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Text Chapter 920 Raid (5)

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    Flying at an altitude of 4,000 meters, the scorching heat is swept away.  The waves of the East China Sea are constantly lapping at the coast of Japan. This island country emerged from the Meiji Restoration. After a unique naval battle, the world re-understood Asia.  Therefore, there is a widely circulated saying in Japan that it was Japan's defeat of the Manchu Beiyang that opened up modern China, so the Chinese should be grateful and obey Japan's leadership.  This statement had a considerable market around the time of 1911. The pioneers of the Democratic Party acknowledged that many young Chinese people were attracted to study in Japan.  But things went against expectations. When Yang Qiu and the National Socialist Party emerged and used various conflicts before the European War to expel Japan from the mainland, Japan's importance declined rapidly and was eventually completely replaced after the establishment of Saudi Arabia.

    Therefore, Japan holds a grudge and has dreamed of using another Sino-Japanese War-style offensive for thirty years to regain its position as the leader in Asia by defeating the weak and the strong.  To achieve this goal, despite the deteriorating national economy and resources, Japan still exploited internally and actively colluded with the Soviet Union externally, profiting from the US and European policies to contain China, buying cheap steel and other raw materials from Europe and the United States, and also  It actively expanded its Pacific colonies, and finally resorted to militarism through external expansion. It continued to engage in a silent arms race with China on land, sea and sky.

    Today, this race finally comes to an end.

    Zhou Zhikai looked at the pilot watch on his wrist. After nearly an hour and a half of flight, it was already 8:10 pm, and there were only twenty minutes left before the scheduled "typhoon landing".  Outside the window, two Haihong 7s also equipped with radars formed a triangle formation with him, and twelve newly commissioned Air Force J-8 Tianquan fighter jets protected the periphery.  "Captain, what kind of plane is that?" The bombardier, who saw Tianquan for the first time, was very curious. He pressed his cheek against the window, his eyes full of curiosity.

    "Northern Raytheon Company's J-8, nicknamed Tianquan. Streamlined fuselage, Markham cockpit. Laminar flow wings, leading edge flaps, 1500 horsepower water-cooled V12 engine, six 12.7 mm machine guns, double combat radius and speed ratio  The head dragon is still stronger" Zhou Zhikai is a first-class pilot in the navy. He has participated in the navy's inspection of Tianquan and his introduction is clear and logical.  But in fact, this fighter aircraft developed based on the famous P-51 Mustang has many differences from the Mustang, which of course the pilots do not know.  He only knows that Tianquan is expensive and difficult to produce due to its extensive use of new technologies and complex streamlined shapes. The man-hour of a single aircraft is enough to manufacture two Lightnings, so even the wealthy Air Force has to bite the bullet and spend the initial 20,000  The pre-production contract for the racks has been reduced by half.  But compared with Tianquan's advancement.  He was more concerned about the means of this raid.  Using radar navigation at night to conduct a long-distance attack across the sea by a fleet of aircraft should be the first time in the history of human air combat.  Although Sasebo has not yet been discovered, no matter whether it is successful or not, this operation can provide valuable experience for future large-scale aviation night battles.

    Night is the best cover for war.  Since Japan was not equipped with radar, the "Rolling Thunder" squadron he led felt a bit like being in an uninhabited country.  But that doesn't mean it's easy to find Sasebo.  The sparse lights below made him frown in worry.  After all, Japan is not Europe. Its urban development rate and power supply are not even comparable to those of the developed southeastern regions of the Republic of China, so it is still impossible to accurately locate it.  The longer it is delayed, the more disadvantageous it will be. Japan does not have radar but it does have ears. The noise from the aircraft fleet can travel very far at night.  So for the final position.  The Navy would use submarines to send light signals into the sky.

    But he hadn¡¯t seen the signal yet, and he was a little anxious. If he couldn¡¯t see the signal within twenty minutes, he would have to take the initiative to lower his altitude.  Use a visual search deep into the land, but this will definitely lead to discovery before the attack.  "Spread out the fighters and prepare to descendwait, Captain. Look over there." Just as he was about to adopt the backup plan, the co-pilot pointed sharply to the left and yelled.  Follow your fingers.  Three red lights arranged in a line appeared on the sea, flickering and sending Morse code.  The navigator immediately took a pen to write down the password, checked and confirmed it was correct: "It's our submarine, and the target is 147 kilometers northeast."

    "Check the bomb. Rolling Thunder No. 1 called, the target direction is 147 kilometers northeast. No. 2 and No. 3 followed me down to an altitude of 2,500 meters, forming a column and preparing to drop the bomb. The first cavalry team was responsible for the guidance, and descended to an altitude of 1,000 meters. After discovering the target  Drop the flares, and the rest of the squadron will pay attention to the surrounding airspace for protective bombing." Because we don't know the extent of Japan's radio technology, so in order to avoid being discovered, the Rolling Thunder Squadron maintained wireless silence along the way.

    After the order was given, the two Tianquan aircraft took the lead in descending to 1,000 meters. At the same time, the three Haihong 7 aircraft also dropped to an altitude of 2,500 meters. The machine gunners began to enter the fighting position. The bombardiers and navigators got into the magazine to inspect the "rolling thunder" that had just left the factory.  No wire-guided bombs¡±.  This bomb has the same principle as the German Fritz X, but its appearance is different.  The total weight is 1.6 tons, the charge is 200 kilograms of TNT, the head is sharp, the olive-shaped projectile is more slender, and there is no annular tail.  The four tail fins are cross-star-shaped and relatively wide, with four sets of red light bulbs at the end of the tail fins.  After the bomb is dropped, the controller can pass through the tail fin.? Red light is used to judge the trajectory, and radio is used to control the rudder to achieve a higher hit rate.  Of course, if you want to use the "Rolling Thunder" well, you must use a special sight and conduct long-term training.

    The H-7 template comes from the B24. It is not a pure strategic bomber. Compared with the prototype, the fuselage is wider and flatter, and the magazine is larger. It can carry ten-ton super bombs.  The criticized magazine rolling shutter door has also been changed to a traditional outward-opening hard hatch.  But it has to be said that the H-7's body structure strength and beating resistance are still not as good as those of the B-17. This is not due to technology and manufacturing, but to the flaws of the high-wing aircraft itself, which is not as strong as the low-wing aircraft.  However, it is still possible to deal with Japan, because Japanese fighter jets are generally equipped with 7.7mm machine guns. Although the rate of fire is fast, the power is really not very good.

    Unlike usual, Zhou Zhikai did not adopt the tactic of diving and descending rapidly, but instead slowly circled and gradually lowered his altitude.  This is because, unlike traditional bombs, "rolling thunder bombs" do not require low-altitude bombing.  If it is not night, bombs can even be dropped from a height of more than 6,000 meters.

    It only takes a few minutes for an airplane to travel more than 100 kilometers. When Zhou Zhikai descended to 2,500 meters of airspace, Sasebo Port finally appeared in front of him.

    ¡°As Yue Peng said, Japan is in chaos tonight.  The not-so-intense interception battle in the Soya Strait caused the Japanese Navy to suffer a small loss. Even the survivors were not found. To this day, no one knows that it was the officers below who took the initiative.  No one knows whether it was framed by China or framed, so the top management hesitated between taking action in advance and waiting for Yamamoto Isoroku's main force to be in place.  In addition, the incident occurred suddenly, so after the combat readiness alert was issued, Sasebo Port was still brightly lit, and sailors were busy replenishing supplies for each warship.  Lieutenant General Takasu Shiro stood on the deck of the transport boat, holding the saber in his hand and looking serious.  As the commander of the second battle group, he will face three Beijing-class battleships and two aircraft carriers of the Chinese Navy's First Fleet in the next day and night.  Although the number was four to three, and there were two ships from Naha to help, he was not sure of victory.  Because the Beijing-class has been replaced with nine L50/380 mm naval guns after a major overhaul.  His four ships, Fuso and Ise, could be suppressed in terms of caliber and power.

    After climbing up the gangway to the flagship battleship Fuso, the officers were already waiting on the deck.  "Is there any movement among the Shina people? Where is General Yamamoto?" Takasu Shiro asked Chief of Staff Shige Fukuru about the situation.

    "The Chinese have begun mobilizing. Four cruisers have left Qingdao and Lushun, but the three Beijing-class battleships and aircraft carriers have not left." Colonel Shigeru Fukudome handed over the telegram: "This is a telegram from Admiral Yamamoto. He is already at full speed.  Come here. We will arrive in twenty hours. The general asked us to ensure the safety of the Yellow Sea and Tsushima Strait."

    Hearing that the main force of China¡¯s First Fleet was still in Qingdao, Takasu Shiro felt his forehead and breathed a sigh of relief.  He turned to look at the warships that were receiving supplies and asked, "How long will it take?"

    "Three hours."

    "Okay, I'll take a rest first. Call me when we set off." After finishing speaking, Takasu Shiro walked towards the command tower, but stopped after taking a few steps.  He pointed at the headlights around his finger: "Let all the prepared battleships turn off their lights, and some of the lights on the shore should also be turned off! This is too bright and will attract Chinese reconnaissance planes." After giving the instructions, he got into the cabin.

    Fukuguru Shige immediately went to the bridge to convey the order.  But just when the Fuso sent out a light signal to reduce the light, a slight sound of aircraft motors came with the wind.  "China reconnaissance plane!" A staff officer shouted first in his shout.  Two Tianquan aircraft have emerged from the darkness.  Sasebo was stunned by the sudden arrival of a fighter jet, and then quickly sounded the alarm.  As the alarm goes off.  Countless sailors who were ready to rest rushed out of the living quarters and got into the gun emplacement. Even Takasu Shiro, who had just taken off his coat, put his clothes back on.  "Your Excellency, Lieutenant General, this should be a new Chinese reconnaissance aircraft." Furuushige and everyone else had never seen Tianquan who had just served, so they mistakenly thought that Tianquan was a naval reconnaissance aircraft.

    As the most important military port in Japan, the Sasebo air defense force responded quickly. The two Tianquan aircraft had just passed the Fuso, and before they even approached the dock, several fiery red lines shot out from the ground.  After the anti-aircraft guns on the shore opened fire, several destroyers that had been on alert quickly joined in.  However, the two Tianquan aircraft did not escape because of the anti-aircraft guns. Instead, they quickly climbed to one thousand meters and dropped six illumination bombs.  The flares bloomed like flowers scattered by a goddess, illuminating the entire anchorage, and four huge battleships were immediately exposed in the blazing white light.  "I saw it, I saw it! The first ship in the northwest corner of the anchorage was handed over to me, ready to drop bombs." When the Fuso cast a huge shadow under the light of the flare, the bombardier lying on the nose immediately shouted loudly  stand up.

    "No! It's a bomber! Weigh anchor, quickly lift anchor!" After the flares lit up, Takasu Shiro felt something was wrong. When the noise above his head became louder and louder, he realized that this was not reconnaissance, but providing lighting for bombing.  In an instant, the entire Sasebo fell into panic. More and more shells rushed into the void from the ground and sea anchorages.High-efficiency searchlights were also quickly turned on.

    But it¡¯s too late!

    After Zhou Zhikai opened the bomb bay, the first rolling thunder quickly broke away from the trembling aircraft, and the red signal light on the tail of the bomb drew a brilliant stream of colors in the night sky.  "Steady, steady the plane! Give me ten seconds" The bombardier lay on the special optical fire control instrument, his eyes biting the red light through the graduated glass lens, and his left hand  Then hold the operating lever and slowly insert the red dot into the black shadow on the sea surface.

    "Boom!" A huge explosion erupted from 600 meters away from the left side of the Fuso, and the water column that was hundreds of meters high annoyed the bombardier and the crew members.  Because the airflow after the magazine was opened caused the bomber to shake, which affected the bomb's aiming, the first bomb missed.  "Come again! Keep stable, 3, 2, 1, break away" Seeing this, Zhou Zhikai gritted his teeth and held the aircraft control stick tightly. With his encouragement, the second rolling thunder roared down again.

    "Fire with full force! Activate the backup power, use full left rudder to evade." The high water column frightened Takasu Shiro and the Japanese naval officers and soldiers, and they quickly activated the backup power, hoping to make the Fuso move slowly.  On the winch on the bow of the ship, thick anchor chains were continuously coiled up, and cartloads of anti-aircraft artillery shells were pushed to the gun emplacement. When the first magazine was inserted into the anti-aircraft gun, the second rolling mine had already arrived.

    Bang All the Japanese sailors near the No. 3 turret heard a loud noise. When they looked back, their pupils were immediately filled with orange-red flames surging from below the deck.  The second "rolling thunder" accurately hit the deck next to the No. 3 turret of the Fuso and penetrated from here.  The weight of 1,600 kilograms helped the bomb penetrate seven layers of steel plates in one go, penetrate directly into the bottom boiler power compartment, and then explode.  The power of two hundred kilograms of new explosives mixed with TNT and magnesium powder was released instantly. Thousands of degrees of high temperature and shrapnel swept across the entire power cabin, and then knocked open the No. 3 turret ammunition depot next to it!

    The scene on the Hood happened again on the Fuso!  Since the Fuso emphasized firepower at the beginning of its construction, six twin 356mm naval guns were installed.  But because of the narrow hull, the ammunition and propellant warehouses of the two turrets No. 3 and 4 in the middle are squeezed together, with only a few 50mm nickel steel plates separating them.  Such a small thickness cannot stop the explosion, so at the same time that the No. 3 ammunition depot exploded, the No. 4 turret ammunition depot and the more dangerous propellant pack were detonated!

    ???????????????????? Boom!

    One thousand one hundred and sixteen extremely sensitive silk propellant packets, two hundred and forty-six 365 mm artillery shells, and a total of 128 tons of ammunition exploded at the same time!  There was an earth-shaking loud noise, all the glass windows of the dock buildings several kilometers away burst, and the calm sea surface swelled several meters like a balloon.

    The camera gun and high-speed camera of the Rolling Thunder Squadron hovering in the sky recorded this moment. The flames first lit up from the position of the No. 3 turret. Everything in this part of the turret, hull, chimney, etc. expanded violently, and then separated from the hull and fell apart.  A huge fireball with a diameter of fifty meters rose from the sea surface and spread in all directions. The shock wave directly broke the more than 30,000-ton ship body in the middle!  The dark brown fireball carried countless small objects and shot straight into the sky a thousand meters high!  A huge mushroom cloud formed.

    Forty seconds, the Fuso disappeared!

    There were 1,400 officers and men on the ship, plus 57 officers on the flagship including Takasu Shiro, and no one was spared.
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