Chapter 324: Type 1 Fighting Falcon Type 2 Zhong Kui

Time goes back to ten minutes ago, fifty kilometers north of the junction of Shanxi and Suiyuan.

"Gentlemen, our enemy this time is not trivial. The difficulty of the combat mission is likely to be much higher than two years ago. Don't underestimate the enemy."

"Datong is a border city, and the Eighth Route Army has been stationed here for a long time. In my experience, the enemy must have deployed a large number of anti-aircraft weapons inside the city and in the outer positions."

"Be careful throughout the operation, and don't be greedy for merit and rush!"

The person speaking in the communication channel at this time was a Japanese major, who had just been transferred from the mainland to Suiyuan some time ago. His name is Heijiang Baoyan, a major ace pilot from the Army Aviation Examination Department.

As one of the few elites of the Army Aviation, the old Japanese resume is naturally very exciting.

He once shot down two I-15s in the Battle of Nomonhan, and later he was active in the southern battlefield for a time, with his hands stained with the blood of the Republic of China's soldiers and civilians.

Heijiang Baoyan had two purposes for this trip. One was to support the Army Aviation of the North China Front to attack Shanxi, and the other was to test the specific performance of two new fighters.

After all, the Eighth Route Army has the most British fighter planes in the entire Asian battlefield, and it is definitely the first choice for advanced experience of the Southeast Asian war.

Upon hearing this, the pilots of various flight squadrons cheered in the communication channel.

For the instructions of their immediate superiors, both combat and light explosives sub-section members kept in mind.

The Japanese Army Aviation and Naval Aviation suffered so many losses at the hands of the Air Force First Division. Anyone with a little brain would regard the Eighth Route Army's anti-aircraft artillery and air force as a big enemy.

As for those brainless reckless men? It is estimated that the grass on their graves is one meter high.

"Hi!"

"Everything is arranged by the major! Resolutely implement the tactics you arrange!"

The fanatical atmosphere in the team made Heijiang Baoyan nod with satisfaction.

In the preparation stage before departure, the old devil received a confidential document provided by his superiors.

It is said that in order to find out the distribution of the Eighth Route Army Air Force, the Special High Technology Department lost more than 30 middle and senior agents.

The intelligence clearly pointed out that the enemy's Datong Airport did not have a permanent air force stationed, and the nearest unit was at the field airport in the Huairen area.

This means that if the speed of action is fast enough, there is a certain chance to avoid direct contact with the Air Force 1st Division.

Although the field anti-aircraft artillery of the Eighth Route Army is not weak, it is better to attack the ground with anti-aircraft guns than to face the locust-like air force.

He came to Suiyuan to test the performance of the new aircraft in combat with British aircraft and collect some data needed by his superiors in advance. If he rushed in the first battle, he would most likely die.

There is no way, the Japanese army has been scared, and the initial spirit is no longer there.

Many people can't figure out why the enemy's air force obviously has good technology and better performance fighters, but every time an air battle breaks out, they don't follow the martial arts ethics and fight with more people against fewer people.

After thinking for a while, Heijiang Baoyan ordered in the communication channel:

"As usual, before the formal bombing, we must first test the specific layout of the enemy's air defense positions."

"After arriving at the designated airspace, all flight squadrons will dive shallowly together to create the illusion that we are going to launch a general attack at once for the Eighth Route Army. As long as the enemy's anti-aircraft guns open fire, we will immediately climb to a higher altitude!"

"After testing the number and position of the anti-aircraft artillery units, I will first let the two fighter squadrons make another feint attack to lure the enemy and buy time for the light explosive flight team. With our technology and the excellent performance of the new aircraft, even if the enemy hides a few firepower points, we can still retreat unscathed."

"Two consecutive feints will definitely completely deceive the Eighth Route Army. At that time, all light explosive teams will attack, each looking for high-value combat targets to attack, and all members must evacuate the battlefield ten minutes later."

The above plan perfectly demonstrates Heijiang Baoyan's combat experience and tactical mind.

Based on the existing intelligence of the North China Front Army, the old devils made a very bold guess: the anti-aircraft artillery unit of the Eighth Route Army did have some combat experience, but the technology and training intensity were still not up to par with the old European powers.

Maybe they could defend against a feint, but they had never seen the trick of two feints.

As for the new aircraft mentioned by Kuroe Yasuhiko, they were naturally the highly anticipated Ki-43 Fighting Falcon and Ki-44 Zhong Kui.

The former is a light single-seat fighter that pursues combat performance, with light firepower and low wing load as its characteristics. The latter is a heavy fighter for interception, with relatively strong firepower and remarkable speed.

After the Fighting Falcon was finalized, the army ordered 400 of them in the first batch, and they were gradually deployed to the aviation bases in the Northeast in August this year.

The transfer of 18 aircraft this time is enough to show Tojo Hideki's ambition and determination to completely take over North China.

The number of Zhong Kui II is smaller, only a pitiful eight, and the newly established independent 47th flight squadron is responsible for the driving test.

There was originally another batch of Type 2 Fu Zhan Long Tu that was also going to come to North China for testing, but due to some problems with transportation, they had to give up temporarily.

In order to maximize the performance of the new fighter, the Japanese also went to the European battlefield to conduct a wave of research, and finally learned the long-wingman tactics commonly used by the German Air Force, and changed the three-plane formation to a four-plane formation.

After hearing the plan of their own chief, the pilots of each squadron all had bright eyes.

Compared with the previous stupid and stubborn reckless fighting style, the previous part sounds obviously more reliable. As long as they can find out the location of all anti-aircraft firepower, they will have a greater chance of survival.

If he is really going to die, it only means that his skills are not good enough.

After all, anti-aircraft and anti-aircraft defense, nine out of ten, if it was defeated by limited and fixed AA firepower, I can only blame myself for not being good at learning.

"good!"

"We will do our best to destroy the enemy's positions and clear obstacles for the infantry to attack later!"

······

After officially entering Suiyuan, Heijiang Yasuhiko ordered everyone to maintain radio silence.

The old Japanese made it clear that only sign language and tactical boards were allowed to communicate before entering enemy-occupied areas until the start of the war, and one's whereabouts should be concealed as much as possible.

Today's Eighth Route Army is not as miserable as before. New technologies are springing up like bamboo shoots after the rain. Who knows if the other side has developed the technology to monitor radios.

Soon, the five squadrons arrived in the target airspace.

Knowing that they had been exposed, the Japanese did not try to cover up their actions. They went straight to the main position on the outskirts of Datong City.

in the air.

"First wave, attack!"

Following Kuroe Yasuhiko's order, the Japanese pilots pressed down the control sticks one after another. More than sixty fighter planes shook their wings, passed through the clouds from high altitude, and began to dive.

Looking down from the air to the ground, there are many fortifications on the main position outside Datong, and you can even see infantry in the trenches.

These are the targets of the Japanese. While testing the Eighth Route Army's air defense firepower, they are still observing, paving the way for the next bombing mission.

Because it is a feint attack, the dive angle of the fighter plane is not too large, and it can change out of the dive and then climb at any time.

When the altitude of all members dropped to 2,500 meters, Kuroe Yasuhiko once again ordered in the communication channel:

"Attention, we are about to reach the best attack area for the Type 96 25-gun high-angle machine gun. The enemy may fire at any time, and each squadron is ready to leave."

Although the Japanese all know that the Eighth Route Army uses Hotchkiss, they are still accustomed to calling the 25mm anti-aircraft gun the name of the 96th Cannon.

Hearing this, all Army Aviation members were highly focused.

Their eyes were fixed on the ground, for fear of losing their lives due to negligence.

At the same time, the anti-aircraft artillery regiment of the Shanxi-Chahar-Hebei Military Region finally couldn't stand it any longer.

Dozens of Hotchkiss 25mm anti-aircraft guns were divided into nine groups, spraying a dense storm of metal at the swooping enemy planes.

On the main frontal position, some heavy machine gun positions were also spontaneously organized, using the Hotchkiss heavy machine guns in hand to cooperate with the anti-aircraft artillery units to start counterattacks.

In fact, it’s not to blame that Commander Liu was impatient. After all, it was his first time commanding troops to fight an aircraft. It was understandable that he couldn’t tell the difference between a shallow dive and a serious forward roll before dropping a bomb.

What's more, five squadrons launched an attack at the same time, and the sense of oppression and momentum was not ordinary.

When black clouds exploded in the sky, the Japanese who were still in an offensive posture immediately changed their stance and got their vehicles out of the air defense circle in the shortest possible time.

"well!"

"The plan works, the first wave of operations is a great success!"

"It seems that we overestimated the enemy. Those artillerymen should be novices, and their level is not even as good as some of the navy's Red Deer."

After leaving the optimal firing height of the Hotchkiss 25mm anti-aircraft gun, the fighters began to assemble in the air.

During the circling process, some of the Japanese pilots who were less talkative began to communicate loudly, venting their joy and pride.

Kuroe Yasuhiko was also quite satisfied with the scene before him. After he climbed to a safe height, he looked at the position below with a sneer, his face full of ridicule.

After all, we had zero casualties in the operation just now. It was just a mediocre dive and we found dozens of air defense positions.

Judging from his experience, this should be all the firepower on the frontal position. After all, even the empire's field troops did not have anti-aircraft artillery. Even if the Eighth Route Army was very wealthy, it would not be too outrageous.

"Attention, light explosive flying team, you need to maintain the current route and give the enemy the illusion that they will attack at any time."

"Group 1, Group 2, enter the combat position! The 47th Squadron follows me, let us drive Zhong Kui to catch the evil spirit of the Eighth Route Army."

"The 48th Squadron follows Major Koi and gives the enemy the shock of a Type One Fighting Falcon!"

But as soon as he finished speaking, several larger black clouds directly swallowed the commander of the 48th Independent Flying Squadron.

The so-called Major Koi didn't even have a chance to scream, and he and his Type 1 Fighting Falcon fell to the ground in thick smoke. A would-be ace died as calmly as a dog.

It's a pity that the Type 1 Fighting Falcon is equipped with bulletproof armor and self-sealing fuel tanks, so the soldiers on the ground were not able to see the beautiful scene of lighters in the air.

"Baga! The information is wrong!"

"In addition to 25mm anti-aircraft guns, the enemy also has 37mm anti-aircraft guns! Damn the French, how much equipment and production lines did they sell to the Eighth Route Army!"

"Pétain! You and I are at odds with each other!"

Regarding the new unfamiliar weapon, Kuroe Yasuhiko recognized its origin without any hesitation.

The two sides have been fighting for a long time, and almost everyone knows that the Eighth Route Army's ground equipment comes from Gallic Chicken, and the anti-aircraft gun just now is most likely a product of Schneider.

Although there was no evidence of petty actions in Vichy France, this did not prevent middle and low-level officers from resenting their allies' younger brothers.

After a while, the old devil took a deep breath and looked at the air defense position below with murderous eyes.

Although he lost a Falcon and a 97 Danqing, he firmly believed that the Eighth Route Army had displayed all its trump cards.

In the first wave of attack, there were only 25mm, and when the side was misled by empiricism, 37mm was used for sneak attack. It makes sense, and the more you think about it, the more reasonable it is.

However, Kuroe Yasuhiko did not act impulsively, and he remained rational even when he was angry.

"Group 1, Group 2, action!"

"Yamaguchi-kun, you are responsible for launching a feint attack in the direction of three o'clock!"

"Nanyun-kun, the position at five o'clock is handed over to you. There is suspected to be a 37mm anti-aircraft gun over there, and I allow you to throw a bomb over there for testing."

"."

After assigning the attack tasks to the pilots in the same group, Kuroe Yasuhiko took the lead in driving the fighter plane to dive.

The 18 Type 1 Fighting Falcons that were originally circling immediately formed four formations and dispersed, each launching a test downward along different routes.

It must be said that the escort of the Kwantung Army is indeed very powerful.

The 25 aircraft cooperated very well, and the multi-way attack completely disrupted the arrangement of the anti-aircraft artillery regiment, resulting in very low efficiency of each anti-aircraft artillery company.

······

"Damn little Japs, they are so patient."

In a hidden position, Commander Liu of the anti-aircraft artillery regiment held a telescope and looked at the thirty-six dive bombers that never dropped bombs in the airspace of the front position.

So far, the enemy planes that pose a greater threat have never made a move. Anyone with a discerning eye can see that they are waiting for the opportunity.

"Hmph, just drag it out."

"If you don't make a move, we can still focus on fighting fighters. But why are there fat and thin Type 97s? Some of them look like fathead fish. Why are they different from the description in the intelligence?"

"No, I have to report this to the headquarters."

After speaking, Commander Liu called a signalman, and he continued to observe the battlefield.

The twenty-five fighters kept probing at an altitude of 1,500 meters, and from time to time they used 7.7 or 12.7 mm aircraft machine guns to strafe the ground.

Although the two sides fought back and forth, neither the anti-aircraft artillery regiment nor the Japs suffered any losses.

But comrades don't mind continuing to play with the Japanese Army Aviation. In a few minutes, the first batch of support troops of the First Air Division will arrive on the battlefield.

Consuming some shells can defend the airspace, so why not do it?

At the same time, Kuroe Yasuhiko was indeed in a dilemma.

The enemy's firepower did not continue to increase, and it seemed that it had reached its limit. Should the Light Explosion Flying Squadron launch an attack?

As shown in the picture, I was busy with some personal matters yesterday and today, and I had more time to write my defense statement.

By the way, has anyone seen Escape from the British Museum? If you haven't seen it, please consider it.