Due to the damage to the runway, the pilots were unable to conduct take-off training. Therefore, tactical simulation exercises (simulating small aircraft models in their hands) became the main content of training. In a hall used for tactical simulation training, Ron

They are showing those naval pilots how to defeat the Japanese in aerial combat.

"Unless it is in a state of electromagnetic silence, the distance between the two-plane fighter formations can be further increased. Unlike the Japanese, we do not have airborne radios and must rely on sign language and drawing tablets to communicate, so their formations must be relatively dense.

, otherwise we wouldn’t be able to cooperate. But we are different. Keeping a greater distance is more conducive to observation and mutual protection.”

Although many pilots have a good habit of looking back at 6 o'clock every ten seconds as soon as they get on the plane, and never fly in a straight line for a long time. However, visual blind spots exist objectively. For example, below six o'clock

, not to mention that you are driving an F4F with a poor visual field. Even in the future, the P51 Mustang, which is said to have the best field of view, you will not be able to see in this direction. This requires another aircraft in the team to help you see. If

If the formation is too dense, the two sides will easily block each other's view. However, because the radio station is relatively close to the plane, and in the eyes of laymen, dense formations look better (layman's opinions are often very influential), so at that time

Both the U.S. Naval Aviation and Army Aviation are accustomed to adopting dense formations.

"Target direction 313, altitude 13000, now turn to 350 and climb to 15000." A simulated tower command came from the headset.

"This is Foxhound, the turn is completed, the altitude is 13,800, and it is continuing to climb."

"Foxhound" is the code name of the small group of F4Fs currently led by Ron. They are composed of six fighter jets. The mission of this virtual training is to intercept an approaching group of more than ten zero-speed aircraft with the cooperation of other aircraft groups.

Battle escort Japanese bomber group.

According to the plan, under the guidance of radar, they will first dive to attack the Japanese bomber group from high altitude. Their mission is not only to shoot down the enemy bombers, but also to attract the Japanese escort fighter jets to facilitate the subsequent attack of the group.

"Foxhound 1, direction 270, altitude 15000, contact is expected in 5 minutes."

"Foxhound One understands."

After turning again, not far ahead, Ram and a few other guys were flying in a dense formation holding a bomber model. Bombers are different from fighter jets. They must form a dense formation in order to cover each other with the defensive machine guns at the rear. Once the formation is blocked,

Bombers that destroy, fly slowly and clumsily, and are full of blind spots for self-defense machine guns are a perfect match for fighter jets.

Now, of course Ram and the others have seen Ron and the others, but he must pretend not to see anything now. Because according to the training settings, it will take at least 5 minutes for them to appear in each other's field of vision. In fact,

Due to the difference in aircraft size, bombers will detect enemy fighters later. Moreover, under the guidance of radar, interceptor fighters can also occupy a direction facing away from the sun, which also further shortens the time for enemy aircraft formations to anticipate them.

.

"Follow me and attack!" Ron gave the order. He did not choose the direct attack method of plunging down, but continued to approach the bomber group swaggeringly. Due to the interference of the sun, the Japanese fighter jets were slow in fighting for position.

As soon as they took a shot, in panic, they immediately turned sharply, increased their power, and flew towards the Ron aircraft group, trying to stop them before they attacked the bombers. The Japanese fighter group flew about 500 meters in front of the bombers, and the flying altitude was higher than the bombers.

About 500 meters away, they climbed while running, barely reaching the front of Ron's fleet. But now Ron's altitude was slightly higher than them by 200-300 meters, and his flying speed was also faster than the climbing Zero War.

Even considering that there are slightly more Japanese planes intercepting them now, it is still beneficial for the Foxhounds to engage in an air battle under this situation. However, Ron does not intend to engage in such an air battle.

"The first target of a fighter jet performing an interception mission is the enemy bomber! The second target is the enemy bomber! The third target is the enemy bomber!" This is the teaching that any naval fighter pilot will receive as soon as he enters the army. Before solving the enemy bomber

, if you are stupid enough to tangle with enemy fighter jets, your ass will be kicked by your superiors.

"Follow me and ignore the fighter jets!"

The plane in Ron's hand rolled 180 degrees, then pulled the nose of the plane and began to dive at a large angle. His plan was: if the Japanese fighter jets followed, they would face problems. Originally, the speed of the Japanese plane at this time was

Slower than them, coupled with the shortcomings of Zero Fighter's dive performance, and the fact that the Foxhounds are taller and have greater potential energy, they can easily achieve a much higher speed than Zero Fighter in the dive, putting them

Zero Zhan followed behind and rushed directly below the bombers. Then he jumped up from nowhere and launched a vicious uppercut on the unprotected abdomen of the bombers.

The pretended Japanese plane had no choice but to follow, but this was actually of little use.

Ron has leveled the plane. Due to the dive just now, his current altitude is about 300-400 meters lower than the Japanese bomber group, but his current level flight speed, according to calculations, should be nearly 700 kilometers due to the dive.

The high speed allowed them to easily leave the first group of escort fighters that intercepted them far behind. The other group of fighter jets that stayed near the bomber group saw that the situation was not good, and had to fly below the bomber group to prepare for interception.

A group of Foxhounds might jump up from here and launch an attack.

Now the entire escort formation has lost its position, and they have all lost altitude. At this moment, other interceptor groups - the frigate bird group and the wild wolf group appeared. In front of them, there was an empty space...

The Foxhounds completed their mission perfectly, and the entire Japanese bomber group was dispersed. Some of the bombers were judged to have been shot down, and some dropped their bombs and fled for their lives - obviously, the enemy plane's attack had been disrupted, and the safety of the aircraft carrier was

It was guaranteed. This was a textbook interception. The cooperation of the forward radar warning ships and air power achieved a 1+12 effect, becoming a force multiplier for the entire fleet's air defense.

But the matter was obviously not over. The enemy fighters who had been tricked were closely chasing behind the Ron fleet. At this time, Ron could dive directly from 13,000 feet to distance himself and escape. But now, tactics

The training task has been completed, and it is time to teach the naval pilots who are only accustomed to horizontal grinding how to use cooperation to fight in the air. Under Ron's instructions, the six aircraft were divided into three groups and dispersed. The enemy aircraft also followed suit.

Then disperse and follow behind. If the opponent is really a Japanese pilot, then the first move must be a scissors cross. But now the Americans are playing the role of Japanese pilots. They have already understood this tactic in the previous study.

You will definitely not be fooled. However, an experienced veteran can use more than one trick. The cross scissors can be horizontal, upward or downward, or in different small formations.

In the meantime, one group began to dive downwards. When the enemy aircraft following them also dived, the group pulled up again. Originally this was a wrong move - the climb of the F4F was far inferior to that of the Zero Fighter.

Not only was it impossible to escape by climbing, but it would also put one's butt under the muzzle of Zero War. But just when the pursuers were getting closer and closer, and they were about to fire, another group of F4F rushed over from the diagonal stab,

The two enemy planes that were at low speed due to the violent climb were judged to be injured and had to withdraw from the battle. At this time, it would of course be easy to pursue the injured and escaped enemy planes. However, the F4F that suddenly appeared was also followed by Zero Fighter.

.Protecting yourself is much more important than destroying the enemy.

The existence of radios makes the cooperation between F4F far more convenient than that between Zero Fighters. By covering each other, F4F has gained far more shooting opportunities than before. The crew and even the fleet have good cooperation with each other. The solid body and more

The strong firepower gave the Wildcats the upper hand in the simulated air battle for the first time. By the end of the simulated air battle, the f4f side actually achieved a 4 to 8 result. Although this was not an actual battle, it also made it difficult for them to breathe in the zero battle.

The angry pilots were deeply encouraged. However, this is not an actual combat after all. In actual combat, the skills of Japanese pilots, whether it is the technology of setting up aircraft or the cooperation between them (after all, they have long been accustomed to not having radios) are far better than

Simulating their US military pilots.

Such exercises happen almost every morning. The content involves interception, escort, and ship attack. In the afternoon, there is a summary meeting. As for the evening, well, the pilots who have nothing to do gather together to brag, play poker, and play pool. ri

The days passed like this, monotonous and fulfilling. Now, although Ron has not really been compared to the sky, Ron has been more and more respected by everyone in these days. Now I want to recruit him into the Navy

It’s not just those officers anymore. Many pilots would greet Ron casually when they met him in the restaurant: “Hey, buddy, come to the Navy! Our food is better than the Army’s.”

At the end of the summary meeting that afternoon, Lieutenant Commander Peterson announced the good news: a three-day holiday. It was expected that they would be able to return to Pearl Harbor by the evening.

The news brought a burst of wild clapping and howling. VF-3 pilot Kenyon shouted: "Beauties! I'm back, how much I love you!" "I'm going to party in the nightclub until

…”

The pilots left the restaurant one after another amidst the commotion. They came to the spacious deck and gathered in twos and threes to discuss activities after landing.

Ron also hung out with three guys. One of them was Ram, whom he was already familiar with, and the other two were two fighter pilots who lived in the same dormitory these days - Petrov and William. Petrov was a

Slavs, according to what he said when bragging, his grandfather was a nobleman during the Tsarist Russia. After the October Revolution, his family first followed the fearless general Kolchak to the Far East, and then immigrated to the Americas. As for William

According to him, their ancestors were Irish and immigrated to the United States during the Great Famine.

"Dude, what are you going to do tonight?" Ram asked.

"Needless to say, of course I'm going to drink. Let me tell you, there is a liquor store called Flame Girl over there. Not only does it have the most exciting vodka, but there is also a voluptuous girl who is more exciting than vodka..." Petrov swallowed

After spitting, he continued: "There is one named Louise among them, with that figure, that..."

"Don't come here!" William interrupted him, then turned around and said to Ron: "Don't listen to him, the wine there is just slop, and the women are also inferior. I know a place where there are

The most authentic Havana cigars, as well as California wine - the best wine in the United States, tender California steak, and a young girl dressed as a nurse who is good at singing and dancing..."

"Wine can be considered wine? Even those who only drink this kind of thing can be considered..."

"No matter what, he is more manly than a guy who can't even get along with a woman?" William's words probably stung someone's pain, and someone's eyes widened and he roared.

"How many times have I told you! It's just...it's just a good man who doesn't fight with a woman..." Perhaps because he thought that speaking too loudly would bring more onlookers, someone's voice gradually became quieter.

.

…

During this conversation, the sun gradually approached the sea surface, dyeing the sea surface crimson. Several frigate birds flew over the aircraft carrier with their chirping sounds, and the evening sun set a dazzling ring on their white wings.

Phnom Penh. Their appearance indicates that the land is not far away. The sea breeze has also become stronger, and it seems that the fragrance of coconut trees can be smelled in the wind.

When the sun reluctantly sank into the sea, condensing its last ray of light, leaving only a little dark purple cloud in the western sky, the dark silhouette of the island appeared on the sea in front. Then...

You can see the lights lighting up one after another. Pearl Harbor is just ahead.

The warship docked. It was the evening of May 26th. I don’t know why, but it was a few hours earlier than in history. The sailors and pilots who had stayed in the small cabin for many days, except for the very unlucky ones who had to stay on duty

Outside, everyone swarmed down.

After walking down the gangway and walking across the trestle, Ron's feet finally stood firmly on the solid ground. For many days, he seemed to have become accustomed to the faint swaying under his feet. Now he stood on this solid ground again.

The land gave him a strange feeling.

"Haha, you are not used to walking on the shore?" Petrov said with a smile, "People who have been in the sea for a long time are like this. I said why do you want to be in the army? You should make up your mind to join our navy."

Ron did not answer. He was touched by the Navy's attention to him, but in the final analysis, he was not a man who had the courage to sacrifice. The next war-the Battle of Midway was about to begin. The United States would win this

A decisive battle. But if history remains unchanged, the Yorktown aircraft carrier will sink. Many pilots and sailors will lose their lives. The sea is different from the land. If you parachute over land, the chance of survival is much higher than at sea. Join the Navy now

, and then it would be too dangerous to participate in such a battle immediately.

But Ron didn't say this out loud. He didn't want to be sent to the Academy of Sciences or the Abnormal Human Research Center to be used as specimens for research.

Before they had gone far, the Yorktown behind them made a louder noise than when it docked just now. Ron and the others looked back and saw many lights illuminating the Yorktown aircraft carrier.

Just like during the day, countless workers and various machines are boarding the ship in an orderly manner.

When did the navy become so efficient? Petrov and William looked at each other. They also realized that this was not a good sign, and it might mean that they would soon face a decisive battle.

"Hey, Ron!" A shout interrupted everyone's thinking. Looking back, it was Tom and Pato, and a little behind them were brothers Marcos and Cordis.

"Hey, I'm so happy to see you!" Ron hurried over and gently punched each of these brothers who had been through adversity with him on the chest.

"What plans do you have now?" Ron asked.
To be continued...