Part 5
Paris had been completely destroyed. Hundreds of Allied bombers had descended on the besieged city and had give it all they had. Sergeant Frak, One Shot and Dan had made it out mere minutes before hell had fallen from the sky. They had captured the German truck and a few uniforms to make their escape. The truck had been going top speed when the bombs started to drop.
Now, the three men were inside a B-17, along with a dozen others. They were heading over the English channel toward Britain.
Over the load roar of the Flying Fortress's engines, Sergeant Frak was taking to the Navigator. "How long before we set down?" Frak shouted over the engines.
"About 15 more minutes sir!"
"Good, I―"
"Holy shit" interrupted the pilot and co-pilot together. Frak looked out the window.
"What the hell are those?"
The pilot was starting slow evasive maneuvers. "Those are some new fighter from the Germans. Me-262 I think." To the gunners, "Hit them if you can boys, they won't take use without a fight." Finally, to the passengers," Strap into some parachutes soldiers; this could turn out to be a not so pleasant flight. Jump as soon as you're ready." The crew and the soldiers did what they were told. The B-17's machine guns began to roar and fill the air with hot projectiles. It was no good though. The 262s were flying circles around the B-17. The 262s took strafing runs on the B-17. The German fighters riddled holes in the gigantic plane. Dan had strapped on a parachute and look out a side window for a look at their attackers. To his amazement, they were the same type that had attack the camp he had been at during the Battle of Berlin and the atomic bomb detonation.
Frak walked down the middle of the two lines of men on either side of the cargo area. Checking and double checking their parachutes. As he neared the front of the line, he hit the door release and the cargo door opened. Frak look out and saw a 262 coming up behind their plane. Fearing a machine gun burst, Frak shout for everyone to get down. He was too late to lower himself. Instead of bullets shredding through him, the 262 had launched a rocket. It caught Frak full in the chest and propelled him into the cockpit where it exploded. The front half of the B-17 was instantly vaporized. The few men that had survived the explosion, including One Shot and Dan, leapt from the burning plane and parachuted into the water below. Dan was wonder when the 262s would circle back and kill them off. They never did. Instead, the pilots had angled toward the French coastline at top speed, higher then Dan could see. The answer for their departure became obvious seconds later. A bright light filled the dawn sky, a light as bright as the sun. As bright as an atomic bomb, Dan thought.
A mushroom cloud appeared over the British coastline.