The 39th Army's large-scale air raid was in vain, and Yamamoto's plan to ambush the planes was foiled.
The picture shows Japanese planes bombing the fake Changfeng County town built by He Gang
On the fourth day after the Battle of Kumamoto, Japan's air force dispatched ten Mitsubishi Ki-21 97 heavy bombers to bomb the city of Changfeng County. At that time, China had no air superiority, and Japan's most advanced fighter was the Zero Fighter. Even the US's most advanced Wildcat fighter at the time couldn't match the Japanese Zero Fighter. As for the planes of the Chinese National Government, they were even more inferior. The National Government's air force had indeed clashed with the Japanese air force in dozens of fierce battles, and even the American Wildcats weren't a match for the Zero Fighters. China's planes at the time were even less capable, and the National Government's air force was almost completely wiped out, with only a few dozen planes remaining, all of which were damaged to varying degrees. Some planes were just decorations, unable to take off, and most couldn't play any practical role. The Chinese air force at the time was like a deaf person's ears - useless.
At that time, the National Government didn't even have decent anti-aircraft guns, neither air superiority nor ground-based anti-aircraft guns. As long as Japanese planes came to bomb, all the National Government could do was to evacuate personnel and daily necessities in advance or hide in air-raid shelters. So they could only let Japanese planes bomb recklessly. On that morning, ten Japanese bombers took off, but when they flew into the sky, they were suddenly stunned because of the thick fog below, and nothing could be seen on the ground. The pilots had no choice but to return, but Okamura Yasuji kept urging them on, so the pilots had to circle in the sky every day. They didn't know where Changfeng County was, so the Japanese air force was like a blind man without a target.
This time, the Japanese pilots were in a predicament. If they didn't carry out combat missions, Okamura Ningji would urge them on, but if they did go to execute combat missions, nothing could be seen. As a result, these pilots could only drive bombers every day and wander aimlessly in the sky. The heavens seemed to be intentionally helping the Flying Tigers, as the skies above Changsha were shrouded in thick fog that lasted all day. Okamura Ningji was anxious but helpless, and this weather continued for a month and a half, leaving him exasperated. He felt like even the heavens were against him. To alleviate the pressure on the air force, only reconnaissance planes were dispatched daily to conduct reconnaissance. Once the weather improved or the reconnaissance plane discovered a target, it would immediately notify other bombers to come and bomb via radio transmission, achieving a one-shot victory. However, this weather persisted for a month and a half, leaving Okamura Ningji anxious but unable to do anything about it.
After several more days, the thick fog gradually dispersed, but visibility was still not ideal. The pilots looked down at the ground from the air and it was still hazy. Okamura Yasuji immediately urged the Air Force to bomb Changfeng County, but the Air Force reported that although the weather had improved slightly, the visibility was still very poor and they needed to wait a few more days. Okamura Yasuji reluctantly agreed to wait a few more days, but the fog was dispersing too slowly. Although buildings on the ground were already vaguely visible, the visibility remained low. After hearing the Air Force's report, Okamura Yasuji could no longer sit still and hurriedly urged the Military Command Department, which also became anxious and issued a final order: three days later, regardless of the visibility, they must bomb Changfeng County. Three days later, pilots took off in ten Mitsubishi Ki-21 97 heavy bombers. The bombers flew over Changfeng County and the pilots looked down from high altitude, seeing only a large black area below that they couldn't identify - it was actually Changfeng County. Due to the remaining thick fog, the pilots' visibility was not good, and since He Gang had ordered all rooftops in Changfeng County to be painted with black oil paint, the Japanese pilots found it even harder to see clearly.
A Japanese pilot asked the squadron leader, Ono Ichiro: "What is that large black mass below?" Squadron Leader Ono replied: "It's probably a field or black sticky land. Let's not bother with it and continue searching for Changfeng County." The pilots continued their search when one of them suddenly shouted: "Squadron leader, I found it! Look at the rows of buildings down there, neatly arranged and laid out in an orderly fashion. And look at those small black dots on the ground - they must be people walking!" The squadron leader immediately ordered the plane to descend and observe more closely. Although the dense fog still obstructed their view, the pilots couldn't see very clearly, but from the shape of the small black dots, it looked like people walking. The squadron leader burst out laughing: "Ha ha ha! That's Changfeng County for sure! From the density of the buildings and the layout of the streets, as well as the size and direction of the city, this must be Changfeng County!"
The squadron leader, Ono, immediately ordered all the bombs to be dropped, and the bombs fell like hail in Changfeng County, with a deafening explosion that shook the eardrums. The buildings were set on fire instantly, and Squadron Leader Ono quickly called for another ten bombers via radio. Another ten bombers loaded with bombs flew to the skies above Changfeng County, dropping bomb after bomb into the city. At this time, Changfeng County was ablaze, with deafening explosions that shook the earth, and the buildings were reduced to rubble in an instant. This time, the little devils had really paid a bloody price. Twenty bombers carried out a frenzied bombing of Changfeng County for three or four hours, and the city was completely destroyed. Ono took one look and immediately ordered the air force to return.
The Flying Tigers had just landed at the airport, and Ohno hastily sent a telegram to the Military Command Department. This time, we have flattened Changfeng County into a flat land, and from now on, there will be no more Changfeng County in China's territory. However, due to extremely poor visibility, I dare not confirm whether the Flying Tigers Cavalry Regiment has been eliminated or not. The Military Command Department received Ohno's telegram and immediately forwarded it to Okamura Ningji. After receiving the telegram, Okamura Ningji nodded his head in satisfaction. Okamura Ningji then sent a telegram to Yamamoto Taro, and the next afternoon, Yamamoto Taro rushed to the Japanese military headquarters in a hurry. At the door of Okamura Ningji's office, Yamamoto said, "Report!" Okamura Ningji said, "Come in." Yamamoto walked into Okamura Ningji's office, and Okamura Ningji looked at Yamamoto with surprise, saying, "Yamamoto-san, you have come to my headquarters in such a hurry. What's the matter?" Yamamoto Taro said, "Commander, something is wrong!" Okamura Ningji asked, "What's wrong?" Yamamoto replied, "The Flying Tigers Cavalry Regiment has not been eliminated and is still safe and sound." Okamura Ningji was shocked and exclaimed, "How did your intelligence agents gather this information so quickly?"
Yamamoto Taro said: I didn't gather any intelligence, it's just my guess, but Commander, you might as well think about it carefully. The fog in the Changfeng County area has been going on for so long, and our air force has been flying over their heads every day. Any commander with some military knowledge can guess that we are going to bomb Changfeng County. The fog lasted for a month and a half, and they couldn't have had no idea during this time. The planes flying over their heads every day is like telling them that we are going to bomb Changfeng County. They must have taken away everything that can be moved from Changfeng County. Okamura Yasuji was surprised and said: Are you saying that what we bombed was just an empty city? Yamamoto Taro nodded and said: That's right. Okamura Yasuji said: It's impossible, the telegram from the air force said that there were people everywhere on the streets. Yamamoto said: Even if there are people everywhere on the streets, they can only be civilians. I dare to say that the Flying Tiger Cavalry Regiment is absolutely safe and sound. Okamura Yasuji said: This is entirely possible, but even if we didn't annihilate the Flying Tiger Cavalry Regiment, we killed so many civilians and completely destroyed Changfeng County. This is also a heavy blow to the Flying Tiger Cavalry Regiment. Yamamoto Taro said: What should the Flying Tiger Cavalry Regiment do? Okamura Yasuji said: You must think of all ways to annihilate the Flying Tiger Cavalry Regiment.
"Hey, Commander! I have a battle plan. If it goes smoothly, we can not only annihilate the Flying Tiger Cavalry Regiment but also wipe out Liu Chenzhou's 11th Division, Guo Yiming's Independent Brigade of the Eighth Route Army, and Chen Guang's 343rd Brigade in one fell swoop!" Yamamoto Tarō said loudly.
Gokamura Niji was taken aback by his words. "What? You're so confident?" he asked.
Yamamoto nodded. "Yes, but it's impossible for my unit alone to achieve this. We need other units to cooperate with us to achieve the best results."
Gokamura Niji leaned forward, intrigued. "Tell me more about your plan."
Yamamoto pulled out a thick battle plan book from under his arm and handed it to Gokamura Niji. "This is my detailed plan. I'm not sure if it's feasible or not."
Oka Village Niji took over and looked at it carefully, Oka Village Niji exclaimed; This plan is too bold and too adventurous, if this plan fails, everything we've done will be in vain. Yamamoto Tarō said confidently; Napoleon has a famous saying, there is no word "impossible" in my dictionary.
Oka Village Niji said; I must be extremely cautious about this plan, if there's even the slightest mistake, it will cause immeasurable losses to our Great Japanese Empire. Yamamoto Tarō said; Commander, there's an ancient Chinese proverb that says "how can you get a tiger cub without entering the tiger's lair?" You are well aware of the importance of speed in war, I hope you can give me your answer as soon as possible.
Oka Village Niji nodded and said; Alright, don't worry, I'll give you my answer as soon as possible. Yamamoto Tarō said; In that case, I'll take my leave, if you've made up your mind, please notify me as soon as possible. Oka Village Niji nodded and said; Okay, I'll notify you as soon as possible.
Yamamoto immediately gave Oka Village Niji a military salute and left the Japanese Army Command Headquarters.
