Last night, around 0100Z about 16 heavy Fw190-A8s lifted off from A28 and started thier climb on a heading of 220. They had 6-8 Bf109-G10s with them for cover. Seven minutes later the gooney birds launched, following the strike package.
An uneventful climb out and cruise to northern end of the Bishop home isle was pretty boring. A few of us passed the time with rolls and inverted flight as the 109s headed out south to sweep ahead of the strike. The island comes into sight and there's a radio call "enemy fleet at 10o'clock low!" Sure enough, there was the fleet, steaming towards the northwest and starting to come about hard.
Checking switches, cinching straps, and wishing I could get my head a little farther to the side for a slighty better view as I waited for the invetable bandit calls. "F4U high to the west!" was the first and the 109s were off. Run the throttles to the stops and hope they can keep'em busy long enough for us to drop on target.
The 109s chase the F4U low, where it got one of the goons, as the 190s close on A35. Assigning targets to the pilots in the flight we go through our final checks. We can almost see the AAA gunners charging thier weapons as we stand our Wolfes on thier wings and pull the noses low.
Chaos erupts. Airframes and tracers flying every which way, black smoke pouring from fuel bunkers and hangers on the field, bandits coming from the south. 45-60 seconds and the field is quiet, the guns stilled and the hangers quietly burning as the 190s join the air to air pursuit of the couple lone bandits left in the area.
The goon driver comes in and lands, taxiing to the bunker by the tower and kicking out his troops. A35 is ours. The ground crews scramble from thier transport to rearm/refuel the landing kites with supplies from the enemies stocks.
We're back in the air, headed for the port to the north. Enemy carrier kites are coming in low on the water and AAA tanks are wearing out barrels shooting at us. A couple of our goons fall trying to get in as the battle rages on. I picked up a kill and a few asissts in that mess that can only be described as a furball, wondering how I managed to get out not only alive, but untouched.
The enemy fleet comes hard about, preventing air ops for a couple precious minutes. We regroup and scramble for what little alt we can get. Here they come again, and the grinder starts churning. Under the cover of the confusion of the furball and the smoke pouring out of the port an industrious C47 driver makes it in and offloads his troops. P32 has fallen. It seems like only a few moments later and the enemy carrier is diving to the silent depths.
I head back to 35 and rearm one more time, this time to head south. Avoid an ostwind on take off and head to the southwest, over the ocean. I can see the dots of a furball off to my left, hoping they dinnae come down the hill towards me. Start seeing the icons of ponyts and put my nose to run right above the wave tops. The gooney bird is already south of the fight and I need to flatten 36 before he gets there.
Looks like a pony is heading for me and I'm thinking I'll have to drop my eggs and engage, not a position I want to be in. A friendly took care of this for me, loosing his ride in the process. Thanks mate.
36 flattened and heading north again, passing the goon just barely a halfmile north of the base. Divert the attention of a pony that looks like it's running for home, and 36 falls.
Heading for 35 to land and I see a bunch of low dots coming down the same valley I'm flying through and I know I'm in trouble. The dread increases as the famaliar bentwing takes form, then a flood of relief when they're wearing friendly markings. Apparently some of the Navy boys have found them a good target and are on an NOE ingress.
Dodge some shells from an ostwind as I turn final at 35 and land, wondering if I'm gonna hear that pingpingpingCRUNCH from the ost's gun while listening the radio calls of the attack on A33. Get outta the kite and head right for the O'club for a cold one and a smoke.
It was a fun, wild ride. The original mission was to get 35 and 32(31). 33, 34, and 37 were just added bonuses and an extension of the orginal mission.
