Glorious Mission 1937

()Chapter 230 IX: Izumo (asking for subscription, asking for monthly ticket, asking for all kinds!!!)

The battle plan has not changed, and the previously discussed one is still used, but Zhou Zhirou made an additional request. He asked Liu Nijia and others to send the flagship cruiser "Izumo" of the Third Fleet to the bottom of the sea no matter what. , even if this mission fails.

This request made Liu Nijia very embarrassed. The bombing of the Wusongkou military port was originally a battle plan formulated by the No. 40 Army, and the Third Fleet, as the vanguard of the Japanese invasion of China, was already within the strike range of the Northern Air Force. So before coming here, Chen Feng took special care of Liu Nijia, and tried his best to kill the Izumo cruiser if possible.Originally, Liu Nijia was ready to agree to Lao Zhou's request, but the last sentence of Lao Zhou made Liu Nijia more stressed.

In the eyes of all the officers of the No.40 Group Army, the task is the first, and the life is the second, even though Chen Feng said exactly the opposite when teaching them.There was nothing wrong with attacking the Third Fleet and sinking the Izumo, but Lao Zhou insisted on adding to the snake, which made Liu Nijia and others worry.

"Director Zhou, I think you should talk to our chief executive about your request. Although the chief executive once said that we should do our best to kill the Izumo, we must not give up the entire cruiser for the sake of a cruiser. The battle plan, even if it has a major impact, is not allowed, please forgive me!" Liu Nijia said loudly.

"Commander Liu, you used to be a member of the Air Force. You should be aware of the efforts made by our entire Air Force to sink the Izumo. Now you have the opportunity to complete this task. Don't you want to?".Zhou Zhirou looked directly at Liu Nijia and said.

On the other hand, Mao Limin asked, "Commander Liu, I read your file just now and found out that you are Le Yiqin's subordinate. I don't know how your relationship with him is."

"Brother Le is my good teacher and helpful friend. I admire him very much. He also treats me like a brother. And he died on my behalf. In fact, I was the one who drew the death lottery that day. He and I exchanged the lottery. " Liu Nijia said in a deep voice.

Apparently, Zhou Zhirou and Mao Limin didn't expect Liu Nijia and Le Yiqin's relationship to be so deep. Zhou Zhirou and Mao Limin looked at each other, and they both saw deep surprise in each other's eyes.

"That's the case. Then I just want to ask one question. Do you want to avenge Le Yiqin?".Zhou Zhijudo.

What Zhou Zhirou said made Liu Nijia fall into deep thought.He was also a member of the National Zhengfu Air Force before, and he was also a deputy squadron leader. He knew the story between the Air Force and the Izumo very well. "Izumo" is an armored cruiser with a displacement of nearly [-] tons.Belongs to the first ship in the Izumo-class armored cruiser.Built in Armstrong Shipyard, UK.Participated in the First World War and the Russo-Japanese War, and served as the Emperor's ship.After the Marco Polo Bridge Incident, it served as the flagship of the Japanese navy in the war of aggression against China.The Izumo participated in many battles in the war against China. In the Jiangyin naval battle, Admiral Hasegawa Kiyoshi, the commander-in-chief of the Ripponchina fleet, sat on the Izumo and commanded the famous "Jiangyin naval battle" and sank the Chinese Navy's No. , Second Fleet, since then, the Chinese Navy has existed in name only and has no combat power.

Before and after the August [-]th Songhu War, the flagship "Izumo" bombarded the positions of the Chinese army with cannons to cover the Japanese attack; it also bombarded Shanghai's factories, schools, houses, etc., causing huge losses of Chinese people's lives and property .Faced with such a threat, the Chinese navy and air force, determined to sacrifice their lives for the country, launched continuous attacks, and finally caused heavy damage to the Izumo ship, which greatly boosted the anti-Japanese morale of the Chinese people. , However, they miraculously did not sink, and were worshiped by the Japanese navy, air force and Japanese people. It can even be said that before the battleships Yamato and Musashi entered service, the Izumo almost became the spiritual pillar of the Japanese people.

More importantly, the purchase of the Izumo armored cruiser was paid by the Chinese to Japan. This payment was part of the huge compensation that Japan received from the Qing government after the victory of the Sino-Japanese War. It is an armored cruiser ordered from the United Kingdom with this money.

Although after the First World War, the Izumo, which was old in concept and combat power, was included in the second-line force. Due to its large tonnage and heavy firepower, it became the flagship of the second-line force. At most, it commanded more than 90 warships under its command. During the January [-]th Incident, the Japanese fleet led the Japanese fleet to blockade the Chinese coastline, making the Chinese navy powerless to fight back.

"Be sure to blow up the Izumo ship!"

This was the aspiration of all the Kuomintang naval and air force officers and soldiers who participated in the war, including Liu Nijia. They knew that if the Izumo ship could be sunk, it would not only be of great military significance, but would also greatly boost the morale of the Chinese people in resisting Japanese aggression. .

The enthusiasm of the young soldiers comes entirely from their courage. If it is about military strength, they really cannot compete with the Japanese army.Taking the navy as an example, the Chinese navy’s warships are generally small in tonnage and poor in quality. Most of the main warships are relics from the late Qing Dynasty, and the total tonnage is about 5% of the Japanese fleet. age of the ship.

The situation of the air force is similar. The number and performance of combat aircraft cannot compare with the Japanese army. The only advantage is that the pilots are well-trained and determined to sacrifice their lives for the country. The fierce fighting of the pilots made the pilots of the Japanese army terrified and suffered heavy losses.

In order to sink the Izumo, the Chinese Air Force warriors formulated detailed combat plans many times in order to completely send this 1937-ton giant ship that will never sink in the hearts of the Japanese people to the bottom of the sea. On August 8, 14, Sun Tonggang, deputy captain of the 2nd Battalion of the National Zhengfu Air Force, led 21 Northrop bombers, took off from Guangde Air Force Base in Anhui, and flew 220 kilometers straight to the sky above the Shanghai Stock Exchange. Izumo" and its frigates.They were divided into two formations, one to bomb the enemy's headquarters, docks, warehouses and other military facilities, and the other to bomb the "Izumo" and other ships.Relying on its temporary advantage, the Chinese Air Force began a bombing operation for several days in a row.

Although the bombing damaged the Izumo, it failed to seriously damage it, let alone sink it. A week later, newspapers from both China and Japan reported that the "Izumo" had been repaired, and the shelling of Pudong began at 21 pm on the 4st. Residential houses up to half an hour.

Many bombings of the Izumo ended in failure. Finally, one day a captured Japanese pilot, and the former Japanese instructor of Liu Nijia and others gave them an idea. This captured Japanese pilot was at that time But I want to try the courage of Chinese pilots.

According to the plan of the captured Japanese pilot, the Chinese Air Force needs to send a pilot to drive the plane and rush into the chimney of the warship, and die with him.As long as the mission is successfully completed, even if the Izumo cannot be sunk immediately, it can be severely damaged.

This plan has been repeatedly demonstrated by the Aviation Committee, and it is considered to be very feasible, but it is difficult for the Aviation Committee to send anyone to perform this task. After all, whoever is sent there is going to die, and there is absolutely no hope of recovery.But I didn't expect that as soon as the plan came out, all the pilots expressed their willingness to carry out this mortal mission.

The pilot's unafraid of sacrifice shocked the Air Navigation Commission, but who to send was really a problem. Everyone was in dispute and wanted to carry out this order.In desperation, the Aviation Committee had no choice but to draw a life-and-death lottery. Whoever draws the death lottery will go. As a result, Le Yiqin, one of the "Four Diamonds" of the Chinese Air Force, was drawn, and the bombing mission fell to him. body.Soon, Le Yiqin, who was determined to die, drove a plane into the Izumo ship, causing serious trauma to the Izumo ship. He died for his country and died a heroic sacrifice.

But only Liu Nijia knew that he was actually the one who got the death lottery at that time, but before he could speak, the big brother Le Yiqin snatched the death lottery. It can be said that Le Yiqin went for him died.Unfortunately, a series of bombing operations by the Air Force did not completely paralyze the "Izumo".

To be honest, before coming here, Liu Nijia wanted to sink the Izumo armored cruiser to avenge his revenge with Qin, but before coming, Chen Feng also gave him an important mission.That is, at the time of the bombing, if the Japanese aircraft carrier Fengxiang, which is cooperating with the Third Fleet, is also there, it will be sunk at all costs, and the second target is the Izumo.

"Director Zhou, Brother Le saved my life. I want to avenge him more than anyone else. But I have a more important mission to bomb Wusongkou Port this time, which is to sink the Japanese aircraft carrier Fengxiang , then it will be the turn of the Izumo. But I can assure you all, as long as there is a glimmer of hope, I will also send the Izumo to the bottom of the sea to vent my anger on Brother Le and all the air force colleagues." Liu Nijia said loudly Said.

"Okay, with your Commander Liu's words, my old Zhou will be relieved. Everyone, success or failure depends on one action. Can you severely damage the third and fourth fleets of the Japanese army, can you sink the Fengxiang and sink the Izumo? It’s up to you if you can’t show bad breath for the country and the people, whether you can fight to promote the country’s prestige, whether you can fight against the Japanese invaders.” Then Zhou Zhirou continued: “Please rest assured, this time the Action Party and the State will fully support you , In order to ensure the smooth implementation of this battle plan, the party-state has transferred all the fighter planes here, and will assume the stance of a decisive battle with the Japanese army. As for the battle to bomb Wusongkou, I will leave it to you."

"Please rest assured Director Zhou, whether it's for our mission or for the dead brother Le, our Northern Air Force will never lose the chain at a critical moment, everything depends on tomorrow's actions!" Liu Nijia represents all the pilots of the Northern Air Force expressed his opinion. (to be continued...)