Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 274 273 Repelling the bomber formation, escorted by an air transport formation, encountering BF.109
In the era of piston-engine fighter jets, aerial combat relied entirely on individual experience and skill, as well as aircraft performance.

There is one word that best describes this kind of battle.

Dogfight.

While destroying their opponents with machine guns or cannons, both sides' piston-engine fighters must also avoid being locked onto by the enemy.

Therefore, both sides were repeatedly maneuvering and chasing each other, attempting to launch an attack from the enemy's rear flank.

This is just like a fight between stray dogs, a very vivid description.

Pilots played an extremely important role in this kind of combat.

Reaction time, experience, talent, and other factors often create huge differences.

Fang Wen was an ace pilot at the top of the pyramid. His awareness and superpowers allowed him to quickly find a way to deal with being surrounded by 12 Japanese planes, something many pilots could not do.

But he wasn't the only strong one; Fang Wen encountered another one in today's air battle.

A He.51 fighter jet suddenly rushed towards it, diving diagonally below the Shrike.

He's not here for aerial bayonet fighting.

This is the best escape route; even Fang Wen couldn't control the Shrike to make a 180-degree turn to chase it down.

Meanwhile, another aircraft demonstrated a significant difference between a veteran and a novice.

The He.51 fighter jet actually turned around and attempted to fly back to the bomber escort formation.

His turn was tantamount to handing his back to Fang Wen, which, in Fang Wen's view, was almost like committing suicide.

In a flash, Fang Wen made a decision: abandon the fighter jet that had escaped alone and turn to a more suitable target.

Under his control, the Shrike flipped to the right, and the aircraft performed a 360-degree roll maneuver around the central axis extending from the nose to the tail.

These are combat moves that are rarely used in actual combat; they are more often displayed in stunt shows.

For Fang Wen, however, it was a very familiar and basic operation.

Using a roll maneuver, the aircraft quickly changed course and headed directly at the rear of the He.51 fighter jet.

The enemy had no idea that their opponent would turn and pursue them in such a stunning way, and continued to fly towards the bomber escort formation.

The shouts from his teammates couldn't pierce the sky to warn him that everything would end here.

Having completed his aim, Fang Wen ruthlessly pulled the trigger of the machine gun, and two streaks of bullets shot out rapidly, instantly striking the tail of the He.51 fighter jet.

The tail section was blown to pieces by the 20mm cannon fire, and the tailless aircraft immediately lost its balance and flew towards the ground, billowing black smoke.

But the next second, another burst of machine gun fire came and blasted it to pieces in mid-air.

A giant fireball exploded in the sky, scattering countless burning fragments and debris across the air.

solved.

Fang Wen then took a moment to observe the battle situation on the other side.

The He.51 fighter jets, surrounded by three rapidly modified Il-16s, were completely powerless to retaliate.

Under the crossfire, it was torn in two and fell to the ground.

Fang Wen immediately issued a secret telegram ordering three wingmen to assemble in his direction.

Next, we'll have to deal with the Ju.52 bombers that are preparing to bomb the airfield.

The enemy only has two escort fighters, so Fang Wen and his team have a good chance of taking them down.

Immediately afterwards, the Asian air force set off again, heading towards the front.

Just as they were about to encounter the bomber formation, Fang Wen suddenly became nervous.

In his mechanical perception state, he discovered that five more fighter jets had come to escort the enemy bomber formation from behind.

Meanwhile, the two Ju.52s also dropped all their bombs on the open ground below, then turned and accelerated away.

Clearly, the opponent realized that the situation was hopeless and hastily ended the bombing.

With enemy planes flying in from behind, Fang Wen lost the will to continue fighting.

After all, he was now operating in a fighter squadron. If he recklessly entered enemy territory, he might not have to worry about himself, but his men would be in danger.

He then issued a secret telegram ordering the four fighter jets to stop advancing and instead adopt a defensive posture in the air.

The enemy did not launch another attack, and instead covered the Ju.52 bombers as they returned to base.

Meanwhile, German aircraft over Valencia also withdrew, bringing an end to a major air battle.

Fang Wen then returned to the Albacete base with three wingmen.

(Photo taken after bombing during the Spanish Civil War)
The first aerial battle in Valencia, in which the Asian Air Force participated, has ended.

All four planes landed safely at Albacete Airport.

After the plane came to a stop, Howard and two mechanics from the Taishan Aircraft Manufacturing Plant immediately began wartime maintenance.

Fang Wen returned to the camp with three pilots and gathered the other four to conduct a post-battle debriefing.

"Everyone, please sit down," Fang Wen said, looking at the pilots who participated in the battle today and calling out the name of Red Army pilot Qi Baoqian.

"Qi Baoqian, tell us about today's battle, share your experience with everyone, and give a summary."

This is an essential part of combat training, where elite pilots exchange experiences to help everyone improve.

When Qi Baoqian talks about aerial combat, he speaks clearly and fluently.

"It's the General Manager. In today's air battle, we adopted a formation combat mode, using superior numbers to fight against inferior forces, which produced excellent results. On the other hand, the German fighters lacked coordination. Although they appeared to be fighting as a group, they were actually fighting individually. In comparison, we had a huge advantage. All of this was due to the secret telegram instructions designed by the General Manager. Without it, we could not have achieved today's results."

This isn't flattery, it's the truth.

The Asian Air Force, led by Fang Wen, is one of the few combat fleets that has achieved true real-time in-flight communication.

Combined with its performance and firepower, it was this that enabled it to achieve such results on the battlefield.

After summarizing, Qi Baoqian talked about the details of the battle, and the other four pilots who did not participate in the battle immediately took out their notebooks and began to take notes.

When they encounter something they don't understand, they will ask questions and discuss it with each other.

Through this timely exchange of post-war experiences, everyone can improve.

After they finished their discussion, Fang Wencai spoke up:
"Post-war debriefing can't just focus on the good things; didn't you notice any problems?"

After some hesitation, Shao Deqing, a pilot from the Fourth Front Army, spoke up: "I think the visibility is not very good. Also, when we are coordinating our flights, we lack consistency. If we can achieve better coordination, the results in combat against the enemy will be better."

After listening to Shao Deqing's explanation, Fang Wen nodded: "The visibility in a closed cockpit is indeed not as good as in an open cockpit, but it is better for flight stability. The canopy structure has a problem, affecting local visibility, and I have already asked Howard to modify it. As for consistency, you need to practice more; experience and teamwork are developed through practice. Here's what we'll do: starting tomorrow, you can conduct free-roaming drills when you don't have military missions."

The elite pilots were naturally happy to have more time to practice.

Looking at his enthusiastic subordinates, Fang Wen spoke up again: "There's one more thing. Regarding aircraft paint schemes, we're allowed to create a group combat achievement paint scheme on the fuselage. Aircraft that were shot down in a joint effort can be marked in this paint scheme." At this, the pilots all stood up. Although they didn't have any individual combat achievements yet, they had long been eager to paint their own aircraft, even if it was a group achievement.

Immediately, after consulting with Fang Wen, the group scattered to get paint and ran to the three modified Il-16s to start painting.

Fang Wen also went over with great interest and watched them paint the aircraft. There were a total of 3 team battle records. The pilots chose the belly of the fuselage and painted the He.51 biplane fighter icon and wrote the names of the pilots who participated in the battle.

Seeing how enthusiastically they were painting and decorating, Fang Wen also became interested. He picked up a paint bucket, walked over to the Shrike, and painted two new achievements on the plane.

After the drawing was finished, several old acquaintances came over.

They were literary and artistic figures in the International Brigades, such as Hemingway and his ilk.

From afar, Hemingway called out, "Fang, I've come to interview you. Oh, and I've got some good stuff for you as a reward."

Fang Wen put down the paint bucket, smiled, and replied, "What reward?"

“Iberian ham and Galician octopus,” Hemingway said, pointing behind him.

At the Asian Air Force camp at Albacete base, pilots and mechanics are busy at work.

For shooting down a Condor Legion plane and thwarting a bombing raid on a military airfield, he was rewarded with ham and dried octopus.

This food has its own way of being eaten by the Chinese.

They boiled water in a pot, washed the ham and cut it into slices and shreds, and soaked the dried octopus and diced it.

I added red bell peppers, garlic, and local Spanish spices such as saffron, rosemary, bay leaves, and parsley to make a seafood and ham risotto.

The meal was ready, and everyone sat together, eating and chatting.

Hemingway took out a flask and poured Fang Wen a glass: "Fang, I really envy you. You have such good flying skills. The International Brigade is talking about you now. But you have to be careful. The Vulture Legion is definitely watching you. Be careful in the next air battle."

Fang Wen took the wine glass and sipped it.

But a sense of unease also arose in my heart.

I came here to learn practical combat experience. Now that the war has entered a fierce stage, the more you stand out, the more dangerous it will be for you in the future.

Although the seven pilots he brought with him all left suicide notes, he did not want any of them to die in Spain.

They will be flying even better fighter jets to fight Japanese warplanes over China in the future, and they cannot afford to perish here.

Fang Wen made up his mind that in future air battles, he would be more cunning and never fall into dangerous situations.

Thinking of this, he smiled and changed the subject, saying, "Didn't you go to Valencia? Why are you back?"

“They think my pen is more important than my gun, and they want me to write about what’s happening here. I was going to write a novel called For Whom the Bell Tolls, but now I’m going to write a screenplay called The Fifth Column first,” Hemingway replied.

Fang Wen listened as Hemingway spoke eloquently.

Whether in screenplays or novels, Hemingway presents the revolution to the world from the perspective of an American protagonist who participated in the Spanish Civil War.

The Fifth Column was a secret organization targeting the International Brigades, and was a collective term for enemy spies operating in Madrid and Valencia.

The script is titled this way because the protagonist, after experiencing some twists and turns, thwarts the Fifth Column's secret plan.

The Battle Bells, in particular, provides a lengthy account of American youth witnessing the Spanish Civil War.

After Hemingway finished speaking, Fang Wen thought of another person and couldn't help but ask, "What about Picasso?"

"He's in Valencia, and the Popular Front is welcoming him," Hemingway replied.

The battle for Valencia continues.

The International Brigades soldiers participated in this battle with great enthusiasm.

Fang Wen's Asian Air Force is mainly responsible for protecting the transport routes between the Albacete base and the Valencia military airport.

However, a prolonged war requires a large amount of supplies, which cannot be transported by the Boeing 247 brought by Fang Wen.

As supplies on the front lines are being depleted at an accelerated pace, this demand is growing.

On December 8, the officer of the International Brigade found Fang Wen.

"Captain Fang, two transport planes are landing at the airport today, and your air squadron will be responsible for escorting them from now on."

"What transport plane?" Fang Wen asked in surprise.

The Soviet Union didn't have large transport aircraft at the time, so how did they suddenly appear in Europe?

The officer explained, "It was ordered from Douglas Corporation in the United States."

The Soviet Union ordered large transport aircraft from the American Douglas Aircraft Company?!
Fang Wen was even more surprised, not expecting that the United States would sell anything in order to revive the domestic economy.

This is a large aircraft that can be converted into a bomber. The German Ju.52 constantly changed roles between passenger plane, transport plane, and bomber.

But what he didn't expect was that the Soviet Union actually bought more than 20 DC-3s at a high price, and even obtained a DC-3 modification license.

It is estimated that the future version of the DC-3 will be produced by the Soviet Union.

Shaking off his thoughts, Fang Wen and his staff waited together at the airport. More than an hour later, two DC-3 transport planes landed on the runway.

Fang Wen spoke with the crew members who disembarked from the plane.

After some discussion, the new mission for the Asian air force was determined.

Escort two DC-3 transport planes.

These two DC-3 transport planes will shuttle back and forth between the Albacete base and the Valencia military airfield, transporting military supplies to the front lines.

In order to provide better escort for the Asian Air Force, the International Brigade specially requested four Il-16 fighter jets for Fang Wen.

At this point, all seven pilots brought by Fang Wen finally had their own fighter jets to fly.

To ensure smooth communication within the fighter formation, Fang Wen also made modifications to these newly delivered Il-16s.

These four Il-16s were relatively weak in terms of power because they did not have Hornet engines, and their firepower consisted of 7.62 mm machine guns. Therefore, after being equipped with a secret communication device, they were used as the second echelon of the flight formation, mainly to participate in escort and assistance, while the main combat was still left to the original main fighter aircraft.

After the flight escort mission was updated, eight fighter jets from the Asian Air Force led by Fang Wen began escort operations.

At first, the flight went smoothly without any harassment from the vulture legion.

However, this situation did not last long, as the continuous transport of military supplies from the Albacete base to Valencia was eventually leaked.

On December 19, south of Valencia, a squadron of Condor Legion enemy aircraft suddenly flew in from the coastline and headed straight for the escort formation.

Faced with the menacing enemy aircraft, Fang Wen issued a secret telegram ordering the second echelon to cover the transport planes' retreat, while he himself led three wingmen to engage the enemy.

This time it's much more difficult than before.

In addition to the three He.51 fighter jets, there were also two Messerschmitt BF.109 fighter jets.

This was Germany's main fighter plane in World War II. This battle would probably be very difficult, not only because of the aircraft's performance, but also because the pilot flying the Messerschmitt BF.109 seemed to be extraordinary.

(End of this chapter)