Chapter 396 Bloody Sky (Part 2)

Pokryshkin, who rushed to the front of the entire fleet, first put a German Stuka in the fighter's aiming ring. He knew the firing lead data estimated based on previous combat experience, and was sure that he would succeed in one shot, so he pressed the fire button without hesitation.

Dongdongdong——

Da Dada——

The roar of a 7mm Berezin machine gun and two 62mm Shkas machine guns firing at the same time broke the silent sky after the snow. The anti-aircraft ammunition chain mixed with tracer bullets to correct the trajectory poured out instantly with Pokryshkin's hand movements. In the blink of an eye, it accurately hit a German fighter that was about to dive down to drop bombs.

The fragile skin of the fuselage could not stop the hot flames coated with tracer incendiary agents. After tearing the skin of the fuselage, the flames that instantly poured into it destroyed everything around it. The poor Stuka, whose main wing beam and wing control cables were instantly destroyed, immediately lost control. The wing that was torn into two pieces immediately spiraled with the fuselage and fell to the ground instantly.

"I was hit! Russians, there are Russian fighters in the sky! Those MiG-3s!"

The loud exclamation from the radio communication channel beside the ear instantly awakened the other Stukas in the sky like the wailing of hell. The group of German pilots who set off immediately after the snow stopped would never have thought that the Soviet Air Force, which was always late, would come so quickly this time!

In order to be able to turn the tide in time before the ground battle completely collapsed, the first wave of German fighters that took off from the field airport were all Stuka dive bombers loaded with various types and sizes of aerial bombs.

Such an attack formation cannot be said to be that the German Air Force only cares about the ground and does not know how to escort. It is just that it is difficult to launch more fighters at the same time on the field airport runway with limited take-off capacity. In order to save the ground situation that is about to collapse, the German Air Force can't care so much. It directly launched the first Stuka in the sky and immediately turned its nose and headed straight for the battlefield after the formation was completed.

According to the assumptions made by the German Air Force when arranging combat tasks before the attack, the ground attack formation that rushed to thunder attack as soon as the snow stopped would definitely be able to take the lead and get ahead of the slow-reacting Soviets. The entire ground attack only takes 20 minutes to end the battle. The Stukas can theoretically withdraw from the battlefield before the Soviets arrive.

But this time, the Germans' "theory" seemed to be a bit ineffective, and the final result of this failed prediction was undoubtedly catastrophic.

With Pokryshkin's first move, he successfully shot down a German Stuka, and the dozens of MiG-3s that followed him also joined in this one-sided encirclement and annihilation battle.

The crackling sound of aircraft machine guns and the roar of fighter engines resounded through the sky. The Stukas that were just killing the Guards Heavy Tank Breakthrough Regiment led by Malashenko on the ground were now completely in trouble.

Although the Stuka, which was only equipped with two 92mm wing aircraft machine guns, theoretically had a certain air combat capability, it would be crazy to drive this bulky steel monster bird to engage in low-altitude dogfights.

The aerodynamic shape of the Stuka fuselage was not designed for air combat at all. It can be said that it could not even beat the biplane fighters of the World War I period. The Stuka fleet without fighter escort was completely scattered under the impact of the Soviet MiG-3 fleet, without any arrogance when licking the ground just now.

The MiG-3 fleet that opened fire at the same time only hit seven unprepared Stukas on fire and smoke or disintegrated and fell on the spot. Before the outbreak of the Great Patriotic War, this type of modern low-wing fighter equipped with the largest number of Soviet fighter aviation units was not good at low-altitude air supremacy.

But facing these German Stuka fleets that were like lambs to be slaughtered without fighter escort and almost no resistance, the MiG-3, as a high-altitude fighter, could naturally play a guest role in the low-altitude dogfighting field that it was not good at. Professionals fighting amateurs is simply like pinching a snail with three fingers - it is a sure thing.

Pokryshkin, who had taken advantage of the height and dived straight down, shot down a German Stuka in one shot, but did not linger in the dogfight and fell into a low-altitude swivel fight.

Pokryshkin, who has been flying the MiG-3 since the beginning of the war, knows very well that the MiG-3, which is designed for high-altitude combat, will face very serious maneuvering problems in low-altitude airspace where it is not good at.

The difficulty in maneuvering the fuselage is just one of the links. The extremely unfavorable excessive turning radius and extreme energy loss in low-altitude airspace are the most serious problems. Once the MiG-3, a high-altitude fighter, falls into a wrong low-altitude circling dogfight and exhausts the energy of the fuselage, the MiG-3 on the verge of stalling will become an irreparable brick. At that time, the MiG-3 may really be bullied by the Stuka and shot down on the spot.

In the battles so far, Pokryshkin has deeply understood all the advantages and disadvantages of the MiG-3. He knows how to play to his strengths and avoid his weaknesses. After a successful attack, he immediately accelerated and continued to dive. The MiG-3, which still has energy in its body, has taken it to the next level with its powerful accelerated dive potential. The extreme dive of nearly 600 kilometers per hour is like a pair of big hands that holds Pokryshkin firmly in the seat and makes him unable to move.

"It's almost done. It's now!"

After making sure that he had gained a sufficient distance, Pokryshkin suddenly waved the flight joystick in his hand to control the direction of the fighter. The MiG-3, which had strong flight energy in its body, immediately became a little clumsy with its not very dexterous movements. The ground rotates across the fuselage. In front of Pokryshkin, who accurately grasped the turning radius and separation distance, the group of Stukas that were still barely avoiding the massacre by the Soviet army appeared in front of him.

"Second round, Germans, here comes the ace pilot Pokryshkin!"

The MiG-3, which was designed as a high-altitude fighter, had a very good climbing efficiency in 1941. Pokryshkin, who headed straight up from a lower dive airspace, drove his War Eagle, and once again defeated another fighter in just one shooting window. The fleeing German Stukas were on fire and smoking.

Seeing that the Stuka immediately burst into flames after being penetrated by the mailbox, it was completely hopeless. Pokryshkin, who still maintained the climbing attack window, was not greedy for fighting and entanglement, and immediately leveled the aircraft and accelerated to fly away from the combat airspace to prepare for the next attack. A wave of attack windows.

Within thirty seconds of each other, the same Soviet MiG-3 shot down two Stukas one after another. A loud and panicked cry soon erupted from the radio communication channel of the German fleet.

"Be careful of that Red Star No. 5 MiG-3! He is more difficult to deal with than the other MiGs!"