Strengthening the island of New Guinea became a desperate task for the Japanese Army, as the huge island was so close to Australia.

Recently, US reconnaissance planes have frequently taken off from Australia to reconnoiter the movements of the Japanese Army on the islands.

At the same time, the Japanese garrison also discovered that American single-engine fighters, which had never been seen before, began to appear occasionally near the coastline.

This was not good news for the Japanese defenders in New Guinea, as the United States was building a large military airfield on the Cape York Peninsula in northern Australia.

In fact, the US military airfield has been being built in secret, and it was completed a month ago.

The Cape York airfield from which the US military left not only has more than 200 P-40 fighters, but is also equipped with two high-power radars, making the safest deployment for the Japanese Air Force.

The airfield was also equipped with a large number of anti-aircraft guns to prevent Japanese raids on the area at night. It was built so completely, but this airfield has been concealed by the US military and has not carried out any combat missions.

The concealment deceived the Japanese army, and the reason for the secrecy was also related to the fact that Japan's reconnaissance of Australia was too sloppy.

The attention of the Japanese Navy has always been drawn to the US Navy fleet near the Solomon Islands, and the Army has no intention of going out of Australia, so Japanese reconnaissance planes rarely fly to Cape York to find trouble.

Because Australia's U.S. Army Air Force is very strong, and Japan's reconnaissance operations in Australia often lose aircraft, the Japanese top brass also deliberately cut the number of reconnaissance operations against Australia.

As a result, under the noses of the Japanese defenders of New Guinea, the United States built a huge airfield near Bamaga to prepare for the landing in New Guinea.

It was only after the Japanese army reported that they had found American fighter jets that reconnaissance flights over Cape York became more frequent.

The fierce air battles between the two sides near the Torres Strait at Cape York even reduced the frequency of the Japanese bombardment of the port of Darwin.

Between September 25 and September 30, 1941, the Japanese Army Air Corps lost at least 40 KI-43 fighters over the Torres Strait and Cape York, and also shot down about 30 Kawasaki Type 99 twin-engine bombers and two water reconnaissance planes under ground artillery fire.

Such huge losses made the Japanese Army a little unbearable - every time they took off to attack Cape York, the US Army was always able to take off the plane in time to meet it, and the Japanese Army was stupid and could see the clues.

The introduction of radar from Germany also opened the eyes of the Japanese military: since the Germans had such a powerful radar, it is not surprising that the Americans had similar technology.

Therefore, in addition to trying to deploy a radar aided by the Germans on the island of New Guinea, Japan also tried its best to increase its troops here.

The most obvious reinforcement was the transfer of a group of fighter units belonging to the Kwantung Army from northeast China to New Guinea.

This Japanese elite fighter force is not as simple as a small fish and shrimp. Their code name is Viper, and they are all armed with German ME-109 fighters!

This unit has just finished its own training and can control the ME109 fighter in its hands very well.

Although the fighter has a short range, it is agile and fast, and it is a formidable opponent that the US Army Air Corps has never faced before.

The Japanese Army is counting on this "new fighter" to break the deadlock, suppress the US Cape York airfield, and regain air supremacy in southern New Guinea.

On October 2, German ME-109 fighters flew to the island of New Guinea, and the Japanese army aviation was reinforced like never before.

On the same day, the Japanese fighter force added 60 ME-109 fighters, these fighters and about 100 KI-43 Hayabusa fighters, so that the Japanese army had the capital of a war in the number of fighters.

"Iijima-kun! It's great to have your support this time! In the tent on the island of New Guinea, Sashimada of the Army Air Corps came to hug very warmly.

It has to be said that Japan's construction on the island of New Guinea is very backward, and even the so-called buildings near the air base are filled with camouflaged tents.

The pilots and ground crews were in tents, and the wounded and hospitals were also in tents. Only ammunition and fuel, which must be properly stowed, are eligible to be housed......

Looking at a black-and-white photo in the tent, Shaosa, who was named Yuji Iijima, opened his mouth and said, "It's very tiring all the way, we flew from Malaya, it's really too far. ”

Because the range of the ME-109 fighter was too short, they had to take off and land frequently along the way, which was much more tiring than the transfer flight of the Japanese plane.

"It's okay! We could have a drink in the evening! I don't have a mission tonight, I've got a nice bottle of sake here, just waiting for you! Shimada said with a smile.

Then he took out a bottle of cheap sake from his suitcase, shook it very proudly, and showed it off.

Yuji Iijima's eyes lit up, and nowadays, it is rare to find such a luxury as sake in Japan. What's more, he is now in a desolate place like New Guinea.

"Although the conditions are difficult, we are pilots after all, and we have some ways of our own." Shimada Nakasa explained, motioning for the other party to find a place to sit.

Very simple wooden tables and chairs, all made of local wood. The material of the chair is even a little fresh, apparently just made.

This is an island where 30,000 Japanese troops are stationed, and it is not difficult to find a few people who know how to carpenter. It's just that the daily consumption of these more than 30,000 people is really not a small number.

Supplies can be improvised, but food and ammunition are improvised. The good news is that the Japanese navy in New Guinea still has basic sea supremacy, so there are no restrictions on the transportation of supplies.

The bad news is that transporting supplies from Japan to the island of New Guinea is a long way, and it is more difficult than expected to make up for the attrition on the front line.

Coupled with the increasingly frequent activities of the U.S. Navy's submarine forces, Japan's losses in New Guinea have also skyrocketed......

"Tomorrow during the day, you will take off with me and go to fight on the Cape York Peninsula! Iijima-kun! Victory or defeat, please Your Excellency! Bowing his head slightly at Iijima Shaosa, Shimada Nakasa spoke.