“…… 56，57，58……”

"Over there, there are four, no, five!"

“63……”

"Look, there are four more, no, more than four!"

“…… 67，68，69……”

At the airport, aviation service personnel and Marine Corps officers and men in charge of airport guards were all looking up at the sky, counting the returning bombers. This has become a habit, a kind of support, and a direct manifestation of concern for comrades-in-arms.

Tan Renhao leaned against the wall of the collapsed platform, and he was also looking at the sky.

"69 have returned, but ......"

Luo Yunchong's expression looked very painful, "Lieutenant Colonel Jiang Shikuan's landline hasn't come back yet." ”

Tan Renhao has also seen that a wild goose is painted on the nose of Jiang Shikuan's landline with colored paint, which is a very obvious external feature. And he never saw the plane with the "wild goose" pattern returning.

"Perhaps, he is at the end!"

Luo Yunchong could only think so.

"Go ask a few battalion commanders!"

Tan Renhao sighed, "I'm sure he can come back!" ”

Luo Yunchong nodded, then turned around and ran away.

Five minutes later, the staff officer came to report the situation. The 334 bombers of the two regiments came back with 321 and lost 13. Although this was the largest loss in many bombings, the loss rate had been reduced to 3.89 percent, the lowest in all previous bombings. Of course, if you look at it in the long run, this loss rate is still very high.

After the staff officer left, Tan Renhao looked at his watch, it was already ten forty o'clock. Only three tanks on the bomber were filled with fuel, and even if it flew in the best condition, it could only hold out until about eleven o'clock at most. In other words, if the bomber still did not return at this time, then even if it was not shot down by the enemy, it would have fallen into the sea and would not have been able to return to the airfield at all.

Except for the orderly staff who have gone to the busy. The other people at the airport were still looking up at the sky, and they all knew that Jiang Shikuan, the commander of the first regiment, had not returned, maybe these officers and soldiers had the same idea as Tan Renhao, and they all believed that Jiang Shikuan would definitely come back, because he had returned safely seven times in a row.

When Tan Renhao took out his cigarette, Luo Yunchong ran back. He called Tan Renhao to the back passage of the tower.

"Jiang Shikuan was shot down?"

Tan Renhao had already expected the result.

Luo Yunchong let out a long sigh. "His plane was hit, and the commander of a battalion saw that the engine was on fire, and then he began to dive, but no one saw his bomber crash."

Tan Renhao was slightly stunned. "That is, his bomber was badly damaged, but no one can prove that it was shot down?"

Luo Yunchong nodded. "I inquired in detail about the situation, and although no one proved it, it was ...... in this case"

"Then let's wait!"

Tan Renhao looked at his watch, "It's only 10:45, if he hasn't come back at 11:15." Then we ......"

"I know. I'm sure he'll come back! ”

Both of them fell silent, in fact, they both knew very well that the possibility of Jiang Shikuan's return was very slim. Pilots are not birdmen. They don't have wings on their bodies, and if their plane is hit, then it's probably over. Moreover, lone bombers are easily intercepted by fighters. Low-altitude flights are more vulnerable to ground artillery fire. Perhaps, even if Jiang Shikuan has wings on them, they may not be able to fly back alone.

The atmosphere over the airfield became tense, and the pilots of the two battalions were all concentrated on the east side of the airfield, all looking up at the sky to the east. That was the direction of return, and if the regimental commander could come back, it would be from that direction. As the minutes passed. Some pilots were already agitated, while some pilots who had a good relationship with Jiang Shikuan and had previously been trained as regiment commanders were on the verge of despair. In this battle, which lasted for half a month, they had sent hundreds of their comrades away, and they had been desperate and disappointed countless times, and all of them were under tremendous pressure. Every pilot doesn't know if they'll be able to come back after their next departure. Some people even secretly prepared a suicide note and wrote their last letter to their families. It's locked in their closet. Every sortie is an intimate dance with death. The pilots of these bombers are like playing Russian roulette, and every time there will be some people who will never come back, and no one knows when it will be their turn!

When it was past eleven o'clock and five o'clock, Tan Renhao was also a little out of breath. He could feel how much pressure those pilots were under, if it weren't for the hatred of the country and the family, if it weren't for the belief in defeating the enemy that supported them, I am afraid that these young pilots would have collapsed. They are all soldiers of the Empire, excellent soldiers of the Empire, but anyone who has passed by death many times will change.

After eleven o'clock, Luo Yunchong and Hao Dongjue came to the tower, and they were about to despair. None of the three looked into the eastern sky, knowing that there was a death trap for the pilots of the Imperial strategic bombers.

"Look, look, there's a bomber coming back!"

Hearing the shouts of the staff officer next to them, Tan Renhao and the others immediately looked up to the east. A bomber was flying crookedly towards the airfield, and it was still far away, and it was impossible to see the pattern on the bomber. However, this is no longer important, the other bombers that did not return have been confirmed to be shot down, only Jiang Shikuan's plane has not been confirmed.

The pilots on the east side of the airport immediately ran to the lawn outside the end of the runway, and several pilots even set up a human ladder to look a little farther away. Aviation service personnel, as well as officers and soldiers of the Marine Corps, and even doctors and nurses in the medical room were quickly mobilized.

"It's Jiang Shikuan, it's his plane!"

Hao Dongjue shouted first.

Luo Yunchong nodded. "Yes, it's Jiang Shikuan's landline, the engine on the outside of the left wing, and the engine on the inside of the right wing have all been damaged, and it seems that the tail compartment has also been blown off. What a miracle that the bomber actually flew back! ”

"Let's go down and have a look, let the doctor be ready for rescue, and the fire brigade!"

Tan Renhao threw away the cigarette butt, and at this time, he breathed a sigh of relief.

When the bomber began to land, everyone saw it. There was a large hole in the belly of the plane, the entire bomb bay was blown out, and the turret located in the tail of the bomber was blown out. The third below the rudder was gone, and the elevator on the left rear wing was missing. Only two engines of the plane were still running, the engine on the outside of the left wing was completely deformed, the engine on the inside of the right wing was emitting black smoke, and there were at least hundreds of bullet holes in the fuselage, and it was a miracle that the bomber was able to fly back in this situation.

The landing gear of the plane did not come down. It is only possible to make a forced landing with a fuselage. The moment the fuselage touched the runway, the bomber was bounced off again, and then landed on the runway. The fuselage rubbed against the ground with a large number of ground sparks, and the pulp blades on the two engines that were still running immediately hit the ground and then bounced off. The plane slid down the runway for hundreds of meters with its body twisted before it came to a stop in a thick cloud of white smoke.

The fire engine quickly rushed up and sprayed foam fire extinguishing agent on both engines, while several water cannons began to spray water on the fuselage to reduce the temperature of the fuselage and prevent the residual fuel from exploding. The ambulance rushed to the bomber before stopping. Several service personnel used iron rods and shovels to open the front belly door of the cabin. Then. Jiang Shikuan walked out in black clothes. The people around were shocked, no one thought that Jiang Shikuan would be able to get out of the plane by himself.

"Rescue the wounded first. Leave me alone, I'm fine! ”

Jiang Shikuan pushed away the doctor who was going to help him check, "The co-pilot is dying, and the bombardier, the navigator, they are all seriously injured, rescue them first!" ”

Tan Renhao: They also took a ride at this time, and a jeep rushed over.

"Immediately arrange for Lieutenant Colonel Jiang Shikuan to go to the hospital!"

As soon as he jumped out of the car, Luo Yunchong shouted at several Marine officers and soldiers.

Hearing the order, the officers and men of the Marine Corps immediately rushed forward.

"General, I'm fine, I haven't even scratched my skin!"

Jiang Shikuan pushed away several Marine officers and soldiers. "Save my crew members first, damn it, save them first!"

Tan Renhao grabbed Luo Yunchong, and then walked up. "Lieutenant Colonel, your subordinates will be rescued in time, you go to the medical room to check it first, then take a shower, change your clothes, and we will come to you later!"

Jiang Shikuan saw that several injured crew members had been lifted out of the plane. After being sent to the ambulance, he went to the medical room as Tan Renhao instructed. He suffered only minor injuries at first, a piece of skin grazed by shrapnel on his arm, and after a tetanus shot, the nurse helped him bandage the wound.

Tan Renhao They went to find Jiang Shikuan at noon lunch, and at this time, the lieutenant colonel of the aviation corps had already changed into a set of clean clothes, and the smoke and dust on his face and hair had also been washed.

After listening to Jiang Shikuan's narration, several people could only describe it as surprised.

After the engine on the outside of the left wing was hit by an anti-aircraft shell, Jiang Shikuan had to extinguish the fire by diving, and at that time, even he thought that this time he was dead. The fire on the engine was extinguished when the plane dived to an altitude of 1,500 meters, and because of the high-speed dive, the bomber almost fell apart, and by the time he pulled the bomber up, it was already less than 200 meters above the ground. This also allowed Jiang Shikuan to dodge the Japanese fighters above, but the small-caliber anti-aircraft artillery on the ground did not let him go. Just as Jiang Shikuan was about to catch up with the bomber group, the engine on the inside of the right flank was hit by a small-caliber shell, and this time the fire extinguisher worked. The remaining two engines could support the flight of the bombers who had finished dropping bombs, but the speed could only barely be maintained at about 140 knots, and Jiang Shikuan could no longer catch up with the returning group. At this time, only the two gunners above and in front of the bomber survived, including the co-pilot, all the crew members except Jiang Shikuan were either killed or injured, and Jiang Shikuan did not dare to climb high to provoke the Japanese fighters overhead. The bomber struggled to fly at an altitude of 200 meters above land. And the miracle was born at this time, the Japanese air defense fighters did not notice this fighter at all, and the Japanese air defense positions were all prepared around the city, and the bombers mainly entered the waterway. Jiang Shikuan piloted the plane to the north first, and then entered the sea near Heidao.

"I can only say that my life is great, if that shrapnel is a few centimeters off, then we will not be able to come back at all!"

Jiang Shikuan took a sip of water, "But this also reflects a problem!" ”

Luo Yunchong and Tan Renhao nodded at the same time, they had already grasped the main point from Jiang Shikuan's narration.

"Low-altitude bombing?"

Hao Dongjue's reaction was half a beat slower.

"Yes, the bombers flying at low altitudes were intercepted much less, and if we carefully chose the route, we could have avoided the Japanese air defense fighters and bypassed the air defense positions. Moreover, the effect of low-altitude bombing will definitely be much better, which will also increase the efficiency of bombing. ”

Jiang Shikuan said as he looked at Tan Renhao and Luo Yunchong.

"We'll think about this!"

Tan Renhao stood up, "Lieutenant Colonel, you can recuperate from your injuries with peace of mind, we will deal with other things, I think, you won't miss the opportunity to avenge your comrades, right?" ”

Jiang Shikuan gritted his teeth and nodded vigorously, five of his crew members were killed. If it is described in the words of the army, then the nine members of his crew are comrades in a trench, the closest comrades-in-arms, comrades in arms who share life and death, and he will never let his five brothers die in vain.

"Then, you have to recuperate from your injuries with peace of mind, after you return from injury, General Luo will give you a new mission!"

"General, my injury is nothing, even if I leave tomorrow, I won't be left behind!"

Jiang Shikuan stood up.

"There will be no mission tomorrow, maybe in a few days!"

Luo Yunchong also stood up, "Don't worry, I won't miss you, if it's okay these days, you go and see those injured comrades, and also, go and choose new crew members." When the time comes, I won't let you take just four people to heaven! ”

Jiang Shikuan laughed, and he didn't say anything more.

After walking out of Jiang Shikuan's room, Tan Renhao said to Luo Yunchong: "It seems that we haven't noticed this, if we use ultra-low-altitude bombing......"

"This problem has already been reflected."

Luo Yunchong sighed, "In this way, I'll ask the pilot's opinion again, and then write a report." If we want to change our tactics, we need to be fully aware of all aspects! ”

"Yes, I'll contact Guo Ziyu, who is in charge of intelligence, to see what information he has gotten for us. Wait until we have the results, and then let's discuss how to bomb next time! ”

The two of them agreed so, and then went their separate ways to get busy.