"William Forstchen - Crystal Warriors 1 - Crystal Warriors" - читать интересную книгу автора (Forstchen William R)

herd, and with a crippled craft there would be no hope of regaining the shield of fire that a formation
could place around itself. The wolves would soon be closing in.

"Look out for company--we'll soon be getting lots of it. Kraut, you still with us?"

"I'm okay, Mark."

Thank god the navigator was all right.

"Listen, Kraut, I'll be following the squadron back on a heading of two seventeen, but if Goldberg says
we don't have the juice, I want you to line up our choices and get them back to me."
"Captain, this is Walker."

"How are things back in the tail?"

"Not good, Captain. Three bandits approaching at seven o'clock low."

"I've got them on my screen!" Kochanski shouted.

"Giorgini, lock them into central fire control."

"Locked in."

"Here they come-----"

The Dragon Fire shook as her guns, guided by the B-29's central fire system, swung into action, setting
out an arc of tracers to greet the first Zero as it rolled in low for a sweeping pass. The camouflaged plane
shot past, soaring upward in a steep climb that would position him for a dive.

"Mark, it's Goldberg."

"Go on, give me the word."

"Losing fuel at over thirty gallons a minute from portside fuel tanks. Our radius of action is four hundred
and ten miles at the present heading."

"Can't we switch off starboard fuel and use up portside first?"

"Already done that."

"Watch it," Walker shouted. "Two more boring in."

The Dragon Fire's guns fired deep staccato bursts, which were counterpointed by the enemy's 20mm
shells.

Suddenly Ray Welsh, the left side gunner, gave a wild shout of triumph. "We've flamed one, we've
flamed one! Look at that bastard burn!"

"Shut up, Welsh, let's keep some discipline!"