In September, dawn came relatively early. Before six o'clock, the sky was already faintly bright.
High in the sky, large numbers of German Air Force fighter planes flew into Buru territory in neat formations. Since there were more than thirty targets to attack, the German aircraft groups had split up as well.
The fighters flew at high altitude, escorting the Dive Bombers, Attackers, and medium bombers below.
"Attention, attention! We have entered Buru airspace. All fighters, stay alert. The moment you spot Buru aircraft, shoot them down immediately!" The Commander leading the formation relayed the order to every pilot over the radio.
"Understood!" the pilots all replied.
"Boss, do we really need to be this serious? How could the Russians' I-16 fighters or I-15 fighters possibly be a match for us?" one pilot said with a laugh, completely at ease and clearly not taking the coming battle to heart.
The Commander smiled but said nothing. Deep down, he did not believe the Buru Air Force could pose much of a threat to them either. Still, he had no intention of fanning these pilots' arrogance.
"Shut up, all of you! The Russians' aircraft may be poor, but they have plenty of them. Be careful not to get surrounded. Besides, their ground-based anti-aircraft fire is just as fierce. If you get shot down through carelessness, then wait to be hanged by the Russians!" the Commander said.
The other pilots laughed as well. Before the battle, everyone had been somewhat tense, but amid the jokes and laughter, that tension eased somewhat.
After entering Buru airspace, they encountered no interception. Buru had not yet equipped Radar. Their primary means of detecting enemies relied on ground observation posts. It was also too early in the morning, so Buru knew absolutely nothing about the German Air