Chapter 196 Air Battle

On the runway, a flotilla of P47 Thunderbolt piston-engined fighter aircraft is being boarded one by one by its pilots who rushed out from their barracks as soon as they heard the blaring alarm that boomed in the field.

An emergency report stated that a squadron of Yamato aircraft is approaching the Vladivostok airspace within five minutes with an intention to bomb strategic points of the city, crippling the defenses of the city, and leading ultimately to the city's destruction.

Unfortunately for the Vladivostok Air Station, the main fighter aircraft of the Ruthenian Air Force, the Wraith, is not yet delivered. So, they'll have to face the Yamato head-on in an old-fashioned dogfight.

The personnel on the ground who were waving lightsticks guided the aircraft on the runway, where they will be launched into the sky one by one, circle around the base until a whole squadron is airborne, and head towards the unwanted visitors.

They did just that with utmost efficiency and in great coordination, 60 P47 Thunderbolt planes were in the sky and were linking up to their respective squadrons.

Meanwhile, on the ground, the anti-aircraft personnel man the anti-aircraft guns whose inception began during the height of the cold war the Oerlikon GDFand the iconic twin M2HB machine gun. Their role is to protect the mainland city should one of the Yamato's aircraft penetrate the first line of defense. Basically put, they are the last line of defense.

***

In the sky, 60 P47 Thunderbolts flew in diamond formation as they headed straight to the unexpected visitors. The pilots of each P47 saw nothing but darkness in front of them thanks to the night.

There was no moon in the sky to light up the way ahead of the attackers and the searchlight was out of reach. Therefore, the pilots would have to rely on their senses of hearing alone. The plane is not yet fitted with an electronic and radar system, it's a conventional, or more specifically, conventional flight control system, where everything is manual, unlike the Wraith's flight control system where it has electronic systems that guide and help the pilot to stabilize the plane as well as to engage enemy aircraft.

But despite these designs, it would fare well enough against planes that currently exist in this world right now. Not to mention the fact that it would have a great advantage over the existing enemy nation aircraft as the P47 was developed and constantly upgraded during World War 2. And undergoing such a process makes it a beast after the war. Redesigning the plane to make up for its flaws, greatly enhanced its performance.

Two minutes in and the tension from all pilots of the P47 Thunderbolt rose like a rocket when the air suddenly felt heavy, as though a storm had arrived, or like something was chasing after them.

This is not a simulated training or dogfight anymore, this is them, facing the enemy to protect their motherland from an outsider.

***

A minute later, a fleet of Type 97 Heavy Bombers as well as Mitsubishi A5M fighter aircraft continue on their course. One of the pilots who were in the front was peering through his binoculars to scan the city bustling with lights below

It was their target, a smile crept across his face, jubilation where his fighting jubilation rose to its utmost limit. Feeling excited, he grabbed his radio and contacted his squadron--

Suddenly, a loud incessant roar reverberated through the empty space, followed by a blinding light, as both A5M fighters from his left and right exploded at the same time. One after another, explosions rocked the air as more and more of his comrades fell down into oblivion.

There's no doubt about it, the Ruthenians have come to intercept them. But what's more baffling is that how did they know they were coming in the exact bearing and altitude?

"What happened?" He shouted in panic. Then his gaze shifted forward to see what had caused this attack. At that moment, his heart almost jumped out of his chest, and quickly turned his joystick to the right, narrowly avoiding the strobe of light that could've blown off his upper body.

"Break formation! Protect the bombers!" the Yamato pilot exclaimed on the radio. They don't have time to ponder on how the Ruthenians found them. The pilots began breaking off their formation and started chasing and pursuing the Ruthenian P47 aircraft.

A minute turned into five minutes, and five minutes turned into ten minutes. A cacophony of explosions and gunfire erupted around them as both sides dogfight through the air. One could smell the gunpowder and the gas volatilizing wafting in the air.

And in this exchange, the Ruthenians knew what the Yamatos were planning. A heavy bomber whose size paled in comparison with the Superheavy bomber Aletina is among the fleet, hence the Ruthenians Air Force transmitted to everyone involved in the air battle to change their target and prioritize the bomber.

Should the bomber bypass the Ruthenian lines, it would bring catastrophic destruction to the ground below.

Without hesitation, the P47 Thunderbolts soared in the sky and pulled the trigger. The eight 12.7 millimeter M2 Browning machine guns opened fire, tearing the enemy aircraft apart. Some managed to evade the barrage while others succumbed to bullets or flames.

The two fighter aircraft continued firing relentlessly and with great precision, causing havoc along the bomber formation. The pilots panicked, thinking they would be the next to plummet into the sea covered in flames.

And in desperation to live, some of the Yamato pilots steered their aircraft away from the onslaught hoping that the Ruthenian aircraft would be ignored.

Unfortunately for them, it didn't. A P47 aircraft suddenly appeared in front of them as it soared into the sky and turned vertically to line up behind them.

And that's where they knew that this would be the end. There's no way that a heavy bomber could outmaneuver a fighter aircraft, let alone fight one.

Awaiting their destined faith, the Yamatos in the heavy bomber decided to open their bomb bay and dropped it despite them not arriving on the shore. The reasoning behind it is to lessen the explosion that could get their friendly planes caught up in the ensuing explosion.

In just thirty minutes of dogfighting, the Ruthenian Air Force suffered fifteen losses while the Yamato suffered a total annihilation, With their bombers, and their fighter aircraft, nothing was spared. And the mission along with it, where they'll bomb Vladivostok before heading to Choson peninsula to provide the troops on the ground died along with it.

***

St. Petersburg, Ruthenia Empire.

The morning rays of the sun streamed through into Alexander's office, he is currently sifting through all the official paperwork that needed his signature. While he's at it, he is listening to the morning news on the television covering the developing Rutho-Yamato war.

Nine days into the war, the Ruthenian Empire held superiority over the peninsula, threatening Yamato's influence and control on their protectorate. With unyielding support from the population, the Ruthenian citizens' morale was at its peak.

Looks like taking over Choson Peninsula in one month would soon become a reality.

He grinned and slowly turned into a neutral expression after hearing a knock on the door.

Alexander put the television on mute and paused what he was doing.

"Come in," Alexander replied. The doors opened revealing the National Security Advisor, Sevastian.

"Good morning Your Majesty. I hope the day is treating you well," Sevastian greeted him with a bow.

Alexander nodded at him and said, "So, how did the meeting with the council go?"

Sevastian smiled in response as he strides across the room and stopped in front of his desk. "It was conclusive, Your Majesty. The Imperial Council says that it's okay to sell warships to the Britannia Empire and the Chilean Republic as long as we remove all sophisticated technologies that could be used against us."

"Good, then let's wrap that one up. I already have Sergei draft the document for formally establishing diplomatic relations with the Chilean Republic. Damn, I didn't know South America was rich, we have to get them all by our side if possible, it will further our economy."

"That's a great idea, Your Majesty."

"So, I have received a report from Vladivostok saying that there's an attempted bombing operation campaign made by the Yamato Empire?"

"So it has reached you, Your Majesty. I was about to inform you of that," Sevastian answered while looking at the stack of papers on his desk. "That seems like a lot of work," he commented.

Alexander chuckled softly. "It's one of the cons of being the head of state of this large Empire. Anyways, about the Yamato Empire, they made such a decision with an intent to harm my citizens," he bit his lower lip as he said that. "Well, I get that this is war but surely we must have retaliatory options about something like this right?"

"There is, Your Majesty. You can scramble our bombers to bomb Tokyo, just say the word and the military will take care of the rest."

Alexander hummed as he pondered on that thought. "No, I don't think that would be a wise idea. We already have the Yamato in submission. Surely they must be desperate to turn this thing around. Bombing them will invigorate their spirit, stretching the war, which is something that I don't want. I want the Yamato Empire to realize by themselves that going against us is futile."

"Your Majesty, your word is our command. If you don't want to bomb Tokyo then we won't do it. Also, you have made a good point there. Not only will it invigorate the spirits of the Yamato citizens but attract international support as well, we must keep this war in the Choson peninsula alone," Sevastian stated. "Still, how would you react, Your Majesty?"

Alexander ran his tongue around his cheek and thought for a second. Eventually, he gave his response.

"Just increase the security in the Far East so if the Yamato decided to do that again, we would shoot their plane down before they even knew what hit them."

"Understood, Your Majesty," Sevastian bowed respectfully as he excused himself and took his leave.

After closing the door behind him, Alexander grabbed a telephone before leaning back against his chair. He pressed some buttons and waited for the call to connect.

And once it got connected, Alexander spoke. "General, this is the emperor. How long until the operation? One week?.. Ah, so our Pacific Fleet must sink the First Imperial Fleet of the Yamato Empire before conducting it? Very well, I wish you all good luck."