The War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression Begins in Songhu

Chapter 419 A Heart Full of Blood Stains the Sky (Part 1) (Combined Chapter 2)

It was a few minutes before noon.

The Japanese Fifth Fleet was anchored at the port of Beihai.

Looking into the officers' mess, on the long table covered with a snow-white tablecloth, there was a sumptuous lunch laid out, including fried pork chops, creamy chicken stew, fried fish, sushi, miso soup, vegetable salad, and fresh fruit.

Even with this standard of food, I've lost count of how many times I've eaten it.

With the gentle sea breeze blowing, Lieutenant Ohara Motomichi, the gunnery officer of the heavy cruiser Chi-go, sighed softly in a relaxed and contented tone:
"Life in the Imperial Navy is just so wonderful~"

That said! In the current Japanese army, if you were to choose the unit with the best benefits and the one that young Japanese soldiers most desperately wanted to join, it would undoubtedly be the navy.

Because the Japanese navy was modeled after the British, after so many years of development...

Nowadays, in terms of tactics, training, and management, it has been almost entirely Westernized or even Anglo-ized, including the food standards.

Compared to the food of ordinary naval soldiers, the food eaten by army deer was as bad as pig swill.

If it were the Omoto region, the lavish meals of these naval officers would make those miserable army bums green with envy.

However, what the Japanese army envied most about the navy was...

Before the outbreak of the Pacific War, and even in the early stages after the outbreak of the Pacific War, the Japanese navy was an invincible force in the eastern seas, almost like a hegemon.

Especially in Chinese waters, they can sail and anchor at will without any safety concerns.

What else? Even if these Japanese devils racked their brains, they really couldn't think of any power in China that could threaten their safety.

China's navy? Their limited number of small warships were completely wiped out long ago.

They either deliberately sank to block the waterway, or they were sent to the bottom of the sea by the Empire's planes and naval guns; at this point in time, does the Chinese nation still have a navy?

The Chinese Air Force? It's in a slightly better situation than the Navy, but only slightly better.

Only a few planes remained, few in number and of outdated models, unable even to defend the skies over their temporary capital, leaving them vulnerable to bombing by the Imperial Air Force.

Therefore, Omoto really didn't believe that China's limited air force would dare to launch an attack against them.

He even hoped that the Chinese Air Force could launch an attack against them.

The Imperial Navy escorting the transport ships of the 18th Army Division included the Fifth Fleet, which was stationed at Oharahara-michi, and the aircraft carrier Gah. (No typo! The original name seems to have been rejected.)

On Weizhou Island, dozens of kilometers away, there is an airport with many Hainan Airlines planes.

Leaving aside their Fifth Fleet, although it lacks battleships, it has three heavy cruisers, eight light cruisers and destroyers, possessing formidable anti-aircraft firepower.

The key point is that the aircraft carrier Gah and the planes at Weizhou Island Airport together number over a hundred.

This single air force completely surpasses the total air force strength of the entire nation of China; therefore, if the Chinese Air Force were to come, it would be tantamount to handing them victory.

All of Ohara's thoughts and intentions were shared by all the Japanese naval personnel currently stationed in Beihai Port.

Even the fleet commander, Lieutenant General Xi Xuan Wuzilang, never considered the slightest possibility that they would be attacked during the Battle of Guinan, so naturally there was no preparation whatsoever.

This was also the biggest source of confidence for Hu Biao and his team in formulating the air force's plan to launch a surprise attack on the Japanese fleet.

And so it is! When Omoto, the son of a fisherman from Hokkaido, sat demurely at the dining table, imitating the manner of the British navy, he did so with an air of composure.

With a snow-white napkin tied around her neck and a knife and fork in hand, she was about to dig into a fried pork chop.

Suddenly, a voice faintly reached my ears: "Scouting 30 degrees to the left, 26 Nationalist aircraft spotted in an enemy attack!"

Omoto's immediate reaction was to fork a small piece of pork chop and put it in his mouth, chewing it like a foreigner.

The other officers in the mess hall had the same reaction.

There was no other reason than that they believed they must have misheard, because in their instinctive understanding, a surprise attack by the Nationalist Air Force was an impossible event.

However, soon after, more "enemy attacks" and "prepare for air defense" orders rang out.

This lets Kohara know that he didn't mishear, but that something absolutely impossible had actually happened.

In a start, he nearly choked to death on the pork chop stuck in his throat; after forcing it down, ignoring the stinging pain in his throat, he staggered out of the officers' mess.

He rushed onto the deck and looked up at the sky to his left.

Upon seeing it, I was immediately filled with immense terror.

There were a total of 26 aircraft of various models, many of which were old-fashioned biplanes, which were now swooping down from the clouds above the port towards the fleet.

In particular, the lead I-15 fighter jet was diving at an extremely high speed, and the blue sky and white sun emblem on its nose and wings kept magnifying in his eyes, bringing unprecedented terrifying pressure.

With the incredible speed of these aircraft, the attack on the fleet would be underway in a minute at most.

Although at this moment, a large number of sailors were rushing towards the anti-aircraft guns and machine guns in a great hurry, Ohara Motomichi knew that it was all too late.

Knowing that the Imperial Navy would suffer a great loss due to its carelessness...

*****
The plane swooping down from the clouds at that moment was naturally Mina and her group.

The pilot of the lead I-15 fighter jet was none other than Mina, his mistress.

After flying for more than an hour, they finally arrived at the airspace above Beihai Port after circling halfway around.

Below Mina and the others, on the sea surface, are countless Japanese ships of all sizes. Including transport ships, minesweepers, and landing craft, there are as many as sixty or seventy ships in total.

It should be noted that the initial group of planes that Mina and her team took off consisted of 41 aircraft.

However, not far after they flew out, one of them encountered a problem and had to return alone; subsequently, three more aircraft malfunctioned and were unable to participate in the flight.

There was no other way! The National Revolutionary Army had too few aircraft at its disposal. Even if they knew some had mechanical problems, they had to make do with them; after all, every extra aircraft might increase their chances of success.

The Japanese soldiers had only seen 26 planes so far, because Mina and her comrades had split up their forces due to tactical needs.

Why? Naturally, it's because Mina had already conducted numerous simulations before setting out.

The simulation revealed that the greatest threat from this air attack was not the fleet's dense anti-aircraft firepower, but rather the fighter jets from Weizhou Island Airport and the carrier-based aircraft from the Gah aircraft carrier. ( )

We don't have as many planes as the Japanese, and our planes aren't as advanced. If we choose to fight head-on, we definitely won't win.

Why fight them head-on? They could easily blow up airport runways and aircraft carrier runways.

Even if it cannot completely prevent the Japanese fighters from taking off, it can increase the difficulty of their takeoff and prolong their takeoff time, making it easier for them to put enough pressure on the Japanese fleet.

Then all the aircraft currently being used for aerial reconnaissance by the 18th Division were recalled.

Therefore, the Chinese Air Force had already deployed its forces ten minutes earlier.

Among them, 11 aircraft, including 7 bombers and 4 fighters, led by a Nationalist Army flight squadron leader, went to Weizhou Island to attack the Japanese airfield.

We don't expect to shoot down many Japanese planes, but we just hope to prevent them from taking off and causing trouble.

The remaining 26 aircraft, consisting of 15 bombers and 11 fighters, were the squadron led by Mina that came to attack the Japanese...

Before diving down from the clouds above the North Sea Harbor, Mina opened a water bottle next to her.

After taking a big gulp, her previously pale face immediately turned flushed.

It's not that this girl's alcoholism has reached such a frightening level.

The main issue is that Mina, being an unmarried woman, was on her period these past few days; once that started, she was more sensitive to the cold than usual, and after flying all this way at such a high altitude, her whole body was so cold that her hands and feet were not very flexible.

In order to prepare for the upcoming battle, the girl had no choice but to secretly fill her water bottle with "Guangxi Briefcase" liquor before setting off, intending to drink and keep warm.

After taking a big gulp of about two ounces, she immediately experienced remarkably good results. Not only did her whole body heat up instantly, and her hands and feet became more agile and powerful; more importantly, under the stimulation of alcohol, her already bold sister-in-law became even more daring.

After giving a shout over the radio, he led the way, piloting an I-15 fighter jet as it swooped down from the clouds.

The moment she broke through the clouds, Mina was immediately drawn to the largest of the many ships anchored below.

It felt like a thousand years in a single glance, a feeling that lingered in my eyes and I could never look away.

Various data that I had seen or learned in the modern world and after my transmigration flooded my mind uncontrollably:

The aircraft carrier Gah was launched in 1928 and is now 12 years old. In 1935, the Japanese carried out a modernization refit.

After the refit, its maximum full-load displacement reached 43600 tons, which is more than 1,000 tons more than the French Navy's only aircraft carrier in the modern dimension, the Décourt.

Including backup aircraft, it can carry a maximum of 90 carrier-based aircraft of various types.

Since its launch, this thing has been the mainstay aircraft carrier of the Japanese army and has participated in many key naval battles.

This includes the Battle of Shanghai, where the carrier-based bombers not only caused great harm to our civilians, but also damaged and sank many of our naval warships in the Battle of Jiangyin.

In short, the Gakh has long incurred a heavy blood debt for the Chinese military and civilians.

Along with the Japanese soldiers on it, they should have sunk to the bottom of the water long ago.

The original plan was for the Nationalist Air Force to simply destroy the flight deck of the Gah and prevent the carrier-based aircraft from taking off.

But now, under the influence of alcohol, Mina shouted out a sentence on the radio:
"As our ancestors wisely said, 'It's better to break one finger than to injure ten.' Target: the Japanese aircraft carrier 'Gakh,' go and sink it..."

After yelling "Sink it!", Mina immediately squeezed the throttle lever of the I-15 fighter jet, causing the old biplane to quickly accelerate to an astonishing 500 kilometers per hour as it dove downwards.

Like a bolt of lightning, it struck the foredeck of the Gah.

Finally, when they were only sixty or seventy meters above the deck, Mina moved a lever on the plane, causing a 50-kilogram bomb mounted on the fuselage to fall downwards.

As the bomb dislodged, the aircraft felt slightly lighter.

Mina pulled the control stick sharply with her other hand, leveling the nose of the aircraft, and then flew the plane almost close to the Gah aircraft carrier, passing right over the heads of the deck crew.

During this process, the two 12.7 mm machine guns on the I-15 fighter jet also opened fire at full force.

The 50-kilogram bomb that was dropped landed precisely on the port side of the foredeck of the Gah and immediately caused a violent explosion.

They blasted a huge, dark hole right through the deck, and you could see right into the cabins below.

The appearance of this large hole not only completely cut off all possibilities for the Gah's carrier-based aircraft to take off, but also reduced the width of its takeoff deck to at most one-third of its original width, greatly increasing the difficulty of takeoff.

In addition, the wild shockwave generated by the explosion sent a large amount of wood chips and iron fragments flying in all directions.

After being suddenly attacked on the deck, the Japanese sailors, ground crew, and pilots who were running around were not only thrown into the air like toys, but their bodies were also riddled with holes.

The planes that were densely anchored and parked on the deck, those closer to the shockwave of the explosion, had their skins severely damaged.

There was even a Type 99 carrier-based aircraft that was closest to it, which was lifted up and fell into the sea on one side, making a large splash.

I don't know if it can be repaired after it's retrieved.

As Mina piloted the plane, she strafed the Gah.

The powerful 12.7mm bullets, upon hitting the bodies of the Japanese soldiers in front, would immediately explode into a large cloud of blood mist.

To paraphrase a line from a traditional storytelling performance: "To get close is to die, to graze is to get hurt."

After hitting the densely packed Japanese carrier-based aircraft, the bullets not only created large holes in the fuselage, but also ignited the skin of two aircraft, causing them to quickly emit thick smoke.

Upon witnessing this scene, a cacophony of cheers erupted on the communication channel of the Nationalist Army's airborne radio.

Not only did Mina's initial attack yield such a brilliant result, giving the operation a successful start.

Another crucial point is that the average person may not have a strong intuitive understanding of how fast the I-15 fighter jet can dive and reach speeds of up to 500 kilometers per hour.

Having become accustomed to the modern dimension, where supersonic cruise data is commonplace, they even consider this speed to be slow.

However, a little calculation will show how terrifying this speed is for the human body; this speed averages about 139 meters per second.

In other words, if Mina had been even half a second slower in pulling the control stick to level the plane, it would have crashed into the deck, resulting in a fatal crash.

A girl, and a pretty one at that, with such courage and flying skills, doesn't she deserve their respect and cheers?
Amidst the resounding cheers, the morale of the Nationalist army surged.

Just three or four seconds later, after Mina had completed a sweep of fire and was beginning to gain altitude, preparing to circle in the air and turn around to do it again,

Another Nationalist SB-2 bomber also began to dive down toward the Gah.

The SB-2 bomber is a light, fast bomber produced by the Russians in their early years. Even though it is light, it can carry 600 kilograms of aerial bombs, the largest of which has a yield of 100 kilograms.

Its ground attack capability is far superior to that of the I-15, a fighter jet primarily designed for air combat with the occasional 50kg bomb.

Unfortunately, by this time, some of the personnel on the other Japanese warships had already rushed to the positions of anti-aircraft guns and anti-aircraft machine guns.

After quickly adjusting the direction of his gun, he hailed it at the bomber.

The number of anti-aircraft weapons that the Japanese installed on their warships in the current year was far less than that in later years, and the types and effectiveness of these weapons were somewhat disappointing.

However, the Japanese had too many warships at Beihai Port.

光是在每一艘重巡洋舰上，基本就有着127毫米口径的高射炮8门，25毫米口径高射炮8门，13.2毫米口径高射机枪4挺。

每一艘驱逐舰上的防空火力要差一些，可基本上也有127毫米口径的高射炮2门，25毫米口径高射炮8门，13.2毫米口径高射机枪2挺。

Including the anti-aircraft weapons on other ships, the sheer number of anti-aircraft weapons in the Japanese Fifth Fleet was quite astonishing.

Even if only a portion of them fired in time, they were still hit by a barrage of shells and bullets.

In the blink of an eye, the unfortunate bomber was damaged in several places. Although it was not about to crash immediately, the bombing effect was greatly reduced as the pilot maneuvered to dodge.

Unfortunately, both bombs landed on the water near the Gah after being dropped.

A towering column of water erupted on the spot, but it failed to cause any actual casualties to the Gakh. Instead, several Japanese pilots climbed onto their aircraft and yelled at the ground crew to turn the propellers.

They were actually going to force a takeoff and engage in aerial combat with them.

Seeing this, Mina was quite decisive and issued several orders over the radio: "IV-6, after you drop all the bombs you are carrying at high altitude, return to base immediately."

Fighter squadrons 1 and 2 were on alert in the air, responsible for dealing with Japanese aircraft returning to base and taking off.

战斗机3、4小队，加上轰炸机5、6小队去解决和压制周围战舰上的防空火力，轰炸机1、2、3小队继续轰炸加赫号，今天一定要炸沉它。”

The so-called 'Ⅳ-6' refers to that damaged SB-2 bomber.

Upon hearing Mina's order, the captain immediately objected:

"Commander Mina, we're not leaving. The Chinese Air Force has no cowards who would run away alone. After dropping our bombs, we request permission to directly ram the Gah aircraft carrier."

"No! You must return to base after dropping the bombs. This is a death order. Remember, you are not deserters or cowards. You are the last seeds of the Chinese Air Force."

Mina yelled and rejected 'IV-6's' request.

Then, she suddenly pressed down on the nose of the plane and swooped down again, dodging several deadly anti-aircraft fires with agility, as if dancing with swords amidst the dense hail of bullets.

Finally, it fired a burst of bullets at a Type 99 carrier-based aircraft that had just taken off from the Gakh, shooting it down like bird droppings.

Trying to take off in front of Miss Mina? Dream on...

(End of this chapter)