Chapter 253: Trouble Going Home
Zhang Sixing began to turn around, but unfortunately, just as Chennault feared, he encountered a cold wind from the north.
As a last resort, Zhang Sixing had no choice but to give an order through the small bulb on the delta wing, and the five delta wings started the engine together.
Thankfully, the propeller blades, which were constantly blown by the wind, kept them from having to pedal to start the engine on the battlefield. In particular, the specially designed smoke exhaust pipe played the role of a muffler, which was the opposite of the later "bombing the street" modification.
According to the test, the noise of the motorcycle engine travels at a distance of less than 80 meters, and when you look at the air from the ground, there is only the sound on the power delta wing the size of an eagle for 500 meters, and not a single sound can be transmitted to the ground.
The delta wings climbed up against the north wind, and soon disappeared into the clouds again with the moon, disappearing into the dark sky.
After completing the bombing, Zhang Sixing looked down, through the bottom of the walkie-talkie,
"Each squad confirms the number of delta wings to ensure that no one is pulled on the battlefield."
The silent bombing carried out by the delta wing is, firstly, to find targets at night, and secondly, the return of pilots.
As for being attacked, trying to find a few delta wings flying silently at night without radar was really a problem that the Japanese pilots could not solve.
Just as a biplane can hover against a monoplane, delta wings are more flexible than an airplane.
When he received the reports from the captains of each squad, Zhang Sixing's heart that he had been carrying was finally put back in his stomach.
Twenty pilots, twenty delta wings and one less. At this moment, under the leadership of Zhang Sixing, they slowly climbed against the north wind.
This brought another worry to Zhang Sixing.
In general, it is impossible for the Japanese to think that something like an eagle in the sky will drop a bomb down.
Because Zhang Sixing and his team were experimenting in the sky, they determined that the flight altitude was above 300 meters through the observation of the ground personnel, and it was difficult to distinguish the glider that was specially made to be somewhat similar to the eagle.
Even if they see it, they can't keep tracking it visually.
However, the judgment based on speculation should not be a reliable result.
Therefore, as soon as they left the battlefield, Zhang Sixing immediately contacted the bombers who took them home and went to the rear of the territorial defense line.
Then Zhang Sixing and his men also began to turn around and fly in the northwest direction.
It's a bit like sailing in the wind, and it doesn't take long for both sides to reach their predetermined positions.
However, just as he judged that the Japanese fighters could not find them, the bomber in the sky who came to pick them up did not find them.
Although the twenty eagle wings flickered the small light above, the eagle wings themselves could not accurately judge the altitude, nor did they have flight instruments.
Although the gas lamps released from the navigation points on the ground and hung on the kite still filied their light, the bombers and delta wings still did not find each other.
"Flashlight, shake with flashlight, we sweep the ground and fly......"
As the minutes ticked by, the pilots of the bombers, who were in a hurry, proposed a plan to die.
Despite the anxiety in his heart, Zhang Sixing still wanted to reject this idea of death. It is true that this is a plain area, even if there are mountains that are only one or two hundred meters of hills, but they fly over the ground in the dark.
It is impossible for the pilot of the bomber to see the flashlight of the delta wing for communication.
Alas, it was so difficult to communicate with the plane in the dark, and was there any good way for us to go back on our own, even by land.
By Road?
This is not a good choice on such a battlefield where the Japanese do not know from which direction they will attack.
Even if they find a bomber to pick them up, it will not be easy to get on a plane and go home.
The pilots of the D1A/Type 94 dive bomber lowered their altitude and looked at the low, self-inflating gas lamps hanging from kites in the distance.
Those gas lamps were cast by the cavalry, after all, there were not many motorcycles left in Zhang Sixing's hands now, so he had to use cavalry to do this.
When there is no wind, the horses have to run to keep the gas lights floating in the sky.
The bomber slowly approached the ground at a small angle, and at the same time did not reduce the output of the engine, only in this way could the maneuverability of the fighter be ensured, and the timely lifting or dodging of obstacles could be ensured.
"Give the signal."
The pilot yelled over the radio, then at the machine gunner in the back seat.
"Look at the dots, don't miss it."
At this time, the pilots on the delta wing began to shake their flashlights downward, especially in the direction of the bomber's engine.
In the dark of night, the sound of the muffler engine of the motorcycle is too quiet, but the sound of the bomber engine is much louder, and the flashlight will show the bomber the position of the glider.
When the moon hid in the clouds, the ground was only dark from the sky. Not far away as navigation, the kite chandelier released by the cavalry, the fighter plane may have already crashed into the ground.
The closer the plane got to the ground, the more the pilot's heart beat like a drum.
Originally, when the wind was good, Zhang Sixing and the oil they brought were enough to fly back to Jurong. However, when the wind is headwinding, the only thing they can rely on is their fighter.
"I saw it, I saw it."
"Keep an eye on it, don't lose it."
At the roar of the heavyers in the back seat, the pilot pulled the bomber and began to climb, and the heavys in the back seat kept staring at the delta wing, which was not easy to distinguish in the dark night.
Now that he had made contact with the bombers, Zhang Sixing fired a green flare.
The kite lights that were supposed to be navigational went off at about the same time, because they were no longer needed. Now their task was to retreat as soon as possible, after all, the Japanese had more cavalry and better mobility.
Things seemed to go much smoother below, and the bomber kept flying at maximum speed in front of the delta wing, while releasing a rope.
Originally, it was extremely difficult to "recover" a delta wing in the air, even during the day. However, Zhang Sixing still thought of a way through future hose-type air refueling.
The bomber dropped a rope with a small light bulb at the end, and a small two-piece wing and a short vertical wing at the end of the rope to keep it stable horizontally and vertically.
The ropes dragging the lights through the delta wings were finally connected together.
"Fixation completed."
When the last of the four lines was completely fixed, a signal was sent to the bomber. The bomber, who finally put his heart back in his stomach, began to increase his momentum and took Zhang Sixing and them back to the field airfield outside Jurong City.
At this time, a large kite also flew up on the field airfield and was dragged into the sky by car.
The bright lights in the distance, which almost lit up the night sky, showed the bombers the way back.
It was only then that all those who participated in the operation had their hearts back in their stomachs and were filled with pride that they had participated in the most wonderful air raid of their lives.