In April 1959, Air Division participated in a big NATO exercise with all squadrons flying a maximum number of sorties each day of the exercise. The schedule for the next day was posted, and I found myself to be the wingman for the OC on the first lift. It didn't look like it was going to be a great trip. Takeoff was scheduled for a half hour before sunrise on a low level fighter sweep to a point just southeast of Paris returning the same route. And the OC was not known for aggressiveness, so a mundane sortie seemed to be in store.
We got airborne in the dark and headed towards Paris about 2000 feet above ground. Nothing was seen on the outbound leg, but on the way back (just as the sun had risen over the horizon) I called a "pair of bogeys low at 11 o'clock passing left to right". The boss responded with a "buster" call and carved in after the two French F84Fs. The 84s altered course slightly and headed for Nancy which was just a few miles away. Their tactic was to get low and outrun us. The bogeys literally entered into the streets of Nancy that morning chased by two Mark VIs about 1500 feet behind with all throttles "balls to the wall". The French pilots had judiciously chosen two adjacent streets, both relatively straight and uncluttered with any overhead wires. Or maybe they were just lucky. I took a quick peek to my left to see how the boss was handling all this just as a large building, possibly a cathedral, passed between us. He was obviously gung ho for a kill. I got back to the task at hand comforted by the feeling that I would not be on the carpet for this one all by myself! Those French jocks were really low. I could not get my gunsight pipper on the target because the basic urge for survival kept me from getting any lower than roof top level. The OC had a similar result. With fuel running low we abandoned the chase and returned to Grostenquin.
I often wonder how many of the citizens of Nancy were rudely awakened that morning around 0530, and if there was any marked increase in the Nancy birthrate in January 60.
Al Sundvall - 430 Sqn