You were tasked with guarding the Sihang Warehouse, and you brought out a Tiger tank?

A field airfield on the outskirts of Qingcheng Port.

On the runway, two Junkers Jumo 211 liquid-cooled V12 engines roared deafeningly.

The huge propellers spun at high speed, stirring up gusts of wind and dust.

Air Force Major Han Zhenhai sat in the cockpit of the HE-111 medium bomber, his hands gripping the control stick, his eyes looking straight ahead.

As the control tower signal flags waved, he pushed down the throttle valve.

The heavy bomber accelerated along the runway, its nose lifted, and it smoothly lifted off the ground, soaring straight into the sky.

Eighteen HE-111 medium bombers painted in gray-green took off in succession.

The aircraft circled half a circle over Qingcheng Port, then quickly formed three neat V-shaped formations, climbing in altitude as they flew westward toward the inland.

The cabin was filled with the mechanical noise of the engines.

Han Zhenhai glanced at the altimeter on the instrument panel; the pointer was already pointing to four thousand meters.

This mission was completely different from the previous attack on the Japanese northward fleet over the Bohai Sea.

To deal with heavily armored warships and large transport ships, they carried two aerial torpedoes on their external pylons.

Today, instead, the aircraft's internal bomb bay is filled with SC50 50-kilogram high-explosive bombs packed tightly together.

Every rack in the ammunition magazine was completely filled with them.

Han Zhenhai was well aware of the power of these small bombs.

A 50-kilogram explosive charge is simply not enough to blast through solid underground fortifications or large warships.

However, when used against unarmored ground buildings and densely populated areas, this bomb can create an extremely terrifying density of coverage.

Before departure, the ground crew ordnance specialists, as instructed by their commander, set all the bomb fuses to the "0.5-second delay upon impact" mode.

This is a tactical setup specifically designed for today's objectives.

The bomb fell from a height of several thousand meters, carrying enormous kinetic energy.

Instead of exploding upon impact, it uses the 0.5-second delay to smash through the roof of the train station warehouse or the roof of a train car parked on the platform.

The bomb will detonate after it has penetrated into the enclosed interior of a building or train carriage.

The high temperature, high pressure, and fragments generated by an explosion in a confined space can cause maximum damage to the target, leaving not even a single living creature alive.

"All units report their status."

Han Zhenhai pressed the microphone in his throat and made a call on the radio channel.

"Unit 2 is normal."

"Unit 3 is normal."

……

The captains' reports came through the headsets one by one.

Han Zhenhai turned to look out the porthole.

On the left and right sides of the bomber formation, at a higher altitude, a dozen small black dots were flying alongside.

Those were the BF-109 fighter squadrons responsible for escorting the aircraft.

They possess an absolute altitude advantage of 6,000 meters, ready at any time to intercept any interceptor fighters that the Japanese might scramble into the air.

"Captain, the flight path is correct, the wind direction is northwest, and the wind speed is level three."

The navigator, sitting inside the glass canopy at the nose of the aircraft, gave a loud report.

"Expected to arrive over the target in twenty minutes."

Han Zhenhai nodded, stabilized the throttle valve, and maintained the cruising speed.

Twenty minutes passed in the blink of an eye.

The aircraft swarm has penetrated deep into the inland areas of Shandong Province, below which lie vast plains and crisscrossing rivers.

"Enemy aircraft spotted!"

Suddenly, the voice of the escort fighter squadron leader came through the radio channel.

"At the ten o'clock position, at an altitude of 3,500 meters, there are twelve aircraft, model 97."

Han Zhenhai looked in the direction indicated.

Below the clouds in the distance, more than a dozen Japanese fighter planes painted with plaster markings were desperately pulling up their noses, attempting to climb to an altitude to intercept the bomber group.

Those were Japanese army aviation units that had taken off urgently from Qizhou Airport.

Due to several large-scale air battles previously fought over the Jiaodong Peninsula and the Bohai Sea, the Japanese Army Air Force suffered heavy losses.

Many experienced veteran pilots were shot down by the BF-109 fighters of the 33rd Army Corps, and either died or were taken prisoner.

The vast majority of the Japanese pilots taking off now are new recruits who have just been transferred from domestic flight schools.

Their average flight time is less than two hundred hours, and they can't even fly in basic tactical formations properly.

But these Showa youths, thoroughly brainwashed by the Bushido spirit, still gritted their teeth and charged forward in their Type 97 fighters with fixed landing gear.

"Escort squadron, free attack, clear the airspace."

The BF-109 formation in the sky reacted immediately.

They didn't give the Japanese fighter jets a chance to climb to the same altitude at all.

The twelve BF-109 fighters, divided into three four-plane formations, faced away from the sun, pushed down their noses, and launched a fierce dive attack.

The classic "BZ" tactic.

Han Zhenhai coldly observed the one-sided massacre unfolding on the outside through the plane window.

With its powerful engine and high dive speed, the BF-109 quickly reached the top of the Japanese aircraft formation.

The MG151/20mm cannons on the nose and wings opened fire simultaneously.

Dense trailing bullets crisscrossed the air, forming a deadly web.

The two Japanese Type 97 fighters at the forefront were hit directly by 20mm high-explosive incendiary bombs before they could even make any evasive maneuvers.

The Type 97 fighter jet, with its thin skin and large internal components, simply could not withstand the tearing force of such a large-caliber machine gun.

The right wing of an airplane was severed at the base, causing the plane to instantly lose balance and spin as it plummeted toward the ground.

The other plane had its fuel tank in the middle of the fuselage blown out.

In pursuit of ultimate maneuverability and range, the Japanese fighter planes not only lacked pilot armor backplates but also lacked self-sealing fuel tanks.

If the fuel tanks in the wings or fuselage are hit, the fuel will start to leak instantly or be ignited directly by the tracer incendiary bomb.

The Type 97 fighter jet that had its fuel tank hit exploded in mid-air into a huge orange-red fireball.

The plane disintegrated in mid-air, sending burning debris flying everywhere.

A Japanese pilot, engulfed in flames, screamed as he jumped out of the cockpit.

His parachute pack was ignited by the fire and could not be opened.

He turned into a burning fireball and crashed straight to the ground.

The exchange lasted less than two minutes.

Three or four of the twelve Japanese fighter planes that attempted to intercept were shot down.

The remaining Japanese pilots panicked completely. Their already scattered formation collapsed instantly, and they darted around in the air, trying to evade the BF-109's pursuit.

Han Zhenhai withdrew his gaze expressionlessly.

This kind of battle, with no suspense whatsoever, didn't require his attention at all.

"Maintain formation and continue forward."

Han Zhenhai gave orders through the intercom.

The bombardier, seated beneath the transparent nose of the aircraft, looked out at the burning and crashing Japanese planes, curled his lip, and cursed.

"The Japanese devils couldn't even afford a self-sealing fuel tank; they just wrapped gasoline drums in sheet metal and dared to fly into the sky?"

He deserved to be roasted like a suckling pig.