Canteen System Assistance Notes

The group of British "Hurricanes" with blue and white identification stripes did not stop, and did not even think of checking their own results. They continued to dive like "terrorists" and escaped into the distance. After performing multiple evasive maneuvers, Matsuo Hanekiri, who was no longer at the altitude, once again saw the clear and bright sky at 7000 meters, where a group of agile and dynamic shadows began to dive.

Kuso! It's the naked l16, why are they here too!

From a rookie to a veteran, Matsuo Hanekiri knew that during a relatively high-speed dive attack, the pilot needed to withstand the interference of red vision and weightlessness to make decisions in the fleeting window and seize the opportunity. Therefore, only excellent pilots could use this tactic.

Once the altitude advantage is gained, a dive attack boosted by gravity can often completely destroy the enemy's life. Therefore, even though the Zero-11 fighter at this time had problems such as dive vibration, insufficient structural strength, and difficulty in aiming, in the Bishan air battle, the Zero fighter, which was known for its circling ability, could still perform a dive attack tactic and shoot down the Kuomintang aircraft without any damage.

Thousands of flight hours of experience began to take effect, and Hanekiri Matsuo redoubled his efforts. Withstanding the intense G-load and immense force from the cockpit, he executed another "SM-breaking" evasive maneuver, dodging the incoming ballistic trajectory. This time, instead of quickly leveling out for a fight, he predicted the enemy's dive recovery point based on the trajectory of the ballistic missile, which was laced with tracer bullets, and squeezed the trigger fiercely.

Bang, bang, bang! The violent vibrations of the 20mm cannon nearly caused the entire plane to lose control, but when the Black Vision returned, Matsuo Hanekiri finally saw a 116 diving down, bursting into flames and falling crookedly. It's not so easy to escape from the battle in front of my Imperial Sea Eagle!

Fiercely, Matsuo Hagiri pulled hard on the joystick, catching two more of his "donkeys" that had lost speed. His adrenaline surged, and he gripped the joystick tightly, repeatedly pulling the trigger, intent on once again shooting down these foolish peasant soldiers who had dared to defy the Imperial pilots. But this time, the curved 20mm cannon failed to register a kill. The two 116mm aircraft in his sight dodged left and right, only being hit by a few rounds of machine gun bullets, without sustaining any significant damage.

"Red Army horse shit, Red Army horse shit!"

This constant stream of missed shots, while also having to distract himself from sudden attacks, was too much for even this veteran of the naval aviation force. The enemy now held a commanding advantage, with each plane of the Third Squadron being entangled by at least several enemy aircraft, making it difficult for them to support each other. And yet, the two "targets" before him tirelessly switched positions, providing cover for each other, turning the battle into a protracted battle of physical exhaustion—damn it! Why did that pilot from Unit 16 always keep turning right?

Once, twice, three times, four times, after countless high-intensity maneuvers, the sturdy Matsuo Hanekiri was already straining his muscles, sweat pouring down his face. His vision began to blur, his controls began to distort, and his steering became sluggish. During another violent dive and right turn, the exhausted Matsuo Hanekiri finally could no longer generate sufficient steering angle, and he watched helplessly as his plane rushed into the direct line of sight of a 116.

Oops.......

Before he could react, the combined trajectory of Scars and Lao Gan Ma lashed out like a whip. "Ga-ga-ga!" Amidst the whine of duralumin, an intense feeling of weightlessness gripped him. An Tianjiang, captain of the 4th Squadron, 2nd Battalion, Eighth Route Army Fighter Group, had achieved his first Zero victory.

Chapter 355: Dare to ask the eagle to kill the monsters

The Yellow River rushed across the land of southern Shanxi, and an extremely fierce air battle was breaking out. Zero fighters, Type 96 land attack aircraft, Hurricanes, and Type 116s were constantly falling from the sky, but the former were obviously falling faster than the latter.

With superior intelligence and early warning, the Eighth Route Army utilized its fleet coordination capabilities to the fullest, organizing two fighter groups of 24 Hurricanes and 24 116s to collectively attack the 12 most formidable Zeros. Leveraging the "key tactics against Zeros" that had been taught and practiced in advance—even Comrade Liu Helian personally piloted a simulated Zero, acting as the Air Force's imaginary enemy—the nascent Red Air Force unexpectedly gained a slight advantage in the fierce battle against the Zeros, leaving the veterans of the naval aviation fleet struggling and in a state of disarray.

After the two sides engaged in close combat, the experience gap of hundreds and thousands of hours and personal qualities began to play a tenacious role.

Even though they underestimated the enemy due to their confidence in their aircraft's performance and mistakenly drew upon their experience in the previous aerial battle with Guojian, the 12th Flight's 12 Zero fighters, despite being repeatedly attacked and forced into dives starting at 7000 meters, were still able to maintain a combat-ready fleet of eight aircraft. They seized the fleeting opportunity presented by the 16s and Hurricanes as they pulled out of their dives, forcibly redirected their aircraft in an extremely unfavorable tactical situation, and launched an attack, shooting down two 16s and severely damaging one Hurricanes and one Donkey.

The remaining 40-odd fighters of the Eighth Route Army were not intimidated by the losses. They formed pairs and four-plane formations, firmly grasped the altitude advantage, and continuously launched dive attacks and two-plane scissor-type evasive maneuvers, rejecting all temptations to enter into circling dogfights, constantly consuming the altitude on which the Zero depended for survival, squeezing its evasive space - immediately, another already injured Zero had a section of its rear fuselage cut off by the 4-unit Lao Gan Ma modified Hurricane, and fell straight down.

Even in a scene like air combat, which requires great attention to the art of flying, personal bravery will eventually be completely overwhelmed by correct tactics and absolute military superiority.

-----one--

On the other hand, the Type 96 land attack tank, which suffered a heavy blow, was completely different from the Zero fighter in its ability to fight to the bitter end.

The Kanoya and Kaohsiung squadrons, already using the old Type 96 Land Attack Type 11, lacked sufficient chances to struggle against the sturdy and powerful F4F Wildcat. If they could successfully merge with the Zero fighter, the naval pilots, with good coordination, could also use a double-altitude cover tactic, using the Land Attack Type 11 as bait to attract enemy fire and create opportunities for the Zero to attack.

But now... Boom, boom, boom!

A twelve-plane Wildcat interceptor team launched interceptor rockets modified with proximity fuses at the several crews in the center of the formation, dispersing the tight formation of the bombers. Their advanced high-frequency vibration sensors were capable of detecting any metal within a five-meter radius, triggering the "Hangjian 82"'s discrete rod warhead, which contained a two-kilogram charge, shredding any structures within the kill radius.

"Shoot, shoot, ahhhhhhh!"

The machine gunner shouted feebly, unconcerned about whether anyone could hear him. The 77mm swivel machine gun, with its visual detection and human fire control, was powerless to hit the high-speed enemy plane. Even if it luckily managed to land a hit, it would only scratch the swooping wildcat. Those unlucky enough were ripped apart by the .50mm ammunition belts, which spun like tiny carrots, and turned into a puff of blood.

After the formation was broken up, the lone land attack plane on the edge of the team began to be besieged by multiple Wildcats. Six fire chains mixed with tracer bullets attacked repeatedly, and soon several land attack planes fell.

Enduring the roar of metal, the detonation of fuel and ammunition, the remaining Type 96 land attack aircraft finally gave way. The bombardier lowered the trigger, releasing the 80kg of explosives carried by the belly of the aircraft, tilling the barren ground. The lightened weight of the Type 96 land attack aircraft swung clumsily, began to turn and disengage, abandoning the mission.

Because the high altitudes were occupied by the enemy, and those short, thick and sturdy enemy planes obviously had good high-altitude performance, the land attack pilots did not choose the usual method of increasing altitude and climbing to avoid the enemy, but instead accelerated their dive, intending to rush into the complex river valleys and gullies at low altitude, relying on the terrain to avoid attacks.

At the same time, the Type 96 land attack aircraft that replaced the lead aircraft fired two flares, one red and one green, in the air.

"White Cat, Omio, Diao Pai, and Super Squadron, visually fire red and green flares at the enemy land attack!"

The Japanese Zeros lacked radios, while the Type 96 Land Attack Marines did. As soon as the squadron leader, piloting the "Wildcat Lanju," saw the flares flickering and swaying in the sky, he knew something was amiss. These Japanese naval fighters clearly lacked the "determination" of the Japanese army fighters they had encountered before. Even when intercepted, they insisted on maintaining their formation and attempting to complete their mission.

"Blue Moon! The Japs have abandoned their bombs and are fleeing at low altitude, 120 degrees, altitude 3000!"

This tiered interception tactic, designed according to the Army's style, had clearly gone awry. The Blue Moon squadron of the 16th Squadron, stationed on the second line, "had no chance to engage the enemy at all." According to the original plan, the Japanese should have at least attempted to break through the interception team of "only 12 planes," taking advantage of the "main force being entangled by the escort fighters" to penetrate deep into the base and complete the bombing!

In the distance, the besieged Zeros fired a red and a green flare in response. The Japs were ready to flee—but with only twenty or so land attack aircraft left, there was no way they could be captured with just twelve Wildcats! "Lanju 05, Lanju 09! Prioritize the damaged ones, and leave a few more!"

“I understand!/I understand!”

As long as they could hold on tight and wait for their Zero fighter comrades to solve the problem and come to support them, there was still a chance to shoot down all these big guys! The "Lanju" squadron, cheering up, ignored the fact that more than half of their onboard ammunition had been consumed and concentrated their firepower on the previously injured Type 96 Land Attack, determined to turn the "injury" into a "shootdown".

But on the other side, the Zero fighters that had fired their signal flares didn't continue to exploit their potential energy, darting to low altitude and turning to escape, as the Eighth Route Army Air Force had imagined. As if on schedule, these Zero fighters, lacking even onboard radios, descended to a low altitude below 1500 meters. Then, almost relying on training and tacit understanding, they swayed left and right to avoid the pursuers' chain of fire, circling in a continuous line.

Damn! It's the Lufberg defensive circle!

The remaining seven Zero fighters were like poisonous snakes biting their tails, continuously turning left and circling in the air. Each plane could cover the tail of the teammate in front, and they were also under the protection of their teammates. Any enemy plane that wanted to attack the fighters in the formation had to expose its tail to our firepower.

This tactic, originating from World War I, lacked offensive power, but was a highly effective defensive air combat formation in the age of cannon dogfights, even proved effective in dogfights against the first generation of jet aircraft. While the Eighth Route Army Air Force could also organize such a formation, they were far from able to match the speed of these Japanese pilots, and they were unable to achieve continuous coordination without radio transmissions.

Immediately, two reckless Hurricanes tried to attack inexperiencedly, but were caught by the rear hemisphere of a Zero and fired at, causing serious damage. Fortunately, the Hurricane had a sturdy steel tube frame. After being hit by a 20-gun shell and several 7-shell shells, it was still able to control the aircraft and look for an opportunity to make an emergency landing.

The level of the naval aviation pilots who were able to fly Zero fighters in 1940 was indeed not comparable to that of the Eighth Route Army, which had only been in contact with the Air Force for three and a half years.

"These damn devils! Who has 82mm air arrows? Give them a volley!"

An Tianjiang, observing from a circular orbit, witnessed the entire process of his comrades being severely damaged and shouted anxiously on the radio. The 16th of the "White Cat" squadron was equipped with air superiority mounts and lacked the rails or rocket pods to launch rockets. The "Lan Ju" and "Blue Moon" aircraft, equipped with interceptor rockets, were chasing the 96th land attack aircraft from a distance and had no time to pay attention to this.

An Tianjiang wasn't without the courage to fight to the death, but air combat wasn't land warfare, so he remained calm. His squadron hadn't mastered targeted techniques like yaw fire, and charging forward would only inflict casualties of eight hundred of their own while injuring a thousand of the enemy. Next, the Japanese would likely protect each other, circling and climbing, gradually disengaging from the battlefield. All he needed to do was to return to high altitude with his comrades, guarding against those experienced fighters who, exploiting the cloud cover and regaining altitude, could launch a counterattack.

During the training, the instructor who was flying the "special plane" used this trick to "shoot down" An Tianjiang once when he was at a disadvantage, which left a deep impression on him.

"Damn you, sir... White Cat Squadron, everyone! Prepare to ascend and leave the battlefield. But be careful, watch out for the Japs coming back from the south."

The previous fierce battle with the Zero fighters had cost the White Cat Squadron one aircraft, severely damaged another, and injured several more. With fewer than ten aircraft remaining, the "White Cat Squadron" broke free from the circling Lüfberg circle and began to gradually climb. At this point in the battle, the enemy's tactical intentions had been thwarted, and forcing a kill on this porcupine with its spines erected would probably be a losing proposition.

Not only the White Cats, but also the four squadrons responsible for the siege of the Zero fighters, under unified command, began to gradually climb and count their ammunition. With the exception of two squadrons that planned to remain to monitor the circling Japanese, the fighters with better ammunition and fuel reserves prepared to leave the battlefield and join the pursuit of the 96th Land Attack Force.

But the battlefield situation in the air always changes rapidly without warning.

In formation air combat, the positions of fighters flying at hundreds of kilometers per hour were constantly changing. Using wide-circle tactics, the Zero fighters, disengaging southward along the Yellow River, soon saw the continuous plateaus flanking the river suddenly flatten into the typical plains of southern Shanxi.

If they continued south and turned east, they would reach the Yuncheng Airport, which was controlled by the army. Although relations were strained, it could still accommodate emergency landings. However, what these agile sea eagles had not anticipated was that this area of ​​​​dramatically changing terrain had another name.

Yumenkou.

There is a Yellow River Bridge under construction by the Eighth Route Army, only 20 kilometers away from Hancheng.

At the bridge construction site, air raid sirens had already sounded twice, prompting the evacuation of personnel to air-raid shelters. At either end of the bridge, the camouflaged anti-aircraft positions had already removed their gun covers and pointed the barrels of two Bofors tanks high into the sky. "Attention, Air Force squadrons! This is the 'Roller'! Maintain altitude, avoid anti-aircraft fire!"

Chapter 356: Air Battle over the Yellow River

When the low-altitude Lüfberg defense circle collided with the barrage of 40 Bofors and 75 Bofors anti-aircraft guns, the fate of the Zero fighter was already determined.

Despite the impressive accuracy of the 75mm anti-aircraft guns, which still used manual time fuses, the Zero fighters, at an altitude of only about 1500 meters, were still forced to disperse by the black cloud of exploding anti-aircraft shells. Continuing to circle was tantamount to suicide, and not circling was also tantamount to suicide. Even in broad daylight, many Zero fighter pilots felt trapped in a dying jungle of flickering orange light, like a boat tossing and flopping on the crest of a storm wave, desperately trying to cling to life.

It's not that there were no Zero fighters that attempted a desperate fight. In order to cover the evacuation of the squadron leader, Fujiwara Kihei of the 1st Squadron, 12th Air Force, rushed to the anti-aircraft artillery position alone and fired continuously in an attempt to suppress the 75mm anti-aircraft gun that was firing continuously. However, he was immediately hit by the 40mm Bofors and M2 anti-aircraft machine guns that were guarding him. He was hit by several bullets and exploded in the air. This time, the pilot who had already lost a Zero fighter was buried in the Chinese sky along with his second plane.

With anti-aircraft fire below and enemy aircraft circling above, the troubled Zero, no matter how excellent its performance, could not withstand such a massive combined attack. The surviving commander, Suzuki Minoru, had no choice but to fire two red flares, announcing the disbandment of the formation and everyone's escape.

In the unfamiliar land of North China, once the Zero fighter 11 without a radio was disbanded, its fate could be imagined.

On November 14, 1940, the Eighth Route Army shot down 6 invincible Zero fighters and damaged 4 at the cost of 4 fighter planes shot down, 2 fighter planes scrapped, 6 fighter planes damaged, and 3 pilots sacrificed. It also shot down 12 Type 96 land attack planes and damaged 4, successfully achieving a loss ratio of 1 to 3.

The Type 96 land attack aircraft managed to escape in time and did not encounter the second and third interception echelons that were hit by interceptor rockets, nor did it crash into the key air defense positions in Fushe. It successfully returned to Hankou Airport and the losses were not too bad. However, the Zero fighter was not so lucky. Lacking navigation, the Zero fighter had to either make an emergency landing in the wild or turn around and fly to the nearest Army Yuncheng Airport.

There, the unfortunate squad leader, Minoru Suzuki, bleeding from wounds, with blurred vision and unfamiliarity with the area, mistakenly used the pristine Yuncheng Salt Pond as a landing strip. During landing, his plane crashed through the salt crust and sank into the lake. Fortunately, the Japanese city defense troops stationed there took the risk and rescued the squad leader, who had fainted from the pain of brine invading his head wound, thus saving him from circulatory failure and becoming a salt-baked rooster.

Even worse, the pilots who had made an emergency landing on the runway at Yangtsuji were not greeted with hot cocoa tea and red bean rice cakes. Instead, they were confronted by the Army Air Force, a situation that ended only when a barrage of mortar fire from the guerrillas outside the city destroyed another Zero fighter on the runway. Furious, the Army Air Force ordered the defense team to seize the remaining two Zero fighters, awaiting a subsequent showdown with the Navy's idiots.

In this way, including those that crashed due to being lost and could not be repaired after landing, the Japanese Navy lost a total of 10 Zeros and 2 were detained by the Army.

14 Type 96 land attack aircraft were completely lost, severely damaging the team's vitality.

"Extra edition, Extra edition! The 18th Group Army Air Force in northern Shaanxi defeated the Japanese invaders in the air battle over the Yellow River, shooting down over ten enemy planes! Buy a copy of the Extra edition, sir! The 18th Group Army Air Force defeated the Japanese invaders and brought glory to our country!"

Newsboys waved freshly printed newspapers and shouted hard on the streets of the mountain city, bringing a touch of warmth like sunshine to this rainy and sad city.

Aside from the natural elements of rain, the mountain city at that moment had no effective defense against the Japanese bombing raids. Repeated bombings before the winter of 40 had burned houses and killed civilians. The backwardness of the civil defense system and the corruption of the Chiang Kai-shek administration further exacerbated the devastation of war. The despair that followed the Bishan air battle was even more unbearable.

Victory, victory, the mountain city needs a victory so much at this moment.

When the news of the Yellow River air battle arrived, the entire mountain city erupted in excitement. Our troops had shot down over ten enemy planes in one go!

For a time, the "New China Daily" and "Jiuwang Daily" were sold out, and the sales of other local newspapers that reported on the air battle also increased significantly. Even the Kuomintang's "Central Daily News" reluctantly found a place to publish the edited news.

Those who could read clutched the newspaper tightly, hardly believing the words and the few photos on it; those who could not read the newspaper by looking for someone, or listening to word of mouth, also cheered and jumped for joy.

Some people set off firecrackers, some people took out the opera troupe.

The costumes and the lions of the lion dance team make it look like the Chinese New Year.

Even with the constant rain and low-pressure clouds overhead, the people of the mountain city were still rejoicing. If such victories could continue, the Japanese invaders would eventually be driven out, and everyone would no longer have to stare at lanterns and run for the alarm. Even if it was just one victory, the skies over the mountain city would be peaceful for a while longer.

But when some are happy, others are unhappy. In the Zengjiayan official residence in the mountain city, the classic line "Niang Xipi" broke out again.

-―---———

"Damn it, lawless, lawless!"

Bang! A vase was knocked off the wooden table by the cane and shattered into pieces, frightening Zhou Baifu and Mao Xincheng who were standing by and shrinking their necks. Chiang Kai-shek was like a plane taking off, breathing heavily and tightly grasping his wooden cane with a copper head, as if pulling on their collars.

"Look at what's in the newspapers, and then look at the reactions of the citizens outside. Is it because the Communists shooting down a few planes is such a big deal? No! It's because our government and military haven't received any positive news in so long that seeing even a small achievement over there makes us excited and comforted."

Even from such a distance, the sound of firecrackers seemed like a torrential rain of bullets, crackling on Chiang Kai-shek's face.

"In the Gaojing Bandit Suppression Campaign, some said our army had over 200,000 soldiers, while the Communist army had less than 50,000, and therefore wasn't a concern. In the Zhongtiaoshan Campaign, some said our army had held Zhongtiaoshan for three consecutive times, and that Itagaki would surely repeat the same mistakes and make no progress. In the Bishan Air Battle, over 20 strong Party and government soldiers faced a dozen or so Japanese invaders. Although they couldn't achieve a decisive victory, they were still able to secure a fair fight."

"Look what's happening now! Haojing has been taken over by the Reds, Zhongtiaoshan has been taken over by the Japanese invaders, and Bishan has been completely destroyed! I said the Second Haojing Incident was a disgrace in the history of the Party-state, that the defeat at Zhongtiaoshan was a disgrace to the Party-state in North China, and that the Bishan air battle was a disgrace to the Party-state's air force—shame, shame, shame! You're going to make me, an old man, bear the blame for you again and again!"

Chiang Kai-shek's tone calmed down a little, but it was obvious that this was only during a lull. His face was as gloomy as a toilet, and he continued slowly:

"You understand nothing about the army's wars in Jing and Zhongtiaoshan, and that's understandable. But whether we were fighting the Japanese or suppressing the rebellion, despite repeated setbacks, our warriors fought bravely and still managed to kill thousands and tens of thousands of enemies, their heroic deeds being reported in the newspapers. Meanwhile, the Air Force received high salaries and had no shortage of supplies. My wife even served as Secretary-General of the Aviation Commission, traveling across the oceans to secure your aircraft and weapons, working tirelessly and tirelessly.

"However, why was the Bishan air battle so disastrous with no gains?"

The old man stared intently at the two heads in front of him, one bald and one thick, and tapped the ground heavily with his cane.

The plane that this lady bought is not very good... The city's air defense commander Mao Xincheng felt very aggrieved and was about to make a few excuses, but Zhou Baifu on the side hurriedly pulled him and stopped his almost suicidal action.

"The principal was right! It was my subordinates who were incompetent, and it was the Air Force that failed the principal's expectations!" Zhou Baifu bowed his head, first admitting his fault, then making excuses. "But the Japanese invaders had advanced weapons and were numerous, and their aircraft were far superior to ours. Although our Air Force soldiers fought bravely and bravely, vowing to fight the Japanese invaders to the death, they were forced to die in the skies because of their weak weapons. It was not their fault, it was not their fault!"

High, truly high. Mao Xincheng was convinced. Commander Zhou was truly superior at this level of blatant deception. Anyway, the old man didn't understand the differences between air force aircraft, and it was impossible for him to go to Fushe to inspect the Eighth Route Army Air Force, so he could naturally let his imagination run wild.

He quickly echoed, using Zhou Baifu to unify the narrative: "President, the bandit army was able to achieve this success because they oppressed the gentry, plundered the people's wealth, and kept them in dire straits. Only then were they able to secure strong support from the Soviet Union, deploying hundreds of fighter planes and using human wave tactics to confront the Japanese army. They suffered dozens of casualties, but only prevented the bombs from hitting Fushigaojing, and spared the civilians. Their battle reports are undoubtedly fabricated, simply to deceive the public and gain reputation."

Knock, knock, knock. Three knocks on the door sounded at this time. Before Mr. Chiang could respond, a graceful woman walked in.

"Darling, I've told you long ago to control your anger, control your anger."

"Merlin, I'm not being angry on purpose. It's just that the Air Force has achieved very few results in the past few years, and this time the Yellow River Air Battle was overshadowed by the Communist Party." As soon as he saw her, a rare smile appeared on Chiang Kai-shek's face, and his previous anger disappeared.

"This is an era of rapid advancement in aviation technology. Aircraft can make a huge difference in just a few months, not just a year or two." The lady winked, motioning Zhou Baifu and Mao Xincheng to leave. Only when Chiang and Song were alone in the room did she slowly conclude, "The Japanese invaders' new fighter planes will undoubtedly outperform the old Soviet-supplied ones. I don't think they can be blamed."

Since his wife had said so, Chiang Kai-shek did not say anything else. After a pause, he asked, "Merlin, what is the combat effectiveness of the English Hurricane fighter planes used by the Red Bandits?"

Darling, I sent someone to ask the beautiful Chennault. The Hurricane fighter was made in England, but it wasn't their main aircraft. It was really an outdated model. "Mrs. Song said slowly, 'The Royal Air Force of England uses the Spitfire and has abandoned the Hurricane.'" "How does it compare to our fighters?"

"According to Chennault, if we were to compare our aircraft to the outdated Soviet 16-ton fighters, we would certainly be victorious. However, we would be no match for advanced American fighters, such as the Hawker 75 we purchased. I have already sent representatives to the Curtiss Corporation in the United States to discuss the purchase of the Curtiss CW and Type 40 fighters—both of which are state-of-the-art, and which the Hurricane cannot match."

"After that, everything will be fine once the American pilot arrives, Darling."

"I'm relieved to have you, Meilin, take care of this." Chiang Kai-shek finally felt a lot more at ease after being comforted like this. "If everyone in the Party and the country were as sympathetic and patriotic as you are, I wouldn't have to worry so much. Humph, those members of the Democratic League are still clamoring to celebrate the great victory in the Yellow River air battle, ignoring the overall situation of the War of Resistance. How shameless..."

"Then...how about asking Director Yunong to handle it?"

"Well, that's fine too."

Mr. Chiang took a breath and leaned back in his chair.

Chapter 357: Spy Shadow (9) Three Good Students

At Fushi Anti-Japanese University, several students who had finished their evening classes were sitting in the second canteen with thick curtains drawn, eating their midnight snack on a large iron plate.

The night shift work arrangement is also implemented, along with the midnight snack

Things are becoming more and more popular.

"Looking at the pilots in episode 18, although there are many of them, they are all of low education, backward technology and lack of training. Ahem...what did this silly old man Jiang write?" The old man spoke in a bit of a broadcasting tone. He cleared his throat, grabbed the kvass beside him and took a sip, then continued to read to everyone.

Although the Yellow River air battle was a victory, only six kills were achieved out of 6 aircraft, and these were all achieved by individual pilots. The Japanese, with only a few dozen aircraft, were outnumbered, and most of them escaped unscathed. This clearly shows that the 18th Air Force was not trained by a high-quality national air force academy, leading to disastrous consequences.

"For the greater good of the united front and the unification of national air defense strategy, I propose that your department transfer precious foreign exchange, British and Soviet fighter aircraft, to the Air Force Hanzhong Base for centralized distribution, and transfer the flight squadron's pilots to the Chengdu Air Force Airline for one to two years of refresher training. With this supplementary force, the Air Force will effectively safeguard the security of national air defense, including the border areas. Furthermore, Commander Huang Zhenqiu of the Anti-aircraft Artillery Corps has expressed a similar sentiment. Your department's light and heavy anti-aircraft artillery should also be considered for national air defense needs and placed under the unified command of the Military Affairs Headquarters."

"Damn it." He cursed as soon as he finished reading.

"What a joke! This Jiang Mansion in Shancheng is really like a toad yawning. What a big mouth."

"You start asking for our planes and anti-aircraft guns, and you slander our pilots as being inferior and only capable of bullying the minority. If you're so capable, why don't you just fly up and shoot the Japs down!" "If we can win with numbers, how can we let the Japs take over our territory and slaughter our people? A single spit from each of us could drown the Japs."

The students were indignantly discussing a telegram sent by Shancheng Guofu after the Yellow River air battle, published in the latest issue of China Youth magazine. In it, Guofu initially hesitantly acknowledged the Eighth Route Army's victory in shooting down the enemy plane, congratulating them on their aerial victory and boosting national morale. But then the tone shifted, and the "althoughs" began to swirl. It was unclear who was behind the micromanagement, but the entire telegram was filled with sour jealousy and a shrewd, timid attitude.