hold out long enough for the reinforcing Hornets from the carrier to join
them.
“Two-one-two, this is Leader. Close in around Batman and CAG,” he
ordered.
“Copy,” Dallas Sheridan responded laconically.
He turned away from the MiG and kicked in his afterburners again, trying
to put as much distance as possible between his plane and the opposition.
This one didn’t press the pursuit … but there were plenty of other
Russians out there who were still fighting hard. The withdrawal of the Sukhoi
squadron had given the Vipers a fighting chance to hold out. But the odds
were still against them, and at this point it still looked like the Hornets
would come in time to avenge the Tomcats, but too late to rescue them.
0945 hours Zulu (0945 hours Zone)
Tomcat 211
Northwest of the Faeroe Islands
“Break right! Break right!”
Batman responded to the urgency in Malibu’s voice and banked to port.
Most of the MiGs seemed to be swarming around his plane now, presumably
because they’d spotted CAG’s bird moving in to support him. As the F14 turned
he spotted a MiG matching his maneuver and cursed. The fight was starting to
remind him of a Top Gun exercise where the instructors just kept pressing,
never letting up until all the students had been pronounced eliminated.
This time, though, defeat wasn’t just a radar lock and a lecture back on
the ground. The Russians were pulling out all the stops. It was worse than
Korea … even worse than the desperate fighting over the Indian Ocean.
“Damn it,” he said aloud. “There’s just too many of them!” Stramaglia’s
gruff voice broke in. “What’s the matter, Wayne? Aren’t the bad guys playing
fair?” The CAG bird had appeared as if by magic on Batman’s radar display,
and even as he watched he saw a Sidewinder streak toward the MiG that had been
maneuvering after him. “Fox two! Fox two!” CAG continued smoothly. A moment
later the heat-seeker struck, breaking off the Russian’s tail in a spectacular
blast.
“Thanks, CAG,” Batman said, letting out a shuddering breath. He hadn’t
been counting on Stramaglia. The captain had seemed so disoriented at the
beginning of the fight. But now CAG was in the battle, and even though his
one remaining Sidewinder wasn’t much, it was better than any of the other
Tomcats had.
“Save it,” Stramaglia growled. “Now let’s get in there and show these
bastards what a Top Gun really is! You take the lead, and I’ll cover your
tail … compadre.”
Behind him, Malibu chuckled, and Batman gave a wolfish grin. “On my way,
CAG!”
“Up here it’s Stinger. Stop talking and start shooting!”
The two Tomcats streaked toward the nearest MiGs, carrying the fight to
the enemy.
0946 hours Zulu (0946 hours Zone)
Fulcrum Leader
Northwest of the Faeroe Islands
Terekhov saw the newly arrived American hit one of his MiGs with a
heat-seeker and cursed. He’d thought that the Americans would have fired off
all their missiles by this time, but some of the pilots had held back. Some
of his planes were out of missiles already, even though they’d started with
full loads. If only more of his men would be as disciplined as the Americans!
The Rodina would have nothing to fear if fewer Russian pilots substituted
firepower for tactics.
It was frustrating to watch the battle unfold, to know that the Americans
were out-flying and outfighting his elite Naval Aviation men at every turn.
The kill ratio was running close to four-to-one despite the numerical
superiority of the MiGs. Even though the enemy could ill afford any losses,
they kept on coming, attacking against the odds and somehow, by sheer nerve
apparently, getting away with it.
He wished now that he hadn’t consented to giving up the Sukhoi squadron
to Glushko’s over-caution. The object of the ambush was to crush this
American force quickly and completely, and those extra aircraft might have
allowed him to finish off the enemy with fewer losses to his own planes.
No matter. The Americans were still outnumbered and would soon be
eliminated, even if it did cost more MiGs to destroy them.
He spotted the two Americans driving toward Lieutenant Oganov, who had