Dug this up. I is about 2 years old back in the Warbird days.
It was a clear day, and my Zerosen danced up to 10 thousand feet in a matter of minutes. It felt so good to fly this sharp sword after countless sorties in my old bomber. My experiences in the bomber have been less than pleasing. Last week I returned with my tail and top gunners killed in their turrets. I have yet to write home to their families....
It was not long and I could not believe my good fortune of spotting a single dot at 10 o'clock. He grew slowly and I could tell he had not seen me. Dropping my nose I slightly I gathered speed for he was flying level and passing me on my left at a distance of 3 thousand yards or so. I slowly turned and was coming around on his six when I notice two more dots at my 3 o'clock heading for me. Suddenly the roundeye at my 12 who I had been following broke and came head on with me. He must have been warned by the other two aircraft. Aircobra! I could see the muzzle flash of his huge cannon! I dove under him and gave right rudder. Immelmann rolling I came out right on top of him. He had already lost energy from turning so tightly and was trying to do so again. A quick burst is all I had time for. The other two were on me! Tracers all around me! Pushing the stick forward I dove and rolled then graying out as I turned so tight, my Reisen crying out! Check six. Where did he come from! A P-38 diving on me! Turning the other way, then pushing the stick forward again but only for a moment. Tracers! Again no hits. Aircobra flashing across my nose, fired a burst, hits! Turning to get on him, have to break off, another Aircobra at my 6! Again diving and turning so tightly, I hook onto another Aircobra. Check 4,6,8, clear! He dives straight down, I follow firing, smoke! Pieces! He is hurt. I pull up rolling as I climb straight up. Tracers all around me! Hits on me but no damage. Pulling through and hard I am nose down again. P-38 across my nose I grab his tail and fire a good burst into his right engine. Smoke, and fuel pouring out of his plane. Break! Aircobra on my 6! I turn right into another Aircobra firing at me head on! Tracers from behind and in front, hits, but again no damage. The Aircobra that was on my 6 over shoots and passes my left, I break left and pump cannon into his tail section, off it comes, pieces! He is doomed spinning down out of control. One down three to go!
A quick scan shows two of the fighters at a distance, realizing their mistake in dogfighting and now they gather energy to attack. We are down to two thousand feet and I know that is to my advantage. On the deck they have no chance to dive and run, gaining energy. On the deck it is my dance, I will lead not them. One Aircobra is turning to attack. I turn head on with him and then dive with left rudder under him. Hits on me, oil pouring from my cowling! Half loop and I come out over him and dive down. He is running flat out on the deck. Check 6! Aircobra closing on me. I have time to fire some short bursts before I break. Cannon hits, pieces fly from his damaged aircraft, then I am out of cannon. He is rolling right over the water. I break right as tracers fly around me, looking back I see a huge plume of white water as the rolling P-39 Aircobra strikes the water. A smoking P-39 is clawing at my 6 but I turn with ease inside him. I see the Fork Tailed Devil at 3 o'clock I must break, again tracers again misses. He passes me and I look around. The only remaining Aircobra engine has seized. Black smoke is pouring out. I climb over him he settles over the water and ditches. The last airplane is not far a head of me, I see the P-38 with gray and white smoke break right and high, hoping for one last shot on me. I dive and come under him denying him a shot. I break right and come around to see him flying level and diving. His right engine has given up. A long trial of black and white smoke leads me to him. Less than 100 rounds of machine guns only. He hopelessly tries to evade. I close to less than a hundred yards, both of us right over the water. My cross hairs are right over his cockpit. He is trapped, nothing he can do but keep the crippled fighter up with one engine. I pour machine gun fire into his cockpit. Glass and pieces fly from the Lightning. It explodes over the water.
Radio chatter. WTG! XLT dog-san! I am shaking in disbelief from surviving 4 against 1. I circle twice to make sure I am clear. Then head for home. Scanning my instruments I see my engine in the red! Ahh I turn to head for an island only 10 miles away. I begin to climb but only get to 1200' when my engine dies. I glide for the island but I can tell it is too far. About 2 miles from shore I pull up into a stall and bail. At least the water was warm as I swam to shore.
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CM CO daddog 332nd Flying Mongrels Noses in the wind since 1997.
Snapshots & Check 6! 
Experience is a hard teacher. First comes the test, then the lesson.
