Chapter 330: Republic of China: Starting from the First Class of Whampoa Chapter 340: Avoid the Real and Strike the Void

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Protagonist:

Lv Muzhi

Aircraft groups flying from the directions of Wuhan, Nanchang, and Jiujiang, like a flock of predatory eagles, swooped toward the Yangtze River surface and Japanese positions along the banks. Hawk IIIs, I-15s, I-16s, and BF109s painted with the unique insignia of the Youth Corps, mixed into several attack echelons, dove downward.

"Open fire! Anti-aircraft!"

The anti-aircraft guns on the Japanese positions raised their muzzles, spitting tongues of fire with bangs.

The vessels on the river surface also fired anti-aircraft machine guns and shipborne anti-aircraft guns into the sky.

The first wave of strikes by the Chinese Air Force had arrived.

The BF109 aircraft groups, relying on their excellent high-speed performance, were the first to break formation, like sharp swords stabbing into the weak airspace where Japanese fighters had just taken off.

The bomber groups followed closely behind.

The SB2 bombers stabilized their course at high altitude, bomb bays opened, and strings of black bombs fell toward the vessels on the river surface.

"Boom—!"

Hawk III, I-15, and I-16 fighters attacked the Japanese Hatada Detachment positions on the ground.

At the front of the Xiangshan Defense Line, a Japanese 75mm mountain gun position was directly hit.

Fire shot into the sky, gun barrels and parts were blown into flying fragments, and the surrounding artillerymen had no time to dodge, instantly swallowed up.

Hatada Jūichi lay at the edge of a small grove, watching helplessly as his precious artillery force turned to nothing in the explosions, unable to do anything, only silently gritting his teeth.

"The fleet! Our fleet is also being bombed!" a staff officer shouted almost despairingly.

On the river surface, at this moment, huge waves surged.

The 76mm anti-aircraft gun of the Anzhai Gunboat continuously fired into the sky, and anti-aircraft machine guns also fired in a hurry.

A 250-kilogram bomb fell near the stern, raising a water column higher than a warship; the violent shock made the whole ship shake violently, and army soldiers on the deck fell into the river like dumplings.

Even more unlucky were some small gunboats and minesweepers.

Their anti-aircraft firepower was weak, and before the Chinese Air Force they were like live targets.

In just the first air raid, on the river surface one gunboat, three minesweepers, and four transport boats were sunk or severely damaged; burning wreckage and floating oil slicks covered the river surface, and Japanese soldiers who fell into the water struggled and cried for help in the river water.

"Good!!!"

The defenders of the Second Regiment of the 16th Army within the Xiangshan Position saw this scene, cheered loudly in the trenches, and kept waving the rifles in their hands.

After taking a beating all night, it was finally not in vain.

The regimental commander of the defenders looked at the fires burning everywhere on the river surface, on land, and in the sky, and exclaimed: "Old man, I've never fought such a rich battle in my life!"

Large numbers of Japanese support fighter planes arrived one after another; the Air Corps under the Central China Expeditionary Army dispatched a large number of support aircraft.

Type 97s, Type 95 fighters, Type 96 land attack aircraft taking off from Anqing Airport, and more Type 96 carrier fighters flying from downstream aircraft carriers, like swarms of wasps, surged into the battlefield.

Tokugawa Yoshitoshi's Air Corps continuously dispatched large numbers of aircraft, attempting to turn the tide of battle over Ma Dang Fortress.

"The German fighters of the Youth Corps have appeared again! This time we must let the Chinese see that in the aerial domain of East Asia, we are the best!" Tokugawa Yoshitoshi said thus in Anqing City in the rear.

The previous operation to intercept the Soviet bomber formation failed because of the presence of the Youth Army airmen; not only did the operation fail, but he himself lost nine fighter planes.

This time, upon hearing that the Chinese Air Force had gathered at Ma Dang Fortress, Tokugawa Yoshitoshi resolved to regain face!

The air battle instantly entered white heat.

Fighters of both sides tangled, chased, and fired in the air; planes trailing black smoke kept falling, exploding on both banks of the Yangtze or on the river surface.

Over Ma Dang Fortress, Japanese planes kept increasing, already exceeding one hundred and fifty, but Chinese planes remained only around fifty, with no more fighter support dispatched for a long time.

The balance in the air seemed to tilt bit by bit toward the Japanese......

Could the Japanese still win and return?

Of course not; who would have thought that the main target of the Chinese air battle was not Ma Dang Fortress, but rather the Japanese forward command headquarters at Anqing! Japanese air power gathered near Ma Dang Fortress, while their rear air defenses were empty!

Anqing City, Japanese 11th Army Forward Command Headquarters.

Air Corps Commander Lieutenant General Tokugawa Yoshitoshi looked at the map and said to Commander of the 11th Army Gangcun Ningci: "Gangcun-kun, do not worry. I have ordered that all air power of the Air Corps at Anqing Airport be fully committed to support.

I am also dispatching more fighters from the lower Yangtze, expected to reach two hundred, enough to cover the skies above Ma Dang.

If air superiority still cannot be seized, even if I personally go into battle, I will not let the Hatada Detachment fight alone!"

Gangcun Ningci leaned on his military sword and nodded slightly: "Baron Tokugawa's words are too heavy; with Baron Tokugawa's Air Corps giving full assistance, I have no worries!"

As the two were talking, a piercing air-raid alarm suddenly came from outside the window.

The sound came from far to near, slowly becoming extremely piercing!

The faces of Gangcun Ningci and Tokugawa Yoshitoshi changed at the same time.

"What's going on?!" Tokugawa Yoshitoshi shouted loudly.

But no one in the room knew what was going on; after a while, a messenger ran in.

"Report! A large number of enemy aircraft are attacking from the northeast direction! According to air-raid reconnaissance, the number is no fewer than one hundred and fifty!"

"Commander Gangcun, Baron Tokugawa! Please go to the underground air raid shelter immediately!!!" the Chief of Staff of the Japanese 11th Army stepped forward and said.

Tokugawa Yoshitoshi reacted: "The enemy's air power counterattacking us on such a large scale is the first time, and they actually seized the timing when I dispatched Anqing's air corps for operations!"

Gangcun Ningci said worriedly: "The Chinese Air Force's actions have always been defensive in nature; now they actually dare to sortie to attack our airfield;

this scale is the first time, but certainly not the last......

Baron Tokugawa, how many of Anqing's air corps can still take off to fight?"

Tokugawa Yoshitoshi took off his military cap, removed his general's uniform, with a look of high fighting spirit: "Only ten or so fighters remain to defend Anqing; I will personally lead the air force into battle!

Bring my flight cap!"

"Baron Tokugawa, do not be impulsive; a gentleman's revenge can wait ten years, withdraw quickly!" Gangcun Ningci advised.

Seeing Gangcun Ningci say those words, Tokugawa Yoshitoshi threw away all face, crawling down the ladder: "Sigh! Fine! To lead the Air Corps and finish this war, I have no choice but to cling to life!"

Order all airmen at Anqing Airport to take off and sortie, defending the Anqing Base!"

——————

Boom—!!!

The earth-shaking explosion sound, almost at the same moment, came from the airport outside Anqing City.

The high-ranking little devils fled from the command post one after another.

In the sky, the roaring engines of the Chinese Air Force's air fleet had already reached their summit.

As early as several hours ago, hundreds of fighters at Zhengzhou Airport, Wuhan Airport, Nanchang Airport, and Jiujiang Airport taxied and took off in succession.

At 200 kilometers northeast of Anqing, fighters from various places assembled in the air and completed their formation, forming a sky-darkening steel cloud, surging toward Anqing.

As for the air combat above Ma Dang Fortress, it was merely a feint.

Avoiding the real and striking the void was the true purpose of Lv Muzhi and the high-level leadership.

This was the Chinese Air Force's rare large-scale voluntary sortie since the start of the war, gathering the currently mobilizable elite air power.