The airdrop arranged by Wu Aihua was actually to airdrop nylon ropes, mines and other supplies to Swordfish. Can mines be airdropped? Of course. Any dangerous weapons can be airdropped, as long as the detonation device is separated from the warhead.
Late at night on the day when the Japanese army announced their occupation of Shanghai, several raging fires were lit on a beach on the south bank of the Yangtze River, with Swordfish troopers on alert scattered for several kilometers around them. Just a few minutes after the fires were lit, there was a buzz in the sky.
There was a buzzing sound, and after a while, white mushrooms floated down from the dark sky...
The Swordfish unit, which received supplies such as mines and nylon ropes, conducted a two-day synthetic drill on a river beach on the south bank of the Yangtze River and fine-tuned the implementation details.
After all possibilities were thought of and plans were made, the Swordfish troops spent two days intensively laying mines on the main channel of the Yangtze River. Without stopping, deputy captain Liu Renhai dropped 1,000 mines from the aircraft at one time.
All the mines sank into the Yangtze River.
After preparing a feast of mines and mines for the Japanese, the soldiers of the Swordfish Commando waited for the "guests" to arrive.
…
The Japanese fleet in China was far more powerful than at the same time in history. In addition to the two aircraft carriers "Hosho" and "Ziho", there were also four main Japanese battleships: Nagato, Rikuyue, Haruna, and Izumo. At the same time in history, the Japanese army
The Chinese fleet is led by only an outdated battleship, the "Izumo".
When the Japanese army attacked Shanghai, most of the main battleships of the Japanese Navy stayed in the open sea. The Japanese ships that entered the Yangtze River and Wusongkou were mostly "Myoko" class heavy cruisers, light cruisers such as "Ryuta" and other destroyers, gunboats, torpedo ships, etc.
In fact, when the Japanese army first occupied Shanghai, the "Fengqing Bureau" of the National Defense Forces obtained a series of Japanese army's operational plans for attacking Nanjing.
The task of attacking Jiangyin was mainly undertaken by the Japanese Navy and Army Air Force. The Japanese Marine Corps sent out a brigade-sized force to assist in the attack.
The Japanese Army Aviation mainly comes from Kyushu, Japan, Taipei, Taiwan, Jinan, Shandong and other places. At this time, the unilateral range of Japanese fighter planes can fly directly from Kyushu, Japan to Shanghai, but they cannot fly back directly. They must land in Shanghai to refuel.
Return.
At the same time in history, the Japanese army only had about 200 combat aircraft before and after it captured Shanghai. However, the emergence of the National Defense Force has changed history beyond recognition. Even an ordinary Chinese knows that 200 combat aircraft want to occupy China.
The sky is nothing more than a foolish dream.
The Japanese Army Air Force, after several days of transition, finally accumulated the number of combat aircraft to 600, including a squadron equipped with the most advanced night flying equipment.
The Japanese Navy also dispatched a fleet that was far more powerful than at the same time in history. Historically, the Japanese 11th Fleet that attacked Jiangyin had a displacement of only 725 tons, the main battleship Anzai, and a displacement of just over 1,300 tons, the cover ship Yaeyama.
; However, the Japanese Navy's formation this time is much stronger. The main force is composed of two light cruisers, "Naka" and "Kifur", with a displacement of nearly 3,500 tons. Each light cruiser is equipped with 4 140mm 50-caliber main guns.
There is one 80mm anti-aircraft gun, 6 torpedo tubes, and 48 torpedoes. As for the destroyers with a displacement of about 1,000 tons, there are as many as 12 destroyers, and there are more than 30 other warships. They can be described as mighty, menacing, and murderous. Under normal circumstances,
It was difficult for the First Fleet of the Republic of China Navy to resist.
The Japanese army captured Shanghai at lightning speed, which was like a shot in the arm, and the arrogance of the Japanese army's base camp for invading China suddenly increased. The East China Front stayed in Shanghai for three days, but the Japanese Army Air Forces continued to kill towards Nanjing, every day.
Hundreds of combat aircraft flew out of Japan to bomb cities in Nanjing and Shanghai-Nanjing until the Japanese army occupied the area.
This is what is called a fire at the city gate, affecting the fish pond. Under the overturned nest, are there intact eggs? Shanghai fell, and the entire Yumi Jiangnan suddenly fell into the flames of war!
However, compared with the same period in history, the Nationalist Government's air force was much stronger at this time, and because the Chinese side was defeated too quickly in the Battle of Shanghai, the Nationalist Government's air force was not consumed in Shanghai.
Therefore, the early bombing by the Japanese Air Force did not take much advantage. The Chinese and Japanese air forces launched an unprecedented fierce fight between Shanghai and Nanjing! However, as more and more Japanese aircraft arrived, gradually,
The Chinese Air Force was at a disadvantage.
In this air battle, Jiangyin was naturally one of the key targets for Japanese bombing. If Jiangyin was not conquered, the Japanese Navy would not be able to exert its advantages, and the Japanese Army's supplies would not be able to be transported to the front faster and more conveniently.
"The Japanese planes are so arrogant!" Dong Yuqing, captain of the Swordfish Squadron 1, looked at the Japanese planes flaunting their power in the sky and cursed hatefully.
"Hey, I don't know what Chairman Chiang is thinking. If the air force of our National Defense Force is involved, there will be no chance for the Japanese to be rampant!" Wang Chaohua, the captain of the second squadron, is well-informed and seems to have information that others don't know.
"Hey, Captain Wang, where did you hear that Chiang Kai-shek would not allow our air force to participate in the war?" Wang Chaohua's words attracted the attention of other soldiers.
"It's not Captain Liu who said that. As soon as the Shanghai War started, the National Defense Force Headquarters sent a telegram to Chiang Kai-shek, requesting to join the war, and asked for airports and logistical support; however, Chiang Kai-shek did not agree." Dynasty Chinese is not surprising and will not stop, the inside story
It became more and more subtle. However, he said this very quietly, because "Team Liu" Liu Renhai was playing chess with the soldiers not far away.
"No wonder those old Red Army soldiers said that Chiang Kai-shek is 'Chiang deserves to die'." A soldier said as if he suddenly realized.
Indeed, when the Japanese army just started to attack Shanghai, Wu Aihua instructed the National Defense Force Staff Headquarters to send a telegram to Chiang Kai-shek, requesting that the air force be sent to participate in the war; but Chiang Kai-shek refused because the national air force was sufficient to cope with the war.
Originally, it was impossible for such a thing to be spread to the outside world, but due to the enthusiasm of some senior officers of the National Defense Force to fight, especially the idea that quite a few people suggested that the National Defense Force should send the air force to participate in the war even if it does not send the army, Xia Zhongqing later
After asking Wu Aihua for instructions, he had to inform the commanders above the division level about the negotiations between the National Defense Forces and Chiang Kai-shek, and the "request war" calmed down a little.
"I heard that the Japanese Navy dispatched two aircraft carriers this time. If we can blow up those big ones, we will be in trouble!" A soldier suddenly said.
"Hey, aircraft carriers are big things. I heard that the two aircraft carriers Japan sent to China only have a displacement of more than 10,000 tons. Do you know the tonnage of Japan's Nagato battleship? When fully loaded, it reaches 39,700 tons!"
Wang Chaohua said with some showoff.
"Oh my God, it's so big, how can I deal with it?" the soldier said with some frustration.
"Humph, we have to deal with it even if we can't deal with it. Look, which time has the National Defense Force ever lost a battle?" Wang Chaohua said.
"Team Wang said it well. I think that although the navy of the National Defense Force does not have such a big guy, Commander Wu must have countermeasures, and the Japanese will definitely not be easy to get. We will wait and see!" As the captain of the first team, Dong Yuqing
The problem seems to be more fundamental.
Dong Yuqing's words immediately made everyone nod. Commander Wu has long been a mythical existence in the hearts of the soldiers of the National Defense Forces. As long as Commander Wu is there, there is no enemy that the National Defense Forces cannot destroy!
…
As the Japanese army came closer and closer, Jiangyin also fell into the indiscriminate bombing by the Japanese air force. The soldiers of the Swordfish Commando knew that the Japanese fleet was about to come up.
At 7 o'clock in the morning on December 23, Liu Renhai suddenly received a report from the downstream observation post: the Japanese fleet was coming upstream towards Jiangyin and was still 40 kilometers away from our mine ambush area.
"Brothers, enter the position and prepare to start work! The Japanese fleet is only an hour away!" Liu Renhai announced loudly.
Everything that needs to be done has been done, and all conceivable situations have been repeatedly deduced. The real final touch depends on the performance of the soldiers and the luck of the Japanese!
"Report: The Japanese ship is still 20 kilometers away from me!" Nearly an hour later, the second observation post sent information.
"What happened to this Japanese fleet that it only moved 20 kilometers in one hour?" Wang Chaohua asked with some confusion.
"Haha, I forgot something just now. The Nationalist Government's navy also deployed a large number of mines in the Yangtze River, and the Japanese army couldn't move faster even if they wanted to." Liu Renhai explained somewhat suddenly.
Mines are a product of asymmetric warfare. They are weapons used by the weak against the strong. The manufacturing cost of a mine is very low, and the deployment cost is also very low. But as long as it hits an enemy ship, even a small ship of 100 tons,
It can be regarded as making a lot of money and making a lot of money.
It is said that some mines deployed during World War II have not been cleared for decades, because the cost of mine clearance is more than ten times the manufacturing cost and minelaying cost. No country in the world is willing to take care of these things unless necessary.
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Time passed by minute by second, and the soldiers of the Swordfish Commando were already in their positions, waiting for the Japanese fleet to enter the ambush circle.
"Here we are, finally here!" Liu Renhai put down his telescope and sent a gesture to the messenger not far away.
In the eyes of the soldiers, the first thing they saw was huge clouds of black smoke, which was the symbol of warships of this era. Then, the figure of the Japanese fleet was slowly revealed under the morning sun.
For the enemy, the rising sun does not represent hope!
The Japanese ships were still moving very slowly, followed by four small minesweepers. Although there were fewer mines in this section of the river, the Japanese ships were also very careful.
The Japanese Army can be brutal and aggressive because they have the spirit of Bushido; but the Navy is a technical branch, and all actions must be in accordance with the rules. If they are really desperate and rampage on the Yangtze River, it will really be a big deal.
, a mine can sink a ship, and the lives of hundreds of people will be at risk.
However, there were just enough mines along the way to paralyze the Japanese warships, making them feel that the dangers of the Yangtze River waterway were nothing more than that.
"Let the minesweeper go!" Liu Renhai saw the performance of the Japanese ship and quickly issued the order in a timely manner.