"Junmen, urgent call... Yingyi's airship is launching a suicide plane!"
When the communications officer's exclamation sounded in the bridge of the Shu Zhongwang aircraft-carrying battlecruiser, Zhuge Weidao was holding a telescope to watch a dozen British airships that had just appeared on the horizon.
As the number one "airship expert" in the world today, Zhuge Weidao doesn't take airships seriously at all. Because he knew very well that airships had no future... Although the German airships played some role in the early days of World War I, the sky belonged to aircraft after all. Airships are nothing more than a transitional product, expensive and unsafe, and have limited use on the battlefield. Before the development of airplanes, you can still do reconnaissance. In a few years, when airplanes really take off, airships will be useless...
As soon as he thought of this, the communications officer of the First Air War suddenly yelled.
"Suicide plane?"
Zhuge Weidao was stunned for a moment. Before he could react, his aviation staff officer Wang Wen had already shouted: "What? What kind of suicide plane?"
The communications officer replied: "The telegram said it was a delta glider equipped with an engine and propeller, hung with bombs, controlled by humans, and without landing gear!"
What? And this kind of weapon?
Before Zhuge Weidao could recover from his surprise, Ma Xuchen, chief of staff of the "First Air War", had already explained to him loudly: "Junmen, when you were the admiral of the Persian Gulf Fleet, Guan Junmen once instructed the naval aviation force to study the The tactic of dropping glider aircraft from an airship to attack. We have also tried to produce a similar glide bomb aircraft..."
"Then why did you give up again?" Zhuge Weidao asked.
"Because we have found through research that pilots operating this kind of glide bomb aircraft will have a very high death rate in wartime, so the members of the airship unit who participated in the trial production called it a suicide aircraft... Unexpectedly, the British People actually made such crazy weapons!"
It turned out that the two airship observers who discovered that the British airship was dropping human-operated gliding bombs had participated in the trial production of the Ming army's own gliding bomb aircraft, so they recognized this crazy weapon at a glance.
At this time, Zhuge Weidao had also seen those people who were dropped from the British airship using power gliding bombs... It made his scalp numb! He originally thought that only the Japanese could do such crazy things, but he didn't expect that the British in 1830 were so powerful!
But it makes sense to think about it. During this period in history, the British were still practicing the tactics of lining up to shoot and firing volleys within 20 meters. For the "lobster soldiers" who stood in the front row as guns, this was the same as flying a plane into a warship. Compared to crazy, it seems that it is not much different!
Thinking of this, Zhuge Weidao immediately knew that the problem was serious... We couldn't let those suicide planes hit us!
"Carrier-based aircraft take off..." Zhuge Weidao said loudly, "All motherships release half of their carrier-based aircraft, without bombs, and use all their strength to intercept the enemy's suicide aircraft. No one is allowed to slip through the net!"
"Yes, Junmen!"
"Shu Zhongwang, head into the wind...at full speed!"
"Yes, Junmen!"
...
The Shu Zhongwang, with a standard displacement of over 20,000 tons, began to soar into the wind! This is to create the maximum deck wind so that the Ssangyong-type bi-wing, twin-engine carrier-based seaplane can use the strong wind coming from the head to create upward lift.
On the flight deck, the Ssangyong aircraft "packed" as trolleys had already shown their prototypes - the folded wings had been lowered, and the pilots in warm leather flight suits were all carrying parachutes and hanging cameras. , excited and anxious, he came out of the lounge and walked towards his phone in the strong wind.
The newly married Master Sergeant Fengmingshan was also among them. He was an aircraft pilot and was responsible for flying the aircraft and operating the two forward-mounted machines mounted on the nose of the aircraft. Behind him was a young man named Li Pingqing who had the latest Seagull camera hanging around his neck. He was Fengmingshan's co-pilot, navigator, bombardier, telegraph operator, rear machine gunner and special photographer - this The job of a dedicated photographer is important! During the reconnaissance mission, you are responsible for photographing the enemy, during the air combat shooting down, you are responsible for photographing the target, during the bombing mission, you are responsible for photographing the bombed warship!
Whether Master Sergeant Second Class Feng Mingshan has the chance to become an official in this life, firstly, he will fly the plane to perform meritorious service, and secondly, it will depend on the dedicated photographer behind him who is "one expert and versatile"... If you forget to take a photo, there will be no proof!
So now that he was about to go to the battlefield, Fengmingshan did not forget to give one final explanation: "Xiao Li... don't forget to take pictures! When I hit the airship later, I must remember to take pictures." .....This is a great achievement, a great achievement that can lead to promotion!"
Because of the huge military academy system, it was difficult for soldiers in the Ming army to be promoted to officers. But being difficult doesn't mean it's impossible... As long as you can make great achievements, you can be promoted.
But for most soldiers, this kind of "great merit" is almost impossible to obtain. But pilots may be an exception! It must be a great achievement for them to capture an airship!
A large British airship is worth at least 100,000 pounds. It is said that there are at least 10 British officers and soldiers on it. The captain must be an officer!
There are now 16 British airships visible to the naked eye in the sky!
If they want to come down to drop bombs, they can be shot down easily...
"I know, I know, Brother Feng, I've heard you say it 100 times!"
When Fengmingshan wanted to say it 101 times, a piercing siren suddenly sounded on the deck, but to Fengmingshan, this sound was simply the most beautiful music in the world.
"Board!"
"Let's go to war!"
"Hit him!"
Fengmingshan is not the only one who is happy, no one on the Shu Zhongwang pilot is unhappy - they still want to be officers! Although the life of the middle and lower class people in Ming Dynasty is not difficult, these pilots who have reached the level of master sergeant want to go further! Because they all know that the eight great families that control the Ming Dynasty have always taken good care of the military officer class...
Amidst the shouting, the third-level master sergeant Li Pingqing, who was still a little confused just now, had already entered the cockpit of the Ssangyong aircraft before Fengmingshan. Just a few minutes later, the propellers of 16 Shuangyong aircraft on the Shu Zhongwang, including Fengmingshan's and Li Pingqing's planes, had turned into a curtain of light.
"Priority is given to attacking suicide planes! Attention, First Flying Group... This operation gives priority to attacking suicide planes! Be sure to shoot down all suicide planes! Take off now!"
At this time, the voice of the first detachment of the "First Air War" came from the loudspeaker on the deck.
As the takeoff order was issued, the 16 SsangYong aircraft that were ready took off from the flight deck one after another aboard the Shu Zhongwang, which was rushing into the wind!
At the same time, on the three aircraft carriers Liaodong, Jilin, and Heilongjiang belonging to the First Air Battle, there were also 16 SsangYong fighters each roaring into the sky!
The scene of the aircraft carrier releasing carrier-based aircraft was watched by George Elliot on the large airship nominally belonging to the Royal Indian Navy, which was monitoring the "First Air Battle" from high altitude.
Now it was his turn to be dumbfounded!
Those things that look like trolleys are actually flying machines! Ming Dynasty’s flying machine can actually take off from a ship! How did they do that? And... what do they want to do with so many flying machines flying at once?
