The Devils Angel
A War Thunder short by JC260
The morning wasn't a bad one Echo and his wingman Ace had scrambled quicker than their fellow pilots and today they had France with them for support against Israel and Sweden after encountering surprisingly two enemy Mig-21's heading for a friendly tank convoy heading south it put some sense of unrest in the pilots Russia wasn't meant to be here all scrambled aircraft were ordered to scout out for any more Migs or any threat to their air superiority it wouldn't be too difficult luckily being paired with Germany has its perks especially if your wingman has a step up from a Mig-21.
"This is Echo, where are you Ace?"
"Umm off your left about 4 km's out I found something. It's been picked up on radar, it isn't shown as friendly, why couldn't you just have flown the F-14 out?" he asked.
"It's like asking if you should've just flown the F-4 out instead," I answered with annoyance, doing an occasional look out my cockpit for any black specks moving rapidly.
"Fair point," Echo leaned forward a little bit seeing two blips on his radar though just able to make them out because of the ground clutter which appeared as a smudge on the radarscope. One thing he was grateful for is that the F-5E's radar was reliable for looking for aircraft.
"Alright i'm picking you and that bogey up, i'm going in from the rear you lead him towards me but at an angle" Echo told him calmly.
"Got it"
Seeing the familiar green arrow shaped nose fly by around a kilometer away with a noticeable rocket shaped fuselage with triangle delta wings and delta elevators slowly gaining on Ace, definitely a Mig-21 but who knows what model Echo noticed only one missile left under the left wing.
"Alright Ace it's one hundred percent a Mig-21 he has only one missile left, snap left bring him in" Echo now angled his joystick slightly to right allowing his wingman to come at him almost directly.
"To the devil you go" Echo called out once Ace flew past safely Echo held down the trigger in a split moment the Mig-21 once a solid object erupted into a ball of flame smashing into the ground in a fiery explosion adding its own heat to the already hot climate.
"I got him Ace let's head back looks like there were only three" Echo continued the turn he was in and ended up off Ace's left wing bound for home.
Flying silently back to base Echo shifted uneasily in his seat he took a glance out the left of his cockpit he felt this before back when he flew a F-86 Sabre he was shot down from the rear by an enemy Sabre.
"Something isn't right Ace" Echo told his wingman with concern.
"What do you mean?" Ace asked.
"I'll fly as bait you break off head out about 10 km's come back around from the rear at a high angle" Echo answered. Then Echo heard a thundering boom looking up and seeing a dagger fly right at him and Ace he yelled to break up and unfortunately for Ace he had the jet glued to him.
"He's on me, get it off!" Ace shouted over the radio causing static, he fought hard to keep whatever that jet was from taking his rear off.
Echo pulled a harsh fourteen Gs in a sharp turn and landed smack bang on the jets tail keeping the afterburner running he quickly flicked up the covering for the fire button for the AIM-9J sidewinders strapped literally to the edges of his F-5E's wing tips.
"Getting tone, got tone FOX 2!" Following the missile, the enemy jet suddenly pulled up flying back onto Echo's tail now, Echo recognized its shape as a F-1 fighter jet. It looks identical to the French Jaguar but shorter wings, different body design and at heart it was Japanese and fought with their weapons.
"Ace get out of here you won't win this" Echo had to pull a roll to avoid a burst of Vulcan rounds he tried to look back at his attacker only seeing the sharp nose and hole on the lower left side where the vulcan fires and once more Echo dodges.
"Negative Echo i ain't leaving my wingman!"
Ace came around and lit up the F-1 with his twenty-three millimeter cannon getting light hits but ultimately not downing the nimble fighter which pulled up suddenly using its entire body as an airbrake and ended tight on Aces tail which Ace couldn't respond to fast enough and in seconds he was shot to pieces.
"Echo, give him the Hell he's been waiting for!" Echo looked back seeing his wingman's Mig-23 explode into a ball of fire and right through it he saw that F-1 came right for him.
"Come on let's see what you got, you son of a bitch!"
Echo pitched the nose down heading deep into the gray clouded valley below leading the F-1 along a river every once in a while, he would shoot a burst of vulcan rounds and each time missed he was completely unaware of the trick this pilot had up his sleeve.
"I know you damn watching …" Echo saw the steel bridge ahead with just barely any clearance beneath it he aimed for above it, looking into his top mirror he saw the F-1 dive downward going for the shot.
"The Devil may be against me or with me but today for a moment let the Devil have that Angel by his side i need all the luck you two can give me"
Seeing the bridge almost pass Echo threw his F-5E into a violent reverse kobra pulling up for to 40 degrees she looked ready to go to the moon and just as quickly using the rudder and rolling forcing the nose into a dive seeing the F-1 come out from under the bridge he lit the fuselage up causing much damage but no fire no going down he was leaking fluids and heading away, Echo put on the thrust and came around he wasn't going to catch that fighter regardless if he was or wasn't damaged.
"Damn it" Echo readyed his last sidewinder. He watched the F-1 carefully and right before he fired the F-1 exploded he didn't understand no one else was here just him.
"Echo still with us buddy?" Echo looked up to his right and couldn't believe it he saw his best friend still flying though badly damaged his engine leaking and multiple holes in both wings and chunks missing from the rudder flew alongside him as if nothing happened.
"How? I saw you explode" Echo asked in shock.
"The Devil's Angel, he gave me the luck I needed" Ace simply answered.
"You're definitely telling me over a drink first round on me" both laughed turning for home.
As they crossed the valleys on the way back the sun shined down on them guiding them all the way home Echo took a moment to look up and embrace it knowing something was watching over him and his best friend and hopefully it would continue for whatever came next.
