TIN CAN AIREDALE: Book 7 of The Fighting Tomcats by Tin Can Airdale (epub)

Author:Tin Can Airdale (epub)
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-01-09T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 10

RAG BRIEFING ROOM, NAS MIRAMAR

1300, 11 August, 1943

Captain Jose ‘Speedy’ Gonzalez and Captain Hunt walk in to the briefing room, “Attention on deck.”

The aircrews stand. Hunt, “Carry on. Speedy asked me to speak to you today about ACM against Japanese and German adversaries.” She sees among the class the familiar face of Marion Morrison. “The first, and most important lesson is that the enemy are very good pilots. The stupid pilots don’t survive. Of course, that applies to you too, so don’t be stupid.”

She sits on the desk, “I’ve no doubt you’ve had lesson plans on the performance of each enemy aircraft we know about. I’ll not repeat it here. Keep in mind how much their performance changes based on loadout. The Japanese F-15’s couldn’t maneuver worth shit with two Harpoon missiles hanging off them and a full load of gas. The Japanese do not run from a fight and they don’t just drop ordinance to engage. When they come out, they mean to complete their mission. That said, they struggle to fight cohesively. All of them want to be aces. It’s rare for a Japanese wingman to actually stay where he’s needed.”

She continues, “American pilots can be just as kill greedy. Remember what I said. Stupid air crews die. Work together, but at the same time, stay aggressive. It’s rare for a plan to survive contact with the enemy. That’s why we teach maneuver and principles. It’s why we teach tactics, and strategies.”

“The Germans are much more flexible in their tactics. They shift on the fly quickly and some of their pilots are really good. Our long-range missiles and targeting systems are better than theirs, but that could change. Questions?”

Marion Morrison, “Ma’am. Can you tell us how y’ managed to get shot down?”

She smiles, “What call sign did you end up with, Ensign Morrison?”

“Frosty, ma’am.”

“Well, Frosty, they brought out jammers. The jamming severely limits the success of our AIM-54’s. One thing a good RIO can do is slave the radar to the camera, use the laser to find the range, and send updates to the fifty-fours, so they can push through the jamming. However, you can’t maneuver while doing such a crazy trick.”

Frosty, “Then it was a sacrifice play?”

“It was. Fortunately, my RIO and I survived.”

She answers questions for another hour, then suits up to fly.

ADMIRAL’S BRIDGE, USS GEORGE WASHINGTON

0812, 12 August, 1943

Houlihan, “You wanted to see me, sir?”

Admiral Slade, “I do. What the hell happened up there? This was supposed to be a cake walk to Borneo to destroy their oil fields.”

“They’ve created a layered defense of Borneo. We can reduce it over time by destroying the aircraft and fields. Having more than one carrier would make it easier.”

“Admiral Nimitz has ordered us back into the Pacific. God damn it. I wanted to destroy the fields. Why couldn’t you have pushed through the threats and continued on mission?”

“Sir, hitting the closest oil fields is a thirteen thousand mile round trip. That’s at the edge of our range, if it was a cake walk.

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