Volume 1: Initial Entry into the War of Resistance Chapter 40: The Japanese Counterattack

  The airport in Hankou was attacked by the Chinese base on August 22, and not only were the air and ground personnel of the 12th Aviation Regiment of the Second Joint Aviation Brigade stationed in Hankou captured, but also their fighter planes, bombers, fuel, and ammunition were seized. Even the commander of the Second Joint Aviation Brigade, Taichi ōishi, was taken prisoner. The joint air raid force suffered heavy losses, leaving only the First Joint Aviation Brigade deployed at Wuchang Airport and other airports, as well as the remnants of the 13th Aviation Regiment of the Second Joint Aviation Brigade.

  To maintain pressure on the Nationalist Government through air raids and to continue to hold the initiative in the air, Commander-in-Chief of the Japanese Navy Isoroku Yamamoto appointed another aviation expert, Lieutenant General Kiyohide Shima, who was currently commanding the 1st Air Group, as commander of the Second Combined Air Force and concurrently as commander of the United Air Strike Force. Before departure, Yamamoto specially summoned Shima.

  "Kazuki Ozawa, you also saw the defeat in front of the navy. I hope that after arriving on the Chinese mainland, you can reorganize the naval aviation corps. However, please remember that the empire's resources are hard to come by, and I hope you can save more of the navy's planes." Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto said with a heavy heart, because in his mind, there was an even greater world to conquer in the south. France had surrendered, and Japan had already begun preparing to enter Indochina. If the front line in China could be held steady, it would be fine, and if they could continue to put pressure on the Nationalist government and force them to surrender, that would be a great achievement.

  "Ah, Ii." Commander-in-Chief Ozawa Jisaburo bowed solemnly and said. Although Ozawa had long experience in fleet command and was a torpedo warfare expert in the Navy, since January 1939, when he took command of the First Carrier Division, responsible for commanding aircraft carriers, he developed an immense interest in airpower, and with his talent for research and foresight, he quickly mastered the art of commanding this weapon, becoming one of the few airpower experts in the Navy.

  August 26, Ozawa Jirozaemon boarded a bomber of the Second Combined Air Corps to transfer to Hankou. This time, the Second Combined Air Corps was supplemented with the latest 96-shiki land-based attack aircraft Type 22 (G3M2c). The bomber not only modified the machine gun turret at the rear of the fuselage but also added shooting cabins on both sides of the fuselage. As a result, its self-defense firepower included one 20mm 99-1 cannon at the back, one 92-style machine gun each in the side windows and retractable turret at the back, and four 92-style machine guns that could be fired from the cockpit. It can be said to be full of thorns, but unfortunately, the drawback of being flammable still exists. However, it cannot be denied that this is a world-leading bomber. The supplemented fighter planes were still the 96-shiki carrier-based fighters. Although the new Zero fighters had been produced, the pilots who had received early training were shot down by the Chinese Air Force and needed to be retrained, which would take time.

  When Ozawa Jiro walked down from the bomber, he saw the canteen that was still under repair. It was the largest building in the airport. The canteen had been almost completely destroyed, and the intensity of the battle could be seen from the shattered doors and windows. Several air-raid shelters on both sides of the runway had been restored to function, but the damage marks were still visible. "Alas, when did the Imperial Navy get bullied at its doorstep!" Ozawa Jiro sighed.

  For the past few days, Ozawa Jiro had been busy running between various airfields, getting a clear picture of the First and Second Combined Air Fleets' situation, and urging the newly replenished aircraft and pilots to intensify their training. On the third day, early in the morning, Ozawa Jiro, with bloodshot eyes, came to see his superior officer, General Inoue Shigeyoshi.

  "General Ozawa, you've had a hard time. It's inconvenient for you to come to China at this hour." Although General Ozawa was only a major general at the moment, Inoue Masami, who was well-informed, had already heard that the Navy Command Center was considering promoting him to lieutenant general and putting him in command of a fleet, so Inoue treated him as an equal.

  "Vice Admiral, your words are too kind. Devoting ourselves to the Empire is why we joined the Navy." Commander Saburo Ozawa was not arrogant about his fame, but rather adhered to the etiquette between superiors and subordinates. "I have read all the battle reports from these past few days and personally inspected the situation of each air squadron at their respective airports, and I have come specifically to report to you."

  "I analyzed the previous battle reports, and since June, the Empire's air raids have been continuously intercepted by the Chinese Air Force. Judging from the frequency and accuracy of the interceptions, it is likely that the Chinese Air Force has other long-range early warning means, rather than relying on ground-based anti-aircraft sentry posts. I suspect that this method is radar. The Great Japanese Empire's ally, Germany, also encountered the same problem in the Battle of Britain, and the fact proved that radar can indeed provide effective early warnings. A air defense system constructed through radar, ground observation stations, and ground command centers can maximize its effectiveness. Especially at night, the commanding role of radar is more prominent, I suspect this is also the reason why the naval bombers were surrounded by the Chinese Air Force during the night raid on June 17th. And during the day, the advantage is not so obvious, our bomber formations can effectively counterattack the Chinese Air Force's encirclement."

  "But the Chinese Air Force has also developed tactics for air-burst bombs, which are most effective against large formations of slow bombers. Therefore, before new fighter planes can escort all the way and have the ability to disperse and drop air-burst bombs, I do not recommend adopting the original large formation bomber approach."

  Koosaku Shimazaki studied the previous results throughout the night, and as an onlooker, he quickly found the key elements. In fact, radar was no secret, and the navy had already begun to study installing it on large warships for long-range early warning, but they did not expect that the Chinese Air Force had already used it.

  "But, Ozawa-kun, I'm sure you've noticed the low morale in the naval aviation corps. The bomber pilots are saying goodbye to their friends before taking off, as if they're on a death mission. This is very disadvantageous for the Empire of Japan's war efforts in China. You see, those army guys only know how to provide cover for ground troops' attacks and don't understand how to conduct strategic bombing." said Inoue Shigeyoshi with a sigh.

  "I have indeed noticed such a situation, especially among the old pilots of the First and Second Combined Air Fleets. They are extremely nostalgic for the past two years and feel very disheartened about the current situation, to the point where they can't even muster up the spirit to train. On the other hand, the newly supplemented pilots have higher morale, hoping to make achievements for the Empire."

  "Is there a way to get one or several victories to boost their morale?" Inoue Shigemi was eager to restore the face of the Chinese fleet, and Hankou Airport being occupied by the enemy had already become a laughing stock in the Navy. If things didn't improve soon, Inoue's career would likely come to an end.

  "Vice Admiral, if we wait for another month or two, when the Zero fighters are replenished, I believe a strategic bombing campaign can be carried out in an orthodox manner. If we recklessly bomb now in the old way, it will only result in the wasteful consumption of the Empire's bomber resources." Lieutenant Commander Ozawa was unwilling to take the blame, and for him, the most important task at present was not to continue executing Operation 101, which had been set by the already deceased Yamamoto Isoroku and had nothing to do with him. His main task was to preserve as much of the Empire's war resources as possible. Within the Navy, the idea of "advancing south" held sway, and the Navy could gain no advantage on the Chinese mainland.

  "Are we just going to let the shame of Hankou exist? I think some victories, even small ones, can change the domestic view of us." Inoue Seibi stood up excitedly and waved his hand. "You just make the plan, I'll take care of signing it, you don't have to worry, I'll take responsibility for winning or losing!"

  "If that's the case, I suggest dispersing and bombing multiple cities in China. In response to the Chinese air force's interception. Just like on July 31st, Lieutenant General Taisuke Tanaka's tactics were correct. The number of fighter planes in the Shina Air Force is not enough to defend each city."

  "Alright, I agree with your idea. You just go ahead and make the plan, I'll take responsibility for the result." Inoue Shigemi let out a sigh of relief, getting support from Ozawa Jiro made him feel slightly more at ease, as he really couldn't find another suitable commander anywhere else.

  The plan was very simple, all Ozawa needed to do was choose the nearest unoccupied Chinese cities for bombing, which would both serve as revenge and effectively prevent their own losses from being too great. In the early stages they had already discovered that the Chinese air force's fighter jets were deployed in some important cities such as Chongqing, Chengdu, Lanzhou, Xi'an, Guilin etc., and it seemed that only the Chinese air force fighter jets within Sichuan province had that terrifying accurate striking ability, so as long as they avoided these places the danger would not be great.

  The plan of attack was quickly drawn up and Inoue Seibi immediately signed the order, setting the date for September 1.

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  The Fourth Flying Group did not rest after the great victory of the surprise attack on Hankou, but instead intensified training to adapt to new aircraft. The third, fourth and fifth squadrons had gradually completed the replacement of I-16 fighter jets, and the eliminated fighter jets were supplemented to other flying groups. Under the careful guidance of the original I-16 squadron pilots, everyone mastered the combat skills of the I-16, although the I-16 fighter jet was no longer a first-line model, even with its early open cockpit, it could not compete with the Japanese army's new fighter jets. However, this was already the best fighter jet that the Chinese Air Force could equip. In addition, since the I-16 was slower than the I-152 and not as easy to control, the tactics of these three squadrons would be changed to two-aircraft formations, just like the Eleventh Squadron equipped with J-1 fighters.

  He Juncai was only a flight instructor for business, and he was not good at tactical teaching. However, he had knowledge of later generations, and he found the most suitable person to do this thing from Chiang Kai-shek - Claire Lee Chennault.

  He graduated from the Virginia Air Tactical School and served as a fighter tactics instructor at the Air Corps Tactical School in Maxwell Field, Alabama. He noticed the role of fighters in future air warfare in the popular idea of "bomber always gets through" and believed that modern air warfare cannot be without fighters, and that fighters will play an important role in future wars like bombers. In 1935, he wrote and published "The Role of Defensive Pursuit", which outlined his views. He experimented with two or three fighter formations and came up with a theory that was considered absurd by the US Air Force at the time: "In all other things being equal, the difference in firepower between the two sides is not the difference in the number of firepower units, but the square of the difference in the number of firepower units. That is to say, when an aircraft formation composed of two fighters attacks a target, it has a four-to-one advantage rather than a two-to-one advantage." "A two-aircraft formation is the easiest to maneuver and can concentrate its firepower to attack bombers or enemy fighters, while also being able to protect each pilot during the attack." These ideas did not conform to the mainstream thinking at the time, and he was called "The Chief Singer" and ostracized. Therefore, Chennault traveled across the ocean to become an advisor to the Chinese Air Force.

  Knowing Chennault's subsequent achievements, He Juncai would not let go of such a talent. So, the father of the Flying Tigers, Chen Nande, took on the role of tactical advisor to the 4th Flying Brigade, responsible for teaching the 4th Flying Brigade to master the "dual-machine joint air defense combat mode". After capturing 36 Japanese naval land-based attack aircraft from Hankou, Chennault had another task, teaching Xu Huanzhang's 12th Flying Brigade to master precise bombing tactics.

  At this time, the floating base had already stationed a fighter squadron and a bomber squadron, and it can be said that it already has the strength to attack an aircraft carrier. Moreover, it is floating in mid-air, making its trajectory even more unpredictable. I believe that at the right moment, it will definitely give the Japanese enemy a heavy blow.

  Have a great weekend!