Episode 108 Coming to Tokyo

(Sorry, there was a clerical error in the previous chapter, but the Tianshu sub-fleet should be three fighter groups. Three large aircraft carriers, each with two groups, about 80 or so. When we say "two fighter groups" in the previous chapter, we should be referring to the number of mobile fighters that can be dispatched. There is also a group that cannot be sent out, and it has to be left to do reconnaissance and protect the aircraft carrier formation itself. ）

……

At 4:50 a.m. on the 16th, the eastern sky slowly turned from pitch black to deep blue. This indicates that soon the white belly of the fish will appear in the east, and then the first light will appear, and the dawn will come.

In the night sky, where there was only a little visibility, a large number of Ming planes circled over the fleet, waiting for the planes that were still flying one after another to enter the formation. The whole sea and sky can only hear a deafening low roar, and there are countless red bright spots, flashing and flashing, as if the sky is full of stars. It was a small light at the ends of the wing of the plane, indicating its position to friendly aircraft.

The bomber formation was already the first to assemble in the sky above. A green flare on the flagship soared into the air, and at the same time, the signal light on the bridge kept flashing, giving a signal to "march towards the target".

This signal was given specifically to the bomber formation. The bomber leader was searching for this order. At this moment, he didn't speak, pushed down the joystick, and accelerated to the north. The other bombers basically saw the signal and did not speak, but just stopped circling and followed the leader plane to the north.

The bomber fleet was well fueled, and each always took off first, formed first, and then circled in the sky waiting for fighters. After completing the mission and returning home, the fighter group was also allowed to land first, and the bomber group circled and waited.

Now the bomber group has disappeared into the darkness of the north first. The fighter formations above the fleet also quickly took shape, roaring after the bomber group.

This mission is not about the first attack wave and the second attack wave. The bombers all came out of the nest at once, bombed them in a short and quick way, and then quickly ran away. When the time comes, if you blow it up well, you will have to run away if it is not fried well. If you don't know how to face a fighter with half of the island of Honshu, it will be miserable.

After the departure of the attack group, half of the fighters of the one group left, that is, two squadrons, also took off one after another, establishing a cordon around the aircraft carrier formation.

……

During the hour, the eastern sky turned from dark blue to light blue, and then to fish-belly white, and the first light appeared behind the sea level...... Later, the spectacular sunrise over the sea begins. The sun showed a small horn, and suddenly the sea and the sky were shining, as if they were ten times brighter at once, as if someone had suddenly turned on the lights.

The biggest challenge of the Ming army fleet before was flight safety, ensuring that there would be no collision in the dark, flying into the sea and other things. Now that the sight is suddenly good, the biggest challenge is to hide from the Japanese alert planes and ships.

In fact, this is also the biggest challenge of this dawn attack. It is said that the biggest advantage of dawn attack is that most of the enemies are still asleep at this time, and they are the most able to attack them unprepared; The second is that it was still dark when I went, and I was able to use the darkness to hide my whereabouts, and it was not easy for the enemy to find out. However, there are pros and cons. Not to mention the difficulty of taking off in the dark, forming formations, and maintaining the route and formation, the key is to accurately grasp the departure time and speed of the route according to the voyage. It is necessary to make sure that the darkness is used to cover the whereabouts as much as possible when you go, and it is necessary to make sure that the sky is bright enough when you arrive at the place to not affect the line of sight of the attack. This is always the hardest to grasp.

But this time it seems to be a good grasp. Visibility is getting higher and the risk of exposure is increasing, but it's only a ten-minute voyage off the coast of Japan. In the previous sneak attack on Okinawa, it was when they were close to the target and constantly encountered Japanese alert forces. The Ming army did not expect to be able to touch the enemy's bedside without being detected. They now know that the Japanese army is not a Qing army, and the Japanese army is much more serious in its work, and has a much stronger sense of responsibility. This is the mainland of Japan, and the vigilance must be much stronger than the Okinawa base.

Sure enough, the scene before the sneak attack on Okinawa was repeated. A destroyer appeared on the surface of the sea below, dragging long white streaks from north to south. Needless to say, it's definitely Japanese.

However, unlike Okinawa, this time the Japanese destroyers did not immediately open fire without saying a word. The two sides quickly brushed along. At the same time, hurried Japanese appeared on the radio of the Ming army group, as if asking about their identities.

The pilots of the Ming army were secretly happy in their hearts, and they kept silent very tacitly, not saying a word. The Japanese probably never expected that the Ming army's aircraft would appear here, only a few dozen kilometers from Tokyo. Probably they thought that the Ming aircraft carrier formation was still wandering along the front line of the Ryukyu Islands. The destroyer captain must have been confused, so he radioed the question.

However, it is certain that he has now reported to the base. It is only a few dozen kilometers from Yokosuka, and this destroyer must have come out of the Yokosuka military port to cruise, and it will definitely report directly to the Yokosuka base. The Ming pilots all sweated, and their hearts rose to their throats.

Now visibility is already high, and bombing is no longer a problem. Then it is naturally normal to be discovered by the enemy. However, now that we are only a few minutes away from Tokyo Bay, we can already see the mountains of Honshu Island in the distance. Even if the Japanese airport is alerted now, it should not be able to fly within a few minutes. As long as the fighters at one airfield can be successfully annihilated on the ground, then even if most of the fighters at another airfield fly up, the Ming army will be able to ensure the safety of the bombers with two enemies and one enemy.

……

A few minutes later, the Ming army's fleet grazed the Japanese coastline and flew into the land of Kanagawa Prefecture. To their right is the entrance to Tokyo Bay, and in front of them is the first target, Atsugi Airport.

Tokyo Bay is a large bay with a north-south direction, a depth of 65 kilometers and a width of 15 kilometers. On the west side of the entrance to the bay is a small peninsula called the Miura Peninsula, and the city of Yokosuka (Minato) is located on the Miura Peninsula, guarding the mouth of Tokyo Bay. And 30 kilometers northwest of Yokosuka is the city of Atsugi. The Ming attack aircraft group swept over Yokosuka, but did not drop bombs, but divided into two lines over Yokosuka, one directly north to attack Atsugi Airfield, 30 kilometers away, and the other northeast, sweeping the entire Tokyo Bay, to attack Yachiyo Airfield, 60 kilometers away.

Although it is far from the battlefield and has not been at war for many years, Japan deserves to be called a "militaristic country" that has made a lot of trouble, and the level of vigilance is really amazing. In the few minutes since the destroyer discovered the aircraft group, the port of Yokosuka has reverberated with a terrible air defense siren. When the Ming army group swept over Yokosuka Harbor, although the land anti-aircraft guns had not yet reacted in place, the warships in the port reacted the fastest, and some anti-aircraft guns were already shooting into the sky.

The Ming army aircraft did not dare to slack off, pinched a handful of sweat, and accelerated towards Atsugi Airport.

Moments later, the group flew over Atsugi Airport.

- Fortunately, as expected, although there was a lot of chaos below, not a single plane had flown yet.

The team leader pulled the goggles and ordered:

"Attack!"