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The Cobra
by Roger Couvillon
153 pages; quality trade paperback (softcover); catalogue #04-0845; ISBN 1-4120-3018-8; US$14.95, C$16.49, EUR13.99, £9.49
Settle into the cockpit of your P40 Kittyhawk and get ready for the ride of your life. It's 1942, and you're about to experience dogfights like you never have before.
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About the Book About the Author Excerpts Catalogue Information
About the Book
The Cobra Written by Roger Couvillon It's 1942, Edward (Eddie) Gibson is eager to get into the war. He has set his sites on a fast rising German Ace. Convinced that he will be the one to take down this Nazi fiend he has talked his cowardly friend Jimmy Jackson into joining the RCAF with him. "I've always protected you and I will continue to protect you overseas". This is what Eddie told Jimmy. Now they are flying over the desert of North Africa and both boys are learning just how difficult a task that is going to be.
Hauptmann Jergen Schultz aka. The Cobra has chalked up 25 victories in just a few months. With his reputation bolstered by the German propaganda machine Axis pilots despise his arrogance and envy his skills while Allied pilots fear him. Yet The Cobra is not the demon that he appears to be. He despises Hitler and loves his country but he fights for his own personal reasons; Reasons that are becoming more obscure as the war wears on.
The legend of The Cobra says he is indestructible and every pilot in the North African theatre believes it including Jergen himself. So climb into your P40 Kittyhawk and join the fierce fighting that consumed the nations of the world.
About the Author
Although, he now lives in Calgary, Alberta, Roger Couvillon was born and raised in Windsor, Ontario. He is proud to present to you his first book, The Cobra. Many people have asked Roger why he chose this particular topic to write about. He responds, "I've always been fascinated by World War II, in particular the air war. To me, it was a natural extension of my interests. The real question is why did I decide to write at all. The answer to that is, I have read countless historical books on World War II. They are always interesting and full of facts. They're perfect for somebody like me who likes to know those details. But even I like to break away from facts and just be entertained. When I feel like this, I look for novels that are written about World War II. I've read some good ones, there's no doubt, but I rarely find one that grips me from beginning to end. I'm an action type of guy and that's what I look for when I read novels. I decided to challenge myself. I knew what I had read, what I liked about those books and what I didn't like. So I wanted to see if I could write a good action novel. That's what I believe The Cobra is. I hope of course that people will find it entertaining, but ultimately, I hope that The Cobra will spotlight what I believe is one of the most overlooked campaigns of World War II, The North African air war. There were some fine young men who fought that war. Unfortunately for them, their achievements were largely overlooked. The reason for this is, four of their squadron leaders (including 260 squadron's Leader) were sent for some much needed rest as the North African campaign was winding down. Their air transport was attacked by a German Ju88 and crashed. All were lost, and with them went much of the knowledge of the personal heroics of their squadron members. Few medals were awarded, and fewer promotions due to this lost knowledge. Many of the pilots from these squadrons had to start proving themselves all over again when they went to the European theatre. So for those pilots, I hope that The Cobra brings them some much-earned recognition.
Excerpts
[FIVE]
Mar 1, 1942
0757 hours Cairo Time
Somewhere over the North African Desert"Alright listen up!" the voice of Squadron Leader Hannabury cracked over the radio. "Today I have a feeling we're in for it. So keep the formation tight, stick with your Wingman and, as for you new guys, keep your wits about you."
It's probably a good thing that the other pilots couldn't see Eddie's face because he felt it suddenly heat up as the blood rushed to it. He knew that last remark was meant for him. Yesterday was ugly. He thought, I can't let that happen again. I have to remain in control. I have to prove that I have what it takes. I have to prove it to them! He let the tension in his face drain away for a moment and admitted to himself in a thought that would have been a whisper had it been spoken, I have to prove it to myself.
Eddie had the sense that he was being watched. He could feel the eyes as they gazed at him. He looked over at Squadron Leader Hannabury but he was busy scanning the skies. The plane on the other side of Hannabury was, for the most part, hidden from view so it couldn't be him. Eddie leaned forward, adjusted himself slightly, and turned his head all the way to the right. Glancing back he could see Mike Anderson looking directly at him. Mike had a smile on his face and when he saw Eddie look back at him he gave him the thumbs up.
Eddie felt a rush of adrenaline flow through his body. He once again repositioned himself and directed his gaze back towards the front of the aircraft. "Mike you SOB," he whispered. "I don't know what it is about you but I feel so much better knowing you're here."
An hour passed and no enemy planes had been spotted. Eddie mentally ran through all of the fighting maneuvers they had been taught in fighter school, such as the Immelman and the S. He thought about the mechanics of them, of when to use them, and when not to use them. He wanted so much to break formation and practice a few of them but, of course, this was not a training mission. This was the real thing. He was going to have to trust what he learned and gain practical experience with them now. Eddie wasn't the only person who was thinking about the maneuvers they had learned in fighter training. Mike was also going over them. He was also thinking about yesterday, when he shot down that German pilot. He was trying to get it straight in his mind exactly what had happened. It was all so unclear to him.
He remembered seeing Eddie break formation and right on his tail was a German plane. From that point on, everything was a blur. He couldn't remember what maneuver he used to position himself for the attack. He couldn't remember pulling the trigger. All he could remember was the sight of the German plane blowing up and the knowledge that he was responsible.
Squadron Leader Hannabury continued to scan the skies for any sign of the enemy. He looked up, back, to both sides and then in front again. As he glanced down, a feeling of disbelief came over him. It always amazed him how he could look in an area and see nothing, and, a few seconds later, there they were. Out from nowhere, there was a squadron of Bf109s flying in front and below them. Their heading matched Hannabury's, giving Hannabury and his group the advantage of surprise because they would be coming out of the sun.
Hannabury pressed the button to engage his microphone. "Jerry's at 12 o'clock, angels 15," he said.
"Roger, I seem em," Eddie responded excitedly.
"Steady boys. We have the advantage. We're coming in from the sun so they probably don't know we're here. So keep it tight, follow me and let's not announce ourselves until we're sure we can get a hit."
"Roger that!" Mike called out.
Eddie's nervousness and uncertainty melted away. He picked his target. The world no longer seemed to exist. It was just him and his prey. Although, he remained fully aware of every order that Hannabury gave, and every movement that took place around him. He was a hunter... he was a fighter pilot. He could feel it now.
Hannabury dropped his nose to begin his descent. The others followed. Hannabury was careful to make sure that they stayed in the cover of the sun. He didn't want to let the Jerry's know he was there until they were in flames.
Eddie watched his target intently as they began to close in. He put his finger on the trigger and told himself that he would not squeeze until he was sure of a kill. Then, the hunter's instinct told him he was no longer the hunter but the hunted. He glanced back and saw the white spinners of four Bf109s that were closing in fast on his formation.
Eddie pressed the microphone button and yelled, "Jerries on our six. Break off immediately." With that, he pushed a hard left rudder and his plane began to come around. Hannabury did the same while Stanley Morris and Mike broke right.
They were able to turn their planes in time to come around and face their attackers. The Germans, knowing they had lost the element of surprise, opened fire but they were still too far away to be effective. Eddie, without even realizing it, had acquired a new target and watched as the Bf109 quickly grew in size. He waited until just a split second before the plane filled his sight, then he squeezed about a three second burst at it. His plane shuddered as the bullets shot out from his wing guns. He watched as almost in slow motion, the red tracers flew towards his opponent. Then, still in slow motion, they slammed into the cockpit. The enemy craft rolled slowly over on its side and headed towards earth. Its pilot's lifeless body slumped forward on the stick.
Mike Anderson had also selected a target but its approach was too fast and, before he could center it in his sights, it had passed overhead. Mike once again leaned on the rudder and pulled on the stick. He brought his plane around, trying to react quicker than his target. He asked more from his plane in that turn than it could give. He went out of control. The plane went into a spin and started to drop like a rock towards the ground. Eddie wanted to follow his kill to the ground but there were still three other enemy aircraft in the fight. He scanned the skies and caught the site of a Kittyhawk making a tight turn, which became a terrifying spin. The Kittyhawk dropped quickly toward earth, but as suddenly as it had begun the plane gripped the air once again and began to pull out of its descent. Eddie squinted to see the letters on the aircraft, but couldn't make them out. He had a feeling in the pit of his stomach that told him it was Mike.
A movement on his left caught his attention. He saw a Bf109 completing its turn. The German plane angled down towards the back in control but disadvantaged Kittyhawk. Eddie leaned on the stick and lowered his nose enough to match the descent of the Bf109. He was now in a race. He had to get to the Bf109 before it got to Mike.
Eddie gave it full throttle and watched his speedometer passing 400 miles per hour.
He cut back on the throttle to ensure that he didn't allow the plane to gain so much speed that it would rip his wings off. He also had to be careful that he didn't come in so fast that he would overshoot his target.
His target passed in front of him, but it was still out of range. He pulled in behind it, confident that his Kittyhawk could catch up to the Bf109. Eddie made a quick check around him to ensure that he was not being pursued. There was no sign of anybody else in the immediate area.
Mike, having now regained control of his aircraft, had begun his ascent back to the battle. He took a look around to check the position of the Bf109 he had engaged before going into the spin. He spotted it, coming in fast, in an obvious attempt to finish him off. He was about to pull the plane into a dive to escape, when he spotted a Kittyhawk lining up behind the Bf109. Mike decided to hold his present course and pretend he didn't notice the Bf109. His hope was that, the German Pilot would be so interested in the easy kill that he wouldn't notice the Kittyhawk coming in behind him.
Eddie keeping an eye on the Bf109 in front of him, also watched what the Kittyhawk pilot was doing. He cursed as the Kittyhawk pilot continued in a straight and easy incline. Hadn't he looked around? Didn't he know he was under attack? Suddenly it occurred to him that maybe the Kittyhawk pilot did see the Bf109, and was trying to look like an easy target.
"Okay, Mike I know it's you now. Only you would pull such a bone headed move!"
Eddie increased his throttle just slightly to ensure he would catch up to the Jerry before he had a chance to take a shot at Mike. He took another quick look around and still saw nobody else in the vicinity. Looking back at his prey, he saw that he was almost in range. He pulled back on the stick slightly to allow for a deflection shot. As the Bf109 filled his sight he squeezed the trigger for a three-second burst. He watched the tracers descend towards his target, but he had miscalculated the angle and the tracers flew harmlessly over the head of the German pilot.
The Bf109 pilot, seeing the red tracers coming in over his head, realized his mistake. He pulled his plane over and opened his throttle for a quick escape. However, Mike had been able to reposition himself and the German pilot flew right into his path. Mike pulled the trigger and watched the red tracers start an intercept course with the German aircraft. Eddie, realizing that his aim was off, didn't wait to see the tracers miss his target. He quickly ran through the scenarios of what the enemy pilot would do now. If he banks left we'll catch him in the crossfire. Anticipating this move he banked left and waited. As expected, the German pilot banked left a split second after the tracers appeared over his head. Eddie pulled the trigger. As he did, he saw the tracers coming out of Mike's plane as well. Both his bullets and Mike's found their mark at almost exactly the same instant. The Bf109 billowed black smoke. A large flame leaped out of it and licked at the canopy. The pilot threw open his canopy and prepared to jump out. The flames enveloped the pilot and by the time he actually left the plane, he was a fireball. Eddie watched as the pilot plummeted to earth, his parachute opened but the flames quickly consumed it as well. "Gibson, Anderson where are you?" Hannabury asked over the radio.
Mike surveyed the area then responded, "We're at your three o'clock at about 7,000 feet."
"What the hell are you boys doing down there?" Hannabury shouted back.
"Well," Mike explained. "I got myself into a little trouble and Eddie here came to help out."
"Sort of a payback for yesterday Eddie?" Stanley interjected with a stifled laugh.
"Good Job Eddie!" Hannabury added.
"Thank you sir. How did you two do sir?" Eddie asked.
"We each got one."
"That's great!" Eddie shouted. "That means we all got a kill."
Mike came on the airwaves, "Well that last one we really both..."
Eddie interrupted him, "That's right, I got one and Mike got one too."
"Good work boys," Hannabury repeated. "That means none of them got away."
"What about the group that we were about to attack," Eddie asked, trying not to give Mike a chance to bring up their mutual kill again.
"I don't think they ever saw us," Stanley answered.
"Or they were on a specific mission with orders not to deviate," Hannabury added.
"Either way, they never gave us a second look. They just flew straight out of the combat zone."
Eddie and Mike began their ascent to Squadron Leader Hannabury and Pilot Officer Morris. As they climbed, Eddie thought about his actions today. He had done it. He kept his cool and performed like a fighter pilot. He scored his first kill and shared his second with his friend. He knew, however, that he would have to get to Mike before he went for debriefing. He didn't want Mike to tell how they had both hit the second guy at the same time. He already had a kill to announce and he didn't want to claim anymore than that. He had heard that another, more seasoned pilot had made a similar claim a couple of weeks earlier and had been grounded and shipped out. Apparently, the Intelligence Officer didn't believe he could shoot down two planes in one sortie. Eddie didn't know for sure if that was true but he wasn't about to take any chances. After all, if it were true, they sure wouldn't believe he had made his first two kills in one day.
Catalogue Information
