Zhou Zhirou stood up, lit a cigarette, and walked back and forth in front of the large combat map: "The two reinforcement regiments led by Masao Nakamura at the Wutang position have been blocked by our army and cannot advance half a step for the time being. Our blocking troops will at least We can intercept them until noon tomorrow. Even if Nakamura Masao breaks through the Wutang defense line, our Liutang troops can give them a head-on attack.
The Japanese reinforcement convoy that supplies heavy artillery, mountain artillery, and rapid-fire artillery shells to the Miki Regiment was also blocked by our army two kilometers west of Liutang. Their convoy was difficult to drive on the rugged mountain road, so the enemy here was temporarily unable to move. Nothing to worry about.
The bridge between Liutang and Qitang has always been firmly controlled by the Japs. The Japs have arranged several secret bunkers on both sides of the bridge piers to form interweaving firepower. It is difficult for our bridge bombing troops to attack the bridge piers covered with barbed wire. , but the Japanese troops guarding the bridge can only barely defend and cannot attack, so there is no need to worry about this place for the time being. "
Zhou Zhirou said, picked up a red pen and drew a large circle on Qinzhou Bay:
"The Miki Regiment was almost out of ammunition and food under the siege of our army. Their reinforcements were blocked and the supply convoy was blocked. The Japanese had only one way left, which was to airdrop to the Miki Regiment.
According to reliable information, Japan's two seaplane carriers "Kamikawa" and "Chiyoda" have arrived in Qinzhou Bay this morning. This kind of aircraft carrier is modified from a commercial ship and has almost no defense capabilities. It can carry up to 21 reconnaissance aircraft and A fighter jet functions as a mobile water supply platform.
What our air force needs to do now is to prevent the Japanese army from airdropping supplies from the sea. "
After saying that, Zhou Zhirou turned and looked at Zhou Zhihan: "The weather in the Kunlun Pass area is currently bad with rain and fog, and the Japanese combat aircraft cannot go to airdrop. We must blow up the two Japanese fighter jets before the weather clears up at noon tomorrow." A seaplane carrier, this arduous task will be handed over to Colonel Zhou Zhihan!"
Zhou Zhirou knew that for now, if there was one person among the entire Chinese Air Force pilots who could complete this arduous task, it would be Zhou Zhihan.
If even Zhou Zhihan cannot complete this task, then this task must be cancelled.
Zhou Zhihan stood up immediately: "Yes! Commander-in-Chief!"
Zhou Zhirou's eyes were firm, and she nodded and asked Zhou Zhihan to sit down, and then looked around at everyone: "Once the Japanese airdrop is successful, the advantage that our squadron has worked hard to establish over the past few months will be in vain. Due to the military emergency, our air force will not be able to make it in time." I have done too much tactical research, so I decided now that Colonel Zhou Zhihan will lead 9 CB light bombers to take off from Taipingsi Airport, land at Guilin Airport to refuel, and then fly to Qinzhou Bay at night to blow up two Japanese seaplanes. Aircraft carrier.”
When everyone in the room heard this, they all looked at Zhou Zhihan. No one thought that Zhou Zhirou was the Japanese aircraft carrier who asked to blow up the Qinzhou Bay at night.
Qinzhou Bay is so large that the visibility on the sea at night is very low and there is often rain and fog. In this case, the pilot is almost blind. Looking for two aircraft carriers on the vast sea is like looking for a needle in a haystack.
The air force officers present all knew that if you want to find an aircraft carrier at night, the aircraft must fly at low altitude. This means that the bombers have not found the aircraft carrier yet, and the roar of the huge propellers and engines have exposed themselves to the Japanese army first.
This battle is too difficult to fight.
Even if Colonel Zhou is a super ace, it is still more difficult than climbing to the sky to lead a fleet of aircraft to kill two aircraft carriers in such bad weather.
at night? Zhou Zhihan also frowned slightly when he heard this. He had fought in the Battle of Dunkirk and knew how low the visibility was on the sea at night, but at that time there were always large oil tanks burning in Dunkirk as direction markers, and Dunkirk The geographical environment of the sea area cannot be compared with that of Kunlun Pass. The climate of Kunlun Pass has always been unpredictable. The seaside is surrounded by rolling mountains. Bombers are looking for enemies at low altitudes. If you are not careful, you may be shattered to pieces.
He had no problem finding the Japanese aircraft carrier, but could the other eight pilots follow him closely?
Flying in the air is not like driving on the ground. For those behind, the pilot car can park on the side of the road and wait. Once the bomber gets lost over the Kunlun Pass, the consequences will be very serious.
Before the air battle against the Japanese on August 14, 1937, Zhou Zhihan once led a group of Chinese bombers to raid the Japanese bombing airport. However, the pilots at that time were all China's elite aces, and all of them were highly skilled. As long as Zhou Zhihan could spot the target at night, According to the heading, the first batch of elites of the Chinese Air Force can follow the flight accurately.
At that time, China's four kings and elites, looking at the world, could all stand alone. However, in the early days of the war, the quantity and quality of aircraft fell behind the Japanese. The kings and elite aces fell one after another, causing the Chinese Air Force to fall into an unprecedented dilemma.
In the past few years, China's Anti-Japanese War has entered the most difficult period. The first batch of elites have been lost and they have sacrificed their lives for the country. Most of these pilots now came out of the crash course given by the Soviet Air Force instructors. Their flight time was extremely short and their skills were beyond comparison. , it’s just that you can fly and fire, not to mention experience. But when flying on mountains and over the sea at night, the most important thing is experience and a steady heart.
Zhou Zhirou saw Zhou Zhihan's hesitation, and he also understood Zhou Zhihan's inner thoughts, but a cruel war was ahead of him. As the commander-in-chief of the Air Force, he could only face the difficulties. The Chinese Air Force's family fortune lies here. He must encourage the pilots to strive for miracles.
"Colonel Zhou, if you have any difficulties, you can raise them."
Zhou Zhihan knew that Zhou Zhirou had no choice but to ask him to bomb the Japanese aircraft carrier at night. He had never flown near Kunlun Pass. He had no idea about such a mission:
"Commander-in-Chief! The terrain at Kunlun Pass is dangerous. To fly from Guilin Airport to Qinzhou Bay, you have to cross rolling mountains with an altitude of more than 3,000 to 4,000 meters. This is a big problem for bombers that fly at night and have no information exchange. .
Even if the pilots can follow me, there is no oxygen equipment on the CB light bomber, and the oxygen above Kunlun Pass is thin. If it flies high, the pilot will face the risk of hypoxic coma. If it flies at a height slightly higher than the mountains, it will be quite serious. So dancing on the tip of the knife, a slight error in all the links may cause catastrophe. "
Everyone present knew that what Zhou Zhihan said was not to shirk responsibility in advance, but to put the problem on the table in advance and work together to solve it.
Zhou Zhirou smoked cigarettes one after another: "If there is a better way, please tell me."
No one spoke.
For a while, no one could solve the problem of flying close to the towering Kunlun Pass at night.
Everyone knows that the oxygen above the Kunlun Pass is thin and completely different from the oxygen concentration four thousand meters above the plains. Moreover, the wind direction in the valley is unpredictable, which is very dangerous for bombers!
If the bombers have oxygen supply equipment, the hurdle of crossing the mountains can be solved. However, among all Chinese bombers, only the Martin 139WC Heavy Bomber has oxygen equipment. After the war, there are only two Martin Heavy Bombers left and they lack parts and cannot take off.
For a moment, the war conference room fell into silence.
