We were in a deadly circle, Yuri first, trying to reach the 104 on my tail, and me trying for the 104 on his. “Guns, guns from two!” Green tracer mixed with red sprayed past me, Yuri and the Israeli firing together. Yuri scored first; I could see it in my mirror, a bright flash as the Starfighter on my tail erupted in flames. To my right, a camouflaged blur, Yuri powering past me in full afterburner. “Break off, two! I’m in range!” I was pulling the radar cross into the launch zone, and loosed my radar-guided missile. My Sirena suddenly went wild with a beeping tone I knew all too well.
“There’s a Phantom close, Yuri! Find him quick!” I was guiding my R-3 and for the next few seconds I had to be careful. I was a sitting duck for the F-4 as the Starfighter ahead of me tried wildly to break my lock.
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“I am holding him, one. I see two aircraft, closing fast! Terminate the 104 quickly, that we may meet the new threat!” Yuri cursed. “Missile launch! I am maneuvering…”
Ahead of me, the F-104 exploded in a fireball. I was already thinking ahead. The Jews had planned their trap well. The Phantoms were behind us with speed on their side and better missiles. We were well and truly suckered. They had come in low, beneath the Egyptian radar screen. When we pounced on the F-104s, they leisurely jockeyed for position behind us. The 104s were a tempting sacrifice. We never did find out where the Israelis had got them.
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Now, I had to think fast. Yuri was already engaged defensive. Our fuel was running low. We were in enemy territory and the bandits had the energy advantage. Only one thing to do.
“Two, rejoin! Set course 270 and step on it!”
“270? We show them our tails?”
“DA! To the canal, where our…”
“Missiles! DA, comrade! Will they follow?”
“Let us see!”
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We both pointed our MiGs for the deck and applied afterburner, spending precious fuel. And yes, the Phantoms followed. All around the Suez canal, Egyptian antiaircraft batteries and missiles, with our advisors, protected the skies in depth as our experience in Vietnam had taught us. We neared the canal with the Phantoms in pursuit. Suddenly, flak began bursting in the skies around us!
“Arabs! They’ll kill us as well as the Israelis!”
Through my windscreen I saw the white smoke trails, SA-2s launching! My Sirena was silent but for the F-4, and suddenly that lock dropped off as well, the Phantom trying to evade the approaching missile. Both of them failed. The rest of our flight home to Cairo was uneventful after that.
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