Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 344, Type 342: New Type of Aerial Bomb: Asphyxiation Smoke Bomb, Complete Victory and Retreat
Under the combined firepower of the ground and air, the Japanese army was forced to retreat. The blocking battle led by the Independent Regiment actually pushed the Japanese army back by nearly 1000 meters.

On the earthen slope previously occupied by the Japanese army, the 72nd Division established a temporary defensive line, preparing to block the Japanese army if they attacked again, in order to disrupt the Japanese army's offensive rhythm and delay the retreat during the blocking battle.

Their approach is normal and a very reasonable response.

However, soon after, the returning air raid formation will launch a fire attack, and if they are too close, they may be affected.

Therefore, upon receiving Fang Wen's order, Wu Yingzong sent someone to the 72nd Division headquarters to explain the situation.

The messenger was taken to the temporary headquarters of the 72nd Division to relay the information.

"Commander Li, our regimental commander advises your troops not to set up temporary positions on the earthen slope ahead, because our independent regiment will soon launch a new round of air raids, which may cause considerable damage and affect your temporary positions."

The messenger's words stunned Commander Li.

"Your commander means that something more than two miles away can affect us? I've been leading troops in battle for so many years, and I've never seen such a powerful weapon. That's impossible."

The other officers of the 72nd Division in the command post also looked incredulous.

They also have some knowledge of weapons around the world.

Currently, the most powerful weapons, besides naval guns, are 150mm field guns, but the shells fired by those guns can only cause a damage radius of 50 square meters at most.

It's impossible for it to affect something 1000 meters away.

The messenger couldn't explain this kind of questioning.

He scratched his head, trying to remember, when he suddenly realized he had forgotten something.

"By the way, the message also said that there is a southeast wind today, and the smoke from the air raid will be blown towards your temporary positions."

Commander Li immediately thought of two possibilities: poison gas or fire attack.

Regardless of the possibility, since Commander Fang has given such a serious reminder, it's best to be cautious.

He immediately ordered the soldiers who were guarding the other side of the earthen slope to retreat.

Meanwhile, the air raid squadron from Taishan also returned to Taiyuan.

After landing, he immediately summoned the pilots of the gunboats and fighter planes to explain the arrangements for the next round of air strikes.

"Attention everyone, I am about to launch Type A missiles."

Type A bombs are napalm incendiary bombs, but before today, only Fang Wen and a few veteran employees of Taishan who followed him in bombing knew the true meaning of this term.

For most pilots, all they knew was that the Taishan Independent Regiment's aerial bomb stockpile included a type of bomb with extremely high destructive power that was not considered a conventional weapon.

Unexpectedly, the regimental commander finally made an exception and used Type A ammunition today, which the pilots were all looking forward to.

Fang Wen continued, "The Type A round has a strong sustained combustion effect and will adhere to any object and burn, with a large fire spread and high destructive power. Furthermore, thanks to improvements made by the company's weapons R&D department, the current Type A round has an even better bombing effect. Everyone, follow me."

Under his guidance, the group arrived at the adjacent camp warehouse.

Inside the warehouse, ground crew had already begun loading Type A ammunition. Fang Wen asked them to stop and explained the process to the pilots.

"This is a cluster munition, each weighing 50 kilograms, used by fighter jets. It must be dropped from an altitude of 1000 meters. The mother bomb will explode in mid-air, releasing 40 submunitions to cause a scatter attack."

After listening to Fang Wen's explanation, Pan Jiafeng and the other three fighter pilots were overjoyed, as this meant they would be carrying out the bombing operation.

The pilots of the gunboat squadron could only watch helplessly as such powerful weapons were not available to them, which inevitably left them somewhat disappointed.

Fang Wen saw it all.

Although the pilots of the gunboat squadrons were not as skilled as those of the fighter squadrons, they played the same role on the battlefield and were not treated differently.

The main problem was that Taishan Airlines lacked R&D personnel, and the cluster bomb was designed and developed by Huo Duanyang and the engineers of the aircraft manufacturing plant.

It seems we need to put more effort into military equipment research and development in the future, and continuously introduce better weapons of war in order to maintain the independent regiment's advantage.

With this matter in mind, Fang Wen assigned a new round of air raid missions.

"This air raid will combine deception and real attacks. The gunboats and aircraft will be the decoys, harassing the Japanese ground positions first. The fighter squadrons will be the real force, conducting dispersed bombing. We must try to ensure that each fighter is at least 800 meters apart to ensure a wider dispersion area for the Type A bombs. Do you understand?"

"Understood," the pilots replied in unison.

"Begin loading. On your marks."

As soon as Fang Wen gave the order to proceed, the pilots immediately dispersed to prepare for the next air raid.

Fang Wen wasn't idle either.

He boarded each aircraft, started the engine, and used his mechanical perception ability to understand the aircraft's condition.

This will allow us to quickly eliminate any potential hazards in the aircraft and prevent major problems from occurring in the next air raid.

After running between the seaplane airport and the Independent Regiment's base, and inspecting all eight aircraft, Fang Wen found some minor issues, but none that would affect the air raids.

He noted down the minor problems with these aircraft but did not inform the mechanics, intending to address them after the war.

Forty minutes later, the gunship aircraft were refueled and loaded with ammunition, and each fighter jet was also carrying four 50-kilogram cluster munitions.

Once everything was ready, the air strike squadron took off again.

Blocking positions on the Xinkou front.

All the interception forces left behind at the front have withdrawn.

The main Japanese forces are crossing the river at various crossing points, transporting troops and equipment across.

At the river crossing point closest to the Independent Regiment's blocking position, 4000 Japanese troops had already crossed and assembled.

In order to deal with the two Taishan Pine tanks of the Independent Regiment, the Japanese army actually transported five Type 5 light tanks across the river by building a pontoon bridge.

It seems they are also preparing to launch the next offensive using a combination of infantry and tanks, just like the Independent Regiment.

Meanwhile, the joint defensive positions of the Independent Regiment's Provisional 7th Division and the 72nd Division were also on high alert.

There was an open area 1500 meters between the two sides, with a slope in the middle that the 72nd Division had abandoned.

In just 10 minutes, Japanese tanks and infantry could appear in front of the combined defensive positions.

The commander of the 72nd Division was very nervous about this.

He understood that the previous attack was due to the Japanese army's lack of preparation, and now that the Japanese army had also sent tank units to cooperate in the operation, it would probably be difficult to defend.

He would occasionally look up at the sky.

Why hasn't the promised airstrike come yet?

At this moment, the adjutant exclaimed in surprise, "Commander, look over there, it's the Taishan Independent Regiment's plane."

Following the direction pointed out by his adjutant, Division Commander Li saw the long-awaited Taishan fighter jets.

Four gunboats swept over the position, heading toward enemy aircraft.

After approaching the Japanese attacking force, gunboats flew sideways and circled, unleashing a hail of bullets.

The Type 95 light tank has only 12 mm of frontal armor, and the armor on other parts is even thinner, only 6 mm.

With armor of this thickness, it could only withstand the frontal fire of a 12.7mm machine gun. Under the circling fire, the side of one tank was immediately penetrated.

The tank, after being hit, emitted black smoke. The tank crew inside struggled to push open the front entrance armor plate, just about to climb out.

But the next second, the tank exploded, flames shot out from the entrance and burned him to ashes.

Subsequently, another Type 95 light tank was hit and destroyed on the spot.

The loss of two tanks rendered this infantry-tank cooperation ineffective.

The Japanese army urgently brought in anti-aircraft guns from the rear, attempting to shoot down the gunboats and aircraft.

All of this was within Fang Wen's overall perspective.

Repositioning anti-aircraft guns takes time, and once moved, they cannot immediately engage in anti-aircraft fire.

Fang Wen immediately issued the order.

"Order the fighter jets to bomb immediately."

"Yes."

The communicator sent the order via a coded telegraph device.

Immediately afterwards, the four fighter jets that had disappeared in the sky fell down and dispersed at an altitude of 1000 meters.

Once they reached their respective bombing zones, they pulled the bomb release levers, and four cluster bombs fell from the belly of the aircraft.

At the moment of deployment, the fuses inside the cluster munitions were already activated.

A free fall from a height of 1000 meters takes 14 seconds, while the fuse in a bomb can detonate in just 8 seconds.

Therefore, at a height of over 300 meters, the cluster bombs exploded one after another.

The cluster bomb exploded and fired 40 submunitions, which were scattered over an area of ​​several hundred meters.

These napalm incendiary bombs exploded immediately upon landing, with the fire radiating outwards in a radius of 20 meters.

The scene was absolutely spectacular. Like a grand fireworks display, countless sparks exploded across the entire area, clinging to the surfaces of everything and continuing to burn.

It could be wasteland, military vehicles and supplies, or even human bodies.

Screams and explosions echoed one after another.

White smoke rose into the air as it burned, obscuring the view below, making it impossible even for Fang Wen to see clearly.

The smoke, carried by the southeast wind, drifted towards the joint defense positions.

Instantly, the open area 1500 meters in front of the position was shrouded in white mist.

The attacking Japanese troops were surrounded by smoke and dust, and were in complete chaos.

The earthen slope that the 72nd Division had previously occupied was also shrouded in white fog.

Upon seeing this, the commander of the 72nd Division exclaimed, "Wow, that's impressive! Luckily, we withdrew."

The adjutant, still shaken, said, "Is this white mist poisonous? If it is, it could be a real problem for those Japanese soldiers."

The effects of the new napalm incendiary bomb were something even Fang Wen hadn't anticipated.

This type of incendiary bomb was just transported from Yangon and has not yet been test-fired. I didn't expect it to turn out like this.

But Fang Wen knew the reason.

Huo Duanyang added substances to the new napalm incendiary bomb, including some petroleum-refined materials.

According to Huo Duanyang, these hydrocarbons release a large amount of smoke when burned at high temperatures, and inhaling this smoke can cause symptoms such as drowsiness, coma, and convulsions.

However, because it is an open area, the impact will not last long.

A few minutes later, the white mist dissipated, and Fang Wen saw what was below.

The fire below is still burning.

Some charred bodies were scattered around.

Many more Japanese soldiers were breathing in the fresh air, some bent over vomiting, and others swaying unsteadily.

It seems the incendiary bombs are effective. Fang Wen gave this new type of napalm incendiary bomb a new name: suffocation smoke bomb.

Clearing his mind, he immediately issued combat orders to the ground troops.

Joint defensive positions.

Wu Yingzong received the regimental commander's order via a mobile armored command vehicle.

He immediately shouted, "The regimental commander has ordered all troops except the 2nd Battalion of the 1st Regiment to set out and charge the Japanese army."

At the same time, messengers were also sent to the 72nd Division to relay the notification of coordinated operations.

As orders were issued to the various units, the 3rd Battalion of the Independent Regiment, the 1st Regiment of the Provisional 7th Division, and the 2nd Regiment, which were on the joint defensive positions, rushed out of their positions and launched an assault on the open ground.

The commander of the 72nd Division was extremely surprised to see this.

"What are they doing? Are they courting death?"

The adjutant ran over and said, "Commander, the messenger from the Independent Regiment has arrived."

"Hurry and get him over here."

A panting messenger ran over and said haltingly, "Our regimental commander is informing you to coordinate an attack and launch a charge against the Japanese."

"Commander, what should we do? Should we follow them?" the adjutant asked.

The other officers in the temporary command post also looked at Division Commander Li.

Commander Li slammed his fist on the table and shouted in Taiyuan dialect, "In war, only the brave win. The Independent Regiment isn't afraid, so what are we afraid of? Give me the order: the whole division, attack!"

Upon receiving the order, the officers excitedly relayed it to their respective units.

Immediately, a large number of troops rushed out from the 72nd Division's position, following the assault teams of the Independent Regiment and the Provisional 7th Division.

Thousands of soldiers marched across the open ground and soon came into contact with the Japanese army.

The Japanese troops who were originally preparing to launch an attack were affected by the smoke.

They wanted to pick up their guns and shoot, but they didn't have the strength to pull the bolt, and many of them couldn't hold their guns steady because of their constant coughing.

Faced with this situation, Wu Yingzong, who was leading the charge, shouted: "The Japanese army has not recovered yet. One regiment will stay behind to mop up the enemy. The rest of you, follow me and keep charging!"

Immediately afterwards, a portion of the charging crowd split off to attack the Japanese troops who were still putting up a stubborn resistance.

But many more continued to charge forward.

Upon seeing this, the 72nd Division, which was following behind, did not hesitate and continued to follow.

In this way, the troops of several thousand men charged across 1500 meters of open ground and arrived at the Japanese positions.

The place was filled with smoke and fire, a scene of utter devastation.

Upon seeing this scene, Wu Yingzong excitedly shouted, "Give him a good beating!"

The soldiers of the 3rd Battalion of the Independent Regiment took the lead and launched an attack on the weakened Japanese army.

The new recruits of the Provisional 7th Division of the Sichuan Army, like newborn calves unafraid of tigers, followed suit and charged forward.

Under relentless pressure, the Japanese troops retreated step by step, unable to resist.

Upon arriving at the scene, the commander of the 72nd Division shouted excitedly, "Brothers, this is a rare opportunity! Kill them!"

Fang Wen took in the excitement of the ground battlefield.

He was escorting troops on the ground and also observing the situation of the Japanese army.

The Japanese troops in this area suffered a significant loss of combat power in a short period of time due to the effects of the incendiary smoke bombs, and were unable to put up a fight.

Meanwhile, the Japanese troops on the other side of the river were urgently crossing to try and provide support.

Of course, they couldn't be allowed to come over. Fang Wen led the gunboat squadron to the river crossing point to intercept them.

Under intense aerial fire, the ferries were pierced and sank to the bottom of the river, and the Japanese troops were unable to cross the river while facing gunboat and aircraft fire.

Meanwhile, Fang Wen was calculating in his mind.

The Japanese warplane formation flying from the east is 300 kilometers away and will arrive in 50 minutes.

The gunboat squadron had enough ammunition to last for another half hour, but the fighter squadron, because it was carrying cluster bombs, did not have much cannon ammunition, so it only had two rounds of dive-bombing.

In other words, it could only stop the Japanese troops crossing the river for a maximum of half an hour, after which the raid had to end.

He had the communications officer relay this information to the ground.

On the ground battlefield, fighting is taking place everywhere, yet the situation is one-sided.

The weakened Japanese army was continuously decimated.

Wu Yingzong did not participate; he had to maintain contact with the regimental commander in the air.

The communications officer beside him took down the telegraph machine he was carrying, cranked it by hand to generate electricity, and then received radio signals.

A radio wave came through, and the communications officer immediately reported it.

"The regimental commander orders that the battle be ended within half an hour and the retreat bugle be sounded."

Wu Yingzong nodded, glanced at his wristwatch, and then called over the bugler.

Twenty minutes later, he ordered the bugler to sound the retreat.

As the bugle sounded, the soldiers of the Third Battalion of the Independent Regiment immediately ceased fighting and retreated without hesitation.

Then came two regiments of Sichuan soldiers from the Provisional 7th Division. Their commanders were also from the Independent Regiment and had received similar training, so they knew that the bugle call meant retreat.

Therefore, under the command of their superiors, they ceased fighting and retreated to their positions.

Seeing this, the commander of the 72nd Division, who was eager to further expand his military achievements, hesitated.

In the end, he put aside his greed and retreated with the Independent Regiment.

Of course, spoils of war were indispensable, and those Japanese soldiers who were unable to resist were also taken back as prisoners.

Watching them retreat back to their positions, Fang Wen also ended the interception at the river crossing point and led the air strike squadron back to base.

With the air interception gone, the Japanese army quickly organized a new round of river crossing.

They reached the other side of the river and saw a scene of chaos, completely bewildered as to why things had turned out this way.

It was precisely because of this bizarre situation that they didn't even have any intention of launching an attack on the blocking position.

This is exactly the situation Fang Wen wanted.

After the Japanese warplanes from Tianjin returned empty-handed, the ground troops at the blocking position began to retreat.

(End of this chapter)