Sword of Light: Humanoid Self-Propelled Artillery

Chapter 213 The Importance of Airports

Then, pointing to the location of Pantang Town, he said to Liu Zhi:

"Teacher, come and see. The frontal assault has reached a stalemate. If we delay any longer, Huang Baitao's army will surely be annihilated. My suggestion is that we do the opposite and send Qiu Qingquan's 74th Army to outflank the Third Field Army through Pantang Town, delivering a fatal blow to the rear and breaking through the Third Field Army's defensive line together!"

Although Du Yuming's plan was excellent, it was also a risky move, so Liu Zhi spoke up:

"Guangting! In these extraordinary times, we must protect Zhongyuan while also knowing how to protect ourselves. I think the battle plan should be sent to the staff department for review first..."

It was clear that Liu Zhi's meaning was quite clear: if the plan failed after being sent to the staff department, then the responsibility wouldn't lie with them. However, before Liu Zhi could finish speaking, Du Yuming interrupted him, saying:
"Teacher, you absolutely mustn't! This is a top-secret operation. First, we must act quickly, and second, we must maintain absolute secrecy. Informing the staff will inevitably lead to leaks. Teacher, you must listen to me this time!"

Upon hearing Du Yuming's insistence, Liu Zhi thought for a moment before speaking:

"Okay! I'll listen to you this time, but you have to promise me that if the old man ever asks about this later, you'll be responsible for explaining it to him!"

It's clear that Liu Zhi is trying to shirk responsibility. He means that if the plan fails, Du Yuming will take responsibility, but Liu Zhi will not!

Du Yuming, being somewhat responsible since he was the one who proposed the plan, immediately nodded and said:
"it is good!"

Upon seeing this, Liu Zhi naturally persuaded Qiu Qingquan to agree to Du Yuming's secret battle plan.

Then, a very coincidental thing happened: the Third Field Army and Xuzhou each sent out a surprise force to attack each other, and they eventually met unexpectedly in Pantang Town.

After the encounter, they naturally started fighting without saying a word. At this time, Wang Gensheng was also in Pantang Town with about a thousand marines.

That's right, Wang Gensheng also wanted to set up an airport. Of course, this was Wang Gensheng's own idea, just like when he wanted to help Li Yunlong in Zhao Village.

However, before taking action, Li Yunlong informed the Third Field Army Command of Wang Gensheng's plan and received the Third Field Army's approval. After all, if Wang Gensheng really took down the Eighty-Nine Lions Command, then Li Yunlong's all-out attack would not be stuck in a stalemate and the battle could be resolved quickly.

Therefore, Li Yunlong's initiative in attacking was not considered disobeying orders.

The operation of Wang Gensheng's thousand or so Marine Corps troops was naturally approved by the General Headquarters. After all, in the eyes of the General Headquarters, no matter how elite the troops were, they were only about a thousand people. Taking down important targets or facilities would be a huge gain.

If they were to be surrounded and wiped out, it wouldn't affect the overall situation. After all, the loss of a thousand or so people is nothing in the context of a battlefield with hundreds of thousands or even millions of people.

Just like the showdown between Li Yunlong and Chu Yunfei in Zhao Village in the TV series "Bright Sword", Li Yunlong's Ershimen suffered more than half of their casualties, which means more than 5,000 people were killed.

Therefore, Wang Gensheng's behavior was a case of risking a lot for a small gain; if successful, he would make a fortune, just like his surprise attack on Chu Yunfei's Lion Command not long after.

Success means the destruction of tens of thousands of people, while failure means only a thousand. Such a deal is naturally extremely worthwhile.

Now, Wang Gensheng wants to destroy Xuzhou Airport, even though Nan Jing and Xuzhou Airport are only 350 kilometers apart.

Even without Xuzhou Airport, the bombers at Nanjing Airport could complete the bombing mission. But having Xuzhou Airport and not having Xuzhou Airport are two different things.

At this time, the Laoji Air Force still had a lot of planes.

During the entire war of liberation, the Lao Air Force had about 900 aircraft, of which about 440 were combat aircraft.

Its main models include the P-51 fighter jet, the B-24/B-25 bomber, and a large number of transport aircraft.

Take the P-51 fighter jet as an example. Although its maximum range is 2,700 kilometers, its combat radius is only 1,000 kilometers when considering its payload and other factors.

To effectively deal with ground troops, heavy bombers like the B-24 are needed.

The B-24 heavy bomber, on the other hand, has an even greater need for range.

The B-24 bomber, also known as the "Defender" bomber, is a heavy, long-range bomber. Developed based on the B-17 bomber, development began in 1939, and it entered service and first appeared on the battlefield in 1941.

The production run of various B-24 heavy bomber models reached over 18,000, making it the most produced bomber by the United States during World War II. Due to its large bomb load, long range, and powerful firepower, it was also the most widely used bomber by the US military during World War II.

Therefore, the B-24 appeared in both the European and Asian theaters. In the Asian and Asian theaters, the B-24 was undoubtedly the "king of the skies." The B-24 first appeared in the battlefield in 1941, and its user was the Royal British Air Force.

B-24轰炸机采用了4台“普-惠R-1830-465双黄蜂”发动机，其中每台发动机的功率为一千两百马力。B-24轰炸机的机枪看起来非常的短粗，机头是玻璃格栅式的投弹手舱和导航员舱。

Of course, since it is a bomber, we must mention the bomb bay door of the B-24 bomber. Unlike the hinged doors of other bombers, the B-24 uses a bomb bay door similar to a modern roller shutter door.

Furthermore, to increase its range, the B-24 made full use of its wings. Initially, the interior of each wing was designed as two large, integral fuel tanks. While this increased the range, it also meant the bomber was vulnerable to explosion if hit by a bomb. Consequently, it was later modified to have two self-sealing fuel tanks.

在防卫武器方面，B-24轰炸机最直观的就是机头两挺12.7毫米口径的机枪。除了机头，其机腹和两侧也安装了机枪。整机的前后左右4个面共计安装了8挺12.7毫米口径的勃朗宁重机枪。

The B-24 has many derivative models, among which the B-24D was a mass-produced variant. Approximately 2700 were produced. The B-24D bomber has a crew of 10, a length of 20.4 meters, a height of 5.4 meters, and a wingspan of 33.5 meters. Its empty weight is 16.5 tons, and its maximum takeoff weight is 29.5 tons.

采用了单台马力为一千二百匹的“普-惠R-1830-65双黄蜂”发动机共计4台。4台发动机可为B-24D轰炸机提供最大467公里的时速。其最大升限为8540米，巡航时速为346公里。在近程作战时，B-24D轰炸机最大可载弹三点六吨，最远航程是可载弹一点二吨，全机共装备了10挺12.7毫米口径的勃朗宁重机枪。

This shows the importance of Xuzhou Airport, because if it were to take off and land at Nanjing Airport, it would only be a little over a ton of bombs to be dropped.

However, if takeoffs and landings are conducted at a nearby airport like Xuzhou, the combat effects of more than three tons of bombs will naturally be different from those of one ton of bombs.

More importantly, it's about timeliness, since it takes an hour to fly from Nanjing Airport to Xuzhou!

(End of this chapter)