ebookland Chapter 1280 The Japanese Landing Point
Chapter 1280 The Japanese Landing Point
"Use half of the reconnaissance aircraft to immediately conduct search and reconnaissance of this area and surrounding regions."
Li Shaoyi drew two circles on the map, one to the south and one to the north of the Jiaodong Peninsula. Li Shaoyi calculated the time; the Second Fleet had enough time to reach these two circles. Unfortunately, these two circles were our blind spots; we could only reconnoiter the area outside the Jiaodong Peninsula and wouldn't extend our reconnaissance north or south.
Upon hearing Li Shaoyi's words, Ma Leizi suddenly realized he might have overlooked something. If the Japanese had indeed landed on the mudflats, they would essentially be combat-ready by now. They couldn't afford to be idle for over a week. Moreover, since the Second Fleet arrived at sea, the daily fuel consumption alone was astronomical. Leaving them idle would be a huge waste of their money.
"Hurry! Immediately order the third reconnaissance team to take off, targeting the northern Jiangsu sea area."
Ma Leizi immediately issued the order, and his dozen or so operations staff officers relayed it. At that moment, the four aircraft of the third reconnaissance detachment were fully fueled; they were the reserve personnel for the reconnaissance crews. If any aircraft was lost, or if any problems arose upon their return, they would have to replace them immediately.
You must understand that during combat operations, there must be reconnaissance aircraft in the sky at all times, not even for a minute or two. When a reconnaissance aircraft in the sky realizes that it needs to return to base, it must receive orders that its comrades have arrived before it can return; there cannot be a single minute of downtime.
In such a massive battlefield, even a one-minute gap could cause us enormous trouble. If the Japanese fleet were to choose to strike directly during the aircraft reconnaissance handover, we wouldn't be able to detect them at all. By the time we spotted them again, it would be half an hour or an hour later.
The vast ocean is simply too immense. Although the air force operations department has formulated patrol routes for the aircraft, aiming to cover the largest possible sea area in the shortest possible time, this is still too difficult given the sheer size of the ocean. Therefore, under these circumstances, the only option is to ensure perfect coordination, leaving no opportunity for the Japanese.
Of course, this also has a drawback: it puts a strain on fuel consumption and the pilots' energy. Because the aircraft above has to wait for the returning passengers, their flight time will inevitably be longer, resulting in significantly higher fuel consumption and greater pilot fatigue compared to normal times.
Fortunately, our people have undergone rigorous training and can withstand such pressure. If they can't, we have some reserve pilots available. As for the aircraft, there's no need to worry. Following Li Shaoyi's orders, the aircraft used yesterday are scheduled for maintenance today. The aircraft taking off today are twins of yesterday's, including the hull number, but they are definitely not the same aircraft.
The pilots knew the secret on day one, but not many people at the base knew it. Apart from the pilots and their ground crew, no one else needed to know the secret, so even the Japanese spies didn't know exactly how many of our planes were in the area.
When the pilots first learned of this, they were deeply moved. They used to be with the Central Air Force, where even if a plane had a problem, they'd just get it airborne and carry out the mission. As for buying them a new plane, that was just a pipe dream.
Upon arriving at the 72nd Group Army, they discovered that the Air Force operated in a way that allowed each person to operate two aircraft. Every time someone took off, the crew would be adjusting the other aircraft, and by the time the first aircraft returned, the second would be almost ready as well. In short, a different aircraft would be used for each takeoff, ensuring that all aircraft remained in optimal condition.
According to data from relevant departments, although this would only improve combat capability by 5%, for Li Shaoyi, even if it were only a 1% improvement, we had to pursue that 1%. With so many pilots on the battlefield, even 1% would be quite good, especially since we have the means and the capability.
After receiving the order, the four aircraft of the third reconnaissance squadron were taxiing on the runway in less than three minutes. Li Shaoyi stood outside the operations command center, watching the four warplanes take off from the two runways, a smile appearing on his face. Ma Leizi was very strict about the wartime training here; before, he had only talked about it, but today we've actually seen it for ourselves.
From the time the order was given to the time the plane began taxiing, only 3 minutes had passed. And this was only because they were relatively far from the runway; after all, they were a reserve team, and if any of their comrades in the air were injured, they couldn't occupy the main takeoff runway.
Of course, this was also because land wasn't valuable back then. If you wanted to expand the airport, you could just designate a piece of land. If it were the 21st century, the demolition costs alone wouldn't be enough.
Li Shaoyi did a quick calculation on the map and concluded that even if the four planes flew at full speed, it would take them more than an hour to reach their destination, and they might not even be able to spot the Japanese Second Fleet. Therefore, our troops in the southern region must immediately enter a state of Level II combat readiness.
"Get me the third regiment from Lijiazhai."
Ma Leizi looked at the troops stationed in the area on the map and felt a little relieved. This Third Regiment was his old unit. They had previously fought against a Japanese division in the provincial capital, engaging in fierce fighting for more than two days and ultimately preventing the Japanese division from entering the provincial capital.
The army did not participate in the later stages of the battle; it was replaced by the security regiment. They've been resting for about five months now. If the Japanese really were to attack northwards from here, they'd truly be kicking a hornet's nest.
When Wang Yingqiang, the regimental commander of the 3rd Regiment of the 1st Division of the 4th Army, received a call from the army commander, he was completely stunned. Why was the fighting starting from their side?
To be honest, although he had been thinking about this for a long time, he still felt that Qingdao was more important. If the Japanese really chose our side, then those Japanese devils were incredibly insightful!