"MacDonnell, J E - 125 - Blind Into Doom UC" - читать интересную книгу автора (MacDonnell J E)

- J.E. Macdonnell: Blind Into Doom Page 18 -



setting constantly changing, as ship and plane drew closer together.
No Army battery's predictor could equal Warwick's fire-control
system, yet good though it was its answers could be upset, for even
at two thousand feet per second shells take time to reach up ten
thousand feet, and in that period a plane at three hundred knots can
quickly dive or swerve. For this reason high-angle gunnery was not
so accurate as surface shooting.
Even so, Lusby's weapons enjoyed two advantages. First, their
targets were relatively flimsy and carried an eager ally-high-octane
fuel; second, four 351b. shells bursting together in the pen produced
a great quantity of heated, tearing splinters, some of them larger
than a man's fist. The four-inch were no rapid-fire machineguns, but
neither did they fire bullets.
Lusby's practised examination had taken only seconds. He pulled
his gloves on tighter and looked up at the plane.
Captain Duncan had hardly taken his eyes off it. The Condor
was now almost right ahead, still out of the convoy escort's gun
range but still steady on its original course. Duncan had no worry
about the escorts-they were Navy, and to their captains his intention
would be obvious-but he prayed that no merchantman skipper got
jittery enough to flash a signal to him regarding the Condor. If this
happened then at least some German eyes would turn curiously
northward to check on the signal's addressee.
Now the big plane was directly ahead, with Warwick's bridge
masking the four-inch line of fire. Duncan had to turn in order to
bring two of his anti-aircraft mountings back on the bearing. He
could alter to port or starb'd. But the port-side guns, which included
Lusby's, had been on the target; their crews would be tensed, wound-
up for action.
Their attitude of readiness might gain only a few seconds, but
with four shells a lot could happen in only one second.
"Starb'd twenty," Duncan ordered.
By now she was moving fast, and that amount of rudder swung
her to the right at once, yet without heeling her over too much. The
stem sliced round and in a moment Lusby's trainer shouted "Target!"
Then P1 reported on and the four guns were ready.
Fawcett listened to a brief report. He looked at Duncan. The
- J.E. Macdonnell: Blind Into Doom Page 19 -



captain nodded. With no drawl in his voice at all Fawcett snapped:
"Open fire!"
The director was also ready. Its control officer said:
"Commence, commence, commence."
More urgently, running the words together, Lusby's phone number