Tainted Cigar: 95th FIS

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: 95th FIS operating F-106A Delta Darts from MacDill AFB

The F-106A would be the last dedicated interceptor in the US inventory and today we are going to prove it could meet its job requirements. As our fellow pilots have attacked the Cubans all day, it is time for the Cuban to try a counter-attack.



We are on hold, ready to launch in a moment's notice, when word comes down. A flight of soviet bombers is heading for Florida. Now the gloves are really off, if the Soviets attack us in plain sight.



Our jets spool up and in mere seconds we are climbing straight up into the sky. With its internal weapons-bay the F-106 remains a sleek killing machine without all the weapon racks that hang beneath the other fighters.



The Soviet bombers are almost at their target, one of the many airfields from which we attack Cuba. The bomber crews might think they are almost home but they are in for a surprise.



With full afterburner, our flight has reached the enemy formation just in time. I hear the Falcon missile groan, indicating it has locked on the hot exhaust of the Soviet jets. I let the missile loose with much satisfaction.



In the bombers, the Soviet gunners watch in horror as one of them is shot out of the sky by my missile. Did they think they could come here without a fight?



I scream past the bombers, calling out to my wingman to attack the bombers on his turn.



The bombers are about to release their bombs. We are too late to stop them but at least we will make sure they don't return to Cuba.



My wingman has locked on to his target and fires a missile. We will make this a costly retreat for the Soviets.



Another bomber plummets to the ground, trailing smoke and fire behind it.



I managed to turn my fighter around and begin pursuing the bombers again. Its a race against time, because my wingman is tearing them apart. One more bomber breaks apart in a fiery explosion.



I fire another missile, killing of the last bomber. The Soviets might have bombed the airfield, but none of them returned homewards.



Below us, smoke billows from the base. Luckily for use the only thing the Soviets managed to hit were some empty bunkers. The runway remained untouched.



Returning home, I wiggle my wings to the ground crews. Hopefully somebody has a can of red paint, so that I can paint two red stars underneath my cockpit.

The end.

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