Sabre Dance

On their own, Nationalist pilots flying U.S.-built F-86 Sabre jets put on a superb show against the Communists' faster, Russian-built MIG-17s last week.

As the Sabre jets were flying cover for reconnaissance planes one morning, three swarms of MIG-17s buzzed in from the north, south and east, tried to box the Nationalists against the mainland. The Sabre jets were outnumbered, 100 to 32. But in a stop-and-go, five-hour battle that extended along a 400-mile arc along the coast (and 50 miles inland), the Sabres danced a jig around the MIGs. When the Nationalist pilots rolled back to Taipei to be saluted with firecrackers and garlanded with flowers, the scorecard read: ten MIGs downed, at least three others crippled. Nationalist losses: none.

Since the battle of Quemoy began Aug. 23, the Nationalists have downed 29 MIGs, damaged nine. Nationalist losses: none. A major factor is the superiority of Nationalist pilots, many of whom have logged up to 1,400 hours in the air, boast more flying and combat experience than U.S. pilots stationed on Formosa. The Communist pilots, kept from training by a jet-fuel shortage, have proved no match for them. The gun camera films show that the Red Chinese pilots scatter across the skies. Trained in U.S. tactics, the Nationalists fly in tight pairs and foursomes, allowing them to jump single Red stragglers with impunity. Despite official reticence, there are reliable reports that the U.S. has equipped some Nationalist planes with Sidewinders--a deadly, heat-seeking missile that guides itself to its target by seeking out the heat produced by a plane's jet blast. The Chinese Reds have no answer to the Sidewinder.

Under fire, Red pilots have shown their inexperience. Some have crash-dived into the sea trying to escape. One Nationalist pilot came up on the tail of a MIG. To his astonishment, the confused Red panicked, put on his brake flaps, slowed to 100 m.p.h. "I shouldn't really take credit for that one," said the pilot. "It was just like shooting down a flying barn door."

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