Canteen System Assistance Notes

The ground crew added bomb bay tanks to the aircraft's 17 fuel tanks, securing hundreds of liters of additional fuel. By collaborating with the Liyang Aluminum Processing Plant, the Halifax also acquired two expendable, streamlined aluminum drop tanks. These were mounted at the wing roots, with valves manually opened and closed by the crew. The aircraft could prioritize fuel consumption in the first half of the flight and jettison them to reduce drag once the fuel was depleted.

To ensure the jettisoned fuel tanks wouldn't hit the aircraft themselves, the Eighth Route Army Air Force even constructed scale models and blew air into a low-speed wind tunnel brought by Nikolai Polikarpov, achieving a configuration that would allow for safe separation. Ultimately, these five Halifaxes were capable of completing an ultra-long-range flight of 3600 kilometers, meeting the minimum requirements for completing the mission.

------—-

Soon, the weather was favorable and the good weather required by the plan arrived on time - on December 18, 1941, under the cold and clear winter sky, four four-engine behemoths were towed out of the hangar at the Ejin Horo training base in Yili League in the border area.

The Merlin engines on the wings made a furious sound, first No. 2 and No. 3, then No. 1 and No. 4 engines were started one by one... Their three-bladed propellers made a noise far different from that of single-engine fighters, driving these big guys onto the long runway.

In the sky, several F4Fs were circling, blocking any possible prying eyes from the surrounding air.

"Red flash 401, please taxi to Runway 1 Left. Red flash 402, please taxi to Runway 1 Right. Airspace clear for takeoff, over." "401 received. Runway 1 Left, prepare for takeoff, over."

"402, readied. Runway one right, ready for takeoff, over."

The runway at Ejin Horo Airport was long and wide, easily accommodating two Halifax aircraft taking off simultaneously. The two aircraft took off from one end of the runway, gradually gaining ground at the other end, and retracting their landing gear. Soon after, the other two aircraft, numbered 403 and 404, also took off smoothly. Flight 405 had already flown to Rushan Air Base with some supplies and equipment, paving the way for the four aircraft.

The controller on the ground clutched his intercom, watching from afar as the four bombers gradually climbed higher and formed a formation. From this angle, the massive fighter planes on the ground seemed as small as tiny birds. Like geese, they circled, honked, formed a simple formation, and then turned slightly clumsily in their intended direction.

He felt the sound surge through his heart, sweeping away all the passion, excitement, and excitement within him. However, his duty as a controller demanded he remain calm, and in the end, the emotions woven into these countless words were reduced to a brief command and a simple blessing.

"401, 402, 403, 404, climb to cruising altitude, turn to 115, fly east-southeast, and switch communication channel to 05A... Good luck to you all."

"Turn 115, heading east-southeast, setting comm channel 05A—thank you, and wish us good luck."

With the Third Flying Division, the core of the Japanese Army Air Force in North China, already deployed to Southeast Asia, the Japanese fighter aircraft inventory in North China had fallen to a deplorable level—not even as high as it would have been in 1942. Furthermore, after the Eighth Route Army's frequent "rain-seeking" attacks on airfields across the country, the only airfield the Japanese Army Air Force could permanently deploy fighters to was Xiyuan in Peking. The eight "new fighters" that Okamura Yasuji had requested were confined to hangars outside the city of Sijiu, occasionally flying to the frontier airfields in Zhangyuan or Quancheng.

So, the Eighth Route Army's four Halifax planes took off in the afternoon, crossing the Tongpu, Pinghan, and Jinpu railways, and flew over the Japanese troops. They encountered no interception at all, successfully crossed over a thousand kilometers, and landed at the front-line airport in Rushan, Shandong Province before nightfall on December 18.

These huge aircraft amazed the military and civilians of Shandong Province, but despite their curiosity, they suppressed the urge to ask questions and quickly carried out the scheduled maintenance and supply operations for the four "big iron birds" according to the procedures they had previously practiced.

The ground crew, which had been ready for a long time, started the tractor and towed the four aircraft into the maintenance position, just like the previous maintenance of aircraft No. 405; the auxiliary fuel tanks painted with black camouflage were added to the modified hanging points, and the aviation fuel that had been stored for a long time was also pumped out by the explosion-proof liquid pump and injected into the tanks; and more 10 tons of ammunition that arrived here early by land and air were also divided into five parts, and the intensive mounting operation began.

Some of these bombs resembled long sticks, tightly bound together by straps and covered in thin, fragile shells, while others were shaped like carrots and had windmill-style tail fuses. They were nested in a two-to-one ratio and placed in the bomb bay of each aircraft.

They are the "1.5 kg cluster napalm bombs" from the border region's petrochemical sector and the "100 kg standard high-explosive bombs" from the military industry sector!

According to the experience of an American named Li from another time and space, using only cluster-loaded incendiary bombs is not very effective when bombing soft urban targets on a limited scale. However, when incendiary bombs are mixed with high-explosive bombs in a specific ratio, the blast and shockwave generated by the high-explosive bombs can better spread the fire source and cause greater damage.

The Eighth Route Army, who were good at listening to suggestions, were naturally willing to take a time machine to learn the advanced experience of the Americans from that time and space. Soon, the fuel tanks of these bombers were all filled up, and the ammunition bays were also filled with bombs. After more than ten hours of maintenance and hibernation, the pilots in perfect condition drove the slightly overloaded "Halifax" and took off again from the runway of Rushan Airport.

"401, 402, 403, 404, 405, climb to cruising altitude, turn to 095, fly east-southeast, switch communication channel to 99F, connect to 'Special Unit'... Comrades, I wish you good luck." "Take 095, fly east-southeast, set communication channel 99F, connect to 'Special Unit' - Thank you, comrades, and wish us good luck."

Chapter 562: Xia Fire

Their black livery was submerged in the darkness of the night. In the moonless sky, the five Halifax aircraft seemed to glide across a mirrored surface dotted with stars. Above the juncture of the Milky Way and the ocean, were it not for the subtle intrusion of wind and the rumbling of their engines, the aircraft would appear to be suspended in a motionless state, neither reaching the sky nor the ground, like a small boat between heaven and earth.

Fortunately, the crew members flying this bombing run all had experience flying infiltration flights between bases, so they were naturally adept at handling such emotions. Now, they each adjusted their mindsets and, while operating the aircraft, did their best to plot the aircraft's trajectory on the route map, serving as a basic basis for "inertial navigation."

Within a hundred kilometers of the Shandong coast, they could still receive navigation signals from shore-based radio transmitters and use the "baseline method" to correct their position. However, as the curvature of the earth obscured the transmitters below the horizon, this method of navigation would cease to work.

This was also a key difficulty in bombing raids during World War II: navigation. In the absence of GPS, aircraft, unable to navigate by radio, had to rely on visual landmarks and inertial navigation. The former was difficult to use at night, while the latter inevitably accumulated errors as distance increased.

So, at this moment, higher up in front of the formation, there was a strange aircraft that was taking on the real role of "leader".

Navigation, this may be one of the best tactical uses of eMule from the future.

It has positioning and navigation services provided by a mysterious third party, and has all-weather flight performance that would make World War II aircraft envious. It will not fly wrong, get lost, or break down due to mechanical failure. It is an extremely reliable "guide".

In order to successfully complete the mission, Liu Helian, who had not shouldered the mission of a "tactical pilot" for a long time, adjusted the configuration of the aircraft while on the ground and chose a niche aircraft: Grob G-850 Strato 2C.

Because eDonkey's aircraft construction seemed to require adherence to strange "propeller propulsion" restrictions, Liu Helian couldn't freely choose from all known human aircraft. After careful consideration, this experimental high-altitude meteorological research aircraft, with its ultra-long aspect ratio composite wings, two pusher piston engines, and the world's largest pusher five-blade propeller, became the best choice at this time.

Although he could continue to use high-speed reconnaissance aircraft such as the Republic XF-12 Rainbow, in order to accommodate the speed of the Halifax formation and carry out subsequent bombing effect evaluation and reconnaissance missions, Liu Helian finally chose this strange German aircraft: after all, a monster aircraft that can fly at a cruising speed of 50km/h at 18000 meters and has a theoretical maximum ceiling of 26000 meters appeared in 1941. Not to mention the Japanese, even the Americans would find it difficult to detect.

Therefore, Liu Helian is now in a calm and relaxed state of mind.

He tried to relax his grip on the steering wheel, using the autopilot to maintain level flight at around 5 meters. In R's field of view, five bombers cruising at an altitude of around 4000 meters emitted rhythmic infrared flashes, like five tiny fireflies.

"Red Flash, please note, this is a special number. Maintain course 090. No response required on this item, over."

Since the digital signal transmission between the mini base station and the terminal was beyond the capability of radio monitoring in this space and time, Liu Helian did not need to strictly adhere to the radio silence rules. He could periodically inform Halifax of their current location through voice communication to complete the course guidance work.

A few hours passed, and the ocean beneath them vanished, revealing the peninsula's landmass. Because the blackout hadn't yet begun, the dim lights of Dangjin Harbor were visible. However, given the peninsula's poverty, these tiny lights offered no real navigational value, and at best, could only alleviate visual fatigue during a nighttime voyage.

Undeterred, the group continued their flight path, gradually turning south. A peninsula less than 5 kilometers wide vanished in the blink of an eye. Like speed skaters, the five Halifaxes swiftly crossed South Chungcheong Province, North Chungcheong Province, and North Gyeongsang Province, dropping their depleted fuel tanks at sea. As the voyage progressed, Liu Helian soon spotted Oki Island, looming to the right of his route.

In the past, this was the place where Japan exiled its nobles. Just a short distance to the east was the Japanese mainland. He continued to broadcast the entire fleet's heading information while thinking about this.

At this time, looking east from an altitude of ten thousand meters, the edge of the sky is no longer dark, and the sky begins to show a gradient from indigo to tile blue to milky white. The sun, radiating brilliant rays of light, is ready to leap up from the east.

Fukui, Gifu, Nagano, Yamanashi... The five-plane formation of Halifax, at a cruising altitude of about 400 meters, landed from the distant ocean with the same "warm gifts" ready to go, and in an instant crossed a distance of more than 5 kilometers, cutting into Tokyo Prefecture from the west - and with the gradually improving visibility, all the pilots, bombers, and navigators could see the city lying on the edge of Tokyo Bay in the distance, shining with star-like lights, even without the help of infrared night vision equipment.

This is Tokyo, the heart of Japan.

There were no barrage balloons, no patrolling night fighters, no dense anti-aircraft artillery fire or coordinated searchlights, not even the most basic blackout. At this moment, Tokyo felt like a retired office worker tucked away in bed, basking in the damp, chill air of a winter morning, radiating tranquility, peace, and a sense of indifference.

There was no need for pretending radio silence anymore. Liu Helian picked up the transmitter in his hand and noticed that in the far east, further east than Tokyo, a red flash emerged from the horizon.

—-—--—--

"Red Flash, everyone, pay attention." "Red Flash, everyone, pay attention."

The radio waves pulsed, and everyone at the four-thousand-meter cruising speed heard the suppressed announcement. And now, as the sun rose, the aerial photos and historical photographs they had seen thousands of times appeared naturally in every crew member's mind, quickly overlapping with the slightly unfamiliar view before them.

Yes, this is Tokyo, the important source of the war of aggression against China that began in 1931. Ten years later, the fighter plane with the red emblem finally arrived here.

Revisited places where they should have been long ago.

All wishes and emotions were transformed into standard movements and drills. Across the five Halifaxes, no one uttered a single word that was not necessary. The comrades had long been preparing for this. Now, no one needed to think, only to execute with utmost thoroughness.

"We have approached the target area, please confirm the landmark." "Landmark confirmed, landmark confirmed."

"Lower altitude to bombing altitude, 2000 meters. Repeat, lower altitude to bombing altitude, 2000 meters. Target area, westerly wind force 3. Pay attention to the aircraft's airspeed." The voice in the headset paused, and then the final order came.

"Prepare to enter the bombing route. Follow 405 as the lead, 401, 402, 403, 404 follow and coordinate. Red Flash, everyone, prepare to drop the bomb!"

Chapter 563: Showa Run

When initially selecting the bombing route, the staff of the Eighth Route Army Air Force had conducted repeated discussions and deductions.

Because the bombing yield was truly low, the Halifax's bomb load plummeted from 5.8 tons to a range of over 3000 kilometers, leaving the five aircraft with only a maximum of ten and a half tons of bombs. This yield was equivalent to about 200 155mm shells, or a salvo from half a Katyusha rocket battalion, not even enough to support the firepower of a campaign.

So based on this pitiful available payload, the Imperial Palace, with its low building density, small total population, water sources everywhere, and independent fire brigade security, is not really a good bombing target - although bombing here is indeed very satisfying - the Eighth Route Army couldn't even be sure where Showa was sleeping today.

If this place were bombed, and the Emperor then made a public appearance to claim he was unharmed, the impact of the bombing would be significantly diminished, which would be inappropriate. However, the Tokyo Imperial Palace could serve another purpose: serving as a guiding landmark for bombing raids.

If they were to bomb from the southwest of the Imperial Palace along a southeast-northwest line, starting from Kasumigaseki, passing through Nagatacho, and ending at Miyakezaka, the Eighth Route Army could use the Imperial Palace for perfect visual bombing guidance, thereby covering a large number of high-value targets.

This bombing route will cover targets including but not limited to:

Japanese Army General Headquarters, Japanese Naval General Staff, Japan Planning Agency, Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, Japan Special High Technology Agency and Metropolitan Police Department

Opposite them are the Tokyo District Court, the National Diet Building, and the Tokyo Sun

Higashi Park, Tokyo Station...even the Japanese Prime Minister's official residence and the Emperor's Imperial Garden.

Open the bomb bay door, activate the aiming gyroscope, speed up the aircraft attitude update, and continuously calculate the impact point...

When the Eighth Route Army crew members completed the bombing order, opened the ammunition bay, and began to align the aiming aperture and the bomb drop prediction line, Tokyo was still bathed in the fatigue of the early morning. The entire city was completely undefended. The only 75mm anti-aircraft gun and the corresponding anti-aircraft gun battalion that could pose a threat to Halifax were located in Tachikawa and had long been left behind by the bomber formation.

It is even said that when the five bombers lowered their altitude and entered the bombing route, they happened to pass through the Suginami district, which was full of villas. The "old acquaintances" of the Eighth Route Army, Konoe Fumimaro and Itagaki Seishirō, had just walked out of their homes when they looked up and saw the scene of the five "heavy bombers" opening their ammunition bays.

“海军在搞什么东西?"板垣还在奇怪，“怎么把试制重爆都开过来了?”“405开始投弹!""401/402/403正在投弹!""404投弹完毕!”

No one answered Itagaki Seishirō's question. After the bombers completed their turn over Ginza and flew over the bombing runway at Kasumigaseki, the microcontroller, having already calculated factors like ground speed, wind deviation, and temperature, had already determined the perfect timing for their release. As the bomb racks untied, the bundled 1.5 kg incendiary bombs, along with the 10 kg high-explosive bombs, leaped from the bomb bay, guided by gravity, and plummeted toward the ground.

Immediately, the streamer fuse on the surface of the cluster bomb was torn apart by the airflow, and the thin bomb body immediately disintegrated. The rotation caused the burning bomb bodies like sugarcane to be thrown out like dandelions. This round rod-shaped object, which can be loaded with about 1 kilogram of thickened fuel or napalm, has a turbine delay fuse commonly used in aerial bombs and a spare chemical time fuse. It can detonate at low altitude and spread a large amount of extremely flammable fire to all living beings around it.

The high-explosive bombs mixed in it can spread this highly viscous and difficult-to-extinguish fire to further places!

Secluded bang bang bang!

"Red Flash Formation, bombing complete!"

"Roger that! The special aircraft will continue its reconnaissance and observe the damage from subsequent bombings. Red Flash crew, please follow the landmarks on pages 12-28 of the navigation manual and the long-wave radio station at the base for guidance. Return as planned!"

After quickly covering the bombing area, which covered just over a kilometer, the five Halifax fighters quickly climbed and turned, aiming for Mount Kumotori, at an altitude of 2100 meters, using it as a landmark for their return. Liu Maolian, having already climbed to over 1500 meters, observed a scene in the Tokyo Kasumigaseki area that resembled cracked eggs. These small, milky white eggs shattered into red and black hues, each with a fleeting, transparent ring.

They were obviously not as spectacular as the scenes produced by 250 kg or even 1000 kg bombs, but soon, in the city of Tokyo that looked like a palette,

Thick smoke mixed with white, blue and black began to appear. They seemed to be painting

The paint spilled on the cloth and the egg liquid flowing out of the broken eggs began to spread rapidly along the westerly wind that is common in Japan.

At this time, the bright colors of the flames were not yet visible, but Liu Helian already knew that soon these places would begin to burn thoroughly.

The fuses activated in midair, transforming over 4 cluster incendiary bombs into a shower of fire. This hail of fire and smoke, along with approximately 35 bombs, fell across various areas of Tokyo. The first to suffer was the famous Hie Shrine.

On that day, the priest on duty heard a roar in the sky, and then watched in amazement as a series of burning "flying sticks" fell towards the area where he was, followed by a series of explosions.

Perhaps it was a sign of the Kunitachi-no-Tsunetachi-no-Kami, that no high-explosive bombs were dropped, merely incendiary bombs. Because this historic shrine is primarily wooden and has been repeatedly destroyed by fires, the shrine maintains a comprehensive supply of water and soil. The firefighters, shrine maidens, and priests are experienced in firefighting and are known to cover their mouths and noses with damp cloths to avoid the toxic smoke.

These veteran firefighters, skilled at tackling the strange flames with sand, sprayed water, and called the police. Ultimately, although the shrine was largely destroyed due to the highly flammable and difficult-to-extinguish properties of napalm, none of the priests and shrine maidens survived, and all managed to assist firefighters in extinguishing the fire at the Prime Minister's residence next door.

However, other areas, such as the Imperial Japanese Army Headquarters and the Naval General Staff, were not so lucky. Both were densely populated areas, and the fire spread rapidly. Furthermore, because these were modern buildings constructed later, the Tokyo Fire Department was unable to use the demolition and firefighting methods commonly used in the Edo period to construct containment zones, causing the fires in both areas to quickly get out of control.

The naval and army officers on duty were screaming and running around in panic from the flames. But how could a fire caused by napalm be so easily extinguished? They could only try their best to save some important documents from the blaze. In just ten minutes, dozens of people were lying on the ground due to burns, scalds, and toxic smoke inhalation, and had to be carried out.

At least the two military headquarters were surrounded by a concrete plaza with few buildings and little greenery. Thanks to the massive deployment of rescue forces, the fire was manageably contained. The situation was even worse for the Special High Technology Unit, the Metropolitan Police Department, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Tokyo District Court, which had neither a plaza nor a cordon.

This place is very close to Hibiya Park and Diet Park, and because the fire-fighting forces were all fighting fires near the Army and Navy Center and the Prime Minister's Office, no one cared about the bombs and fire that fell in the park forest. In less than half an hour, the situation here was exactly the same as that in the Imperial Gardens: the fallen leaves deposited on the ground were ignited by the flames, the high temperature dried the trees and caused flames to soar into the sky, which in turn spread more sparks into the surrounding area, causing a wider fire.

These institutions were quickly surrounded by the spreading flames and were forced to retreat northward. However, the north was the Emperor's residence, and the Sakurada Gate leading to it was blocked by the fire. A thousand Japanese spies and police rushed left and right but could not advance an inch, and could only rely on the moat of the Imperial Palace to hold on.

At this point, if the fire department worked hard to put out the fire and the Showa men actively saved themselves, the situation might still be manageable. However, a new and swift order came, making all these efforts come to nothing: The Emperor's decree! The fire department is to immediately proceed to the Imperial Palace and save it first!

Oh, shit.

)#1——---Airplane photos

Chapter 564: Tokyo is clear and the clouds are high

The chaos in Tokyo continues.

At this time, the five heavy bombers of the Eighth Route Army had already turned away. A strange invisible plane observed for a while at a high altitude using multiple reconnaissance channels and flew away.

Logically speaking, the total amount of bombs dropped was just over ten tons, which was definitely not enough to compare with the other

It was like Li Mei's air raid in that time and space, with a powerful and irresistible destructive force like the sky's fire burning the city.

Furthermore, Tokyo's firefighting system was still operational, and the bombing was limited to a small area between Kasumigaseki and Miyakezaka. By building cordons using existing streets, organizing evacuations or firefighting efforts, or even prioritizing fires to rescue those in danger, the situation would have been less dire.

But with the order over the phone: "The fire department should go to the Imperial Palace immediately and protect it first," the situation quickly began to take a turn for the worse.

Due to limited communication at the time, the already dispatched firefighters were unable to quickly notify the fire department, and the incoming firefighters were no longer deployed to the blazing city. These firefighters were "honorably" ordered to the Imperial Palace Outer Gardens to defend the Sakurada Gate, which was inherently resistant to fire, and to help strengthen the security of the Imperial Palace.

The fire brigades that had already been deployed were already understaffed and could hardly cope with over 4000 fire sources, but the fire would not stop and wait for anyone!

Soon, the fires in Diet Park, Akasaka Gyoen, and Hibiya Park, where high-explosive and incendiary bombs had fallen, had grown from small, localized blazes into miniature forest fires. The rising, heated air swirled, draining oxygen from the center of the fire and forcing surrounding air to replenish it. Two towering fire tornadoes roared and engulfed everything around them.

This unmanageable fire quickly affected several nearby institutions. The fires at the Special High Technology Bureau, the Metropolitan Police Department, and the Tokyo District Court escalated rapidly, becoming difficult to control. The scorching heat and stifling drafts made it impossible for the Japanese spies, already forced to the edge of the Imperial Palace's moat, to stand still, their hair tangled in curls from the heat.

What's even more ridiculous is that the Sakurada Gate, so close by, was impenetrable, with water gushing into the sky—yet the firefighters there refused to cross the less than 200 meters to rescue them. Why! Why! Why are you just watching like that?

Finally, as the flames continued to approach, the spies and police who could hardly stand on the river bank had no choice but to turn around and jump into the moat of the Imperial Palace.

Each section of the Imperial Palace's moat has a name, and this one, called the Triumphal Moat, is not very wide. Gazing at the Imperial Palace, a few hundred meters away, the civil servants thought that even a landlubber could swim across this distance. As long as they reached shore, they would at least be safe.

"Cross, slap, slap..." Along with the splashing sounds of swimming, the uncharacteristically clattering sound of neatly-knit leather boots emerged. The agents on duty, swimming breaststroke, dog paddle, and freestyle in the murky Kaixuan Moat and the nearby Loutian Moat, were soon surprised to find themselves suddenly confronted by a group of sharp-dressed men in black, wearing wide-brimmed red hats, and carrying knives.

They didn't throw ropes or offer a hand to rescue. Instead, they collectively placed their hands on the hilts of their swords, aiming them at the numerous agents and police officers submerged in the water. "We are the Imperial Palace Guard! The Imperial Palace is a protected area, and trespassing is prohibited. No entry without permission! Although the situation is urgent, please return!"

Group number for this book: 7751118:38

The spies soaking in the water immediately suffered from collective stress and developed high blood pressure - please! You want us to go back in this situation?

"However, His Majesty the Emperor is a compassionate person, and perhaps he will issue a directive allowing us to temporarily seek refuge at the Imperial Palace!" The Imperial Palace Guards on the shore seemed to think this was too inhumane, and they all looked up at the flames rising to the sky on the other side. "I'm very sorry, but you can wait here for a while!"

Waiting here? "Waiting" in the moat, next to the sea of ​​fire, where the water temperature seems to be rising?

Immediately, someone started shouting, "Your Majesty has been deceived!" "Your Majesty loves his subjects and will definitely let us land!" Such words,

They began to swim across the shore collectively. Speaking of which, these guards from the Imperial Household Ministry were organized

The system is still under the jurisdiction of the Metropolitan Police Department, which means that the Japanese soldiers in the water who may have sung "Drawing Swordsman" before are now being pointed at with knives by their subordinates and younger generations.

"Stop, everyone! No trespassing... Damn it!"

Seeing the sea of ​​people beginning to swim towards the shore, the guard sergeant on the shore cursed inwardly, "What's wrong with the fire on the other side? What's wrong with the sea of ​​fire approaching? I just asked you to wait in the water for a while. Why are you causing so much trouble for others?" He thought about it and decided to do it once and for all. He took a deep breath and said in a long voice:

"Ah ...