The prescribed method of attack was to stay 1 kilometer to the rear of the bomber, and use our 37-mm cannon to shoot them down. This tactic would only work if we were allowed to stay in position, unmolested.
The few MiG-9’s and Tu-2’s were to draw off the escorts, allowing us to do our work. In addition the missile attacks were designed to break up the bomber formations.
For the most part the plan was a success. I was to remain virtually unmolested as I closed in on a lone B-29 which had left the formation in an attempt to dive to freedom. I stayed behind the bomber along with my wingman and hit the bomber with three out of five shots. This was enough to bring the Superfortress down, into the Baltic Sea.
My wingman got too close and was hit by the bomber’s 20-mm cannons. He had to ditch over the water and was later picked up by the rescue services.
On the flight back to the rendezvous point, I witnessed several similar engagements between fighters and bombers.
Two P-51’s chased me, as I was attempting to gain altitude over Gogland Island, and they finally gave up when a pair of Yak-15’s chased them off, shooting down one. I left the area at 0925 hours.
E. I claim one B-29, destroyed, witnessed by my wingman, Starshiy-Leytenant I.I. Rastinyev.
Maior Nikolai Shumilov
“ARE YOU SHITTING ME?! 36 out of 54 bombers shot down, an atomic bomb lost, along with 97 fighters?! Not a bomb hitting Leningrad?! What the hell happened out there?! I want answers, and I want them NOW Norm! Get over there and interview every single surviving crew member. Oh my God! What a disaster! Get me General LeMay! We’ll have to suspend all bombing missions until we figure this out!”
“What a mess! WHAT A GODDAMNED MESS!”
Chapter Fourteen:
The Patton is Born
Secretary of War
The Pentagon
Outside Washington, D.C.
“A Mister Edgar Brandt is here to see you sir, along with the Secretary-General of NATO, the honorable Winston Churchill.”
“Did you say Churchill Jim? I didn’t even know he was in the United States, much less in Washington. For God’s sake, send them in!”
“Good afternoon Mr. Secretary.”
“Good afternoon Secretary-General Churchill and… Mister Brandt, is it? What may I do for you today gentlemen?”
“If I may I’ll get right to the point of our visit, Mr. Secretary.”
“Please do. I will say it is rather unusual for an Englishman to rush into a conversation.”
“Sorry to be so abrupt old boy, but Mister Brandt here has some vital information that may be of service to your fighting forces.”
“It’s quite alright. I prefer it if you Englishmen did move it along when it comes to how should I say it? Coming to the point, if you’ll pardon my candor.”
“Your candor is appreciated, Secretary Patterson. Very well then; Mister Brandt will take over from here.”
Edgar Brandt’s heavy French accent is apparent as he speaks, “Mister Secretary it has become quite obvious that your new tank, the Model 26 ‘Pershing’, is inadequate for its assigned duties. We have received numerous reports of breakdowns, mechanical failures, the underpowered nature of its engine, and the transmission is of faulty design. Its armor is adequate, and its gun is potentially superior for the task, but you can’t get the bloody thing to the firing line. Because of its mechanical failures it is virtually immobile. It was a failed attempt at heavy tank design, and I would argue that you must realize this now before the issue becomes critical, later in the war.”
“I am well aware of the growing pains of the Pershing, Mister Brandt, but I fail to see what we can do about it, in the short run.”
“May I interrupt for a second, Mister Secretary? I should have introduced Mister Brandt in detail earlier. Edgar Brandt was a weapons designer in France before the last war, and the company he founded was in the business of manufacturing mortars for the French Army. His true talents lie in the types of high-velocity ammunition he has developed. As a matter of fact he and his colleagues are partly responsible for developing the Armor-Piercing, Capped Ballistic Cap round for the QF 17-pounder anti-tank gun. I’m sure you have seen the reports that have conclusively shown that the combination of the Centurion Mark II, paired with the APCBC round have been highly successful in stopping even the heaviest Soviet tanks. He knows very well of that which he speaks, and bearing this in mind, I do apologize for his rudeness, but engineers are not known for their diplomacy.”
“I do apologize for my outburst, Mr. Secretary, but I see a real crisis looming if you continue to field the M-26. It is just not up to the task. It is highly susceptible to breaking down at the most inopportune moments. I understand that you just lost over one hundred of them due to their inability to extract themselves from a Soviet trap. Is this not so?”
“Well yes, it is Mr. Brandt, and we are working on a solution, but I fail to see how this meeting will assist us with our problem, unless you have a suggestion in mind.”
“If I may Mr. Secretary, I would like to suggest that you cease the manufacture of the Pershing immediately and concentrate on a proven design, one that has shown its effectiveness against the Soviet armor. I would suggest that you use the already-present M-26’s on the defensive line that is forming, and not use them for the upcoming mobile warfare operations that the future will require. If the Pershing is fairly stationary it can hold its own, but you must realize by now that it is not up to the task of a mobile operation. The Centurion is a well-rounded design that will withstand the rigors of a highly-mobile battlefield, and, unlike the Stuart, it can destroy a Soviet JS-2. The Pershing cannot, and will not, be able to fulfill such a role in future operations.”
“What you suggesting, Mr. Brandt, is that the U.S. Army should abandon its own shitty tank design in favor of the British Centurion heavy cruiser tank and your APCBC ordinance? Is that the gist of your visit here today, Mr. Brandt?!”
“Why yes, Mr. Secretary. I would concur with your most eloquent summary.”
The White House
Washington, D.C.
“Damn it Patterson, why did I have to hear about this “conversation” through back channels? When Winston Churchill visits I want to know what he said before he leaves the room!”
“If I may Mr. President. The idea was so preposterous, that I didn’t think it warranted comment. I was trying to save Secretary-General Churchill from a humiliating embarrassment. Quite frankly sir, I personally believe that the man has suffered enough. But consider this: the idea of us dumping an American weapon system, for a foreign-designed one is…”
“Patterson, I want you to listen, and listen good. I will decide what is preposterous, and what isn’t. Not you. Edgar, please fill Mr. Patterson in on the history of British-American cooperation, in the area of technology. I’ll give you a few hints Mr. Patterson. Every heard of the P-51 Mustang?”