Tainted Cigar: VF-41

The Cuban crisis has gone bad. The soviets under leadership of Nikita Krushchev did not back down, despite the US naval blockade. When all diplomacy fails, President Kennedy is left but one option: Destroy the soviet missiles on Cuba. Ousting the Cuban leader Fidel Castro will be a nice side-effect.

Squadron: VF-41 Black Aces aboard the Indepence

Four Phantoms F-4B stand ready on the catapult. We are tasked with providing escort for Memphis flight, four skyhawks send out to bomb missile sites on the Cuban main land.

With a short interval we are all shot of the deck of the Independence.

The four of us form up near the carrier and head for Cuba.

We are soon joined by the Skyhawks, each carrying a pair of Mk-82 bombs.

Contact! The WSO spots several bogies racing towards us. I drop the external fuel tanks and order the rest of the flight to do the same.

The Cuban MIG's are too close and at first I overshoot my target. I make a hard turn away from the MIG's, creating some distance for my sparrows.

When I line up again, I get a fire signal for the sparrow. The missile leaps from underneath my aircraft, races towards the MIG who tries to evade the missile in vain. Splash one.

Below the Skyhawks start their bomb run on the missile site.

While the Skyhawks bomb the site, a wild dogfight has erupted above their heads as more and more Cuaban Migs race towards the site. But we are waiting for them.

It's like a turkey shoot, the Cubans don't have missiles, so they have to get within gun range. But with our radar guided missiles we can shoot them one by one out of the sky.

I fire sparrow after sparrow. These Mig pilots must be real suicidal.

The sky is filled with burning Migs plummeting towards the ground.

Finally the calls comes that the Skyhawks have dropped their bombs and are heading home. It's time for us to bug out too.

A flight of Banshees arrive to cover our retreat.

They mop up the remaining Cuban aircraft in the area.

The return flight is uneventfull. The Cubans are getting pummeled. I am the first to land at the carrier, with the rest of the wing hot on my tail.

The mission was a success. I bagged three Migs. Nevertheless we lost 2 skyhawks. One to ground fire and one to a Mig who managed to sneak past us. It proves that despite the resounding success in the dogfight, the Cubans won't go down without a fight.

The End