February 7, 1941, Wuhan
As the focus of this counterattack, the Chinese Air Force carried out large-scale bombings on three towns in Wuhan in the next three days. During this period, fighter jets from both sides also engaged in several fierce battles. Relying on the excellent performance of the Dewatina D520 fighter jets, the Chinese Air Force carried out large-scale bombings on three towns in Wuhan. The rookies of the military and air force completely suppressed the Japanese pilots, forcing the Japanese to transfer the fighter jets temporarily transferred to Wuhan. There was no way, the fighter jets deployed by the Japanese in China were basically not very advanced, and they could not compete with the latest cutting-edge fighters. The country's F fighter jets could only be crushed. If it weren't for the fact that there were too few veteran pilots in the Shancheng Air Force, the Japanese would not be able to change the situation even if they wanted to.
In this way, the Yamashiro Air Force dropped more than a thousand heavy bombs weighing more than 500KG around Wuhan in three days, and wiped out all the lecture forts and artillery positions around Wuhan. Regarding this, Sonobe and Lieutenant General Ichiro scoffed, because after the Japanese army occupied Wuhan, they did not make many defensive arrangements in the direction of Sichuan Province. Most of the troops along the river were second-line troops and puppet troops with low combat effectiveness. Some of the forts stationed by the puppet troops simply only had artillery. There were no shells, so Sonobe and Ichiro were not worried at all whether they were destroyed.
As for whether the troops from the mountain city government will go down the river and forcefully log in near Wuhan? Lieutenant General Sonobe and Ichiro are not worried at all. Until now, the Eleventh Army still retains a fully-staffed Category A division in Wuhan. Together with the garrison and puppet troops, there are a total of 80,000 troops. The Yamashiro government simply There is no ability to transport enough troops and equipment. If several divisions of troops are forcibly transported, it will be no different from sending food.
However, Lieutenant General Sonobe and Ichiro would never have imagined that on the morning of the 7th, a small fleet consisting of more than 30 warships of various sizes would suddenly appear on the Wuhan River——
Chu Tong, displacement 740 tons; Chu Qian, displacement 740 tons; Chu Guan, displacement 750 tons; Jiang Yuan, displacement 525 tons; Yong Sui, displacement 600 tons; Minquan, displacement 462 tons; Jiangxi , with a displacement of 140 tons; Jiang Kun, with a displacement of 140 tons; Weining, with a displacement of 350 tons; Yining, with a displacement of 350 tons; Tongxin, with a displacement of 509 tons; Tongde, with a displacement of 509 tons.
Even the seaplane carrier Ding'an had to follow. Together with the torpedo boats and two transport ships equipped with army guns, a pitiful fleet was finally made up. In order to get enough crew, all the students from the school affiliated to the Navy were recruited. Graduating early, even that guy Li Yunlong managed to get his diploma, which made everyone laugh when he saw him in the past few days, which made people feel bad.
This fleet, which together is not worth a single capital ship, can be regarded as the last stubbornness and persistence of the Chinese navy. In the eyes of the Japanese, this fleet is only worthy of trembling under their bombings and will not go out to fight in Sichuan at all. But today , this fleet actually appeared, and as soon as it appeared, it began to bombard the Japanese targets along the coast. It was so arrogant that it frightened the remaining few torpedo boats and a small gunboat of the Japanese army and could only tremble in the port. There was no other way , those large warships are all soaking in the water at the moment. In the past few days, every one of them has not been turned over by bombers several times.
The Chinese fleet is crippled, as are the naval, army and aviation forces. Facing this fleet that looks like a joke, there is nothing we can do except urgently mobilize army artillery for bombardment. However, the use of direct-fire artillery to attack warships is still operated by army gunners. How can artillery be so easy to hit? The fleet avoided it in a hurry. For most of the day, only one 75mm mountain gun shell hit the Chutong, and it did not cause any casualties.
Just when Sonobe Kazuichiro and Shimada Shitaro were helpless, another bad news came. The highest authorities actually came to Wuhan on a warship to supervise the war. They also used broadcasting equipment on the warship to deliver a national speech, accompanied by the rumbling artillery in the background. The sound instantly aroused the enthusiasm of soldiers and civilians across the country, especially in the ninth theater, where the offensive that had just slowed down was intensified.
General Xue even personally led an assault in a Renault R40 tank. During the attack, the tweeter on the tank also simultaneously played the speech of the highest authority. Four tank regiments, nearly two hundred Renault R35\/40 tanks, were in central China. It is absolutely unstoppable on the battlefield. Facing this assault force, all the Japanese anti-tank weapons are ineffective. Even direct fire from the Type 92 infantry cannon and 75mm mountain cannon is of no avail. At best, it will stop the tank for a while, unless it happens. The probability of hitting the track is too low, and although the track is fragile, it will definitely not break in one hit.
Faced with the slap in the face from the highest authorities, the Naval Command directly reprimanded Shitaro Shimada and demanded that the Chinese fleet must destroy the Yamashiro government's fleet at all costs. What can be done? The main force of the Chinese fleet has basically been lost in Wuhan, and the rest are either in the north or the south. Even the closest magic city to Wuhan is thousands of kilometers away from Wuhan. It is better to go upstream and wait for the fleet to arrive. I'm afraid he ran away long ago.
In desperation, Shitaro Shimada had no choice but to order the remaining naval personnel in the Wuhan area to attack the Yamashiro fleet. If he continued to sit back and watch the opponent attack Wuhan, all naval personnel stationed in Wuhan, both officers and soldiers, would be sent to a military court.
The Army also received a similar order. The China Dispatch Army Headquarters mobilized all the surrounding Army aviation units that could be mobilized. They assembled a formation of more than 200 aircraft and rushed towards Wuhan. The bombers , fighter jets, training aircraft, reconnaissance aircraft, transport aircraft, all aircraft that could take off were forcibly released. The orders received by the pilots were also very simple - even if they were rammed with aircraft, they must sink the Chuguan, which was flying the flagship flag and the generalissimo flag. .
As a result, a large-scale air battle involving nearly 300 aircraft of various types started over Wuhan. The Shancheng Air Force happened to catch up with some Dewatina D520 fighter jets returning for refueling. Among the more than 100 fighter jets stranded in the air There are only more than fifty Dvatina D520 fighter jets. Most of the others are old guys like Il Fifteen and Il Sixteen. There are even biplane fighters made by Gui Province, and more than half of the pilots have insufficient flight time. A hundred hours of being a rookie.
In comparison, the Japs' fleet actually feels massive, but the actual situation is much more serious than it seems. There are insufficient personnel, insufficient ammunition, insufficient fuel, and some aircraft are even missing parts. Yes, before flying to Wuhan, more than ten planes of various types crashed or made an emergency landing.
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