In early 1937, after capturing Wake Island, the U.S. forces returning to the South Pacific Theater soon launched a three-dimensional offensive with the goal of capturing the Marshall Islands. The second step was to occupy Majuro in order to obtain a supply base and an air base for the advance; The third step is to quickly seize the two important strongholds of Kwajalein and Eniwetok Atoll and expand the coverage of the army aviation force; The fourth step was to seize the remaining atolls in the Marshall Islands except for the four atolls of Milley, Waterjack, Malorapu and Jaluit, and then seal off these four atolls and besiege them without attacking them, so as to deplete the Japanese army's naval forces. Pen ~ fun ~ pavilion www.biquge.info

In fact, when Ernest Joseph King presented the battle plan, Calbfors rejected the operation from the bottom of his heart, but the 6th Task Force had approached the attack position without being detected by the enemy. For the U.S. military, the shame of losing armor in the Philippines and South Asia was revealed. As a result, the Marshall Islands campaign, which had been forced to slow down, was able to return to orbit, and the U.S. forces that had occupied Majuro in the early stage quickly launched an offensive against the Japanese garrisons of Kwajalein and Eniwetok......

"What a nice weather!"

"Of course! Very nice weather for us! ”

At Majuro Atoll, next to a rammed sandy runway, 12 young pilots in light grey flight suits and leather flight caps appear to be praising the sunny weather, but like the hectic and tense atmosphere at the airport, their brows are not always relaxed.

Unlike the average American pilot, the silhouette of a warship is beneath the eagle on their blue armband, which is the hallmark of the U.S. Naval Aviation, while carrier-based and land-based combat aircraft units are distinguished by capital gold letters—they clearly belong to the latter.

"Gentlemen!" The lieutenant colonel officer standing in front of these pilots said in a sonorous tone, "Please keep in mind your combat mission, neither be too aggressive, nor retreat without authorization, and maintain communication at all times!" Finally, good luck to you guys! ”

The group of stern-looking pilots responded in unison: "Yes, sir!" Thank you, sir! ”

At the end of the salute, the major officer ordered: "Now, all go!" ”

The pilots disbanded on the spot and boarded their own vehicles lined up along the runway—12 brand-new Fokker G-51K fighter jets. Compared with the "Eagle Falcon" and ME-50 equipped by the U.S. military, this heavy fighter that has not yet been officially installed in the Luftwaffe is full of domineering, its empty weight and maximum take-off weight reach 3.5 tons and 4.7 tons respectively, which is larger than any previous model of single-engine fighter, and has first-class firepower, protection and endurance at the same time, it also inherits the characteristics of high climb rate, fast maximum speed and good maneuverability of German fighters.

After entering the cockpit, the German pilots, who had arrived in the Pacific Theater as special volunteers, quickly and skillfully checked all the equipment.

It didn't take long for the airport, which had been relatively quiet, to become noisy, and the rumbling of engines could be heard near and far. According to the US military operational deployment, more than 400 warplanes stationed at this airfield will take turns to carry out air strikes on the Japanese troops in the Kwajalein reef group.

"Attention all the Gray Eagle squadron, this is your leader 'Ling Yu', who received the take-off signal, entered the runway in order, and assembled in the airspace northeast of the airport after takeoff!"

After that, Major Wilhelm von Leres, the ace fighter pilot of the German Navy and a 23-year-old fighter pilot with 91 air combat experience, slightly increased the grip of his hand on the joystick, and the warhawk, which was originally stationary, slowly slid onto the runway under the power of the propeller. When the signalman on the side waved the small flag, he pressed the accelerator with just the right amount of force, and the aircraft engine instantly let out a strong whining sound, and the whole body trembled slightly, like a knight before a sprint, riding forward at a slow speed.

The inertial pressure of the propeller aircraft as it lifts off is not large, and the slight change is just a wake-up call for the pilots. After flying off the runway, Major von Leres looked back and saw that his wingman had followed. The Fakker was painted in the same livery as a regular U.S. Navy fighter jet: the upper part of the fuselage was painted in dark green camouflage so that it was easy for the enemy to confuse it with the ground when viewed from high to low, the sides and lower parts of the fuselage were painted in a light blue that was not so conspicuous in the air, and the tactical number and service insignia were painted from the cockpit to the tail.

After a while, the 12 Fokker fighters of the Gray Eagle Squadron were assembled in the air and flew towards the Kwajalein Reef Group at cruising speed. About a quarter of an hour later, they caught up with the group of bombers that were the first to take off, and formed into a convoy with their fellow American fighters. With the normal cruising speed of the Fokker G-51K, it was a very easy thing to complete a range of hundreds of kilometers, and the breezy weather seemed to come from God's care. Guided by the US radar station deployed in Majuro, the air raid aircraft group swooped down on the target area.

The pilots of the German Naval Aviation had no doubt that the pilots of the German Naval Aviation had left a deep impression on them by their previous experiences and unpleasant experiences, and that the long and tortuous course of the war had made them more mature and tenacious than their counterparts in other countries. When the outline of the reef group appeared in front of them, Major von Leres and his pilots checked all the controls and buttons at hand, and then waved their fists at their companions, signaling that they were ready to engage fire at any time.

In the air raid that morning, the Gray Eagle squadron was included in the second wave of attack aircraft, and it is not known how effective the previous wave of attacks would be, but it is certain that the Japanese air force will not give up resistance easily.

"Enemy aircraft spotted ahead! Enemy aircraft spotted ahead! Stay in defensive formation, stay in defensive formation! ”

A warning from the commander came out of the radio communication channel, and as soon as the battle began, the sound in the headset quickly became complicated. Most of the time, the communications were about tactical coordination, and as the battle progressed, it became a place for the pilots to vent their emotions.

"Rogue Japanese monkey, count yourself as a fast runner!"

After a whole barrage of bullets had been emptied, Major von Leres, who was always polite in front of the people, burst into a foul mouth. He clearly saw that his target had already pulled up black smoke, and if he could catch up with it at this time and strike again, he believed that he would definitely shoot down the enemy, but before this sortie, they were ordered to closely protect the accompanying bombers, and on this premise, all fighters were not allowed to leave the formation without permission to pursue the enemy planes -- even if the opponent was wounded!

Although he was unwilling, the major could only obey the order, and then looked back at the surrounding comrades-in-arms, it had only been five or six minutes since the group of Japanese fighters appeared, and the outermost part of the group's originally neat formation had been quite chaotic, and the bombers had basically not suffered any losses, but the escort fighters had suffered losses one after another. In this circular defense system, the fighters could not give full play to their own speed and agility advantages, and their individual skills were also limited, so they could only watch those Japanese fighters scurry around the periphery unscrupulously like evil bees.

"Another falcon has been shot down, and the situation doesn't seem good!"

Hearing the reminder from his colleague, Major von Leres looked around to the left and right, and sure enough, there was another friendly plane that was falling downward in a spiral. Since the beginning of the battle, the US air force, which has an absolute superiority in numbers, has actually lost seven or eight fighters, and the unexpected loss rate also faithfully reflects the Japanese strategy -- taking the upper part of the group and the flanks as the main direction of attack, which is also the weakest position of the dense defensive circle composed of fighters.

"Eagle Feather Squad Requests Attack!"

A voice full of indignation reached the ears of every pilot of the squadron through the team's internal communication channel, and it was the true voice of many of them. The communication channel fell silent for a moment, and while the battle was still going on, while the Japanese fighters were still in sight, and though the occasional bullets were still passing through the air, the pilots from Germany stopped communicating for a moment - they were waiting for another voice.

After more than ten seconds of waiting, Major von Leres said in a low tone: "According to the combat instructions of the US command, our task is to protect the bomber group in a tight formation, and there must be no unauthorized action otherwise. It is really cruel to carry out such an order, but we are soldiers, and sometimes it takes some sacrifice to win! ”

The cold answer was so ruthless, but the last sentence pointed out the mission of the soldiers.

"For victory!"

This phrase in the communication channel was quickly supported by peers. They either responded loudly or silently, and their belief in battle was strengthened at this moment as never before. When the Japanese fighters attacked from all directions, these people no longer had the previous fear in their hearts, and they stubbornly withstood the tremendous pressure of being passively beaten, and seized every fleeting opportunity to attack. Although the Japanese fighters in the formation made many victories, they were never able to destroy the core part of the US aircraft fleet.

A short time later, the Japanese airfield built on the reef appeared under the nose of the plane.

"Prepare to attack!" The commanders of the bomber squadrons loudly reminded their companions.

"Expel enemy aircraft in the target airspace!" The commanders of the fighter squadrons perked up.

At this juncture, black fireworks burst into the sky ahead, and the sound of dense explosions was incessant, and the Japanese fighters withdrew as soon as they saw the opportunity, and the gusts of air only caused the fighters and bombers flying in formation to sway up and down.

Looking down from the sky, the grass green ground shone with yellow light and black dots in the sunlight.

(End of chapter)