"Okay, boys, let's see what kind of advice the guys from the 'Reverse Cross' gave us." The commander opened a large folder, glanced at it, and then raised his head to look at the neatly seated people.

Rookies down there.

"Well, the first one is that tactical discipline is not strict enough, which is mainly manifested in random dodging when faced with the assault of fighter jets. This is the biggest problem revealed in this exercise...

Article 2: Not calm enough, not really mastering the key points of air attack...

Article 3: The expansion and closing of the box formation is too slow, and the pilots are too easily disturbed..."

"Sir, I have a question." Laudrup raised his hand, "At the beginning, the 'Reverse Cross' rushed straight at him. If he didn't dodge, he would crash. But as soon as he dodged, he gave the enemy a break.

What should we do if there is an opportunity for formation?”

With Laudrup taking the lead, the following series of questions arose.

"Sir, what do you mean by 'pilots are too susceptible to interference'?"

"Sir, how can I truly master the essentials of aerial shooting?"

"Sir..."

"Ah," Lieutenant Colonel Karl laughed, "You can think about these questions for yourself. If you can't figure it out, just ask the instructor of the 'Reverse Cross' directly during class tomorrow morning. Okay, it's not too early, so give them all

I’m going back to sleep!”

That night, the lights in the military camp were still turned off on time, but after the lights were turned off, the miscellaneous sounds in the various dormitories were always constant.

"Keane, do you think if I didn't dodge at the beginning, would I have collided with you?"

"Maybe, but isn't the instructor who flies the fighter jet afraid of death? I think he will avoid it first."

"Well, the more I think about it now, the more I feel that I have been fooled by them. Fighters are much more flexible than us. We feel that we can no longer avoid the distance that we will definitely hit. This is not necessarily true for fighter jets. In addition, those instructors are so skilled.

They will definitely avoid it."

"Yes, yes, we were also fooled. After we dropped the bombs, we kept dodging because we were afraid of being hit by them. As a result, we were unable to recover the formation after it opened."

"If I do this again in the future, I will collide with them!" Someone said fiercely, "As long as I don't hit the cockpit directly, I will probably have time to parachute. Those who fly fighter jets, huh, who are you afraid of?"

"What if the enemy really intends to hit us with a fighter jet?"

"Not so perverted?"

"It's hard to say. It is said that the Japanese did this in the Pacific Ocean."

"Hey, we are going to Europe in the future. Why talk about the Pacific Ocean? The Germans shouldn't be so barbaric?"

"To say that there have been collisions with enemy aircraft, I don't know whether it was intentional or not. It is said that a B-17 of the 303rd Bomb Group collided with a German aircraft."

"What happened?" Several voices rang at the same time.

"The result? The Germans overturned on the spot. As for the B-17, the vertical tail was knocked off, and they finally drove back." Someone continued to add proudly, "The relative speed is so high, they want to hit it accurately.

How can our cockpit be so easy? Just before the final impact, the slightest bump, like encountering airflow, can cause him to miss the cockpit and directly hit the vertical tail."

"That's right, if you kill these guys, who is afraid of whom?"

Just when everyone was having a heated discussion, an angry voice came from outside the door:

"What time is it! You bastards are still talking nonsense! Do you still have discipline in your mind? With discipline like yours, you will be beaten down by others even if you go up a few times! Why don't you just do it honestly...

"

The dormitory suddenly became quiet. Karl stood outside the dormitory, shaking his head with a smile on his face: "These bastards!"

…

The next day, the "Reverse Crosses" discovered that the status of these rookies had changed significantly. In the past, the instructors always asked the students for answers, but now, the students always actively ask questions and often even come up with some creative ideas.

problem. The enthusiasm during training has also increased a lot...

Ron got off a Spitfire, took the pen and record book from the ground crew, and carefully completed the registration. At this time, a B-17 bomber also landed on a nearby runway.

Ron handed his flight cap and flight jacket to the ground crew, and then walked to the pilot lounge not far away. This was his third takeoff and landing today. The main content of today's training was the self-defense gunner's anti-aircraft attack

hit.

Just when Ron was about to reach the lounge, several people ran over panting, shouting as they ran:

"Sir Ron—wait a minute—I, I, we—have a question."

Ron turned around and saw several machine gunners on the plane where he had just been trained.

A few guys caught up. They came from another runway. The distance was not close. In addition, the base was located in a desert. Although it was winter, the desert under the direct sunlight was still extremely hot. When these people ran to

When Ron came forward, everyone was out of breath.

After breathing for a while, a machine gunner named Seaman raised a question on behalf of everyone:

"Sir Ron, why is it always difficult for me to predict the instructors' next move and why do I always miss when I fire?"

Ron turned around and smiled at the machine gunner Seaman who was chasing him and said: "That's a good question. Well, you know, the instructors here are all experienced veterans. They can live to

Now, to a large extent, it is because their actions are difficult to predict. Moreover, each pilot's flying habits are different. Therefore, it is indeed not easy to predict the instructor's next action. However, the instructors' actions must have a purpose.

Yes, it is indeed difficult to predict them when they break away. But when they attack, always taking their goals into consideration may be beneficial to your prediction."

"Sir, can you speak more clearly? Don't give us riddles to guess." Someone muttered.

"Oh, okay, let me tell you my opinion directly. First, you don't have to know what the instructor wants to do next, which is difficult. But you must know what action the instructor wants to make next that poses the greatest threat to your aircraft. Then use

Use the machine guns in your hands to prevent him from making the most threatening actions. Remember, for the bomber's self-defense machine gun, the first goal is to protect the bomber, not to shoot down the enemy aircraft.

Second, in a formation, not only all the aircraft should be coordinated, but the self-defense firepower on the aircraft should also be coordinated to form a joint force. But to be honest, you have to figure out how to form a joint force. I am

Coming from a fighter background, I don't know much about this aspect. You can actually study it with all the pilots and gunners in the team, and maybe you will come up with a good solution."

…

The day after this conversation, the pilots of the "Reverse Cross" discovered that the efficiency of the 385th Bomb Group's self-defense machine guns had been significantly improved. Although it was still difficult for them to accurately hit these veterans, they

The self-defense firepower of the "Reverse Cross" has become more and more effective in interfering with the attacks of the "Reverse Cross". Compared with before, the efficiency of the "Reverse Cross" attack has dropped a lot. Sometimes once you enter, you will not find a very effective one.

shooting opportunities.

Moreover, a few days later, the "Reverse Cross" discovered that the shootings of these rookies actually began to show a trend of group cooperation and coordinated attacks. According to Ron's understanding, these machine gunners worked together to control the airspace near the bomber formation.

Divide and number them, and assign them to the machine guns at the corresponding positions. During the battle, they communicate with each other through radios and coordinate. This makes the attack on the 385 Bomber Group more and more difficult. If you don't pay attention, even the veterans of the "reverse cross" will

It will also "break its wings" in front of the bomber box formation.

On February 20th, the 385th Bomb Group will face a graduation exam - on this day, their bomber group will once again have a large-scale confrontation with the "Reverse Cross". Now there is one day left before this day, and everyone in the 385th Bomb Group will

They are busy preparing for war. But compared with the noise and bustle before the last confrontation, this time, all the people in the 385th Bomb Group, whether pilots or gunners, behaved quite calmly. Because unlike last time, they knew

What the enemy can do, he also knows how far he can deal with it. In this kind of calmness, there is a kind of true confidence.

"Whenever big things happen, you should be calm. It seems that the 385th Bomb Group has really grown up." Ron sighed as he watched the 385th Bomb Group prepare for war in an orderly manner in a calm manner.

The next day was the same good weather as last time. (There is very little rain in the desert, and there are many days for flying. This is one of the reasons why we chose this location in the first place.) This time, the existing 385

All 36 bombers were dispatched, and the "Reverse Cross" was also dispatched, with all 41 fighter jets taking part. Ron once mentioned to Lieutenant Colonel Carl that if the 385th Bomb Group could withstand this test, they would be able to fight in Europe when they arrived in Europe.

It will definitely shatter the teeth of the German fighter force.

At almost the same time and airspace as last time, the two sides began to contact.

When the "Reverse Crosses" collided head-on again, Lieutenant Colonel Karl's scream came from the radio of the 385th Bomb Group, "Stay in formation! Never dodge!" Laudrup stared at the F4U that was coming towards him.

, holding the steering wheel firmly and motionless. "Even if you really hit me, I will never make any major evasive movements."

Just when it was about to collide, the F4U used a light lever to climb up and passed over the side of the B-17...

41 fighter jets rushed into the box formation on the left wing. Obviously, the "Reverse Cross" planned to rely on numerical superiority to defeat them one by one. But at this time, the three box formations distributed in a glyph in the air began to rotate, and the left wing's

The formation quickly moved to the center of the three formations. If the "Reverse Cross" continued to attack it, when they broke away through this box formation, they would easily enter the firepower network of the other two box formations. If they gave up this

Then the plan to defeat them one by one was thwarted. Until the bombing began, the 385th Bomb Group still perfectly maintained a three-digit box formation.

The bomber group was most vulnerable when dropping bombs. Seizing the opportunity, the "Reverse Cross" launched a crazy attack, but the self-defense firepower of the bomber unit still effectively interfered with their attack. And as soon as the bombing was completed, the three box formations

Recovered quickly.

"It's so damn difficult, my claws are numb!" Even the Poles complained like this.
Chapter completed!