If my life were important I
Would ask if I'll live or die
But I know the answers lie far from this world
The flight from the test coordinates to Hamberg was altogether too short, especially when Hogan had spent most of the time waiting for his normally quick-thinking brain to catch up with the crazy mess he now found himself in. Hanging back, not only to observe but also to try and come up with a plan, he saw the skirmish start to intensify as the Red and Blue Teams joined in the other Luftwaffe planes already there.
The Allied bombers hadn't come alone. American Mustangs were already engaging the Messerschmitts, trying to protect their B-17s while they readied for their bombing run. The air was heavy with flak, both from the fighter planes above and anti-aircraft guns below.
Hogan knew this was going to be tricky flying. Having a co-pilot/gunner meant that he couldn't freely shoot at the German planes without great risk to himself, especially if he hoped to return to the airbase. Plus, he knew that he was considered fair game by the Allies who did not know that he was technically a 'friendly'. The swastikas on the fuselage made Hogan feel like someone had painted bullseyes on his back.
Joining the fray, he started after a Mustang at 2:00 and gave chase. His co-pilot, Grier, targeted the American plane, but at the last second, Hogan jerked the plane, under the pretense of imminent attack by Allies, causing the shots to go wide. Another Mustang got him in his sights. Evading the retaliation, Hogan peeled right and swooped into the path of a bomber. Grier let fly with the guns, but Hogan shifted the plane so that the bomber only received a couple of rounds before being out of range.
Again, Hogan took off after another Mustang to keep up his German allegience charade, only this time he banked left as Grier shot, causing the rounds to go over the Allied plane into a Messerschmitt that was closing behind. Smoke came out of the Red Team plane and soon chutes appeared as the pilots ejected.
As Hogan came round again, he saw that the other Germans hadn't been idle. One bomber was in serious trouble, spouting fire as it crashed into the landscape below. A couple of Mustangs looked like they were about to meet the same fate. Many parachutes were seen in the air, both German and Allied. Red Team was down three planes, one courtesy of Hogan, but Blue Team was still at full strength. As Hogan had feared, nothing could touch these new planes in the air.
Meanwhile, the bombers had acquired their target and started dropping hundreds of bombs onto the factory below. The area erupted into a ball of fire and a thunderous explosion filled the air. Caught in a shock wave, Hogan turned his plane to ride out the worst of the turbulence. This brought him directly inline with an Allied bomber. Wasting no time, Grier let loose a volley of rounds into the fuselage, large holes appearing where the bullets connected. Unable to react fast enough, Hogan watched in horror as the cockpit was ripped apart, followed by the gunnery port and down to the tail of the aircraft. The helpless bomber went into a swift nosedive, spiraling out of control.
No! No! No! Hogan screamed in his mind as he watched the plane go down, praying for parachutes to appear as horror numbed his body and clutched his heart. His mind flashed back to when Goldilocks was shot down, both reliving the experience and meshing it with what was going on in the bomber descending before his eyes. Come on, guys, come on! Where are the chutes? Please, God… Hogan was mesmerized, watching the helpless plane as it continued to fall out of the sky, reaching the point where chutes would be useless, and then finally saw it crash into the landscape below, erupting in flames. Hogan knew there would be no survivors.
"Kerbe eine für die guten Kerle!" Hogan winced as he automatically translated Grier's excited and enthusiastic words 'Score one for the good guys'. Good guys indeed. Hogan finally wrenched his eyes away from the bomber's wreckage and said a silent prayer for the souls of the Allied men he'd just killed. Traitor… the thought whispered through his mind as the guilt wrapped itself around his conscience.
There was no time to grieve. Suddenly, an American Mustang rose into the air before Hogan's plane, guns blazing. By this time, the Allied bombers had turned and were starting their return to England. The battle had drifted eastwards and was approaching the sky over Hammelburg. The Mustangs were still providing cover, doggedly trying to down the new super fighters that were decimating the Allies. Hogan wheeled his plane around, denying both Grier and the Mustang a shot at each other.
The adrenalin pumping through Hogan's body finally kicked his overtaxed brain into gear and a plan started to form loosely in his mind. Knowing that he had all the intelligence on the new planes with him, and that he was close to Hammelburg, Hogan decided that the best course of action for him at the moment was to get the film to the boys at Stalag 13 to send to London. Norbert was an unknown quantity and Hogan knew that Kinch and the guys would get the plans to England without question. Then he only had to trust Norbert to restore his identity. If he didn't, well, Hogan would deal with that later, but at least the plans would be delivered safely into the right hands.
Turning the plane around, Hogan engaged the Mustang before it decided to turn tail back to England with the bombers. Judging his timing carefully, Hogan tried to make sure the Mustang was unscathed while his plane bore the brunt of the attack. Bullets strafed the wings, narrowly avoiding the engines and instant destruction. The two planes dived and weaved, each targeting the other with little success.
Suddenly, a hail of bullets smashed though the canopy of Hogan's plane, spraying him with glass and killing Grier instantly. Hogan knew that the time was right. As the Mustang made another pass, he steered the plane into the path of bullets, causing them to impact with his tail rudder and wing flaps. Losing control of navigation, Hogan knew the plane was going down and quickly ejected. As the plane continued its death glide into the ground, Hogan couldn't help but think Make that one for the good guys!
A sense of déjà vu washed over Hogan as his parachute drifted silently through the night and into the trees near Hammelburg. As he watched the Allies head back to England and the remains of his former German squad return to base, one thought crossed the back of his mind, I've got to quit flying over Hamberg...