So last night I'm flying around A5 on the current map, the centerpoint for all conflicts, much like the Iraqi Parliament meetings, with 50% fuel load-out in a Ki-84.
I'm flying around chasing Mustangs, 190Ds, and LA-7s without much luck, having them die to my countrymen as their pork runs come to an inglorious end, when suddenly...
I'm down to 1/16th of a tank at 15k when I spot a pair of P-47Ns heading south in tight formation. I hit WEP and close up on them from the 4'oclock position, "surely they see me" I think as I slide behind the starboard lead aircraft. The distance closes slowly, 1000, "boy I hope this works", 800 "he's going to see me in a second", 600 "his wingman has probably seen me now and is warning him", WEP off, sliding around low six for a tail shot, 400 "are these guy's blind?", ideal convergence range, "Now!" I squeeze the trigger and see hits along wing root. The P-47 wiggles a bit and then BOOM! a kill has been recorded.
Surely the second -47 will go evasive, but no. There's a few seconds pause as I throttle way back and kick rudder to avoid overshooting the target. He's still flying straight and level. I slide in behind him and smoke trails off his wings as he starts dumping ordinance and goes into a dive. Game on!
We go nose-down vertical scissors and I'm trying to drop flaps to slow my descent and keep the range as he drops his to force me to overshoot. I blast off a snap shot as he curls past my perspex and he starts streaming fuel out of the left wing tank.
He's doubling back now, still working the scissors, and I roll around and dodge his snapshot, then bring my wings up and saddle him up and get off another shot as he pulls up to bleed speed. More hits, and more fuel is streaming now, out of the right wing root. I'm slightly beneath him, in his blind spot, and he pauses to reacquire, holding steady long enough for me to finish him off.
As I descend to land, my engine cuts off from fuel starvation and I crash-land into the side of a mountain.
Just another dogfight, sure, but what makes this so unique is that two aircraft, in combat airspace, in tight formation and easy viewing range of each other, and neither one of them sees a Ki-84 at co-alt closing slowly.
Horrido!
