Chapter 36: Scorched Gernika (Recommended, Collected)
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Sun Xiang carefully maintained his own plane. Due to the withdrawal of H.S company personnel, only a 3-person aircraft maintenance group remained in Spain.
Sun Xiang's beloved plane relies on the meticulous maintenance of these four people, and its operation is quite good. As the "Escape Number" aircraft that Hughes ordered the company to build with all its might, it brought the craftsmanship at that time to an extreme, so this specially customized aircraft has a slight increase in various data, and its appearance also looks more majestic and solid.
During battles, Sun Xiang always controlled the speed of the plane within 550KM to avoid putting too much load on the engine. The takeoff weight was also restricted, and during aerial combat, no more than 500KG of bombs were carried (note: F4U aircraft has a takeoff weight of up to 6654KG, which is quite powerful!! It can be used as a bomber). This undoubtedly reduced the burden on the engine. Such a series of measures made the service life of the plane soar!
The Battle of Guadalajara, which ended at the end of March, left both sides' soldiers exhausted. The 14-day battle had turned the battlefield into a scorched earth, with some small hills even being completely flattened. All kinds of light and heavy weapons were used, and even a large number of World War I-era weapons appeared on the battlefield. However, as the war continued, old-fashioned and outdated weapons were gradually replaced by new ones.
On April 3, 1937, Sun Xiang received a congratulatory telegram from Comrade Zhou Enlai. When he saw the big characters of Zhou Enlai's telegram in his hands, Sun Xiang's hands trembled. Being praised by this great predecessor who had fought for the cause of New China all his life made Sun Xiang's heart burn like a fierce fire. In his reply, Sun Xiang thanked the state for its concern and asked Comrade Zhou Enlai to pay attention to the movements of the Japanese army at any time.
It was only at this time that domestic news of Sun Xiang's award ceremony was received due to communication reasons, and Sun Xiang's record was updated to 57 aircraft at that time.
Sun Xiang is the epitome of a modern air force in Spain, a banner of the Republican Army, and an undisputed king among kings!!! In the Nationalist Army, there are also many pilots who idolize Sun Xiang. After all, when someone achieves something that others can't reach, they will be idolized! However, more Nationalist Army pilots call Sun Xiang "Devil's Flame Bird", because 90% of enemy pilots who saw Sun Xiang's Firebird aircraft never flew back to their own airport again!!
Just two days later, Chiang Kai-shek also sent a congratulatory telegram to Sun Xiang for his achievements in Spain and expressed the hope that Sun would return to China to guide the Chinese air force. In his reply, Sun said he would return home at an appropriate time and asked General Chiang to pay attention to recent developments, as Japan might make a major move soon.
Two flowers bloom, each representing a branch: Hughes' first order of 120 F4U Corsair aircraft delivered to the Navy, the Navy's praise for the performance of the F4U is endless, and Sun Xiang's achievements in Spain have made the F4U the darling of naval pilots!
After 120 units, the H.S. company did not stop production, and in addition to the Navy's expansion plans, Sun Xiang also told Hughes that he would find a big customer. The Hughes Institute established a better aircraft manufacturing plant in Los Angeles for mass production of F4U.
April 26, 1937 was the day when the German Air Force first showed off their terrifying fangs, and this time the bombing site was in Guernica, Spain.
Sun Xiang obtained the information about "square head", deeply resenting the brutal behavior of the German army, but the town of Guernica was far away in the northernmost part of Spain, near the Bay of Biscay. The straight-line distance is around 440KM (checked on Google Maps). At this distance, if you want to rush to the rescue, at present, it must be directly through the Nationalist Army's occupied territory to reach the Northern Front. The problem is that except for F4U, there are no planes that can fly a round trip. The range of the I-153 aircraft is 720KM, and the range of the I-16 is only 810KM. Obviously, these two types of aircraft will use up more than half of their fuel by the time they reach their destination. Sun Xiang also had no way to explain how he could have so accurately learned about the German army's movements. Helplessly, Sun Xiang gave up his plan to go and rescue them.
On the 26th, tens of thousands of people died in the town of Guernica near Bilbao, Spain, with the vast majority being civilians. German planes flew over the sky and shot fiercely at the market and farmhouses, causing these people to be killed. Until the evening of the 27th, this small town was still burning, and flames could even be seen tens of kilometers away. The town of Guernica is a scorched earth!
Junker and Heinkel bombers dropped half-ton bombs, hand grenades and incendiary bombs, and mercilessly machine-gunned the peasants working in the fields. Those who survived are now fleeing Gernika, their belongings loaded on ox-carts.
The Guernica massacre caused an uproar in Spanish society, with all sectors condemning the perpetrators! However, the Germans refused to acknowledge that it was their doing.
Sun Xiang watched the reports about Guernica with a gloomy expression. The occurrence of the event illustrated the inevitability of history, unless you stand at the critical node of history, some subtle changes cannot stop the pace of historical progress. This also accelerated Sun Xiang's eagerness to return home, he didn't want such a tragedy to happen on Chinese soil.
At the airport telegraph office, Sun Xiang sent a telegram to Hughes, explaining his thoughts. And resigned from Madrid on the second day.
Sun Xiang found Gomez in the command tower, who had obviously been working continuously for several days. He hadn't changed his clothes, and there were still coffee stains on his uniform. His eyes were sunken, with dark circles underneath.
Hesitating for a moment, Sun Xiang said to Gomes: "General Gomes, it's hard for me to say this to you, but I have to return to my motherland and fight for her."
Gomes suddenly opened his eyes wide and said in a hurried tone, "Oh! Good heavens, why would you have such an idea? Dear Sun, don't you think your talents can only be displayed on the battlefield? China isn't having a large-scale war!"
Sun replied: "General Gomes, please forgive me, my hometown is also facing war, the Japanese have occupied our northeastern region, I must do something for my country."
Gómez asked: "Can't you stay in Spain for half a year?" Sun Xiang shook his head firmly.
Gomez tried to open his mouth but ultimately shook his head weakly and said nothing...
In the evening, Sun Xiang, who had just finished a day's work, was pacing back and forth at the hospital entrance. He had been standing there for half an hour, his mind in turmoil as he didn't know how to talk to Sherry. After all, Sherry had chosen to help those suffering from war. Suddenly, a gentle breeze blew by, carrying a familiar scent that relaxed Sun Xiang's tense muscles. He wrapped his arms around the girl he loved, and before he could say anything, a warm kiss landed on his lips, her delicate face rubbing against his own.
"Darling, sweetie?" Sherry asked with sparkling eyes.
Xun Xiang burst out laughing, Sherry was wearing a white nurse uniform, her chest was lifted up by the fullness, the clothes reached her waist and suddenly shrunk in, then continued to draw out a beautiful arc. Her two slender legs were pressed together. Every time he got intimate with Sherry, he couldn't help but marvel at the wonder of creation, his previous worries thrown aside.
"Xun Xiang didn't hesitate: 'My little sweetheart, pack your bags, we're going to China'"
Cherry's eyes widened in surprise, followed by a burst of cheers: "Oh~! My god~! It's so cool~!"
Xun Xiang looked at Sherry in surprise, this reaction was not right: "Didn't you say you were going to stay in Spain to treat the wounded? I was worried that you wouldn't follow me."
Sherry gave Sun Xiang a white eye, wrinkled her small nose: "Do you think I can't see your thoughts? Since coming to Spain, you haven't smiled much. This isn't the Steve I know, that aerial hero. I knew you had plans, if it weren't for you, others wouldn't have come to Spain either. Although treating wounded people here gave me a goal, but you are my life! Humph, even if you drive me away, I won't leave you. You can't escape from under this lady's thumb!" After finishing speaking, she also made a fist with her hand.
Xun Xiang Meng tightly hugged Sherry and kissed her tender lips, using a passionate kiss to express his surging love for Sherry.
