One by one, the P-81s landed on the Smollen airfield. The two lame men - Ron and Pokryshkin - were waiting at the end of the runway to welcome the victorious warriors. Kozhdub's Eagle 13 was the last to land, and as he climbed out of the cockpit and down the stairs, there was applause. In today's operation, the terrible "Eagle 13" shot down six enemy planes in one go, two of which were jets.

"Congratulations, Eagle 13!" Ron held him and said, glancing at Pokryshkin and saying, "You'll soon be overtaking this guy, and it won't be long before the Germans forget about this cripple and just know how to shout 'Be careful, be careful!'" Eagle 13 in the air' up. ”

Pokryshkin also smiled: "Congratulations, Comrade Kozhdub!" Now you've far surpassed this Yankee. And I'm sure it won't be long before you can get a result that he can't even multiply by two. Soaring eagle, let this American grass chicken be jealous! ”

"You have won the award, and I will not forget that all the air combat techniques and air combat tactics I have mastered were taught to me by you." Kozhdub replied humbly.

It was in the afternoon of that day that Ron received orders from General Doolittle. General Doolittle claimed that the United Air Force's recent battles had shown that they had successfully mastered the principles of strategic safari and were capable of fighting independently. So there's no need for an officer of Ron's caliber to continue to stay in a small unit like *one* book* reading * novel xstxt. The Army Air Corps will send a new commander to replace him, and he should return to the United States as soon as the new commander arrives.

The new commander will arrive here tomorrow on a P-81 fighter. Of course, the injured Ron could not fly back by plane, so the Allies arranged for him to take a transport plane from the Far East, cross the Arctic Ocean, and return to the United States to recuperate.

This command struck Ron as odd. Before his injuries healed, he suddenly asked himself to leave Russia immediately on such a long plane, which seemed a bit strange.

That evening, the Russians threw a farewell party for Ron. At the meeting, all the pilots expressed their reluctance to let him go. Some political cadres also spoke highly of Ron's contribution to the promotion of friendship between the people of the United States and the Soviet Union.

At noon the next day, six P-81s from England landed at the airport in Smolensk, and one of Ron's old acquaintances, Boyynton, came down from the lead P-81.

"Daddy, you're not staying at the 'Reverse Cross', what are you doing here?" Ron went up and gave him a big bear hug.

"Wizard, you are the master of the 'Reverse Cross', don't always want to throw everything to us, and be happy outside!" Boynton replied, and then he whispered, "Besides, there are some things that will be left for a while, and I will talk to you about them." ”

……

"You mean, someone thinks I'm getting too close to those Saturnian guys? Some even suspect that I am a member of the Saturn community? In Ron's office, Ron asked.

"There's such a bunch of boring guys, especially in Congress. General Doolittle let me tell you that some of your suggestions are very important for the defeat of the German fascists. But you can't just think in terms of the military aspect. You have to look a little further, you have to think about the post-war situation, and think about who will become the enemy of the United States after the war. So when you deal with foreigners, you have to be reserved. ”

"But ......"

"No, Ron, I admire your tactical acumen and accomplishments. But on this issue, I agree with General Doolittle. You can't just think about it in terms of the military. This is not the way a general thinks about things. ”

"I see......," Ron lowered his head, and after a while, he asked again, "So what will happen to this United Air Force in the future?" ”

"The current size of the United Air Force is in our interest. So it will continue to do so until it fulfills its historic mission. However, the expansion you envisage, although it will deal a greater blow to fascist Germany, is not in our long-term interests. So, it definitely can't be realized. General Doolittle asked me to tell you that your proposal for the expansion of the United Air Force was withheld by him and not reported. He wants you to understand why he's doing it. ”

"I understand, I owe him a debt of gratitude...... "Ron said, "I'll be leaving this afternoon." ”

Ron was tempted to smack himself twice right now. The social climate in the United States is now quite liberal, and the media portrays the Soviet Union quite positively. But as a traverser, I actually forgot that after the war, McCarthyism arose in the United States. Fortunately, the trap is not deep now, and it is still too late to escape quickly.

"It's too late, you can't fly back in a gadget like the C-47. Let's wait for tomorrow. Tomorrow afternoon there is a DC-4 plane that will land at the Moscow airport, and they will send a certain ballet troupe of the Soviets to the United States, and you can contact the embassy and you should be able to take that plane back by the way. ”

After the outbreak of the Soviet-German war, the Soviets sent the score of Shostakovich's Seventh Symphony (Leningrad Symphony) to the United States to be performed by the Boston Orchestra. This event kicked off the prelude to the artistic exchange between the United States and the Soviet Union during World War II. Since then, there have been many artists and art groups that have traveled between the two countries. Not long ago, a Soviet ballet troupe was invited to perform in the United States, and the United States rented a DC-4 passenger plane to pick them up. The plane will arrive in Moscow tomorrow afternoon and take off early the morning after tomorrow to return home.

"Well, I'll call the embassy in a moment, and I'll be there early tomorrow morning."

……

At the Embassy's arrangement, Ron, accompanied by an embassy secretary, boarded the DC-4 airliner that was about to fly to the United States. It is a large airliner with 4 engines. Of course, the so-called large is relative to the situation at the time, compared to the Boeing 7*7, Airbus A3*0 that Ron flew in the original time and space, this kind of aircraft is of course a small guy.

This aircraft has a range of up to more than 6,000 kilometers. This voyage could be used just across the Atlantic Ocean for the route from the United States to Western Europe. But it was not enough for flights with the Soviet Union, and even if the Arctic route was taken, the range was still a little smaller. Of course, if it is not fully loaded, modify it, bring more fuel, bring fewer people, and fly directly to the United States. But now, the plane has to be loaded with a whole ballet company, so the plane can only fly to Komsomolsk and then to the United States.

As a recipient of the Medal of Honor, Ron enjoyed for the first time a privilege that came with this medal - free travel on civil aircraft. Not only was it free, but he even got a good seat by the window with a good view. If it weren't for the inconvenience of his legs, the captain might even agree to let him sit in the co-pilot seat to experience it.

As a person with a disability, Ron boarded the plane first. After he boarded the plane and sat down, the secretary had a casual chat with the crew and got off the plane. After a while, the other regular passengers began to board the plane one by one.

I have to say that in places like ballet troupes, there are many beautiful women. As far as the eye can see, in the blink of an eye, the entire cabin is full of beautiful women.

"Excuse me, is there anyone in this position?" Someone said to Ron.

Ron looked up and saw a woman about seventeen or eighteen years old standing in front of him. The woman was tall, with a typical melon seed face, large, flexible green eyes, and long flaxen-colored hair.

"Ah, there's no one here. You can sit as much as you like. Ron said.

The woman thanked her and sat down beside Ron. Her voice is as nice as a nightingale.

"Miss, this is your first time flying, right?" As soon as Ron saw the woman sit in her seat, he immediately tied himself tightly to the seat belt. He also pulled his suitcase to his side and asked.

"Yes," replied the woman, "I have only been on a train before. ”

"You should put your luggage in the upper compartment. Plus, there's still some time before the plane takes off, and you don't need to wear your seatbelt now, and you don't need to fasten it so tightly. ”

"Thanks," the woman scrambled to unfasten her seatbelt, and she tugged hard to pull the buckle out of the socket. Her slender fingers turned white with exertion.

"Just click here." Ron reached out and helped her unbuckle her seatbelt.

"Thank you, my first ......," the woman looked embarrassed. She stood up, looked at the baggage compartment above, measured its height, then looked at Ron again, then turned her head and shouted, "Semyon, come and help me...... Oh yes, sir, can I carry this little bag with me? ”

……

The plane took off, it was a long flight, and it took less than 20 hours to fly to Komsomolsk. The plane also has to land at an airport once for recuperation. In this way, when you arrive at Komsomolsk, it will be the afternoon of the next day.

After the plane took off from Moscow, it flew eastward, and before long, the city disappeared from Ron's view, and then all traces of human civilization gradually disappeared, except for the plane itself, and under the wings of the plane, only the endless taiga remained.

Ron thought it was beautiful at first, but it didn't take long for him to lose interest in the dark green monotonous scene.

As for the woman next to Ron, after the plane took off, the woman opened her small handbag, took out a scarf that had not yet been knitted, and then knitted a woolen scarf without a sound. Now, though, she's clearly tired. The unfinished scarf was casually stuffed into her handbag, and she herself fell asleep on the seat.

At this time, the plane tilted, and the woman moved with it, and her head tilted and rested on Ron's shoulder.

A beautiful woman who took the initiative to rest her head on your shoulder. Of course, Ron wouldn't be very ungraceful to push her away. But the woman's hair always flew into his nose with his breathing, tickling his nose. At the same time, a faint fragrance also penetrated his nostrils, so that he did not immediately notice that the saliva that came from the corners of the woman's mouth had wet his shirt.