The Rise of the Third Reich

The weather over the Indian Ocean south of Sumatra is not very good. There are large stratus clouds floating in the middle and low altitudes, and it may still be raining on the sea. However, for the B-29 Super Flying Fortress flying at an altitude of 9,500 meters, the sky is always cloudless.

The height of 9,500 meters is too high for Yunyu, and for Japanese fighter jets, 9,500 meters is probably too high.

Captain Paul Tibbetts held the control panel with both hands. He turned his head and looked to the right side of the cabin. What he saw was a spectacular sight that most people would never forget.

This is a large fleet of 142 aircraft, not 142 ordinary fighters or bombers, but 142 B-29 Super Flying Fortresses. It is the most powerful heavy bomber currently known, much more powerful than the German-made Me264 bomber used by the Japanese to bomb the West Coast!

When he thought of the Japanese crime of releasing bacterial weapons on the west coast of the United States and killing countless civilians, Captain Tibbetts had the urge to fly a B-29 to Tokyo to release solidified weapons... If he could burn the Emperor of Japan to death, even if It's a one-way trip and well worth it.

In fact, the U.S. Army Air Force has not considered the possibility of a "one-way bombing" of Japan. After capturing Oahu, B-29 bombers took off from Oahu, flew more than 6,000 kilometers directly to Tokyo to drop bombs, and then Then proceed to Vladivostok, Soviet Union and land.

However, in the end, because the cost was too high, they had to give up the idea of ​​"one-way bombing" Tokyo, and instead took off from Australia to bomb Japan's oil fields in Southeast Asia.

The Palembang Oilfield, located on the island of Sumatra, which produces millions of tons of crude oil annually, is the top priority for B-29 bombing!

According to estimates by the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, as long as several large oil fields in Southeast Asia, including the Palembang Oil Field, can be destroyed, Japan's wartime oil supply will be significantly reduced, and Japan's war potential will also be greatly reduced.

At that time, unless Germany is willing to use millions of tons of its own insufficient oil supply to supply Japan, Japan will have no choice but to sue for peace from the United States.

Once Japan sues for peace, the United States can concentrate its efforts on dealing with the Germans who dominate the European continent. It does not expect to win. As long as it can draw a draw, it will not be afraid of not being able to win in future currency wars.

And after using currency war to bring down the European Community, are you still worried that there will be no chance to cause trouble to Japan again?

"Captain, we will enter the sky over Sumatra Island in 10 minutes. We may encounter Japanese planes to intercept us."

Captain Tibbetts' navigator, Theodore Vankirk, loudly reported to his superiors at 9:38 a.m. East Indies time on June 5.

"Okay, we are about to compete with the Japanese!" Captain Tibbetts pressed the throat communicator: "Major General Chennault, this is Tibbetts, the captain of the pilot aircraft. We will enter Sumatra in 10 minutes. It's over."

The 20th Bomb Wing of the U.S. Army Air Forces, commanded by Major General Chennault, was responsible for bombing the Palembang Oilfield this time. Major General Chennault personally led the team and dispatched a total of 142 B-29s.

Half of them were loaded with bombs, and the other half were loaded with solidified weapons. The fleet took off from the Port Hedland base in Western Australia, first flew 2,000 kilometers northwest, then turned due north and flew 550 kilometers to reach the sky above Palembang.

Since most of the flight routes are over the Indian Ocean west of Australia, it is a blind spot that cannot be detected by Japanese military radar. Only when the aircraft group is within 150 kilometers of the coastline of the southern coast of Sumatra Island can it be detected by the Japanese radar station deployed on Sumatra Island. Detected.

At this time, the 142 B-29s were less than 500 kilometers away from Palembang, and the B-29s were approaching a high speed of more than 500 kilometers per hour (at an altitude of 9,500 meters, this speed is very fast). In less than an hour, these planes will fly over the Palembang oil fields and the city. Hundreds of tons of bombs and solidified weapons will turn Palembang into a sea of ​​flames.

However, before these American B-29s can complete their bomb-dropping mission, they must pass the level of Japanese fighter jets.

"Guys, I'm Chennault, and I'll take you to bomb the Japanese today!" Chennault's voice reached the headsets of the crew members on every B-29 fighter in the sky.

"But the Japanese will not let us drop the bomb easily," Chennault said in a calm tone. "They have many fighter jets, and we will soon be intercepted by Japanese planes. So we must maintain the formation and let the planes cover each other. , all gunners in position, ready to fight! God bless you, God bless America!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the voice of Captain Tibbetts, who was in charge of the navigation, rang out again: "Major General, enemy planes have been discovered! There are more than 50 of them, and they are Japanese 'Tony' fighter jets."

"Tony" is the code name given by the Americans to Japan's Type III "Jieyan" fighter jet. This kind of aircraft is somewhat famous in the South Pacific battlefield. It is a fighter with superior performance among Japanese Army aircraft (the Japanese Army does not use the Zero, so in the early days of the Pacific War, the "Feiyan" was considered a very good fighter in the hands of the Japanese Army Air Force. Unfortunately, There are not many of them), and they are mostly used by experienced pilots, so they have achieved good results.

"Got it!" Chennault's tone was still calm, as if he didn't care about these Japanese "flying swallows", "Guys, continue to maintain the formation and just push through. The Japanese can't stop us!"

Chennault's confidence is not unreasonable, because the B-29 bomber is indeed a heavy bomber with powerful firepower and extremely strong strength.

The B-29 heavy bomber is really heavy, with an empty weight of 33,793 kilograms, which is nearly 10 tons heavier than the German Me264! Naturally, all this weight is used for self-defense firepower and armor. There are 4 remote-controlled turrets and 1 tail turret on the fuselage, equipped with a total of 12 12.7mm machine guns and 1 20mm cannon.

It’s actually a flying fortress!

Although the Japanese "Feiyan" Type 2 has significantly improved its high-altitude performance compared to the early "Feiyan", its firepower is still somewhat weak, with only two 20mm cannons and two 12.7mm machine guns.

With such firepower, it is very difficult to shoot down the sturdy B-29!

At 9:45, the first collision between a B-29 bomber and a Japanese fighter jet officially began.

142 American B-29s formed layer upon layer of formations in the air, majestic and marching forward bravely.

At least 70 of Japan's three-type "Feiyan" fighter jets were running at full power. First, they tried their best to reach an altitude of 10,500 meters. Then, like a tiger descending from a mountain, they pounced on the enemy 1,000 meters below with the help of their acceleration. B-29.

A fierce firefight immediately began in the air, and tongues of flame spurted out from the machine guns on the back and waist of the B-29, immediately forming a dense fire net in the air.

The Japanese "Feiyan" fighter jets were not to be outdone. They braved the rain of bullets fired by American aircraft and charged hard. At the cost of 11 "Feiyan" fighter jets were shot by 12.7mm aviation machine guns (the American 12.7mm machine gun bullets are larger than those of Germany and Germany). Japanese bullets of the same caliber are longer and more powerful) after being beaten into a sieve. The ammunition fired by the 20mm cannon and 12.7mm aviation machine gun on the Japanese fighter plane also swept away the huge B-29.

But it was completely beyond the expectations of the Japanese pilots. Except for three B-29s that were hit in vital parts and rolled to the ground, the remaining 139 B-29s were still flying northward, covering the sky and the sun.

The stunned Japanese "Jieyan" fighter pilots wanted to pursue the fighter plane, but suddenly found that their plane was not flying as fast as the American B-29 loaded with ammunition at an altitude of 9,500 meters!

In other words, they only have one chance to attack, and then they will not be able to catch up with the B-29.

Obviously, the Type III "Feiyan" fighter jets that the Japanese Army has high hopes for cannot effectively intercept the B-29.

But the Japanese now have another ace in their hands - 36 "Silver Death" jets!

Somewhat beyond Hessman's expectations, the "human-operated missiles" he sold to the Japanese were used as jet aircraft by the Japanese army, which was used to saving their lives, because of their excellent performance.

However, due to the Japanese bombing of the West Coast of the United States, many Me264 bombers were lost, and some Me264s were used as long-range bombers in the Pacific. In order to destroy the US military's airport on Niihau Island, the Japanese army launched the Zetuo Island-Nihau Island Shuttle bombing between Howe Island and Oahu. A dozen Me264s belonging to the Army were dispatched, carrying bombs, taking off from Sawashima Airport in northeastern Japan, flying more than 5,000 kilometers to Niihau Island to drop bombs (bombing at night), and then landing on Oahu.

In addition, the Japanese Navy also uses several Me264s for long-range reconnaissance to search for the main U.S. fleet near the Hawaiian Islands.

Therefore, there are currently only 40 Me264s that can be used to mount the "Silver Reaper" belonging to the Navy, so it can only launch 40 "Silver Reapers" that are regarded as jets at a time. However, from the perspective of the Japanese Navy, there is absolutely no problem for 40 jet "Silver Reapers" to shoot down about 20 B-29s at one time.

Now these Me264s are deployed in Singapore. After discovering the approach of the American B-29 fleet at the radar station on Sumatra Island, they immediately put on the "Silver Reaper" and took off in an emergency, hoping to give the American aircraft that dared to invade Sumatra a Show off your power.