“How many Brits are we expected to have along with us, sir?”
“They want a full flight of recon aircraft to document our, er, progress. Good luck, and put on a good show for the Limeys. Show ’em how to kick some Red ass.”[30]
8th FIGHTER SQUADRON,
49TH FIGHTER GROUP
U.S. ARMY AIR FORCES
Aug. 2, 1946
INDIVIDUAL COMBAT REPORT OF 1/Lt Richard Gardner
A. Mission No. 633, August 1, 1946, 8th Fighter Squadron, 9 P-80’s
B. Combat Air Patrol, Break-Heart Pass, Pyrenees Line
C. Time of attack: 0730/K
Altitude: 8,000 to 10,000 feet
D. I was element leader in White flight, and as we took off at 0615/K radar picked up inbound aircraft. We circled at 15,000 feet over the pass until we were vectored to the targets. At 0730/K, we intercepted five Yaks of the 15 jet-type. We were above them at 8 o’clock. Two of them climbed on me, and I dove to make a head on pass. I was hit by a cannon shell that passed right through my left aileron. I pulled up and climbed to 8,000 feet, making a 45-degree head-on pass at two more Yaks with no observed results. Shot once at another on 90-degrees deflection, and missed. I found myself on the tail of a lone Yak-15, who appeared to be unaware of my location. I made a 45-degree deflection shot from the rear and above, until he turned almost into me. It was a long burst and he slid off on one wing, and crashed into the mountain, east of the pass.
Two more Yaks chased me, as I started for home. They finally gave up, because they couldn’t catch me. I left the area at 0925/K, and joining up with the remainder of my flight, we all flew home, landing at 0955/K.
E. I claim one Yak-15 destroyed confirmed by wingman, 1/Lt John Glass.
Richard Gardner
1/Lt, U.S.A.A.F.
“There, done with that one. Man, I hate typing those things up.”
“Well, at least you have something to type about. Those Yaks are hard to hit. We’re faster and can climb better, but man, you just can’t turn with ’em. Kind of like the Jap Zero. Say, did you notice that those fighters today had more power than the earlier ones we encountered?”
“Yeah, I did notice it was a little harder to lose those two on my tail. Oh, and by the way, don’t go head-to-head with them. Jeez, those 30-mm’s put a big hole in my wing! I guess their improving them just like we’re improving our Shooting Stars. We have to keep one step ahead of them, or they’ll be able to both out-turn us and catch us and that ain’t a good thing. This ain’t like it was when we were fighting the Jerries Jack. It’s just not the same. You could count on one hand when you were outnumbered with them. Shoot, with this bunch, it’s a fifty-fifty crap-shoot. Man, they have as many planes as we do. Luckily, we’re better at flying, but you can’t let up for an instant out there. It’s getting on my nerves. I’m having these dreams and… I…”
“Hey, hey, that’s ok… it’s only natural. Listen, we’ll be shipping out soon and you’ll get some real R&R then. Come on Dick, just think of those babes in… wherever it is we’re going to. They’ll throw themselves at you; you being an Ace and all. Come on, let’s get a beer and forget about it.”
“It’s hard Jack. Three months ago, I was starting school. I was a college freshman. I was going to be an engineer and then, they pulled me back into this hell-hole. I just got to know my wife again, and my son was starting to play ball. Goddamned commies! I just want to…”
“Say come on, and look at my sketches for my new nose art. See here… it’s that new dame, Doris Day. Now, she’s a real sweetheart. I hope she brings me good luck. But we won’t need it soon. Listen Dick don’t worry. Soon, all those new boys will be able to take over. Hell, I hear we’re going to be replaced by Spanish kids. They got bigger plans for us. In the meantime we’ll be living the high life, with not a care in the world. Come on, whaddaya say? Let’s get that beer.”
Bench #346
August 3rd, 1946
“Great weather we are having Dimi, but I have some trouble on my mind. We have some singularly strange reports coming out of the U.S. According to some of our best agents the Americans are having trouble producing their new planes. Other agents are reporting that they are falling short in their recruiting efforts. It’s all devilishly strange comrade. They should be able to start right back up where they left off. In fact, most of the other agents say just the opposite yet, where are all their reinforcements? Where are the new units that they are expected to field against us? Instead more and more Spanish and old soldiers from the defeated Western Europe countries are manning the lines, and the Yankee dogs appear to be pulling out of line slowly, according to our frontline troops.”
“Da, they are hugely disappointed when they kill a poor Spaniard, instead of a wealthy Yankee. I don’t know what to tell you, comrade. All I can say is; that I’m glad I’m not the one that will be meeting Maior Yegorov, to try and explain what you have heard. You have to figure out a way for him to make the decision of who is telling the truth and who is being misled. I know the commissars will say it is their ‘preaching’ to the masses that are affecting the workers of America. They will take the credit for their articles in Pravda and Izvestiya. I’m sure all the Americans read it from front to back every day.”
“Ha! Even I don’t believe their crap! Why would a bunch of capitalist pigs do so? Just look at what the French have, compared to us. Imagine what the Americans must have. Ah, Dimi it will not be a good meeting. I think I will have to buy some better vodka and hope for the best. Yegorov loves his vodka.”
“How is Operation ‘Spy Glass’ going Dave?”
“From what I understand it’s pretty hit-or-miss. But it provides checks and balances and more importantly it gives us the latest data we can get. Ironically, it works best when the guards come to check on the room. They turn the lights on and walk around; making sure no one or nothing is in the room. Our view is unobstructed for a good five minutes with good light. Our luck extends even further.”
“And why is that?”
“The cleaning lady keeps the room spotless including the light fixture. There’s no dust build-up whatsoever and we get clean shots almost every time.”
“Ha, so her diligence gives us one of our most accurate sources and condemns thousands of her countrymen to their deaths. Exactly how was this way of peeking at what the Americans are doing discovered anyway?”
“Quite by an amazing accident; it was an amateur astronomer who happened to be the night guard in the Washington Monument. He was allowed to keep his telescope in the storeroom and his supervisor let him stargaze from the monument at night on his time off. Quite innocent, really; one day he was fixing something on the telescope when as it was pointed at the White House he happened to catch some movement. When he focused in he saw that he was looking through a gap in the top of the window dressing and at a reflection off a light fixture, it gave him a great view of the map table and one of the walls in the map room of the President. He came down immediately and told his supervisor. His supervisor assured him that it would be taken care of. That night the poor fellow had a terrible accident when he tripped in front of a speeding car that did not stop, and killed him instantly and just drove on. A hit-and-run, as they say.”
30
The Bäckebo rocket — See also: Project Big Ben — A German V-2 rocket.
On June 13, 1944, a V-2 rocket under test by the Germans (test rocket V-89, serial number 4089) from Peenemünde crashed in Sweden after the rocket had flown into cumulus clouds which had strayed into the controller’s line of sight, it was supposed to crash in the sea outside Bornholm in occupied Denmark.
Quote: V-89 contained “Kehl-Strassburg” joystick radio control equipment that had been designed for the Wasserfall anti-aircraft missile (code named Burgund), a development of that used to guide the Henschel Hs 293 glide bomb. The ground controller appeared to have no trouble maneuvering the rocket until it disappeared into the high cloud layer.
A captured German prisoner later explained to the British that the controller was an expert at steering glider bombs from aircraft, but that the spectacle of a rocket launch had caused him to incorrectly operate the control lever in his astonishment. Peenemünde guidance and control expert Ernst Steinhoff explained that the excited operator applied a set of planned corrections (such as that for the Earth’s rotation) in the opposite direction to the way he had been instructed.