Since the area of the motherland is so large, the Air Force will definitely continue to switch operations due to insufficient number of aircraft in the early stage.
Taking into account logistical issues, Huanghe had issued instructions to various base areas to build field airports in the name of the bosses as early as October this year.
Starting from the border area to Wannan, the distance is more than 1,300 kilometers, and even spans three major provinces.
Although the range of the Spitfire and Skytrain is enough to fly the entire distance in one go, they have to pass through multiple enemy-occupied areas along the way, and the Japanese have already built many airports.
In this case, if such a large formation flies over, it is very likely that it will be intercepted by Japanese aircraft.
After discussions between the combat heroes and the border area staff, the final designed transportation route was to start from the border area and first fly to the Hebei, Shandong and Henan base areas for transit.
Rest one night in PY and set off immediately after dawn to go straight to Wannan.
Although this route will add about 300 kilometers to the flight, the single flight range will be reduced by half after the transfer. The most important thing is that the soldiers can completely avoid the enemy's two major airports.
The planes of the Japanese army aviation bombing the capital of southwest China came from these two airports, including North China and Central China.
The first route takes off from Wuhan and goes west along the Yangtze River, passing through Wanzhou, Zhongxian, Fengdu, FL, and Changshou, and finally reaches the destination.
The second route starts from Jin Province, passes through Chang'an and northern Sichuan, and bombs the target all the way south.
Transferring in the Hebei-Shandong-Henan base area can be said to be the most reasonable choice at the moment.
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At 6:30 pm on December 31, 1940, twenty-five C47 transport planes and six Spitfire fighter jets successfully landed at the field airport of the Second Column of the Eighth Route Army.
The sky train has a top speed of 360 kilometers/hour and a cruising speed of 260 kilometers/hour.
This journey of more than 800 kilometers took the soldiers only more than three hours.
However, this does not mean that the whole process is easy, because neither the Hebei-Shandong-Henan base area nor the border area has radar or mature radio technology on either side.
From the moment of departure, the pilot basically relies on watching.
This tests the pilots' basic skills and wants to confirm the flight route. Comrades can only rely on pure vision, and then use the map and memory to look for characteristic terrain while flying.
This is the most primitive navigation method, landmark navigation, and it is also a required subject for every pilot.
This bad situation will have to wait until Huang He relies on the system and Lao Zeng to master mature radio technology before it can get better.
At that time, the ground and pilots can communicate directly through language to guide routes, and even radio navigation technology in aviation can be developed.
Both technologies are necessary for military powers, otherwise they will affect the efficiency of future bombers.
After all, bombers currently performing long-range missions need to sail in large formations.
The entire formation must follow the pilot aircraft, and the navigator relies on radio and map guidance to lead the formation over the bombing target.
After everyone landed smoothly, Commander Yang of the second column personally received Principal Chang and his party.
After more than two months of construction, three large runways have been built in the Hebei, Shandong and Yu base areas. Considering transportation issues, comrades even prepared several large warehouses.
All this is due to Commander Yang's vision. Although he never went to school when he was a child, he studied at the Anti-Japanese University for a period of time after following the army to the border area.
More than half a year of study allowed him to understand a lot of theoretical knowledge about the Air Force.
Seeing the pilots exiting the cabin, Commander Yang immediately stepped forward and held Principal Chang's hand. He looked at everyone and said excitedly:
"Thank you for your hard work, comrades! I asked the cooking team to prepare dinner. After you finish your meal, take the time to rest. We still have tasks tomorrow."
"Just leave the unloading to our second column. They should all be marked."
Glancing at the soldiers who had already started working, Principal Chang nodded tiredly. Although he was an excellent fighter pilot, he had not had much exposure to large transport aircraft before.
All the crews set off hastily after only a few days of training. In order to safely fly to the Hebei, Shandong and Yu base areas, everyone was highly focused on the road, and now they have reached their limit.
"Okay, thank you for your hard work, Commander Yang. I'll leave the rest to you, but be careful. In addition to daily consumables, there are many weapons and ammunition this time."
After a short communication, the pilots set off for the cooking class. Before leaving, Principal Chang pointed out some shortcomings of the field airport.
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Early the next morning, as soon as the sun rose, everyone in the transport team set off immediately.
Long-distance flying is a very boring thing. Without the need to pilot, Captain Wang Hai constantly engages with imaginary enemy aircraft in his mind, maneuvers to avoid and counterattack. This skill is a habit he has always had.
The reason why Captain Wang Hai became the ace of our army at a young age is because he will use every opportunity to perform missions to practice his ability and skills in flying fighter jets as much as possible.
Forty minutes away from the destination, three Type 97 fighter jets suddenly appeared in front.
During World War II, no matter what kind of aircraft was used in combat, it had to rely on the pilot's naked eyes.
There was no auxiliary equipment at this time, let alone advanced radar. Being able to detect targets and identify friends and foes immediately fully reflects the strength of combat heroes.
At this time, the three Japanese soldiers in the distance were very confused. Anyone who suddenly discovered that an unknown aircraft appeared in their own airspace would be surprised.
Teppei Kawai, who had the highest military rank and seniority among the three, gave the order first. He said vigilantly on the communication channel:
"Unfamiliar plane! Get ready for battle! Judging from the location, it's probably those who came to aid the Republic of China!"
"You two, pay attention to my arrangements and be prepared to sacrifice your life for my brother's country at any time. The enemy has six unfamiliar fighter jets. There is a high probability that we will only have a narrow victory."
"Don't be greedy for credit. Get rid of the escort and then attack the transport plane!"
The Type 97 fighter is a product that strictly implements the design concept of light aircraft. It is a light fighter with light weight, super horizontal maneuverability and excellent dogfighting ability. It can be called the strongest killer of biplane fighters.
Although it is a fighter with an all-metal monoplane structure, the design concept is still based on the biplane's hovering combat tactics in the horizontal plane.
The design focused on hovering performance and low wing loading at the expense of fuselage weight and protection.
This makes the fighter jet poorly defended and even lacks bulletproof steel plates and self-sealing fuel tanks to protect the pilot. In addition, it is also very weak in firepower, which is also a common problem of Japanese fighter jets.
Under normal circumstances, facing this little squishiness, the driver of the Spitfire should give full play to its performance advantages of fast speed, thick armor, and fierce firepower.
Adopt B&Z tactics of diving at high speed and escaping the enemy with one blow. This can avoid circling and fighting with Japanese pilots and give full play to one's own advantages.
But now it is an emergency situation, and the two sides are enemies. In order to protect the transport aircraft, the fighter jets did not have to move too far.
As the captain, Wang Hai made an immediate decision, and he calmly issued his tactics on the communication channel.
"In the airspace ahead, there are three enemy aircraft within visual range! Everyone, be ready for battle!"
"Zhao Baotong and Wang Tianbao come with me. We will take out the Japanese fighter jets in the shortest possible time. The rest of us spread out and stay alert. If we find an enemy plane, we will report it to me immediately."
"The transport plane remains on its current course. We will not let the enemy get close to you."
After hearing the captain's instructions, the two responded quickly.
"Copy that! I will be responsible for executing the interception mission!"
"Copy that! Let's deal with the enemy quickly! Then return to the team and continue the escort mission!"
The selection of combatants was carefully considered by Captain Wang Hai. Zhao Baotong was the person who shot down the most enemy planes in the formation, and his personal strength could definitely crush the Japanese.
Although Wang Tianbao only had four kill records, he was the most proficient fighter in propeller fighter combat in the 1st Air Division, and he could be said to have mastered various maneuvers at his fingertips.
The three of them sped up and broke away from the formation. Considering the problem of the upcoming voyage, they did not throw it into the auxiliary fuel tank. In a sense, it was a manifestation of the boldness of a skilled person.
Seeing that not all the enemies were dispatched, Kawai Teppei felt insulted.
The three Japs immediately became angry. As members of the Army Air Force who had participated in major battles, this was the first time they saw such an arrogant enemy.
Under the trend of anger, the three Type 97 fighter jets rushed forward, ready to show the unknown enemy what true cruelty was.
When the fighter jets from both sides entered the fighting distance, the Spitfire and Type 97 fighter jets attacked each other almost simultaneously.
But what Kawai Teppei never expected was that one of his own planes was directly blown up by the enemy and disintegrated in the air in the blink of an eye.
I have to admit that the little Japanese pilot has a few tricks up his sleeve. During the enemy attack, a Type 97 fighter jet hit Zhao Baotong's Spitfire.
At this time, the gap in protective performance is clearly reflected. The Spitfire is the first combat aircraft developed by Daiying to adopt an all-metal load-bearing skin.
Not only does it have cockpit armor, it even has a self-sealing fuel tank. The small water pipe of the book hit the spitfire, causing no real damage at all.
Kawai Teppei didn't have time to think too much. With the two sides flying head-on at high speed, his side soon had a close head-on encounter with a formation of three unfamiliar enemy aircraft.
The two sides immediately launched a gunpowder-filled aerial duel.
Kodera Yi'an was driving a Type 97 fighter jet and yelled in the communication channel: "Baga! What kind of plane is this! The enemy's speed is too fast! Be careful! Be careful!"
You could feel from his tone that the original arrogance was gone. After all, even animals are afraid of unknown things, let alone in a tense and exciting battle.
The speed of the intersection between the two sides was very fast, and coupled with the speed of the fire, the Japanese crew instantly lost control of Wang Hai's position after the intersection was completed.
The two Type 97 fighter jets took the lead in making a sharp turn to the left, trying to get a better view by pointing their canopies in the direction of the Spitfire's departure.
Although he lost a comrade just after the battle, the performance of his own aircraft was even inferior to that of the enemy. But after calming down, the two regained their former confidence.
This is due to the continuous victories in the past, and before the Type 1 Falcon was installed, their aircraft were the most advanced models in the current Army Aviation.
But at this moment, Wang Tianbao took advantage of his performance and silently used the blind spot caused by sunlight to approach Xiaosi Yi'an.
Logically speaking, after the head-on encounter, both sides will start to turn, and choose single-ring fighting or double-ring fighting according to the performance of the aircraft.
Among them, the single-ring fighting competition is the turning radius of the aircraft, while the double-ring fighting competition is the turning angular speed.
After Wang Tianbao observed that the Japanese began to turn left, he immediately made the same operation.
He even used the performance advantage of the Spitfire, combined with his excellent driving skills and rich experience, to allow the fighter jet to firmly occupy the six o'clock position of the Type 97 as if it was out of touch with the laws of physics.
After seizing the opportunity, Wang Tianbao grabbed the enemy's tail at six o'clock for 10 seconds, forcing the Japanese to continuously make defensive maneuvers.
But these conventional defensive maneuvers have little effect on an elite pilot.
Air cannons and machine guns fired in unison, and a brilliant spark appeared in the sky, and the four stars officially turned into five stars.
Different from Wang Tianbao's fancy play style, Wang Hai and Zhao Baotong chose the most practical tactics.
After a head-on encounter, the two Spitfires entangled the enemy and dived behind the Type 97 fighter in a half-roll inversion, and then immediately used a jump attack.
At this time, the little devil had few choices to make. He could either jump to escape or dive to escape.
Teppei Kawai made a choice quickly. He immediately started to dive in the Type 97 fighter jet, trying to escape back to the airport with his own skills.
The lion fought the rabbit with all their strength, and the two aces gave the Japanese no chance to resist. They chased the Japanese at a moderate speed and waited for the Japanese to enter their shooting angle.
For Teppei Kawai, this constant tug-of-war between death and prosperity has put a lot of pressure on his psychological defense.
As we all know, high altitude is very cold.
There was no heating on airplanes in this era, and pilots had to wear warm flight suits, but this guy was sweating profusely.
The successive deaths of his teammates had put a lot of pressure on him. He originally wanted to try his best to escape, but the enemy's dog fighting experience was obviously more than one level higher than his.
With his tail bitten, he could only perform various maneuvers.
Captain Wang Hai aimed at the Japanese and said to himself coldly: "Pull up, overload to the limit, stall and stall."
Obviously this is imitating the alarm system, and it also foreshadows the final fate of the Japanese.
Since the Type 97 fighter jet has a low empty weight, mediocre speed, and insufficient structural strength, its dive capability is poor.
When the Jaap was forced into a desperate situation, he had no choice but to level out from a dive, but his wings were torn off the fuselage.
Under the hatred of his family and his country, Captain Wang Hai did not hesitate to finish the attack and completely defeated the enemy.
After the battle, Captain Wang Hai's voice came from the communication channel. After the "fierce air battle" ended, he didn't even take a breath.
"The battle is over, return to the team."
"Roger! We're about to meet up."
"By the way, Captain, you did a great job. Congratulations on killing the tenth enemy plane."
(End of chapter)
