Defense of Chad - a chivalric episode

October 14, 1986

The French bombing of Wadi Doum airfield has enraged Libya's leader Muammar Qaddafi. Qaddafi has ordered his air force to wreak havoc on Chadian capital Djamena. To destabilize Hissein Habre, Qaddafi has ordered his army to invade Northern Chad after weakening French allies with his air force. French President Francois Mitterand has counseled with former President Valery Giscard de Estaing has asked an elite force from the EC5 (Escadre de Chasse) in anticipation of Libyan air raid on Chad. Captain Claude Schramm and Lieutenant Jean Pierre Montpelier, detached as Luftflucht Kondor are deployed to Bangui with one E-2C Hawkeye and one Boeing 707 tanker under a secret ad hoc command.

Yevgeni Shevchenko, a Soviet air force Polknovnik turned mercenary for the Libyan Air Force is tasked by Libyan commanders to strike Djamena. France's foreign intelligence arm, DGSE gives accurate flight profile of jets flying out of military airfields at Tripoli and Benghazi.

Agent Bernice posing as a laborer Abdel passes secret coded SATCOM sigals to his controllers aboard a French patrol vessel off Corsica. As Shevchenko takes off, Bangui command alerts Cicogne controllers, and Schramm and Montpelier scramble at Bangui. The Boeing tanker is already on station while the E-2C patrols northern Central African Republic airspace. Each Mirage F1C is armed with two Super 530s and two R550 Magics, two tanks and one supersonic jammer.

Der Fall:- Captain Scramm and wingman Montpelier maintain altitude at 40,000 ft and establish BARCAP north of Djamena. As Shevchenko's Tu-22 approaches, the E-2C cues Luftflucht Kondor on interception position toward bearing 045, exactly six o'clock of the quarry. Schramm orders Montpelier to break formation and attack the enemy maintaining strict radar silence. 'Errinern die Pobacken Kanone,' (Remember the tail guns) keys Schramm in the highly secure and encrypted data modem. Montpelier, excited for his first kill quickly positions himself behind the Blinder. Still undetected, Montpelier unleashes IR guided R550 magic at a range of six clicks, way beyond the Tupolev's 23mm guns.

The attack is detected. Shevchenko launches his newly developed high intensity IR flares and performs evasive maeneuver. Unfortunately for Montpelier, his both missiles fail as they chase the flares. Shevchenko quickly programs his attack radar on Chadian power station and quickly launches an As-4 Kitchen cruise missile. The E-2C detects the attack and quickly alerts Schramm. 'Scheiss,' he screams breaking radio silence. He quickly moves to intercept the missile and turns on his Cyrano IV set. "Montpelier, zerstoeren das Feind," (Montpelier, destroy the enemy) he orders Montpelier.

Schramm orders a quick lock on and fires two Super 530s for a passive passive radar guided attack. Montpelier without the fire and forget Magics achieves a lock on on the enemy bomber and launches both of his remaining Super 530s. Meanwhile, Shevchenko orders his assistant Virkin to turn on ECM and jam enemy radar. Shevchenko nervous but calm with long experience climbs to 50,000 ft on Mach 1.8.

Schramm bags the AS-4 with a single hit and the missile reportedly falls on an uninhabited jungle area. A moment of tension on his face disappears as he is notified by the Hawkeye that he has succeeded in his mission. He has thus saved the life of 300 Chadian civilian workers and countless other civilians. If the missile had hit populated area of Djamena, the casualty count could have been terrible.

Schramm then orders Montpelier to quickly withdraw engaging the Tu-22. 'Montpelier, the whole Libyan air force will try to shove a spear up your ass if they get you,' he says. 'Retire, repeat, retire,' he roders hotblooded Montpelier who is furious at his failure. Both pilots have almost exhausted their fuel tanks and due to extreme supersonic maneuvers, they refuel once on air with the Boeing 707 tanker and then land at a KARI system defended base at Gemena. Chadian President Makosso, successor to previous leader Jean Bedell Bokassa, is a firm French ally. Anxious of the Libyan threat but eager for French assistance to continue his rule, Makosso wants French forces out of his capital Bangui, well within striking range of Libyan Blinders, even though only two were servicable. President Makosso feared Libyan reprisals and had invited French forces.

Once they landed, Schramm lambasts Montpelier for failing to destroy the Blinder in a sneak attack. "Hundreds could have died," he screamed at Montpelier. "I have to report to Paris." Before he relieves Montpelier, he gives a stern look to the young man and smiles. "Enjoy at Le Courbet's (with your girl). What is her name?"

"Marie, Monsieur."

"Ok go."

Schrammm returns to his quarters and writes to Elizabeth, his wife in Metz. He thinks of his son's Abitur and wants to be there in his school to watch the annual football game.

THE END