Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 280, Page 279: Returning Home, International Brigades Medal of Honor, Report on Events in Yangon

Emilio Cleber looked at Fang Wen, feeling regretful about the departure of this legendary Eastern pilot.

However, the International Brigades were not a disciplined military organization, and members could apply to leave, let alone Fang Wen and his men who had repeatedly won merits in air battles.

He stood up and sincerely shook Fang Wen's hand: "Your motherland was once great. It needs to go through hardships to stand up again. I wish you great success in your motherland after you return."

"Thank you," Fang Wen replied with a smile, seizing the opportunity to state his request: "May I purchase the four Il-16s sent by the Soviet Volunteer Air Force?"

“Purchase? I need to communicate with them; it involves some procedures.” Emilio Kleber was not surprised by Fang Wen’s request to purchase the Il-16; he knew that the Asian aviation tycoon had sufficient financial resources to buy military aircraft.

Moreover, Emilio Cleber had other ideas.

He continued:

"Alright, you stay a few more days, and I'll discuss the purchase of the aircraft. There are also some other matters to attend to. You and the Asian Air Force have distinguished yourselves in Madrid, Valencia, and Cáceres. Before you return, you will receive a merit award from the International Brigades."

After exchanging pleasantries with Emilio Cleber, Fang Wen took his leave.

As he was about to leave Spain, Fang Wen began preparations.

Eight fighter jets and one fuel transport plane need to be transferred to the country, as Valencia to the east is currently under air blockade and cannot leave from there.

The north is controlled by rebels, so going to Paris is impossible.

The only option is to fly south, transiting through Africa to reach Asia.

Africa was also in turmoil. After Italy occupied Ethiopia, it merged it with Italian Somalia and Italian Eritrea into Italian East Africa.

Morocco, a Spanish colony in Africa, was also a major source of manpower for the rebels, with a large number of foreign mercenary groups coming from overseas to participate in the war.

Therefore, the only place where transit can be made is French Algeria.

The area is currently controlled by the French Foreign Legion.

Fortunately, there were Frenchmen from that region in the International Brigades who were quite familiar with the local situation.

Moreover, two of these people were seriously wounded in the battle and were looking for a way to be sent back, so they could take Fang Wen's plane back.

The two sides quickly reached an agreement: they would contact the airport, and the AirAsia team would transport the wounded. From there, they would fly around to Rome, then to Ankara, and the route after that would be the original civil aviation route.

But if you want to fly like that, you have to make arrangements with civil aviation airports in various places, otherwise they simply won't make any exceptions.

Therefore, Fang Wen also needs to notify the Taishan International Airlines branches in various regions to negotiate with the local airports.

In general, as long as you have money, things will be easier. In addition, the aircraft must be unarmed.

To this end, Fang Wen, along with the mechanics, camouflaged all the machine guns and 20mm cannons on the Il-16 and the Shrike, so that the gun barrels were not visible from the outside, which was enough to meet the enemy's non-military flight requirements.

With everything prepared, the purchase of the aircraft was settled.

International Brigades Commander Emilio Cleber arrived at the Asian Air Force camp with his men.

The Soviet officer in charge of negotiating the sale of the Il-16s said, "These aircraft were delivered to the Spanish government as aid, and essentially belong to the Popular Front. We have negotiated with them and are acting as their agent for this transaction."

After a pause, the officer seemed reluctant to speak, as he didn't appear to do much trading.

But he said it anyway.

"Given the current situation, the Spanish peseta has depreciated significantly, making it difficult to set a price. After discussion, we decided to calculate it in foreign currency, at $9000 per aircraft."

"So cheap?" Fang Wen was somewhat moved. It was really difficult to estimate the price of Soviet-made equipment, but he didn't want to take advantage of his comrades who had fought alongside him, so he directly raised the price: "I'll give you $1 a unit."

The officer was stunned, not expecting a buyer to raise the price. Before he could respond, Emilio Cleber agreed on his behalf.

"Thank you. This money is just what we need to buy military supplies. Medicines are currently scarce and can only be purchased at high prices in US dollars."

Upon hearing about the shortage of medicine, Fang Wen added, "After I go back, I will get a batch of anti-infective drugs and ship them to Paris by civil aviation. You can send someone to Paris to pick them up then."

"What medicine?" the Soviet officer asked.

"Penicillin, a new type of anti-infective drug, can effectively treat wound infections."

"Thank you, that's great."

The officer warmly grasped Fang Wen's hand; he knew very well how important this medicine was to the wounded.

Subsequently, Fang Wen directly paid $60,000 in cash to complete the purchase of four Il-16s.

But that wasn't all. Emilio Cleber solemnly awarded medals of merit to Fang Wen and the pilots of the Asia Air Force, as well as the ground mechanics.

It was a three-pointed star medal with a soldier's head in the center, symbolizing the honor of the International Brigades.

In addition to medals, there were also some spoils of war and certificates of merit.

For example, Fang Wen shot down the Condor Legion's fighter jets and assisted the tank regiment in defeating the enemy's mechanized combined forces.

As a result, some meaningful small items seized became souvenirs for Fang Wen and other pilots.

The exquisite Luger P08 pistol, the Condor Legion insignia, and the material rewards from the Spanish government: a bonus of 3 pesetas per person, a whole Iberian ham per person, and a bunch of other miscellaneous items.

Receiving these awards can be seen as recognition of the Asian Air Force's contributions in this war.

This civil war will continue until World War II.

But Fang Wen and his group could no longer stay there.

All matters have been settled and everything is ready.

Asia Airlines is about to depart.

Reluctantly, Kuang Anming was forced onto the Boeing 247.

He shouted in dissatisfaction, "Brother-in-law, you can leave, why are you taking me with you? I protest, let me down."

“If I send you down, you’ll die here in a few days. Do you expect your sister, brother, and father to brave the war to come and collect your body?” Fang Wen glared at Kuang Anming and added, “If you want to die, go back and fight the Japanese. Dying in your homeland will be a worthy death.”

After being scolded by his brother-in-law, Kuang Anming became obedient.

Fang Wen then spoke with Howard: "You're sure you can fly a Boeing 247, right?"

“No problem,” Howard replied succinctly.

Fang Wen understood what he meant. Despite Howard's introverted and homebody nature, he was not only a mechanic but also a skilled pilot. Flying a Boeing 247 was nothing special for him.

after an hour.

Three International Brigades soldiers from French Algeria arrived in a military vehicle.

Two of them were seriously injured, their bodies wrapped in bandages, and they were unconscious.

Another person who accompanied them back to Algeria spoke to Fang Wen, saying, "Thank you for bringing my two brothers home. They would rather die than not return to their hometown."

Fang Wen nodded solemnly: "We'll set off immediately, hoping they can return home alive."

Immediately, the pilots of the air force worked together to carefully transport the two wounded men onto the Boeing 247.

Once the three boarded the plane, formation flying began.

The Shrike led the way, followed by seven Il-16 fighter jets.

The last aircraft to take off was a Boeing 247, with the fighter jets splitting into two groups, flanking it on the left and right as it flew south. The flight was uneventful; the aircraft crossed the Strait of Gibraltar, completed its Mediterranean crossing, and entered Algerian airspace.

Faced with a formation of eight fighter jets, three biplanes from the French Algerian Foreign Mercenary Group took off and made a courtesy run-along in the air.

The group flew to Algiers, a city built on a hill, which is Algeria’s most important port and most prosperous area.

Behind the city, there is a small airport, which was originally a military airport for a foreign mercenary group.

Now it has become a temporary transit point for Asian airlines.

Is something going to happen?

Fang Wen's interpretation is uncertain.

But if they don't transit here, the fighter jets can't fly to Rome; they'll have to land regardless of whether there's a problem or not.

He cleared his mind of distractions and ordered the transport plane to land first, followed by eight fighter jets landing at the airport one after another.

When the aircraft is parked, there is no need to refuel at the airport; the Boeing 247 fuel tanker can complete the refueling and resupply.

Meanwhile, two seriously wounded International Brigades soldiers were also carried off the plane, their families weeping in grief, including several officers from foreign mercenary groups.

The officers managing the foreign mercenary group were all French; it turned out that the two seriously wounded soldiers were their relatives.

Faced with this situation, Fang Wen watched the two critically wounded soldiers, who were on the verge of death, leave, and could say nothing but sigh.

After a one-hour rest, Fang Wen bid farewell to the local airport officers, and the flight formation took off again.

This time, we flew northeast, across the Mediterranean region, to Rome Airport, and then transferred from Rome Airport to Angola Airport in Turkey.

Along the way, because they bypassed the Valencia war zone, they encountered no further trouble.

Throughout the rest of the voyage, with ample funds allocated for bribery, they turned a blind eye to everything.

After a journey of two and a half days, the flight formation finally landed at Yangon Airport.

The AirAsia team returned to Yangon Airport and received a warm welcome.

Everyone belonging to Fangwen was eager to learn about the war in Spain, far away in Europe.

These people included: workers from the aircraft manufacturing plant and bullet manufacturing plant in Taishan Industrial Park, workers from the chemical industrial park, mercenary troops of the Taishan Volunteer Army who trained every day, and pilots of the naval gun and aircraft detachment.

Faced with such enthusiasm, Fang Wen felt the atmosphere was just right and that a unique report meeting should be held to explain to these people who had never experienced a real war what war was like.

This is absolutely necessary, after all, the full-scale War of Resistance against Japan will soon begin in China.

Of course, he didn't have to give the presentation himself; instead, it was given by the pilots and mechanics who participated in the battle.

In response, he instructed all pilots and mechanics to compile their experiences into reports, and each person was to give a collective presentation at the large venue in the Taishan Industrial Park for one day.

This requirement is not something that all pilots and mechanics are good at; for example, Howard resolutely refused to participate.

But the others couldn't escape it. Under Fang Wen's insistence, they all pondered deeply in their rooms, organizing their experiences and observations.

After all, it was their own personal experience, and their feelings were genuine. When they compiled their experiences of the Spanish Civil War, they didn't expect their speech to be so effective.

Each report session was packed with people, all listening quietly and attentively to the reports from the elite pilots.

In the far west, a revolution is taking place.

To support this revolution, fighters from all over the world joined in.

The report texts came alive so vividly during the emotionally charged speech.

War is cruel, but those who participate in it are not. Lofty ideals, a spirit of sacrifice, and camaraderie forged in war are elevated on the battlefield.

Some pilots, as they spoke, couldn't control their emotions and their true feelings were revealed.

All of this touched everyone who heard the report.

This laid the psychological foundation for the upcoming full-scale war of resistance against Japan.

Meanwhile, Fang Wen was learning about the situation in Yangon after he left during that time.

Bai Zeshan, who was in charge of the aircraft manufacturing plant, Huo Duanyang, who was in charge of the chemical plant and bullet factory, and Wu Yingzong and Zhao Wanping, a married couple who were in charge of training the Taishan Volunteer Army mercenary group, came to the aircraft manufacturing plant office together to explain the situation.

Bai Zeshan said first: "As of today, the aircraft manufacturing plant has produced a total of 96 Shuiyun-1 seaplanes. Of these, 83 have been shipped to China and put into operation on sea routes. The remaining 13 have been converted into gunboats and handed over to the seaplane gunboat detachment for training."

Nearly 100 aircraft have been produced, and production is in full swing. Fang Wen felt that after listening to those reports and presentations, production efficiency might increase even further.

Next up is Huo Duanyang.

"The chemical plant and the bullet factory are operating normally. In order to increase production capacity, I have discussed with the United States. New equipment is being delivered, and the second phase of the petrochemical project has begun preparations."

Fang Wen nodded in satisfaction. Huo Duanyang was a chemistry major, and now he was doing what he was good at, and he was also taking initiative and getting better and better at it.

Fang Wen had no opinions to offer in this regard, so he refrained from making any unwarranted suggestions.

The last to give a report were Wu Yingzong and Zhao Wanping, a married couple.

Wu Yingzong said, "General Manager, recently we've conducted several adversarial training exercises with mercenaries recruited domestically and internationally. Through competition, both sides have improved and developed better teamwork. What should our next training steps be?"

Fang Wen had long been prepared for Wu Yingzong's question.

He had a complete battle plan in mind.

Mercenary groups don't operate alone; they will need to coordinate with gunboats and aircraft in future operations.

They will be deployed to different locations for combat along with gunships and aircraft, so they need to learn how to board aircraft on water and parachute onto land to achieve amphibious warfare capabilities.

Therefore, it is necessary to train essential military skills such as rowing, swimming, diving, and parachuting.

This is necessary to coordinate air-to-ground operations with gunships and aircraft.

Moreover, the conditions are not available now, but if they become available in the future, the ground forces of the Taishan Volunteer Army will also need to have their own mobile combat equipment.

Fang Wen's first thought was tanks. Large tanks require a complete steel industry chain, which was naturally impossible, but the Italian CV33 ultralight tank gave him a new idea.

If we use the CV33 ultralight tank as a template, could we develop a dedicated light armored infantry vehicle for ground combat belonging to the Taishan Volunteer Army?

With this mobility, it is also possible to try to equip and develop Taishan's own infantry artillery and powerful individual weapons.

Thinking of this, Fang Wen quickly stopped his wandering thoughts and told Wu Yingzong about his training plan.

After giving his instructions, Fang Wen could not stay in Yangon for long.

He has other things to do.

For example, taking Kuang Anming back to Guangzhou to report to his father-in-law.

I also need to go to Hong Kong to check on Chief Wang's injuries.

I need to go back to China, and I can't neglect my company's affairs.

Therefore, he took Kuang Anming with him and flew back to China in a Boeing 247 fuel plane.

(End of this chapter)