Launched from a CV last night near an enemy port we were trying to take. I saw a strong red bar on the dar, and suspecting GV's I launched in a C with bombs and rocks.
When I got there I found a couple of enemy fighters, a dead VH, and all ack gone. One was a Spit turning with a couple guys, and I made one pass through the mess and plucked it. The base was ours IF we could get a gooney there and IF the fighters from the nearby base could be taken out. I decided to move toward the nearest enemy base to engage what appeared to be launching fighters.
When I arrived I dropped my two bombs on the hangar- no kill, but it was softer now. Two fighters had launched- an F4U and an La7. They were smart and stayed in the ack umbrella while they climbed. They also spread out a bit so that if I attacked one the other was in a position to get me from behind. I let them climb a bit, waiting for one of them to make a mistake.
The La7 made the mistake first. He must have sensed we were near getting the base, so he broke for the port. He had a full head of steam up, and must have figured I would now go for the easy kill on the F4U. He was wrong. I had 5K of alt at least and a full head of steam. I set the C in a long, shallow dive to his 6. I got to about 1.4 and the distance stabilized. Realizing that I needed alt more than I needed to be stuck low if he reversed I started a shallow climb. As the counter rolled slowly up he decided to climb for his move.
This was his second mistake. I simply leveled out and then went into a gentle lag pursuit in his vertical climb. I had enough smash left to nail him if he didnt't go any more vertical. He obviously thought I wouldn't have enough zoom to get close, and was trying to milk everything he could out of his climb. He hung motionless in front of my four hispanos, me closing slowly but surely... at 650 I opened up. He tried to spin down, but it was too late. His tail neatly parted company, and he spun helplessly into the ocean.
About then I looked back. The C that had launched before was just now catching up. I was low E and headed the other way, but I knew our gooney was near the base and this guy had to be delayed or stopped. I turned toward him, dropped the nose, and WEP'd. I had 250mph or so indicated, he was above with a full head of steam, and I had a choice- if he's smart he blows by me and kills the goon at the base. If he is smart he goes up and plays the E game and kills me. I decide that any gun solution I get I will take, and gamble I will win.
He drops his nose on me from about 1K advantage, and I know he is going to HO. I meet him, guns blazing, and blow his wings off- of course, he took mine, too. Still, I had kept him away from the goon, and that was what I wanted.
Now, here's the point- two of those guys could easily have avoided me, and in all likelihood killed me (especially if they'd worked together). I would have killed that La7 from the same distance in a .50 armed bird, he just let me get too close to his 6. The C had every advantage he needed to kill me and went for the bad shot anyway. Whose fault was it, me for flying an uber plane, or them for giving me the opportunity to do what I did?
