FVN Chapter 588: 547, the madman on the ground
Chapter 588: 547, the madman on the ground
Chapter 588: 547, the madman on the ground
Onboard a Stuka dive bomber carrying out a mission at the front line, the pilot gazed down at the earth beneath his feet. He was like an eagle soaring in the sky, surveying his territory.
The Stuka, originally designed solely for dive bombing with its moderate flying speed and lackluster flight performance, was not really suitable for bombing missions alone.
Such an aircraft had virtually no self-defense capability when attacked by enemy planes—of course, that didn’t apply to ace pilots like Rüdeler.
But now, in the skies, aside from the Tang Army’s aircraft, there were only birds left, so it was only natural for the Stuka dive bombers to carry out missions alone.
Given the enemy’s inability to reach the sky, the Stuka’s poor flying performance was more than adequate, even superior... At this point in time, using Stuka as a fighter plane was not a problem at all.
Two Stuka dive bombers, one trailing the other, entered the war zone air space. Below them, they could see various points of burning smoke, some caused by artillery shell explosions, others left as scars by aerial bombs.
Although the previous attacks had indeed obstructed some of the visibility, the view from the sky was still crystal clear. Everywhere, the Qi Army was preparing to assemble, crowding on the already narrow roads.
“Do you see that road full of horse-drawn wagons? 11 o’clock ahead,” the pilot in the lead aircraft reminded his wingman from behind the compartment divided into sections by iron bars, preparing to select a target to attack.
At this time, the enemy had no awareness of air defense; they didn’t even practice basic dispersal and concealment. It might be the easiest era for pilots to achieve distinction—just dive, pull up, and they could establish their own merits.
The only threat was the possibility of encountering Maxim machine guns temporarily raised to fire at the air.
As long as they avoided these machine guns, they could easily complete their attack and achieve glorious results, blowing the crowded wagons and soldiers into midair.
“I see it! Very clear!” the wingman’s voice came through the radio, accompanied by a bit of static noise.
“You drop the bomb!” The lead aircraft pilot maneuvered his plane to clear the attack path, decelerated calmly, and ceded the main attack to his wingman.
This was a set of attack experience that the pilots had summarized after several bombing runs: the ground targets were too numerous to bomb completely, so everyone would find high-value targets to attack. However, if the lead aircraft attacked first, then the wingman was often left to engage later-discovered high-value targets, which could lead to the awkward situation of missing the target without the chance for a corrective strike.
Therefore, it was logical to have the less experienced wingmen initiate the attack first. If they missed, the lead aircraft could make a corrective attack.
After adjusting, the wingman began his attack. As he pushed his control stick, he loudly reminded the aircraft behind him, “I’m starting my dive! I’m diving! Keep up with me!”
“I’m right behind you!” Almost simultaneously, the lead aircraft pilot also pushed down his control stick, and the two planes began their dive towards the ground, one after the other.
The speed of the Stukas suddenly increased, and the air began to frantically disturb the fan near the landing gear, causing the whistle inside to spin and produce that distinctive, piercing sound.
Thereupon, all the Qi soldiers who were bustling on the ground ceased their clamor. The coachmen pulled on the reigns, soldiers held their lunch boxes, and everyone looked up in unison, turning their eyes toward the familiar yet foreign sky.
“I see it! I see it!” It didn’t take long for the lead plane to locate the target on the ground that his gunner had seen earlier, which was two advancing Panzer IV tanks amidst a field pocked with craters and gun smoke.
On the engine deck of the tanks, a blood-red Dragon Banner was draped. The two tanks were pushing through the Qi Army’s artillery positions, with Qi Army soldiers running in every direction, a sight that was quite spectacular.
“Only two tanks? You’ve got to be kidding! How did they get here?” The wingman pilot was amazed to see the two friendly tanks deep in enemy territory.
“What’s so curious about that, we’re here too!” the lead pilot prepared for the attack, then commanded, “No bombs! Stick close to me! Dive and strafe! Scatter the Qi Army troops in front of them!”
“Understood!” The wingman tightened up behind the lead plane, and the two aircraft once again tilted downward, descending into a dive from an altitude of two thousand meters.
For the pilots, the entire diving action was as thrilling as riding a roller coaster. All the flaps of the airplane were lowered in order to decrease the speed of the impact with the ground.
That annoying, battle-disrupting screech sounded once again, echoing over a battlefield already in utter chaos.
The Qi Army, already disoriented by the Tang Army tanks on the ground, could not pay attention to the terror overhead and continued to run forward wildly, allowing the two planes to close in.
What followed was a hail of ammunitions unleashed from the sky, which made a thudding impact as they hit the ground, ricocheting into dense crowds and slicing through flesh and bone.
The large-caliber aerial guns swept through, leaving behind nothing but limbs and pervasive gun smoke, followed by the roar of the plane’s engines as they whizzed by overhead and gradually faded into the other clamor.
“It’s clear now! They’re our tanks! And there are more to the north... Why aren’t they moving together?” As they pulled up, the wingman pilot nervously asked his lead pilot.
“How would I know! These lunatics are even more brash than us! Damn!” the lead pilot cursed while keeping an eye on his altimeter as it slowly restored altitude.
They had penetrated deep behind enemy lines because they were flying in the sky, but those ground lunatics who had penetrated this deeply, did they no longer want to live?
“So what do we do?” the wingman pilot continued to gaze at the ground and asked.
“What can we do? What else can we do?” the lead pilot resumed his search of the ground, looking for nearby high-value targets: “See that group of tents? Drop bombs! Create chaos and cover them! A bunch of madmen who don’t care for their own lives!”
“Hahaha!” the wingman pilot laughed excitedly: “I like them, total maniacs!”
“Shut it! Keep up with me! Prepare for the dive!” the lead pilot ordered: “Drop bombs simultaneously! Ensure the target is destroyed!”
“Understood!” the wingman pilot stopped laughing and responded solemnly.
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