Volume 1: Entering the War of Resistance Chapter 41: Frantic Bombing and Shelling

  On September 1, the weather was very clear. He Zhongcai, Zheng Shaoyu and Chen Nade were watching the fourth team's air defense exercise at Baishi Airport, accompanied by the 12 bombers of the 12th team. The fourth team changed its usual single-handed method and adopted Chen Nade's double-machine formation, with the lead plane slightly forward attacking, and the wingman covering and responsible for replenishing the attack. From the ground, a group of small planes were seen "attacking" the 96-type attack aircraft in a dense formation, while the 96-type attack aircraft also formed a tight formation to counterattack.

  "Well, it's quite effective, much more powerful than our initial tactics." Zheng Shaoyu observed and sighed.

  "The wingmen lacked radio, and coordination with others was still insufficient. After the first attack, it was difficult to maintain a good formation. This was without interference from enemy fighters; apparently, it would be necessary to install radios on all I-16s." Chennault was a perfectionist and felt that improvements were needed.

  "A new wireless telegraph is being procured, but it will take some time. I think we can temporarily install some of the original radio equipment on the wingman's plane before the wireless telegraph is installed to achieve a certain degree of coordination." He Juncai had long known the importance of communication in C3I. When Sun Ke brought wireless technology to the Soviet Union, one condition was that the small wireless devices produced would be given priority for purchase by the Chinese Air Force.

  "Sir, we've received a message from Intelligence that the enemy bombers are launching a large-scale attack. Let's get ready for air defense." A deputy officer rushed up, holding a freshly translated telegram.

  "Let's go back to base." He Juncai hastily concluded his inspection and led Zheng Shaoyu and others to take the aircraft back to the floating base.

  He Juncai rushed to the air command room of the floating base and asked, "What's the situation now?"

  "At 10:00 this morning, we received a notification from the Intelligence Department that a large number of bombers took off from Yuncheng, Baotou, Hankou and Wuchang. Communications officer Mei Xinhui reported to him. "We have dispatched reconnaissance planes to approach the Sichuan border for reconnaissance, and ordered Squadrons 3, 4, and 5 to prepare for takeoff." The operations officer added."

  "Very good, continue to monitor!" He Juncai exclaimed, it seems that the 4th Flying Brigade has already possessed command ability. "But how did the Japanese army change its usual practice today, what tricks can they play before the arrival of the new Zero fighter?" He Juncai muttered to himself.

  "Is it because of the arrival of their new commander, Ozawa?" Zheng Shaoyu asked. The Chinese crypt room on the floating base had successfully cracked the Japanese Navy's code and all communications between the Japanese Navy stationed in China and their homeland were being intercepted. A few days ago, the Chinese crypt room had translated the news that Rear Admiral Ozawa, the new commander of the Second Combined Air Squadron, had taken office, and today the enemy launched a large-scale raid, so there should be a connection between the two.

  "It should be that after Ozawa came, the new official took office and fired three shots. I think we need to respond carefully today." He Juncai sighed and said, "It turns out that this is also popular among Japanese people."

  However, the subsequent news shocked them. The Japanese naval and army bombers did not conduct a strategic bombing campaign deep into Sichuan as usual, but instead carried out scattered bombings on some cities near the front line. Major cities such as Lanzhou, Xi'an, Zhengzhou, Luoyang, and Changsha were all bombed to varying degrees, and even some small counties were visited by Japanese bombers for the first time.

  The newspaper published an interview with a survivor of the bombing in Luoyang: "I walked out of the air raid shelter, and the air was still thick with the smell of gunpowder. Suddenly, I saw something hanging from a tree - it was a bloody piece of flesh! When I looked closer, I realized it was a human leg! I felt a chill run down my spine. Not far away, there was a corpse lying on the ground, its belly blown open, intestines and blood scattered all over the place... The scene was terrifying. And the relatives of the deceased were kneeling beside them, wailing in grief..."

  In Xi'an, the Japanese army also used poison gas for the first time. Civilians without protective measures fell one after another on both sides of the road, with extremely tragic shapes. After the incident, more than 6,000 bodies were cleared out, and thousands of people were poisoned by the gas, waiting for medical treatment.

  Due to the suddenness of this bombing, various cities were not prepared with corresponding warning measures. Some small towns had few people who had seen planes and even came out to watch, resulting in extremely heavy losses. At present, the Chinese Air Force's fighter jets cannot cover the vast sky, it can be said that the Japanese military hit the soft underbelly of the Chinese Air Force this time.

  In the 4th Flying Group Operations Command, Zheng Shaoyu's face turned iron-green as he ordered the already airborne fighter jets to land. The taste of a heavy punch on the cotton was not pleasant. The enemy planes had not even entered the Sichuan border, nor had they reached the airspace above Liangshan Airport. The current Chinese Air Force fighters have relatively short ranges, such as the I-16 fighter with a range of only 800 kilometers. After the Chinese Air Force moved to the rear and depth, although it could use the mountains for cover, due to the lack of front-line airports, it was difficult to launch effective strikes against Japanese-occupied areas, and even harder to defend cities near the front line.

  After putting down the telegram he had just received, He Jun gritted his teeth. The Japanese had abandoned their original goal and instead bombed cities that the Chinese air force could not defend, targeting civilians rather than military targets. The Japanese were trying to force the Chinese government to surrender in this way, while their ally Germany was doing the same thing - what a den of thieves! No, we must counterattack. Otherwise, it will be difficult to recover before the outbreak of the Pacific War.

  He Juncai dialed General Zhou Zhirou's phone. "General Zhou, I have a plan..."

  On September 2, Chiang Kai-shek held a press conference in the morning.

  "Gentlemen, yesterday the Japanese savagely bombed many of my undefended cities. They used a variety of weapons, including bombs, incendiary bombs and poison gas shells, causing us great losses. I declare that my air force will launch a counterattack. For every bomb the Japanese drop on my cities, my air force will return tenfold. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth!" Chiang Kai-shek said with a stern face.

  "Excuse me, Mr. Chairman," an American reporter asked anxiously, "you claimed that the Japanese army dropped poison gas bombs, do you have any evidence? Using poison gas bombs is a violation of international conventions."

  "Yes, in Xi'an, we obtained an unexploded poisonous gas bomb. The poisonous gas bomb caused the innocent deaths of thousands of civilians, and many people were separated from their families, which is very sad." Chiang Kai-shek took out a few photos, revealing the cruel face of the Japanese army.

  "Excuse me, Mr. Chairman, are you referring to bombing enemy cities? But as far as I know, Chongqing is quite far from the Japanese mainland, isn't it? Are we going to bomb cities occupied by the Japanese army?" Italy being a quasi-ally of Japan, he didn't mince his words when asking the question.

  "This point, I ask you all to wait and see!" Chiang Kai-shek already had a complete plan in his heart, leaving behind only a hint of suspense.

  Meanwhile, on the floating base, the 11th and 12th squadrons were making urgent preparations. Tonight they would carry out a historic bombing mission - an air raid on Japan! As early as May 19, 1938, Xu Huan-sheng, the current commander of the 12th Squadron, had led two Martin B-10 bombers to visit Nagasaki and Fukuoka. However, at that time, due to the long distance, they only brought propaganda leaflets and did not drop bombs. This time, the Chinese Air Force came with a mighty attitude and bombs.

  Last night, after reporting to Zhou Zhirou, He Juncai ordered two reconnaissance planes to take off and head to Japan for reconnaissance. Due to the small size of this unmanned reconnaissance aircraft, high flight altitude, and camouflage paint, it is almost impossible to detect on the ground, while its high-precision cameras can transmit back the deployment situation on the ground.

  The staff of the 4th Flying Group's Air Command marked out valuable targets one by one. In selecting targets, there was a debate among them, with some staff members feeling that although the Japanese military prioritized civilian targets, China should still prioritize "benevolence" and put Japanese military targets first. After much discussion without result, He Juncai spoke up: "Gentlemen, war is inherently evil, and showing mercy to the enemy is cruelty to oneself. I hope everyone will not consider morality when selecting targets, but rather abandon personal reputation and prioritize national interests. Therefore, our principle for selecting targets this time should be maximum combat effectiveness with minimum risk. Please remember!" This speech was established as the wartime principle of the 4th Flying Group, so after the war, although it was called the "Butcher Flying Group" by many countries, Chinese military and civilians still affectionately regarded the 4th Flying Group as China's "Guards Flying Group".

  In the evening, the floating base returned to Base No. 1 in Bishan for replenishment. The main task was to load various bombs seized from France's Strasbourg and Hankou onto the floating base. These big guys were not usually stored on the floating base, as an accident would be disastrous. Meanwhile, the 24 J-11 fighter jets of the 11th Wing and the 36 96-style land-based attack aircraft of the 12th Wing had already made preparations for takeoff. During this period, all pilots gathered in the tactical training room, where the operations staff assigned them targets and explained precautions. The pilots also used a large screen to understand their targets' situations and landmark buildings from multiple angles in 3D, ensuring that they would not drop bombs in the wrong place.

  The floating base flew secretly from Chongqing to mainland Japan at an altitude of 20,000 meters, taking nearly 8 hours. It is now 3 o'clock in the morning, and the time for the attack is approaching.

  Pilots are all ready to take off, boarded the neatly arranged aircraft on both sides of the apron. Ground crew had used the previous time to supplement the fuel and ammunition of each aircraft, and re-examined the aircraft carefully to ensure that everything was correct.

  The Japanese still don't know it, but the revenge bomb of Chinese air force is about to fall on their heads!

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