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OVEMBER 1982 MARKED THE BEGINNING OF THE ANTARCTIC PENINSULA’S N BRIEF SUMMER. RETURNING TO BASE FROM A GEOLOGICAL FIELD TRIP A PAIR OF SNO-CATS BELONGING TO THE BRITISH ANTARCTIC SURVEY NOTICED AN UNUSUAL SNOW-COVERED SHAPE AHEAD OF THEM.

THAT WASN’T HERE LAST SUMMER. WHAT COULD IT BE? LET’S STOP AND TAKE A LOOK.

STORY ALAN HEBDEN ART BENET COVER BENET

4 THE MOUNTAINOUS ANTARCTIC PENINSULA TAPERED NORTH FOR MORE THAN A THOUSAND MILES FROM ANTARCTICA PROPER, JUTTING INTO THE SO-CALLED “SCREAMING SIXTIES”, THE LATITUDES WHERE THE RAGING CIRCUM-ANTARCTIC WINDS BLEW ALMOST CEASELESSLY. BEING THE ONLY LANDMASS IN THEIR WAY THE PENINSULA EXPERIENCED IMMENSE SNOWFALLS DURING THE LONG DARK WINTER THAT OFTEN LEFT A CHANGED LANDSCAPE COME SUMMER. IT’S PROBABLY JUST ANOTHER OF THOSE BIZARRE SHAPES SCULPTED

BY THE WIND AND SNOW EVERY WINTER.

AS THE ENCRUSTED SNOW BROKE AWAY THE MEN STARED IN DISBELIEF AT WHAT LAY BENEATH.

WE’LL KNOW SOON ENOUGH. THE SNOW CRUST IS CRACKING. IT SHOULD BREAK LOOSE ANY MOMENT.

IT...IT’S THE TAILPLANE OF AN AIRCRAFT BURIED IN THE SNOW! SOME SORT OF JET!

LET’S START CLEARING SNOW!

5 THE SURVEY SCIENTISTS SET TO WORK WITH A VENGEANCE AND IT WASN’T LONG BEFORE THEY REALISED THEY HAD MADE AN EXTRAORDINARY FIND. IT’S A VULCAN BOMBER! BUT WHAT HAPPENED TO THE CREW?

WE’D BETTER LET BASE KNOW WHAT WE’VE FOUND!

LESS THAN A DAY LATER AN R.A.F. TEAM FLEW IN FROM THE FALKLANDS AND SWARMED OVER THE DOWNED BOMBER. THEY WERE COMMANDED

BY A TOUGH YOUNG OFFICER WHO HAD INTRODUCED HIMSELF AS FLIGHT LIEUTENANT NICK TARRANT OF THE R.A.F. REGIMENT. THE CREW BALED OUT SAFELY AND GOT PICKED UP.

SO YOU’LL BE SALVAGING IT TO FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENED, I ASSUME.

6 NICK SMILED FAINTLY AT THE SCIENTIST’S MISTAKEN ASSUMPTION. WE ALREADY KNOW WHAT HAPPENED. AS FOR SALVAGING IT, I BELIEVE THE POWERS-THATBE HAVE GOT OTHER PLANS.

ALL SET, BOSS!

TO THE SCIENTIST’S SURPRISE NICK BROUGHT OUT WHAT LOOKED LIKE A PORTABLE PHONE.

YOU WON’T GET ANYTHING ON THAT, FLIGHT LIEUTENANT. THERE ARE NO RELAY TRANSMITTERS IN THE ANTARCTIC.

I DON’T NEED ANY FOR THE CALL I’M GOING TO MAKE. YOU’D BETTER GET YOUR HEAD DOWN!

NICK PRESSED A BUTTON ON THE DEVICE AND MOMENTS LATER THE ENTIRE PLANE WAS ENGULFED BY WHITE HOT FLAMES.

THERMITE CHARGES SPECIALLY ENHANCED TO BURN AT ULTRA HIGH TEMPERATURES. BY THE TIME IT ALL COOLS DOWN THERE’LL BE NO EVIDENCE LEFT THAT AN AIRCRAFT EVER EXISTED. AND IF ANYBODY TRIES TO SAY ANYTHING ELSE, THEY’D BETTER START LOOKING FOR A NEW JOB!

GREAT SCOTT!

7 NICK TURNED AWAY AS THE STARTLED SCIENTIST REALISED HE’D BEEN ON THE RECEIVING END OF A SERIOUS THREAT. BUT...BUT HOW DID IT GET HERE IN THE FIRST PLACE? WHAT WAS IT DOING?

IF I TOLD YOU THAT THEN I’D HAVE TO SHOOT YOU, BUT IT IS QUITE A STORY...

IT WAS A STORY WHICH HAD BEGUN SIX MONTHS EARLIER AND TWO THOUSAND MILES NORTH OF THE ANTARCTIC PENINSULA, AS BRITISH FORCES LANDED ON THE FALKLAND ISLANDS TO DRIVE OUT ARGENTINA’S ARMY OF OCCUPATION WHICH HAD INVADED SEVERAL WEEKS BEFORE.

UURGH!

WATCH YOURSELVES. THEY WON’T GIVE UP WITHOUT A FIGHT!

8 SUCCESS ON THE GROUND WAS ENTIRELY DEPENDENT ON CARRIER-BORNE HARRIER JETS KEEPING THE ARGENTINE AIR FORCE AT BAY. THE PILOTS WERE AIDED GREATLY BY A STREAM OF REMARKABLY ACCURATE INTELLIGENCE. SIX PHANTOMS AND ONE EXOCET-ARMED SUPER ETENDARD INBOUND TWO-NINE-FOUR DEGREES. E.T.A. OH-NINE-THREETHREE HOURS.

I’VE ONLY JUST THIS SECOND PICKED THEM UP ON RADAR, YET CONTROL ALREADY SEEMS TO KNOW EVERYTHING ABOUT THEM.

THE HARRIER PILOT WASN’T AT ALL SURPRISED TO DISCOVER THE INFORMATION WAS COMPLETELY ACCURATE. THE PRIORITY TARGET WAS THE EXOCET-ARMED SUPER ETENDARD WHOSE OWN PILOT, SEEING THE HARRIERS COMING, FIRED THE MISSILE INTO THE SEA AND TURNED TAIL.

I WONDER WHERE THEY’RE GETTING THEIR INTEL FROM?

9 THE ANSWER LAY OVER FOUR HUNDRED MILES WEST IN THE SOUTHERN ARGENTINIAN PROVINCE OF PATAGONIA WHERE S.A.S. SPOTTER TEAMS HAD SECRETLY COME ASHORE TO MONITOR AND REPORT AIRCRAFT MOVEMENTS AT ARGENTINE AIR FORCE BASES INVOLVED IN THE CONFLICT. DAMAGED PHANTOM LANDING. TAIL LOOKS BADLY CHEWED UP. IT’LL BE OUT OF ACTION FOR AT LEAST A WEEK.

I’LL LET CONTROL KNOW RIGHT AWAY.

THE TEAM COMMANDER WAS NICK TARRANT, IN HIS REAL ROLE AS AN S.A.S. CAPTAIN. ONE OF HIS SPOTTERS WAS A DAMAGE ASSESSMENT OFFICER FROM THE R.A.F. WHO USED HIS EXPERTISE TO JUDGE HOW LONG A DAMAGED AIRCRAFT RETURNING FROM THE FALKLANDS WOULD BE OUT OF ACTION. THE INFORMATION WAS RELAYED DIRECTLY TO THE BRITISH TASK FORCE BY SECURE SATELLITE LINK. NOW THEY KNOW THERE’LL BE ONE LESS ENEMY PHANTOM AVAILABLE FOR ACTION THIS WEEK.

THE TEAM’S MAIN JOB, HOWEVER, WAS TO GIVE ACCURATE EARLY WARNINGS ABOUT AIRCRAFT HEADING FOR THE EXCLUSION ZONE AROUND THE FALKLANDS. FOUR PHANTOMS FULLY-ARMED TURNING OUT TO SEA AT FOURTEEN TWENTY-THREE HOURS. E.T.A. OVER THE FALKLANDS FIFTY-FIVE MINUTES.

BLUE LEADER TO CONTROL. FOUR FULLYARMED PHANTOMS SHOULD BE WITH YOU IN FIFTYFIVE MINUTES.

10 THE ACCURACY OF THE BRITISH RESPONSE TO THESE SORTIES EVENTUALLY AROUSED ARGENTINIAN SUSPICIONS. THE BRITISH TASK FORCE’S RADAR RANGE IS LIMITED, YET THEY’RE ALWAYS READY FOR US. WE BELIEVE THEY MAY HAVE SPOTTERS ON THE MAINLAND REPORTING OUR AIRCRAFT MOVEMENTS.

WE’LL ORGANISE A MAJOR SWEEP OF THE SURROUNDING AREA USING TROOPS AND DOGS. IF THERE ARE ANY INGLESE OUT THERE WE’LL FLUSH THEM OUT!

LATER THAT DAY NICK OBSERVED SOME WORRYING DEVELOPMENTS ACROSS THE RIVER. FROM A NEARBY ARMY CAMP COLUMNS OF TROOPS CONVERGED BEFORE FANNING OUT AGAIN, MANY OF THEM HEADING FOR THE BRIDGE ACROSS THE RIVER.

I THINK WE’VE STIRRED UP A HORNETS’ NEST!