Chapter 634: Aid-to-China Air Squadron

This expansion is unprecedented; Nan Hua draws a large number of elite aircraft from its domestic air units to reinforce the combat power in the Changde front airspace.

In the end, Nick's squadron is equipped with forty‑eight P‑38 Lightning fighters and twenty‑four B‑25 Mitchell medium bombers.

The number of aircraft has doubled and combat power is fully upgraded, covering all mission functions such as air superiority dogfighting, escort interception, ground sweeping, and precision bombing.

The quantity is actually not large; the key is that the Principal wants the air force under his command to play a major role.

Relying on the brand‑new aircraft configuration and operational role, this aviation unit stationed at Changde is officially renamed, with the designation 'Nan Hua Aid-to-China Air Squadron'.

It is tasked exclusively with Huaxia Central China theater anti‑Japanese air operations, becoming the core aerial strike force spanning the Nanko and Huaxia battlefields.

After the unit's renaming and reorganization and the new aircraft are in place, morale soars over the airfield, the planes line up neatly, and their silver‑gray fuselages gleam in the autumn sun.

Nick looks at the freshly renewed air squadron, gazes at the orderly array of advanced aircraft before him, and feels a surge of excitement and resolve.

Nick says in a deep voice to all pilots under his command: "This expansion and reinforcement is Nan Hua's full support for the Central China theater; in this battle we will seize air superiority and tear open Wuhan's defensive line for the ground forces!"

A simple oath sums up the entire squadron's combat conviction.

After many rounds of anti‑Japanese air combat training, Nick's command experience has become increasingly mature; the pilots under him are all battle‑hardened elites, and together with the newly fielded advanced aircraft, the overall combat power has risen to a top‑tier air‑battle echelon.

Compared with the Japanese Army's outdated aircraft, the P‑38 fighter is fast, long‑ranged, heavily armed, and has excellent endurance, suited for long‑range raids, airspace interception, and close‑quarters dogfighting, and can perfectly suppress the Japanese main force aircraft.

The B‑25 Mitchell bomber carries a large payload, drops bombs precisely, and is highly maneuverable; it excels at low‑altitude penetration, pinpoint strikes, and mass bombing, making it a premier weapon for destroying Japanese coastal defenses, city bunkers, artillery positions, and troop concentrations.

The aerial layout of this Central China counteroffensive does not rely solely on the Nan Hua Aid-to-China Air Squadron; Jiang Anguo has long established a complete joint‑operations air system.

In addition to Nick's main air force, the National Government itself has formed dedicated fighter and bomber squadrons to fill domestic air‑defense and ground‑strike capabilities.

All aircraft of this National Government air unit still come from Jiang Anguo's gratuitous support and equipment transfers, uniformly equipped with P40 War Axe fighters and B‑25 Mitchell bombers.

The aircraft models are uniform, logistics are common, and tactical compatibility is extremely high.

When confronting Little Japan, Jiang Anguo is very generous.

The standardized aircraft configuration allows the Nan Hua Air Squadron and the National Government air unit to cooperate flawlessly.

Tactical linking, formation coordination, ammunition resupply, and maintenance support are all interoperable.

It completely resolves the previous problems of allied forces' mixed aircraft types, disjointed coordination, and cumbersome logistics.

To supplement air‑battle personnel, expand bomber formations, and ensure sufficient firepower over the entire counteroffensive airspace.

A large number of flight cadets at the Kunming Aviation School in the rear received urgent front‑line orders, ended their classes early, rushed to the Dangyang and Changde front‑line airfields, entered combat‑ready training, and prepared to take part in the bombing missions of this Wuhan counteroffensive.

These Kunming cadets are the new generation of pilots nurtured by the National Government's full resources; after years of theoretical study and ground‑simulation training, they have solid fundamentals and exceptional learning ability, forming the future reserve backbone of the Huaxia Air Force.

Under the normal training pipeline, they would still need prolonged intensive training and multiple examinations before being allowed to fight officially.

But this Wuhan counteroffensive is unprecedented in scale; air‑combat missions are heavy, aircraft personnel are scarce, and the front urgently needs fresh combat forces to fill the gaps.

Thus these fledgling eagles are drafted early, bypassing the regular training pipeline and heading straight to the front lines.

After arriving at the Dangyang and Changde front‑line airfields, all aviation school cadets are uniformly assigned to a combat‑ready reserve unit, placed under Nick's full authority for training.

To get the rookies quickly adapted to combat and shoulder missions, Nick initiates a high‑intensity "devil training" mode, completely discarding the aviation school's dull textbook theory and gentle simulation teaching, and hammers the newcomers throughout with real‑combat standards.

Nick knows well that pilots are never made in classrooms or on the ground; true flying, dogfighting, and bombing skills can only be truly learned high above the sky and amid artillery fire.

Ground theory can only lay the foundation; real growth always comes from the sky.

Nick specifically arranges for the cadets to closely observe the full process of aircraft takeoff and landing, formation coordination, low‑altitude penetration, and ground bombing.

He lets the cadets follow veteran pilots to become familiar with the handling of P40 and B25 aircraft, and memorize the distribution of Japanese anti‑air fire over Wuhan and the characteristics of the battlefield airspace.

Repeated drills of emergency evasion, low‑altitude bomb drops, and formation escort are conducted; the high‑intensity day‑night rotation quickly strips these green cadets of their student naiveté and rapidly adapts them to the battlefield tempo.

These early‑deployed young eagles are no longer greenhouse‑trained trainees, but official air‑combat personnel about to soar into the sky, drop bombs, and cover the army.

When the general offensive begins, they will take off with the Nan Hua Aid-to-China Air Squadron to bomb Japanese positions, bunkers, transportation hubs, and supply points in Wuhan.

With their tender wings bearing the nation's heavy burden, they are forged into steel in combat, becoming a fresh blade of the long sky on the Central China counteroffensive battlefield.

During air combat, the P‑38 handles high‑altitude air superiority, intercepting Japanese aircraft and controlling the airspace advantage, while the P‑40 handles low‑altitude escort, clearing stragglers, and protecting bomber formations.

The B‑25 bomber squadrons divide tasks, conducting precise strikes on Japanese forward positions, rear supply bases, transportation hubs, and command posts.

This creates a complete air‑combat system of high‑low pairing, integrated offense and defense, and air‑ground coordination.

At this moment the Nan Hua Air Force's talent layout is clear and division of labor precise; the two core air commanders each guard a side, handling matters independently, supporting the aerial power of the north and south battlefields.

Under Jiang Anguo, the two most capable air elites are William, who has long been stationed with the Nan Hua double aircraft carrier formation, commanding the carrier‑borne aircraft wing.

He leads the offensive in Nanko sea‑air operations, responsible for air‑superiority suppression and carrier‑aircraft raids over the cross‑sea battlefields of Java, Sumatra, and others, serving as the aerial spear of Nanko naval warfare.

Meanwhile, Song Yunfei remains on Nan Hua's home front, overseeing the overall air force organization, training new pilots, dispatching inland air forces, coordinating all air‑force logistics, and commanding Nan Hua's overall air‑defense strategy.

The north‑south dual‑line division enables the Nan Hua Air Force to achieve full‑area coverage and dual‑front operations.

Because William and Song Yunfei each have crucial defensive duties and cannot move north, Jiang Anguo deliberately reinforced Nick's air force, shaping it into the core of the aid‑to‑China air battle, fully responsible for the air‑to‑ground assault in the Central China theater.

Relying on the complete aircraft configuration, mature pilot system, and unified joint‑operations tactics.

The Nan Hua Aid-to-China Air Squadron and the National Government air unit have deeply integrated, conducting day‑and‑night formation drills, ground‑bombing simulations, and airspace interception exercises, familiarizing themselves in advance with Japanese air‑defense deployments and Wuhan's terrain.

By September, the rainy season ends, the land dries, a ground force of two hundred thousand American equipment troops stands ready, and the Changde airfield's aircraft line up, poised to launch.

Nick's command of the Nan Hua Aid-to-China Air Squadron is fully prepared for war, awaiting only the general‑offensive order to take to the skies.

They will shred the Japanese Central China air‑defense network with thunderous bombing, clear ground obstacles, cooperate with elite ground forces advancing forcefully, helping the army recapture Wuhan in one stroke and completely rewrite the Central China resistance landscape.