Chapter 5 The Annihilation of the Fifth Fleet!

The Fifth Fleet was completely annihilated! Saltzawa Koichi, commander of the fleet, was unwilling to believe that this was the work of the Special Task Force's aviation battalion.

He was still clinging to his pathetic self-esteem! In the telegram sent to the Japanese Navy Headquarters, he consistently used "unknown aircraft formations" instead of acknowledging the true attackers.

Naval Vice Minister Yamamoto Isoroku still had a clear head. According to their understanding, only one country could organize such a large-scale bomber formation in the Guangzhou area.

That was the British Empire stationed in Hong Kong. Only they had such powerful strength.

However, according to Prime Minister Chamberlain's policy, he could not have issued such an order. Moreover, the markings on the British Empire's aircraft would be recognizable.

Eventually, the actual situation was obtained from Hyakutake Chitoshi, the commander of the "Soryu" aircraft carrier: it was the Special Task Force's fighter planes because their fighter planes deliberately painted a chubby, cute tiger on the underside of their fuselages.

Although what they did was not cute at all, the Tiger Squadron!

Although the Japanese Navy Headquarters did not believe that the Special Task Force had such a powerful air force, Vice Minister Yamamoto Isoroku felt that this explanation was more realistic: The British Empire was currently pursuing a policy of appeasement and would not resist even if their interests were slightly infringed upon.

Besides, if they wanted to resist, wouldn't it be easier for them to cooperate with the National Revolutionary Army's Fourth War Area when the Twenty-First Army attacked Guangzhou?

The current situation was very difficult: the navy was the Japanese army's biggest trump card and the foundation of their national fortune.

It could be said that the development of the entire Japanese nation began with the navy, starting with the Sino-Japanese War forty years ago. This time, their most proud naval fleet had been completely annihilated.

What to do? Yamamoto Isoroku's mind raced anxiously.

"We must not admit defeat, we must not admit the annihilation of the Fifth Fleet!" This was his first thought.

No admission! Under no circumstances could they admit the annihilation of the Fifth Fleet!

Then what?

"Rebuild the Fifth Fleet!" Yamamoto Isoroku clenched his fist. He had to discuss this with the Minister of the Navy.

For the glory of the empire, all other naval projects would have to be suspended, and priority given to restoring the Fifth Fleet.

The aircraft shot down this time were minor issues, and the small warships sunk were also minor issues. The most important thing was to rebuild large battleships like the "Myoko", "Soryu", and "Kaga".

With the commander having an idea, the Japanese staff officers immediately offered suggestions: "We can release a message to the outside world stating that these warships are undergoing upgrades and maintenance, so even if there are some changes in their appearance, it will be due to the upgrades and maintenance."

"That's a good idea!" Commander Saltzawa Koichi was still shivering in the basement, unaware that his fleet was about to be rebuilt in the homeland.

The Special Task Force's air formations continued to bomb the Japanese Fifth Fleet, but now they had begun to extend to the shipyards on the shore and the facilities on the docks.

Meng Hongzhuang's bomber squadron also had a mission: to bomb the Japanese oil depots built on the shore. The location of the oil depots had been clearly marked on the map and on the sand table by Zhang Ce and the others.

Now was the time to find the oil depots. At this time, the Humen Fortress welcomed a second round of attacks, which made Commander Shiraishi Taichi, who had already entered the underground command post, very dissatisfied.

He had just issued an order to the Japanese soldiers in the fortress to clean up the battlefield and rescue the wounded. And now this second wave had come. This was commanded by Mao Wenxing.

He was circling in the high altitude in a reconnaissance plane. Judging from the reports from various squadrons, the Japanese Fifth Fleet was already a fish on the chopping board, ready to be slaughtered.

At this time, the only things that could still affect the aircraft in the air were the Humen Fortress and the Japanese fighter planes flying in from afar.

Now that the Japanese Fifth Fleet had no planes to take off, the Special Task Force's fighter patrols had flown as far as the Guangzhou city.

The Japanese air squadron that took off from Guangzhou had been completely wiped out once again after a fierce battle.

Their first complete annihilation was at the Conghua warship, which was the Special Task Force's first battle upon arriving in Guangzhou.

Some fighter planes were patrolling the southeast side of the Humen Fortress, preparing to intercept enemy planes flying in from Taiwan. According to the prior analysis, the only forces the Japanese could send to rescue the Fifth Fleet were from these two directions.

Kong Feihang's flying skills were excellent, but he had bad luck. He was one of the first pilots that the Special Task Force had taken over from the Fifth War Area, and his skills were beyond reproach.

However, the bomber he was flying was hit by anti-aircraft fire from a nearby warship while bombing a Japanese warship. Half of the wing was gone, and there was no way a plane like that could fly back.

Helpless, Kong Feihang could only order the crew: "Get ready! Emergency water landing!"

After the order was issued, the rest of the crew in the plane immediately threw the remaining bombs on the plane downwards without regard for accuracy. This was no time for accuracy.

Kong Feihang also opened the oil drain valve. To carry more bombs on this mission, the bomber had not been filled with much fuel, so the oil was draining very quickly.

At the same time, he had to try to fly the nose of the plane crookedly towards the sea. He had to ditch the plane on the water: this was part of the plan!

This had been planned before the battle: Lin Fan was very clear that there would be casualties in combat. Although the Special Task Force's sneak attack on the Japanese Fifth Fleet had caught them completely off guard, it was not something a commander should expect that the Special Task Force's aviation battalion would suffer no casualties.

It was also an impossible thing to achieve!

What Lin Fan was thinking was that there would definitely be casualties in this battle, and Lin Fan could not pretend that these fallen warriors did not exist.

Because this area was still occupied by the Japanese, as long as they fell down, whether dead or alive, they would become Japanese prisoners and be found by the Japanese.

Therefore, the Special Task Force had specially formulated a battlefield rescue plan: all aircraft that were damaged and unable to fly back would all perform an emergency water landing. Even if they had to parachute, they had to try to jump into the sea as much as possible.

Each bomber was specially equipped with an inflatable speedboat that could carry ten people. This was because bombers were sturdy and thick-skinned and might be able to make a successful emergency water landing.

Fighter planes were too thin-skinned, and pilots could only eject into the sea and wait for rescue.

Now, while the crew members on Kong Feihang's bomber were throwing bombs, some had already begun to inflate the speedboat.

At this time, although they were busy, they were not flustered: at least the brigade commander had considered this point before the war and had come up with a corresponding plan.

As for a failed emergency landing? They hadn't thought about it at all. Since they were failing anyway, what was the point of having so many thoughts?

All the pilots had seen the designated rescue area on the map, and every pilot was required to be familiar with that area in order to be prepared for such a situation.

Kong Feihang was the first pilot to report an emergency landing. He was flying the bomber, trying to control the out-of-control bomber, trying to prevent it from plunging headfirst into the water.

Close! The surface of the water was getting closer and closer. At this time, Kong Feihang could already smell the salty taste of the sea. Just then, the bomber suddenly shook violently. This was because the landing gear had touched the water.

The landing gear touched the water first, and the tires immediately sank into the water, bringing huge resistance to the entire bomber, as if a giant hand was tightly dragging the rear of the plane.

The nose of the plane was raised high in front, like a speedboat moving forward at high speed.

This period of time was not long, less than two minutes, and Kong Feihang's face was covered with sweat. These two minutes were the most dangerous two minutes.

The engine had stalled, and the propeller was no longer turning. The inertia of the plane had been consumed by 90% in these two minutes. At this time, although the plane was still gliding on the water, the nose was not as high as it was at the beginning.

Soon, Kong Feihang said in the radio: "Emergency landing successful!" Mao Wenxing's order immediately arrived: "Leave the plane immediately! Leave in the speedboat, immediately!"

These things had been said in advance. Don't worry about anything on the plane. After a successful emergency landing on the sea, leave immediately.

Kong Feihang struggled to stand up from his seat and stumbled into the cabin. At this time, his crew members had already opened the hatch, and the inflated speedboat had been thrown into the water.

It was drifting with the waves, but a rope was still tied to the plane, and it couldn't break free. Kong Feihang ordered: "Da Liu! You go down first!"

He was the captain, and his words were orders. Originally, the crew members wanted him to go down first, but now was not the time to be modest.

Da Liu immediately jumped down, and then one soldier after another jumped down. Soon seven people got on the speedboat, untied the rope, and the engine roared.

Kong Feihang reported: "We have boarded the speedboat and are heading towards the evacuation area."

Normally, if a Special Task Force speedboat appeared in this area, it would immediately be attacked by various turrets from the Humen Fortress.

But at this time, the Japanese soldiers on the Humen Fortress were overwhelmed and had no time or opportunity to fire.

This was also why Mao Wenxing wanted to command the bombers to launch a second round of bombing of the Humen Fortress: the first round of bombing was to paralyze the air defense capabilities of the Humen Fortress, and the second round of bombing was to paralyze the Humen Fortress's ability to strike the sea.

From the current point of view, both of these goals had been achieved. So far, no shells had been fired at Kong Feihang and their speedboat.

At the same time, Mao Wenxing ordered: "Seaplane One, go to the designated area to pick them up."

Lin Fan's aircraft research institute in Jurong had not yet fully developed the helicopter, so this time he could only arrange for a seaplane to rescue people.

This was because seaplanes could not only park on the sea but also glide and take off on the sea, avoiding the need for a runway for take-off and landing on land and the threat of attacks by the Japanese army.

The development of seaplanes was initiated by the Special Task Force when they were developing the first generation of aircraft. At that time, Lin Fan's purpose was only to use seaplanes to cooperate with inland river gunboats to protect the Special Task Force's territory around Taihu Lake.

This time, when he wanted to sneak attack the Japanese Navy's Fifth Fleet, he had a sudden idea: he could use seaplanes as rescue planes, which led to this scene.

Kong Feihang and the others were still on the way when they saw a seaplane skimming over them at low altitude, right above their heads, like a guide.

The seaplane flew lower and lower, and finally lowered to the surface of the water. Its landing gear was connected to two small boat-like structures, and the two small boats drew two water marks on the surface of the water.

This scene made Kong Feihang and the others feel so relieved.

At this time, he couldn't help but think of the "three nos" circulating in the Special Task Force: No abandonment, no giving up, no desertion!

In the past, when he saw infantry operations, he felt that it was easy for them to achieve these three points, and Kong Feihang didn't feel much in his heart.

Today was different. He was a pilot transferred from the Fifth War Area, and he also flew planes in the National Revolutionary Army.

He knew what the fate of pilots like them would be if they had to make an emergency landing in enemy-occupied territory. Survival or death, and in the end they would either die or defect to the enemy!

However, Brigade Commander Lin had turned all of this into: rescue!

This allowed these pilots and soldiers who risked their lives when bombing the Japanese to have no worries at all.

Kong Feihang's bomber was the first to make an emergency landing on the sea, and they saw many pilots when they made their emergency landing.

When they were rescued, Mao Wenxing specially opened a channel for Kong Feihang to speak to all the pilots. When Kong Feihang and the others boarded the seaplane, Kong Feihang excitedly reported: "We have boarded the seaplane, and all seven crew members are unharmed."

Just this short sentence made all the Special Task Force pilots who were still fighting excited: they had no worries at all when fighting.

The brigade commander would not abandon, would not give up, and would not desert every soldier.

Yan Gaofei was also an old pilot who came from the Fifth War Area at the same time as Kong Feihang. He was a squad leader in the fighter squadron commanded by Captain Pan.

He flew a fighter plane to fight against the Japanese fighter plane squadron that flew from Guangzhou Airport.

The twelve Japanese fighter planes that flew over in the first wave were quickly surrounded and beaten. While they were still struggling to death, more Japanese fighter planes came over, and Yan Gaofei led his squadron to bravely meet them.

This time, the enemy and we met head-on. The Special Task Force's fighter plane squadron no longer had the opportunity to make a surprise attack, nor did they have the opportunity to occupy a favorable position in the high altitude.

This was a head-to-head battle between the enemy and us.

Captain Pan commanded all the planes in the squadron to press on. This time, there were quite a few Japanese fighter planes coming.

The Japanese Navy's Fifth Fleet's air squadron stationed at Guangzhou Airport had a total of fifty aircraft, and the first wave of twelve aircraft that took off were all fighter planes.

The squadron leader Yamamoto Takuumi commanded the second squadron to continue to take off. This time, not all of the aircraft that took off were fighter planes. Six fighter planes and six bombers took off together.

Company Commander Katori Kazuki led the second company to ascend into the air. After ascending into the air, he did not immediately go to the battlefield, but circled over the airport, waiting for the entire squadron to ascend into the air before following the squadron to take action.

It was precisely because he was so cautious that the Japanese squadron arrived on the battlefield when the twelve fighter planes that took off in the first wave were almost completely wiped out.

At this time, they already knew that ten of Lieutenant Commander Inukai Naoki's planes had been shot down.

Squadron Leader Yamamoto Takuumi saw a large group of fighter planes rushing towards them and immediately ordered: "Engage the enemy!"

Kanseki Kaito was the pilot flying in the front of the second company. Without receiving the order, he had already begun to accelerate and rush straight forward.

He was the first to see Yan Gaofei's squadron rushing over. After reporting, he immediately rushed up.

The two sides met in the air like this, neither giving in to the other, rushing straight past each other.

This was a contest of courage and a battle of tactics. The lead plane at the front, as long as it turned at this time, would be bitten by the enemy's plane on the flanks or tail, and it would immediately lose the game.

Yan Gaofei would of course not make such a mistake, because he understood the Japanese fighter planes. Their fighter planes had two machine guns with a maximum range of 1,000 meters.

The effective range was 300 meters, and they were only accurate within 300 meters.

And he was flying the Special Task Force's second-generation fighter plane. The Japanese did not know the weapon configuration of this fighter plane. If they knew, they would definitely not rush over so arrogantly like now.

Pilot Kanseki Kaito saw that the plane on the opposite side was not dodging and was flying straight towards him.

The pilot on the opposite side even deliberately adjusted the nose of the plane, as if to ensure that when the two planes collided in the air, they would be perfectly crushed from the nose to the tail.

"This is a veteran! He wants to use this attitude to express his determination!" Pilot Kanseki Kaito thought so.

He was not a timid Japanese soldier. In fact, timid Japanese soldiers were the least seen on the battlefield. They had their own Bushido spirit to support them.

Kanseki Kaito steadily operated the fighter plane, maintaining a stable, straight, and linear flight, with the same appearance of trying to ensure that the two planes would completely overlap and be completely crushed from the nose to the tail when they collided.

This was a contest of courage! Pilot Kanseki Kaito was very excited. He just wanted to see how far this National Revolutionary Army pilot could persist before deviating: was it 800 meters, 500 meters, or 300 meters, or 100 meters?

Because he himself would not deviate, not even if he died! Then he could only make the other party avoid it.

As long as the other party began to avoid, he would lose. Kanseki Kaito would definitely bite his tail tightly and shoot down this plane.

At 800 meters, the other party did not avoid it, not even the slightest intention to avoid it.

"Interesting!" Kanseki Kaito sneered and continued to step on the accelerator to make the fighter plane fly faster.

"Good!" Yan Gaofei smiled. He liked this kind of Japanese soldier who crashed straight into him the most. This kind of Japanese soldier was really a good Japanese soldier!

When the two planes were 500 meters apart, neither side had any intention of avoiding each other.

Kanseki Kaito's hand was already on the machine gun button. He was about to fire. Kanseki Kaito knew that if the other party did not avoid him, he would also fire.

300 meters, Kanseki Kaito had fired. At the same time, Yan Gaofei also fired.

"Boom!"

Hu Die Lan