Chapter 336 The Winter War (5)

Before the outbreak of World War II, the Soviet Air Force had already established a comprehensive bomber force. This force included heavy long-range bombers like the TB-3 and some fast, maneuverable models. The SB-2 fast bomber, nicknamed the "Cavalry Bomber," was a member of the Soviet Air Force's bomber force during that period.

The "SB" in SB-2 stands for the first letters of the Russian word for "fast," so it's self-explanatory that speed was the essence of the SB-2 bomber.

In the mid-1930s, France, seeking to improve relations with the Soviet Union, actively offered to export the complete production technology for the Hispano-Suiza 12Y liquid-cooled engine. At the same time, France also provided the land version of the Gnome-Rhône 14K engine, an air-cooled engine with 1,100 horsepower.

The Soviet Union did not choose between these two new French-made engines. Instead, they directly developed the SB-2M-100A fast bomber using the liquid-cooled engine and the SB-2M-103 fast bomber using the air-cooled engine. Therefore, in the documentation on the SB-2 series fast bomber, there are models using liquid-cooled engines and models using air-cooled engines.

The SB-2 bomber was positioned as a medium-sized fast bomber with a bomb load of 600 kilograms, a maximum range of 980 kilometers, slightly less than American and German medium bombers. However, in actual combat, the SB-2's bomb load could reach 900 kilograms.

In terms of protection, the SB-2 was designed with a certain level of armored defense from the beginning, using high-strength nickel-manganese-silicon steel for the airframe and critical internal components. It was armed with four Soviet-made 7.62mm machine guns for self-defense, forming an effective defensive firepower network. The SB-2 bomber had a small crew, consisting of only three people, and the aircraft was relatively light, weighing 3 tons empty and just over 5 tons fully loaded. It could take off and land on relatively basic airfields.

Overall, the SB-2 series fast bomber was a very capable aircraft. In the early stages of World War II, some old-fashioned fighters couldn't even catch up with it. Its performance in several engagements, including the Spanish Civil War, proved that this fast bomber indeed met the initial expectations of the Soviet Air Force.

Evgenni, a machine gunner on an SB-2 fast bomber, was discussing the operation with his comrades. "Leonid, why are we attacking Finland when everything was fine?"

"Why?" replied the pilot Leonid absentmindedly while checking various parameters on the instrument panel. "To protect the great Leningrad from the aggression of those evil capitalists, of course."

"Aggression?" Yevgeny said in confusion. "Finland is just such a small country, how could they have the audacity to invade us?" After all, his homeland covered an area of over twenty million square kilometers, with a population close to two hundred million. In comparison, Finland had an area of only a few hundred thousand square kilometers and a population of just a few million. When you compared the two, it was like a polar bear confronting a little rabbit; even with ten or a hundred times the courage, the rabbit could not possibly dare to provoke the polar bear.

Leonid sneered. "Finland wouldn't dare provoke us, but higher-ups are worried that someone with ulterior motives might use Finland to threaten us."

Yevgeny couldn't help but widen his eyes. "Other countries? Are you talking about Germany?" Now, most of Europe was submissive to Germany, and it seemed that no other country besides Germany could threaten the Soviet Union. "But isn't Germany our friendly nation?" A few years ago, a German engineering team had stayed in their village, and he had made some German friends, so his impression of Germany was still good.

Leonid was somewhat impatient. "Enough with the 'buts'! These things aren't what small soldiers like us should consider. What we need to focus on is how to better accomplish the mission. Leave everything else to the great leader Comrade Stalin; he will lead us to greatness!"

"But the feeling of invading other countries doesn't seem right," Yevgeny muttered.

"Are you questioning the great leader Comrade Stalin?!" Leonid widened his eyes in surprise. "Are you courting death? Your thoughts are very dangerous, do you know? Be careful not to attract the 'blue caps' to you!" Despite claims that the purges were over, new names were still occasionally reported. If the terrifying "blue caps" heard Yevgeny's words, he could be executed on the spot, and it might even implicate others.

"I would never doubt the greatness of Comrade Stalin. Great leaders can never make mistakes," Yevgeny quickly emphasized, startled by the warning.

"Then don't dwell on those miscellaneous things; focus on doing the current task seriously!" Issuing a fierce warning, Leonid saw the friendly planes in front start descending, and he gradually manipulated the control stick to lower his bomber's altitude. Simultaneously, he increased throttle and opened the throttle valve.

As the Soviet air force did not widely use radios at present, the commander briefed everyone on the operational procedures before departure.

Ten minutes away from the target, each plane began descending, increasing their flight speed to the maximum. Due to the poor equipment of the Finnish Air Force, their most powerful fighter was the Dutch Fokker D.XXI, with a top speed of only 440 kilometers per hour. Although it was a bit faster than the SB-2M-103's top speed of 423 kilometers per hour, this 17 kilometers per hour speed difference was practically useless in actual combat.

Because of this, Anatoly, the commander leading the bomber group, did not wait for the escort fighters and headed straight for the border.

Originally, there was a planned fighter squadron to escort them. However, compared to the Germans' meticulousness, the Soviets were far behind, and a dispatching error occurred among the dozens of planes taking off from various airports. This led to a gap of over ten minutes between the bomber group and their escort.

Anatoly didn't want to foolishly lead the entire group in the sky, waiting for the escort fighters. Instead, he directly charged towards the border.

The Soviets were confident about this war to an extreme degree. How extreme? The Soviet high command believed that as long as they sent the army to Finland, the Finnish workers would rise in rebellion. The level of preparation for this war was self-evident. Coupled with the purge and the pre-war threefold expansion of the military, it resulted in a severe shortage of capable mid-level officers in the Soviet army.

As for the Finnish Air Force in his view?

To him, the combined air force of fighters and bombers in Finland, totaling less than a hundred aircraft, was simply a joke. Compared to the mighty Soviet Air Force, the Finnish Air Force, even if they dared to engage in combat, was just like a mantis trying to stop a chariot. Furthermore, this time they had taken off hundreds of bombers from dozens of airfields. If they were lucky, they could easily complete the mission.

However, just as they crossed the border, suddenly a storm of tracer rounds enveloped one of the bombers, directly exploding it in mid-air.

"God! Finnish fighter planes!"