**Chapter 861: Aiding the Soviet Union (18)**

Inside the Soviet Air Force headquarters, a crowd of Soviet experts surrounded two dozen newly assembled vacuum-tube computers. The wiring and interconnects for these machines were imported from China, while the tubes were entirely of Soviet manufacture.

Because China had already taught the design and operational concepts of these computers to the USSR, the Soviet experts were no longer struck by the initial shock; instead, they felt the pressure of using this technology to solve specific problems. During this period of the Soviet counter-offensive, the freezing climate was extremely unfriendly to aircrews. But this hostility wasn't directed only at the Soviets; the opposing Luftwaffe bore the same grueling conditions.

The frigid Russian climate significantly narrowed the gap between the two air forces. Entering December, the battle between the Soviet and German air forces was no longer one-sided, but a back-and-forth struggle.

Before the general counter-offensive began, the Air Force Command had continuously accumulated predictions of Luftwaffe movements but hadn't utilized them to formulate more targeted combat plans. In this counter-offensive, the Soviet Air Force was finally going to show the Germans what they were made of.

The requirements proposed by the Command included predicting Luftwaffe flight paths starting from December 6th and organizing targeted ambushes and other operational means. Simultaneously, they were to factor in German adjustments once they realized their paths were being predicted and rapidly formulate new, targeted attack plans in response.

Without vacuum-tube computers, even if the Soviet Air Force knew such a move could turn the tide, they lacked the computing power to realize the plan. But the technical breakthrough directly meant that methods once existing only in imagination could finally be executed in reality.

The combined computing power of the Chinese-supplied and Soviet-manufactured computers reached one million operations per second. Problems that previously couldn't be solved in a short time could now be calculated clearly.

As the expert team produced calculation after calculation, Red Army officers trained in staff work plotted the results, creating flight charts for various scenarios along with corresponding takeoff and landing schedules.

Under a vast number of different organizational models, all 4,000 fighters of various types participating in the Moscow campaign were utilized to the fullest to unleash the maximum combat power of the Soviet Air Force.

Major Miao Daduo, as a representative of the Chinese side, was also inside the Air Force headquarters. Watching the busy crowd, he noticed Colonel Meng Qingyuan beside him, silent and lost in thought. He asked, "Colonel Meng, you've been watching for so long; what do you see?"

The reason for the question was that while the Soviets had invited Chinese experts to the staff office, it was only to maintain the computers; they hadn't allowed the Chinese to participate in the actual calculations. Watching others being so busy made Major Miao feel exceptionally bored.

Colonel Meng didn't look away, but remarked with some emotion, "Some say geniuses surpass mortals. But looking at this, I suddenly feel that as long as mortals master the tools and methods geniuses use to solve problems, they can surpass those geniuses. Little Miao, a few geniuses simply can't handle such a massive workload in a short time."

Miao was taken aback; he had assumed the Colonel saw something specific in the Soviet experts' actions. He hadn't expected Meng to be looking at the problem from a different level of perspective.

Looking again at the people shuttling back and forth, their firm and hurried steps, and their smooth paths of movement, he suddenly felt the Colonel had indeed seen much. So many people walking quickly in a not-very-wide space yet without a single collision—it was clear these Soviet experts had indeed researched scheduling thoroughly.

After watching a bit longer, Major Miao felt a sudden surge of indignation and couldn't help saying, "But we *must* have geniuses!"

Colonel Meng heard the slight awkwardness in Miao's tone and looked over. He saw Miao deliberately setting his face, watching the Soviet experts like a child having a sulk.

"Heh. I know," Meng smiled. He then said, "Major Miao, we actually don't need the Soviets' gratitude, and we must be able to endure them causing trouble for us after victory. We cannot forget history, but we cannot remain trapped in it either."

"Colonel, that's what was emphasized at the Party meeting; I know. Sigh..." Miao let out a sigh. "We've already lost the strategic window of opportunity to retake our land."

Though he spoke the words, Miao still felt a sting in his heart. He had been in the USSR for months and saw that their industrial strength was not powerful. Especially in advanced technical sectors, it wasn't a total blank, but it was certainly unremarkable.

Europe feared the Soviet "massive population," but China didn't fear it at all. The USSR didn't even have 200 million people yet, while China was nearing 700 million. Given the current gap in strength and the massive crisis the USSR was currently mired in, China wouldn't fail even if it moved against them.

While Miao supported the strategic judgment that China couldn't turn against the USSR from a rational standpoint, thinking of the land forcibly taken away still ignited his emotions. The desire to reclaim it at this opportunity couldn't be entirely snuffed out.

Hearing the gloom in Miao's voice, Meng sighed, "We all want the Sino-Soviet border to return to the Treaty of Nerchinsk, even to the boundaries of the Ming Dynasty. Therefore, we must understand one thing: our interests come from the new world of the future, not the past."

As Meng spoke, he still felt a bit uneasy. He wasn't sure if his words were to comfort Miao or himself. But he knew well that as a member of the glorious Chinese National Defense Force, he had to fulfill his duty and help the Soviet Union defeat Nazi Germany.

The Soviet Air Force headquarters was brilliantly lit—from dusk to deep night, from night till dawn. Everyone worked intensely, preparing for the battle after daybreak.

On December 6th, the sky cleared. At 8:43 AM, the local sunrise in Moscow, the fighters crowded onto every Soviet frontline airfield began to start their engines. On runways cleared by Soviet soldiers and civilians, inside the cockpits of Chinese-made J-10s, the air conditioning systems exchanged heat from the engines to warm the cabins. The anti-fog glass developed by China for high latitudes remained crystal clear. With excellent visibility, fighters began taxiing on the not-so-smooth runways and took off successfully.

After the J-10s providing escort took off, the J-9 advanced trainers followed, carrying bombs. Forming up in the air, they headed toward the battlefield. These fighters did not fly in straight lines; some headed for the 15,000-meter ceiling, preparing to dive from on high to attack German jets. Others circled toward different airspaces, preparing for flanking strikes and interceptions.

In the seemingly boundless sky, the Soviet Air Force had laid out a three-dimensional combat web, effectively linked by various radio equipment, turning the Soviet fighter clusters at different positions into a single whole.

This technology, which the Chinese Air Force had mastered three years ago, was still an operational mode the Soviets had to hone to master. But at the very least, they had taken a solid first step on a completely new path.

At 9:18 AM, the German Army units being bombed by the Soviets called for Luftwaffe support. By 9:43, the first German jets appeared on the edge of the battlefield. Shortly after these jets began engaging the "plump" J-10s, the J-10 groups that had already occupied the high altitude dived down, utilizing the high speed of the dive to launch a vigorous assault on the German jets.

In the first few minutes, the J-10s even possessed speeds comparable to the jets. It was in those minutes that the arriving force of over twenty German jets was heavily hit; four jets plunged toward the earth trailing thick smoke. Another nine were damaged and forced to leave the battlefield.

The intact German jets abandoned their familiar hunt and were forced to cover the retreat of their damaged comrades. Within the German cockpits, the American-made communication systems were filled with various bewildered questions. The Luftwaffe pilots never expected that their side, which had always held a massive advantage over the Soviets, would suffer such heavy losses.

War is fair; if you can't win, you can't win. Although the German jets held a speed advantage, they could only struggle to shake off the pursuing Soviets and flee toward their airfields. But their misfortune hadn't reached its end; no sooner had the pursuers' silhouettes vanished from the edge of their vision than more Soviet aircraft appeared ahead, having circled around. The Germans were forced into battle once more.

Soon, two more German jets were shot down. This placed the Luftwaffe under immense pressure. In the early stages of the war, they had lost only three jets in a full month of combat. Now, in less than an hour, six had been downed—twice the loss of that first month.

This loss was only the beginning. Faced with the sudden precision of the Soviet Air Force's scheduling, the Luftwaffe was completely unable to adapt. By noon, 61 jets had been lost along the entire front. At this stage, the Luftwaffe possessed only 600 jets at the front; a loss of ten percent stunned the Air Force command.

Field Marshal Kesselring, the Air Force commander, hurriedly contacted Reichsmarschall Göring. Göring was momentarily agitated on the phone, but he soon steadied himself. His tone was firm: "Field Marshal Kesselring, I require you to ignore the losses for now. A new batch of fighters is about to be sent to the front. We are fully capable of making up the losses and maintaining combat effectiveness. What matters most now is that we must not panic, and do not be hesitant about using the jet fighters. If we pause their use, we will only fall into an even greater disadvantage and lose more precious pilots.

Tell the boys equipped with the new fighters that they are the Reich's firmest sword and shield. Though their numbers are few, they are all we have to hold the Reich's skies. If they collapse now, the Reich's Army will suffer a massive blow!"

"Marshal, I understand!" Kesselring replied decisively. "I will issue the new orders to the Air Force immediately!"

Putting down the phone, Kesselring first struggled to calm his emotions. On October 1, 1933, he had very reluctantly left the Army to become the head of the aviation supply department (Reichskommissariat für die Luftfahrt) and was promoted to Colonel. As a department head, Kesselring had had to scrounge for personnel everywhere. He participated in the reconstruction of the German aviation industry, building secret factories; he worked with the Finance Ministry to compile budgets of millions for the Air Force, supervised aircraft production, and prepared the necessary funds. Everything from real estate—including airfields, barracks, and other military installations—was planned and implemented by him. Even personnel issues for civilian staff, employees, and workers fell within his purview. For his hard work and superior results in building the Air Force, he was given priority promotion to Major General in 1935 and to Lieutenant General in 1936. Like other generals of the Third Reich, Kesselring also received a private allowance from Hitler; the 6,000 marks he received was no small sum at the time.

While serving in the aviation department, Kesselring gradually realized that to manage pilots well, one must have first-hand knowledge of all aspects of flying. Therefore, at age 48, he began learning to fly. Although his results matched neither the veteran pilots nor the fresh recruits, he didn't mind and used it to motivate himself. Kesselring could fly various single- and multi-engine aircraft, flying three or four days a week.

Recalling his past, the Marshal felt his mood improve. Back then, he only knew the air force was a rapidly developing branch and had done his utmost to learn the latest technology. But he never imagined its development would be so meteoric.

Though the Marshal also wanted to learn to fly jets, after actually studying them, he found his age no longer allowed him to master the combat techniques; handling such a spirited steed as a jet fighter was beyond his capacity.

Hearing Göring's command that the jets must continue to sortie despite the risk of heavy loss made the Marshal feel uncomfortable. But after some reflection, he realized he had perhaps become too dependent on fighters with a massive combat advantage, unconsciously turning them into a myth.

In a large-scale war, no matter how extraordinary the equipment, it is merely a consumable.

At this thought, Kesselring felt even more pained. But more thoughts emerged, trying to lead him to the correct conclusion.

Finally, he remembered something. The aircraft carriers of China and the US could carry over 70 fighters each. According to the logic of mythologizing equipment, a carrier should be unsinkable. Yet in the intelligence Kesselring had obtained, while both nations certainly valued these costly weapons, they had both simultaneously positioned the carrier as a consumable combat unit.

If even an aircraft carrier could be treated as a consumable, what could not?

Having reached this realization, Kesselring dialed the number for Army Group Center and explained Göring's view to its commander, Field Marshal von Rundstedt. Rundstedt actually let out a rare sigh of relief upon hearing it. After a moment, he replied, "Field Marshal Kesselring, I fully agree with the Air Force's view."

Rundstedt was a man of few words, but for a man of his character, that was a massive endorsement. After all, Rundstedt was the only man in the Wehrmacht who dared to wear gloves when shaking hands with Hitler, and the man who dared to say "Hitler is just a corporal."

Having reached a consensus with Rundstedt, Kesselring issued the order to the Luftwaffe: "New fighters will continue to be replenished. Every combat unit must resolutely continue to engage the enemy. Leverage the German soldier's tradition of clear thinking; do not let temporary setbacks affect your capacity for cool analysis."

Having made the arrangements, Kesselring immediately began gathering intelligence on the new situation. While busy, he received a call from Himmler. On the phone, the former chicken farmer posed a question: "Marshal, has there been an internal personnel problem?"

This immediately infuriated Kesselring. He replied coldly, "There is no problem within the Air Force! I am busy and cannot chat with Your Excellency."

He hung up without hesitation, his anger flaring. He had had enough of nonsensical excuses to deflect responsibility. Finally, the Marshal decided to go to the front lines himself.