Maruyama Kihara felt that Hiraga was right. This was nothing to the 45th Flying Wing. After all, they could be regarded as experienced pilots. For them, high-angle dives could only be regarded as basic operations.
So Maruyama Kihara gave an order, and the fleet lined up in squadrons and dived towards the target below...
The bombing tactics used by the Japanese at this time were learned from Hans. After all, Hans was also very good at using dive bombers.
This bombing tactic was called the "roulette" tactic by the Japanese.
When using this tactic, the aircraft are often grouped into groups of three or even more than ten, and then form a circle in the air like a "roulette" and take turns to dive bomb the target.
The advantage of doing this is obvious, that is, it can maximize the chance of destroying the target.
For example, if the previous bomb is missed, the fighter plane following it will get a similar explosion point if it drops the bomb at the same time because it takes the same route.
Therefore, the latter fighter can correct its throwing time and direction according to the explosion point.
Whether the shot is far or close, left or right, if you communicate with each other, you can basically hit it accurately in two or three times.
Otherwise, if each bomber goes for its own target without cooperating, its hit rate will be determined by luck and touch.
As for the number of sorties to form a circle, it is usually for bombing large buildings such as arsenals or bridges. If a lot of bombs are needed to hit the bombs at will, a squadron of twelve is used for bombing.
If it is a smaller target, bomb it in small groups of three or five.
At this time, the enemy's target was the tank, and of course they would bomb in small groups.
The squad leader of each squad took the lead in diving, followed closely by his subordinates.
As the commander, Maruyama Kihara did not carry out the bombing with his subordinates. He looked around worriedly, and then used the radio to contact Major Komura.
"Have the enemy's anti-aircraft guns been detected?" Maruyama Kihara asked.
"No!" Major Komura replied simply: "Everything is under our control..."
Before he finished speaking, the black smoke from the anti-aircraft guns exploded in pieces below Maruyama Kihara, and there were quite a few of them, at least dozens of them. The exploding black smoke seemed to form a barrier below.
.
"Asshole!" Maruyama Kihara yelled: "The enemy's anti-aircraft guns are already attacking us, but you don't know anything about it!"
Maruyama Kihara slammed the microphone on the base of the plane, then pulled the nose of the plane and took his wingman to bomb the anti-aircraft guns.
However, Maruyama Kihara searched around and found that he could not find it. However, the anti-aircraft shells continued to explode in the air, and the shrapnel hit them. The dive bombers plummeted to the ground with black smoke and then turned into a pile.
flame.
"What's going on?" Maruyama Kihara picked up the walkie-talkie again and asked Komura: "Did you find the location of the anti-aircraft gun?"
Major Komura was in command of the reconnaissance plane, and Maruyama Kihara thought he would see it more clearly.
After a while, Xiaocun replied: "Maybe, but Maruyama-kun, they are more than ten kilometers away, and they are very scattered..."
"This is impossible!" Maruyama Kihara was stunned when he heard this: "More than ten kilometers away, the Eighth Route Army does not have this kind of anti-aircraft artillery!"
This is not just a question of whether there is such an anti-aircraft gun.
As a pilot, Maruyama Kihara also knew that the range of more than ten kilometers was beyond visual range, which meant that the Eighth Route Army gunners could not see these aircraft.
Since they couldn't see the plane, how did the Eighth Route Army know to fire?
Could it be that the Eighth Route Army has been equipped with radar?
The other side of the village was silent for a while, and then replied again: "Confirmed, those anti-aircraft guns are indeed scattered in the jungle more than ten kilometers away, at different distances. There are only one or two guns in each place. It is difficult for us to report them to you."
Location……"
Maruyama Kihara felt a little dizzy.
More than ten kilometers and scattered in the jungle, it is almost impossible to find and destroy them one by one. This requires the aircraft to fly overhead and happen to see the target and fire, otherwise it will not be able to find and determine its location...
All the enemy gunners need to do is wait for the aircraft to approach without firing.
Maruyama Kihara was right, which is one of the reasons why Wang Xuexin wanted this anti-aircraft gun with a range of 19 kilometers beyond visual range.
The Japanese plane is outside the gunner's visual range, and conversely, the anti-aircraft gun is also outside the Japanese aircraft's visual range.
Although the Japanese aircraft can be said to "stand high and see far," their observation range is even further.
But the problem is that the anti-aircraft guns are hidden in the jungle, camouflaged with green plants, and there are only one or two in each place. The smoke will dissipate quickly after firing.
In order to cover these anti-aircraft guns, the gunners will also deliberately release some smoke around them.
In this way, the smoke after firing will blend with the smoke released, making it impossible to judge the position of the artillery from the smoke.
As for whether the smoke will block the gunner's sight... The Japanese plane is beyond the visual range and cannot be seen anyway. Whether it can be seen is not a matter of bird's eye!
Maruyama Kihara was flying in the air at a loss. This was the most powerless battle he had ever fought.
As bomber pilots, they originally had the advantage over the enemy that "I can hit the enemy, but the enemy cannot hit me."
But now!
At this moment!
It actually turned into "the enemy can hit me, but I can't hit the enemy"!
He didn't know how the enemy did it, and more importantly, the opponent was the Eighth Route Army...
"Your Majesty, Major!" At this time, the wingman's call came over the radio: "I have suffered heavy losses. More than half of the aircraft has been damaged."
Maruyama Kihara poked his head and looked down, and saw that the bombers of the 45th Flying Group were destroyed one after another and crashed to the ground during dive bombing. In this moment, only about ten were left.
Maruyama Kihara asked feebly: "How many targets have we destroyed? Are the enemy tanks still there?"
"I think so!" the wingman replied in panic: "I haven't heard many reports of hitting the target. What should we do?"
"We must complete the mission!" Maruyama Kihara gritted his teeth and said, "We have no other choice, come with me!"
With that said, he pressed the nose of the aircraft and dived towards the target area.
The wingman actually knew that Maruyama Kihara was committing suicide by doing this, but he still had to say "yes" and dive with Maruyama.
When Maruyama dived down, he discovered a problem: the smoke from those anti-aircraft guns seemed a little strange... I couldn't say what was strange, it was just a little different.
After observing carefully for a while, Maruyama Kihara understood.
"They don't have radar!" Maruyama Kihara shouted at the radio: "They have set Zhu Yuan to fire, so the artillery fire is very regular! Repeat..."
Maruyama yelled as he tried to pull the plane away from the area.
Because if this is the case, they should not fight to the death with the target, they still have a chance to turn defeat into victory.
But then I realized it was too late.
Just hearing a "boom", a cloud of smoke exploded near Maruyama's cabin. Several pieces of shrapnel penetrated the glass of the cockpit cover and penetrated into the cab. One of the shrapnel was deeply embedded in Maruyama's chest...