A Zero fighter flew over almost close to the mountain ridge. Japanese naval aviation pilot Lieutenant Hiroshi Yamaguchi watched the surrounding movements vigilantly.
After circling in the low altitude, no trace of the Anjia Army fighter planes was found except for the emerald green. Yamaguchi Hiroshi quickly pulled up the fighter plane and drew a beautiful "S" shape in the air at an altitude of 1,000 to 1,500 meters.
, then turned around and rushed towards the battlefield facing the An Jiajun ahead.
In the northern sky, six low-flying Japanese D4Y Comet bombers saw the "safety" action made by the Zero fighter in front. They immediately gathered in a flying goose formation and followed closely behind the leading Zero fighter.
Prepare to drop all the bombs as soon as possible before the Anjiajun fighter planes arrive.
Yamaguchi Hiroshi's squadron is stationed on Daros Island in the Amirante Islands, and is equipped with all Zero fighter jets. On Poivre Island and Deroche Island, slightly south of Daros Island, there are two
The bomber squadron of the Naval Aviation is equipped with two types of aircraft: G3M Type 96 land attack aircraft and D4Y Comet bomber.
The three islands have a total area of about 30 square kilometers and are distributed in a slanting shape. The average distance from the Seychelles Islands is 350 kilometers. This island is in a tropical rainforest area with lush trees. The Japanese army
It took more than two years to build field airfields and ancillary facilities on these islands from scratch.
Normally, only a small number of maintenance officers and soldiers are left at these airports, and a certain amount of fuel and ammunition are stored. In the event of a war, the front army command will immediately dispatch flight teams from Madagascar in the south to station, and echo each other in the Seychelles Islands in the northeast.
It serves as an early warning and can also prevent the flying team from being attacked by a sneak attack.
It's not just the Amirante Islands. Three hundred and fifty nautical miles southeast of the Seychelles Islands, there is also Quitiwi Island with an area of about 40 square kilometers. There is usually a reconnaissance aircraft squadron stationed on it to monitor the surrounding areas.
It patrols a thousand nautical miles of sea area. Further south, on the Great Self Island, which is the hub of the island chain, there is also a radar base station and a field airport.
The airports built on all these islands are connected in a row, forming a defense system from north to south. They can not only block the Indian Ocean routes, but also use these field airports to fight when war comes. These islands are like unsinkable aircraft carriers.
Together with the five army and navy flying groups in the Seychelles Islands, they form a perfect defensive whole.
It took General Kotaro Nakamura, commander of the Japanese Indian Ocean Front, three years to build this maritime defense line. After the Anjia Army launched the landing operations on Ceylon Island and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Nakamura had a premonition that something was wrong and deliberately strengthened the defense line.
The defense of the main ports along the coast of Madagascar was also directed to immediately dispatch flying squadrons to the northern islands, and all fighter planes were ordered to hide carefully. If communication links are subject to strong radio interference for a long time, each squadron will immediately reinforce the Seychelles Islands without asking for instructions.
The Seychelles Islands are the gateway to the southwest Indian Ocean. If the Anjiajun navy goes south, the Seychelles Islands will definitely be the first target. Of course, the Anjiajun army may also directly attack Madagascar, but considering the ultra-long voyage and the supplies for later operations,
This approach of going straight to the core is undoubtedly more risky. Once the war situation reaches a stalemate, the Japanese military base in the Seychelles Islands will become a dagger stuck in the throat of Anjiajun. In terms of possibilities, Madagascar can only be ranked second.
Second place.
There is no doubt that Nakamura Kotaro's prediction has become a reality.
Early in the morning, Hiruji Yamaguchi's flight lost contact with the Seychelles Islands. However, at first no one realized that the danger was approaching, because in the tropical West Indies, the air was not only humid, but also
Containing a large amount of salt, communication equipment is extremely corroded, and radio communication interruptions are common. However, generally speaking, after a few hours of repairs, communication will return to normal.
By noon, there was still no contact with the Seychelles Islands. The commander of the Japanese air force on the island realized that something was wrong and immediately followed the regulations and sent reinforcements to Mahe Island.
Yamaguchi Hiroshi arrived at Mahe Island as the third batch of reinforcements. He happened to encounter the attack of the Anjia Army naval carrier-based aircraft group. Facing the overwhelming aircraft, Yamaguchi Hiroshi wisely chose to avoid it and stayed in the air for nearly an hour.
Only then did they descend together with the fourth batch of reinforcement aircraft.
At this time, the Bel Ombre military airport in the northwest of Mahe Island was already riddled with craters and burning aircraft wreckage. However, the Japanese ground crews were very tenacious and quickly filled the craters, cleared the runway, and then instructed the aircraft to
After landing, we drove out the oil and ammunition trucks hidden in the surrounding dense forests to refuel the aircraft and load ammunition. The entire work was completed within half an hour.
Yamaguchi Hiroshi knew very well that the number of carrier-based aircraft of the Anjia Army was not comparable to his own at this time, but the geographical location of Mahe Island was too important. Once the port and airport here were lost, it would be very difficult to regain it.
At this time, the front army headquarters must have been notified, and the reinforcement aircraft and fleet must have set off. As long as the advancement of the Anjia army's ground troops can be delayed, victory is ahead.
At this time, the Chinese and Japanese ground forces were confronting each other in front of the high ground two kilometers south of the port area in the east of Mahe Island. The Anjia Army artillery position was located northwest of the southeast airport. It had previously been a blocking position for the Japanese army and was occupied by the Anjia Army Navy and Ground Forces.
After the battle team captured it, it was temporarily transformed into an artillery position.
As Colonel Zhao Xing, commander of the 1st Marine Division and 1st Regiment, and Lieutenant Colonel Chen Ziyu, chief of staff, gave up the attack, the infantry retreated into the dense forests on both sides of the road, and the artillery also covered all 105mm howitzers with camouflage nets.
The Zero fighter circled in a circle at high altitude and found no target. Yamaguchi Hiroshi was surprised and quickly lowered its altitude and carefully observed the ground situation.
At this moment, more than a dozen amphibious tanks suddenly removed their camouflage nets, and the 12.7 mm caliber high-level dual-purpose machine guns on the turret formed a dense anti-air barrage. A row of dense rain of bullets passed by the side of the Zero fighter, including
The right wing was hit by a string of bullets, making a "pop" sound.
Yamaguchi Hiroshi was shocked and quickly raised his fighter plane.
"Da da da——"
Another dense rain of bullets came, this time without any bias, hitting the chassis of the Zero fighter. As we all know, the Zero fighter did not have any armor to protect the pilot and the fuel tank, and the fuel tank did not have a self-sealing device or fire-extinguishing equipment. It was easy to hit it.
Was hit and caught fire.
Now Yamaguchi Hiroshi encountered this situation. He had no time to react. The Zero fighter burned in the air and quickly lost control.
Yamaguchi Hiroshi desperately tried to stabilize the fuselage, preparing to control the fighter plane to kill the Anjia Army tanks on the ground. But who would have thought that a burst of dark clouds suddenly floated in the sky opposite. When he took a closer look, he discovered that it was the Anjia Army's carrier-based fighter group.
, one of the F2-B "Golden Eyed Eagle" carrier-based fighters that came forward spotted the Zero fighter trailing long black smoke, and immediately accelerated forward. When it was more than 200 meters away from the Zero fighter, six
A 12.7mm caliber aviation machine gun fired simultaneously.
Yamaguchi Hiroshi barely made any reaction. The Zero fighter was beaten to pieces and disintegrated into burning pieces in the air.
The mission of the four fighter squadrons taking off from eight aircraft carriers this time was to hunt down Japanese fighter planes under the guidance of reconnaissance aircraft and high-altitude airships.
The maximum field of view of Japanese pilots is only more than ten kilometers. The maximum speed of the F2-B "Golden Eyed Eagle" carrier-based fighter jet is as high as 680 kilometers.
hours. The flight speed per second reaches 181 meters. Within one minute, it can rush to the battlefield from outside the sight of Japanese fighter planes and encircle and kill the Japanese aircraft group.
The Japanese pilots flying the D4Y Comet bomber were furious that Hiruji Yamaguchi's pilot aircraft in front was hit by ground artillery fire. They knew what the fire of the Zero fighter meant, and they were all eager to avenge Paozawa and flew their fighter planes down.
Prepare to carry out precise attacks on the exposed amphibious and land tanks on the ground.
However, just as they were halfway into their dive, they suddenly saw the fleet of Anjia military carrier-based aircraft approaching quickly. They were frightened. They hurriedly dropped their bombs, desperately pulled up the fuselage, and prepared to escape.
Although the maximum speed of the Comet bomber when empty is 580 kilometers
It is the most powerful bomber equipped by the Japanese army. As long as it can be detected in advance and evaded early, it is entirely possible to avoid being rounded up. However, now all the Comet fighter jets have just emerged from the dive state, and there is no time to adjust their course, let alone
The speed was increased to the maximum, so almost instantly, it became the prey of the roundup.
One of the six "Golden Eyed Eagle" carrier-based fighter jets rushing at the front bit a target and opened fire immediately after locking on it. The other two fighter jets were on guard to guard against the unexpected escape of the Japanese fighter planes and annihilate this group of invading enemies.
.
The Japanese pilots tried their best to perform snake-like maneuvers, sharp turns, or a combination of 360-degree somersaults and rolls. However, no matter how hard they tried, they could not escape from the air combat because they lost the opportunity.
The pursuit of the "Golden-eyed Eagle".
"Woo——"
The tail wing of a Comet bomber was hit by a series of aviation machine gun bullets, and it fell to the ground whimpering and dragging thick smoke.
Another Comet bomber had half of its wings knocked off, and it immediately rolled strangely and continuously in the air, and then fell in a nearly vertical position.
When the third Comet bomber performed a snake maneuver, the cockpit glass was shattered by the violent rain of bullets from behind. Both the bombardier and the pilot were beaten to pieces. The aircraft suddenly lost control and crashed into the aircraft below with a roar.
Mountains.
The fourth Comet was unlucky. The 250-kilogram aerial bomb hanging from its belly was not thrown out for some unknown reason. As a result, it was hit by an aviation machine gun bullet. The high temperature caused by severe friction caused the aerial bomb to detonate, sputtering out contiguous flakes in the air.
Sparks tore the Comet bomber into pieces. The burning aircraft fragments spread in all directions, and after losing their potential energy, they fell to the ground like a meteor shower.
The fifth Comet bomber followed in the footsteps of the Zero fighter.
Although Comet's fuel tank was equipped with armor, the bullets fired at it were too dense. The same point was continuously shot by multiple bullets, and the fuel tank began to leak after being penetrated.
If the aircraft could escape from the battlefield in time at this time, the self-closing and fire-extinguishing systems of the fuel tanks would prevent the Comet from becoming a lighter in the air. But coincidentally, when the Comet bomber was trying to avoid it, it happened to be shot by the fourth Comet bomber when it disintegrated.
The incoming burning debris hit it, causing a fire immediately.
At this point, the self-closing and fire-extinguishing systems could no longer suppress the spread of the fire. Before long, the Comet bomber was surrounded by raging fire, and together with the pilot and bombardier in the cockpit, it plunged into the sea to the southeast.
The last Comet bomber was so tenacious that it escaped over the Bell Ombre military airport before being shot down. More than a hundred Japanese mechanics and ground crews at the airport below witnessed the Comet bomber rushing towards the airport runway in thick smoke.
After the violent explosion, flames shot up twenty to thirty meters high, and the fuselage was shattered to pieces by the impact.
But fortunately, the pilot and bombardier of the Comet fighter escaped from the cabin in time. Carrying parachutes on their backs, they returned to the ground flutteringly.
This aerial encounter is just a microcosm of the large-scale air battle in the Seychelles Islands.
In order to completely eliminate the air threat from the Japanese army and navy aviation, four squadrons of Anjia Army carrier-based fighter jets were divided into several strike groups. Under the guidance of high-altitude airships and reconnaissance aircraft, they conducted a network of 100 kilometers of airspace around Mahe Island and the surrounding area.
Type investigation. Don't let a single enemy plane slip through the net.
During the clearing operation that lasted for more than two hours, the Japanese fighter planes arriving from various southern islands for reinforcements fell prey to the "golden-eyed eagles". Not only did they not strengthen the Japanese ground defense, but they also destroyed themselves.
They also paid for it. This kind of moth-to-flame reinforcements greatly weakened the Japanese air power in Madagascar.
After high-altitude airships and reconnaissance aircraft reported back that there were no traces of Japanese fighter planes in Mahe Island's airspace, twenty-four Type III transport helicopters mounted on eight amphibious landing ships began to transport Marine Corps officers and soldiers to Mahe Island.
Northern region.
The Type III transport helicopter can carry 18 soldiers or 2,000 kilograms of cargo, but due to the overweight of weapons and equipment on many soldiers, it was reduced to 15 people, and 360 officers and soldiers can be delivered at one time. According to the plan, it will be sent to Mahe Island within two hours.
Send three waves to the north, and then launch an attack to the east. Seize the military airport located in the west of the port area as soon as possible.
At the same time, the Navy's First Indian Ocean Battle Fleet began to escort two landing ships to the Bel Ombre area in the northwest of the island, preparing to launch a landing operation against them.
At a quarter past four in the afternoon, the fleet arrived at Belle Ombre Bay and immediately launched a violent bombardment of the coastal defenses.
Unexpectedly, the many Japanese coastal defense fortresses detected by the Air Force reconnaissance beforehand did not fire back. The scattered shells did not pose much threat to the landing of the Anjia Army Marine Corps.
Half an hour later, the first wave of troops landed on the beach and quickly occupied the coastal defense forts. At this time, the officers and soldiers were surprised to find that most of the fortress cannons were made of black-painted logs. Bell, who had been thought to be the focus of the Japanese army's defense,
In the Bay of Ombre, there was an empty city plan.
If the Anjia Army could discover this situation in advance and launch a landing operation from this place, since it is only five kilometers away from Victoria Harbor in the east, and the terrain along the way is relatively flat, which is conducive to large-scale operations, it is estimated that Victoria Harbor will have been captured by now
.
After the Japanese army learned that Belle Ombre Beach had been lost, they organized about two squadrons of about 500 soldiers from the nearby airport to counterattack, trying to drive the Anjia Army Marine Corps off the sea. Under mortars, machine guns and
Amid the sound of automatic gunfire and the ear-piercing screams of the Japanese army, the officers and soldiers of the Anjia Army Marine Corps fought resolutely, relying on the fortifications captured from the Japanese army and the huge artillery of the maritime battle fleet.
The Japanese soldiers who came like a tidal wave were knocked off their feet under the powerful firepower of the Anjia Army. The Japanese soldiers retreated after leaving a pile of corpses in front of the Anjia Army's position.
Soon, the second attack wave rushed up again, but still no soldier could rush to the front of the position, leaving a pile of corpses behind and the battle was defeated again.
By this time, fourteen "Porpoise I" amphibious tanks had landed.
These giant steel beasts rushed onto the beach, leading about two battalions of Anjiajun Marine Corps officers and soldiers who took the initiative, and rushed towards the airport where the Japanese army was entrenched.
During the march, the amphibious tanks used 75mm cannons and machine guns to eliminate the remaining Japanese troops who were stubbornly resisting one by one. The tanks ran over the dead and wounded Japanese soldiers, and the tracks were covered with flesh and blood, like a meat grinder.
On the ridge one kilometer southeast of the airport, they heard the sound of gunfire from the west coast. A battalion of Anjiajun Marines sent here by helicopter decided to launch an attack on the Japanese Bell Ombre Airport.
.
The Japanese army was attacked from behind and defeated. At 5:30 in the afternoon, Belle Ombre Airport was recovered.
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