Yesterday, the normally placid city of Anchorage was rocked by fierce dogfighting between Red and White Russian factions. Four civilians were killed by falling debris and fourteen more were wounded by stray cannon fire and rockets. This battle marks the fiercest fighting on record between expatriate Russian forces and the might of the Soviet air armada.

For the last two weeks, White Russian corsairs (notably the "Star of Russia" gang) have preyed on Soviet cargo and passenger zeppelins. As rhetoric from Mother Russia has grown increasingly hostile, White Russian raids have continued.

Three days ago, the White Russian enclave of "Haven," in Northern Russia, was destroyed by an unidentified raiding party. In a rare public statement, the Star of Russia leader—Vladimir "Perilous" Petrov—denounced the Soviet air forces as cowards. "They have slaughtered innocent women and children in an attempt to crush those who support the legitimate rulers of Mother Russia."

Despite Petrov's accusations, the Soviet military has denied involvement in the attack on Haven. "The words of pirates and thieves should be treated with extreme skepticism," according to Valery Korsikov, the Soviet delegate to the League of Nations. "If anyone is to blame for the Haven atrocity, it is likely the so-called 'Star of Russia' gang."

Yesterday's dogfight apparently began as a bar brawl in Anchorage's "Pirates' Alley," a neutral area in Anchorage. Rival pilots from the Star of Russia gang and an unidentified Soviet unit exchanged blows before local law enforcement agents ordered them to leave the area.

Once aboard their planes, the two groups immediately opened fire on each other. "Bullets were whizzin' around like hornets," said Elmo "Slappy" Gant, a local bush pilot who was wounded as he struggled to pilot his small plane out of the combat zone. "They was like mad dogs."

Anchorage's local militia force, the "North Star Squadron," sortied within minutes of the outbreak of fighting, though they were ineffectual in their attempts to stand down the dueling factions. Two-thirds of the militia forces were shot down, including "Judge" Kevin Collins, the expatriate Texan who is the nominal leader of the Anchorage community. Collins wounds, though serious, are not currently deemed life threatening.

Local pilots rushed to assist the North Star Squadron, finally running both Soviet and White Russian planes out of the area, but not before civilian casualties had mounted.

-Gavin Albright, AWN Correspondent