The War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression Begins in Songhu

Chapter 391 Bloodstained Sky (Two-in-One Chapter)

...During the War of Resistance Against Japan, especially in the early and middle stages, we suffered too many losses at the hands of the Japanese air force.

When the troops were advancing and attacking, the Japanese air force would often wipe out a company or even a battalion in a single air raid.

During positional warfare, a single dive attack by the Japanese air force would wipe out at least a squad, often accompanied by a light or heavy machine gun.

The appearance of Japanese troops in the air during the retreat would have had disastrous consequences, turning a planned retreat into a chaotic rout.

Even so, my comrades and I never uttered a single curse against our air force.

Why? Of course, it's because during the Battle of Shanghai, they did not back down in the face of a powerful enemy, and almost exhausted all their resources in just three months.

Before they shot themselves in the head, they shouted with all their might, "The Chinese Air Force has no prisoners."

A large portion of them were actually sons of powerful and wealthy families, yet they stepped forward during the nation's most difficult time, with an average age of only 23 when they sacrificed their lives...

...Excerpt from Hu Biao's diary collection "Hu Shuo"...

When the piercing alarm sounded, Hu Biao and his men, who were currently divided into several combat groups and attacking bunkers 6, 7, 8, and 9, were immediately jolted awake.

These piercing alarm sounds meant that the Japanese planes, which they had always feared most, had appeared.

After all, no matter how strong the Japanese soldiers on the ground were, they could fight them to the death. But against these high-speed death gods circling and diving in the air, all their weapons were so laughable.

The only thing to look forward to is that the air force promised by Commander Bai will appear as soon as possible.

So, instinctively, they took cover behind various obstacles such as shell craters, trenches, and mounds, and immediately looked up towards the airspace to the south.

Then they looked around in other directions with great anticipation.

After surveying the area and assessing the situation in the air, a curse filled with despair burst from their mouths.

There are two reasons why they are cursing.

Firstly, after looking around, they didn't find any of their own planes; they didn't know if they were too late or if they wouldn't come at all.

Commander Bai's promise to them was just a ploy to trick them into making the first move.

Secondly, the Japanese had too many planes, at first glance there were as many as sixty or seventy, mostly Type 96 carrier-based aircraft and Type 97 fighters.

(Correction: The Japanese Zero fighter was not yet in service, so all of them were replaced with Type 97 fighters.)

They learned from intelligence that the Nationalist Army currently had fewer than forty fighter jets at the nearest airfield, most of which were I-15 fighters, an old-fashioned biplane fighter from the Russians.

Therefore, even if the Nationalist Air Force could arrive in full force, it seems they still wouldn't be able to defeat the Japanese Air Force.

If the Nationalist Air Force could not successfully hold off the Japanese air force, even if their new tactics centered on rocket launchers were very effective, they would not be able to continue their offensive against the Japanese air raids.

That's not an attack at all; it's suicide.

If they don't continue their attack, the Japanese troops defending Jieshou Mountain, who were already stunned by their new equipment and tactics, will not be so easy to defeat once they come to their senses.

The simple principle of "going all out" seems so ironic at this moment.

For a moment, Hu Biao and the others, who were lying behind various obstacles and exchanging fire with the Japanese, were deeply conflicted about whether or not to continue the attack.

Fortunately, Hu Biao and his group's dilemma didn't last long.

Two or three minutes later, the Japanese planes had just flown over Jieshou Mountain. After descending, they prepared to bomb and straf the area more accurately.

At this critical moment, one fighter jet after another swooped out from the clouds.

They charged down at the Japanese plane like lions hunting rabbits.

It could be said that Hu Biao had never felt that the wing, now bathed in sunlight, resembled a medallion of the Blue Sky and White Sun, and was anything but pleasing to the eye.

At that moment, Hu Biao made a decision: continue the attack.

Even now, he still doesn't know how many Nationalist planes have come this time, or whether these Nationalist planes can actually defeat the Japanese planes.

However, he could clearly feel the determination of his fellow air force brothers in the sky to fight to the death and protect China's skies.

Therefore, Hu Biao was willing to trust these air force brothers, to believe that they could protect the sky above their heads, and was willing to go crazy with them.

If that's the case, then what are we waiting for?

"Attack! Keep attacking! After we take Jieshou Mountain, we'll have dinner. I'll treat you to drinks and meat!" Hu Biao roared.

The next second, such shouts came from the mouths of AT, Black Star, Uncle Bo, Old K, and other new and old time travelers.

Then they rushed out of their respective bunkers, and the leader continued the assault on Jieshou Mountain.

From that moment on, apart from the Japanese positions and bunkers stretching all the way up the mountain, nothing else occupied their minds...

******
Hu Biao's intuition was absolutely right.

Even if we die in battle today, we will protect this part of China's skies; this is the collective sentiment of Liu Fusheng and his group of Nationalist pilots at this moment.

The Nationalist Army aircraft that swooped down from the clouds numbered 36 fighter planes.

They originally planned to deploy 38 fighter jets, but just before takeoff, two of the fighter jets malfunctioned and are currently undergoing repairs.

There's no way around it! The Nationalist Air Force is currently facing a severe shortage of spare parts, and many of its aircraft have various malfunctions.

The Japanese side had 57 fighter planes and 8 light bombers, almost twice the number of their own, and their aircraft were also more advanced.

The two sides are simply not on the same level.

But so what? Since the outbreak of the War of Resistance against Japan, the Chinese Air Force has been accustomed to fighting when it was far inferior to its opponents in both quantity and quality.

With the above understanding, Liu Fusheng fiercely swooped down towards a Japanese Type 96 carrier-based aircraft.

Under normal circumstances, the maximum speed of the Type 96 carrier-based aircraft is 440 kilometers per hour, while the maximum speed of the I-15 biplane fighter piloted by Liu Fusheng is only 350 kilometers per hour.

Don't be fooled by the fact that a speed difference of 90 kilometers or about 25% may not seem like much, but it can be quite deadly in air combat.

Fortunately, even with Liu Fusheng's full-force dive, one could feel the old biplane fighter shaking violently, as if it were about to fall apart at any moment.

However, the speed is increasing rapidly, reaching an astonishing high speed of 600 kilometers per hour.

At such high speed, even though the Japanese pilot of the Type 96 carrier-based aircraft desperately tried to escape after realizing the danger, he was still quickly caught up by Liu Fusheng.

When the target was positioned about 100 meters above and behind the Type 96 carrier-based aircraft, the iron sight was put into view.

Without the slightest hesitation, Liu Fusheng immediately opened fire.

In an instant, the two 12.7mm BS machine guns mounted on the I-15 fighter jet unleashed two fierce tongues of fire.

The flames lashed out at the Japanese Type 96 carrier-based aircraft, tearing large gun holes in the fuselage and wing skin on the spot.

Even more remarkably, when a 12.7mm bullet struck the Japanese pilot's head, the power of this large-caliber bullet caused the Japanese pilot to explode into a cloud of blood mist, and his entire skull was completely destroyed.

The Japanese plane, having lost control, immediately veered off course and began to glide towards the ground in the distance.

After landing, it will be smashed to pieces even if it doesn't explode.

The fact that a victory was achieved so soon after the start of the battle naturally boosted Liu Fusheng's spirits, and he was not the only one to achieve a victory.

Liu Fusheng could clearly hear cheers coming from the radio, all saying things like "I hit it!" and "Great shot!"

In total, this attack destroyed at least five or six Japanese planes and damaged three or four more. However, the essence of air combat lies in piloting skills, fighting spirit, aircraft performance, and numbers. The Nationalist army only had an advantage in fighting spirit; in all other aspects, it was inferior to the Japanese.

Therefore, as the air battle continued, it didn't take long for the Nationalist Air Force to begin to struggle...

In a close encounter with a Japanese Type 97 fighter jet with a maximum speed of 460 kilometers per hour.

Liu Fusheng felt that the I-15 fighter jet he was piloting was as clumsy as an old lady.

It was only because of his exceptional driving skills that he repeatedly escaped danger from the enemy's two 7.7mm machine guns.

Finally, a good opportunity arrived, and I used a clean and efficient 'Immelmann spin' tactic.

Specifically, when facing the pursuing Japanese Type 97 fighters, the aircraft was raised as high as possible until it was about to stall, at which point it was flipped in mid-air.

By performing a somersault backward, they arrived behind the Japanese Type 97 fighter plane, instantly turning the tide of the battle.

Finally, a barrage of bullets struck the Japanese fighter plane, causing it to smoke and burst into flames before it quickly plummeted to the ground.

It was just like watching that advanced Japanese fighter plane, which looked like a huge pile of bird droppings, fall towards the ground.

Liu Fusheng, who had already achieved two victories in a relatively short period of time, did not have a smile on his face.

Instead, he bit his lip hard, not caring that it bled; he did this not to suppress his fear, but to suppress his anger and resentment.

Because during his earlier struggle with his opponent, he had been hearing various sounds on the radio that were like knives cutting his heart:

"...Brother Liu, I've been hit. I'll leave that matter to you..." Liu Fusheng immediately recognized the familiar voice as that of his wingman, Huang Xiang.

Huang Xiang is an overseas Chinese from Southeast Asia, and he is only 22 years old this year.

It is said that the family's rubber plantation stretches as far as the eye can see, which means they are incredibly wealthy; they were born with a silver spoon in their mouths.

After the outbreak of the War of Resistance against Japan, this young master from a wealthy family returned to China and joined the air force.

As for the favor he was asked to do, although it wasn't clearly stated, Liu Fusheng knew what it was; what else could it be? Help him send a letter home.

Huang Xiang had a childhood sweetheart in Southeast Asia, who was about to marry him.

Just before boarding the plane for takeoff today, Huang Xiang, who had received a letter from his fiancée this morning, was still writing a reply to her.

Liu Fusheng glanced at it unintentionally and found that Huang Xiang had promised to marry her after the Japanese were driven away.

So the thing Huang Xiang asked him to do was probably to send back the reply letter that he had kept close to his heart along with a photo of a girl.

"Brothers! I'm going first, classmates! I'm coming."

That same familiar voice belonged to their company commander.

After shouting that, Liu Fusheng could see out of the corner of his eye that the squadron leader was piloting a smoking plane toward a Japanese bomber.

The two planes eventually collided and were engulfed in flames from the massive explosion. The squadron leader and the Japanese pilot had no chance of survival.

Liu Fusheng could also understand the strange words the squadron leader said before he died.

The first part, "Brothers! I'm going first," is telling his comrades who are still fighting the Japanese in the air that he is about to fight the Japanese to the death, and that everyone should take good care of themselves.

The second half of the sentence, "Classmates! I'm here," was addressed to his former classmates.

The squadron leader graduated from the Central Aviation School, also known as the Hangzhou Jianqiao Aviation School.

In the past two thousand years, in the airspace of Shanghai, Nanjing, Wuhan, and many other areas of China, too many of the squadron leader's comrades have lost their lives in the sky.

The company commander was telling the fallen students that he wasn't a coward either, and that he was going to find them.

There were many similar shouts, each representing the death of a brother in battle.

Besides these, many more brothers died silently in battle or were about to die in battle before they could leave a last word.

How could Liu Fusheng remain calm in such a situation?

The fierce aerial battle lasted for an unknown period of time, perhaps an hour, perhaps only a dozen minutes.

During the attack by three Japanese planes, Liu Fusheng was finally hit. His body trembled as at least two or three 7.7mm bullets hit his chest and abdomen.

This was, in fact, the first time Liu Fusheng had ever been shot.

So this 23-year-old made a rather amazing discovery.

Being hit by several bullets didn't hurt much, but I felt my body temperature and strength rapidly draining away through the wounds.

The already somewhat heavy joystick now felt like a mountain, making it even more difficult to control.

His consciousness began to blur, as if a voice in his mind was constantly calling him to fall into a deep sleep.

Therefore, taking advantage of his remaining strength and clarity, Liu Fusheng made his final move as a member of the Chinese Air Force: he struggled to control his aircraft and crashed it into a Japanese plane.

Although he graduated from a German aviation club, not from Jianqiao Flight School, which is like a squadron leader school.

However, he strongly agreed with the motto of Jianqiao Aviation School and intended to live up to it: "Our bodies, our planes, and our bombs shall perish together with the enemy's warships and positions..."

It's a great pity! Liu Fusheng couldn't even fulfill his wish to crash a Japanese plane before he died.

The key reason is that before he adopted this tactic, several other brothers had already used the same method of ramming their planes, dragging the Japanese soldiers down with them to their deaths.

The Japanese pilots were terrified; they were constantly on guard against this tactic.

So before Liu Fusheng crashed into them, the pilot of the Type 97 fighter jet, relying on the far superior performance of his aircraft, narrowly avoided the collision.

After one failed attempt, Liu Fusheng no longer had the chance or the strength to turn around and try again.

We could only watch helplessly as the plane flew diagonally toward the ground below.

Perhaps it was because the Japanese pilots also thought he was doomed.

Or perhaps it was the bravery of the Nationalist Air Force that prevented the Japanese from gaining air superiority and thus having the opportunity to attack the ground.

Therefore, none of the Japanese pilots continued to pursue Liu Fusheng, letting the plane slide into the distance, and instead turned to new opponents.

Fortunately! Because the Japanese didn't finish him off with a barrage of bullets, Liu Fusheng didn't die and even managed to make a successful emergency landing.

He certainly had the courage to pilot a fighter jet and crash into his opponent; but if the crash failed, his instinct for survival would resurface.

There was also the instinct to preserve this fighter jet, which was extremely valuable to the Nationalist Army and China.

During his fall, he bit his lips so hard they were completely torn apart, a self-harming act to prevent himself from passing out completely.

And with the last bit of strength surging from his weary body, he managed to maneuver the plane, swooping down into a large, already-harvested cornfield in the middle of a hill.

Ultimately, the plane's landing gear wheels landed first on the somewhat hardened ground of the cornfield.

During a violent jolt, poor Liu Fusheng's head slammed against the dashboard several times, knocking him unconscious.

Fortunately, after taxiing a considerable distance through the cornfield, the plane eventually came to a stop without sustaining any damage.

Although Liu Fusheng, who had fainted, was breathing very weakly, he was at least not dead yet.

More importantly, at this moment, a small rescue team, or perhaps a crew of bulls, was rapidly approaching this direction...

(End of this chapter)