Just another day moving mud for TX Squadron. These shots were taken on |FAST| SpaRX's server last night as TX dropped a multitude of ordinance over Bastogne.
This first shot is Rahman and I going into the intitial dive attack. Rahman's K4 carried a 500Kilo Christmas present for the VVS folks down there and my F8 was packed to the gills with as much explosive happiness as Santa could load up.
Merry Christmas over Bastogne!
Tail shot of the targets as they scramble to safety.
Bombs away!!
Hard to say if this was a hit, but it was close. My F8 took heavy ground fire as the bombs went off but the good thing about the F8 is that it takes a beating before giving up the ghost.
Gunsight view of a nasty little AA gun that caused havoc for quite a few of us that evening. Gonna get you sucka!
Bombs away again, this shot is actually of the second pair of 50KG, the first have already been dropped and are on their carol singing way to the AA emplacement. The second pair brought a warm cozy spirit to.......
....the barracks where the AA gunners lived
This shot shows bombs exploding their mess hall and the confirmation that the gun emplacement was hit. Still toting the SC500 though.
After a starboard turn to look for additional targets, what suddenly appears on the runway? A B17 foolishly thinking he can scramble out of there.
Bombs away, joy to the world my good man!
Another view of the drop
Passing view of the bomb impact. The drop was low enough to cause shrapnel damage again, little bits of my elevator and rudder where thoughtfully mailed back to me by the B17 crew, who had nothing better to do after their plane was destroyed.
Final view of the destruction caused by an SC500 detonating close aboard
Merry Christmas to the VVS!!!
We had an excellent time unloading ordinance on these guys. If you don't get much stick time in a ground pounder, you might want to try it. Dive bombing with an F8 is a hoot and it's hard to compare to the sense of accomplishment when your bombs hit the target. It's a whole different world flying the Jabo, you are simultaneously the hunter and the hunted. Tactics are different, engagement mentality is different and there is a hell of a lot more praying going on in the cockpit for sure. When the flak gets rough, fighters are spraying cannon fire at you and you are thinking to yourself 'holyshat, wtf am I doing here', thats about the time you know to push the bomb release, bank hard and hope like hell you have a wingman
Thanks go out to SpaRX for designing and hosting this fine mission, he makes the ground attack experience everything that it's supposed to be. S!!
TX-Zen
Black 6