"Quick, quick! The Germans are coming! All fighters, take off and engage! Ground air defenses, prepare yourselves—the Germans will definitely bomb our airfield." At a US Army Air Corps airfield, the airport Commander's anxious orders rang out over the broadcast.
One P-47 fighter after another, along with P-51 fighters, raced down the runway before soaring into the sky. Guided by air-search Radar, they prepared to intercept the German Air Force's massive aircraft group.
The US Army Air Corps' 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th Air Corps were undoubtedly the main force engaging the German aircraft group this time. As for the other Air Corps, although they were also transferring northward or directly dispatching P-51 fighter units to join the battle, they were relatively far away. By the time they reached the battlefield, the large-scale air battle might already have erupted.
"Attention, attention! We're about to encounter the German aircraft group. All squadrons, prepare for battle!" the Commander of a Fighter Wing under the US Army's 3rd Air Corps ordered.
All 120 P-47 fighters of the entire Fighter Wing had already taken off. These fighters formed a huge formation and flew at an altitude of ten thousand meters. Their target would be the German Air Force's heavy bombers.
However, these US Army Air Corps fighters perhaps had no combat experience attacking enemy heavy bombers. Therefore, whether P-47s or P-51s, they were equipped with only six 12.7mm Heavy Machine Guns mounted in their wings. Such armament was undoubtedly sufficient for aerial combat against enemy fighters, and it could provide sustained firepower. But against heavy bombers, it would likely be rather difficult. After all, heavy bombers had sturdier and larger airframes. Heavy Machine Gun bullets clearly could not pose a fatal threat to them. Unless they hit vital points, shooting down a heavy bomber