afterglow

Chapter 514 Chapter The eve of the surprise attack! Will they be separated? !

Looking at the corner of the wall, Zhou Changfeng suddenly thought of a corner reflector with a similar shape. This is a simple and widely used tool.

It is made up of three metal plates that are perpendicular to each other and form a solid angle. It is essentially a passive electromagnetic wave interference device.

When the electromagnetic waves emitted by the radar encounter it, the electromagnetic waves will be reflected multiple times on the metal solid corners, and finally will be completely retroreflected back, forming an obvious and strong echo signal.

Thin tinfoil is hard to find right now, but simple equipment like corner reflectors can theoretically have a certain effect.

Following his instructions, the soldiers collected many iron sheets and thin steel plates, then cut them into isosceles right triangles, and then welded them into combined corner reflectors.

【Picture】

Finally, it was handed over to the Air Force, and ground crews tied some parachutes to corner reflectors to ensure that they could fall slowly in the air and increase their stay in the air.

In one day and one night, everyone made a total of more than thirty people.

Now that the things are there, the question now becomes how to deliver them.

In such an environment, every ship of the Ming fleet, which strictly enforced light control, was pitch black. Only a low-resolution navigation light was turned on at the stern of the ship. In order to avoid collisions, the ships were farther apart than normal navigation. farther away.

Let's treat a dead horse as a living doctor. At this point, we can only provide a little support to the surprise attack fleet, which is considered our best effort.

The finalized plan is for the airport to try to fly three to four fighter jets, each carrying two corner reflectors. After all, the Cormorant 8 is a four-engine large seaplane with a large load capacity, so it directly fills the entire cabin, about two in total. Ten.

Moreover, the long-term habit developed is not to eat or drink too much before a mission to avoid bloating, so the pilots only eat until they are seven to eight cents full.

Everyone then went to the exclusive flight officer restaurant for dinner. The war meal was very luxurious, with a wide variety of dishes, including meat, vegetables, sweet and salty, but no one had much appetite.

"Long live! Long live!"

No aircraft carried aviation torpedoes. Even the Type 50 torpedo aircraft carried eight 100kg aerial bombs, while the dive bomber carried four kg aerial bombs.

The sky is dark, and so is the sea. The stars in the sky are bright, and the stars are reflected on the sea. It is difficult to distinguish between the sky and the sea, and you can only hear the roar of the waves.

He glanced at the excited, calm, eager, and indifferent eyes of the current pilots one by one, and finally waved his hands and said: "Get to your positions, get ready to fight!"

Because the surprise attack requires the release of almost all carrier-based aircraft, it stands to reason that everyone should come here to listen to the battle briefing. The cabin cannot accommodate so many people, so the team lined up in the aisle, and everyone gathered outside to listen attentively.

Soon, dozens of carrier-based aircraft that were ready to go filled half the deck of the Taiwei Zuoyuan.

The pilots did the same. They stood up quickly, grabbed their clothes and put them on. In fact, many of them stayed up all night because they were too nervous and uneasy.

The corridors and aisles outside were only illuminated by basic lighting, which was relatively dark, but the briefing room was exceptionally bright. The pilots who stepped into this cabin subconsciously raised their hands to cover their eyes.

"Perform your performance well, don't brag about how great you are in training, and something goes wrong in battle..."

All the aerial bombs were written with writing brushes and paint by the ground crew. Some people wrote "Specialized to bomb idiots" and "Western Nemesis", while others wrote "Heavenly Punishment".

More than a hundred pilots and rear seat gunners responded loudly, turned around and ran quickly towards their respective planes.

However, several mechanics felt that it was feasible. The shape of this thing could theoretically reflect electromagnetic waves. However, it was applied hastily without testing, and no one knew how effective it would be.

Huang Pingdong reached the end and climbed into the cockpit of his Type 37 ship driver.

This is the advantage of the open hangar, which allows the carrier-based aircraft to warm up in the hangar.

"Must win——"

After discussion, the Air Force's First Pursuit Detachment stationed on Kauai concluded that it was unlikely to successfully take off multiple fighter jets. Finally, after brainstorming, it was determined that the Type 36 fighter jets would only be filled with one-third of the fuel, and the weight should be reduced as much as possible to shorten the takeoff. Sliding distance.

"...For safety reasons, after releasing the carrier-based aircraft, this ship will immediately turn to the northwest and stay away at high speed. Everyone must remember that if the aircraft is injured, do not risk returning home. Just fly to Kauai Island."

All officers and soldiers on the Taiwei Zuoyuan are still busy performing their duties. The ground crews conduct a final inspection of the carrier-based aircraft parked in the hangar under the lights. The pilots return to the cabin early to rest and recharge their batteries. The cooks are preparing for tomorrow's meal.

Some officers were doubtful about this, and their instincts told them that this kind of thing that was made from local materials and made at short notice was not very reliable. However, looking back on the past, Zhou's fantastic ideas often worked.

In the hangar of Taiwei Zuoyuan, the aircraft that had undergone final inspection began to warm up their engines, and the exhaust gases were quickly blown out by the sea breeze.

"No victory, no return!"

In the middle of the night, the fleet arrived at the scheduled turning point 450 kilometers north of Oahu, and then adjusted its course to 165 degrees.

Huang Pingdong, a member of the carrier-based aircraft detachment, was born in the Air Force. He was poached by the Navy five years ago and was recruited into the Navy. He is one of the best aviation commanders in the Ming Dynasty Navy.

The sea breeze carried his voice, and it became a little blurry when it reached a slightly farther place.

Then when the war breaks out, life and death are uncertain, and no one can guarantee whether they will survive.

"If we take Oahu, we will definitely win this battle. Whether we can take Oahu depends on whether we can succeed this time. The enemy's defense will be tight, but we must strive for victory! Complete the glory and glory of our country." A definite fact!"

Except for a few guys with excellent mentality, most of the officers and soldiers of the Ming Dynasty slept very lightly. They almost subconsciously turned over and got out of bed when they heard any noise.

In other words, among so many comrades present, some must be stained with blood.

In addition, among the three heavily-equipped gunships that came with the fleet at that time, there was only one remaining Cormorant 8 in usable condition. It was hidden in Hanalei Bay in the north of the island, and the entire aircraft was covered with camouflage nets. Covered with branches and leaves, intact.

When the hour hand jumped to the next grid, all ships rang their wake-up bells in unison.

No one is slacking off, everything is to ensure that the surprise attack tomorrow morning will be foolproof.

At 6:16 on June 5, the vast and lonely sea was still shrouded in darkness.

A feeling of separation suddenly came over me. The last time this feeling occurred was during the Battle of Tarawa a few months ago.

On June 6, as the sun set over the western ocean, the C-15 air raid fleet still kept sailing eastward.

At this moment, the blackboard in the briefing room has drawn various targets on Oahu, as well as outlined flight routes and other information.

One after another, the planes were lifted to the flight deck by elevators, and the folded wings were folded down and unfolded. The rising sun shed radial red light, and the shells of aerial bombs glowed with the glory of the morning sun.

The ground crew and sailors shouted and raised their arms.

The Taiwei Zuoyuan had accelerated to 30 knots, and its bow broke through the sea, leaving a long snow-white track on the dark blue sea.

The wind and waves were stronger than expected, and the ship was rolling at about 7°. This is a more dangerous situation. Normally, if the roll exceeds 6°, the launch of the carrier-based aircraft should be stopped, but now it is ready, even if it rolls again. Even times have to attack.

The ground crew pulled out the wedge-shaped wooden block stuck in front of the plane's wheel and quickly stepped aside.

The aviation guidance officer held a flare gun, stood upright, and then fired a yellow flare into the sky. "Every plane takes off! Every plane takes off!"

Huang Pingdong pushed the throttle all the way and released the brakes. The pushing feeling was very strong. The nine-cylinder radial engine running at full power roared, and the plane rushed out like an arrow from the string.

Because the rolling distance was nearly ten meters shorter than normal, the fighter jet continued to descend after flying off the deck, and finally climbed up until it was only a few meters away from the sea surface.

此时是檀香山时间6月16日清晨6：23，应天时间6月17日0：23，万里之外的帝都尚在沉睡中。

The five air raid teams and one destroyer team have a total of 77 carrier-based aircraft, which has exceeded the single launch limit of the Taiwei Zuoyuan. Therefore, the five 5-type carrier-based aircraft of the fifth destroyer team will be launched after the deck is cleared. Then lift it up and let it fly.

One after another, carrier-based aircraft painted in blue and gray with ""-shaped Zhen Gua printed on the fuselage rose into the blue sky. The aircraft were bathed in the golden sunshine, and the sun was on the sea level on the left.

The pilots then began to form, and after each air raid team completed their formation, they flew due south together.

In order to shorten the exposure time and probability as much as possible, Huang Pingdong planned to lead his team to descend. However, he suddenly saw a ship floating on the sea in the distance. He looked through his binoculars and confirmed that it might be a small patrol boat.

Therefore, the attack formation can only maintain an altitude of five thousand meters for the time being, using the cover of clouds to avoid being discovered. However, the enemy's radar will definitely be turned on in turns during the war. God knows when they will notice something strange.

Everyone was very uneasy. What they were most worried about was that the U.S. military would discover the incoming aircraft fleet in advance. In that case, the surprise attack would become a strong attack, and the losses would be huge.

Meanwhile, Kauai…

Because there is only one bulldozer available for the time being, the efficiency of repairing the Weiyuan Airport runway has become very low.

Hundreds of people went into battle, digging and filling holes and leveling the runway all night long, while engineers were not far away to eliminate aerial bombs using time fuses that could explode at any time.

As of dawn, the runway had only been repaired to six lengths, just enough for fighter jets to take off.

A Type 36 fighter accelerated into the air and jumped on the grass at an exaggerated climbing angle. A few minutes later, the other two also took off one after another.

The last plane had an accident. Before the plane could accelerate to a decisive speed, the pilot pulled the lever directly because he was afraid of rushing into the runway full of craters. As a result, the plane stalled quickly after leaving the ground, fell back to the ground heavily, and instantly turned into a plane. A ball of flames.

The three fighter jets deliberately avoided radio silence and flew first southeast and then northeast.

The Cormorant 8 gunship taking off from the sea was slower than them, but the route was basically the same.

They climbed to an altitude of 6,000 meters and began to drop the payload when they were less than 100 kilometers away from Oahu.

"Cormorant No. 8, have you lost it?"

"No, I'm not here yet."

"It's almost done, just throw it away now."

In the cabin of Cormorant 8, the crew members opened the door and kicked out these strange-looking things to them.

The crudely made corner reflector was hung under the parachute and slowly fell at a speed of about 5m/s. The total stay in the air was expected to be slightly more than a quarter of an hour.

Parachutes quickly floated in the blue sky and white clouds.

Located on the ridge of Kah Point in southwest Oahu, the SCR-268 radar instantly captured this strange situation.

At the radar station, officer on duty Sean stretched and complained: "It's almost 8 o'clock, why hasn't our breakfast come yet? They're already 50 minutes late!"

At this moment, the man behind him suddenly shouted, "Sir! Lieutenant, you'd better come and take a look at this!"

It was relatively calm before on the oscilloscope. It was estimated that there were two or three small targets approaching. The radar station had called to report, but no one took it seriously. After all, it was impossible for the Ming army to just send a few planes when it attacked.

But things are different now. Waveforms are appearing on the oscilloscope, which means that a large number of suspicious targets have appeared!
Lieutenant Sean was shocked and couldn't believe it. He remembered that there were only a few targets a few minutes ago.

"What? What happened? How come there are so many of them?!"

"I don't know, Lieutenant, just now, there were many more waveforms on the screen..."

Other officers and mechanics from the radar station also rushed over, and everyone gathered around the screen to talk to each other.

Lieutenant Sean thought this was the most bizarre situation he had ever encountered since being exposed to radar.

He wondered: "Maybe the machine is malfunctioning? I don't believe that the Chinese can be separated."

The mechanic immediately checked the oscilloscope and unplugged the signal input cable and connected it to another oscilloscope, but the situation displayed on the screen was still the same.

The leading mechanic pondered: "This is a group of aircraft, absolutely yes, about thirty or more."

Three minutes later, two red flares shot into the sky from the radar station, and an emergency call was made to the Pacific Fleet Command.

In an instant, the shrill sound of air raid sirens spread throughout Pearl Harbor and Honolulu.

The nearest Marine Corps Air Station in Ewa received the order and took off fighter jets to intercept; Hickam Army Airport followed.

Aviation units stationed at other airports did not receive orders.

At about the same time, at a low altitude of 50 kilometers due north of Oahu...

A fleet of dozens of planes pounced on Oahu in a mighty manner, and the morning news and war briefing program broadcast by Radio Honolulu came from the onboard radio.

A rich middle-aged male voice recounted the recent news, "...our boys have sunk another Lanfang merchant ship, which will slow down the enemy's invasion..."

Huang Pingdong's English learning is average and he can only understand some things.

Suddenly, the program being broadcast was cut off and replaced by an emergency broadcast, asking citizens to take shelter in air raid shelters. Enemy planes were approaching Oahu from the west.

This shocked the Ming army pilots, and their hearts were in their throats-Have we already been discovered by me? !

However, careful people quickly discovered the details. The radio said "enemy planes are coming from the west." Perhaps the friendly forces on Kauai successfully implemented a feint?
Before that, Zhou Changfeng sent a telegram to the navy to inform the navy of the feint he had planned. The C-52 Air Raid Fleet indeed received it, but no one took it seriously.

I appreciate your good intention, but everyone knows that the Weiyuan Airport on Kauai Island is in a suppressed state. How could they send out a fleet that could attract attention?

"I saw the airport, they... didn't seem to be moving."

"It doesn't matter if he's on guard or not, just go ahead!"

The sapphire blue sea is sparkling, the green land is extremely lush, and the Haleiwa Airport in the distance is calm. There is no movement except a plane circling in the sky.

"Climb up! Then...generate electricity!" Huang Pingdong said calmly in the radio frequency band: "The enemy is not well prepared. For unknown reasons, the staff began to attack and used all their strength."

(End of this chapter)