Escape from Sand Island
- "This is the 8492nd Squadron, we have a visual on the enemy. Engaging."
- ― Ashley Bernitz
The Escape from Sand Island was an event in which Wardog Squadron was forced to escape from Sand Island.[1]
Prelude
After escaping the ambush at Vladimir, Wardog Squadron returned to Sand Island for refueling, and to report the attempted ambush by Belkan forces. However, Captain Allen C. Hamilton was able to convince base commander Orson Perrault that the remaining members of Wardog Squadron and Peter N. Beagle ("Pops") were spies, and the base authorities attempted to arrest them. The Wardogs, Pops, journalist Albert Genette and the dog Kirk escaped in stolen Hawk trainer jets.[1]
Escape
Eventually, Wardog Squadron was able to make it as far as the Solo Islands. However, the 8492nd Squadron was soon sent to shoot down the squadron. Wardog was able to escape the 8492nd in a low-level flight with the help of Pops' leadership, the island's magnetic field jamming the radar systems, and a series of caves that ran through the islands.
As the Wardogs departed the islands, they encountered Marcus Snow, who was also sent to shoot them down. He signaled "TRUST ME BAIL OUT" in Morse code to the Wardogs using his signal light, before shooting down their aircraft. The pilots were eventually rescued by the Sea Goblin unit, which falsely reported that there were no survivors.[1]
Aftermath
After they were shot down, Wardog Squadron was believed to be dead; in reality, they were rescued by Sea Goblin and transferred to the OFS Kestrel. In addition, without the help of Wardog Squadron, the Circum-Pacific War would eventually enter a stalemate.[1]