Anti-Japanese War: From Becoming Chu Yunfei to Rising

An airport at the front line.

At three in the morning, the sea breeze, carrying damp moisture, swept across the empty tarmac like a knife.

Under the cover of night, hundreds of ground crew, mechanics, and American logistics experts were busily working on the massive tarmac, flashlights in hand, beneath the landing gear of the bombers, which were several meters high.

The air was filled with the pungent smell of high-octane aviation fuel and the dull metallic clanging of bombs being loaded.

These bombs are 2,000-pound (approximately 900 kilograms) delayed-fuze armor-piercing rounds that were urgently transported from Hawaii.

The U.S. military does possess 1600-kilogram armor-piercing bombs.

Unfortunately, this thing lacks the capability for dive bombing, so its practical value in combat is limited.

The pre-battle briefing room on the ground floor of the control tower.

More than one hundred bomber captains, navigators, and bombardiers from China and the United States sat upright in folding wooden chairs.

Zhou Zhirou, the commander-in-chief of the Chinese Air Force, stood in full military uniform alongside Colonel Hayes, the senior U.S. Joint Bomb Commander, in front of a blackboard covered with nautical charts.

"Gentlemen!"

Colonel Hayes didn't waste any words; he simply ripped the curtain off the blackboard.

A map of the defenses of the Japanese Kure Naval Arsenal, taken by a high-altitude reconnaissance aircraft and enlarged to scale, was displayed before everyone.

Colonel Hayes slammed his baton down on the massive dry dock deep in the harbor.

"Your target is this monster!"

Even without any reference points, the enormous figure in the black and white photograph still exudes a suffocating sense of oppression.

"The former flagship of the Japanese Combined Fleet—the Yamato!"

Colonel Hayes's gaze swept over each crew member present like a hawk's: "According to top-secret intelligence shared between us and the China Theater, the Yamato was attacked by torpedoes in the Truk Islands and is currently docked in Kure for chassis overhaul and anti-aircraft firepower upgrades."

"This is the moment when its defenses are most vulnerable, and the only moment when it cannot move!"

Zhou Zhirou strode forward, took the baton, and struck it heavily on the marked point of the air defense position: "Even so, do not be careless."

"Intelligence indicates that the density of the Type 98 100mm anti-aircraft gun group in Kure is twice that of Tokyo."

"double?"

"With so much anti-aircraft firepower, isn't carrying out this mission just suicide?"

The voices of communication and complaints are real.

"Gentlemen, there is good news."

Zhou Zhirou's voice rang out in the briefing room: "Our intelligence has led us to their most fatal weakness: soldiers need to rotate shifts for a period of time every day."

"Their air search radar (electro-optical radar) also has blind spots due to terrain limitations."

"We will make a very low-altitude incursion from the mountains behind the Seto Inland Sea to avoid the search by offshore radar, and then climb to a suitable bombing altitude over the target."

Zhou Zhirou's gaze turned cold and sharp: "Please note that a 2,000-pound special armor-piercing round, if the altitude is insufficient and the gravitational potential energy is inadequate, may very well be unable to penetrate the Yamato's terrifying horizontal armor!"

Colonel Hayes replied, "Remember that."

"You must maintain a level, straight-line flight attitude for at least fifteen seconds amidst intense anti-aircraft fire, allowing the bombardier to complete the final aim!"

"Those fifteen seconds were fifteen seconds of hell."

"I know the Japanese anti-aircraft fire will tear the sky to shreds, but the mission requires you that even if the wings are blown off or the engines catch fire, you must not take evasive action in advance!"

"Throw those damned armor-piercing shells into the ammunition depots and engine room of this super battleship, and completely destroy the Japanese ships and shipyards."

"Did you understand?!"

More than a hundred Chinese and American pilots stood up in unison, their boots clicking together in a synchronized thud.

"understand!"

Zhou Zhirou walked to the first row and her gaze fell on Xu Huansheng, who was the leader of the joint assault formation.

"Huansheng, we're counting on you all."

Xu Huansheng gave a sharp salute: "Commander-in-Chief, rest assured, we will definitely sink the Yamato on this mission."

……

4:15 a.m.

The control tower's green signal light suddenly lit up.

At the end of the runway, the first B-24 Liberator heavy bomber, fully loaded with aviation fuel and two thousand pounds of armor-piercing bombs, roared through the night sky.

Four Pratt & Whitney engines spewed out a deep blue exhaust flame.

Due to the extremely high load, the bomber traveled a much longer distance on the runway than usual.

"Pull the lever!"

"Pull him up!"

The co-pilot, looking at the end of the runway that was about to appear, roared at the top of his lungs.

Xu Huansheng gritted his teeth, his arms bulging with veins, and pulled the heavy control lever all the way back.

The rubber tires of the landing gear left a trail of dazzling sparks as they scraped against the edge of the runway.

The enormous steel bird, like a beast breaking free of its shackles, barely grazed the protective forest surrounding the airport before proudly piercing the dark sky.

Followed by.

The second, the third, the tenth.

A total of fifty B-24 heavy bombers, along with twenty B-29 Superfortresses personally led by Colonel Hayes, formed an extremely large mixed strike group.

Above them, 120 P-51D Mustang fighters from the Sino-US joint air force had completed their high-altitude assembly.

Like a flock of raptors guarding their queen ant, they followed the bomber squadron across the East China Sea in radio silence, heading straight for their target.

……

At 8:30 a.m., 20,000 feet above the East China Sea.

The brilliant sunrise had fully risen above the sea, turning the vast sea of ​​clouds into a magnificent tapestry of gold and red.

The temperature inside the cabin was as low as minus thirty degrees Celsius, and a thick layer of frost covered the windows.

Xu Huansheng wore an oxygen mask, and the collar of his heavy fur flight suit was tightly fastened. He controlled the control stick while glancing at the heading coordinates on the instrument panel.

"Reporting the navigation position."

Xu Huansheng pressed the microphone, and the navigator's voice, accompanied by static, sounded in the headset.

"Sir, we have crossed the Osumi Strait."

"We are entering the southern airspace of Kyushu Island."

"Heading 045, stealthily infiltrating towards Shikoku Island, 280 nautical miles from target Kure Port!"

The U.S. Army co-pilot beside him chewed gum and peered down through the frosted porthole.

"General, is your intelligence truly reliable?"

The U.S. co-pilot pointed to the calm clouds below, his tone tinged with disbelief: "With such a large formation of aircraft, flying over the Osumi Strait, we haven't seen a single Japanese patrol plane?"

Xu Huansheng stared straight ahead at the clouds, his tone resolute.

"There is no need to doubt the source of the intelligence."

"The Japanese Navy is now at its last gasp."

"Their aviation fuel has run out."

"Except for a very few core air defense zones on the mainland, routine patrols in the open sea have long been a mere formality."

Suddenly, Colonel Hayes's rough voice, thick with a Texas accent, came through the radio.

"Attention, 'Mustang' escort formation!"

Colonel Hayes issued the order to divide the forces: "According to the planned 'Sakura Slash' operation, the escort fleet will ascend here and establish a free-for-all hunting network in the airspace surrounding Kure Harbor!"

"Shoot down every Zero fighter that takes off to intercept!"

"Bomber formation, descend to lower altitude across the board!"

"Using the cover of the Shikoku Islands mountains, we will stealthily break through along the ridgeline!"

"Roger that!"

The massive bomber formation resembled a group of diving steel whales, their noses plunging downwards as they plunged into the thick clouds.

As we emerged from the clouds, the undulating Japanese mountain range stretched out below.

The plane was hurtling along the snow-covered mountain ridgeline, the turbulence causing the massive bomber to shake violently.

The machine gunners gripped their gun handles tightly, their eyes fixed on the surrounding sky. ...

At 9:10 a.m., in Kure Naval Arsenal, Japan.

This is the core home port and shipbuilding base of the Imperial Japanese Navy Combined Fleet.

The dock is densely packed with various ships undergoing emergency repairs, and the sounds of welding and hammering can be heard from the dock.

Inside the No. 4 giant dry dock, the Yamato, like a floating steel hill, lay quietly in a concrete tank.

The towering bridge and the three triple 460mm main gun turrets, which can be described as world-destroying weapons, all demonstrate the inviolable majesty of this sea behemoth.

However, below the waterline on its starboard side, the huge gap torn open by the US torpedo is still covered with dense construction scaffolding.

Inside the Wugang Air Defense Command Headquarters.

The colonel on duty was holding a cup of hot tea, looking out at the naval port.

The air raid sirens remained silent.

According to the Japanese military's routine air defense alert schedule, this was the time between the rotation of radar detectors and the handover of shifts between operators.

In those crucial five minutes.

"Buzz—rumble!!!"

A low, suppressed rumble of thunder, which was rapidly amplifying, suddenly rolled in from behind the mountains to the south.

The colonel's hand holding the teacup suddenly stopped, and tea spilled onto the back of his hand.

He pushed open the window in confusion.

The next second, his pupils suddenly contracted to their maximum size.

Behind those continuous mountain ridges.

Dozens of enormous black steel silhouettes, like death itself tearing through the sky, leaped out from the clouds without warning!
There was no warning from patrol aircraft!
There was no electrical alarm, not even a visual report!

"Enemy attack!!!"

The colonel-level staff officer let out a heart-wrenching scream, not even bothering to throw away his teacup, and lunged at the red air raid siren button on the table.

"Waaaaah—!!!"

The piercing air raid siren shattered the tranquility of Wugang in an instant.

The entire naval base erupted in chaos, with countless Japanese sailors and ground crew running around the docks like headless flies.

"Anti-aircraft gun!"

"Get in position! The Chinese bombers!"

On the anti-aircraft gun positions, the Japanese gunners didn't even have time to put on their uniforms, and rushed towards the dozens of Type 98 100mm anti-aircraft guns and triple-mounted 25mm machine guns with bare chests.

But in the sky, Colonel Hayes and Xu Huansheng's joint bomber group successfully cut into the core bombing airspace of Wugang.

"Raise the price!"

Xu Huansheng gripped the control lever tightly.

Seventy heavy bombers, like a black wall of steel, rapidly ascended over Wugang with unstoppable force.

Ten thousand feet!
"Open the bomb bay door!"

Accompanied by the piercing whirring of hydraulic machinery, the fuselages of all the bombers slowly opened, revealing rows of 2000-pound delayed-fuze armor-piercing rounds painted with terrifying yellow bands.

The Japanese anti-aircraft fire on the ground finally reacted.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Hundreds and thousands of anti-aircraft shells exploded in the air, forming a dense black barrage.

The acrid smoke and flying deadly shrapnel pounded furiously against the bomber's aluminum alloy skin.

The clanging and banging sounds echoed continuously inside the cabin.

One of the outermost B-24s was hit directly on its right wing by a 100mm anti-aircraft shell.

"boom!"

The wings snapped off instantly, the engines burst into blinding flames, and the massive fuselage spun as it plummeted toward the sea.

But not a single scream came through the communication channel.

The only orders from the other captains were cold and resolute: "Maintain formation! Stick to the flight path at all costs!"

"No one is allowed to evade this!"

Xu Huansheng's eyes were bloodshot as he stared intently at the Wugang dry dock below, which was frantically spewing anti-aircraft fire.

That's the Yamato's tower bridge!

The objective of the mission is not far ahead.

"Hold on tight, level flight countdown!"

Fifteen seconds.

The anti-aircraft fire intensified, and a half-meter-long gash was torn open on the left side of Xu Huansheng's aircraft fuselage by shrapnel, allowing strong winds to rush into the cabin.

The U.S. co-pilot's left arm was slashed, and blood was flowing all over the instrument panel, but he still pressed his hands firmly on the co-pilot stick and shouted loudly: "Heading 010, maintain stability!"

ten seconds.

Five seconds.

"Target center locked!"

The bombardier lay prone in front of the Norton sight, his pupil crosshairs perfectly locked onto the Yamato's massive, unparalleled horizontal deck.

"bomb!!!"

Xu Huansheng and Colonel Hayes's orders rang out simultaneously on the radio channels of the Chinese and American militaries!

"Click! Click!"

Seventy heavy bombers, carrying nearly two hundred special armor-piercing rounds weighing two thousand pounds each—representing the highest destructive power of mankind at the time—were simultaneously detached from their pylons.

In the sky, it seemed as if a black, steel-like meteor shower was falling.

These death gods, equipped with delayed fuses, used the terrifying gravitational acceleration granted by the altitude of 10,000 feet to crash straight down on the enormous war beast below with a piercing shriek that tore through the air.

Inside the Wugang Shipyard.

The engineers and sailors at the Japanese shipyard looked up in despair at the black dots that were rapidly growing larger in their field of vision.

There's nowhere to hide, nowhere to escape.

"boom--!!!!"

The first 2,000-pound armor-piercing shell struck the horizontal armor behind the Yamato's No. 2 main gun turret with perfect accuracy.

This 200-millimeter-thick special armor steel, touted by the Japanese Navy as "the world's best defense," was as fragile as a sheet of iron in the face of this high-carbon steel armor-piercing projectile.

A surface explosion did not occur immediately.

With terrifying kinetic energy, the armor-piercing shell instantly penetrated the horizontal deck and burrowed directly into the deepest part of the Yamato!

Half a second later.

The delayed fuse detonated the thousand pounds of high explosives inside the engine room!
"Boom!!!"

A deep, muffled roar, indescribable in words, seemed to come from the depths of the earth.

Followed by.

Second shot, third shot, fifth shot!
Dozens of 2,000-pound armor-piercing shells, like giant boning knives, were stabbed one after another into the Yamato and the dry dock.

The entire Wugang area experienced a violent tremor, equivalent to a magnitude 12 earthquake, at that instant.

The Yamato's seemingly indestructible hull was completely torn apart from within by the violent energy.

The raging flames, mixed with high-pressure steam at thousands of degrees Celsius, erupted directly from the crack in the deck, shooting hundreds of meters into the air.

"Hit the ammunition depot!"

The warship located at the rear suddenly exploded.

An armor-piercing shell pierced the side of the Yamato, directly detonating hundreds of high-explosive shells stored in the secondary gun ammunition magazine.

A massive, orange-red mushroom cloud, mixed with dazzling white light, rose up with a roar from the No. 4 dry dock in Wugang!

The towering bridge was uprooted by the shockwave of the explosion and slammed heavily into the dry dock filled with scrap metal and blood.

The largest battleship in human history, the last spiritual symbol of the Japanese Empire, was blown to pieces in the dry dock of its home port by the joint US-China air force, without even having a chance to fire a single main gun at the American fleet.

Xu Huansheng abruptly pulled up the nose of the plane, looking down at the Wu Port, which resembled an apocalyptic volcanic eruption: "Attention all personnel, the Yamato has been confirmed destroyed. Return to base immediately." (End of Chapter)