Chapter 1036 B-29

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

9,500 meters was too high for clouds and rain, and it was probably too high for Japanese fighters.

Captain Paul Tibbets held the control panel with both hands. He turned his head and looked to the right side of the cabin, and saw a spectacular scene that most people would never forget.

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

When Captain Tibbets thought of the Japanese crime of dropping bacteriological weapons on the west coast of the United States and killing countless civilians, he had an urge to fly a B-29 to Tokyo to drop solidified ***... If the Japanese emperor could be burned to death, even a one-way operation would be worth it.

In fact, the U.S. Army Air Force did not consider the possibility of a "one-way bombing" of Japan - after capturing Oahu, the B-29 bomber took off from Oahu and flew more than 6,000 kilometers to Tokyo to drop bombs, and then landed in Vladivostok, the Soviet Union.

However, in the end, because the cost was too high, the idea of ​​"one-way bombing" Tokyo had to be abandoned, and Japan's oil fields in the South Pacific were bombed from Australia instead.

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

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

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

Once Japan asks for peace, the United States can concentrate its forces on dealing with the Germans who dominate the European continent. It does not seek to win, as long as it can draw, it will not be afraid of losing in the future currency war.

And after destroying the European Community with the currency war, are you still afraid that there will be no chance to cause trouble for Japan again?

"Captain, we will enter the airspace over Sumatra in 10 minutes, and we are expected to be intercepted by Japanese aircraft."

Captain Tibbets' navigator Theodore Van Kirk loudly reported to his superior at 9:38 am on June 5, East Indies time.

"Okay, we are about to fight the Japanese devils!" Captain Tibbets pressed the throat communicator: "Major General Chennault, I am Captain Tibbets of the lead plane, we will enter the airspace over Sumatra in 10 minutes."

The 20th Bomber Wing of the US Army Air Force, led by Major General Chennault, was responsible for bombing the Palembang oil field. A total of 142 B-29s were dispatched.

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

Since most of the flight route is over the Indian Ocean west of Australia, it is a blind spot that the Japanese radar cannot detect. Only when the fleet is within 150 kilometers of the southern coastline of Sumatra can it be detected by the Japanese radar station deployed on Sumatra.

At this time, 142 B-29s were less than 500 kilometers away from Palembang. With a speed of nearly 500 kilometers per hour (at an altitude of 9,500 meters, this speed is very fast), it would take less than an hour for these planes to fly over the Palembang oil field and the city. Hundreds of tons of bombs and solidified *** would turn Palembang into a sea of ​​fire.

However, before these American B-29s completed their bombing mission, they had to pass the Japanese fighter planes.

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

"But the Japanese won't let us drop the bombs easily," Chennault said in a deep voice, "They have many fighter planes, and we will soon be intercepted by Japanese planes. So we must maintain the formation, let the planes cover each other, and all the gunners are in position, ready to fight! God bless you, God bless America!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the voice of Captain Tibbets, who was in charge of navigation, rang again: "Major General, enemy planes are spotted! There are more than 50 of them, and they are Japanese 'Tony' fighters."

"Tony" is the code name given by Americans to Japan's Type 3 "Flying Swallow" fighter. This aircraft is somewhat famous in the South Pacific battlefield. It is a relatively superior fighter among the Japanese Army aircraft (the Japanese Army did not use the Zero, so in the early days of the Pacific War, the "Flying Swallow" was considered a very good fighter in the hands of the Japanese Army Air Force, but unfortunately there were not many of them), and it was mostly used by experienced old pilots, so it 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 the B-29 bomber and the 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 Reaper" that are regarded as jet aircraft at a time. However, from the perspective of the Japanese Navy, there is absolutely no problem for 40 jet-powered "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.