Chapter 99 in vain

Using technical methods to seize combat advantages is what a real master can do.Like scientists in a laboratory, Kenny and his staff analyzed all the sea and air battles since Midway Island one by one. They found that the high-altitude bombing was less effective, and the distance was so far away that it was not easy to hit the enemy ship— —The theory of medium and high-altitude horizontal bombing used to occupy a dominant position before the war, but it has been tested in practice and proved that it is not suitable for the ever-changing battlefield. The torpedo plane can approach the target, but the danger of the plane is too high when the enemy ship's anti-aircraft fire is tight.For this reason, the U.S. military has reached a consensus that under normal circumstances, air power will no longer be allowed to carry out torpedo attacks.

If it is too high, it can’t be hit, and if it’s too low, it can’t be used. Kenny tried to combine the two into one, transforming the B-25 bomber originally used for mid-to-high altitude horizontal bombing into a low-altitude ship-to-ship attack aircraft. A new attack tactic was born. The B-25 no longer dropped bombs at high altitude. It first approached the enemy ship at ultra-low altitude and high speed, and after reaching a certain distance, it dropped bombs on the water surface.As the bomb bounced off the water, it could hit the side of the ship directly or near the waterline. This attack method is a bit similar to floating in water. Aircraft bombs are like small stones that are constantly falling and bouncing against the water surface, so it is called "ricochet attack".

Bombers of the Fifth Air Force were flying over New Guinea.The advent of new tactics such as ricochet technology shows that the more clever the design, the more it needs a little naivety and childishness. During the Battle of Papua, the U.S. and Australian Air Forces conducted a low-altitude bombing experiment.At that time, it was not the B-25 that completed this task, but the B-17. At dawn, the B-17 fleet spotted a large Japanese transport fleet near Rabaul. One of the fighter planes immediately lowered its altitude and attacked the largest enemy ship with a "ricochet attack". In just 20 seconds, he left the battlefield in a straight and horizontal manner.

The results were encouraging. The bomber dropped four bombs, one of which hit the enemy ship, and the other three exploded very close to the enemy ship, which set the entire enemy ship on fire.The other bombers were also very powerful. The B-17 fleet sank four enemy ships that day, which was unimaginable in the past. Ultra-low-altitude bombing is very effective. The speed of B-25 and B-17 is fast enough to partially alleviate the threat of ship anti-aircraft fire, but the same risk as torpedo aircraft still exists.For example, the B-17 that bombed the enemy ship had many holes in its wings and tail by enemy artillery fire.

Kenny specifically found Major Gunn for this purpose.Gunn is a retired Navy pilot and the most prestigious expert in flight technology and tactics in the Fifth Air Force. The solution he proposed was modification. After modification, the B-25 has 10 fixed front-firing machine guns, which is almost an air machine gun company. The A-20 also did the same, and the two aircraft transformed into powerful attack aircraft and gunship aircraft. B-25 and A-20 no longer need to feel fear when they fly over the target. They can suppress the firepower of enemy ships from a long distance, and cover other bombers to carry out low-altitude bombing in a relatively safe situation.

After the conception and test phases were over, Kenny seized the time to organize aviation (mainly B-25 pilots) for large-scale targeted training.There is an old German ship stranded on a reef outside Mo Harbor, which has become a target ship for pilot training.The training is to play the real style, using the live ammunition attack with a high degree of simulation, which greatly increases the danger.During the training, one plane crashed into the mast of the hulk when it failed to pull up in time to drop bombs at low altitude, and two other planes were injured by the bombs they dropped at low altitude.

At the same time, the training effect is also very impressive.Through training, the B-25 can directly aim at the enemy ship at the height of the mast without "ricochet attack", and can achieve a very high hit rate.The on-site observers saw that after the modified B-25 entered the attack area with the fastest speed and the highest maneuverability, only the violent strafing of the "machine gun company" was enough to make any anti-aircraft firepower give up resistance. To reach such a state, it shouldn't be difficult to cut ships. On February 25, Kenny walked into MacArthur's office and saw a message deciphered by the "Caster" deciphering team on the desk, showing that the Japanese transport fleet would set sail in early March.

Allied weather services reported severe weather throughout northern New Guinea during the first few days of March.At the Air Force Staff Meeting, Kenny discussed with his subordinates, and they agreed that the Japanese army deliberately chose bad weather to set sail in order to use the weather to hide their whereabouts, and at the same time use the clouds to avoid Allied air strikes. The key now is to figure out the route of the Japanese army. Once the route is approved, even if the weather conditions are unfavorable, they can find opportunities to intercept and kill them. The reconnaissance fleet frequently searched the possible routes of the transport fleet, and finally found that at the Geismata Airport in the south of New Britain, the Japanese air force was preparing for battle.From this, it can be inferred that the possibility of the Japanese transport fleet sailing along the north or south coast of New Britain Island is very high, because it can be covered by the Japanese air force on the island.

After comparing the possible routes of the Japanese transport fleet with the combat radius of the Allied bombers, Kenny concluded that the most suitable time to attack should be "any day in the first week of March around 10:00 a.m. ".