Of wings and fire
Summary: WW2 Nonbending AU: The year is late 1942. Aang is a fighter pilot in the US navy and is sent to the Guadalcanal campaign. Azula is a veteran navy pilot in the Japanese navy, also fighting at Guadalcanal. As the two clash in the skies again and again, will something blossom out of it? Or will they remain enemies?
Ch 1
Guadalcanal
November 1942
Henderson field
The sounds of gunfire echoed in the distance, but it no longer scared the airmen stationed on Henderson field. The 'cactus airforce' as it was called, was working day and night to keep the Japanese enemy at bay. And they were getting quite successful at it.
Inside the barracks, Aang put on his flight suit and looked at the orders that were known to all the pilots. Keep the Japanese at bay, and destroy their war machines.
Aang couldn't believe that he was now flying for the US navy. And he was one of the first pilots to fly a new fighter, the Chance-Vought F4U Corsair. It had a large engine, and gull-wings. It was made for practical reasons, thanks to the large propeller. And it also gave the plane incredible maneuverability.
"Hey, Aang. You ready?" Sokka asked, entering the barracks.
"Yeah, I'm ready, Sokka." Aang said, turning to meet his friend and fellow combat pilot.
Sokka was already a veteran, having fought at Midway and in the opening stages of Guadalcanal. He quickly befriended Aang, and taught him some combat tactics.
"Remember. The Zero is more maneuverable than your plane, especially at low speed turns. Here's a rule to remember. Never dogfight with a Zero. Try and maintain the altitude advantage. If not, you make the fight into a vertical fight. The Zero can't dive or climb worth shit, and when you turn it to the vertical, head right. At high speeds, the Zero won't be able to turn as good as our planes." Sokka said.
"Thanks for the advice. They taught us a bit back at the states." Aang said.
"You'll know real quick that what you were taught in the states, doesn't work in the real world." Sokka said.
"Anything else I need to know?" Aang asked.
"There's one maneuver that is highly effective against the zero. It's called the thatch weave. Two planes turn into each other over and over. The zero will latch onto one, and be shot by the wingman." Sokka said.
"I'll try to remember that." Aang said.
As Aang looked over his new fighter, he clearly remembered why America was fighting the war against Japan. Japan attacked Pearl-Harbor, sinking most of the fleet. They quickly conquered many islands. The Philippines, Solomon Islands, they even reached out to the Midway. But the Americans stopped the Japanese at Midway, and were now pushing them back. Slowly, but surely.
Now, they had a foothold on Guadalcanal and were holding their territory hard. But Japanese planes and ships were still coming in from Rabaul and other nearby Japanese bases.
"What kind of plane is that?" Sokka asked, as he and Aang walked to the Corsair.
"F4-U Corsair. Very fast and maneuverable. Also quite durable." Aang said.
"What's with the gull wings?" Sokka asked.
"Look at the large propeller, and the size of the landing gear." Aang said.
"Oh. That makes sense." Sokka said.
"Oh, guys. We got our orders. Japanese bombers were spotted heading towards us. Betty and Vals. Along with fighter escorts." A pilot said.
"See you up there." Sokka said, as he ran to his F4F wildcat.
Sitting in the cockpit, Aang started up the engine and taxied the plane onto the runaway following 5 Wildcats, 4 P-39s, and 3 Corsairs (plus his). It wasn't much, but they still held the island.
Closing the canopy, he put his goggles and face mask on and waited for the word. Soon, the radio sparkled to life, and the base commander gave the order.
"All planes on runway 2, take off now."
With a green flare in the sky, the 12 planes rolled down the runaway and into the skies heading north west to intercept the incoming Japanese forces.
"Look alive, pilots. Focus on the bombers. Ignore the escorts. Stay with your wingman at all times. Maintain a two-plane formation." Sokka radioed.
The American planes continued heading in their direction, when the lead pilot calls it out.
"Contact! 6 enemy bombers, and 8 Zekes!"
"Everyone, pick your targets and bring it down fast. Aang, you're with me." Sokka said, as he yawed to the left and accelerated towards the right flank of the bomber force. Coming closer, he squeezed the trigger and sent out .50 bullets at the Betty bomber.
The high caliber bullets tore into the non-armored bomber, and Sokka watched it fall from the sky.
"Aang, take the next one!" Sokka said, as his squadron started a furball with the Japanese aircraft.
Aang put the gun piper on the cockpit of the Betty he's approaching and pulls the trigger. The Corsair shudders as the 6 machineguns roar to life.
Aang flies over the crippled bomber and watches it explode in mid-air. He pulled hard to the left to avoid a Zero as it dives on him. Following the Zero, he closes in and blows the left wing off. Pulling up to search for more targets, his radio bursts with activity.
"I got one! I got one!"
"How many bombers are left?!"
"Number 3, you got two Zekes on your tail! Head straight towards me, now!"
"I'm bailing out!"
"I got a red demon to deal with!"
Looking up, Aang saw a P-39 being chased by a blood-red Zeke, its guns destroying the P-39. Pulling up, he closes the distance between the unknown attacker and saw that it was colored blood red.
Just as he put the gun sights on the enemy plane, the pilot suddenly turned around and headed towards him. Both pilots fired their guns at each other, yet missed by a mile.
Aang turned to the left and pursued the red fighter plane, only for his opponent to start a rolling scissors with him. Aang stayed back, knowing not to engage a Zero in a dogfight. He watched his enemy turn around and head straight towards him, head on.
Aang grabbed the accelerator and shoved it forward, being thrown into his seat by the aggressive acceleration. The enemy pilot fired its 20mm cannon, thick whooping noises are heard thru the cockpit.
Panicking, Aang broke first and flew away from the Zero. Turning around, he saw the Zero fast approaching him, firing its 7.7mm guns. Aang's Corsair shuddered as it took the punishing blows. Aang looked at the gauges, trying to ascertain how damaged his plane was.
Aang did a double take as he saw the blood-red Zero flying in formation with him. Looking inside the cockpit, he ripped his helmet and mask off to get a better look. In the Zero, he saw a beautiful woman with black hair, and gold eyes. Looking close at the Zero, he saw that the pinup was a large blue flame.
Aang rolled his Corsair to the left and stepped on the right pedal, heading right over the Zero and headed down to the earth, away from his enemy. Looking at his altimeter, his concentration was broken when bullets ran past his aircraft.
How the hell did she…! Aang thought, and quickly pulled up, forcing the wounded bird to climb.
Looking behind him, his female adversary flew away from him. But he knew she could kill him as she wished. His plane was suffering from damage, and that affected its performance. And to make matters worse, he was a nugget. She was a veteran.
Aang kept his eyes glued on his enemy as she positioned herself ahead of him.
"Me or you. Me or you." Aang said, as he flew towards his enemy.
Both planes fired at each other one final time. The Corsair violently shook as the engine took moderate damage, cutting on its speed. Still pulling the trigger, Aang watched as his enemy inverted to fly over. Time seemed to slow down as both planes and pilots met. Aang looked up and his female opponent, who was looking at him with a malicious smile. She then flew away from the furball, back to her base.
"Aang, we shot down all the bombers. The fighter escorts are bugging out. Time to get the hell out of dodge." Sokka ordered.
"Copy that. On my way." Aang said, trailing the rest of the squadron.
As he struggled to control his plane, his thoughts went back to the fight between him and his enemy. She was very skilled, and Aang was sure she was toying with. She had plenty of chances to kill him. Why didn't she take it?
"She looked at me, like I was a slab of meat and she was a ravenous animal ready to devour it." Aang muttered to himself.
"You're one lucky bastard. You know that?" a fellow pilot said.