afterglow

Chapter 639: Flying Radish - Tit; Australian Style Kamikaze

Long before Zhu Shiyan ascended the throne, his cousin, Prince Gaomi, had been doing business in many counties in Shandong and had accumulated a large fortune, but it was not pleasant to say about it - most of the wealth was from brothels and places of prostitution.

Later, the Prince of Gaomi died of old age. His eldest son, the General Zhenguo, felt that his father's property was a bit vulgar, so he began to change direction. Taking advantage of the wave of large-scale construction, he concentrated his property in Fushan Prefecture and started a serious industry.

In the early 1930s, the youngest son of the general who defended the country became fascinated with flying airplanes. He challenged himself to take on long-distance flights, aerobatics, and speed racing flights... In short, he traveled all over the world.

The youngest son’s wife is a French engineer from Canada. The two met by chance when she was traveling to Fushan Prefecture.

In order to meet his own requirements, he founded a workshop to customize various types of aircraft, which was not uncommon in that era when the aviation industry was booming.

This workshop gradually expanded and evolved into the Xuanniao Aircraft Company after a few years. The factory is located in Fushan Prefecture. It is famous for designing and manufacturing racing planes and flight display planes. In recent years, it has also tinkered with some strange experimental aircraft.

So far, the record holder for "fastest in the East" is still the Xuanniao 6 manufactured by Xuanniao Company last year, which reached a horizontal maximum speed of 707 km/h at an altitude of km.

Considering that the Ming Air Force had too many requirements - the performance indicators were harsh, but the deadline was too short, which was too difficult, so many aircraft companies gave up bidding.

Just when the Ministry of War decided to assign the task to the government-run Ascending Aircraft Company, Xuanniao Company volunteered to take on such an important task.

This project was officially established in mid-January. The design team worked day and night, and the design work including aerodynamic shape, wing shape, structure, instrument equipment layout, weapon configuration, overall drag reduction, etc. was basically completed in just three months.

Subsequently, the full-size wooden model was completed, and after undergoing wind tunnel tests, it was continuously refined and adjusted. In early May, the aluminum alloy prototype was completed, and it was repeatedly subjected to wind tunnel tests and multiple refinements to reduce drag.

In late June, the Sn-42 prototype made its first test flight, which was a great success, reaching a horizontal top speed of 5 km/h at an altitude of 626 km. After landing smoothly, the test pilot commented:

"The aircraft has excellent climbing, diving and rolling capabilities, but is not flexible enough; the control feels "stiff", the signs before stalling are not obvious, and it is not easy to recover; the instrument layout is simple and clear, which is very convenient; the engine vibrates too much, the heat dissipation is poor, and the cockpit is very hot."

Another thing that the test pilots praised was the new canopy, which greatly improved the rearward vision - it was based on the Malcom canopy of the British Spitfire fighter.

The prototype revealed many problems since it was rushed after all, but the good news is that there are no major defects.

The war situation was tense, and in order to preserve more experienced veteran pilots, the Ordnance Bureau hastily finalized the Sn-42 as a Type fighter and gave it an official nickname - Tit.

This was the first time that the Ming Air Force changed the name of a fighter plane to a fighter plane. Although the name "Mountain Sparrow" was not majestic, it vividly demonstrated the characteristics of this type of emergency fighter.

The Type 10 double-row eighteen-cylinder radial engine developed by Chengdu Cube Engine Company still has some reliability issues that need to be resolved, but there is no time to solve them calmly at present, so it can only be improved while mass production is underway.

The Type 2 fighter is very small, almost the smallest among mainstream fighter jets, and looks like a short carrot with wings.

长8.4m、翼展10.6m、空重2960㎏，方形翼尖；使用一台初期版本的雕十式双排星发，标称功率2000匹马力，一级二速机械增压器，二速6㎞临界高度极速620㎞/h；由于功重比相当惊人，爬升至6㎞高度仅需短短6分8秒；比较坚固的结构也允许飞机达到至多760㎞/h的俯冲速度。

The weapon configuration consists of four 14.4mm aviation machine guns distributed on the left and right wings; there is a 12mm thick surface carburized hardened armor steel plate behind the pilot's seat; because of its small size and small fuel tank capacity, the range without auxiliary fuel tanks is only 700km, which is quite short.

Overall, the Chickadee is a fighter jet that is completely tailor-made for high-intensity air supremacy battles. It has excellent survivability and decent performance, but its legs are seriously short and it can hardly operate normally without auxiliary fuel tanks.

In a simulated air combat using the captured P-51A and Spitfire MkV, the performance of the Type 6000 fighter was satisfactory. The Ming Air Force was overjoyed and immediately placed an order for aircraft.

The key to the Chickadee is that it may not be able to beat the Mustang, Corsair, or Spitfire in a normal and fair fight, but at least it can guarantee the ability to escape, and no longer be in the dilemma of being unable to beat or run away in the past.

The good survivability is due to both its own reasons and the opponent's reasons. The US military industry department messed around when introducing the excellent Hispano aircraft gun - it arbitrarily modified the production standards, resulting in the first few batches of guns being almost unusable.

The U.S. military was unable to produce a usable 20mm aviation cannon for the time being, and although the 12.7mm machine gun was reliable, it was quite difficult to use it against Ming army aircraft.

As the instrument equipment layout of German fighter planes was integrated into its design, the simple and clear cockpit of the Chinchilla was highly praised. The improvement of human-machine efficiency was a major step for the Ming Dynasty's aviation industry to keep up with advanced levels.

Although the initial plan was to increase the degree of automation, the design team used the existing mature design to avoid complications due to the tight deadline.

In early August, several trial-production Titmouse aircraft were quickly test-flown by front-line pilots. Their biggest complaint was that the engine had a serious oil leakage problem, the oil smell was strong, and the cockpit was so hot that it was unbearable. Some people were even close to heat stroke and had to open the canopy.

On the last day of early August, the successive deaths of three ace pilots prompted the Ministry of War to approve the "Draft Measures for the Rotation and Training of Experienced Pilots" for formal implementation.

This regulation requires that veterans with a total flight time of 350 hours or a mission time of 80 hours be sent back to their home country to serve as tactical instructors in aviation schools and training bases, sharing their practical experience with rookies through words and deeds.

This not only protects these precious elites, but also helps rookies grow quickly.

Of course, it is not difficult to see that this is actually using cannon fodder to delay time and avoid the loss of a large number of elite pilots during this period when the aircraft's performance is at a disadvantage.

With the implementation of this regulation, Hawaiian Airlines' exchange ratio in the war of attrition has further increased.

The war situation in the second year of Jinghe was extremely urgent. Although a few people were still intoxicated with the glorious victories achieved in the past few years, more and more people realized that it was now necessary to switch to strategic defense and prepare for peace negotiations.

There was no movement on the Western Front after the spring offensive. The high temperatures in the South Asian subcontinent were extremely torturous and the heat was unbearable. If a tank was driven under the sun during the day, the air-cooled gasoline engine would overheat in a short time.

The British and British Indian armies attempted a fruitless counterattack. The 133rd Infantry Division of the Ming Army and the 19th Infantry Division of the Southern Army were both repelled. Fortunately, friendly troops provided timely reinforcements and nothing serious happened.

After two years of competition, the Allies gradually figured out the general patterns of their opponents.

The Ming army's regular divisions with numbers less than 100 are not easy to mess with. All of them are battle-hardened, ruthless and experienced. Don't bother yourself unless it is necessary.

The Ming army's conscripted divisions with numbers greater than 100 were relatively easier to deal with, and psychological warfare such as shouting through loudspeakers and airdropping leaflets were quite effective.

The Annan Army's infantry divisions are generally weak, with low technical and tactical levels, and the military qualities of officers and soldiers are uneven. However, they are more adaptable to fighting in complex forest environments, which to a certain extent offsets their shortcomings.

The Japanese puppet army existed at most in regiments (regiments), which were light infantry units lacking heavy weapons. They were quite stubborn and good at concealment and camouflage, and often carried out infiltration and reconnaissance into the depths of defense lines or positions.

This time, Archibald Wavell chose the relatively weak Annan Division and the Ming Army Conscripted Division as a breakthrough point, and concentrated two British armored brigades, a British infantry division and several British Indian troops to attack together, achieving a tactical victory. Although it ended in failure and the counterattack ended in a whimper, the British still called it an unprecedented great victory in propaganda.

In mid-August, just as Zhou Changfeng had worried on the eve of his departure, the US-Australian coalition forces on the southern front were also ready to move.

After the Battle of Tarawa, the SX-165 fleet transported a large amount of supplies to Australia via the restored route. Although five Liberty ships and one C5 freighter were sunk by the Ming army's pursuit and blockade, two-thirds of the supplies were still delivered safely.

大约为2250辆各种汽车、400辆坦克、216门榴弹炮、2.2万支各种枪支、3亿发子弹、2.5万加仑汽油以及大量钢材、铝材、滚珠轴承、机床。

With the help of these supplies that came across the ocean, the strength of the US-Australian coalition forces was further supplemented.

Under the leadership of Labor Prime Minister John Curtin, Australia completed its wartime transformation, worked hard to expand the production of weapons and equipment, improve the military industrial system, and strive to build Australia into the Allied frontline arsenal in the southwest Pacific region.

从三九年至今，澳大利亚的制造业产值增长了39%之多；产业工人总数从55万增至71万；钢铁年产量从120万吨增至172万吨。

【Picture】

Through its own efforts and foreign aid from the United States, Australia's defense industry has undoubtedly made tremendous progress. Now it can finally support several large-scale operations without having to worry about spending more than it earns as before.

Two months ago in June, when Zhou led tens of thousands of troops to fight on Maui Island, the Ming Navy sent a detachment to attack western Australia.

Earlier, the navy was forced to prioritize the recovery of Tarawa Atoll due to pressure, while Port Hedland, a thorn in its side, had to be handed over to the Yiluansi for a surprise attack.

After the recapture of Tarawa, the navy set about attacking Western Australia.

This detachment was centered around the Ziwei Youyuan and Tianshi Youyuan, as the Tianshi Zuoyuan was severely damaged by the American submarine USS Albacore that was lying in wait during the recapture of Tarawa and was still undergoing repairs in Singapore.

In addition to the two fleet aircraft carriers, the fleet also includes three escort aircraft carriers, two battleships, Jianwu and Zhanghe, as well as several screen ships and landing ships. The 2th Marine Brigade is accompanying the fleet.

The detachment attacked Port Hedland on June 6 and launched a large-scale air strike. On June 6, the 6th Marine Brigade landed and engaged in a fierce battle with the local US-Australian coalition forces.

Under the fierce bombardment of the Ming army's three-dimensional firepower from land, sea and air, the three Australian coastal defense artillery regiments (battalions) suffered heavy losses, and the two infantry brigades (regiments) could only barely protect themselves and could not organize an attack at all.

The 4th Marine Brigade then completely destroyed Port Hedland and Cleveland Airport.

How thorough was the destruction? The yolk of an egg was shaken apart and the earthworms were split in half vertically.

Every inch of land in the port area was bombed, all the houses were burned down, the nails in the ruins were pulled out and thrown away, and the wreckage of the heavy bombers destroyed on the ground were towed and thrown into the sea to block the waterway.

A captain of the engineering corps once came up with the idea of ​​using ceramics to make the shell of the mine so that it would not be easily detected by metal detectors, and this idea was put into practice.

The Guangzhou Army Arsenal finalized and mass-produced two types of ceramic shell mines, one large and one small. They were wrapped in coarse hemp rope net bags to cushion and prevent shattering. The large ceramic mine had a charge of 5 kg, and the small ceramic mine had a charge of 0.8 kg. The Ming army buried a total of 42 mines in Port Hedland, some of which used pressure-activated fuses, some used loose-activated fuses, and some used delayed-action fuses.

The Ming army called this masterpiece the "Potato Formation" and was determined to prevent the US-Australian coalition forces from using this place again.

The oiler and supply ships from Surabaya replenished the detachment with heavy oil, ammunition and food. Therefore, the fleet did not turn back, but continued to move south along the coastline and headed straight for Perth.

This was because intelligence showed that the enemy had established an aircraft assembly plant and aircraft maintenance base in Perth. In order to completely eliminate the potential threat of strategic bombing, the Ministry of War requested a detachment to destroy it.

On July 7, the detachment approached Perth, the largest city in Western Australia, and was subsequently attacked by the 2th Squadron and the 507th Squadron of the Royal Australian Air Force.

This port city has a Mediterranean climate, with hot and dry summers, and is rich in mineral resources, including coal, oil, iron and gold. Coincidentally, Perth is in the same time zone as Yingtianfu, the capital of the Ming Dynasty.

The Ming army detachment carried out a fierce bombing on Perth's port area, military camps, railway station, airport, power plant, and water plant, sinking an armed fishing boat, a submarine, and several barges.

The U.S. Army Air Force also joined the battle. The fighting during the day on July 7 was quite fierce. A total of 3 Ming army carrier-based aircraft were shot down, and the U.S.-Australian coalition forces also lost 28 fighters and bombers, one-third of which were destroyed on the ground at the airport.

The Baoding-class escort aircraft carrier, which had an average construction period of half a year and was converted from a quickly built freighter, was not much sturdier than its American counterparts. The second ship, the Ningguo, was directly hit by a bomb dropped by a Wellington bomber and was also damaged by multiple near misses.

After failed rescue efforts, the Ningguo was abandoned, and more than a dozen carrier-based aircraft sank with it.

That night, the Jianwu, Zhanghe and Wuyishan carried out a continuous bombardment on the port area and aircraft maintenance base of Perth all night, intermittently firing more than 384 208mm anti-killing bombs and more than mm anti-killing bombs.

The next day, the US-Australia joint air force changed its strategy to launch operations from suburban air bases and alternate airports, concentrating its forces on attacking the most cost-effective target, the Tianshi Youyuan, a fleet aircraft carrier that did not have an armored flight deck.

The fighting was particularly brutal because the US-Australian Allied Air Force lacked dive bombers better suited for such missions.

The fire net woven by the Ming army fleet's fierce anti-aircraft firepower caused one medium-sized bomber after another to fall with black smoke, but the hit rate of horizontal bombing was too low. Only one of dozens of bombs hit the target, destroying an elevator of the Tianshi Youyuan.

The fierce battle lasted until 16:24 in the afternoon, when the 498th Squadron of the Australian Army launched the fifth wave of air strikes that day. More than a dozen Martin B-26 medium bombers, known as the "Widow Makers", used medium and low altitude glide bombing tactics to attack Tianshi Youyuan.

Under the escort of Spitfire MkV fighters, several B-26s broke through numerous interceptions and dropped bombs, but with little success.

A damaged Spitfire attempted to ram the Tianshi Youyuan, but failed and was destroyed and disintegrated.

Witnessing this move, two minutes later another B-26 followed closely, carrying four 500-pound bombs and hitting the left side of the Tianshi Youyuan.

A military reporter on the nearby battleship Zhanghe captured this scene - a huge orange fireball rose into the sky, like a rolling mushroom cloud of flames.

【The Easter egg chapter has been updated. 】

(End of this chapter)