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EARING BRITISH RATHER THAN GERMAN MARKINGS, A HEINKEL 115 FLOATPLANE HELD A STEADY COURSE EASTWARDS. LIEUTENANT YANA BELINKY WAS AT THE CONTROLS AND FLIGHT LIEUTENANT DREW GRANGER WAS IN THE REAR GUNNER’S SEAT...
STORY MAC MACDONALD
...BUT SANDWICHED BETWEEN THEM IN THE OBSERVER’S POSITION WAS CAPTAIN GLEB REVNIK, TOKAREV PISTOL IN HAND. THAT PUT HIM IN COMMAND AND WAS WHY THE AIRCRAFT WAS HEADING FOR THE SOVIET UNION RATHER THAN BRITAIN.
ART CARLOS PINO COVER CARLOS PINO
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DREW’S R.A.F. CAREER HAD STARTED BADLY IN THE FIGHT FOR FRANCE WHEN HIS FAIREY BATTLE SQUADRON HAD BEEN MAULED, HIS CREW AND MANY OTHER AIRMEN KILLED. HIS NERVES SHREDDED, HE HAD BEEN POSTED TO THE U.S.S.R. AS A LIAISON OFFICER…
...BUT HAD FLOWN AGAIN DESPITE HIS FEARS, THANKS TO THE RESOURCEFUL YANA. THEN A POLIKARPOV PO2 LIGHT BOMBER PILOT SAVAGING THE ENEMY LINES SHE WAS ONE OF THE FEMALE AIRCREW DUBBED “NACHTHEXEN”...NIGHT WITCHES. BOTH HAD BEEN WOUNDED AND FACED TESTING TRIALS...YANA WITH A MISSING BROTHER AND HER FAMILY’S ARISTOCRATIC PAST TO LIVE DOWN, DREW WITH A SISTER IN THE WOMEN’S AUXILIARY AIR FORCE WHO HAD DIED IN AN ENEMY BOMBING RAID ON ENGLAND.
THEY HAD SURVIVED CRASH-LANDING IN NORWAY ON THE WAY TO THE U.K. BUT THEN GOT CAUGHT UP IN RESISTANCE ACTIVITY WHICH HAD LED TO THEM HIJACKING THIS ONE-ONE-FIVE IN A BID FOR FREEDOM.
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NEW CONFIDENCE AND A FRESH START HAD BEEN DULLED BY THE INTERVENTION OF THE BRUTAL AND SCHEMING REVNIK WHOSE ONE AIM...
THE BROODING POLITICAL COMMISSAR SOON FOUND THAT HE WAS NOT AS MUCH IN CONTROL AS HE HAD THOUGHT. WORD OF THE ROGUE FLOATPLANE HAD BEEN CIRCULATED AND A MESSERSCHMITT 110 OPERATING FROM THE NORTH OF NORWAY INTERCEPTED THE FUGITIVES.
I HAVE THEM NOW!
GET US OUT OF THIS, LIEUTENANT!
...WAS TO GET BACK ON TO SOVIET SOIL. AT THE MOMENT HE WAS IN CONTROL AND CALLING THE SHOTS.
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YANA DID NOT EVEN ANSWER REVNIK AS SHE CONCENTRATED ON SURVIVAL. DREW TRIED AS BEST HE COULD TO HELP WITH FIRE FROM THE REAR 7.92MM MACHINE GUN.
SO THEY WANT TO MAKE A FIGHT OF IT, DO THEY?
I’M HAVING NO LUCK SO FAR…
THE CLUNK OF HIS MACHINE GUN REGISTERING EMPTY WAS NOT GOOD NEWS FOR DREW AND THE OTHERS. BUT YANA STILL HAD HER SKILL, THROWING THE FLOATPLANE OUT OF THE WAY OF THE ZERSTORER.
HIMMEL, I NEARLY HAD THEM!
YOU MUST DO BETTER THAN THIS, LIEUTENANT!
AND I WILL, COMRADE COMMISSAR, VERY SOON TOO. A PITY YOU ARE THE ONLY ONE WITH A GUN.
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BEFORE REVNIK COULD REPLY, A SICKENINGLY ABRUPT LOSS IN HEIGHT BUFFETED THE COMMISSAR LIKE THE BARREL OF LARD HE RESEMBLED.
YANA HAD USED THE HEINKEL’S ONE GREAT ADVANTAGE BY LANDING SUDDENLY AND UNEXPECTEDLY ON THE SURFACE OF A LAKE, A MOVE WHICH FOXED THE PURSUING LUFTWAFFE CREW. MEIN GOTT, THAT PILOT IS MAD!
HOLD ON TIGHT, THIS IS GOING TO GET ROUGH!
BY LENIN’S GHOST!
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THE FOR THE THE
BIG MESSERSCHMITT HAD NOW TO STRIVE ALTITUDE. DAIMLER-BENZ ENGINES BELLOWING, ENEMY PILOT MANAGED THAT BUT ONLY AT COST OF DAMAGE TO THE REAR FUSELAGE.
TEUFEL, WHAT WAS THAT?
A LUMP OF OUR AIRCRAFT, HERR LEUTNANT!
DOWN ON THE LAKE SURFACE YANA, COOL AS A PICKLED CUCUMBER, TAXIED READY TO TAKE OFF AGAIN WHILE THE ENEMY AIRCRAFT BEGAN A NERVEWRACKING FLIGHT TO ITS BASE.
RADIO IN A REPORT THAT WE CANNOT PURSUE THEM ANY LONGER.
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AS THE FLOATPLANE SLIPPED CLEAR OF THE LAKE, REVNIK, HIS PRIDE AND STOMACH UNSETTLED, VOICED NO THANKS FOR YANA’S QUICK THINKING.
PRESS ON TOWARDS MOTHER RUSSIA AGAIN AND TRY TO AVOID NAZI AIRCRAFT!
THE MAN IS AN IMBECILE! DOESN’T HE REALISE THAT YANA JUST SAVED ALL OUR NECKS?
AIR SPACE OVER NEUTRAL SWEDEN OFFERED SOME RESPITE, BUT YANA WAS KEEPING A WARY EYE ON THE FUEL GAUGES HOPING THAT THERE WAS STILL ENOUGH. THE VIOLENT MANOEUVRING HAD USED UP VALUABLE RESERVES. I MUST THROTTLE BACK AND FLY AS SMOOTHLY AS POSSIBLE TO CONSERVE OUR GASOLINE.
I WILL BE WATCHING YOUR EVERY MOVE CLOSELY, SO NO TRICKS!
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WORD OF THE ROGUE HEINKEL HAD BY NOW REACHED GERMAN S.S. UNITS IN ACTION ALONG THE BORDERLANDS OF FINLAND AND RUSSIA. THE CREW OF AN 88MM ANTI-AIRCRAFT GUN WERE GLAD OF THE CHANCE OF SOME TARGET PRACTICE.
YANA KNEW THAT THEY WERE NOW OVER DISPUTED TERRITORY, BUT THE BURST OF THE FIRST HEAVY SHELL WAS STILL A SURPRISE.
THEY HAVE SPOTTED US!
RAUS, RAUS, THIS WILL HEAT YOU UP!
AND THEY’RE GETTING TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT!
LET’S MOVE IT, KAMERADEN!