The Islington Comrades Squadron at war

Britain's best-loved aerial combat hero returns! When pilot Red Jezza Corbine is discharged from the RAF for a dishonourable act involving a drain cover he is forced to rejoin Islington Council's allotment allocation department.  But an unsheduled audit of public funds forces Jezza back into the air - in a hurried flight in a stolen Hurricane! Corbine aims for Russia, planning to save his plane and reputation.  On landing he meets the 'Islington Comrades Squadron' of the 5th Soviet Air Brigade, who are posted to the far east to face the Japanese in the air.  Red Jezza takes to the skies once more - to fight for Mother Russia!  Its a dream come true for our boy from the slums of Wiltshire. 

The Islington Comrades Squadron
Comrade Captain Jeeza the Red
Leon McLusky 
Mickey Foote
Tony Wedgwood Bong
Big Prezza
Joan McDonald

Dynamo Abbott

"Gorgeous" George Gropeaway
Steady Eddie Balls
Ed "the knife" Milliput. 

The squadron is built on exiled comrades, come to defend Mother Russia and the Glorious Revolution in the Great Patriotic War.  General Jason Issac Zhukov himself takes a deep personal interest in this squadron, although this may be more from a sense of amusement that any real enthusiasm.  Indeed it was the General who suggested that the squadron be moved to the Mongolian Client State, rather than pose an embarrassment to the Soviets new Western allies.

If Jezza and his boys can pull off a huge triumph against the Japanese client state of Manchuria they may be invited back to die gloriously fighting the Germans.  An attractive option given how Jezza feels about Europeans.

The people's flag is deepest red
It shrouded oft our martyred dead
And ere their limbs grew stiff and cold
Their hearts' blood dyed in every fold

(But not so much in Wiltshire)

Aircraft

Polikarpov I-16 1934 F 1 A 2 Sp6 

(324mph) Tight turn 

MiG-3 1940 F 1  A 1  Sp8 

(398mph) Great Dive -Sluggish

Yak-1B 1942  F 1  A 3 Sp7

(367mph) Tight turn

Lavochkin  La-5FN  1943 F 2 A 2 Sp8

(403mph) Rapid Roll -Poor quality 

The Mongolian People's Republic Air Corps

 In May 1937 the Mongolian air force was renamed the Mongolian People's Republic Air Corps.  During 1939–1945 the Soviets delivered Mig -3s, Polikarpov I-16,  Yak 1b, Ilyushin IIs.   

The Air Corps is pretty much a satellite Soviet force.

The enemy. 

The Imperial Manchukuo Air Force was established in February 1937 with 30 men selected from the Manchukuo Imperial Army who were trained at the Japanese Kwantung Army aircraft arsenal in Harbin (initially the Kwantung Army did not trust the Manchukuoans enough to train a native air force for them). The first air units were based in Hsinking (Changchun) and eventually equipped with Nakajima Army Type 91 Fighters and Kawasaki Type 88 light bombers.  

Despite the Soviet Japanese non aggression pact air skirmishes occurred with Soviet Mongolian client state aircraft throughout the period.

In 1945, because of American bombing raids, they  were issued with Nakajima ki-43 fighters to have a better chance of intercepting B-29 Superfortresses. Some pilots saw action against the American bombers and at least one Ki-27 pilot downed a B-29 by ramming his plane into it in a kamikaze attack. The air force practically ceased to exist during the Soviet invasion but there were isolated instances of Manchukuoan planes attacking Soviet forces.

Getting airborne 

The Zeroes get stuck into the inexperienced Comrades.  Joan Mcdonald goes in.

And Mickey Foote also comes a cropper, embarrassing himself.  Not like comrade Mickey that! 

To be fair cards like these won't win the Great Patriotic Struggle for the worker.

In a swirling melee Wedgewood Bong gets a shot in, but the Japanese are all over them.  Bong didn't last long.

An IJN fighter rapid rolls onto Jezzas tail and purs a stream of bullets up his fuselage. Jezza bails out, using a Soviet packed chute.

Game over as Jezza and the Working Class heroes of the Islington Revolution dive for home.  Next time Nippon!

And in a fit of enthusiasm I remove the massive decals and repaint the roundels.  The Japanese are revitalised.

Round one to the Forces of the Emperor.  Jezza swears revenge, just as soon as he discovers whether his chute will open and just where he has ended up after that forced bail out.

Life was safer in the Allotment allocation office!