Chapter 10

The Fifth Air Force is one of the four air forces under the command of the U.S. Pacific Air Forces. Its predecessor was the U.S. Army Air Forces Command in the Philippines, established in August 1941, which was renamed the U.S. Far East Air Forces in October. In January 1942, the 5th Air Force was established on this basis, with Brigadier General Brereton as its first commander. After the island nation provoked the Pacific War, this air force unit participated in various campaigns, such as the Marshall Islands, New Guinea, the Palau Islands, the Mariana Islands, and the Philippine Islands. In 1944, it was subordinated to the re-established U.S. Far East Air Forces. In July 1945, it was stationed in Okinawa, Japan, to support the landing operations on the island nation's mainland. After the outbreak of the Korean War, this air force unit participated in the Korean War, engaging in multiple battles with the Chinese People's Volunteers. After the smoke of the Korean War had dissipated, the 5th Air Force remained stationed in Japan.

This air force unit comprises three wings. The 18th Wing is stationed at Kadena Air Base in Okinawa; the 35th Fighter Wing is stationed at Misawa in Japan; and the 374th Airlift Wing is stationed at Yokota in Japan.

In later years, to contain the emerging China, the main forces of the 5th Air Force were deployed in Okinawa to prevent China's military from breaking through the First Island Chain. However, during the height of the Cold War, the main forces of the 5th Air Force were deployed in Misawa to guard against the Soviet invasion.

The headquarters of the 5th Air Force is located at Yokota. At this moment, Lieutenant General Paul James, the commander of the 5th Air Force and the U.S. Forces Japan, was frowning deeply.

One of our EP-3 electronic reconnaissance aircraft was intercepted by two Soviet MiG-25 fighters in the northern part of the Sea of Japan, near Vladivostok. During the confrontation, an aerial collision occurred, severely damaging the EP-3, which was forced to make an emergency landing at a Soviet air base near Chuguyevka!

When he received this news, General Paul slammed his fist on the table. Damn it, were the flight crew on the plane fools? Even if they had to make an emergency landing at sea, it would have been better than landing at a Soviet base!

If they had landed at sea, our Air Force and Navy could have quickly mobilized to rescue the endangered personnel! But now, falling into Soviet hands, the situation is different!

Now, it was already dark, and the day was almost over, but our side had remained silent, doing nothing!

"Ring..." At this moment, the phone on the desk rang. Paul picked it up, and a voice from across the ocean said, "General Paul, diplomatic efforts have not been successful. The President has ordered us to put pressure on the Soviet Union starting tomorrow! Note: Do not fire the first shot!"

Put pressure on the Soviet Union! This is the peak of the Cold War, and any misstep could trigger a world war. Therefore, after receiving the news of the EP-3 collision, General Paul did not immediately order an attack but waited for orders. Now, with the President's command, Paul could finally take action!

On one hand, diplomatic pressure to get the Soviet Union to return the aircraft and personnel as soon as possible, and on the other hand, military pressure!

"Understood!" Paul put down the phone and issued his orders: "Misawa Base, prepare for combat. Starting tomorrow, launch large formations of aircraft, Plan Three!"

Plan Three! The biggest threat to U.S. forces in Japan is the Soviet Union. To deal with the Soviet Union, U.S. forces in Japan have long formulated multiple plans. Plan Three is a plan to conduct a show of force in the Vladivostok region of the Soviet Union!

After the President's authorization, the war machine of U.S. forces in Japan quickly sprang into action.

644 kilometers northeast of Tokyo, at Misawa Base in Misawa City, Aomori Prefecture, on the northern tip of Honshu Island.

This place was originally a remote and backward small village. Before World War II, the island nation built a coastal railway and established a station here, which began to bring modern civilization to Misawa. Later, the island nation's navy built a military base here, gradually developing it into a military stronghold in northern Japan. After World War II, the U.S. established Misawa Base here. Due to its strategic location, it became the most important U.S. military base for balancing the Soviet Far East and also a base for gathering electronic intelligence on the Soviet Union. The EP-3 took off from here.

In the hangar, aircraft were undergoing maintenance before their sortie.

The sharp nose of the aircraft was slightly drooping, followed by a tandem two-seat cockpit. The large intake ducts on both sides extended almost to the rear, forming two "flowers," above which the tail fins extended backward. The horizontal stabilizers on both sides were folded downward, and the vertical stabilizer was unusually wide, making the aircraft look unattractive, almost like a clown.

Even the Americans thought this aircraft was not very pretty, so they gave it the nickname "Phantom."

This aircraft is the F-4 Phantom, the mainstay of the U.S. second-generation fighters. It was initially designed as a carrier-based aircraft, so all the aircraft were two-seaters. Later, the U.S. Air Force found it excellent and also equipped it in large numbers, making it a famous second-generation fighter.

At this time, the U.S. Air Force's third-generation fighters were still in their early stages. The F-15, which would later be a symbol of U.S. air power, had just delivered its first few aircraft to the U.S. Air Force and could not possibly be equipped in Japan. The F-16, the most produced fighter, had not even flown its prototype, and it was still far from being equipped in the military. The main force of the U.S. Air Force was these F-4 fighters.

Now, these aircraft belong to the 13th Fighter Squadron of the 35th Fighter Wing, 5th Air Force, stationed at Misawa Base. They are all F-4 fighters, preparing for their sortie. The hangar was brightly lit, and missile loaders were moving back and forth, loading missiles. In air superiority configuration, they would carry four AIM-7 Sparrow missiles and one drop tank under the fuselage, and four AIM-9 Sidewinder missiles on the wings, which is the standard air combat loadout.

The entire base was mobilized, and the flight preparation room was also brightly lit. U.S. pilots were conducting tactical analysis, preparing for the sortie at dawn the next day.

The pilots were highly motivated. They all knew that an EP-3 electronic reconnaissance aircraft from this base had been intercepted by Soviet aircraft and forced to land at a Soviet air base!

This filled them with righteous indignation. During the height of the Cold War, they harbored intense hatred for the Soviet Union. In their eyes, the Soviets were devils from the Arctic.

"Note, we must put maximum pressure on the Soviets, but we cannot fire the first shot," the wing commander said to his subordinates.