Chapter 1387: Surprise Attack on Hampton (3rd update, please subscribe)

The pilot waiting room, also known as the pilot response room, was not spacious, with only a few dozen simple chairs, and many pilots could only stand in the aisle. On the blackboard hanging on the wall of the waiting room, it was written the current position of the flagship: 156 nautical miles southeast of Hampton.

"stand at attention."

As soon as he entered the waiting room, Lü Deren shouted commands, and the pilots stood up and saluted Wu Anping.

Wu Anping pursed his lips in return and nodded slightly to these pilots. The outcome of this battle is still unknown, but these young pilots are about to make history!

They will fundamentally change the way naval warfare is fought.

"Gentlemen... attack!"

These five simple words, though small, are full of power.

"salute."

When the pilots rushed out of the waiting room, the ground crew and sailors on the deck all saluted the pilots. Their eyes followed the direction the pilots ran in and there were no more words at this time. Everything was in this salute.

Lu Deren was the last one to leave the waiting room. He took a special look at the waiting room and then sighed.

As he walked towards his plane, he saw Staff Officer Qiu Zhenzhi Qiu standing on the flight deck, looking at him seriously. The two smiled and said nothing.

"You know what? Actually, I don't like aircraft carriers."

Holding Lu Deren's hand, Qiu Zhenzhi said.

"We had almost nothing to do with it. They attacked from hundreds of miles away. We couldn't even smell the gunpowder. It was so boring."

Lu Deren laughed.

"This is the characteristic of aviation combat. Don't underestimate it. Although we don't know it now, I am sure that it will be its era in the future!"

"I hope so. When you come back, we can discuss aviation operations in detail."

Sometimes, nothing is said.

On the bridge, the sea breeze was whistling, the deck was busy, and the sky was still dark. There was no trace of the line between the water and the sky.

After saying goodbye to his friends, Lu Deren said hello to the people gathered at the flight control center. This was considered a farewell to them.

"I wish you success."

Amid the greetings and encouragements from the crowd, Lü Deren walked towards his plane. The tail of his commander-in-chief plane was painted with red and yellow logos, and these two colors were very eye-catching even at night.

When Qiu Zhenzhi arrived at the bridge, he saw the fleet commander Wu Anping and the fleet officers and staff standing there watching the air force's departure.

"Sir, you see everyone's morale is high, everyone is ready to attack."

Wu Anping nodded and said.

"Morale is high, the timing and location are favorable, and everyone believes that we will definitely win."

As soon as he finished speaking, Wu Anping slapped the railing. What a pity... I can't witness the battle with my own eyes.

Air combat... is really boring!

A second lieutenant from the ground crew was waiting for Lü Deren next to the commander-in-chief's plane. When the service commander, wearing a yellow vest, saw Captain Lü approaching, he bowed deeply to him and handed him a white cloth with both hands.

"Captain, this is a small gift from the ground crew. We cannot launch an attack with you. But we are also very eager to fight alongside you. Please be sure to accept it!"

The words "Serve the country with loyalty" were written on the white cloth. Lü Deren nodded, took it with both hands, and tied it on his flight cap.

Cultures influenced each other. Millions of Japanese women went abroad to marry the Ming Dynasty and millions of samurai went to Africa to expand the territory, which made Japanese culture penetrate into the empire. This kind of fighting with a cloth band tied on the head is a tradition of Japanese samurai. In Japan, it is called "Bokan". Wearing a headscarf shows the determination and will to fight. It is a "gesture" and also a psychological "mobilization".

On the surface, it seems that its appearance in the imperial army is influenced by Japanese culture, but in fact it is just a return to tradition - the ancient Chinese army also had this habit, called "headband". During war, there were armors. Once the helmet was put on, it was not easy to take it off at will. However, during fighting, the body would sweat a lot. It would be dangerous if the sweat flowed into the eyes on the battlefield. Wrapping a cloth strip on the forehead could prevent the sweat from flowing into the eyes, especially in the Han, Tang, Song and Ming dynasties. Because of the high rate of armor, most soldiers in the army used "headband" to prevent sweat.

After boarding the plane, Lu Deren gave the ground crew commander a thumbs up. They smiled at each other. Today they would fight side by side as they did in the past.

At this time, the flight command post of the "Jingwei" issued the take-off order. While raising the start signal flag, the ground crew standing on the deck gave the signal - "Start the launch."

With the help of the ground crew, the aircraft engine started to turn. The aircraft carrier turned the rudder and soon sailed against the wind.

Southeast wind.

The "Z" flag on the mast fluttered in the wind, making a rustling sound.

After the engine test, all the aircraft on the deck turned on their navigation lights, and the red navigation lights on the wings flashed under the vibration of the mule propellers.

"take off."

At the same time as the flight command center issued instructions, the ground crew on the deck kept drawing circles with green signal lights, and the fighter planes in front of the flight deck began to take off.

The plane began to taxi under the roar of the 210-horsepower radial engine of the Holly B. The people who saw it off looked at the plane nervously. Some even clasped their hands together as if they were praying. Under the people's expectant gaze, the plane, which was accelerating, suddenly took off, and the second plane followed closely behind it. Then there was a storm of cheers on the ship.

The people on the deck waved their hats and arms to see off the pilots.

At the same time, the ship's photographers filmed the takeoff process from multiple directions. The videos they shot would not only serve as tactical teaching, but would also become moments in news films, which was the best patriotic propaganda.

Fighters took off from the three aircraft carriers one after another, totaling 124 aircraft. These aircraft, based on the indicator lights of the commander's aircraft, took about 18 minutes to gather over the fleet and form an attack formation.

The whole process was as perfect as during training.

Under the guidance of Commander-in-Chief Lu Deren, the huge fleet of aircraft circled over the fleet for a week before flying towards the target. All officers and soldiers of the fleet, regardless of rank, looked up at the sky and saluted the fleet of aircraft as they flew by.

It was not until the indicator lights of the aircraft group disappeared in the night sky for a long time that Wu Anping put down his right hand and gave the order.

"Order the fleet to implement sea and air alert."

Now that the mission is halfway completed, they will next wait here for the return of the fleet, and then decide whether to launch a second wave of attacks based on the situation.

I hope everything goes well!

Gazing at the sea-sky line in the distance, people thought silently in their hearts, behind the commander-in-chief's plane, there were sixty planes led by Lu Deren, carrying 300 kg armor-piercing bombs. Five hundred meters to the right, flying two hundred meters lower than them, was a torpedo fleet composed of sixty torpedo attacks commanded by Major Li Tianyu.

Five hundred meters to the left, flying two hundred meters higher than the dive bomber group, were four combat reconnaissance planes. They were on guard and providing cover five hundred meters above the formation, and at the same time, they would use cameras to film the bombing scene.

The reason why there are so few fighter planes is because... there is no need, because apart from the planes, they are the only existence in the air, and after dropping the bombs, the other sea hollies are transformed into fighter planes.

When the fleet was flying, the rear-seat machine gunners were all looking at the sky vigilantly.

From another world's perspective, the Holly is outdated and old-fashioned - old-fashioned biplane structure, open cockpit, a speed of only 225 kilometers per hour and a maximum ceiling of 4,000 meters. All this is simply not worth mentioning.

But for the current Imperial Navy, it is a very efficient weapon. This biplane is not only sturdy in structure, but also has a wide range of uses. It can be used as a fighter for anti-airship operations, as well as for attack missions. Whether it is used for horizontal bombing, dive bombing or torpedo attack, it can perfectly perform various tasks.

From the perspective of the times, the "Sea Holly" is definitely the most perfect aircraft.

At this time, the sky was covered with thick clouds, with a height of two thousand meters.

After staring at the clouds, Lu Deren immediately sent a signal, and then the fleet of aircraft began to gradually rise to the clouds and started flying above the clouds, so as to use the clouds to conceal the existence of the fuselage.

Six o'clock, Zhongdu time.

Dawn began to break in the east. The dark sea of ​​clouds gradually turned white with the appearance of the sun. The leaden sky gradually turned into azure blue. After a while, a red sun rose from the eastern sea and the edge of the sea was golden red.

"This sunrise is so beautiful! It looks like a good day."

While admiring the beauty of the sunrise, Lu Deren chuckled in his heart.

“What a pity…”

What is he regretting?

Is it a pity about the weather?

Only he knew that Lü Deren, who was in a good mood at the moment, looked back at the fleet. The captain of the nearest aircraft squadron, Lieutenant Li Chen, turned his head and waved and smiled at him. The planes were particularly dazzling under the morning sun.

Under the sunshine, blue-gray planes are flying in the sky.

"Calculate position."

After Lu Deren gave the order, the rear machine gunner Sun An - he was not only a machine gunner but also a route planner. Sun An took a look at the speedometer, then took out the sextant, measured the latitude facing the sun, and then used the longitude table to calculate the economy while recording the distance, speed and direction on the flight chart.

"Sir, we are 35 kilometers off course. After adjusting our course, at our current speed, we will arrive at Hampton Roads around 7:30 Eastern Time."

7:30, exactly as planned.

There will be another update in the evening. The old group is down, so I have created a new book club group: 739209015. Everyone is welcome to join and discuss and deduce the plot together.

(End of this chapter)