes at his toes, and calls 'Brake accumulator pressure.'

# Painter looked at the gauge with two needles rocking back and forth. 'Check.' He called to Connie who then returned to his pilots' notes checklist.

# 'Bomb door operation.' He knew this was not possible, but has to be called to avoid a gap in the procedures.

# 'Not possible.' Mickey glances under the belly of the aircraft out of habit and training.

# Painter checks the transformer rectifier units that enable the aircraft to convert the AC power from the engines to DC for the equipment on board.

# 'Ladders away, Chief.' Connie was getting ready to close up and move off. 'Closing canopies. Check locks.'

# Painter and Connie both checked that their individual canopies have locked into place and say to each other 'Check'

# 'Are your external checks complete Chief?' Connie asked Mickey Tap.

# The Chief then looked at each one of his groundcrew in turn. They all give the all clear signal.

# 'They are complete.' He reports.

# To finally sign off Connie said to The Chief, 'Clear chocks and equipment. Thank you.'

# Mickey Tap disconnected the communications line and closed the little door on the fuselage underside. Then he waved the chocks away and left the area.

# Connie looked around, he saw groundcrew men hauling short lengths of thick rope away. These were used as chocks to stop the aircraft rolling during start-up procedures.

# 'Typhoon One to Hertz tower, ready to taxi, request clearance for departure.' Painter called the control tower.

# 'Hertz Tower to Typhoon One, clear to taxi. Turn left and taxi to threshold for final checks.'

# 'Roger.' Was Painter's response.

# Nosewheel steering, hydraulic pressure and instruments were to be checked on the way to the runway.

# The engines were opened up to move the aircraft. Once moving the throttles were returned to idle and the nosewheel steering was checked and brakes were applied briefly to make sure everything is good to stop the aircraft if necessary. On the way to the runway threshold the last of the cockpit checks were completed, making for a strange almost monosyllabic exchange between the pilot and back-seater.

# Connie muttered almost to himself as he read the pilot's notes checklist. 'Generator Warning Lights, out. Cockpit lights, off. Nav lights, off. DC voltmeter, 28 volts. Fuel.' A bit louder now for Painter, but he was keeping a close watch anyway. 'HP cocks on, LP cocks on, Contents full, pressure warning lights, all out.'

# Fort Hertz was not a big airport. It doesn't take long to taxi to the runway threshold where they may have to stop to complete their checks. It is not desirable to have a Black Deuce stationary at any point prior to take-off, so these checks must be done before the runway is reached. At the same time the pilot must control the aircraft, watch where he is going, keep the speed down, observe all other traffic, read from the checklist, register what he sees in relation to the list, communicate it to his Weapons System Operative (WSO), and chew gum! Busy time to say the least.

# 'Artificial Horizon erected, button out, Inverter indicator black, Oxygen contents, connected and flowing, mask secure, compass synchronised 124'

# Painter confirmed '124, all checks complete.'

# 'Typhoon One ready for take-off.' Painter calls the control tower, you can see why he does the calls to allow the pilot time to do his checks and drive the aircraft.

# Connie swings the long bomber onto the runway; the wheels have only just stopped moving before he heared,

# 'After take-off contact Hertz approach 125.5 on departure. Clear take-off.' From the tower.

# Connie slowly opened the throttles. This is called walking the throttles because of the way the two levers are moved in a controlled manner. All this time he was holding the aircraft still on the toe operated brakes. The noise and vibrations rose to a crescendo. Then the noise begins to be felt through their bodies, still it kept getting stronger. Then they could feel the noise through their helmets. To them nothing else in the world existed. Vision started to suffer because of the effects of the noise and vibrations. Painter called out the power in percentages as shown on his instruments, the sound of their voices cutting through the din of engines proved that the din is not all noise.

# At 80% the brakes were released and the throttles were moved to full power. The afterburners cut in, the big aircraft started to accelerate. The noise and vibrations lessen somewhat as Burma started to flash past them at an ever-increasing rate.

# Painter began to call out the speed as they hurtle down the runway.

# 'ASI reading 60 knots, 70, 80.' The nosewheel steering was set to fine to prevent Connie overcorrecting during the take-off run. Painter continued '100 knots. 110, 120. Rotate.'

# Connie pulled back gently on the stick. His view of the earth all but disappeared as the long nose lifted majestically in the air. But the main wheels stay on the ground. Painter continues '150 knots. 170' the gently rocking and swaying of the aircraft ceased, the rumble of wheels on concrete stopped and the noisy long bomber climbed into the air with blue and orange flames shooting out of the afterburners. The confirmation that the nose was lifting came through their seats. Their visual requirements were otherwise engaged; Painter was watching the RPM and Jet Pipe Temperature synchronisation for signs of swirl vane malfunction, signified by odd fluctuations in the engine instruments. Connie was watching for any tendency to swerve or pitch, especially now that the aircraft was balanced on two wheels. This is now flying by the seat of your pants, as the nose lifted that is where they felt it.

# 'Typhoon One airborne.' Painter called to Fort Hertz tower.

# 'Retracting undercarriage.' Connie called, he watched the Air Speed Indicator, Artificial Horizon, Turn and Bank Indicator and Vertical Speed Indicator as the speed climbs and the aircraft rocketed skyward.

# Painter watched the engine instruments, fuel flow meters and jet pipe temperatures.

# He changes frequency on his radio and advised Connie. 'Re-tuning to 125.5.'

# 'Check.' Connie replies.

# 'Typhoon One to Hertz Approach.' Painter calls Air Traffic Control. 'Climbing out to 3,000. Turning on to 270 to form up.'

# The tower replied 'Roger Typhoon One, have a good trip. Hertz Tower out.'

# \- o – O – o –

#

# Map showing attack targets and tracks

# \- o – O – o –

# Chapter 23

# Tiger to Nightingale

# Tiger Island is circular, measuring just one mile across, it sits north of Hue, Vietnam. The tankers used this as the northern turning point of a racetrack circuit where they waited for thirsty aircraft in need of fuel. That's where they should be. An eleven ship formation of Northrop/General Dynamics/BAC Washington II attack/ strike bombers were out there looking for them.

# The Black Deuces were carrying three or four missiles each: AGM 45 Shrike anti-radiation missiles and AIM 26 Falcon A missiles. The Falcons were radar guided anti-aircraft missiles with a low yield W-34 atomic warhead. The main weapon was a Martin AGM Super Bullpup with a range of 10 miles; all these missiles were black ops. Instead of the normal 1,000lb high explosive warhead on the Bullpup, these missiles had W-68 thermonuclear tips. As they crossed the coast at Da Nang in search of fuel they climbed to 15,000ft, turning north.

# This was Typhoon force of Black Deuces, it was lead by James 'Straps' England, 'Windsor lead to any Texaco aircraft on station.' Straps radioed.

# The attack formation was Typhoon Force, but the tanker was not cleared to use this call sign, so the call sign Windsor was used.

# They were outbound from their base at Korat, Thailand to take out two MiG bases and a steel works at Thai Nguyen, all close to Hanoi, plus six other highly classified targets. They carried enough fuel to get there and back to this refuelling point, but preferred to take on fuel on the way out so that they had a good reserve if it were needed.

# 'Windsor lead, Texaco 7, three on station and heavy.' came the reply.

# 'Texaco 7, Windsor lead. Where are you?' Straps asked. They do not like hanging about at altitude on the way in. The leader of a formation of three big KC-135 tankers passed on their grid position using the days' coding. He was 50 miles out to sea on his downward leg. Ten minutes later 11 'Black Deuces' dropped in behind him, going in the opposite direction they wanted to be going. At least they were going quite slowly, by Deuce standards.

# 'What the cheese... ' Was the exclamation by M. Sgt Paul V. Toreville who was tasked with manning the flying boom from the back of the tanker.

# 'Hey man, are you sure these birds are real rednecks? They look freaking strange to me, like massive MiG 21s. They got my ticker going a bit when I first saw 'em. What the hell are they?'

# 'Black ops., need to know only.' Was the monosyllabic reply from the cockpit.

# 'Taxman' and. 'Officer' were Typhoon 10 and 11. They needed to get fuel first because they had further to go than the rest of the Typhoon Force and they needed 11 minutes start on everyone else.

# Only one aircraft a time can take on fuel with the flying boom system. Fuel transfer is faster than the probe and drogue method, but it still takes some time to top up three or four Black Deuces. By the time they had finished they had got to the bottom of the KC135's racetrack, and the last set of three aircraft took on fuel whilst travelling north again.

# 'Texaco 7, Windsor lead, thanks, we'll book you in at the Hilton.' From Straps, the black Deuce leader.

# This refers to what is known as the Hanoi Hilton, being shot down over North Vietnam. It is a similar comment to the 'break a leg' remark made by stage people.

# 'Windsor lead, Texaco 7' responded the tanker 'Message from Queen 1, MiGs reported in sector 5H, quad 5729, we are out of here!'

# This meant that the tankers were being recalled due to the threat posed by MiGs. Serious stuff, to take tankers away when on active service with fuel on board.

# Queen 1 was tanker control. They didn't know about the Windsor flight's mission, and only spoke to the tankers.

# 'Texaco 7, Windsor lead, can you give us more info on the threat?' Straps sensed that there might be something amiss he needed to worry about.

# 'Windsor lead, Texaco 7, there are two parties, your pitcher is at 10 grand headed south near Dong.'

# This put a formation of MiGs right in front of Straps's force.

# \- o – O – o –

# Eleven bombers and two REC (Recce, Escort and Command) flew in the main attack wave. All were Washington II 'Black Deuces'.

# Within this force were two Deuces lead by D.F. 'Officer' Tasker with Liuchow as their target. 468 miles from Tiger Island. They would be departing from the main force after tanking over Tiger Island. The rest will be continuing on to Nightingale Island in the middle of The Gulf of Tonkin. Drop tanks had to be carried instead of the AIM-26 Falcon missiles on the bombers. The REC aircraft had extra fuel in a bomb bay tank.

# Hurricane Force consisted of five aircraft, four bombers & one REC aircraft. They fly out of Fort Hertz, Burma.

# Slipper tanks were carried on some of the aircraft, those without tanks could carry an extra two missiles.

# Tempest Force was two aircraft out of N. Laos with Mengtzu as target.

# At first glance, it looked as if these aircraft were dispersed away from their home base. The development process deemed that an independent starting system would not be needed, so the Blackburn/Turbomeca Cumulus auxiliary power unit was discarded. It was thought by many in the Hurricane Force that this might have been a bit presumptuous.

# Main defensive armament on all aircraft consisted of two x Hughes AIM 26A Falcon radar guided missiles. These homed in on radar reflections from the parent aircraft's radar. All well and good until you realise that the parent aircraft must be illuminating the target at all times. Because the radar coming from the parent aircraft is beamed from the front there is no opportunity to turn away from the threat until the missile has reached its target. When this happens there is a 1.5 kiloton atomic detonation. This may do wonders for your tan, but vision is somewhat impaired.

# The missile had a range of up to 10 miles, and was detonated by a radar proximity fuse.

# The proposed plan of action ran something like this: launch about 10 miles out, at 10 seconds (4.8 miles travelled by a missile at Mach two) switch the radar off. If missile carries straight on, turn away fast and cover the mirrors. If the missile goes ballistic you have annoyed it, turn the radar back on and hope that the target is still in the missile's acquisition cone.

# A similar procedure would be followed for launch of the stand-off Super Bullpup missile, but our guys would be using a toss-bomb manoeuvre. Just after release the missile will be going up in something like a 60 degree angle, whilst the launch aircraft will be heading in the opposite direction upside down.

# Secondary defensive armament was the Texas Instruments AGM-45 Shrike. Based on the early versions of the AIM-7C Sparrow (which was so successful that it is still in service 35 years later!). Instead of homing in on the radar reflections from the parent aircraft, the Shrike locked in on enemy radar. This is pretty useful because SAMs need a constant radar lock that is supplied by a ground based radar unit. When the radar is switched off the Shrike loses interest and goes ballistic. Normally this is good enough, because the surface to air missiles, (SAMs) are lost and cannot find a target. Once the Shrike has gone the radars can switch on again. The Shrike missiles carried by Black Deuces have been modified to prevent this from happening. They deploy a parachute and go into a sort of dormant mode, waiting for the radars to come back on. If and when they are switched on again, the game continues.

# The main problem they faced on this mission was the types of radar they would be facing. Russian 'supplied' radars operated on many wavelengths. There were three main types expected. E/F-Band, G-Band and I-Band. Each one needed a missile tuned to this frequency to deal with it. This is where the Recce, Escort and Control (REC) aircraft came into its own. Within the formation was a spread of different missile types, AGM-45A-3B tuned in to E/F-Band radars, AGM-45A-4 tuned in to G-Band radars, and AGM-45A-6 tuned in to I-Band radars. By knowing which aircraft had which missile, and at what frequency the radar was operating, the REC aircraft could nominate which aircraft should tackle each threat.

# The Super Bullpup was a development of the Martin AGM 12 Bullpup as supplied to the US Navy and US Air Force. Which entered USAF service in 1965. It weighed 1,785 pounds and used a Thiokol LR62-RM-2/4 storable liquid-fuel rocket engine developing 147 kN (33000 lb) thrust to achieve a range of 10 miles. The pilot guided the missile by watching the position of tail-mounted tracking flares in relation to his line-of-sight view of the target. Instead of the normal 1,000lb high explosive warhead on the Bullpup, these missiles had a nuclear yield of 100 KT.

# \- o – O – o –

# Chapter 24

# Order of battle

# Typhoon Section from Korat, Thailand

#

# Target/ Radio Callsign Crew

# REC. Typhoon 01. Straps/Bunny

# Thai Nguyen Typhoon 02 Rods & JJ

# Phuc Yen Typhoon 03 Taxi & JB

# Kep, MiG base Typhoon 04 Trucker/Chief

# Nanning Typhoon 05 Robots/Diesel

# Pakhoi Typhoon 06 Mr Mr/Rigger

# Hoihow Typhoon 08 SAM & Chef

# Hoihong Typhoon 09 Tarnish/Proton

# Liucho Typhoon 10 Earl & Smersh

# REC Typhoon 11 Officer/Custodian

# Hurricane Section from Fort Hertz, Burma

# REC Hurricane 01 Fireduck/Painter

# Anshun Hurricane 02 Drake/Slippery

# South of Tali Hurricane 03 Skate &Balls

# Nanning Hurricane 04 Landlord/ Tex

# Tsung-chwan Hurricane 05 Dibble/Postman

# Tempest Section out of Laos

# REC Tempest 01 Buck/Dragon

# Mengtzu Tempest 02 Liberty/Dutch

# \- o – O – o –

# Chapter 25

# Into Action

# In the flight ops room at Korat Air Base the aircrew were all but ready to depart when an animated discussion broke out concerning the flight times. It had been decided that by leaving the tankers at the same time, the main attack group of Typhoon Force will hit their targets at the same time. But JB, who will be flying in Typhoon 03, pointed out that they had a much shorter run in to their target, Phuc Yen.

# 'We could stooge around downtown Nam-Dinh and pick up some juicy mamas.' JB was not even trying to be helpful. 'How long does it take a 'Deuce to travel 30 miles in full attack mode? Cause that's how long it will take us, while you guys have got to barrel all the way up here, over hostile territory. Or it will be if we wake em up with our little baby.'

# 'We must stick to delivery times, JB.' Ian Taxi Southwood, JB's pilot butted in.

# He took out a length of para cord and measured the distance between the Red River Delta and Kep, Truckers' target on the table map.

# Then he laid the cord along the coast in the opposite direction.

# 'If we drop down to Thanh Hoa here' he explained, 'Then turn north, we will be travelling as far as you guys.'

# James 'Straps' England then entered the Pre-Flight Ops room. 'Rods and JJ, you have been scrubbed.' He announced. 'No safe exit route.'

# 'Does that mean we don't go?' asked Rods.

# 'You will be the only reserve in the whole force.' Explained Straps. 'and we will need you to be on station, armed up and ready to fill in at a moments notice.'

# 'Right, Gentlemen,' Straps addressed the whole group. 'Exit Tactics. You have all been given your targets, but not the Exit Tactics.'

# He took a breath and paused, but not for theatrical effect.

# 'There are going to be some pretty bright flashes at 7 o'clock. You have all been issued with eye patches. These are to be worn during the attack. Pilots Taxi, Robots, Mr Mr, Tarnish, and SAM, Wizzo, Chief. You cover the left eye, the rest of you cover the right eye. In the event of exposure to a flash only the pilot is to expose the remaining good eye. That way we figure you can still get back even if you are exposed to two bursts. This is very unlikely, mainly because you will have the aircraft's butt towards the blasts.'

# Next he turned to the map on the wall behind him.

# 'Exit Bearings. We don't want any fuck-ups on departure. I know we have been through all this many times before, but just to be sure we are all pissing in the same bucket I will now go through the attack phase with you for the final time.'

# A murmur of excitement circulated around the room. A rustle of papers as aircrew checked their maps and information.

# Straps continued, 'Taxi, Phuc Yen, Trucker, Kep. Four of us will fly out on 294 degrees, split at the coast. Rods and I will curve to the south with Taxi.

# Robots and Mr Mr will fly on a course of 322 for 110 miles. When they hit the coast Mr Mr will turn on to 088 to attack Pakhoi.

# Earl and Officer have a long drag of 151 miles after they cross the coast to attack Liuchow.

# SAM and Tarnish will go on 076 for 114 miles. When they cross the coast they split to attack Haikang and Haikou

# Sigma is tasked to attack Aisien and will have to go it alone.

# 'You will all be releasing your bombs in a toss. Approach at 700 knots indicated. At 15 miles downrange open the taps to full afterburner and climb at 60 degrees. When the speed reaches Mach 1.5 release the bomb, pull back over the top, roll from the inverted and dive away on your designated bearing.'

# 'We don't want anyone to be exposed to someone else's flash, so this part of the plan tells you which direction will give you best chance of moving away from the detonations. Here are your Exit Bearings.

# Typhoon 03, 154 degrees

# Typhoon 04, 136 degrees

# Typhoon 05, 194 degrees

# Typhoon 06, 223 degrees

# Typhoon 07, 209 degrees

# Typhoon 08, 270 degrees

# Typhoon 09, 235 degrees

# Typhoon 10, 096 degrees

# Upon leaving the target area you are to get to a tanker rendezvous as quickly as possible, Earl and Officer, you have an alternative return route. You can overfly Hong Kong's Kai Tak airport where you will meet your tanker over The South China Sea. The mileage is about the same as meeting the tanker over the Gulf of Tonkin, but if we stir up too much trouble on this part of the coast it may be safer for you to get out that way.'

-o-O-o-

# Three Black Deuces dropped away from each of the tankers as Tiger Island slipped away to the south.

# 'Set course 358' Straps called as they dropped to low level. They aimed to stay on this course for 122 miles. At 600 knots indicated air speed that will take them 12.2 minutes. Then a slight turn to the right on to 021 for another 63 miles should put them all over Nightingale Island in the middle of the Gulf of Tonkin. About 20 minutes will have elapsed since dropping off the tankers at Tiger Island.

# Then the Typhoon Force will strike out.

# Rods, Taxi & Trucker were flying Typhoon 02, 03 and 04. They were slated to attack the MiG bases at Phuc Yen, south of Hanoi. Kep, near the Chinese border and the Thai Nguyen steel works with Straps as REC.

# The four aircraft, will split off and head for Hanoi, beyond that, Thai Nguyen, which lies 158 miles on a course of 128 degrees with Straps working as REC.

# 100 miles out Taxi & Trucker will split off to their individual targets, which are Phuc Yen, and Kep MiG bases. By cunning planning and expert navigation all three will attack their targets at exactly the same time, 0700, – as will everyone else in Typhoon Force, Tempest Force and Hurricane forces.

# Fourteen targets spread across 800 miles to be hit at exactly the same time. This meant that Earl and Officer slated to attack Liuchow left the refuelling rendezvous 11 minutes before everyone else, because their target was so far north

# As Typhoons 01, 02 and 03, Rods, Taxi & Trucker split off to head for their targets another two Black Deuces continued in a northerly direction.

# Robots and Mr Mr flew Typhoons 05 and 06.

# Robots and Mr Mr took a course of 201 degrees for 135 miles before splitting to attack their targets, Nanning and Pakhoi.

# SAM and Tarnish flew Typhoons 08 and 09.

# At the same time SAM and Tarnish turned sharp right for 107 miles before parting to attack Hoihow and Hoihong simultaneously.

# This meant Sigma had to turn even sharper right, almost doubling back on a track of 140 degrees to attack a target between Yulin and Aihsien on the southern coast of Hainan Island. This target was to the south of the track they had already travelled; this is why they were last to tank (refuel). By the time Sigma dropped off the tankers the rest of the group had left. Sigma could take a short cut by not going all the way up to Nightingale Island to still arrive on target on time.

# Typhoon 01, piloted by Straps had the hardest task. Apart from co-ordinating the whole attack, they had to sweep the area for hostiles, this means missiles and fighters. And then, after the attack, photograph the results. They would have help in this, the US Navy will deploy two RA-5C Vigilante photo- recce aircraft to the Hanoi region to snap Thai Nguyen, Kep and Phuc Yen as a 'training mission'

# Hurricane Force was to attack from Fort Hertz in Burma. Similar preparations were being carried out at the same time.

# The new buildings smelt strongly of fresh paint. The workmen from around Fort Hertz had done a good job in a very short time, to speed things along, it helped to have walls and other large parts made off site at a specially built prefab construction plant.

# The crews and equipment were fully operational and ready for action.

# Two hours before take-off, plans for the op were almost finalised, only confirmation from the individual crews was needed.

# 'Skates' Leadley was slated as Hurricane 03. As he entered the flight ops room with his Weapons System Operator (WSO) there were already four aircrew studying their planned routes as depicted on large maps on the map table.

# 'I don't see that it make much difference to us.' Dibble observed 'But you guys who are supposed to be going south seem a long way off beam.'

# 'What the distance and what's the difference?' asked Skate.

# Skate's Navigator and WSO was Carter L. Liam, official code name Balls. He explained that they would be over China about twice as long as necessary and getting to the end of their fuel by the time they get to their target. He explained further, 'And we were supposed to be nearest the targets.'

# 'Don't get me wrong.' Skate said to the assembled green-clad airmen, 'I like young Connie, but if he insists we fly this route he can....'

# Just then Connie Fowler and his WSO, Billy-Lee, entered the room.

# 'He can go and communicate with his superiors. I think was what you were about to say.' He quipped, then told them, 'I have just come off the line with the boss. He says it's ok to alter flight plans, but not attack times or rendezvous times with tankers.'

# 'That's great.' Exclaimed Balls, 'if we just clip this lake we will have a good nav point just before the split.

# Skate added 'Without tanks we will have to pull out every trick to eek out the fuel.'

# They were all flying without tanks to maximise the number of missiles they could carry in order to give the tankers some protection whilst over China. But the trade-off was shorter range, so detours were not popular.

# Connie could see the advantages of this, so agreed, 'OK, I'll stick with the north element, Dibble and Drake, you can keep the tanker company till we get there.'

# \- o – O – o –

# Chapter 26

# Hurricane Force

# Two hours before take-off at Fort Hertz, plans for the op were almost finalised, only confirmation from the individual crews was needed.

# 'Skates' Leadley was slated as Hurricane 03. As he entered the flight ops room with his Weapons System Operator (WSO) there were already four aircrew studying their planned routes as depicted on large maps on the map table.

# 'I don't see that it make much difference to us.' Dibble observed 'But you guys who are supposed to be going south seem a long way off beam.'

# 'What the distance and what's the difference?' asked Skate.

# Skate's Navigator and WSO was Carter L. Liam, official code name Balls. He explained that they would be over China about twice as long as necessary and getting to the end of their fuel by the time they get to their target. He explained further, 'And we were supposed to be nearest the targets.'

# 'Don't get me wrong.' Skate said to the assembled green-clad airmen, 'I like young Connie, but if he insists we fly this route he can....'

# Just then Connie Fowler and his WSO, Billy-Lee, entered the room.

# 'He can go and communicate with his superiors. I think was what you were about to say.' He quipped, then told them, 'I have just come off the line with the boss. He says it's ok to alter flight plans, but not attack times or rendezvous times with tankers.'

# 'That's great.' Exclaimed Balls, 'if we just clip this lake we will have a good nav point just before the split.

# Skate added 'Without tanks we will have to pull out every trick to eek out the fuel.'

# They were all flying without tanks to maximise the number of missiles they could carry in order to give the tankers some protection whilst over China. But the trade-off was shorter range, so detours were not popular.

# Connie could see the advantages of this, so agreed, 'OK, I'll stick with the north element, Dibble and Drake, you can keep the tanker company till we get there.'

# Connie and Painter were leading a force of three Black Deuces on an easterly course over the Me-Kong; soon they were passing over the Yun Lin Shan Mountains. Well, to put it more accurately, through them. They were crossing a wide valley at Mach 0.9, 600 knots. People on the ground couldn't hear them coming. There was just a sudden, very loud jet roar that was almost compressed into a bang. It was so sudden it was difficult even to work out where they went, and as the jet noise was bouncing off mountains around, it was deceptive to try to work out in which direction they were travelling in to give advanced warning. But to whom would they give any warning? And how, these valleys were not exactly downtown Shanghai. Even the larger villages had no telephones. Then there was the problem of who to report this intrusion to. By the time the third person in the chain (if one even existed) had picked up the phone, the mission would be over.

# As Hurricane Force approached the next range of mountains they prepared themselves for the rougher terrain.

# 'Ride switches on two.' Connie called to advise the force that he had reduced the hardness of the ride given by the automatic terrain following radar to the second setting.

# 'Ride on two.' Came the reply from the other two aircraft.

# All three Black Deuces rose to climb the next mountain. As they crested the top they all turned upside down and flipped hard down the other side, rolling right side up as they went down into the valley. The next mountain was bypassed to give them more cover as they went around the peak on their sides, the crew being pushed into their seats by the tremendous force of 5Gs (five times the force of gravity). It must have looked like some kind of display routine, but for the men in the cockpits it was much harder work. The sweat trickled down the insides of their helmets, the oxygen masks pulled down on their noses, and all movement was laboured.

# After some 300 miles they came across the only railway in the region. At 600 knots flying low they nearly didn't see it.

# 'Ain't that some kind 'o railroad?' Hank 'Postman' Bristow called from Hurricane 05 as they flashed past a small rusty track snaking through the hills.

# 'Sure looked that way.' Replied Painter in the back seat of Hurricane 1

# '10 minutes to split.' He called to the formation.

# As they dropped off the last mountain ridge they split up. By now they were pointing in a south-eastern direction when Drake in Hurricane 2 and Dibble in five broke off to the right, whilst Connie moved further north to take up station to prepare for his recce run.

# At exactly 0656 four Black Deuces of Hurricane Force launched their Super Bullpup missiles. When the missiles had committed to the targets the parent aircraft turned over the top of their looping manoeuvres, entered a shallow dive and opened the taps. The missiles were primed to explode at 10,000 ft. Hurricane 04, flown by Landlord, with Tex in the back seat had a dud.

# The other three performed exactly as promised in the brochure. The fireballs lasted less than two seconds. The heat and blast destroyed everything in a three-mile radius, but it was the electromagnetic pulse they were expecting to do the most military damage. It didn't disappoint. Every television within an eighteen-mile radius was knocked out. There were only seven near Anshun and three near Tali, and they were all in the hands of the military. Radios were blown apart over an even greater radius, probably due to longer antennae. Radars suffered a similar fate; one was even knocked out just to the north of Kutsing because it was facing the direction of one of the bursts.

# At a few seconds past 7am the fleeing Black Deuces turned on to prearranged courses to leave the area.

# 'Hurricane 4 Squib.' Clint called over the radio from the back seat of Hurricane 4 'Area may still be hot.'

# 'Hurricane 2 and 5,' Painter wanted to know that other radios were still working 'did you get that?'

# They would be flying near the Kunming area soon.

# '2 copy.'

# '5 copy.'

# '3 sound off' Painter now needed to know that Wayne and Carter were still in communication.

# '3 copy.'

# '2 and 5, I suggest you take the southern route to avoid Kunming.' Painter advised the two aircraft that had furthest to go.

# '5 copy.'

# '2 copy. See you on the flip side.'

# 'Hurricane Force,' Connie called, 'Got any guns at 12 o'clock?'

# When SAMs (surface to air missiles), big radar guided guns or air to air radar looks at you a Radar Warning Panel in the cockpit (usually top right of instrument panel) lights up with a ring system and a fiery pointer, with a buzzing sound in your ears.

# Distant searching radar gave off one intermittent green ring on the display.

# The next stage shows a firm green ring and louder buzzing.

# When radar locks on to you a second ring lights up and the buzzing becomes very loud.

# When a missile is launched or other such threat, a third ring lights up and the buzzing is almost deafening.

# '4's got guns at 4 o'clock.' Landlord in Hurricane 4 reported.

# '3 same guns at 1 o'clock.' These radar-guided guns seem to be in the vicinity of Kunming, where Drake in Hurricane 4 was headed.

# 'Hurricane 2, I have distant SAMs at 10 o'clock.' This was the machine heading from Anshun.

# '5 same.' Hurricane 5 confirms he has the same contacts. 'I got a two ringer on me, I am going down to the weeds.' With that Dibble turned his aircraft over and dived for the valley floor. As they entered the cloud layer Hank Bristow, the back seater, or WSO, spotted what he thought were small aircraft 6 miles out on their 9 o'clock.

# Connie again called to his force 'Any MiGs?'

# 'Hurricane 2 here,' Drake who is now at 10,000 feet responded, 'No fighter radars showing.'

# 'Postman, we got possible bogies at 9 o'clock.' Came the warning from Hank Bristow.

# The unexpected MiGs kept disappearing in the murk and cloud underneath Al (Drake) Hind, Hurricane 02.

# 'Hurricane Two's got a weak SAM at 2 o'clock' Hank added.

# 'We got a valid launch at 7 o'clock, that's a valid launch.' Dibble called from Hurricane 05.

# '4 taking evasive...' Was all Al managed to say before 4 MiG 17s guided by their ground controllers shot out of the murky clouds and set upon him.

# 'Where the fuck did they...?' he began to ask. Just then all the MiGs turned tail and headed back into the clouds.

# 'We got another...' was all he managed to get out before another aircraft came straight at them from in front at supersonic speed.

# Connie and Painter passed them going like the clappers in the opposite direction, towards the offending MiGs.

# 'Well, that was interesting.' Hank commented.

# Then he saw a small pencil of a shadow grow on the white cloud layer below them, then a giant white finger emerged out of the clouds and begin to close on their position. 'SAM at 5 o'clock, coming our way.' He just managed to say before his head was nearly jerked off his shoulders as Dibble flicked the Black Deuce on to its back and lit the afterburners at the same time. As the speed reached Mach 1 he heaved on the stick to give them both a seven-G turn. As the SAM, a Russian SA 2 Guideline missile, tried to keep with them it broke apart.

# Painter now reported 'I got multiple guns at one o'clock,' big radar directed guns were now pointing at them.

# 'Goody, fucking goody.' Connie commented as he climbed back to 10,000 ft to bleed off speed. this was not a good height for the guns to be effective.

# Painter had some more news for him. 'We got a launch light.' This was not good news. Another SAM had launched at them. The best way to evade this guided missile threat was to dive. Missiles like targets to be as high as possible. There is nowhere to hide at altitude. A simple missile can, and will, lose radar lock as soon as it gets low down in thick air at full speed.

# So Connie flicked the Black Deuce on to its back and pulled back on the stick.

# As Painter looked up to watch the cloud layer below them move around he saw tiny specks appear out of the top of the cloud.

# 'We got MiGs on top of the cloud.' He reported to Connie, 'and that cloud layer is sitting on top of the foothills.'

# This meant that diving through the cloud was not an option, the only thing left to do was to try to outrun the MiGs. This would be easy to do, but it would take them into the area where the guns were waiting for them. They could outclimb the MiGs, but the SAMs were covering that option too.

# The MiGs were 12 miles in front of them. The SAMs about 20 miles to the left, the direction they wanted to go in. The SAM's Fan Song radar was pulsing in the E/F Band. Painter's equipment was rigged for this.

# 'Time for action.' He said to Connie.

# Swinging the nose of the Black Deuce towards the swarming MiGs Painter armed the AIM 26A Falcon missile on his port side. The missile got a good lock on and he fired it. The big white missile slid off the wing pylon and accelerated towards the charging pack.

# 'Falcon in the air, bearing 140, Angels 10.' Painter warned other aircraft.

# Any aircraft in the vicinity is to turn on to a reciprocal bearing. If below 10,000 feet, they were to turn inverted to prevent flash from the missile entering the cockpit.

# Connie spent 30 seconds allowing the missile to get a bearing on the targets, then turned away. 75 seconds later the proximity fuse in the AIM-26 fired and an atomic fireball blew the MiGs out of the sky.

# Painter had by now armed and prepared the AGM-45 Shrike. The missile immediately picked up on the SAM radar, so Painter let it go. The Shrike simply homed in on the radar that guided the SAM, the closer it got, the more accurate it became. The end was inevitable.

# With all the threats neutralised two of the three Black Dueces formed up and set a course due south to meet up with Hurricane 03 with Skate at the helm, and Hurricane 04 flown by Landlord. Connie set course for the Gulf of Tonkin.

# -o-O-o-

# Chapter 27

# Loaded for Bear.

# Robots felt an increase in the intensity of the natural motion of the aircraft as they crossed the coast at a place where the North Vietnamese and Chinese borderline meet the sea. The land gives off a more uneven feel to the air when you are travelling close to it at high speed.

# He felt the rhythms of the gentle bouncing and swaying in the cockpit, sitting far in front of the centres of lift and gravity, the gentle movement seemed to have a familiar cadence. As the sky darkened and appeared to come down to meet them, he saw a bolt of lightning in the distance. Then a name came to him that gave away the connection to the strange tempo.

# 'Thunderclap Newman.' He said. 'Something in the air.'

# They had just left Mr Mr who had turned hard right to go dead east to Pakhoi.

# In the developing city of Nanning, Guangxi there was a trade convention. Delegates from all over the Communist world, and outside, attended. This is very good for Nanning, contracts with China's more industrious neighbours would mean more work for the city and its people. Even the Japanese were represented, but it was the Soviet Union that offered the most promise. Nanning was in a better position to benefit from Soviet input, the kinds of industry coming from the USSR suited the situation and people of Nanning closer than things on offer from Japan or Finland, agricultural rather than electronic.

# One party within the Russian delegation had heard that there were bears in the woods around the lake out towards the south of Nanning.

# The Yunging People's Commission, the organisation responsible for the event, insisted that there were none, but the Russians were adamant that they wanted to go to look for them and hunt bear.

# After three days of negotiating the Chinese hosts yielded to the constant requests. They didn't want the Russians to harm any wildlife they found, so they were issued with guns that were at best inaccurate. For two days the Soviet delegates searched in vain for the elusive bears. By the end of the week their lack of success was frustrating them. Soon it began to look as if the mood within the party might impact upon the awarding, or not, of contracts.

# Ye Zenghui was a second level negotiator in the host group. She pointed out to the group leader, Liu Mei, that there was a Chinese circus in the vicinity, and they had animals. She saw on their posters that a performing bear was on the bill. In view of the irritated demeanour of the Russian guests it was thought worth the endeavour to go and see if they could negotiate the loan of a bear to satisfy the Russians' needs. If they could get a bear and its handler into the woods near the Russians, they would at least be pleased that they had seen one. They would never be able to do any harm because the guns they had were even less use than they had been when first given to them. Half of them were loaded with blanks, some had no firing pins, none of them had accurate sights, and the industrialists using them were not militarily trained.

# Ye and Liu went to see the circus organiser, Xhen Kezuzi . An enterprising man, Xhen was unusual in a communist country.

# They shook hands and bowed in respect for each other.

# Liu Mei began 'We are here representing The Yunging People's Commission, who are holding a Trade Mission in Nanning and have some Russians who are under the impression that there are bears in the woods around here.'

# 'There are no bears around here.' Commented Xhen.

# 'We know,' said Liu 'but they are bent on seeing one, and we fear that if they don't they may feel we have let them down, and this could damage our relations with the Soviet Union with an impact on future contracts.'

# 'Then I suggest that you bring them here to the Circus and they can see our bear.' offered Xhen, 'We will even let them in for free if it helps your trade mission.'

# 'We thank you for your kindness, but that is not quite the issue we are faced with here.' Liu replied, he massaged his chin in thought.

# 'It is the height of honour for a Russian to hunt for bear in the woods, and that is what they want to do.' Liu continued. 'We have seen to it that they can not do any harm with the guns we have supplied for them to use. Would it be possible to hire your bear for a day?'

# Xhen was rocked back by this proposal.

# 'You want me to let my bear go roaming round the woods for Russians to shoot at him?' he protested.

# 'What if he gets hurt? I am running a circus, not a vetenary clinic.'

# Ye Zenghui offered support to Liu, 'We can assure you that he will not come to any harm.' She said.

# Xhen then replied 'How can you say that. Anyone can trip over a branch in the woods. If someone is shooting also, he may well panic and run. He is only used to circus life now, the woods are full of dangers.'

# Xhen Kezuzi shook his head. 'I cannot let him be exposed to such peril.' He said. 'How could we nurse him back to health? We are a travelling circus. We have no facilities to deal with such an event.'

# Liu tried to find a solution.

# 'Can we transfer responsibility for his welfare to us until he is returned in good health?' he offered. 'We are so confident that things will work out ok.'

# Xhen put forward this proposal; 'The only way I can think of to bring this about is for you to buy the animal from us. Then if he is still ok afterwards we shall buy him back, for slightly less, of course.'

# 'That sounds like a workable answer.' Liu finally saw light at the end of the tunnel. 'Can you let us have a keeper, also?'

# The circus man smiled 'You won't need a keeper' he added, 'The first thing you do before a big animal can be trained to perform is to get him acquiescent. Cho is as tame and obedient as a pet dog. He lives on fruit and fish, if you offer him this he will do anything you ask of him, he is very intelligent.'

# 'Will he run away?' asked Ye.

# 'It is not very likely. He likes people. If he chases after you, it is because he likes you.' Xhen explained as they walked to his caravan.

# The next day began early for the Russian hunting team, they were up and out at 6 am. For about 45 minutes they stalked and stumbled, but saw nothing except a farm boy on his way to work on his bicycle. Five minutes later they saw him running back the way he had come in great panic.

# 'A bear, a bear.' He cried.

# The Russians could not believe their luck – a real live bear in the woods at last.

# With their hearts in their mouths they approached the path the boy had travelled on.

# When they saw the bear they could not fire, or do anything. They stood frozen to the spot. Mouths dropped open in disbelief, they had never seen a bear on a bicycle before.

# Cho fell off the bicycle. It collapsed under his great weight. The Russians scattered in abject fear of their lives. Cho started to walk home.

# Then there was a very loud bang. They looked up, but could not see anything through the tree canopy. Even if they could have seen through the trees they would have seen nothing, the clouds were overcast down to about 50 feet.

# Robots and Diesel were at 200 feet hurtling along at 600 knots when they hit the afterburners and started to accelerate upwards. As they reached Mach 1.1 Diesel initiated the revolving bomb door action. The door opened slowly, revealing the sleek Super Bullpup turning around its own centreline. The stubby pylon holding it in place came to life, preparing the missile for launch. Power was switched to the rocket, self-test equipment did its work, and fuel was brought up to pressures at different stages. Electro-mechanical systems were prepared. At 8,000 feet Diesel committed the rocket to launch. The system went to fully automatic, and 2.7 seconds later the missile was ejected into the airstream by means of a short arm which did two things. Firstly it made sure that the rocket was clear of the aircraft before lighting its engine, and at the same time it ensured that it was still pointing in the right direction. Then as the rocket motor is ignited, the missile left the supporting arm and continued in the climb to 10,000 feet as the Black Deuce peels away.

# At 12,000 feet altitude the bombs detonator exploded sending the initiator into the sub-atomic core. This is the heart of the atom bomb. When at rest, the Plutonium is arranged in such a way as to be parts that are not big enough to set off a nuclear reaction. When they are forced together by the initiator they become a nuclear reaction and start a chain reaction. The trick is to keep them from repelling each other as nature intends. This takes a phenomenal amount of power. In this case the power is not held for long enough and a squib explosion occurs.

# There is still a big explosion, but no chain reaction. All the parts of the weapon are atomised and very, very hot. They travel up into the stratosphere and are dispersed in a cloud. No-one sees this cloud due to the overcast. The blast wave reaches the ground, but by then it is only sound.

# \- o – O – o –

# Chapter 28

# Tiger and Squib

# Rods, Taxi & Trucker headed for the Red River Delta, just to the southeast of Hanoi, 65 miles due West of Nightingale Island. As they crossed the coast at the Delta of the Red River, Trucker turned off and flew to the north to his individual target, which is the MiG base at Kep. Rods stayed with Straps and Taxi.

# When these three crossed the river whilst flying on 275 degrees Taxi turned sharp right to begin his attack run.

# As Taxi turned to the right, Straps and Rods continued in a westerly direction. They were flying at 100 feet, doing 600 knots. At 0655 they turned slightly left. When they saw the flash of Taxis' bomb they were more than 30 miles away, and shielded by a lot of moisture and cloud in the air. They then banked and climbed to the right, engaging full afterburner.

# Then the radio burst into life.

# 'Typhoon 03, Tiger. Tiger.'

# 'Typhoon 04, Tiger. Tiger.'

# 'Typhoon 05, Squib. Squib.'

# 'Typhoon 06, Tiger. Tiger.'

# 'Typhoon 07, Tiger. Tiger.'

# 'Typhoon 08, Tiger. Tiger.'

# 'Typhoon 09, Tiger. Tiger.'

# 'Typhoon 10, Tiger. Tiger.'

# This told Straps that all had been successful except Typhoon 05. The pre-arranged codeword for a full atomic chain reaction was 'Tiger', if anyone had a missile that failed in some way they had to report a squib. This meant that in all probability the bomb had failed to initiate a full chain reaction.

# 'Typhoon 02, 01. Robots has a dud. Can you fill in?' Straps called to Rods

# Connier Fowler looked at his charts, he was Typhoon 02. 'Typhoon 01, 02, looks like a hell of a long way.'

# Straps offered some help. ' 02, I will accompany you as far as Funan.'

# '01, roger that. We will have little or no reserve by the time we get to the tanker.' And with that the two of them climbed to 15,000 feet to begin the journey.

# Their course took them over Phuc Yen, then Kep. Straps photographed the areas that had been bombed. There seemed to be no damage, but there were no signs of activity at these MiG bases either. All of their radios and radars had been fried by the electromagnetic pulse. At Kep he saw two MiGs on the runway. If they did take off they would have no communications and no radar, even the missiles they carried would not work because the electrics had been fused.

# It takes courage and training to streak along close to the ground in the nap of the Earth at close to the speed of sound. That is what Earl and Officer were doing as they crossed the Yu Kiang. They climbed out of the river valley with flecks of cloud around them. This suddenly changed to a complete greyout, then heavy rain and the clouds turned black. It was so dark the instrument lighting came on.

# 'Typhoon 11.' Officer called. 'Throttling back to 500 knots, ride to one.'

# Earl replied 'Roger that.'

# In an invisible world with hands and feet off the controls they hurtled along a quarter of a mile apart carrying nuclear weapons.

# \- o – O – o –

# Chapter 29

# Chasing Donkeys

# Yung Lei was hoping the rain would hold off as he trotted after his donkeys, but it was unlikely, it rains a lot here in the Kwangsi Chuang Autonomous Region of China

# He had been out all night chasing them on slippery and muddy trails between Tseung and Liuchow. There were three of them that had gone walkabout the previous day, and Lei could not afford to lose three valuable animals. 23 years ago he had moved south from the Silk Road, there were fewer animals here and the work was not as demanding. But he knew if he lost three donkeys there would be trouble, there would be no excuses. If donkeys outsmarted you, you have little you can use in your defence. His rudimentary sandals slid about on the rounded smooth rocks in the cold stream he was crossing. He didn't stop or pause when he came across it; the only way to catch these miscreant animals was to keep running. This was no sprint, Lei was 63 and had been doing this kind of thing for over 40 years now. He knew he had only to keep up a pace slightly faster than a donkey walking, and eventually he would come across them mooching around some greenery. The only catch is that it could take a long time to catch up to them, China is immense, the animals feed as they go, Lei couldn't. Late yesterday evening, when he found they had strayed he didn't know how long they had been gone, there was no time to go home for a packed lunch, flask of coffee and peck on the cheek from his wife. He had to get moving straight away. He knew which way they had wandered, there were very few options as to navigation in this hilly terrain, so it was simply a matter of plodding off after them and keeping going until he caught up with them.

# As Lei kept up the remorseless pace, the rhythm of cantering reverberated through his body. Even his loose fitting rough cotton jacket moved in time to the rhythm of his stride.

# He didn't notice the small Panda family trying to hide in the bamboo as he splashed into another pool that threatened to be a lake. Neither did he notice the small black plane that silently passed over to his right.

# The crashing noise that followed knocked his pointed hat off and caused him to overbalance and measure his length at the side of the trail. A small bamboo bush stopped him from rolling down a slope.

# As the little old Chinaman caught his breath he sat and looked at the fast jet as it thundered away. Then it turned as the rear seemed to light up. The sound reached Lei as the aircraft grew smaller and smaller until he couldn't see it any more in the thin white misty clouds. He shook his head in disbelief and started to get to his feet. He retrieved his hat from the puddle and put it back on his head. He said to himself,

# 'Donkeys.'

# There was no emotion in the comment. Lei was an inscrutable man.

# Jung Lei looked for his donkeys as Earl started his run into his target.

# Looking up, Lei caught a glimpse of the mysterious aircraft once more, quite silent again, and shrouded in a strange mist that seemed to pulsate and disappear. It was travelling even faster than before, going back the way it had come. As he watched this strange apparition the water dripped down his back from his wet hat, this time he knew what to do. He covered his ears and dropped to his knees. Then the noise of the jet hit him again. The shock waves were even greater and more sudden this time, the aircraft was now travelling at supersonic speed, and shock waves reverberated around the valley. The noise seemed to envelop him and pounded his frame, when it died down he turned around and looked up. There he saw a large mushroom cloud hanging high in the air without touching the ground.

# His hat was dry, but he didn't notice it. Luckily he had no exposed flesh facing the flash.

# Jung Lei shook his head and continued after his donkeys.

# Earl and Smersh had done their job.

# \- o – O – o –

# Chapter 30

# The First Gun Kill

# Straps and Rods skimmed low over the rivers around Kep.

# The two Black Deuces carried on into China at their most economical throttle settings.

# Bunny was the Weapons Systems Operator in Typhoon 01.

# He let out a yell, 'TURN, TURN.' This was not a normal yell. This one was vivid mustard yellow with black stripes.

# Straps and Rods threw their aircraft into a hard turn to the right.

# 'The bastards have followed up over the border.' Bunny said with some surprise.

# Two MiG 17s had come up behind them and were planning to make a guns pass. '02, break left.' Straps gave a brief instruction to Rods.

# Rods reversed his turn and started to turn hard left. Straps straightened up, lit the afterburners and rocketed upwards.

# The MiGs knew they couldn't follow that, so they gave chase to Rods who had by now passed right in front of them.

# Rods walked the throttles up a little to prevent the old MiGs from getting too close.

# Straps closed his throttles and banked over to the left. Far below him he could see the two MiGs going balls out to try to catch the elusive Black Deuce.

# He carefully positioned his aircraft directly over the Vietnamese fighters, then streaked down behind them.

# His Vulcan rotary cannon whirred like a revving engine. The nearest MiG disintegrated; his mate saw this and flipped over with such speed that Straps lost sight of him. As the two Black Deuces returned to their low level economical cruise speed of 540 knots they felt very pleased with themselves in successfully seeing off the first real threat to their mission.

# But these MiGs were not alone. A group of six MiG 19s, (actually Shenyang J-6) NATO code name 'Farmers' were climbing rapidly. These were twin-engined fighters, brand new from Chinese factories and capable of speeds in the Mach 1.3 region.

# Bunny and JJ were the WSOs in the back seats of the two Black Deuces.

# Neither of them picked up radar transmissions from the MiG 19s. There were none. These Soviet fighters tend not to have radar. Their ground controllers had been guiding them into what they thought was a good attacking position. It might have been for subsonic aircraft with external bomb loads.

# The Americans were flying in a two-mile spread. This enables each aircraft to cover the rear of the other.

# When Bunny saw the glint of a shiny new MiG 19 he alerted the formation that they had more company.

# 'Bandits in our six.' Was all he needed to say.

# 'Roger that.' Came back Straps 'Let's see if we can throw them off. Throttle to full military, can anyone see if they are Frescoes?'

# MiG 17, NATO code name Fresco was an old subsonic fighter.

# Bunny replied,

# 'These are in natural metal, they paint their Frescoes, don't they?'

# A slight bank to the right as the afterburners ignited, and the speed built up surprisingly quickly.

# They were going very fast now. So fast that the MiG 19`s were dropping behind at full throttle, even with afterburners engaged. Then the Chinese entered a slight dive from 7,000 feet towards the Black Deuces, who were at low level. This gave the MiGs a big advantage. Speed increased to Mach 1.4 and they began gaining on the Americans.

# Then Straps decided on a change of tactics.

# '02, Let's take it up to 5 grand.' He called to Rods and JJ in Typhoon 02

# With a phenomenal amount of power pouring out of the rear of the Black Deuces the aircraft began their climb with a gradual movement on the stick. This climb had to be monitored continuously to minimise any loss of speed

# The Black Deuce will fly on automatic in most areas of flight. This was no exception, but most unusual to ask an aircraft to get you out of a tough spot, and just let it get on with it. As they climbed up to 3,000 feet the air became quite white and opaque. Rods closed a little to keep Straps in sight. At 5,000 feet they were keeping the MiGs at bay, whilst still climbing.

# 'What are they doing now?' asked Straps, who was too busy flying the aircraft to keep looking round.

# JJ came back from Typhoon 02,

# 'Falling back, I thing we've lost them now.'

# They throttled back to 600 knots to continue at a more economical speed.

# Flying in loose formation, they kept a wary eye out for possible hostile aircraft.

# JJ in Typhoon 02 saw two blips on his threat radar display.

# 'Bogies 10 o'clock high.' He reported.

# Straps in Typhoon 01 responded, 'They must be Chinese.'

# Bunny in behind Straps remarked 'Naw, you must have some kinda crystal ball to know that, I thought they were from the Confederate Air Force.'

# Rods was astounded. 'They are really moving.' He said, 'Closing speed about Mach 3.'

# They were facing two Yak 28 'Firebar' supersonic fighters armed with the biggest air to air missile in the world. These aircraft were the very latest from the Yakovlev design bureau. Armed with the gigantic K-8M (NATO code name Anab). These two defence fighters might have been flying out of China, but they were piloted and operated by the VVS from Russia.

# 'Bollocks, you're pissed' responded Straps, then 'Break left.'

# The big Yaks followed the manoeuvre.

# 'They are still with us.' Reported JJ

# 'Shit.'

# Straps was flying Reconnaissance, Escort and Command, so it was his responsibility to see off any unwanted attentions and keep the bomber safe.

# 'What range are they, Bunny?' he asked his WSO.'

# '20 miles and closing.' He responded. 'They must be doing about Mach 1.2 plus, height 20,000.'

# 'I'm going up to have a look.' Straps announced.

# He lit the afterburners and climbed from their altitude of 15,000 feet.

# At 25,000 feet Bunny came on the intercom. 'Christ, boss. One of them has broken away and is accelerating upwards!'

# 'OK Bunny,' Straps was running out of options. ' I don't give a flying fuck what they are we are going to have to waste them. Give em the Falcon.' He rolled the aircraft on to its back and pulled the nose into line with the target that was climbing towards them. Now inverted, with positive G provided by a slight arc, he asked Bunny for their range.

# '12 miles' came the reply.

# 'Let her go.' Straps ordered Bunny to fire the missile.

# 'Bastard.' This was not a recognised codeword.

# 'Missile fail.' Bunny used recognisable jargon this time. The missile had failed to lock, and would not activate.

# 'Typhoon 2, Rods, we got a hang-up here, you got a good Flacon we could use, I'll give you one back later.'

# Rods in Typhoon 02 responded,

# 'Roger that, Straps, do you want me at 20?'

# 'I wouldn't leave it longer than 15, this mother is really moving in.'

# Straps asked Rods to launch his missile at 15,000 feet, it would take too long to get to 20,000.

# Rods and JJ zoomed up to 15,000 feet. The enemy aircraft were just below their nose by now. To enable the Falcon to get a good lock, Rods turned the aircraft almost on to its back and pulled gently on the stick.

# They were now upside down, maintaining the slight arc to keep some positive G to the aircraft and occupants. When JJ pushed the fire button and the big missile dropped away from the pylon it actually fell upwards and accelerated away under the power of its rocket motor. 'Typhoon 02, Falcon in the air, 050 degrees, angels 15.' This warned all aircraft in the vicinity that a Flacon missile was in the air and told them what direction it was flying. They would then turn tail.

# 'Good lock.' This was not a farewell message to an old friend, JJ was telling his pilot Rods that the missile had a good lock on to the target.

# 'That will do for us' came back Rods.

# Now he would make use of the fact that they were still inverted, going slightly downhill. He hauled on the stick and the big aircraft turned the right way up and faced away from the enemy at the same time.

# 'Mirrors.' Called Rods

# All four aircrew in the two Black Deuces bent forwards to avoid reflections from their cockpit rear view mirrors.

# Then the Flacon missile exploded. It was equipped with a proximity fuse that deduced when it was nearest to its target. Then it initiated a sub-atomic critical mass explosion that drove the two sub-critical masses together and held them there against their natural and powerful repulsion. The time they need to be held together is only micro seconds, if they manage to break away before the full time they result in a big explosion, this is caused by all the atoms in the fissile material successfully repelling themselves and expanding as nature intended. What Rods and JJ intended was for the mass, which by now has become critical, to stay in close contact for long enough for a chain reaction to take place. The Hydrogen atoms getting involved and ramping the whole mess up several notches higher, then creating a much bigger bang, an atomic explosion in fact.

# They never saw the aircraft they smashed to smithereens; they didn't see his comrade, either. Neither did he again. He was about eight miles away from the blast that destroyed his colleague, and slightly below it.

# This meant that when the hydrogen atoms got in on the act and created the desired chain reaction the massive flash penetrated the canopy of the Yak 28P and completely blinded both crew members permanently.

# Rods called 'Typhoon 02, Bingo fuel.'

# By now he was crossing the Siyang River only 40 miles from Nanning, his target. But to take the attack would use too much fuel and he would not make it to the tanker in the Gulf of Tonking.

# Straps was in a slightly better position, being further south, and had slipper tanks on with more fuel, as well as extra fuel in his bomb bay.

# 'Roger that 02, can you launch at 35 miles?' Straps responded.

# 'Negative.' Replied JJ, who had been doing the calculations. 'The climb would use up too much juice. We would have to bail over China, and the missile would be 35 miles off target. It would look indiscriminate and would be too far away to do the job.'

# 'Roger that. Exfil.'

# 'It must be raining down there.' thought Straps, 'So this clag must go down to the deck,' as they began the terrain-following phase of the flight.

# Rods was out to the right and slightly behind Straps as they began the roller-coaster ride that is automatic terrain-following. The aircraft bucked and swooped as the radar swept the ground in front of them, altering the flight to avoid the unseen peaks, but at the same time keeping them as close to the valleys as safely as possible.

# Soon the mountain range got really lumpy. JJ was feeling the effect of being bounced around in the back seat of a long aircraft with very limited outside view, the end result was that he got sick in the back of the aircraft.

# 'We gotta get out of this dragon's teeth area, it's killing JJ.' Rods called to Straps.

# The mountains below were sharp and jagged, from low down they looked like Dragon's teeth. The two Black Deuces were below the cloud layer for most of the time now.

# 'Find a valley and see if it leads you to the sea.' Straps told Rods.

# 'Roger that.' Came the reply.

# 'I have to check on Conni.' Said Straps. This was his way of telling Rods that he had to go to photograph Pakhoi, the target hit by Conni.

# Rods called back 'Roger that, see you on the tanker.'

# Pretty soon, but only just soon enough for JJ, Rods found a valley going more or less south. To prevent leaving the weaving valley floor, he switched off the terrain following radar

# Dragon's teeth mountains are very irregular in nature. They seem to pop up in the most haphazard manner. As Rods steered his bomber through his valley at 200 feet he had to swerve quite violently sometimes to avoid them. Every now and then one would appear as if emerging directly from the valley floor flashing by them at 600 knots. Some of these mountains were only a few hundreds of feet high, others disappeared into the clouds, but they were all hard rock, and as such to be avoided at all costs.

# Another flashed past the top of the canopy as he flipped the aircraft on to its side to turn hard and fly around it as a few spots of rain began to fall. Rods knew this meant lower clouds, any of which could be stuffed full of nasty hard Dragon's teeth. Just then a big narrow lake appeared slightly to the right. It seemed to run towards the south-west, so he made for it knowing that he could keep below the clouds by flying very low indeed over the water. He nudged the aircraft down to about 100 feet above the calm water. As the Black Deuce thundered along moisture was squeezed out of the surrounding air and turned to steam-like vapour that enveloped the rear of the aircraft and top of the wings. Similarly, small high-speed clouds flowed in the air intakes.

# If any islands come into view, Rods knew that he would see them, even if the clouds came down to 100 feet, and be able take avoiding action.

# No such islands emerged. One looked like it might present itself, but this turned into a small point of land, the head of a small, sharp peninsula jutting out from the shore that opened up in the blink of an eye, and they were heading for foothills that now loomed above them. Rods pulled hard back on the stick, at the same time engaging full afterburner whilst looking for a gap in the range of hills. To his right he saw a slight dip, so he headed for it. In front of the shallow valley was a fishing village made up of small huts and houses. Fishing boats bobbed about in the calm water. Rods and JJ were almost on their side as they streaked into this little anchorage that is probably how they managed to miss the little forest of masts. Trees were now getting uncomfortably close. There was no time to climb. Rods was weaving around the Dragons teeth. Swerving violently from left to right, turning the aircraft on to its side with every turn to tighten the radius. Even with full afterburner on, you cannot maintain speed whilst turning and burning. What eventually happens is there in no more turning, only burning. And that is what happened.

# Slowly the speed bled away, and with it the lift from the wings. With every turn the big machine got slower and slower, despite the use of full military power, inevitably Rods lost the power to throw the aircraft around the hills. The controls were getting sloppier and unresponsive as the speed dropped. At 50 feet above the valley floor a hill of less than 120 feet emerged in front of them. A sharp bank to the left, and pull back on the stick. The nose dropped and the Black Deuce skidded into the side of the hill.

# \- o – O – o –

# Chapter 31

# Russian Action in China

# The Sino-Soviet split of 1962 became deeper and wider until the Cultural Revolution of Chairman Mao in 1965. Things had got so bad that the Soviet Union seriously considered using nuclear weapons against the Chinese. Just before the turn of 1968 there was an element within the Soviet Union who would secretly have liked this whole feud to come to an end. They were not pacifists, far from it. They saw as their real enemy, not brother communists the Chinese, but arch-capitalists in the United States of America with their world-domineering attitudes. As they saw it, mother Russia and the United Soviet Socialists Republic were the people to take over the world and the USA was trying to prevent the latest spread in Vietnam. If they could do anything to challenge this interference it will be a step in the right direction for Communism.

# Alexei Rossinov was working for a secret development arm of VGTRK. The work he was involved with normally kept him in Uzbekistan, but now he was in Moscow to meet members of RKKF branch of the Russian Navy. Alexei's people had developed an advanced Ground / Surface Ship Controlled Interception System (AGSSCIS) which involved using large fast interceptors to protect the fleet by using land bases. The Russians had no aircraft carriers, so using aircraft to protect ships was always a problem.

# The Tupolev Tu-114 'Rossia' taxied to a halt at Moscow airport, an old black limousine pulled up as the long steps were wheeled to the passenger aircraft. Most of the passengers had to walk to the terminal building, but Alexei went straight to the car and sped off. The Birch trees along the 50 miles of road to Moscow were now bare. The tracery of their branches standing out starkly against the gull-grey sky that looked leaden with snow. Alexei's meeting was the following day, so the car dropped him off at his hotel an hour and a half after picking him up. The Berlin Hotel featured a huge stuffed bear in the foyer. This appealed to Alexei, being the mascot of both Russia, and Berlin. He went up to his Spartan cell-like room. There was nothing to do here and he was hungry, so he went into the darkening streets. A flurry of snow was beginning to fall as hundreds of Muscovites made their way home. He thought of buying himself a piroshkis, but the queue was too long, so he decided to eat at the hotel.

# In the morning he dressed quickly. You don't waste time between getting up and moving about getting dressed when the ice on the window is on the inside.

# The black limousine was outside waiting for him when he emerged. The night's snow had settled and was about seven inches deep with small drifts. The car moved at a more circumspect pace now. There were vast lines of people outside the Lenin Mausoleum already, waiting to pay their respects to the embalmed body of Vladimir Lenin.

# In a small office at the rear of the Kremlin sat four naval officers and two politburo officials when Alexei walked in.

# Pleasantries and introductions out of the way, Alexei realised he knew no one assembled around the table. A high-ranking naval officer opened the proceedings,

# 'Comrade Rossinov, we understand that you have been busy on behalf of our glorious motherland and peoples.'

# 'That is correct, Comrade Admiral.' Alexei replied,

# 'We have been conducting tests of our new system in Uzbekistan and Kamchatka. The system consists of very long range radar coupled with the ability to guide our own long range protection interceptors over secure communications channels carried within the radar signals'

# 'Good, good. We need a protection system for our ships. But are you sure it will work against our enemies?'

# 'We are confident that it will, comrade Admiral.' The sheer number of medals and decorations the Admiral was wearing impressed Alexei. He had seen pictures of American high-ranking officers with lots of medals, but they were amateurs compared with the way the Soviet Union gave out medals, the whole of one side of his tunic was completely covered, and there were more on the other side, like over-spill.

# The projects manager from VGTRK continued,

# 'The problem we now have is getting it tested in realistic wartime conditions.'

# Puzzled looks came on the faces around the room. Before anyone could ask an awkward question Alexei continued,

# 'We have an audacious plan to see how our equipment works against a real shooting enemy. So far we have only been testing against ships and aircraft who knew what was going on. We knew when they would be within our scopes and where they would be. Likewise, they were also in on the act, so to speak.'

# The medal-festooned Admiral spoke up,

# 'It would be a waste of time trying to use the Chinese. We know what they have got, we gave it to them and it is rubbish! We hear they are now making their own copies of our rubbish!'

# Puzzled looks turned to laughter, then back to puzzlement just as quickly.

# The Admiral continued,

# 'If we overfly the Finns there would be little or no point, Germany is not an option at all, far too dangerous. We could try it over the United Kingdom, there are plenty of ships and defences there, but it would mean showing our hand.'

# Alexei thought, 'It's now or never.'

# 'With deepest respect, comrade Admiral, fellow comrades.'

# He addressed the whole meeting, taking his whole future in his hands, if the next two minutes fail he is likely to be in Siberia for the rest of a very short life.

# 'When I said it is an audacious plan, I meant it. This level of audacity will give us a chance to deliver a bloody nose to our real enemy, the capitalist United States.'

# For the first time the other people round the table spoke. Only quietly and among themselves, but there was definite interest.

# 'Have you forgotten, comrades, the Americans have forces and ships in the Gulf of Tonkin?'

# 'It is four years now since the Cultural Revolution in China. Would it be possible to mount an experiment in China to test our equipment, and annoy two of our adversaries at once?'

# \- o – O – o –

# Chapter 32

# The Long Drag

# Screaming along at 700 knots, 100 feet above the green rounded hills between Laipin and Luichow, Typhoon 10 and 11 were approaching their target.

# 'Typhoon 11 to 10, ride on one.' Officer called to Earl.

# 'Roger that.'

# Switching from ride level two to level one meant that they could build up even more speed in preparation for their climb and deployment of weapon.

# Occasionally a flat valley would open up between the hills. These were divided up into small plots, here and there was a meandering stream. The two Black Deuces flashed past silently, by the time the sound hit the ground they were pulling up to avoid the next range of hills.

# 'Typhoon 11, 30 seconds...MARK!' Earl let Officer and Custodian in Typhoon 10 know that he will be moving into the deployment phase.

# 'Typhoon 11. NOW!'

# Officer was flying to the right of Earl. When he got the call 'NOW', he turned the Black Deuce on to its right side and began a tight 90 degree turn. At the same time Earl hauled back on the stick to point his aircraft straight up. Smerch in the back seat of Typhoon 11 was pushed right back and down into his seat. The rear canopy had lines painted on it for this very event. Pointing straight up the pilot had very little to refer to, the Artificial Horizon gets confused, the Compass is meaningless. The pilot has to balance the big bomber on its tail, in this task he is aided by Smerch and the lines painted on his canopy. As they reach a perfect perpendicular angle the lines will align with the horizon outside, by now it will also be visible through the top of the canopy.

Ap showing route taken by Typhoon 11

# 'Five forward.' Smerch calls to Officer, telling him to move the nose five degrees forward (what used to be down).

# Smerch switched the missile in the bomb bay from internal support to autonomous. He checked the readings were ok.

# 'Initiating Launch.' he called.

# Speed bled off to 500 knots at about 4,500 feet.

# 'Bomb door open.'

# The rotating bomb bay door opened in 2.6 seconds. The Super Bullpup was ejected into the airstream as its rocket engine ignited.

# 'Missile away.'

# With that Earl pulled back on the stick again, turning them upside down. As the ground came into view he reduced the throttle to 30% and rolled the aircraft and kept the dive to 60 degrees.

# Officer and Earl were now preparing to fly due south, looking for Typhoon 10 and to leave the way they had come, when they got a call from Straps in Typhoon 01.

# 'Typhoon 10 and 11 from Typhoon 01. Robots has had a dud, the area may still be hot. Suggest you exfil to pirate country.'

# This was pre-arranged code saying that they should head for Hong Kong, and refuel from a reserve tanker over the South China Sea.

# Officer had to do some quick navigational calculations.

# 'I make it 75 miles, course 150 down low,' He said over the intercom to his WSO, Custodian in the back seat, 'Then 150 at 113. We can then decide if we need the diversion or not.'

# 'About 30 minutes' flying time.' Custodian responded. 'I suggest we go to cruising altitude once we cross the Yu Kiang, then drop down for a high speed exit on 180. We will be low on fuel by then, Hong Kong is always an option in an emergency.'

# 'Roger that.' Came back Officer.

# Then 'Typhoon 11 from 10. Exfil will be 150 to grid 2311, then 113. You ok for gas?'

# 'Slipper tanks empty, internal about 60%.' Replied Earl 'Should be plenty if we don't start dancing around.'

# The two aircraft were still at 200 feet in terrain following mode as they streaked away from Luichow. Travelling at 10 miles a minute, it only took them three minutes to pass over the Hungshui Kiang, a small lake to their left told them they were on the right track. The aircraft dived into a shallow valley with clouds above them. Another three minutes and they crossed the Hungshui Kiang again. This meant a drop from 2,000 feet down to 200 feet, and then a climb up to the same height as before in very rapid succession.

# Then Officer did an unexpected thing.

# 'Typhoon 10 to Typhoon 11, Ride on 3.' He called over the radio. This meant that the aircraft would now follow the contours of the earth very much closer than before, giving the crew a rougher ride, but making it almost impossible to shoot them down.

# Earl replied simply 'Copy.' He knew this was serious stuff.

# The Black Deuces bounced about over the gently undulating hills that rose to some 2,000 feet.

# Then another unexpected instruction from Officer,

# 'Typhoon. Guns Armed.' Then a pause followed by,

# 'Typhoon 11 from 10, stay down low, I'm going up to have a look.'

Flight path of Typhoon 11 as theypassed Shanghi airfield

# 'A look at what?' Earl asked his WSO, Smersh. He looked out of the cockpit as the winding, bending Yu Kiang came into view on the horizon. Then he saw what Officer was on about. A single runway at the foot of the hills they were travelling through, slightly to the left. Earl dipped one wing to get a better view. Tupolev Tu 16 Badgers lined up on one side of the runway, there were no hangars or other such major buildings. Then the back-seater in the lead aircraft, Custodian, who was living up to his name, shattered the reverie.

# 'SAM site at 2 o'clock.' He called.

# 'Can you deal with it, Earl?' called Officer

# 'Roger that.' Came the reply. 'And it will be Rogered.' He continued. They didn't need to dive, they were already at a very low level.

# The wing Earl had dropped now came to be very useful because it meant that the aircraft nose was moving in the right direction to intersect the SAM site, just as a huge white finger left the launch pad. Moving at 450 kts the Black Deuce was on to the target in seconds. Earl squeezed the trigger, the Vulcan rotary cannon spit out 1,500 20mm high explosive rounds per minute. The whole site erupted in dust and water as the shells hit the ground. The site was situated on a loop of ground created as the river wound its meandering way between hills and lakes. The water table must only be just below ground level. When the shells hit the earth they blew soil and water into the air in about the same proportions. Weird rainbows fringed explosions before they were clouded in dust or debris. The small concrete shack that housed the radar simply disintegrated, along with the radar dish standing alongside it. That meant that the SAM no longer had any guidance. It corkscrewed briefly then fell back to earth momentarily creating a crater, which quickly became another little lake.

# 'Typhoon 11 from 10, steer 114.'

# '11, roger that.'

# 10 minutes later they saw a dragon-shaped lake below them that shouldn't have been there.

# 'That's interesting. Anyone know about a weird lake on our track?' Earl did not bother to use any radio protocol this time.

# 'The mountain range is there, so we must be too far north.' concluded Officer, 'the wind must be coming from the coast, let's climb to 10,000 as we turn. Follow me.'

# The coast should have been only 30 miles from this, their last waypoint. It is actually 39 miles away.

# 'Typhoon 11 from 10.' Custodian began a call; 'do you have enough gas for another 150 miles?'

# Earl consulted his fuel gauges. 'What's the alternative?' he asked.

# '120 to diversionary field.' Answered Officer, 'not recommended, they are not expecting us.'

# Meaning they may not be welcome at Hong Kong.

# 'We can make the tanker.' Replied Earl, 'how about you?'

# 'We're ok' was the answer.

# 'Give me a bearing and let's boogie on down.'

# 'The bearing is this, keep your eyes peeled, we ain't out of the woods yet.' With that Officer turned his aircraft on to a bearing of 160 without alerting any listening enemy to their intended track.

# Twenty minutes later they met up with two KB-66 tankers from the US Navy over the South China Sea, their mission was over.

# \- o – O – o –

# Chapter 33

# Oboe, Trombone and Saxophone.

# Qang was looking forward to his run on the beach at Cape Pak-Lung with the 'foreign gentlemen'.

# He had tried this stretch of sand before, but this was some kind of momentous occasion, he was honoured to be escorting these foreign technical experts who were helping to advance his countries navy. To this end he had acquired a pair of running shoes. When he tried them across the sands the other day he found that when the sand got in to them it couldn't get out, so he had to keep stopping to empty them. This would not be very dignified in front of his special guests, so he decided to stick to what he knew; his faithful old sandals. But he couldn't help wondering what they would be wearing.

# Comrade Captain Petr Shumulovski and his fellow officers were due on duty in Dong Xing city to the north of Mon Cay at 8 am. They liked to have a short workout before the day's activities got under way, and being based so close to warm water they decided to have a little run along a beach. Moscow had not supplied them with beachwear as part of their military equipment, this is not California. However, the Chinese population is very good at tailoring and there were some good seamstresses in the area. The Russian officers took full advantage of this situation. They had been posted to many bases and development facilities all over The Soviet Union, but never anywhere that you could call warm. Here in southern China they felt that the air was kind and did not try to freeze your throat. If you got cold water on your clothing it didn't send freezing tendrils straight to your marrow to make you shiver from the bone. The water actually dried!

# The magnificent plate-topped hats worn everywhere by Soviet Navy personnel would shade them from the unfamiliar heat of the sun, they had seen Chinese locals with wide-brimmed pyramid shaped reed or straw hats for this purpose. They picked up their new purpose-made, self-designed running gear. These were proud officers of the RKKF branch of the Navy. They were proud to be seen in the colours of their home country, they had been told many times that they were representing their motherland, and were to display pride in that fact. To this end they had had the running gear made up in the colours of mother Russia. The dark blue shorts were easy, the top, not a T shirt as such, constructed more like a short-sleeved vest, was white with red trim and sleeves. Their badges of rank were picked out in gold on the wide epaulettes. A magnificent red star, embroidered with a gold hammer and sickle adorned the front of each shirt.

# At least the sandals didn't look out of place, but the men certainly did!

# The strange looking quartet took a small Chinese Navy boat along the alluvial plain where they saw some magnificent white herons. Petr thought it would give them a chance to see Vietnam from a different viewpoint, and Qang told them he knew the area well.

# As they landed Petr was surprised to see such good sand. To the north they could see China across the bay, the hills half way to Nanning, to the south the flat blue water of the Gulf of Tonkin.

# The sand felt good, the water felt cooling and fresh as they pulled the small boat up the beach, tying it to a tree stump.

# Qang pointed along the beach in an easterly direction,

# 'We go here, yes?' he said to his charges.

# 'Yes, yes' Petr replied. They began slowly trotting along the long curved beach. Soon they all got into their stride and began really enjoying the peace and tranquillity of this beautiful place.

# Out to sea some 3.5 miles, were two Black Deuces flown by Mr Mr and Robots. They were 200 feet off the surface of the smooth sea, doing 600 knots coming straight for the group.

# At that speed no-one can hear you coming. They were travelling at close to the speed of sound, so the noise of the engines will not arrive before they do. The resulting effect is that the two aircraft appeared almost overhead before the people on the ground heard anything.

# As the Officers looked up they saw that the aircraft were almost overhead when Conni peeled off to his right.

# 'Are they yours?' Petr asked Qang.

# 'No, we have no aircraft here' Qang replied.

# 'Is there a telephone near here?'

# 'There will be one at San De, over there.' Qang pointed inland.

# 'This could be important.' Petr said to his comrades as he turned and began running in the direction that Qang had pointed.

# The base at Shangshi lies some 160 miles from the coast. They had two Yakovlev Yak 28P Firebar interceptors on ready alert in case the Americans strayed into Chinese airspace. These big supersonic aircraft were scrambled as soon as Petr notified them of the strange aircraft they had seen from the beach.

# Just over half way to their interception point they saw a bright flash some 65 miles in their 10 o'clock position, they were flying at 20,000 feet, so the flash was below them. The cloud produced prevented the full brightness from blinding them.

# 'That looks hostile to me.' Illya Salenov, pilot of Yak 1 called to Yak 2.

# 'Ground Radar System shows one at 73 miles, 2,500 metres diving for the deck, moving away from us.' replied Valerie Wisachanscov, pilot of Yak 2.

# The Firebar carried a big powerful Oryel-D (Eagle-D / NATO "Skip Spin") long-range fire control radar in the nose radome.

# '(Maximum military afterburner, it is a legitimate target now.) Illya gave the order to give chase.

# The big Firebars accelerated even more as they nosed down slightly to trade height for speed. The R-11AF2-300 engines spooling up to maximum thrust. As they passed Mach 1.5 Illya eased the aircraft back to level flight at 10,000 feet.

# Meanwhile Mr Mr had gone supersonic as he levelled off at 5.000 feet. The Firebars were gaining on the Black Deuce at about 300 knots.

# The Russians saw the coast coming up way below them when Valerie felt severe vibrations shake his aircraft violently.

# 'I have to throttle back.' he called to Illya as various warning lights flashed in the cockpit.

# 'Return to base' came the order from Illya.

# The Yakovlev 28P was dogged by unreliability problems, as were all of the similar aircraft in the Yak family.

# Yak 2 throttled back and turned for home.

# He didn't get far.

# Connie was approaching him from very low level. The Yak radar was not good enough to spot the Black Deuce as it zoomed up to greet the Yak dropping down to 8,000 feet to get into denser air to help the ailing engines.

# A short burst from the Vulcan rotary cannon only managed to get seven hits on the Yak. But seven hits with 20mm explosive shells can wreak havoc with a sick aircraft. Down it went. Valerie and his crewman ejected safely.

# \- o – O – o –

# Chapter 34

# Six-Gun Fowler to the Rescue

# 'We got company.' Rigger in the back seat of the Black Deuce said to the pilot, Mr Mr, 'Two fast jets at 10 grand. They are very fast. Radar looks like it comes from a Skip Spin in the J-band, only Firebars carry that as far as I know.'

# 'Where are they?' asked Mr Mr.

# 'Straight behind us, going balls out from the middle of China. One has disappeared.' Rigger added.

# 'OK, the Skip Spin is crap at low level, so down we go.' Mr Mr dropped one wing and the nose to dive down to 200 feet, at the same time picking up speed to 720 knots.

# The radar picture in the Yak lost a lot of its clarity, but the radar operator in the back seat could still keep track of Mr Mr.

# Connie continued to climb in an attempt to catch the other Firbar and attack from behind.

# As he stalked the Russian Connie noticed that his quarry began moving around in a strange way. Turning left, then right. Diving, then climbing back to height. Connie said to Painter,

# 'I think he's made us. He keeps throwing in these 'Crazy Ivan' manoeuvres.'

# What Connie didn't realise was that Illya and his ground controller were both having difficulty following anyone. They knew there was a hostile aircraft in the area, but they didn't know about Connie. So when their radar picked him up they thought Mr Mr had changed course, or their equipment was going haywire.

# Connie called Mr Mr,

# 'Typhoon 06 from Hurricane 01, Hurricane 01.'

# 'Hurricane 01' was the reply from Mr Mr, not knowing what to expect.

# '06 from 01, I'm with your bogie, suggest you drop down and take a 90.' This means going down low, then turning through 90 degrees.

# '01, roger.'

# Mr Mr then began to lose height. At 100 feet he turned sharp right. This went completely unnoticed by any of the Russians, but the ground controllers realised that they have a steady contact where they did not expect it.

# Connie was climbing at speed under the vulnerable tail of the Yak. The Russian's controllers were not versed in the protocol and communications etiquette. Mainly because they were Chinese in training by the Russians, and they could not speak Russian. Fortunately the English they spoke was recognisable by the Russian, but over the radio, not by westerners.

# 'GCI to Yak One, You no see proble behin belo. You shak off now.'

# 'How fa?' this could mean 'how far?' Or 'how fast?'

# 'Mach one poin seven, six miles.'

# It didn't matter if this bit of information was heard by the enemy, it is presumed that they already know it.

# Illya dropped the nose to gain speed. At Mach 1.8 he turned the Firebar onto its side and pulled the stick hard back, at the same time he put in a little top rudder to help slow the aircraft down a little by regaining height.

# Connie was already climbing. As luck would have it, the Firebar turned into him making it difficult for him to match the manoeuvre.

Yakovlev Yak 25 'Firebar' supersonic fighter.

# Illya was now turning as hard as he could stand to the right. At 7.3G the big Russian interceptor creaked, but Illya didn't hear it. The massive turbojets were at full throttle with afterburners glowing white hot, pushing the aircraft harder round the turn.

# Connie allowed the Black Deuce to pass beyond the path the Firebar had taken, then flipped his long bomber over on to it's back for an inverted loop, this being the most efficient way to reverse direction. By the time he was half way down the loop both aircraft lost contact because they were about 90 degrees apart, moving away from each other.

# 'Have you got a trace on him?' Connie asked Painter.

# 'Out to starboard, going away about four miles.'

# Connie pushed the stick to the left, making the aircraft roll for a quarter of a radius, he was then on his left side. When he looked through the roof of the canopy he saw a glint of polished metal near the horizon.

# 'I see him.' He called to Painter, 'I will put him on the nose for a missile launch.'

# 'What missile is that?' asked Painter, 'You fired them all away 'cause it gave you a kick.'

# 'You pressed the button.'

# 'I had to, you get very stroppy. Now you will have to use your little pop gun.'

# 'Six-gun Fowler to the rescue.' Connie replied, 'gun armed.'

# As the Russian stopped turning to the right he came straight in front of the Black Deuce, some six and a half miles away.

# 'Danger straight behind, still six miles.' The Chinese ground controller called to the Firebar.

# Illya dropped the nose to trade height for speed again. As the speed reached Mach 1.3 he climbed the aircraft quite steeply. When speed had dropped to Mach 0.6 the Russian pilot knew this was the best speed to make manoeuvres, and his adversary would by now be gaining ground.

# That he was. Connie and Painter were moving at almost Mach 2.

# Painter was watching everything on the radar display.

# 'I think he's gonna make a run for it.' He told Connie, who smiled as he opened the throttles to full afterburner.

# They didn't see Illya drop the nose, or pull up. They saw a glint of reflection from the sun as he flipped the gigantic silver fighter almost on to its back, pulled hard on the stick and began turning in a diving circle at about 140 degrees. This meant that he would not be losing speed, and would not be covering the ground, whereas his enemy was travelling at over twice the speed of sound.

# Painter was watching this very closely on the radar display.

# 'Crazy Ivan again.' He called to Connie. 'Diving to right.'

# 'I got him.' Connie was also watching on his display, 'slave gun to radar, we may get a chance here.'

# They could see that Ivan was going down, and they were gaining on him, but they could not see that the Russian was actually moving to come at them head on.

# 'Range closing, FAST.' Called Painter, 'Firing resolution.'

# 'Firing.' With that Connie pressed the fire button for the 20mm rotary cannon. Nothing happened. The gun was slaved to the aircraft systems, especially the radar and flight dynamics. The computer had told the gun that they were going far too fast to hit anything.

# By then the moment had passed. Illya was now beginning to climb at Mach 0.8, Connie was going away from him at Mach 2. The Russian hit right rudder to stop the climb, opened the throttles, levelled the wings and began to slip in behind the Black Deuce from 10,000 feet above, with a full load of missiles and assistance from Ground control.

# Connie and Painter were still doing Mach 2. There was 60 miles between them, Illya was dropping to build up speed, but the Firebar was only cleared for Mach 1.6, or 1.8 in a short dash. There was no way he could hope of catching an aircraft doing Mach 2 with a 60-mile head start, even with the height advantage.

# Painter called from the back seat,

# 'Bingo Fuel skipper.'

# Connie pulled the throttles back.

# 'Give me a heading for the tanker.'

# '217, I suggest we go for economy now, climb to FL 250, maintain best cruise speed of Mach 0.85.'

# 'I would respectfully suggest that, since we are over what is in effect enemy territory we keep it down to FL 150.' Connie replied.

# 'Roger that.'

# Back in the Yak Firebar Illya and Ivan noticed that the radar was overheating, so they switched it off. Illya called ground control,

# 'Running silent.'

# This meant that he realised the Black Deuce had slowed down, and was hoping to sneak up on it.

# He allowed the speed to creep up to Mach 1.7. 60 miles difference, gaining at Mach 0.85, that should take them about 5 minutes to catch their prey.

# Illya levelled off at 10,000 feet and Ivan switched the radar back on.

# In the Black Deuce cockpits there was a warning from the rear warning radar (RWR).

# The Firebar's speed advantage dwindled as the range closed to 20 miles. Their AA3 Anab missiles had a range of 12 miles, but a launch envelope below Mach 1, so if they slowed down enough to launch at 12 miles, by the time they could launch they would be outside the range of the missile.

# The Russians were still at 10,000 feet, this was good for a long chase, and they could keep up their speed reasonably well. Now was the time to move things up a notch. Illya dropped his nose 10 degrees and the speed climbed up again.

# Then the curse that had struck Yak 2 struck Yak 1. Warning lights started coming on, the aircraft began shaking, and Ivan the radar operator lost track of Connie.

# 'We know where he was, so I will continue on the same track to about 10 kilometres before slowing for launch.'

# Illya called to Ivan, over the din of the vibrations.

# Three minutes later he levelled out at 5,000 feet and throttled back.

# 'Any sign of him?' he asked Ivan.

# 'Not Yet.' came the reply, but as the speed slowed, so did the vibrations and the radar display seemed to be improving.

# Then,

# 'Got him!' came the cry from the rear cockpit, '10 degrees off to the left, range 20 kilometres steady.'

# But the vibrations had not gone away, and something was stopping the missiles from getting a good lock on.

# Then the radar lock light came on in the cockpit telling the pilot that the missile had a radar lock on to the Black Deuce just as the vibrations moved up a step.

# 'We will only get this one chance' thought Illya as he pulled the trigger to release the big missile.

# The solid fuel rocket motor of the radar guided air-to-air missile fired, pushing it forward along the underwing mounted launch rail. It is exactly this action that limits the launch speed for the missile, if the parent aircraft is travelling at speeds faster than the speed of sound (661 knots at sea level) the AA-3 would have difficulty overcoming the sheer pressure of air hitting it from the front.

# As the missile left the rail and began accelerating towards Mach 3 the Black Deuce jinked to the left, then the Firebar lost radar lock. The missile relies on radar returns from the parent aircraft to home in on the target.

# Lock was gained again, then lost. Then gained, then lost. As the missile passed quarter of a mile to the right of the Black Deuce its proximity fuse decided that this was as close as it would get, and exploded the warhead.

The Chinese coast was far behind them now, so Connie did not have to worry about the surrounding hills. He had just banked away from the threat when it exploded sending shrapnel at supersonic speed all around. The missile was guided, the shrapnel was not.

# Five jagged steel fragments hit the starboard engine, two hit the port engine, and the fuselage and wings were peppered by forty more pieces. The engine hits caused hot gasses to escape. The other hits caused fuel to leak profusely.

# The end was inevitable. The jet fuel atomised when it hit the air making it as flammable as petrol. Soon the rear of the aircraft was engulfed in a ball of flame. This fire was fed by fuel from the leaks in the wings and fuselage, which encouraged the conflagration to move forwards. When this reached the flaps at the rear of the wings the crew decided enough was enough and they ejected.

# \- o – O – o –

# Before Connie hit the water the two-man emergency life raft attached to his harness splashed down. Upon immersion in salt water the brightly coloured dinghy exploded into life from inside the box that the pilot had been sitting on during the flight. As Painter came down on his parachute, he also had a box dangling below him. This did not explode into life. The sides fell down and a small yellow buoyancy device surrounded the box.

# The men clambered aboard the liferaft. Before deploying the cover they turned their attentions to the floating box attached to Painter. As he drew it in towards them, Connie almost dived over the other side of the raft, with head and shoulders under the water he managed to find what he was looking for, a small tube-shaped device surrounded by smaller tubes. Connie removed these. They were held together by small chains with just enough play to allow them all to be joined together to form a long handle type device. A paddle object was then fastened to one end. Back under the water went Connie. He screwed the handle thing on to the tube, then checked the up and down movement of the paddle. Perfect, this was a reverse osmosis pump. It turned seawater into fresh water. Because it was firmly joined to the bottom edge of the raft the wave movement caused the lever to move up and down constantly, 24 hours a day. Only a small dribble of drinking water was produced in this way, but it kept going, even in the calmest of sea there was enough movement to power the pump.

# The supplies box contained more rations and a little water, survival book, maps, compass, big black knife, basic, really basic fishing gear, etc, and a small orange and black package about half the size of a shoebox. The following instructions were on the label:

# EMERGENCY DETECTION DEVICE

# Do not deploy if enemy aircraft present.

# Deployment with no wind will drain battery in 6 hours.

# Always deploy downwind.

# As he threw out the sea anchor, Painter turned to Connie, who was rigging up the central support for the canopy. 'Do we want the circus out, Connie?' he asked.

# The device was referred to as the circus because it looked like a circus ring when deployed, and had more hidden tricks than a circus magician had.

# 'Let's get the windmill erected first, Painter.' Replied Connie, 'If you could secure the ends to the raft sides whilst I hold it upright.'

# The two men worked like a team in close contact all the time, this was not the first time they had done it. All aircrew had to do a 'practise ditch' at least twice a year. That meant being dropped in the water as if they had been dropped by parachute. And not always in the local heated swimming pool, some of them had been pushed into a lake in mid-winter, from a hovering helicopter. Now the training paid off as they just got on with the job of setting themselves up to survive as if there were no emergency.

# The mast they were erecting was another screw-together pole; this one was as thick as a broom handle and about four feet long. The windmill Connie referred to looked just like that, a plastic windmill attached to a car's dynamo encased in a waterproof bullet. This started spinning straight away, supplying current into a small battery installed in the side of the raft.

# 'I think we had better make sure we were not followed.' Connie said to Painter as he settled down next to Painter's feet.

# They both withdrew small pairs of binoculars and scanned the skies, each looking methodically at a set piece of sky at a time. The smoke trail left by Typhoon 06 made dividing the search areas easy, there was now a dead straight line passing right above them.

# When they ejected the nose of the aircraft lost the weight of two massive canopies, two very heavy ejector seats and two men, laden with equipment. The autopilot tried to keep the nose from rising, but it was too much for it. The stricken aircraft zoomed up and climbed for the clouds. Less than a minute later the aircraft exploded, the left wing fell away, followed by the rest of the wreckage.

# There was not much room in the dinghy. Water lapped around them as they searched for aircraft; there would be time to get rid of the water later.

# 'Turning away.' Painter calmly said as he scanned the area they had just come from. He had spotted a dot in the distance. It was probably the big fighter that had been chasing them and had done the damage.

# 'Nothing over here.' Reported Connie. 'We must be out of range.'

# They stowed their binoculars and started bailing out. The sun was climbing now and getting quite warm. Soon they dried out, at least where the warm air could get and the sun could shine. Painter studied the maps. He worked out from the campaign map where they were when they ejected, then compared results with the chart showing tidal drifts, worked out the effects of the wind and consulted the survival book from the survival pack. The smoke trail had almost dispersed now, so that was no longer much use as a navigational aid.

# 'I know where we were half an hour ago, but in another half an hour I won't have a clue!' he admitted to Connie.

# 'You mean you forgot to bring the moving map?' Connie joked, scanning the sky again through his binoculars.

# 'It wanted to move a different way.' Painter responded as he stuffed the maps in to his thigh pocket, 'I almost had it in my hands when everything suddenly disappeared and I found myself hanging on a parachute. My whole world changed. One minute I was sitting in a nice warm airplane, even thought of getting a barbecue going, the next thing I knew my ass was on fire and I was heading for a career in the Navy.'

# He withdrew his binoculars and began scanning the sky again.

# 'Well, if you carried on the way you did in the Air Force someone was going to get hurt.' Connie said, swinging his binoculars in an arc.

# 'Don't get me on that.' Painter retorted, his gaze reached the horizon, then continued back up, 'Who was it that threw the airplane away?' He looked straight up, then began another sector.

# 'It was broken.' Connie responded, 'Shoddy British goods, one little missile, a Ruski at that, bit of a fire a dog could piss out, and the whole bang shooting match goes to the dogs.'

# 'At least we know the bang seats work.' Painter was now looking at 90 degrees to his sitting position.

# 'It looks as if the bastards have forgotten us.' Connie commented, 'And so soon after we paid them a visit.' The water began lapping around his ankles again.

# 'Just like one of their meals, soon forgotten and you are hungry again.' Painter squinted as he neared the sun in his scan. He moved the binoculars to avoid being blinded, placed one thumb over the orb of the sun to search around it.

# 'They opened a Chinese/German restaurant near me.' Connie said as he tracked upwards again, 'the food was OK, but half an hour later you were hungry for power.'

# Painter's helmet went flying across to hit him in the chest.

# Thirty minutes later they decided they were truly alone.

# 'Time for the circus.' Connie exclaimed.

# 'About time, I was getting bored.' Painter began putting his binoculars away, 'Will I need these to watch?'

# 'You will need more than those if you expect to see horses and clowns.' Connie began opening the orange and black box.

# He removed a yellow plastic package, took one end of a thin wire from it and screwed it into the battery box; the other stayed attached to the pack, which he threw out over the water. The wire played out as the yellow thing flew about eight feet away from the raft. It unravelled in a controlled manner until it covered the sea in a yellow disc 10 feet across with a red line around it.

# Connie watched the battery box as a green light came on.

# 'Transmitting.' He reported to Painter.

# The moving map display in the stricken aircraft used signals from ground stations, called 'Oboe' stations, to work out where it was. When operating over hostile territory, or where there were no Oboe transmitters, specially equipped ships provided the signals. These were called Trombone. When further away from safe sea-lanes an experimental space satellite was used. This was the first use of such a science-fiction device, and was very secret. The satellite was a dual-purpose machine, it was also capable of sending and receiving certain signals. This system was called Saxophone.

# The circus matt Connie had deployed contained a thin copper wire mesh. This served as a flat dish antenna, which was now transmitting a simple beeping signal straight up. In order to keep the whole system as simple and reliable as possible there was no receiver. The Saxophone satellite received this signal and transmitted its position to a surface station, in this case a destroyer in the South China Sea. This information is then further encrypted and forwarded to the rescue units.

# \- o – O – o –

# Chapter 35

# PPP

# Intermountain Aviation was looking for experienced aircrew to fly for them from a small airfield in Hong Kong.

# Whilst in Japan, Keith Cornwell volunteered for flying duties with the company, he called Jimmy and Brian, who are back in the States and looking for some flying work. All three of them get taken on and are instructed to report to Hong Kong. There they found a strange outfit flying rescue missions over Vietnam.

# Downtown Hong Kong is not the first place to look for a rescue unit.

# But all flyers need some down time, and Hong Kong is one of the best places to get some much - needed R&R.

# In the event of an emergency call-out things get a bit sticky here, there is only one aircraft, and only one crew, and they have to be rounded up manually.

# The taxi nearly missed the puddle by the side of the road as it pulled up alongside Brian Kendall and Jimmy Lee Brockbank. Mini-skirted girls clung on to the American airmen. Even though they were in civvies they still looked like military men.

# Vicky was now back home in Osaka, Japan. She and Keith had moved there with the two boys when he had become involved with the conflict in Vietnam whilst still working with the Air Force.

# Now in Hong Kong, and two years out of the Air Force, KC and the others were still involved in military flying.

# The girls melted away as KC called the men from inside the taxi,

# 'Put those gals down and get your fannys in here pronto, we got work to do.' Was the nearest KC got to a rallying call.

# 'What's the panic, boss?' asked Jimmy Lee as they got in to the taxi.

# 'Some guys are down in the drink,' KC replied, 'I'll fill you in with the details when we get back to base.'

# 'Where to, sir?' the taxi driver asked.

# '250 Kam Tin Road, Sek Kong. That's in the Yuan Long District, driver.' KC instructed the driver.

# The taxi sped away from the busy shops and bars of central Hong Kong and picked its way to the north-west. 20 minutes later they arrived at Kam Tin Road, there the taxi pulled up alongside the main gate of a small airfield called Sek Kong, home of the only permanent air force presence on Hong Kong, The Royal Hong Kong Auxiliary Air Force – and a special aircraft. A 20-odd year old B-17, probably a 'G model, but it had been modified so many times, no one could remember what it originally looked like. Now named PPP after three sisters, Pam, Penny and Petula, she sported a strange device sprouting out of the nose in the shape of a yoke, like the letter 'V' with its arms pointing forwards.

# This object was the invention of Robert Edison Fulton Jnr that he presented to the CIA in the early 1950s. It was an evolution from a similar system that was used during World War two by American and British forces.

# When a downed airman released a small balloon, the aircraft would fly into the line, the line was caught between the forks on the nose of the aircraft, and a spring-loaded trigger mechanism then secured the line to the aircraft. As the line streamed under the fuselage, the pickup crew, using a J-hook, caught it. It was then attached to a powered winch and pulled on board.

# After the initial contact, which was described by one individual as similar to 'a kick in the pants,' the person rose vertically at a slow rate to about 100 feet, then began to stream behind the aircraft. Extension of arms and legs prevented spinning, as the individual was winched on board.

# The three men entered what they called their flight ops room. Brian and Jimmy Lee sat down on the old armchairs; Harvey the navigator was already present. KC stood by a high-backed reed chair of similar vintage to the rest of the room. He lit a cigar and checked that no one was near the outside of the door.

# 'It turns out that a combined force of Secret Service people have been busy over there.' He gestured with the cigar towards the north.

# 'Now they have lost an aircraft and the crew are bobbing about in the Gulf of Tonkin. Saxophone has them about here.' He pointed to an area of the Gulf on a map on the wall. 'To the south-west of Kwei-Chow Island.'

# 'How many are there?' asked Jimmy Lee.

# 'Two aircrew, both healthy as far as we know.' KC replied.

# 'What's the range?' Harvey wanted to know.

# 'It's about 350 miles to the rescue area.' Came the reply from KC. 'It means overflying Chinese airspace at the Luichow Peninsula, they suggest keeping it very low there. The ship is fuelled and ready.'

# At 14.47 old PPP lifted off from the 6,250 ft strip and the rescue was on.

# \- o – O – o –

# KC held the grey and white rescue aeroplane down to 2,000 ft as they crossed the coast heading south.

# "We'll keep on this course for the first 75 miles.' He told the crew, 'Then turn on to a course of 270, I intend to skim just past Mandarin Bay below the horizon. If possible we will wait for dark before coming back.'

# 45 minutes later, with Mandarin Bay just visible on the horizon, Brian Kendall was working as flight engineer when he called out to KC, who was flying the plane,

# 'Number three's playing up, Skipper.'

# 'See if you can see anything, Jimmy-Lee.' KC called to Jimmy-Lee Brockbank who was checking the rescue machinery in the back of the plane.

# 'OK, good buddy.' Jimmy-Lee laid down his tools and moved over to the little windows in the side of the fuselage. He took a rag and attempted to clean the Perspex. Not much joy there, the cloth he picked up was dirtier than the window. After rummaging around, searching in various bags and containers hanging from the frames of the structure, he found a bundle of cotton waste; multi-coloured shreds of cloth used for mopping up in general.

# That did the job, with a little help from spit to get the grease moving.

# 'Yeh, I got it.' he said more to himself really because no one else could hear over the noise of the old aircraft in flight. Jimmy-Lee cupped his hands around his eyes to help view the starboard wing from its rear. When he was satisfied he had seen all that needed to be seen he moved his oxygen mask, that was hanging loose from his leather helmet. This contained the microphone to allow him to communicate with the crew. The transmit switch was right on the tip of the mask, he switched this on. It was a spring-loaded switch that returned to the off position as soon as he let go.

# 'OK, we got a smoker here, boy.' Was his report on the condition of the engine.

# 'How bad is it?' asked KC.

# 'It don't look too bad.' Replied Jimmy-Lee, 'we put plenty of oil in it, that's probably what's burning off.'

# Brian then added,

# 'Well, if it runs out, you can go to the Texaco Station for more.'

# KC was by now getting frustrated,

# 'For Christ's sake, will someone tell me what is going on? Do I need to shut the engine down, or not?'

# 'Is it running hot?' asked Jimmy-Lee.

# KC replied, 'No.'

# 'Then there's nothing wrong with it.' Jimmy-Lee replied, and returned to his task of checking on the winch mechanism.

# By now, KC had got the aircraft down to 1,000 feet. In the windscreen in front of him he could see the Luichow Peninsula as a pale grey haze.

# The Chinese land in front of them rose to less than 100 feet above sea level. The rickety old B-17 cruised over this small isthmus trailing a faint grey line of smoke from its starboard inner engine. A mere ten minutes later they left the far coast behind and entered the Gulf of Tonkin.

# 'Course 280, skipper.' Called KC as he recognised Cha-Yung Island in the distance.

# Harvey gave more detail, 'Put that little island slightly to our right and we should be right on track.'

# Ten minutes later KC had climbed the aircraft back up to 2,000 feet to begin their search.

# Down in the little yellow life raft, Connie and Painter were scanning the horizons for any movement at all. If they got the attentions of enemy aircraft they would have to bring in the circus and adopt camouflage. If they saw a friendly aircraft, Very flares would be shot off, and radio communications attempted.

# It was probably a glint of sun off shiny aluminium or Perspex that caused Connie to refocus his binoculars in one part of the sky. A faint smudge was all he could see. He watched this very carefully. If it moved about erratically, or disappeared quickly, it would be a bird. But if the image remained steady it is an aircraft.

# 'Rescue Triple P to Typhoon 06. Rescue Triple P to Typhoon 06.' Called Brian in an effort to establish communications.

# Connie took his emergency radio out one of the pockets in his survival vest and thumbed the transmit button.

# 'Typhoon 06 here, we see you about 6 miles out to the east. Do you see us yet?'

# 'Rescue Triple P, negative visual, do you have the circus out?'

# 'Typhoon 06, affirmative. Do you require smoke?'

# 'Rescue Triple P, not yet, but keep the circus out.'

# KC then came over the intercom, 'Brian, ask them if they can get under way and steer.'

# 'Rescue Triple P, can you make headway?' Brian asked.

# 'What did you have in mind, are you short of fuel?' Painter responded.

# 'Rescue Triple P, no, we will be dropping some equipment down to you. It's in a big box and if it hits you it will ruin your whole day. When we release it, we require you to cut the circus free and make your way to the equipment, it's on a parachute, so it will be easy to find.'

# 'OK.' Connie released the transmit button and turned to Painter, 'What do you think they are up to, I was hoping for a Catalina.'

# Painter peered through his binoculars. 'It's no Catalina, four engines, mid wing, so it's not a C-130 either. It looks like a B-17, it is, it's a B-17 Flying bloody Fortress!'

# 'How the hell do you get rescued at sea by a bomber?' Connie asked no-one in particular.

# KC climbed the B-17 to 3,000 feet when he saw them. Harvey clambered into the nose of the aircraft and looked out through the clear Perspex whilst the Norton bomb sight warmed up. This is a very sophisticated (by Second World War standards) computerised piece of equipment. It was said to be able to hit a pickle barrel from 30,000 feet, so it should be a doddle to get near a raft from 3,000 feet. KC wheeled the aircraft round to approach the raft from upwind and four miles out,

# 'Commencing bomb run, you have control.' He said over the intercom to Harvey.

# 'Roger that.' Harvey replied. He now flew the whole aircraft from his position, lying down in the extreme nose, looking through the bombsight. It was not his intention to actually hit the raft, but he wanted to get it close enough so that they didn't have to paddle far.

# Harvey aimed at the circus. Connie had now cut it loose and it had drifted a little way away from the raft. A smoke generator had been thrown at the same time to give the aircrew information about the wind direction and speed.

# 'Cargo away.' Harvey called as he pressed the release on the bombsight. A bright yellow man-sized canister dropped from the bomb bay, a lanyard attached to the airframe pulled the ripcord on the parachute inside the container, which was only about 10 feet from landing when the 'chute opened. The bottom of the canister had a sort of crown on it; the purpose of this was two-fold. One, to allow it to be stood up on level ground, and two, to prevent the rounded base from penetrating anything it hit, be that soft ground or, as in this case, the thin web of the circus. The fine copper wires that go to make up the big round aerial were split by the impact, but the crown stopped the cylinder punching through.

# Connie and Painter paddled to the cylinder, when they got to it they found a set of over-centre clips around the top casing, these they undid and the whole top two feet came away, taking with it the parachute. Handles on the sides allowed Painter to keep full control of the barrel, whilst Connie took instruction from the circling B-17.

# 'Take the harnesses out and put them on.' Harvey gave instructions over the emergency radio link, 'you will find that you are then attached to a long line. Throw that overboard.'

# He was not making this up as he went along, the whole script had been written and rehearsed so that training could kick in and deliver the most accurate message under any circumstances.

# 'Withdraw the lines from the cylinder together.' Harvey continued at a slower pace now. The men bobbing about in the raft below followed the instructions with complete bewilderment.

# 'At the end you will find two small white canisters like oxygen bottles. These are numbered one and two, like the harnesses. Take charge of your own canister.' A pause now to allow the confusion to disperse.

# 'Select who is to be first, then when instructed the first person is to pull the split pin from the top of the container. This will release a balloon and line. We will catch the line and hoist you up, you are advised to spread arms and legs to prevent spinning, and if you should adopt a position with your back to the wind, and ground, the recovery will proceed and take about five minutes.'

# Connie looked at Painter and shrugged, then they did as requested.

# Painter went first. He pulled the split pin out and let it drop into the water.

# An orange balloon filled with hydrogen and drifted skywards.

# KC allowed the circling B-17 to drift about three miles upwind of the raft before turning in on his run. Conditions were just about perfect; 125 knots ground speed, 250 feet altitude, wings level, heading straight for the wire trailed between the balloon and the raft. The line made contact on the inner portion of the right horn, then slid down to the catching mechanism straight in front of Harvey in the clear nose.

# A spring clip in the centre of the horns clamped on to the line. And Painter was whisked out of the raft and lifted up in a gentle arc.

# When the cable was clamped to the underside of the aircraft, Brian, in the rear fuselage signalled to Harvey to release the cable. The balloon was then sent skywards. Painter was attached to the aircraft now but because of the geometry involved, he experienced less of a shock than during a parachute opening. Before streamlining behind the aircraft he rose upwards to about 100 feet. To prevent spinning Painter extended his arms and legs to stabilise facing backwards. At the same time Jimmy Lee in the tail secured the line, Brian connected it to a powerful winch and Painter was brought aboard. The whole process took just over five minutes.

# Connie watched in awe. As Painter was simply whisked away Connie was almost rocked out of the small raft by the sudden breakout of his fellow aircrew with all of his equipment.

# Some 17 minutes later they were re-united inside 'PPP' as KC turned for home with the sun setting behind them.

# Jimmy Lee was busy working with the rescue equipment in the dark rear if the B-17 when Connie looked at the men who had just plucked him and his crewman out of a hostile sea.

# 'Hey, thanks man.' He waved vaguely in Jimmy Lee's direction. Brian Kendall moved forward to greet this newcomer with his outstretched hand.

# 'Welcome aboard the Triple P.' he said as he unhooked a microphone.

# 'Two on board, skip. No problems.' He reported to the pilot.

# Connie immediately recognised the voice, he thought he knew the face, but it had been 21 years since the old Fireduck crew had been split up. Connie did not know what had happened to his old crew, he thought they would have been dispersed across the United States, at least. To see Brian again, and inside an old B-17 was quite a surprise.

# 'Brian, you old sod. What the hell are you doing here, I thought you didn't like Chinese food?'

# 'I got used to Egg Fu Yung.' Brian replied, 'What the hell are you doing here? I thought you didn't like boats!'

# 'Well, third class sailing is better than first class swimming.'

# 'That voice sounds very familiar.' Came the call from the back of the aircraft,

# 'It can't be old Fireduck himself? Can it?'

# 'That ain't Jimmy Lee, is it?' Connie asked Brian.

# 'Sure is.' Jimmy Lee came striding out of the shadows, bent low in the narrow fuselage, stepping carefully to avoid standing on delicate parts of the airframe.

# Painter had by now removed his helmet and sat down to watch the reunion.

# Brian went to a footlocker by the rear bulkhead, near where the ball turret used to be. He came back with a half full bottle of Martell Brandy.

# 'It's a tradition with this aircraft to welcome any new visitors with a little spot of brandy, but I think this time we should all join in.'

# Cheers all round.

# 'I don't know exactly what is going on back there,' came a voice over the Tannoy system, 'but I would like to remind everyone that we are still in Chinese airspace, and about to cross the Luichow Peninsula. Jimmy Lee, can you check that engine again before it gets too dark?'

# Jimmy Lee unhooked a microphone,

# 'OK, skip.'

# Brian turned to Connie,

# 'I think you will want to meet our skipper.'

# 'OK.' Connie nodded. The voice on the Tannoy was too distorted to recognise.

# Connie knew the way. He never liked walking through a B-17 without a hat, but he felt his helmet would be too cumbersome, given the constant movement of the aircraft, so he went without.

# Through a door in front of where the ball turret used to be, then into a small room with three chairs and two navigators tables in it. Connie could just about stand upright in here. Light came from the Perspex ceiling and two small side windows.

# Another small door lead to what used to be the bomb bay. The narrow walkway was still the same, but someone had thoughtfully fitted a safety net to prevent anyone from falling on to the tops of the bomb doors.

# The last door took Connie through to the cockpit area. Normally, when you enter through this door you have to be very careful not to collide with the mechanism for the top turret, or the guy standing in it, but all that was gone. After that there was sometimes an oblong hole in the floor, this is where a trap-door should be covering, but on operational machines an experienced airman never relies on that, you always look to make sure before stepping between the pilot's and co-pilot's seats. On 'PPP' two more seats had been installed behind them. It was on these seats that Connie found a flight bag with the initials 'KC' on it.

# The pilot had not noticed Connie's arrival; he was busy preparing for the trip across a piece of Chinese real estate. He also had to keep a good lookout for other aircraft. Connie slipped into the co-pilot's seat.

# 'Are you sure you know what you are doing?' he demanded of a very surprised Keith Cornwell.

# Keith looked across briefly at his old friend, then continued scanning the horizon and his instruments.

# Then his head seemed to lock, his eyes took on a thousand-mile stare, and Connie took over the horizon scan.

# 'YOU!' Keith shouted as he looked back at the man in the co-pilot's seat.

# 'Where the hell did you come from?'

# 'Through that door there.'

# 'No, I mean..'

# 'The part just before that is a bit of a mystery to me, but I was doing a bit of fishing in the Gulf of Tonkin, like you do, when some pillock turned up in the most ridiculous airplane you ever saw. Next thing I am drinking brandy with my old crew.'

# 'I never saw fishing gear like that in the Ozarks! We got a lot of catching up to do.' KC replied, slowly regaining his composure, 'You betcha, buddy.'

# \- - o – O – o –

# Saturday March 15th 1969.

# The wheels of the big bomber bounced as they touched down on the wet tarmac of runway 027 at Sek Kong.

# A light grey mist was hurled up behind the broad tyres, water was thrown into the cavernous wells the wheels had left only minutes earlier. The opaque water collected and ran down the underside of the wings, only to be blasted back into a mist by the wind of the propellers. Speed soon subsided and the tail slowly dropped until the tailwheel touched the ground.

# Keith Cornwell taxied round to what they called dispersal, then shut the four engines down.

# By the time he and his co-pilot emerged from under the nose of the B-17, three people had alighted from the rear door. First crewman out was Jimmy Lee Brockbank. He threw the steps out, jumped to the ground and positioned them for the others, he was in a considerable breeze from the propellers as they stopped turning one by one as Keith closed the throttles of the powerful radial engines. Soon there was no sound except for the ticking of hot metal cooling off.

# Next down the steps was Brian Kendall, he turned as his first foot touched the ground. Squinting in the glare of the sun he tried to see inside the dark fuselage to offer guidance and support to the first passenger out. This was Black Deuce pilot Coniston Fowler, code name 'Fireduck'. His weapons system operator, Billy Lee Rigby, known as 'Painter' followed him. This was a unique aircraft because of these two. There were only seven people on board when it took off; there were nine as it landed.

# Keith ducked below the nose and wing as he made his way to the back of the aircraft, past the large undercarriage, brushing his back as he crouched under the flaps. The men he greeted were dressed very differently. Keith and his men were wearing only parts of USAF uniform, and no real flying clothing, the 'bomber jackets' they wore were cloth instead of the more traditional leather – they preferred to fly in the warmer air at low altitudes. Keith had on a colourful Hawaiian shirt, Brian's was a bright pale blue silk. Their trousers were more like what the Americans refer to as fatigues. Shoes on the other hand were not in the least ordinary; hand made in Hong Kong, they were really intended for functions and dancing. The two pilots wore 'scrunch' caps of the USAF; the rest of the crew wore baseball caps of various colours and designs.

# Fireduck and Painter wore olive drab one-piece emersion suits underneath green flying overalls, on top they had survival vests and yellow life jackets, the two men carried their expensive Lombard helmets with visors, Painter's had lost its oxygen mask and microphone.

# 'Welcome to Sek Kong.' Keith said as he shook hands with Fireduck and Painter. 'Good flight?'

# 'Which part?' Fireduck responded, 'The roller-coaster bit was a bloody surprise. I just gotta see what you got on the front of this thing, it all went past me in a flash. What the flying diddley squat have you got here?'

# Keith smiled knowingly, 'It is a bit unusual, I know, but you know that it works, or you wouldn't be standing here now.'

# He led the men to the nose of the aircraft, this time around the sharp edges of the flaps, passing the outer section of the wing without having to duck too much. The outer engine at first shielded their view of the top of the nose, but as they moved further forwards the Black Deuce men could see what had captured them.

# Painter was the first to speak,

# 'What the... Where the... How the... I don't believe this!'

# 'This, gentlemen, is the Fulton Rescue Gear.'

# Offered Keith with a sweep of his hand.

# As they emerge from the shade of the Flying Fortress wing they are presented with the sight of a gigantic boom, looking like an electricity pylon on its side, attached to the nose of the aircraft, it towered above them. On the other side was another one, making a gigantic yoke, spread 700 apart, 36 feet long. This was the device that had snagged the line stretched between a small orange blimp-like balloon and each of the Black Deuce crew as they sat in a dinghy in the middle of the Gulf of Tonkin.

# When Fireduck and Painter had been shot down by a Russian long-range fighter they were out of range of rescue by helicopters, the pair were able to call for rescue because of a series of new inventions. The most important of these being an early communications satellite that picked up the distress signals and forwarded them on to a ship in the South China Sea. This then began the rescue mission.

# Keith and his crew were based at Sek Kong airfield in northwest Hong Kong with their strange aircraft. This was the only aircraft with the range and capability of rescuing the men who were bobbing about in the middle of the Gulf of Tonkin between North Vietnam and China.

# \- - o – O – o –

# As the euphoria of meeting his old friends died down Connie told the guys what he has been doing since the war. It turns out he was not demobed like everyone else, he was recruited by the CIA to fly many types of aircraft on missions of various levels of secrecy. Trained as a diplomatic negotiator, Connie was also learning to read, write and speak in Cantonese.

# Working out of many bases around the Far East, Connie mainly flies from Luzon in the Philippines and Kai Tak in Hong Kong. Then he was called away without being told why; just report to Langley as soon as possible. A B-47 Stratojet was cleared into Kai Tak airport to take him back stateside. A round of diplomatic talks has been hurriedly conducted and the diplomats now need urgent rendition to talks in Istanbul.

# Very secret talks then take place between American, Chinese and Russian diplomats and politicians in Istanbul.

# The Russians want to use full blown strategic nuclear weapons against the Chinese. Agents in Manchuria report that the old nationalist guard is ready to rise up against the dictatorial communist regime, so the Chinese government are being threatened from both sides, and inside.

# A massive land battle raged in Mancuria. Connie was tasked with flying a RB-57B Canberra from Okinawa to photograph the battle. Survivors of the Battle of Changchun turned on their Communist oppressors and took the junction at Sipingjie, Mancuria.

# Another group rose up in Nanjing and marched on Shanghai.

# The Russians then moved into northern Manchuria on a wide front from Vladivostock to Khabarovski.

# The Americans started supplying the Nationalists through Shanghai. The Communists were forced to fight on three fronts at once. The Nationalists in Nanjing needed air support that is where a Chinese speaking pilot came in useful.

# \- o – O – o –

# Chapter 36

# Endgame

# Historical Notes

# Thursday 19th March 1969

# President Nixon authorizes Operation Menu, the secret bombing of Cambodia by B-52s, targeting North Vietnamese supply sanctuaries located along the border of Vietnam.

# The British stationed Royal Marines in the waters off Anguilla. After two years of failed attempts to negotiate a solution, the British, believing that the island had been taken over by the mafia, invaded Anguilla on 19th March 1969, they were met by goats and curious children. The Anguillans didn't resist, content that some resolution was in the making.

# Not much TV in Yorkshire, the 385 foot mast on Emley Moor collapsed due to ice buildup.

# US President Richard Milhous Nixon proclaims that he will end the Vietnam conflict in 1970.

# \- o – O – o –

# Washington DC.

# 'Sugar and cream?' Samantha Mascoury asked Judge Hugo Black.

# 'Just black, thank you Sam.' Replied the longest serving Judge in the US Supreme Court, 'There are some pretty long faces here today, Do you have any idea what is going on?' he said as she passed the cup to him.

# 'Samascy' was liked by almost everyone in the higher echelons of power, but as they stood in the anti-room there seemed to be an air of anxiety which hung over them all, and friendliness was replaced with formality.

# 'All I know is Brad Murphy told me that TBR is out for blood, but I don't know why, and I don't know whose.' Sam confided to the Judge.

# TBR was a National Security Advisor. He had requested these people to attend this meeting. He was so powerful that no-one would treat this as a request, it was a full-blown summons, and woe betide anyone who dared ignore it.

# There were nine people in the anti-room now. All in sharp well pressed suits, including the two women.

# A smart usher opened the big double doors into the conference room.

# The quiet hum of conversation died down as he declared,

# 'Ladies and gentlemen, if you would please take your seats now.'

# As they filed in to the room, Sam and the Judge placed their cups on a table and turned to follow.

# 'Nine seems a strange number for a quorum,' noted Sam. 'If there's to be a vote it prevents a split I suppose, but you probably won't be asked to vote, leaving the Chair on the horns of a dilemma if there is a split.'

# 'There won't be any vote here today,' said Hugo, 'this crowd is made up of too many disparate groups.'

# In the Situation Room was a simple long table. A stenographer sat by one wall. As the incumbents filed in Sam expected Henry Kissinger to take the Chair, but he didn't, he sat opposite her. To his right sat the two Special Assistants to the President, one a Senior Director, the other, Alan Mitchell, she recognised as the Executive Secretary of the National Security Council. The man to Henry's left Sam couldn't put a name to, but she knew that he was involved in the activities of the 40 Committee (clandestine operations). This was actually Commander Carol L Robins who had moved from the US submarine service. Sabina Budd represented the Washington Special Actions Group (serious Crisis).

# The big wooden doors closed behind Judge Black as he, too, took his seat. The Chair at the head of the table was still empty. TBR looked through his papers, Brad saw to it that no one got a look at them.

# Outside, in the anti-room, a Master-at-Arms led two Marines in, he dismissed the civilian guard and posted the two Marines outside the anti-room door, leaving an empty room between the guards and the meeting that was about to take place.

# The assembled people in the conference room did not hear the outer anti-room door open, the man who entered did not close it himself, one of the Marines outside reached forwards and pulled it closed without setting foot in the room.

# The Chairman opened one of the double doors and stepped into the room.

# TBR and Brad had their backs to him as he entered, but they already knew who it was. Sam and the Judge also did not see him enter; they did not know who was going to chair the meeting.

# 'This should be interesting.' Judge Black whispered to Sam when he instantly recognised the Chairman.

# 'Good Morning, Ladies and Gentlemen.'

# The new vice-president, Gerald R Ford announced as he took the Chair.

# 'This administration has got to be cleaner than clean, now it looks like you have given me a dandy of a problem to begin with, for that I thank you.' There was more than a little sarcasm here.

# Ford was known for his support of the conflict in Vietnam, during the Tet Offensive he called on Johnson to "Americanise the war". At that time, the US already had 500,000 troops fighting in the country. Neither was Ford a lover of liberals, he tried to get liberal justice member of the Supreme Court, William O Douglas to resign. In April 1970 Ford became the first politician in modern times to attempt to impeach a member of the Supreme Court.

# In 1973, Ford's predecessor, Spiro Agnew was investigated for extortion, bribery and income-tax violations while governor of Maryland. On 10th October, 1973 he resigned as vice-president.

# It was an unprecedented time. Ford had been the first Vice President chosen under the terms of the Twenty-fifth Amendment.

# Now he was faced with another monumental problem.

# In the room were legal advisors, military advisors, and diplomats; from the US Supreme Court was Justice Hugo Black. Hugo, he was noted for his advocacy of the reading of the United States Constitution. The Vice President wanted Chief Justice Earl Warren to study this matter, but he was tied up with the investigation into the Kennedy assassination.

# The Vice President turned to TBR,

# 'What on earth have your people been up to, Terry?'

# 'Not my people, Mr Vice-President.' TBR responded angrily, 'not even on my watch.'

# 'For the benefit of a level playing field, and in the interest of pure balance, I now call upon TBR here to outline the recent events that have led to us all being drawn together here.' The Vice President announced, 'TBR, if you please.'

# 'Thank you, Mr Vice-President.' TBR took to his feet.

# 'It would transpire that a small band of renegades acquired some aircraft and bombed China without authority.'

# Sabina Budd then exclaimed loudly, 'What? You mean someone strayed over the border and dropped munitions on China?'

# 'Not exactly,' TBR began to explain, 'We cannot say they 'strayed' because one incursion was about 200 miles from Vietnam.'

# Sabina then asked 'You say 'One Incursion', just how many were there?'

# TBR looked at his notes, but he knew full well he didn't need to, '16 aircraft were involved, not counting tankers. They hit 11 targets.'

# 'TANKERS!!' Henry Kissinger was surprised at this. 'Whose air force was this?'

# 'The South Vietnamese have no tankers,' Carol Robbins observed, 'we don't think there any in the region, where did they come from?'

# TBR had to reply 'The good old US of A, they were our tankers, they were our bombers.'

# Robbins came back quickly, 'Who the hell authorised it?,' then turning to Sabina, 'Did you?'

# 'No, we knew nothing about it at all.' Was the reply. The 40 Committee was normally concerned with clandestine operations. The Washington Special Actions Group dealt with serious crises.

# 'Was there a National Security Decision Memorandum?' asked Sabina.

# Guy Hellman, Special Advisor to the President, spoke for the first time, 'No, we may have to raise one here.'

# Robbins wanted to know more about the actual op.

# 'Where did they get the munitions from, what was the damage, and where do we go from here?'

# 'Before we get bogged down in details that have no context,' the Vice-President took control, 'Let's start at the top here, folks.' He began, 'Where did they get the aircraft from, how did they plan the mission, what was the mission?'

# TBR consulted his notes again. 'The aircraft used were not standard USAF stock. They were supersonic bombers optimised for low-level work.'

# 'Whoa, whoa, whoa, there.' Commander Carol L Robins interjected. ' If they were not standard USAF stock, where did they get them from?'

# 'They got them from the British.' TBR admitted.

# Alan Hellman then got in on the act, 'Supersonic bombers from the British? They haven't got a supersonic bomber, they scrapped the thin wing Javelin a long time ago, we got the B 57, so we know that ain't supersonic. What you talking about, boy?'

# TBR responded, 'They were developing a high performance low level supersonic bomber called TSR 2.'

# 'I remember that.' Guy Mitchell, a Special Assistant to the President said, 'It was seen as a threat to our TFX program, which became the F-111. We managed to help them make the right decision by offering the Australians the F-111, then squeezing the finances a little.'

# 'That's right.' TBR agreed, 'Well, these cowboys went and continued development and managed to produce a squadron of the machines.'

# Sabina Budd then made the observation, 'When you began you said that a small band of renegades were involved. It would appear to be more like a whole manufacturing plant and half an air force.'

# 'It comes under the 'Black Ops' cover.' TBR explained, 'Our most secret reconnaissance aircraft have been developed in the same way, by the same people.'

# 'Let us move on if we can.' Gerald Ford, as Chairman, now took command. He dismissed the stenographer with a polite, 'With the mention of Black Ops, we must dispense with your services my dear.'

# And she left the room.

# He then turned to Brad and asked, 'What were the targets, and what did they do?'

# Brad Murphy got up and retrieved a rolled up map, which he spread on the table.

# 'In Vietnam they targeted two MiG bases near Hanoi, in China they hit Luichow, Hoppo, Haikang, Haikou, Aihsien, Tali, Tung-Chuan, Anshun and Mengtzu.'

# 'When you say they hit these places, with what?' asked Henry Kissinger.

# 'Super Bulpup missiles primed to detonate at 10,000ft.' Brad confided.

# Carol L Robins then asked, 'They are nuclear are they not?'

# 'Yes.' Brad admitted.

# At least two of the group murmured 'Holy shit' as they all sat back in disbelief.

# Sabina Budd of the Washington Special Actions Group (serious crisis) was first to break the silence, 'Who on earth authorised this?'

# TBR looked up from his papers and said, 'We have the leaders coming in to a meet this afternoon.'

# Hugo Black then asked, 'What charges will they be facing?'

# Henry Kissinger then put in, 'You must throw the book at them. Treason, UnAmerican activities, Insurrection, Subversion.' He counted them off on his fingers, 'Conspiracy, Plotting against the state, Sabotage, Sedition, Mutiny, Rebellion.' He ran out of fingers and thumbs.

# Gerald Ford added, 'We cannot condone these acts, the people responsible must pay to the full.'

# TBR added, 'Any two of these charges carries the death penalty.'

# Alan Mitchell then made the point, 'Can we afford to have a public trial of this magnitude?'

# Judge Black made the point, 'We can try to keep it secret, but it is very unlikely to remain so for long, and the resultant publicity will no doubt impact unfavourably upon the administration. There will be those who will insist that the Political and military arms within the government must have known, or that they were incompetent.'

# TBR thought there may be another way out, 'Black Ops have ways of dealing with problems like this.'

# Henry Kissinger added,

# 'The illegal we can do now; the unconstitutional will take a little longer.'

# The Vice-President then said, 'We can't sweep it under the carpet.'

# 'For the moment, that is where it is, and I intend to keep it there.' Added TBR.

# 'If the Judiciary gets involved it will be very difficult to avoid publicity.' Judge Black voiced his opinion.

# Guy Hellman then added that 'The President can not be associated with anything illegal.'

# Sam whispered, 'We needed Spiro for that.'

# Guy continued, 'To that end he must have knowledge and authority for any definitive actions.'

# TBR then asked, 'Does that mean we can't just push 'em out of a helicopter?'

# Guy answered emphatically 'It most certainly does.' The Judge shook his head.

# \- o – O – o –

# Historical Note

# Thursday 20th March 1969

# John Lennon and Yoko Ono married in Gibraltar.

# Operation Breakfast was declared a success. Two days earlier 60 B-52s launched a secret mission to carpet-bomb neutral Cambodia. They flew from Guam in the Pacific and dropped 2,400 tons of bombs.

# General Abrams submitted a list of 15 more targets in Cambodia. SAC eventually flew 3,800 B-52 missions dropping 108,823 tons of bombs under the secret title of Operation Menu.

# Kissinger and the President were keen to keep this from the public.

# \- o – O – o –

# The grand Corridors of Power in the Pentagon were left behind as the group of four men turned a corner, on to more business-like passageways. The gigantic pillars and draped flags were left behind.

# Then smaller aisles still. These were more akin to a mid-range motel. The walls were an off-white, pinker than magnolia, but with tan tones here and there, it was probably once white. The coloured striping on the floor leading to various exits and emergency doors was no longer as bright and strident as it once was. Five pairs of very shiny black shoes with leather soles made their own tapping sounds as they marched along the vinyl. The genuine crocodile skin shoes belonging to one of the men made their own distinctive sounds, so did their owner.

# 'Si nous allions plus loin, ils vont avoir à pomper l'air pour nous!' (If we go any further in, they will have to pump air in to us!) Olaf quipped to David J. Armistead.

# 'I have a feeling that they may well be cutting air off to us any time soon.' Dave replied.

# They entered room 1026. Very modest by Washington standards, it had the air of a Motel conference room. The plain wooden table was empty, not even water being set out, this was an impromptu conference.

# There were no maps on the walls. A large painting of the USS Constellation hung on one wall, facing it was a picture depicting the USS Wasp.

# The National Security Advisor, TBR took a seat at the head of the table, with his aide, Brad Murphy, by his side. David and Olaf G also sat together. Eugene Macarthy remained standing.

# Dave felt uncomfortably warm. His collar became sticky and tighter than it had felt when he dressed in the air-conditioned hotel.

# 'Gentlemen, I believe you know why we are here.' TBR began. 'You took it upon yourselves to attack a Sovereign Nation with nuclear weapons without the authority of your President, or Chiefs of Staff, or Congress, or the House of Representatives, or..., any bloody authority whatsoever.'

# Eugene Macarthy looked even more like the actor Jack Nicholson as he lay his fists on the table, leaning forwards as he did so.

# 'We don't need any of these authorities to mount a Black Op.' He countered.

# 'You look after the politicians and we'll look after our own affairs. That involves doing whatever is necessary to advance the standing of this great country of ours, despite the political rhetoric and filibustering that passes for democracy. When it comes down to it, in time of war democracy does not work.'

# He stood erect as he took a deep breath.

# 'We were set up and funded to undertake the work thought to be too unpalatable for the delicate appetites up on Capitol Hill.'

# 'Possibly because of you and your actions the President is going to Peking to pour oil on to troubled waters.' Countered TBR.

# 'Bollocks.' responded Olaf G. 'Mr Kissinger, your boss, happened to arrange this meet with a view of attaining some kind of detante.'

# 'He is going at the invitation of Chairman Zhou Enlai, who has seen the power of the United States and has now realised that this giant is not sleeping, and will not tolerate the surreptitious support and guidance he has been giving the Viet Cong.'

# He then dropped a bombshell that TBR could not have expected.

# 'We have already been there, we have offered to build airports everywhere our bombs went off, and they have accepted.'

# 'Who...? How...? Why was I not told of this?' He turned to Brad.

# 'How are they to be financed?' Turning back to Eugene.

# 'How many are there?

# Who the hell is going to build them?

# and where?' TBR was lost.

# For your information, Mister Security Advisor, there are 10 airports planned.' Macarthy was on a roll now, he could see he had the Security Advisor on the ropes.

# 'We will build them, using our own contractors. We have set up a budget for the purpose, and we expect to get good value for money from the intel we receive during the building.'

# David J Armistead then interjected,

# 'Just checking, we ain't taping this, are we?'

# 'No' answered both TBR and Olaf G at the same time.

# Then Macarthy showed that he was a lot better informed than the Security Advisor, or anyone else in the room, maybe the whole building.

# 'After the President has visited China, he will be going to a Summit Meeting in Moscow. He is watching the film 'From Russia with Love' to prepare himself for this visit. He expects to get concessions on Vietnam during that meeting. After which we will be bombing the hell out of North Vietnam for weeks to make sure they have got the message. Then when they all know that their little friends in the north are no longer helping them, they will have no choice but to give in to the most powerful player in the world.'

# Eugene Macarthy III continued as he took a slip of paper from his pocket.

# 'I have here a message from Mr Kissinger.' He read from the letter,

#  '"What we will do is give South Vietnam an opportunity to survive in conditions that are, today, political rather than military. It will then be up to the South Vietnamese to win the political contest awaiting them."'

# TBR was not repentant, he continued his attack,

# 'You deliberately violated a Sovereign nation with nuclear weapons. Al Haig is preparing for a massive retaliation from the Chinese, and maybe even the Russians, you have stirred up a hornets nest and no mistake.'

# Macarthy responded 'The Chinese knew what they were doing may attract our attentions. I have it on good authority that it all began as sympathetic help, but got out of hand, not unlike our own situation in South East Asia.'

# TBR rounded again 'There are political and diplomatic avenues to deal with that situation, they should have been exhausted before action was taken.'

# Olaf G then put in 'Oh, Yeh. Like the ones we used in Korea, they never work, the politicians are too amateur and the diplomats too damn soft.'

# 'Talking never works with these people, it didn't work in Korea, or Japan, and certainly not in Vietnam.' Macarthy added.

# 'Talking certainly never worked with you murdering bastards, that's for sure.' TBR realised that he couldn't get anywhere with these cowboys.

# 'We don't kill anywhere near as many innocent people as the politicians do.' David J Armistead observed.

# Macarthy pointed at TBR with his cigar,

# 'Can I ask what you and the President are having for breakfast tomorrow? And does anyone else in this room know the menu?'

# Brad then demanded,

# 'What the hell are you on about?'

# 'Mister Chairman.' Was Macarthy's reply.

# 'There seems little more we can achieve here.' Was the response from TBR.

# 'You ain't heard the last of this.' TBR would not back down 'This meeting is closed.'

# As they walked through the parking lot, Dave felt secure enough, away from hidden microphones, to turn to Olaf G,

# 'If this ever gets out there will be the hell to pay.' He almost whispered, 'We are going to burn so fast we won't even get chance to put the phone down.'

# 'That ain't gonna happen. The President won't let us down.' Olaf G was as confident as ever.

# 'As long as everyone believes him implicitly we are in the clear, Mr Nixon will hold good.'

# \- o – O – o –

# Chapter 37

# Supplementary 1993

# Finally, in 1993 we are re-united with an old aircraft as three pensioners, Keith Cornwell, Brian Kendall and Jimmy Lee Brockbank meet up for the first time in years to see their old charge.

# The Perspex was yellowed and cracking with age, but the bulletproof windscreens were still intact. Dust and cobwebs covered everything. Some of the flight instruments were missing, leaving gaps in the all-important blind flying panel. As Coniston Fowler sat in the old leather seat he was forced to recall his time flying this type of bomber. He cleared the dust from the word Boeing on the control wheel in front of him. As he brushed the tops of the four big throttle levers he remembered his time on ops in the B-17. Then he was introduced to Olaf G South and his strangely manipulative crew. Even before the inception of the OSS, Olaf was operating in secret with Connie flying a P-38 to gather information. It was whilst flying the P-38 Lightning that he met with two Messerschmitt Me 262s during the German invasion. That was the closest he came to being killed – both by the Germans, then by the Home Guard. Connie was flying by the seat of his pants in the P-38, not like the testing he did in the TSR-2 at Nellis.

# These thoughts brought him back to the first time he saw this particular aircraft he was sitting in. A most unusual B-17, it still had the gigantic pylon horns reaching out in front. This plucked him and his WSSO from the South China Sea after a bombing raid on China in the American TSR-2.

# The side window still slid open, albeit with a lot of exertion and grating sound. He resisted the temptation to put his head out, if he had he would have seen a small group of people enter the hangar near the rear of the aircraft.

# He had come a long way from Procter County in 1940. It all began up in the Ozark Mountains straddling the Missouri / Arkansas border.

# The specially modified B-17 they knew as PPP is now preserved in the aviation museum at McMinnville, OR. Also present is Vicky, wife of Keith, and Diane is with Brian. However, Coniston Fowler is missing and no one knows what happened to him after Vietnam.

# 'You know old Fireduck,' Brian said to the small group waiting in the reception room, 'But given that he was liable to do anything dangerous, he could be anywhere, even dead or in some distant prison camp.'

# Keith agreed, 'I heard he was learning Chinese; and the way he flew and kept throwing airplanes away, that could come in useful.'

# 'When we fished him out of the Gulf of Tonkin he just treated it like a fishing trip that had gone a bit wrong.' Brian imitated casting and reeling a fishing rod.

# 'Then there was the time he took on the whole of the German army and threw them out of England.' Keith made as if he had a machine gun.

# Vicky pretended to be shot.

# The door opened and a large man entered.

# 'Hi, I'm Aaron Barlow. It is to be my pleasure to escort you today.'

# Handshakes were exchanged.

# 'I hear you guys actually flew the Fulton Rescue gear equipped B-17.'

# 'Keith here was the pilot.' Brian explained, 'but any more than that we can't tell you for security reasons.'

# 'Ok.' Aaron turned and moved towards the door, 'If you would follow me into the hangar.'

# As they filed out he continued, 'The ancient aircraft is now permanently grounded due to a fatigue fracture in the main spar; this also makes it out of bounds for normal visitors. But because you flew and saw action in the aircraft, we are happy to make exceptions. But we must insist that you enter by the rear door using proper safety rated steps, and all wear hats, even baseball caps give some protection from the allumin structure.'

# Once inside the old bomber the ladies had to be helped across the walkway over what used to be the bomb bay. Keith was first across; he opened the door into the cockpit area without looking in. Then he helped Vicky across. When she got across she turned to give Diane support. So there were three of them in the cockpit by the time anyone noticed that there was already someone sitting in the pilot's seat.

# \- o – O – o –

#  Acknowledgements

# Readers Digest Great World Atlas. 1962

# Observers Books of Aircraft

# RAF Flying Review

# The Illustrated Encyclopaedia of Aircraft

# Pilot's Notes (various)

# Airfix models

# Mick @ LAT for the cover design

# Transport Models, Preston

# Many websites, including:

# SR-71 online

#  Wickepedia

#  Designation-systems.net

#  Vectorsite

#  Aviation-history.com

# This book would not have been possible without discussions with the following, amongst others:

# Neville Beckett

# Joan Martin

# Jimmy Dell

# Jim Britton

# Ken Saunders

# Judith Pratt
