Sword: Heart of Iron

Chapter 164: Dangshan Air Battle (I)

Shandong Yanzhou Airport.

In the lounge, several Japanese pilots sat together and had a heated discussion with each other.

"Baga! Arrogant Chinese soldiers!"

"And those damn Soviets!"

"."

The Japanese pilot gritted his teeth, looked fierce, and kept cursing.

Kato Ken'o leaned back in his chair, holding a letter of challenge in his hand.

In the "February 18" air battle, the naval aviation suffered a crushing defeat, losing twelve fighter planes and several ace pilots.

In contrast, only five fighter planes were lost on both the Chinese and Soviet sides.

The Empire of Japan was humiliated!
In contrast, not long ago, the Army Aviation dispatched more than 30 fighter jets to attack Luoyang and achieved an unexpected victory.

When he thought of the disastrous defeat of the HNA, Kato Ken'ao was very proud and made big statements, issuing a declaration of war to the Chinese Air Force.

I originally wanted to laugh at the Chinese Air Force, but I didn't expect that a few days later, I would receive a letter of challenge dropped by the other side at Yanzhou Airport.

【Japanese Air Force fighters:

The day before yesterday, we received a letter of challenge from your team, saying that you wanted to challenge our army. Our team welcomes this very much, and we are ready to learn from you.

Chinese Air Force Combat Team】

"When those enemy planes came, I should have chased the nearest one first."

"Why is the ground crew so slow to respond?"

Several pilots were indignant.

The enemy plane circled over our airport, dropped a letter of challenge, and escaped unscathed.

This feeling of humiliation is no different from a slap in the face.

A pilot slammed the table and said, "Mr. Kato, we should report this to the General Staff and accuse these damn Slavs!"

The Soviet Union provided the Nationalist government with a large number of fighter jets and bombers.

The main fighter models are I-15 and I-16.

The performance of the I-15 fighter is on par with that of the current mainstream Japanese military model, the Type fighter.

The latter is more maneuverable and faster.

The former has high armor protection and its firepower is on a different level.

The Type 7.7 fighter was equipped with two mm heavy machine guns.

The I-15 fighter is armed with four 7.62mm coaxial machine guns or two 12.7mm BS machine guns.

The difference is exactly twice.

Moreover, Soviet pilots were adept at "two-plane formation" tactics, and after coming to China, they also taught such tactics to the Chinese Air Force.

The excellent maneuverability of the Type 95 fighter is difficult to display in actual combat.

As for the I-16 fighter, it is superior to the Type in all aspects.

The Japanese army's more outstanding Type 97 fighter was just put into mass production in December last year.

If you want a complete makeover, you'll have to wait at least a year.

Kato Takeo snorted coldly: "The navy is more anxious than you. They are about to block the cabinet. His Majesty the Emperor is also worried about this matter."

The Japanese pilot lowered his head and clenched his fists, feeling extremely unwilling.

Kato Ken'o crumpled up the letter of challenge and turned to look out the window.

The sky is blue and cloudless.

It's good weather for flying.

But in his opinion, the war clouds were extremely dense, and a life-and-death battle had begun.

If you don’t succeed, you will succeed!
------

Dangshan battlefield.

Three columns participated in the attack, with as many as 4 front-line combat troops.

The defense line was extremely wide, and he also had to deal with small groups of troops that had infiltrated the interior. Nakajima Imao had mobilized all of his main combat forces, and the reserve, engineering, and logistics corps were also mobilized.

Chu Yunfei's "no breakfast" attack achieved miraculous results.

After a night of fierce fighting, the Japanese army was already exhausted and overwhelmed.

Faced with extremely long continuous attacks, the organization level dropped drastically.

In just three hours, they retreated two kilometers.

Inside the command post.

Zhao Fangyuan stepped forward and said, "Sir, the Sixth Column suffered an aerial bombardment on its flank, and the speed of its advance has slowed down."

Wang Feng nodded and replied casually, "I know."

"What about the Fourth Column and the First Column?"

Zhao Fangyuan frowned and thought for a while: "The progress of the Fourth Column is relatively smooth, but the situation of the First Column is somewhat dangerous."

"More than half of the seventy squads that infiltrated the Japanese army were killed. Currently, there are only about twenty infantry squads left that can be contacted."

Wang Feng took a deep breath.

Even though I already knew the result, I still felt a little bit reluctant when I heard it again.

The troops advanced rapidly, and the headquarters post moved forward five kilometers.

At present, the entire Dangshan battlefield is within his sight.

Every move, every blade of grass and every tree is within sight.

Wang Feng was the actual commander of last night's infiltration operation, and no one knew the casualties of the troops more detailed than he did.

Five hundred and sixty-three soldiers died!

These soldiers did not die in vain.

Seventy squads are equivalent to half an infantry battalion.

After the reorganization of the troops, the troop level of the First Column was the first to reach [Well-Trained], and each of its soldiers was an elite.

If these infantry squads were integrated, they could at least resist one Japanese battalion.

However, in order to expand the guerrilla area as much as possible, Wang Feng considered it again and again and decided to fight in groups.

Over the course of one night, the enemy attracted the firepower of at least three Japanese battalions, greatly affecting the efficiency of logistical supplies.

Although they are all second-line logistics and reserve troops.

But it was enough to make him run around in a hurry.

Wang Feng raised his head and glanced outside: "Daytime is not conducive to fighting. Order all teams to rest on the spot and wait for orders!"

Zhao Fangyuan saluted: "Yes!"

Wang Feng: "Is there anyone alive in that class?"

Zhao Fangyuan hesitated slightly: "Sir, which one are you talking about?"

Wang Feng: "It was the squad that blocked the Japanese gas bomb transport convoy from the perimeter during the ambush."

Zhao Fangyuan suddenly realized: "It seems so!"

"After the Japanese squadron left, two squads came to support them. Although they did not catch up with the battle, they searched the village and found movement in a ruin on the edge of the village."

"The squad leader should have survived. I heard he was seriously injured. I don't know if he can survive."

Wang Feng: “Alas”

Zhao Fangyuan: "Sir, news has come from Xuzhou that the Third Squadron of the Central Air Force has taken off from the airport!"

"The telegram mentioned that the air force deployed this time was equipped with new aircraft."

Wang Feng was a little surprised: "A new aircraft?"

"What model? I-16?"

He couldn't think of anything else except the I-16 provided by the Soviet Union.

Anyway, it is impossible to be produced domestically.

It is impossible for a comprador government to focus on industry.

Zhao Fangyuan shook his head: "The message was very brief and did not mention the specific model."

"The Japanese fighter planes have been very aggressive in the sky these past few days. It would be great if we could shoot down a few of them soon!" Wang Feng smiled. "The fighter planes provided by the Soviet Union are not inferior to the Japanese in performance. The specific results will depend on the ability of our air force brothers."

In terms of combat proficiency, the Kuomintang pilots were generally weaker than those of the Japanese.

This is an undisputed fact.

The most important indicator to measure a pilot's ability is flight time.

However, the National Army was seriously lacking in high-end weapons. Before the Soviet Union launched its aid project to China, the general situation of the Air Force was "one aircraft with multiple uses."

Daily training is also rotated.

But in this situation, the National Army's ace pilots were not inferior to the Japanese at all.

Especially after the arrival of the Soviet aid flying squadron, the strength of the Chinese Air Force grew rapidly.

Zhao Fangyuan frowned, feeling somewhat puzzled: "Sir, why would the Soviet Union help us?"

Wang Feng paused and said slowly: "First of all, you must remember that only interests can be discussed between countries."

"Although we seem to have a close relationship with the Soviet Union now, and the chairman of the committee always says that "the Soviet Union's assistance to China in the War of Resistance against Japan is selfless", a few years ago, our chairman hated the Soviets."

Zhao Fangyuan became more and more confused as he listened, scratching his head: "Why?"

Wang Feng was vague: "It's probably related to the Bolsheviks."

Zhao Fangyuan was a smart man, and he understood it immediately. After looking around to make sure there were no ears on the other side of the wall, he nodded:

"understand!"

Wang Feng continued, "As for now, according to my personal guess, it may be related to the situation in the East and West."

"The situation in Europe is very volatile right now, and the air is already filled with gunpowder."

"Two years ago, Prussia signed an agreement with Japan. I forget the exact name, but the general content was that Prussia would serve as a bastion against Bolshevism in the West."

"Especially in recent years, Prussia's military expenditure has far exceeded that of Britain, France and the United States. Its extremely expanded military power and aggressive foreign policy have put the Soviet Union in danger."

"Under such circumstances, Stalin would certainly strive to keep the war in the East. That's why he chose to help us and drag Japan into the quagmire of war."

Wang Feng explained in great detail, and Zhao Fangyuan's frown gradually relaxed.

"So the Soviet Union didn't help us out of kindness?"

Wang Feng responded.

Zhao Fangyuan asked again: "What about the United States? I heard that Mrs. Song has a close relationship with the United States."

"The United States?" Wang Feng snorted coldly, his tone was unfriendly, "Mrs. Song is indeed close to the Americans. As far as I know, she has persuaded the Chairman more than once to seek military assistance from the United States."

"What else can I say about this? Roosevelt's ancestors made their fortune by doing business with the Chinese. How did Roosevelt grow up in an environment full of Chinese furniture?"

"What a bunch of nonsense! Our chairman believed it and invested a lot of emotional capital in the United States. It's a pity that he asked for help many times and was rejected many times."

"The excuses are all very plausible. Today, Congress failed to pass the aid bill, tomorrow, the public's anti-war sentiment is too strong. Anyway, there's an endless supply of excuses."

"As a result, they turned around and exported scrap iron and steel and aircraft parts to Japan, accounting for the vast majority of what Japan needed, in addition to important strategic resources such as oil."

Zhao Fangyuan was shocked.

He came from a self-taught background and had only been to school for a few years, let alone a regular military school.

After following Wang Feng for so long, I finally developed the ability to command battles.

But I knew very little about international affairs, and my only sources of information were some newspapers and chatting with staff officers from other troops.

Wang Feng: "You should study more about international affairs, especially the United States, the Soviet Union and Prussia. We will inevitably have to deal with them in the future."

Zhao Fangyuan saluted: "Yes!"

------

4 month 24 day.

At noon, the sky was cloudless.

A group of fighter planes flew overhead.

Captain Luo Yingde was piloting an I-16 fighter jet. He looked down, opened the flight map, and after roughly determining the direction, he moved the joystick.

The fuselage shook.

(I-16)

The numerous nearby aircraft immediately understood and switched their formation from cruising to combat.

Some I-15 and I-16 models were equipped with shortwave radio stations.

However, due to flight turbulence, the failure rate is extremely high, and communication between aircraft still relies on traditional methods - that is, pilots convey instructions by shaking wings, firing flares or following the actions of the lead aircraft.

Luo Yingde's wingman was an I-24 fighter with the number "Ⅲ-15". After receiving the order, it immediately flew under the long fuselage. The height difference was about 50 meters and the horizontal distance was 180 meters.

It is a standard "two-plane formation" formation.

(I-15)

Luo Yingde turned his head and glanced downward again.

A grenade streaked across the sky and landed on the Japanese position, suddenly creating a cloud of thick smoke.

Below is the battle zone!
The mission of the Third Squadron this time was simple: to temporarily seize air superiority and cover the advance of ground forces.

ground.

The 2nd Infantry Battalion of the 4th Field Column is attacking a Japanese stronghold.

The roar of propellers came from the sky.

The Sixth Company Commander Mao Deyu raised his head and adjusted the brim of his hat.

"Company commander, the Japanese planes are coming! Hide quickly!" A lieutenant platoon leader rushed over and tried to pull Mao Deyu away.

"The devils are bombing again!"

"Hidden! Hidden quickly!"

Seeing the group of planes circling in the sky, the surrounding soldiers responded immediately, dispersing their formation and hiding in makeshift air-raid shelters.

Some soldiers even lit hay directly, hoping to use the smoke to block the view of the Japanese planes.

Mao Deyu frowned, as if he had noticed something unusual.

Why does the logo on this plane look so much like the blue sky and white sun?
Seeing that Mao Deyu was not leaving, the lieutenant platoon leader beside him became anxious: "Captain, if you don't leave now, it will be too late!"

"It looks like the Japanese planes are coming down!"

Hearing this, Mao Deyu's heart suddenly shuddered and he immediately looked away.

do not care!
After being bombed by Japanese bombers for so long, I had already gained experience and hiding when I saw planes had almost become a subconscious reflex.

Mao Deyu ran to the side, took out a match from his arms and quickly lit the haystack.

The temporary air defense fortifications were extremely weak and could not withstand dozens of kilograms of aerial bombs.

At best it can only act as a buffer.

If you want to minimize casualties, you still have to rely on this method.

“Cough, cough, cough!” Green smoke rushed straight into his nose. Mao Deyu coughed twice, “Quick, speed up!”

heaven.

When Luo Yingde saw the green smoke rising from the ground, he felt mixed emotions.

If the Air Force had not declined and failed to protect the country's airspace, the Army would not be in such a state.

Judging from the speed of their actions, it is probably due to the lessons learned from blood.

Luo Yingde thought about it, pulled the joystick, and the plane immediately dived downward.

"Om-!"

The roar was approaching rapidly, and Mao Deyu looked up.

The distance was too far just now and he couldn't see the logo on the wing clearly, but as the plane dived rapidly downward, his vision gradually became clear.

After a long time, Mao Deyu finally saw clearly: "It's clear sky and bright sun!"

"It's our plane!"

The lieutenant platoon leader was holding a large pile of hay and was suddenly stunned:
"what?"

Mao Deyu: "Last night, the superiors issued an order, saying that there would be air support during the day. Don't you remember?"

The platoon leader remembered and slapped his head: "Yes!"

"I was just wondering, if this was a Japanese plane, why didn't it lay eggs after circling for so long?"

Mao Deyu waved his hand and said, "Order the brothers to launch a charge immediately. With the cover of the air force brothers, capture the position in one fell swoop!"

(End of this chapter)