Dramatic changes in the movies and TV shows

Chapter 1182 Air Combat
Although China already possesses the groundbreaking J-5 fighter jet, we cannot afford to be complacent.

Therefore, Lin Hao led eight elite Blue Army trainees to set an example for them on the battlefield.

Thanks to Lin Hao's reminder and advance planning, especially with the warm cotton clothing, the relatively uniform standard weapons, and the fortress-like tanks and armored vehicles, they made rapid progress all the way.

Moreover, the Chinese People's Volunteer Army did not lose air superiority, so the logistical losses were minimal compared to the original historical events, and the front lines were more likely to receive supplies.

As a result, the combined forces of the 17 US factions were repeatedly defeated by the Chinese People's Volunteer Army and had to retreat. At the same time, they sent out more advanced fighter jets to try to regain air superiority.

The word "recapture" is inaccurate, because they never gained air superiority when facing the Chinese People's Volunteer Army.

During air battles with the Chinese People's Volunteer Army, Mustang, F-80, and F-84 aircraft were repeatedly defeated by J-5 fighters, forcing them to deploy the more advanced F-86 fighters.

At the same time, they planned to launch surprise attacks on railways, bridges, and highways in an attempt to disrupt the Volunteer Army's frontline supplies, so Lin Hao prepared to begin his operation.

The reason we didn't take action at the beginning of the war was that the air force pilots lacked combat experience and needed to be given enough training.

Even with Lin Hao's advice and early planning for the air force's development, after nearly a year and a half of expansion, the number of qualified air force fighter pilots still did not exceed five hundred, and the number of fighter jets was also insufficient.

Lin Hao had no choice but to refrain from taking action, allowing the new pilots to gain experience as much as possible, while also buying time to produce more fighter jets and train more qualified fighter pilots.

Many of these pilots have accumulated less than 200 hours of flight time. If they were to go to the battlefield, without considering the performance of their fighter jets, they would be at a disadvantage in an aerial stranglehold against the US Air Force.

On December 16, 1950, after several days of light snow, the sky cleared up unexpectedly. In such weather, the US Air Force would definitely be deployed.

Sure enough, at 9:15 a.m., the radar station deployed in Shuozhou and Cicheng called the Air Force Command to report that the US Air Force had dispatched 137 aircraft of various types, divided into east and west routes, flying towards the direction of the Volunteer Army Command.

Upon learning of the situation, the Air Force leadership immediately ordered the two fighter divisions, which had only been formed this summer, to remain in place, while the remaining three fighter divisions, including Lin Hao's Blue Force flight squadron, were all dispatched to intercept the enemy.

In the harsh winter, the Air Force deployed all available fighter jets to take off. Wang Wuhai and his wingman Ye Qihang, as rare pilots in the Air Force with combat experience and a record of shooting down 6 aircraft, have now become squadron leaders.

Before setting off, he didn't forget to analyze the situation with his comrades in the squadron:

"I've heard my instructors say before that American pilots are amazing, but I don't know exactly how amazing they are. What I'm trying to say is that shooting them down is incredibly easy!"

"Comrades, you must trust your aircraft. This is the most advanced fighter jet in the world. Whether it's the simplest two-aircraft escort and encirclement tactic or the Falcon tactic of high-altitude target lock-dive-attack-return, it can easily crush the American fighter jets!"

"Moreover, we have all been tempered by the Blue Team. The most advanced fighter jet the United States has on the battlefield right now is the F-84, which is not even as good as the MiG-15. Compared with our J-5 fighter jet, it is simply trash."

To say that the skills of the new recruit pilots are better than those of the veterans who participated in World War II in the United States is pure nonsense. Although Lin Hao provided training and sparring, they ultimately lacked real combat experience.

"Understood, Comrade Wang Wuhai, we will show the Americans what we're made of!" The newly dispatched pilot replied immediately over the communicator.

"Yes, let's show them what's what!" an unfamiliar female voice shouted in response.

The squadron had just taken off and was following the radar's guidance, flying toward the US bomber group, but the chat channel was silent.

"What, don't you recognize me? I've only been gone a few days!" The woman's gloating voice came again.

"Zhang Jihui?" Wang Wuhai said excitedly, "Your Blue Team is here too? So the instructors are here too, right?"

"Haha, it seems you haven't forgotten us!" Zhang Jihui laughed heartily.
"The instructors are here too. There are quite a few enemy planes this time, so this is the last time the instructors will escort you!"

At that moment, Lin Hao's voice rang out: "Let's go!"

By this time, all three squadrons of aircraft had taken off, and the control tower then gave the next regrouping location.

When a pilot is flying in the air, it is actually very difficult to find an attack target without GPS positioning.

Fortunately, the large radar that Lin Hao built himself was quite effective, with a detection range of 300 kilometers, allowing him to know the take-off and landing information of the other aircraft in the first instance.

At 9:32 a.m., Lin Hao led the other pilots to the top of the enemy's territory. Through the clouds, they could vaguely see the dense formation of American aircraft below.

There were huge four-engine bombers, which they had seen in their American fighter jet identification class. They were B-29 bombers called Superfortresses, but they also had those, just in smaller numbers.

There were also some four-engine B-24 bombers, surrounded by about twenty or thirty escort fighters, mostly F-86s, with a small number of F-84s flying alongside.

Whether it's the B-29 or the B-24, these things have a very long range and can take off directly from the B-29 to North Korea to carry out combat missions.

Lin Hao immediately issued the combat order, and each squadron began to dive according to the established combat plan. This is the Eagle Falcon tactic: lock onto the target, dive, attack, climb, and dive again.

Wang Wuhai and his wingman Ye Qihang also began their dive. Fortunately, this wasn't their first time in combat, and their mission wasn't to compete with American fighter jets in terms of skill and aircraft performance—that was the task of their comrades. Their objective, however, was to deal with American bombers. So, he and his wingman set their sights on a B-29.

When planes suddenly appeared overhead, the US Air Force's bomber group was thrown into disarray, but no planes fled.

Instead, the escorting fighters immediately pulled up to meet them, and the bombers also began to maneuver, attempting to regroup and try to deal with the fighters that suddenly intercepted them in a dense formation.

"Bang, bang, bang~!" Before the formation was complete, Wang Wuhai and his wingman swooped down, their 20mm cannons hitting the B24's fuselage and sending up countless fragments.

This scene excited Wang Wuhai greatly. He unconsciously tightened his grip on the control stick, raising the nose of the aircraft in preparation for another climb to gain more energy.

At that moment, Ye Qihang's voice came through the communicator, shouting, "Hit! Hit! I hit Wang Wuhai!"

Wang Wuhai calmly replied, "Qihang, calm down. You've only hit it, but you haven't shot it down yet. It's still flying. Take care of it quickly!"

At this moment, Ye Qihang glanced at the other side; the B-24 was indeed still flying, so he aimed at it again. However, the B-29 was armed with twelve 12.7mm machine guns, possessing all-around attack angles, and was covered in spikes like a sea urchin, and it was attempting to attack him.

"Thank you!" Ye Qihang immediately moved out of the opponent's attack range before saying with emotion:

"Just like we said in class, large bombers aren't so easy to shoot down!"

"This thing is equipped with thick bulletproof steel plates, and our 20mm autocannon is a bit weak."

Contrary to popular belief, large bombers are extremely resilient and cannot be shot down simply by hitting them.

For example, German pilots in World War II suffered greatly from the large bombers of the United States. First, there was the B-17, whose defensive firepower was extremely strong and whose fuselage was thick. The 7.92 mm aircraft machine guns were just a tickle.

Later, the German army began to replace their equipment with 20mm machine guns, only to find that the enemy had also replaced their equipment with B29s. Although the B29's armor was not as good as the B17's, it was just too big and covered with 12.7mm machine guns all over its body, covering all directions, which actually posed a huge threat to them.

At the time, the 20mm cannons had limited damage. On the TA 152 fighter, the Germans directly began to equip it with 30mm cannons and even began to fire rockets in salvos to stop the huge monsters that flew in the sky, such as the B-29.

Of course, the 20mm ammunition wasn't meant to be used against B29s, because the enemy's 12 heavy machine guns posed too great a threat, and the 20mm ammunition it carried was insufficient.

"Leader, let's try again. I'll lure you into attacking and finish it off as soon as possible!" Ye Qihang shouted into the radio.

“Alright!” Wang Wuhai replied immediately, “But this time it’s my turn to lure them in, and you find an opportunity to shoot them down!”

Wang Wuhai also subconsciously cultivated his wingman's combat capabilities. The two of them working together, it was best if they grew and improved together, which would be more conducive to improving the combat effectiveness of the fighter jet.

Wang Wuhai, with Ye Qihang by his side, one drawing attention from behind while the other relentlessly attacked its left wing. After two more attacks, they finally destroyed its left wing.

Even so, this round of attacks failed to shoot down the enemy, but the J-5's 20mm cannon still inflicted huge damage on the B-29.

Its fuselage then began to leak air, its flight speed decreased, and it was unable to maneuver quickly to form a dense formation with other bombers.

Finally, the massive B-29 swayed from side to side a few times, then finally gave way and plummeted downwards.

Seeing his first victory, Wang Wuhai was overjoyed. Just then, he looked into the distance and saw several more American bombers and fighter jets being shot down.

Just as Wang Wuhai and Ye Qihang were working together to shoot down a B-29, Zhang Jihui, with a novice wingman, was putting up a good fight against an F-86 on the other side.

Thanks to the J-5's excellent performance, and considering the F-86's decent low-altitude performance, the Falcon's dive-attack-climb tactics, or tail-chasing tactics, are very effective.

This is the norm in true air combat. On the contrary, maneuvers such as the Cobra and Immelmann turn are relatively rare in air combat because these maneuvers are very easy to lock onto.

This tactic minimizes the chance of engaging in close-quarters combat with the enemy. In a melee involving a group of fighter jets, the likelihood of being hit by stray bullets is far greater than being hit head-on.

At this time, Zhang Jihui, with his novice wingman, used this tactic and his powerful firepower to shoot down three F86 fighter jets.

Meanwhile, Lin Hao was circling in the sky, patrolling his own airspace like a hawk, watching these young eagles fight their enemies in the sky and accumulate combat experience.

The eight Blue Army pilots that Lin Hao brought this time each brought a novice pilot wingman, and they quickly grew in skill during this air battle.

At this moment, there were still more than a dozen B-29s in the sky. Under the pursuit of J-5 fighters, they quickly completed a dense formation flight and then used their dense defensive firepower to unleash bullets outwards.

This left many novice pilots at a loss as to where to begin, not to mention the constant harassment from P-86 fighter jets around the fleet.

Moreover, the US bomber formation only then realized that all the aircraft attacking them were jets with superior performance, and they were no match for them. They were attempting to turn around and retreat.

Seeing this situation, Lin Hao immediately issued an order via radio:
"Squadrons 1, 4, and 7 should not engage in low-altitude dogfights with them. Increase altitude and quickly eliminate the mosquitoes around the bombers. The other squadrons should launch a full-scale attack on the bomber formation!"

At the crucial moment, Lin Hao issued the most correct order. The F86 is not particularly fast, but it is quite agile at low altitudes. Slowing down to engage in close combat with them would be putting the cart before the horse.

Although the vast majority of volunteer pilots were novices, novices had one advantage: they obeyed orders.

After receiving the order, the other pilots immediately began to accelerate and climb, followed by a wide-angle turn.

The F86 and F84 were so shocked by this that their aircraft control seemed to malfunction. The terrifying speed of Mach 1.5 made it impossible for them to keep up, and they were quickly left behind in the clouds.

But soon the Chinese People's Volunteer Army's planes quickly formed up and flew back, and then rushed toward the B-29 group at an extremely fast speed.

The machine gunners in the B-29's turrets were unable to keep up with the J-5s manually. Soon, three more B-29s were shot down, and four F-84s were also shot down. The B-29s used their agility and speed to bully these old-fashioned aircraft.

The December 1216th air battle was the first large-scale air battle between the Chinese People's Volunteer Army Air Force and the US Navy and Air Force, and they achieved an astonishing score of 85:0.

On both the eastern and western fronts, the Chinese People's Volunteer Army (PVA) intercepted US bomber formations, shooting down a total of 21 US B-29 bombers and damaging 6, 19 B-24 bombers and damaging 4, 5 F-84 fighter-bombers, and 36 F-86 fighters, for a total of 85 enemy aircraft shot down. Five PVA fighters were damaged but not shot down.

Zhang Jihui shot down four aircraft and damaged one, while Wang Wuhai also shot down four and damaged two.

Wang Wuhai and Zhang Jihui, thanks to this battle, and the three fighter jets they shot down during the previous month-long combat training period, officially became the Air Force's first ace pilots and received commendations.

Although Lin Hao mainly served as the commander, he would only go down to shoot down enemy planes when he saw his own fledglings couldn't hold on, but he still shot down five fighter jets and also earned the title of ace pilot.

Lin Hao didn't really care whether he was an ace pilot or not. What made him happiest was that he had installed a combat camera on his fighter jet.

Therefore, their battle was recorded in its entirety, becoming an extremely important historical record of air combat for the later air force.