Chengdu Taipingsi Airport.
There were many officers sitting in the underground war room of the airport. They were all silent and heavy-hearted. Several slightly injured pilots who had just returned were wrapped in gauze and their expressions were even more sad and angry. Air Force Commander-in-Chief Zhou Zhirou knitted his brows together and sat there. In front of a large combat map, I listened to an Air Force second lieutenant intelligence officer who had just walked in read a temporary combat report:
"Our air force fought with Japanese aircraft in Bishan, Chongqing today and suffered heavy casualties.
Provisional battle reports are currently available. Nine fighter jets of our air force crashed in Daxing Township, Bishan, three crashed in Shizishan, and one crashed in Fulu Township. Eight were injured and returned. There is no news yet about six more fighter jets that are missing. The pilot died. Eight people, seven injured, and several more missing, are being searched...
Several pilots who finally returned reported that the Japanese army dispatched twelve unknown fighter jets to escort the large group of Type 96 land attacks, and none of them was damaged..."
After listening, the room was deathly silent.
The Japs’ new fighter jets are too scary.
After a while, the pale-faced Zhou Zhirou raised his head and sighed: "Our air force suffered heavy casualties, but it didn't even shoot down a new Japanese fighter plane. How can I have the face to see the principal and his wife? How can I have the face to meet the elders in Chongqing?" Folks.”
"Commander-in-Chief!"
Seeing Zhou Zhirou's face full of grief and self-reproach, all the officers in the room stood up with a "swish" sound. This battle was such a disastrous defeat that everyone felt like they were salted in their hearts.
Zhou Zhirou's eyes were a little moist. Ever since the Air Force Headquarters decided to fight against the famous Japanese fighter planes with all its strength, the tremendous pressure caused him to suffer from insomnia continuously and the number of gray hairs on his temples increased.
"We really can't defeat them. We really can't defeat them. We can't defeat the Japanese with old goods from ten years ago. So many brothers have died. We really can't defeat them. Commander-in-Chief..."
Captain Lei Yanjun, who barely managed to return home with a scarred fighter plane, was so sad that he couldn't help but shed heroic tears. He repeated a few words and burst into tears. He watched his brothers being shot down by the Japanese one by one over Bishan, but there was nothing he could do. At this time, I recalled the tragic situation at that time, and started to cry loudly as I talked.
Chen Shengxin, whose palms were pierced and bandaged, also shed tears: "The endurance of the Japanese fighter planes exceeds our imagination. Their speed is at least more than 500 kilometers, far better than ours, and their agility is even more powerful. We have just turned halfway." , the Japanese fighter jets had already completed the turn and bit us. What made us unable to fight back was that these unknown fighter jets all used cannons. Regardless of the range or the ferocity of the firepower, they crushed us. We had no choice but to fight back. Fight back, Commander-in-Chief... Brothers fighting desperately to the death will not help..."
Although soldiers should not cry because of defeat, all the officers present understood the mood of the two men at this time. The man did not shed tears easily, but he was not sad yet, so everyone remained silent and allowed the two of them to vent their hearts. After a while, the two of them were able to control their emotions.
"Everyone, sit down!"
After massaging his eyebrows for a while with two fingers, Zhou Zhirou waved his hand for everyone to sit down. He lit a cigarette and stood up. He walked back and forth in front of the large map, frowning and asked the intelligence officer: "Is there any news about Colonel Zhou?"
Second Lieutenant Intelligence Officer: "The pilots who came back first said that on their way back, they encountered an unknown Chinese fighter plane and flew to Chongqing at lightning speed.
However, the last two pilots who returned said that they encountered this unknown fighter plane of our army when they returned and changed their route to Yun'an Town on the way to Chongqing.
The phone number in Yun'an Town cannot be reached. It is estimated that it was bombed and damaged by the Japanese army and cannot be contacted for the time being. However, there is news from the ground air defense surveillance post that nine Japanese bombers are suspected of flying towards Yun'an Town. What happened to Colonel Zhou..."
…
Messerschmitt returned to Chengdu Taipingsi Airport on the 214th. As soon as it landed on the ground, Zhou Zhihan felt that the faces of the entire ground staff in the airport showed sadness. Under the camouflaged hangar in the distance, several people were parked. An injured fighter jet successfully made an emergency landing when it returned home, surrounded by many mechanics scrambling for repairs.
An I-153 fighter jet crashed and turned into scrap metal during an emergency landing. It was moved to one side and was still emitting thick black smoke. Several ground staff were handling it.
At this time, the news that No. 214 Messerschmitt shot down six Type 96 Land Attackers and a Zero Fighter in Yun'an Town had not yet reached the headquarters because Yun'an Town had just been bombed and the telephone lines were blown out. There is no radio station in town and everything is still recovering.
Zhou Zhihan walked into the war room. There were many officers sitting in the room, all of them with pale faces. Air Force Commander-in-Chief Zhou Zhirou’s brows were knitted together, his face was pale and ugly, and he was holding a battle report sent by the combat staff, on a large combat map. Walk back and forth.
Seeing Zhou Zhihan walk in, the officers who knew him nodded and greeted him. Some young officers who didn't know him asked the people around them in a low voice. When they heard that it was the famous instructor Zhou, their eyes immediately showed reverence.
"Zhihan!" Seeing Zhou Zhihan come back, Zhou Zhirou squeezed out a bitter smile on his face. His eyes were red and covered with bloodshot eyes caused by pressure. "Sit down." Then he handed the combat report to Zhou Zhihan.
Zhou Zhihan frowned. Although he had seen the defeat of the Chinese fighter force on the way to Chongqing, when he saw the battle report, his heart still ached. Eight people died in the battle, seven were injured, and several fighter planes did not return. There is no news yet. These shocking figures are all evidence of guilt left by the little devil.
At this moment, the phone in the war room rang, and Zhou Zhirou's adjutant picked up the phone: "Hello...oh...what...ok..."
During the battle, everyone heard the adjutant's voice gradually getting excited and louder. Sunlight appeared on their faces that had been filled with gloom just now. Knowing that there was good news coming, they all looked at him eagerly.
"Commander-in-Chief!" The adjutant hung up the phone, his face beaming with joy, "News came from Yun'an Town. A No. 214 fighter jet of our Air Force shot down six Japanese Type 96 land attack aircraft over Yun'an Town and shot down one The unknown fighter plane, three bombers and two unknown fighter planes were expelled and fled..."
As soon as the adjutant finished speaking, all the officers in the room who knew Zhou Zhihan stared at him.
Everyone knows that the serial number of fighter jet 214 has always been owned by this Air Force chief instructor, and no one except him dares to use it.
The reason why no one dares to use No. 214 as the serial number of a fighter jet is because no one thinks they can carry this invincible banner.
"Good fight!" Zhou Zhirou showed some relief on her face and walked quickly to Zhou Zhihan. "Zhihan, was it you who shot down the Japs' fighter plane over Yun'an Town..."
Zhou Zhirou ordered all airports and ground air defense posts to be on heightened alert to guard against sneak attacks and retaliation by the Japs. At the same time, he ordered all fighter units not to engage in combat with Zero fighter jets that encounter the Japs, and to avoid their sharp edges for the time being.
…
Before dark in the evening, there was news about all the fighter planes participating in the battle today. Ten Chinese Air Force personnel died and nine were injured. Thirteen fighter planes crashed and 11 were injured and forced to land. Two of them were scrapped during the forced landing.
By ten o'clock in the evening, the remains of ten pilots who died in the battle were found, cleaned, wrapped in white cloth, and contained in ten coffins, which were covered with national flags.
In order to prevent the Japanese spies from discovering the actual losses of our troops and to avoid the negative emotions caused by the public's knowledge of this situation, only four coffins appeared in front of the public, and the other six coffins were secretly sent to the Air Force Headquarters.
The wreckage of the military aircraft that crashed in Bishan was also protected, and all the parts that could be dismantled were transported back to the airport, and the unusable ones were destroyed on the spot.
The valuable remains of the fighter-bombers shot down by the Japanese army in Yun'an Town were transported back to the airport for study, and the rest were destroyed.
In fact, when the Chinese Air Force was reflecting on its tactical mistakes and studying Japanese fighter jets after the Battle of Bishan, the Japanese Navy and Army Air Forces were also studying the sudden appearance of the No. 214 Chinese fighter jet.
Hankou Airport.
Airport war room.
The commanders of the 1st Joint Air Force, Major General Yamaguchi Takan, Major General Onishi Tojiro, Commander Kato Major of the "Kato Ace Fighter Squadron", and Captain Kondo, who commanded the battle at Katoyama this time, studied together and based on the two returning Zero Fighters This Zhan No. 214 fighter jet was drawn based on the pilot’s description.
