Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 143, Section 142: Live-fire Exercise - Sun Debiao's Parachute Jump from the Great Wall

The signal transmitting and receiving device that Fang Wen was asked to build at the Physics Department of Tsinghua University was not complicated in principle, and the professors had already made similar devices, so it would be much easier to make it again.

In order to save time, Fang Wen even asked them if they could modify the existing equipment.

That's certainly possible. The modification takes even less time; the finished product was made in just three days.

According to Fang Wen's requirements, this is a directional radio wave transmitting and receiving device.

Unlike the broadcasting methods of ordinary radio and telegraph, Fang Wenyao's equipment had to continuously transmit to a fixed location, rather than spreading in all directions.

This requires shortwaves generated at higher frequencies.

Meanwhile, the parabolic antenna described in the Fangwen discussion can also concentrate the range of radio wave transmission.

Therefore, the actual finished product looks more like the radar of the future.

It's shaped like an iron pot, with several additional converging antennas in the middle.

However, the electromagnetic wave transmission effect generated by this thing is excellent, which gave the professors of the Physics Department of Tsinghua University a new idea.

The professors immediately began related research.

Fang Wen, with the help of his students, loaded the equipment onto a vehicle and transported it to Qinghe Airport.

But these devices are not lightweight.

The receiving device, placed on the aircraft, consists of an antenna and a main body, weighing a total of 300 kilograms.

The device for directional radio wave transmission is lightweight due to its simple structure, weighing only about 20 kilograms.

Not only is it heavy, but it's also very large, especially the aircraft's external antenna, which the Shrike simply cannot fit.

He could only temporarily leave the equipment at Qinghe Airport and ask his senior to look after it while he piloted the Shrike back first.

Back at Shanghai Airport, Fang Wen gathered Pan Jiafeng, Sun Debiao, and Howard, and they flew a Boeing 247 that was undergoing maintenance to Qinghe Airport in Beiping.

After the plane landed, he and the three others carefully carried the equipment onto the plane.

After taking off, the Boeing 247 went directly to Wuhan, refueled in Wuhan, and then drove to Xiangxi Airport.

At Xiangxi Airport, a simple radar device was unloaded from a Boeing 247.

Fang Wen instructed Pan Jiafeng: "Fly the Boeing 247 back. And tell them that I'm not going back for the time being."

Pan Jiafeng nodded: "Master, don't leave me behind during the bombing."

"Don't worry, go ahead."

Pan Jiafeng flew away in his plane.

Fang Wen and Howard got busy.

Of the 300 kg airborne radio receiver, 200 kg is the external antenna.

To avoid interfering with the aircraft's flight, the external radar is installed at the tail of the aircraft.

Howard drilled a hole in the tail of the plane.

Fang Wen then asked William to bring the Taishan Aviation Security Team, which he had trained, to help.

William shouted in broken Chinese, "Arms in storage! All assemble!"

One hundred young soldiers placed their rifles one by one on the rifle racks. Each rack slot had a specific number, and no one placed their own rifle haphazardly.

They set up their weapons, assembled, and walked over.

"General Manager, the Taishan Aviation Security Team has assembled. Please give instructions." Although William's Chinese still had a foreign accent, the words he spoke were already very Eastern.

Fang Wen pointed to the antennas. "Find a few strong men to come and help. They'll have to keep lifting them. If they can't lift them anymore, replace them. They have to keep going."

William selected several tall and strong young men from the army.

Under Fang Wen's command, the antenna was raised.

Fang Wen carefully held the end of the antenna and inserted it into the small hole that Howard had drilled.

"You all just stand there and don't move."

With that, he jumped off the scaffolding and quickly ran into the plane.

Inside the aircraft, he and Howard welded the antenna tail end to the main body.

To ensure the antenna doesn't fall off during flight, one weld isn't enough.

The two men went outside again and welded a bracket at the tail of the aircraft to secure the antenna.

After finishing this, Fang Wen carried a large bag and walked towards Sun Debiao.

"Have you prepared your wilderness gear and parachute pack?"

Sun Debiao nodded, slung his parachute pack over his shoulder, and had a canvas bag hanging beside him.

among them:

Individual weapons: one pistol and one sharp steel shovel. Weighing less than 2 kilograms.
Backpack containing living supplies: 30 kg of food and water.

The sleeping bag, the concealing cloth cover, and the grass-colored tent, all sewn by someone, weighed a total of 10 kilograms.

Parachute backpack: 20 kg.

Hand-cranked telegraph machine: 10 kg.

In addition, there's the directional radio wave transmitter in Fang Wen's hand, weighing nearly 30 kilograms.

The total weight of 100 kilograms is quite challenging for paratroopers.

Fang Wen's face was serious: "Today's skydive will take place in the Xiangxi mountainous area. The environment is similar to that of the Great Wall, or even more dangerous. Can you handle it?"

Sun Debiao replied with great confidence: "General Manager, my nickname in Northeast China used to be 'Panther.' The mountains are my home turf, whether it's the north or the south."

"That's good. I'll teach you how to use this."

Fang Wen opened his bag, took out the items one by one, and explained them to Sun Debiao.

"This pot-shaped thing is the transmitter. I had them make an aiming sight on it. Look out from the sight and align it with the tip of the antenna at the front of the transmitter. Then aim at the target, making sure the three points are in a straight line."

"Aiming at the target isn't difficult, but before that you have to assemble it. It has three parts: the launcher you're holding, the main body, and the hand-cranked generator. Only when these three things are connected can it be used properly."

"The plan is this: on the day of the bombing, you will activate the equipment and send a signal every hour. I will receive the signal from the sky to confirm the air raid target."

Upon hearing Fang Wen's explanation, Sun Debiao's eyes lit up.

"General Manager, you mean if I point this thing at something, you'll blow it up?"

"Yes, you can practice first, and we'll start tomorrow night."

After Fang Wen finished speaking, he went to the bomb factory.

Since this is the final exercise before the bombing, we have to use live ammunition.

However, there are many shrubs in western Hunan, so we can't use enough napalm bombs for real attacks.

He requested Huo Duanyang to configure a simulated bomb with good lighting effects that would not produce continuous burning.

This requirement is just a big firecracker.

It makes a loud noise, but it has no power and won't ignite trees.

Huo Duanyang immediately worked with the chemical team to prepare a batch and instructed the loading workers to fill it immediately.

The simulated bomb is ready.

The shortwave receiver has been installed.

Sun Debiao also learned how to use the signal transmitter.

That evening, the F.220 took off.

Fang Wen piloted the large bomber, circling high in the sky.

Entering a state of mechanical perception.

As a night owl, he sensed something amiss.

It has gained an inexplicable ability.

However, because the shortwave signal receiver did not receive a signal echo of a specific frequency, it was not obvious.

He exited the mechanical perception state and turned to look at Sun Debiao, who was preparing in the cabin.

Sun Debiao carried a parachute and had two bags, one large and one small, hanging on either side of his body, making him look somewhat bulky.

"Are you ready?"

"Alright, General Manager."

"Howard, open the door and begin the jump," Fang Wen commanded.

The aircraft door opened, and a strong wind rushed in.

Sun Debiao jumped out against the strong wind and pulled the parachute safety line in mid-air. His parachute was specially designed for nighttime parachuting and for easy concealment after landing; it was grass-green in color and virtually invisible at night.

He floated in the air, cushioned by the parachute.

Having already gained some skydiving experience, Sun Debiao controlled the parachute, making a circling motion in the air.

This ensures that you won't be too far from the designated parachute area; it's a little trick he figured out.

A dozen minutes later, Sun Debiao landed in the mountainous area of ​​western Hunan.

The bushes and thorny vines caught the parachute. In order to get away in time, Sun Debiao used the sharp edge of a steel shovel to cut off the bush branches that were caught on his body, then tore off the parachute and buried it on the spot.

After doing all this, an hour had passed.

He slung the large bag over his back and hung the small bag in front of his chest. He found a spot with few bushes and thorns, sat down on the ground, and waited.

A few hours later, it gradually got light.

Sun Debiao then stood up and looked around.

I am currently halfway up an unknown, desolate mountain. To learn more, I need to climb to the top.

He found a grove of fir trees as a route up the mountain.

The tall cedar trees blocked out the sunlight, and the sparse bushes below made the trails much easier than other mountain paths.

Sun Debiao climbed to the top of the mountain and surveyed the surrounding scenery.

He learned from Fang Wen how to read contour maps. The topographic map composed of line segments at different elevations forms a three-dimensional image, and by combining it with the actual terrain, he could determine his current location.

Just keep walking along the mountain ridge, and you'll reach the target area for this exercise: Xiangxi Airport.

He took out some dry food and beef jerky from his backpack, chewed them heartily, and walked toward his target area. When he was thirsty, he took off the knotted rubber tube at his collar, untied it, and took a couple of sips.

More than half an hour later, we arrived at our destination, on a high mountain west of Xiangxi Airport.

He took the small bag containing the signal transmitter and removed the components from it.

After a while, once the equipment was installed, Sun Debiao covered his head with the camouflage cloth and aimed the launcher with its sights.

The signal transmitter was pointed directly at the airport runway. He cranked the hand-cranked generator and turned on the transmitter switch.

Then it's just a matter of waiting quietly.

To ensure the authenticity of the exercise, the bombing raids still had to take off at night.

It's just a pity that Sun Debiao will have to spend a whole day in the wild.

The F.220 took off again the following night.

High in the air, Fang Wen entered a state of mechanical perception.

He felt it.

Directly below, the continuous radio wave reflections are received by the antenna at the tail of the aircraft.

Because the distance is very close, it is very clear.

Using his mechanical perception abilities, Fang Wen has determined the target's exact location.

All he needed to do was fly the plane overhead and issue the bombing order.

Fang Wen did not do that immediately. Instead, he took the plane away from Xiangxi Airport to conduct perception from a greater distance.

Although the received radio waves were a bit weaker, they could still serve as a guide.

This is fantastic.

Fang Wen therefore thought of many applications.

With such covert and highly accurate guidance, he could fly an aircraft to any destination.

To carry out a series of operations such as airdrops, parachuting, bombing, and landing.

All that's needed is to send one or two special forces soldiers who are skilled in wilderness survival and combat.

Excellent, a huge breakthrough.

Fang Wen piloted the F.220 back and, based on the received signal feedback, accurately flew over Xiangxi Airport.

To facilitate the exercise, not a single light was on at the airport; it was pitch black below, and no one except Fang Wen knew that the airport was right below them.

"Begin bombing," Fang Wen ordered.

Without hesitation, Shunzi, Huo Duanyang, and Howard pulled the lever, the safety tray opened, the clips on the bomb tray opened, and the 6x6 simulated bombs poured down.

A dozen seconds later, a bright light burst forth below, accompanied by the loud sound of a firecracker.

Successful.

Everything is ready, except for the East.

The Great Wall stretches for miles, so only one location can be chosen for bombing.

That place was ideally where the fighting was most intense and where the Japanese army was heavily concentrated.

Fang Wen waited at Xiangxi Airport for intelligence feedback from Shanghai.

The radio waves transmitted the latest battle situation.

Since the fall of Rehe, the Great Wall defenders have faced attacks from multiple fronts.

The fighting was particularly fierce at three of the defensive positions.

These are the areas around Gubeikou, Xifengkou, Jielingkou, and Yiyuankou.

Fang Wen took out a map and marked the three directions.

Looking at the topographical map of the Great Wall, all three locations are important.

The area around Gubeikou is bordered by Rehe Province on the left and is also the protruding part of the left flank defense line. Now that Rehe has fallen, the enemy is everywhere except behind us.

Xifengkou was similar, a key area in the middle of the Great Wall defense line and a bulge in the battle line, which would be attacked by multiple enemy forces.

Jielingkou and Yiyuankou are adjacent to Shanhaiguan, which has already fallen, and they also face considerable pressure.

You can only choose one of these three directions to provide assistance.

Fang Wen felt extremely conflicted.

Strategic bombers are indeed powerful, but they can only be used where they are most needed.

How about choosing Xifengkou?

After all, that area is located in the middle of the Great Wall, and it is most likely where the Japanese army would gather, so the bombing effect might be better.

Just as he was about to make a decision, another telegram arrived from Shanghai.

[Latest intelligence from the Shanghai International Settlement indicates that the Japanese have suddenly halted secret negotiations with the Nationalist government and launched a full-scale attack.]

[On the right flank of the Great Wall defense line, the Japanese 6th Division and the 14th Mixed Brigade broke through Shanhaiguan and entered the pass, implementing a pincer movement strategy.]

The defending 57th Army retreated to the west of the Luan River to defend across the river.

Now that we've entered the pass, let's attack this side first.

He told Sun Debiao about his decision.

Sun Debiao had no objection to this; he was willing to go anywhere as long as he could bomb the Japanese devils.

Immediately afterwards, Fang Wen piloted the F.220 and began the formal airdrop behind enemy lines.

F.220 took off that evening.

Flying 1400 kilometers northeast, it arrived near Shanhaiguan late at night.

Fang Wen looked down using his mechanical senses.

Although it was already night, fires and explosions continued to occur below.

This demonstrates just how intense the battle was between the two sides.

Fang Wen turned around and instructed, "Sun Debiao, after you land, first determine your location. If it's enemy territory, hide on the spot and look for areas of heavy enemy bombing. If it's near our positions, don't make any rash moves, lest you be mistaken for a spy and shot. In short, you must act according to the situation and be careful."

Sun Debiao nodded seriously: "I understand, General Manager. I don't want to die here, so I will be careful."

"That's good. Begin the airdrop. Howard, open the door."

Howard opened the hatch, and the cold northern wind rushed in, but Sun Debiao felt as if he had come home.

He shouted loudly, "I, Sun Dewu, am back! Little Japanese, just wait to be bombed!"

Amidst shouts, they jumped out of the plane.

He was incredibly daring this time, actually opening his parachute only after descending to a certain altitude.

(End of this chapter)