1275psi
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The airfield comes to life many hours before dawn.
It’s the cooks – who go to work first –as I suspect it is all around the world
In England –it will be tea brewing, in America –coffee. Here it is tea too, and the morning meal is prepared. –rice balls –some fish –a few vegetables.
The mechanics will soon be at work – the bases generator has to be brought on line – the powerful lights in the scattered hangers consume far more power than what the primitive civilian sources can supply.
Each plane has a dedicated team of men, some planes up to 16 men –each under the watchful eye of a siebicho – petty officer.
Each plane in turn either has to be rolled out of its hanger –or reverent –and as Canton field is so large – and the planes so scattered, this will involve trucks dispatching to all quarters.
Each plane takes 180 to 260 gallons of fuel – and this is a dance in itself –the field (and common to nearly all Japanese fields) is short of fuel trucks.
This fact alone determines the horribly early start for so many on the field.
The work for the armourers is not as heavy today –no bombers –no bombs –just endless strings of ammunition to be fed into guns, checked, and checked again.
There are windscreens to be polished, wings to be polished, fuselages to be polished –everything to be polished.
All this takes place even as the sky faintly hints at the coming dawn.
Even as the first cock crows – afar better alarm shatters the dawn symphony of the mechanics grumbling, and joking and discussing the day –the scrunch of tyres on gravel –the rattle of harnesses. First one, then another –soon a mighty roar of engines fills the field –this rumble will last for some time –today though one Tojo fails its manifold test –only 5 will fly today.
Our pilots emerge too – the day still not breaking.
The routine is the same – breakfast, then the gathering of gear –flight suits, parachutes (although not all will fly with them –especially amongst the navy pilots), clipboards.
The briefing is unlike anything the opposition would experience – it is a simple gathering around the flight leader –a few scratched lines in the sand –an exhortation “to do our best”, and then a jog to the waiting planes.
The planes depart –12 oscars, 27 zeros, 5 tojos –and they depart quickly –it is an impressive sight.
Thirty minutes later sees the formations spread over an extended area –the KI-44s today well ahead, the Oscars following.
The plan begins to take shape………….
The twins glance at each other, nod, and the Tojos gently break right as group, and the zeros pull away to the left. The Tojos slow down, and begin to circle at about 9000 feet, the Oscars at 10000.
The formation is sloppy, ragged, and for all the world –looking very distracted.
It takes very little time for the quarry to turn up.
Again Juni V spots them first –4 in number –P40s again – again at 10000 feet –circling a few miles to the north of them.
He wags his wings –and the KI 44s turn to the east, the Oscars following above.
The P40’s turn to –paralleling them –climbing steadily above them.
Today they are braver –and once at 12000 or so feet –they turn in, and dive on the Oscars.
The action is quick –and several things seem to happen at once.
The KI 44’s throw throttles to the stops –and climb hard towards the enemy –the oscars break hard too – into the enemy – but before anything else can happen – the zeros- unobserved – and coming in from the west – prove their mettle in 5 violent seconds – the cannons making all the difference
3 p40s die with out even seeing them –the other flashes through everyone –and dives like a brick to safety
The AVG have something else to worry about now…………..
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RE: herbiesan vs Cantona!!! - 
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