STORY MAC MACDONALD ART CARLOS PINO COVER CARLOS PINO
T WAS A CLASSIC ENCOUNTER...A SUPERMARINE SPITFIRE MATCHED AGAINST A MESSERSCHMITT 109...A ROYAL AIR FORCE FRONT LINE FIGHTER AGAINST ITS LUFTWAFFE COUNTERPART. EACH AIRCRAFT HAD ITS STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES, BUT TODAY IT SEEMED THAT PILOT OFFICER PAUL DALY WAS GETTING THE BEST OF THIS CLASH.
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4 ANOTHER BURST AND THE ENEMY KITE WAS OUT OF THE ACTION. PAUL’S SQUADRON HAD BORNE THE BRUNT OF THE AIR DUELS FOUGHT OVER THE SOUTH OF ENGLAND DURING THE BATTLE OF BRITAIN. HE AND HIS FELLOW PILOTS WERE FEELING THE STRAIN OF CONSTANT ACTION.
I WANTED THRILLS AND SPILLS AND I GOT THAT, BUT IT’S WEARING A BIT THIN NOW. WE ALL NEED A LONG REST.
PAUL HAD ALWAYS BEEN A MAN OF ACTION. HIS FOLKS WERE COMFORTABLY WEALTHY AND HE HAD PROVED TO BE A FINE RACING DRIVER IN THE YEARS BEFORE THE WAR.
THEY DRIVE LIKE DEVILS!
THE ENGLISHMAN HAS NERVES OF STEEL!
HE PUT HIS GREAT SKILL AND GOOD TOUCH TO THE TEST WHEN HE FOLLOWED ANOTHER AMBITION AND LEARNED TO FLY PRIVATELY.
5 BUT THE NAZIS HAD NOT LET UP THEIR BULLYING WAYS AND WORLD WAR TWO BURST UPON THE GLOBE. PAUL WAS NOW TAKING TO THE AIR AGAIN AS MORE ATTACKING ENEMY AIRCRAFT TRIED TO BREAK THE BRITISH SPIRIT.
I BARELY SLEPT LAST NIGHT AND THE REST OF THE LADS ARE THE SAME. THIS IS TOUGH GOING.
THE SQUADRON HAD LOST TWO PILOTS ON THE PREVIOUS DAY SO PAUL AND THE OTHERS WERE OUT TO MAKE AMENDS. PAUL QUICKLY LATCHED ON TO A ONE-OH-NINE AND HARRIED HIS OPPONENT INTO RETREATING.
I GOT HIM...ONE MORE BURST WILL DO IT...
6 THAT PROVED TO BE THE CASE BUT PAUL HAD BECOME ISOLATED FROM THE OTHER R.A.F. PILOTS AND A LURKING LUFTWAFFE FLYER HAD GOT ON HIS TAIL JUST AS HE FINISHED OFF HIS TARGET.
AAGH!
GOT HIM... DRAT, WHERE DID THAT JERRY COME FROM?
THIS ENGLANDER HAS DONE ENOUGH DAMAGE TODAY. PAUL’S OPPONENT WAS GOOD, MAYBE AS SKILLFUL AS PAUL, AND HE DID HAVE THE ADVANTAGE OF SURPRISE…
…7.92mm BULLETS BLASTED AT THE SPITFIRE AGAIN AND SCORED HITS.
I WILL FINISH HIM SOON!
IT WAS THEN THAT SHRAPNEL TORE INTO PAUL’S LEFT KNEE.
THE CONTROLS ARE SLUGGISH…
AARGH!
7 IT WAS TIME TO BALE OUT. CURSING THE PAIN OF HIS WOUND, HE TUMBLED FREE AS HIS AILING AIRCRAFT FLIPPED OVER. LUCKILY HIS OPPONENT WAS RUNNING LOW ON FUEL AND WAS ALREADY BANKING AWAY.
ONE LESS PILOT TO TROUBLE US.
I’M HIT QUITE BAD.
AN AIR/SEA RESCUE LAUNCH PICKED UP PAUL WHO WAS HOSPITAL BY NIGHTFALL.
THE DAMAGE WAS EXTENSIVE AND HE WAS WARNED THAT HE WOULD PROBABLY NEVER FLY AGAIN. WALKING WAS DIFFICULT, EVEN WITH THE AID OF A STICK.
IT’S A DESK JOB FOR ME THEN. I’LL MISS THE HUSTLE AND BUSTLE OF SQUADRON LIFE, BUT THERE’S NOTHING I CAN DO ABOUT THAT.
HIS LEG WAS OPERATED ON AND HE SLIPPED IN AND OUT OF CONSCIOUSNESS FOR THE NEXT FEW DAYS.
8 HE FELT SECRETLY RELIEVED THAT HE WAS NO LONGER FACING THE DANGERS OF DOGFIGHTING, BUT THAT MADE HIM UNEASY AND GUILTY. HE HAD ALSO BEEN PROMOTED TO FLIGHT LIEUTENANT AND AWARDED A DISTINGUISHED FLYING CROSS. HE SOMEHOW FELT UNWORTHY OF THE DECORATION.
I WAS JUST DOING MY JOB AFTER ALL. A LOT OF THE LADS WERE KILLED AND THEY GOT NO GONGS.
AS THE LEG HEALED, HE FOUND THAT HE COULD GET AROUND MORE EASILY. HE KEPT QUIET ABOUT THE FACT THAT HE COULD DRIVE ONCE MORE WITH THE MINIMUM OF PAIN AND DISCOMFORT.
I DON’T WANT TO FLY AGAIN, BUT SITTING AT A DESK IS NO FUN AT ALL. MAYBE I SHOULD ASK FOR A TRANSFER AND SEE WHAT COMES UP.
9 THERE WAS A LOT GOING ON AT THIS TIME IN 1942. SINCE THE GERMAN INVASION OF THE SOVIET UNION, THE NAZIS WERE HITTING THEIR NEW ENEMY HARD ON THE GROUND AND IN THE AIR, THE BRITISH AND AMERICANS HAD PLEDGED TO SEND WEAPONS AND ARMAMENTS TO THE HARD-PRESSED RUSSIANS...
…AND INCLUDED IN AN R.A.F. DELEGATION SENT TO OFFER TECHNICAL HELP WITH SPITFIRES SECONDED TO THE WEST’S NEW ALLIES WAS PAUL.
WHILE THE AIRCRAFT WENT BY A SOUTHERLY ROUTE THROUGH IRAQ AND IRAN, THE ROYAL AIR FORCE PERSONNEL TRAVELLED BY SEA ON ONE OF THE HIGHLY DANGEROUS CONVOYS WHICH SKIRTED THE NORTH OF ENEMY-OCCUPIED NORWAY AND BRAVED ARCTIC CONDITIONS.
GERMAN AIRCRAFT OPERATING FROM NORWEGIAN BASES WERE A CONSTANT THREAT, AS WERE THE LETHAL U-BOATS WHICH SHADOWED THE MOTLEY COLLECTION OF ROYAL AND MERCHANT NAVY VESSELS.
10 ONE OF THESE HUNTERS OF THE SEAS HAD SLIPPED INSIDE THE CONVOY’S PROTECTIVE SCREEN AND HAD ALREADY CHOSEN AND OPENED FIRE AT ITS TARGET.
TORPEDOES RUNNING!
PREPARE TO FIRE TWO MORE...
THE MERCHANT SHIP THAT PAUL WAS TRAVELLING ON TOOK A DIRECT HIT. HE HAD GONE ON DECK TO GET SOME FREEZING BUT WELCOME AIR AND THE IMPACT THREW HIM DOWN HEAVILY.
AAGH... MY LEG!