Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 269 268 Elite Flight Squadron Formed, Combat Training, Spanish International Brigades
An intelligence report about the Red Army arrived from home.

Fang Wen carefully read the intelligence report.

Last year, the First Front Army of the Red Army joined forces with the local Red Army in northern Shaanxi, and the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia base area became the Red Army's foothold in the north.

This was an astonishing military operation, which involved marching tens of thousands of miles from the south, experiencing countless battles and encirclements, yet still successfully reaching the north.

Such a strong fighting will and spirit has aroused great repercussions among the Chinese people, and many people have changed their views because of it.

At this time, the Red Army announced a united front against Japan and sent an anti-Japanese vanguard across the Yellow River to the Hebei region.

Furthermore, the latest intelligence also mentions that Zhang Xueliang, the commander of the Northeast Army, also went to the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia base area in early April to secretly discuss joint resistance against Japan.

Looking at all this, Fang Wen seemed to see a consensus formed domestically to confront external threats, which was the best possible change.

Everyone is working hard, so I need to step up my game too.

He went on to do his own thing.

Three Il-16s were modified.

Train elite pilots.

In April 1936, Fang Wen was busy with both modifying aircraft and training personnel for the entire month.

The engines and propellers of the three Il-16s were replaced with 800-horsepower Hornet engines and matching propellers.

With double the power, the aircraft's structure and strength must also be changed accordingly.

The original inconsistent aircraft skin structure was completely removed and replaced with a stronger aluminum alloy.

The aircraft's internal structure has also been reinforced.

These modifications give the Il-16 greater strength, allowing it to reach a cruising speed of 450 km/h.

This is cruising speed, not maximum speed. Currently, no aircraft in the world can achieve such a high-speed flight.

However, such high speeds also greatly increase the difficulty of driving.

To help the elite trainees gradually adapt to high-speed flight, Fang Wen specially converted one of the aircraft into a two-seat trainer and used it for special training for the elite flight trainees in the following days.

Yangon Airport, April 26.

Elite flight cadets assembled and lined up in two neat rows.

The front row consists of three Red Army flight cadets, while the back row consists of four flight cadets specially recruited from Southeast Asia.

The two groups of trainees were highly competitive, and they had been competing with each other both openly and covertly during this period.

Fang Wen believed that this kind of competition was a good thing and did not stop it. As a result, both sides made great progress under the competition.

He strode to the front of the line and said, "Starting today, we will begin live-fire training with the Il-16. Since there is only one training aircraft, each person will only have one hour of live-fire training per day. I hope you will cherish this opportunity."

The seven trainees replied in unison, "Yes, sir."

Fang Wen nodded, took out his notebook, explained the training sequence, and then boarded the Il-16 trainer aircraft first.

The first flight trainee was from an overseas Chinese family in Southeast Asia, and he sat in the front pilot's seat.

“Let’s begin,” Fang Wen said.

Trainees followed regulations and inspected instruments and equipment.

"Sir, inspection complete, requesting takeoff."

"Takeoff approved." Fang Wen drew a line in his notebook, indicating his agreement.

The trainees calmed their nerves, turned on various switches, controlled the aircraft to accelerate on the runway, and then took off.

"Speed ​​increased to 450."

Under Fang Wen's command, the trainees increased their speed.

At such high speeds, strong winds make the sounds muffled.

The two men pulled up the transparent cover of the cockpit, making the cabin closed.

Only then can communication continue.

"Can you keep up with this speed?" Fang Wen asked.

"Sir, I'm fine," the trainee replied.

"That's good. Now, let's begin the first lesson of high-speed driving instruction: yaw the wings 30 degrees and perform a dive turn."

Under Fang Wen's command, the trainees performed various high-speed flight maneuvers.

For these elite flight trainees with excellent fundamentals and skills, basic high-speed flight maneuvers are not difficult for them, and they can all complete them successfully.

Subsequently, the difficulty of flying increased.

Fang Wen required these trainees to learn collaborative combat skills.

In this training phase, Pan Jiafeng will pilot an Il-16, flying in coordination with a trainer aircraft.

One aircraft serves as the main combat aircraft, while the other acts as a wingman, each playing a different role in aerial combat and performing various coordinated operations under different aerial conditions.

This kind of training enables flight trainees to grasp the cooperative awareness of fighter formation combat.

The above two types of training are what Fang Wen believes are the key points of high-speed fighter jet military training. After mastering the fighter jet formation combat skills, aerial shooting training must be carried out.

To better adapt to future flight firing environments, Fang Wen even replaced the weapon systems of three modified Il-16s with two 20mm cannons in advance.

Two 20mm autocannons were mounted in the left and right machine gun firing positions, with only a horizontal firing angle, and aiming and firing were performed using the aiming device in the driver's seat.

Each machine gun is loaded with 500 rounds of ammunition and can engage in three to four rounds of close combat.

After the machine gun upgrade was completed, it became a target for aerial shooting training.

The target used was a towed target, a ball-shaped towed object made of red canvas that was blown into the air by the wind to form a flying ball, making it the best moving target.

Initially, to allow the flight trainees to get used to it, low-speed seaplanes were used for target towing training. The flight trainees would fly Il-16s to chase aerial balls suspended 3 to 400 meters behind the seaplanes at high altitudes for live-fire training.

Once they have adapted to shooting at low-speed flying objects, they will switch to high-speed fighter jet towing target training, with flight trainees taking turns flying Il-16s for towing target training.

Time passed slowly, and the elite flight cadets continued their monotonous yet intense training.

It lasted from April until October.

Over the course of six months, these elite flight trainees, who already had a foundation in flight skills, mastered even more advanced flying techniques and developed a strong team spirit.

The seven people were no longer divided into two competing groups, but instead became harmonious members of the Mount Tai Elite Flight Team.

Seeing their progress, Fang Wen was also very pleased. This elite flight regiment was currently lacking only practical combat experience.

However, the equipment suitable for high-speed fighter jets in actual combat is not something that can be obtained easily, and Fang Wen was also troubled by this matter.

Until his father-in-law and wife arrived.

On October 13, a Taishan Airlines seaplane landed at the port, and Fang Wen put down his work to greet it. His father-in-law, Kuang Shanming, and his wife, Kuang Mingzhu, got off the plane and went ashore in a small boat.

"Father-in-law, Mingzhu, what brings you here?" Fang Wen asked.

“My brother is in trouble.” Kuang Mingzhu said with a worried expression.

"Fang Wen, you have to do me this favor. I have three children. My eldest is ruined, my second married you, and now my third is my only hope. He can't die in Europe," Kuang Shanming said urgently. This time, he didn't care about his status as a father-in-law; it was a plea from him.

"What exactly happened?" Fang Wen helped his father-in-law up as he listened to his explanation.

It turned out that after Fang Wen left Europe and returned, the revolution in Spain had begun to break out.

But for the rest of Europe, the Spanish Revolution was a malignant tumor. Germany and Italy secretly supported the monarchists, landowners, high-ranking monks, Falange and other forces within Spain, and elected a man named Franco to lead these forces in a rebellion.

They established a rebel government in Burgos, a place in northern Spain, to fight against the Popular Front.

Just days earlier, Franco's army launched an attack on Madrid.

Meanwhile, Kuang Anming, the third son of the Kuang family, was also in Madrid. Kuang Shanming's idea was to ask Fang Wen to find a way to rescue Kuang Anming.

After listening to his father-in-law's words, Fang Wen had a good idea.

Isn't the civil unrest in Spain an excellent opportunity for real-world training?
This kind of opportunity is very rare.

He reassured his wife and father-in-law, and then contacted the European branch by telegram.

Through the European branch, Fang Wen established contact with the Spanish side and obtained a means of intervention.

That was the International Brigades.

During the siege of Madrid, Spain, the Executive Committee of the Communist International, with the consent of the Spanish government, formally decided to recruit volunteers to form the International Brigades to aid the Spanish revolution.

This free organization is composed of progressives from all over the world, meaning that anyone willing to help in the war and accepted by the Popular Front can go to Spain to participate in the war.

Upon learning this news, Fang Wen immediately sought out three elite Red Army pilots.

He asked directly and bluntly.

"Do you have any contact with the organization?"

The three Red Army pilots were stunned, but still replied, "We have special coded communication methods that we must not use unless absolutely necessary."

"Then help me make contact. Tell them that Taishan Airlines wants to use its domestic connections to contact the Comintern and join the International Brigades to participate in the Spanish Revolutionary War."

After a pause, Fang Wen added, "This is the best real combat training environment for you. Only in a real war can you grow."

The Red Army pilots agreed and borrowed the telegraph machine in the telegraph room to send a telegram to the north.

They received a reply to their telegram the following day.

[We have contacted the Comintern, and they have agreed to allow the Taishan Air Force to join the International Brigades.]

[Attached is the radio communication frequency of the International Brigades.]

Upon receiving this feedback, Fang Wen immediately contacted the other party using the International Brigade's dedicated communication frequency and received a reply.

The other side demanded that the aircraft joining the International Brigades land in Albacete and assemble there.

After receiving feedback from the International Brigades, Fang Wen immediately checked the map and determined the method of participation.

The aircraft flying to Spain consisted of five fighter planes: three Il-16s, one Shrike, and one Boeing 247 converted into a fuel support aircraft.

Because of their aerial threat, the four fighter jets could not land at some of the airports along the route and had to be transported to the port of Valencia in eastern Spain by Taishan International's cargo ship.

Fang Wen then piloted a Boeing 247, accompanied by seven elite pilots and mechanic Howard, to Albacete ahead of them.

The group boarded the plane and flew to Rome via Asia-Europe Airlines, then transferred in Rome to fly to Albacete.

After the plane landed at the rudimentary Albacete airport, it was greeted by a member of the International Brigade.

"Hello, my name is Milorad Nobus. I am a Comintern officer and currently serve as a liaison officer for the International Brigades."

Fang Wen smiled and shook hands with him: "It's a pleasure to meet you. In addition to this plane, there are four more fighter jets that will be docking at the port of Valencia. I hope you can help with the unloading of the fighter jets at that time."

“No problem, I’ve already sent people over. Now, I’ll take you to your resting place,” Milorad Nobus said, leading Fang Wen and the others out of the airport.

Under his leadership, the group arrived at the assembly point of the International Brigades.

Milorad Nobus explained, "Volunteers from many countries have already arrived here. There are several thousand people, and the number will increase in the future. To facilitate future management and operations, we have divided the volunteers into six international brigades."

In his explanation, these thousands of international fighters were divided into:
The 11th International Brigade was mainly composed of Germans and Austrians.

The 12th International Brigade was mainly composed of Italians.

The 13th International Brigade was mainly composed of Poles, Yugoslavs, Hungarians and Bulgarians.

The 14th International Brigade was mainly composed of French and Belgian people.

The 15th International Brigade was mainly composed of British, American, Canadian and Irish people.

The 150th International Brigade consists of people from other English-speaking countries.

After he finished speaking, he led Fang Wen and his group to their residence.

"This is your accommodation. Because of the language barrier, I've specially requested the addition of a new team, which we'll call the Asian Flight Team. What do you think?"

“Okay,” Fang Wen replied.

"Alright, you guys rest here for a bit. I have other things to do. We'll stay in touch about the fighter jets."

Milorad Nobus left after he finished speaking.

Fang Wen and his group then methodically searched for their respective beds and began making them.

This is a large room with more than a dozen beds, enough for Fang Wen and the others to stay in.

The conditions were a bit poor, but Fang Wen, the flight cadets, and Howard didn't complain. After all, they were there to fight a war. It would be unbecoming of combat personnel to be picky before the war even started.

After making the beds, Fang Wen assembled the team and explained, "We are an independent combat unit. In addition to combat, we also need to prepare for other things ourselves. Therefore, besides daily training, you all have other responsibilities. These responsibilities include daily living, accommodation, food management, fuel management, external liaison, and ordnance management."

Under his arrangement, the seven elite pilots were assigned their own daily duties, and they all needed to work together to keep this independent combat squad in a high state of combat readiness.

After assigning this task, which was beneficial to the flight team's team building, Fang Wen got up and prepared to go for a walk.

He was very curious about the International Brigades and wanted to take this opportunity to see them.

As soon as I stepped outside, I encountered a middle-aged man with a thick beard.

The slightly overweight middle-aged man sized up Fang Wen and extended his hand: "Hello, my name is Hemingway. We heard that a flight team has arrived, and we are very interested in it. We would like to invite you to participate in tonight's event, is that alright?"

Fang Wen sized up the other person and thought of a literary work that would become very famous in the future.

The invitation was exactly what he wanted; a gathering was the best environment for communication. He smiled and extended his hand to shake hands with the other person.

"Okay, we'll go tonight."

(End of this chapter)