Mitsuo Fuchida piloted the Type 97 torpedo plane to land on the aircraft carrier, and then stood at the bow of the ship, holding a telescope and watching the pilots enthusiastically practice their bomb-dropping techniques. Instead, he fell into deep thought.
There is not much time left before the sneak attack on Pearl Harbor. It is obviously difficult to train these torpedo aircraft pilots to their own level in this short period of time. Not every torpedo aircraft pilot can easily reach 3000+ flight hours.
An idea appeared in Mitsuo Fuchida's mind. It was impossible to change the torpedo machine in a short time, so the only way was to improve the torpedoes.
At present, the Imperial Navy already has the world's best-performing Type 91 torpedoes. Each of these torpedoes weighs more than one ton, which requires pilots flying high-speed torpedo planes to fire torpedoes into the water. , the issue of water depth must be more strictly considered.
If the pilot launches the torpedo at a height of 50-100 meters from the water, then after the torpedo enters the water, it must sink to a depth of at least 60+ meters before rising.
This is obviously inappropriate for a diving area like Pearl Harbor. The torpedo will plunge directly into the mud at the bottom of the shallow water, because the water depth in the shallow water of Pearl Harbor is only 12 meters.
Mitsuo Fuchida frowned, and a more fatal question appeared in his mind.
When the torpedo is released when it reaches 20 meters from the water surface, the sinking depth of the torpedo must also reach 40+ meters.
Obviously, although he successfully hit the target when he launched the torpedo just now, the depth of the water in the area where the torpedo was launched was only 80 meters at the shallowest. If it were in the waters of Pearl Harbor, the torpedo would still plunge into the mud.
In other words, even the technology of all pilots that can reach 20 meters from the water to drop bombs will not work.
Fuchida Mizuo smoked a cigarette fiercely. If he wanted the torpedo to fully exert its great strike power, the technical problems of the torpedo itself must be solved as soon as possible.
Mizuo Fuchida was a war fanatic. When he thought about the torpedo problem, he immediately compiled the materials and submitted them to Lieutenant Colonel Harada Minoru, who recommended him to become the chief instructor of all pilots in the attack on Pearl Harbor.
Harada Minoru and Fuchida Mitsuo were classmates and had a very good relationship. Harada Minoru was also one of the main planners of the attack on Pearl Harbor.
The commander-in-chief of the attack on Pearl Harbor was Isoroku Yamamoto, but Minoru Harada took the lead in planning the details of the attack.
Harada was extremely smart. During his time in the military academy, his grades were always among the best. After entering the front-line troops as a ship commander, his talents were put into full play. He was bold, careful, innovative, and also a fanatical militant. He once served in China He planned many conspiracies on the battlefield, and together with Mitsuo Fuchida, the executioner, killed many Chinese soldiers and civilians, the two of them were guilty of the most heinous crimes and deserved Ling Chi.
Therefore, after the plan to attack Pearl Harbor in the United States was decided, Harada Minoru immediately recommended his classmate Mitsuo Fuchida, who was also a war-mad fellow, to Yamamoto Isoroku as the chief instructor of carrier-based aircraft.
In the evening, Mitsuo Fuchida compiled the torpedo modification requirements into materials and personally delivered them to Minoru Harada.
After reading the materials, Harada Minoru bowed to Mitsuo Fuchida: "Thank you very much for your hard work, Mr. Fuchida! Your discovery and proposal are so important. If it weren't for your discovery, our fleet would have arrived successfully." Pearl Harbor could not inflict a devastating blow on American warships."
"Thank you Harada-kun for the compliment!"
Mitsuo Fuchida returned the favor, then reached out to pick up the full bottle of sake Harada Minoru gave him, and drank it all in one gulp, "It's really good wine!"
Harada Minoru picked up the glass and drank it up: "Fuchida-kun, I promise to deliver this material to Commander-in-Chief Yamamoto tomorrow morning. I don't believe those guys in the technical department. They are procrastinating and will hinder the work." A major event for our army."
Mitsuo Fuchida nodded. He knew that his classmate worked vigorously and resolutely and never delayed. He reached for the sake and poured it for both Harada Minoru and himself: "Harada-kun, I want to ask you for two people to be my escorts." Fighter squadron leader.”
Harada Minoru smiled: "As long as it is beneficial to this operation, feel free to make any requests. I don't know which two pilots can enter your field of vision."
Mitsuo Fuchida: "Tetsuzo Iwamoto and Hiroki Nishizawa."
"Yeah!" Harada Minoru nodded, "Then let these two be your fighter squadron leaders." After saying that, he remembered something again, and the wine glass he was holding stopped in mid-air, "Nishizawa Hiroyuki once had a relationship with a Chinese pilot. There is an agreement between them, that is, he will not step foot into China in this life.
And we now claim that these pilots we are training will conquer the Chinese and let Nishizawa Hiroki become the squadron leader. Will this arouse others' suspicion? "
Mitsuo Fuchida was silent for a few seconds: "Otherwise, we can nominally let Nishizawa Hiroki become a flight instructor for carrier-based aircraft, and his main duty is to train pilots, not to enter the Chinese battlefield.
This person has strong air combat capabilities and rich experience in sea flight. Entering Pearl Harbor as an escort, with him and Tetsuo Iwamoto leading the team, we have a greater chance of winning. "
Harada Minoru drank all the wine in his hand: "Fuchida-kun's idea is good. Wait until after the expedition and let Nishizawa Hiroyuki become the squadron leader. That way it will not arouse others' suspicion."
"correct!"
Harada Minoru put down his glass, "I know very little about fighter jets. I only know that Nishizawa Hiroki once had a contest with a Chinese pilot in the United States and lost in the end. Therefore, he can only abide by his promise and never set foot in China in his lifetime."
I have always been curious, with Nishizawa's strength, how could he lose to Chinese pilots with low combat effectiveness? "
Mizuo Fuchida put down his wine glass, stood up, walked to the sword stand where Harada Minoru had hung his katana, reached out to take the katana, and slowly pulled it out, the sword flashed with cold light: "Harada-kun, you are really good at this. knife!"
Harada Minoru didn't say anything. He knew that his classmate was very competitive and loved Yui fighters and katana swords most in his life.
Mitsuo Fuchida drew out his samurai sword, performed several beautiful slayings, and looked forward: "When Nishizawa Hiroyuki was in the United States, he was defeated by a Chinese pilot named Zhou Zhihan. There were also members of the Ace Fighter Squadron present at the time. Commander Kato, and General Nakasa Moritaka.”
Harada Minoru nodded, finished the wine in the glass, and then poured it on himself.
Mitsuo Fuchida slowly sheathed the sword, hung it back on the knife holder, sat back and drank with Minoru Harada: "According to reliable information, Zhou Zhihan has an agreement with the US military, that is, at the end of November he will fly to the United States to teach American carrier aircraft pilot.
The reason why I want Nishizawa Hiroki to be my squadron leader is that I want to know the true strength of this Chinese pilot through him. If I have a chance, I want to defeat this Chinese ace in the United States. "
"You guys are still so competitive. I also heard that this Chinese pilot named Zhou Zhihan was once famous in the skies over the UK." Harada Minoru drank a few glasses of wine, his cheeks were red, and he drank another glass of wine. Fill it up and hold it up, "Come on, Fuchida-kun, wish us immediate success, and wish you shoot down this Chinese pilot and become famous all over the world!"
The two toasted.
Harada Minoru was drunk: "Fuchida-kun, this morning, General Yamamoto and I talked about the plan of carrier-based aircraft to bomb Pearl Harbor, but I think there is something wrong with his plan. I want to hear your suggestions. .”
