Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 350, 348: Night Raid on the 20th Division, Type 90 240mm Train Cannon

After deciding to launch a nighttime raid, Fang Wen immediately began preparations.

He used his extraordinary mental strength to recall the situation of the Japanese army's positions and drew them on a map.

There was more than one heavy artillery position; there was one on each side, 5 kilometers behind enemy lines.

The left side is located at the foot of the mountain, next to a grove of trees, and the heavy artillery is covered with green netting for concealment.

The heavy artillery positions on the right are set up directly next to the railway, allowing them to be moved by train at any time.

Behind the heavy artillery position, Fang Wen also spotted what appeared to be a Japanese command center during the day using his mechanical senses.

It not only stockpiled a large amount of military supplies, but was also located in a safe area behind enemy lines, and many officers came and went there.

(Illustration of the battle between the Independent Regiment and the 20th Division)
After drawing the enemy's situation on the map, Fang Wen drew a circle in the lower right corner of the battle zone.

That was the gap that Fang Wen discovered, in the lower right corner. There were no Japanese troops stationed there. By going around the foot of the mountain, one could directly reach the enemy's rear.

(Ambush route)
The map and route have been completed.

Fang Wen was considering the details of the operation.

Although the chances of a successful sneak attack under the cover of night are high.

However, we cannot let our guard down.

Ideally, the attack should draw the attention of the Japanese army so that the mobile attack force can remain undetected to the greatest extent possible.

In that case, a counter-offensive would need to be organized tonight to give the Japanese the impression that they would launch a major offensive that night, thus drawing their attention to the other side.

With an overall plan in place.

Fang Wen immediately contacted Wu Yingzong at the front line.

After some communication, Wu Yingzong understood Fang Wen's intentions and went to the friendly forces' command post.

Frontline positions.

As dusk approached, the day's fighting came to a halt.

At this moment, Wu Yingzong was discussing with the front-line commander of the 27th Route Army.

"Commander Liu, you can hand over part of your forward positions to us to garrison, so as to relieve the pressure on your side."

Commander Liu was moved to action. During the daytime battle, under the attack of enemy aircraft and artillery, some positions suffered heavy losses.

He was thinking of bringing in more men from the reserves to supplement the team.

Now that allied forces are willing to help take over the defense of part of the positions, he is naturally more than happy to accept.

He pointed to several forward positions on the map and talked with Wu Yingzong.

Throughout the entire operation, Wu Yingzong never mentioned tonight's mission, because the commander had said that everything had to be kept secret, even from friendly forces. Unless absolutely necessary, nothing should be said to avoid leaks.

After some discussion, the rotation of the two positions was confirmed, and Wu Yingzong immediately led his troops into action.

By this time, the sun had left only a sliver of its afterglow. Several thousand soldiers of the Provisional 7th Division quietly marched up the hills and arrived at the two defensive positions.

Along with them came mortars and infantry guns, and even two anti-aircraft machine guns.

After these weapons were deployed on the position, Wu Yingzong explained the situation to the battalion-level officers of each unit.

"Tonight, we're going to fight a night battle; our target is the Japanese camp below."

The officers hadn't expected to fight at night, and although they didn't understand the intentions, they seriously discussed the plan.

Meanwhile, the armored vehicle convoy, directly under Fang Wen's command, quietly began its march.

They traveled southeast from Mingqian Township, but instead of taking the road that the two armies fought over at Yukou Village, they took a longer route and went south.

Under the cover of darkness, the tank and armored vehicle convoy arrived near Nanbeihu Village.

These are two very small villages, located one above the other.

The village was long gone, and now only Japanese soldiers remained.

This is also the most crucial part of this operation. Once we get past this point, the area beyond will be a wilderness, free from Japanese troops.

Instead of forcing their way through, they turned off their engines and waited in a concealed spot.

10 o'clock at night.

On the garrison positions of the Provisional 7th Division, artillery began testing.

The first test firing began with mortars and infantry guns firing simultaneously. The two types of shells were fired at different angles, but both were aimed at the Japanese camp more than 1000 meters away from the front line.

A series of explosions shone brightly in the darkness.

Based on the effects of the shelling, the gunners began to make adjustments.

Then a new round of shelling began.

This time the hit rate was much higher, and a series of explosions occurred in the Japanese camp.

Subsequently, the Provisional 7th Division launched an attack.

The enemy troops below the mountain were caught off guard by such a fierce attack.

They hastily reared and abandoned the camp.

However, Japanese reinforcements arrived shortly afterward, and they launched a counterattack.

However, the soldiers of the Provisional 7th Division, under orders from their officers, abandoned the occupied camp and retreated back to the high ground.

The pursuing Japanese troops attempted to storm the high ground but were met with fierce fire and were forced to retreat.

Then, artillery fire resumed, launching another round of attacks on the Japanese army.

This repeated provocation thoroughly enraged the Japanese army.

The night was no longer peaceful as both sides launched a fierce attack.

As a result, Japanese troops in other areas were also drawn to the area.

As a result, the garrison in Nanbeihu Village shifted its focus to the north.

The flashes of artillery fire and the roar of exploding shells echoed for miles, drowning out all other sounds.

Taking this opportunity, the tank and armored vehicle convoy started its engines and continued south, passing the final checkpoint.

Finally, they reached the foot of the mountain and drove along the flat ground at its base towards the enemy's rear.

In addition to ground troops, air support is also essential for nighttime raids.

The best aircraft originally was the Taishan-1 (F.220), but due to the current military emergency, it is impossible to use it.

Therefore, the aircraft used for nighttime air raids and command operations was still the Tiger IV gunship aircraft.

However, in order to ensure the quality of the air raid, Fang Wen brought along all the napalm incendiary bombs from the Taiyuan warehouse.

These napalm incendiary bombs are all old-fashioned products, namely the small, high-altitude impact-triggered incendiary bombs that used to be shaped like tin pots.

Before departure, Fang Wen gave the crew a special explanation of how to use it.

"Everyone, look carefully. There is a pre-set airdrop chute on the gunboat chassis, one meter in diameter. When I give the airdrop order, you will drop these bombs."

Gong Xiuneng, representing everyone, asked: "With so many small bombs, won't they explode when they touch something during the fall?"

Kuang Anming also asked nervously, "Brother-in-law, is there a safer way to deliver it?"

Fang Wen replied, "The bombs won't explode. They've been tested before; they only explode when they hit the ground from a height of several hundred meters or more. Impacts below that height won't trigger them. This is an emergency measure. Gunships aren't the bomber variant they're used for, but their safety is guaranteed. Everyone can proceed with the airdrop without worry."

After hearing what the commander said, everyone stopped worrying and started discussing how to coordinate their efforts to successfully drop the bombs after the airdrop order was given.

Since the bombs won't explode when touched, there's no need for a bomb rack.

The daring Gong Xiuneng suggested removing the bombs from the bomb racks, placing them in baskets, and then dumping all the bombs from the baskets into the air when the airdrop order was given.

Fang Wen agreed to Gong Xiuneng's suggestion.

Immediately, they went out to find baskets so that all the bombs could be removed from the bomb rack.

Driven by their passionate pursuit of victory, they fearlessly retrieved the incredibly powerful napalm bombs and collected them in baskets.

After finishing these tasks, Fang Wen also learned about the situation at the front through a telegram.

The plan was half successful. The mobile force bypassed the enemy's last outpost and was driving across the wasteland, still 10 kilometers away from the heavy artillery position.

At their speed, it would take them 20 minutes to arrive, while the gunboats taking off from Jinyang Lake would only take less than 10 minutes.

Immediately, Fang Wen ordered the crew to take their positions and started the aircraft into the sky.

Ten minutes later, the Tiger 4 gunboat arrived at the area where the mobile force was located.

Fang Wen activated his mechanical senses to observe the situation below.

To see more clearly, he used the mysterious faith energy within the bronze cauldron to enhance his abilities.

With enhanced capabilities, no longer affected by the darkness, they gained a clearer understanding of the situation below through the reflection of moonlight.

Although the place was desolate, it was still inhabited by people.

An ancient official road stretches from here into the mountains, and there is a village and even a temple along the road.

The temple was abandoned, but Fang Wen knew its name: "Baiyun Temple".

This is a very common temple name; there is Baiyun Temple in Taiyuan, and there are temples in other places as well.

But now, this ancient temple will witness a night raid.

Fang Wen said, "Connect with the mobile unit."

Once the communication was established, he spoke up: "Attention Mobile Units, you are currently located between Nanbeiyaodian Village. Continue north along the ancient official road, and you will soon encounter another village. Beyond that village lies one of the Japanese heavy artillery positions. Destroy it."

Under Fang Wen's orders, the mobile force had a clear direction and immediately accelerated its advance.

A few minutes later, they passed outside the last village. Fang Wen guided them from the air.

"It was at a 30-degree angle to the northeast. In the past, there was a forest there, and heavy artillery positions were camouflaged and hidden in the forest."

Immediately afterwards, the tank and armored vehicle convoy headed towards the target area.

The soldiers sitting on the lead tank removed the cover from the headlights, and without the cover, the carbide lamps shone a beam of light, illuminating the area ahead.

In the light, there were figures moving about, and people shouting loudly in Japanese.

Clearly, these Japanese soldiers were mistaken for friendly forces passing by.

Although the soldiers of the mobile unit did not speak Japanese, they identified the enemy by the peculiar pronunciation.

Suddenly, the headlights were removed, and beams of light shone into the grove of trees ahead, revealing the enemy's position in the bright light.

It was a Japanese heavy artillery position.

Once the target was identified, the mobile force immediately took action.

Two Taishan Pine tanks opened fire first, and their howitzers hit the enemy's position.

Amid the explosion, other armored vehicles accelerated and rushed forward, surrounding the heavy artillery position.

The machine guns on the armored vehicles kept firing, and the entrances at the rear of the vehicles opened, allowing soldiers to run out and attack the artillery positions from the armored vehicles.

As the armored vehicles drew closer, the resistance on the artillery positions gradually diminished.

The battle ended just like that.

After completing the encirclement and assault, the soldiers who disembarked from the armored vehicles began clearing the battlefield.

This operation must be swift, with no prisoners and no spoils.

They cleared away all living targets and then attached explosives to the shells.

After doing all this, the convoy retreated.

Moments later, continuous explosions occurred, and the entire heavy artillery position was completely destroyed.

The first target attack was successful, and the result was perfect.

Fang Wen also saw the Japanese army's reaction from a high-altitude perspective.

The loud explosion and flash of light attracted the attention of the Japanese army, and nearby Japanese troops were being dispatched to the scene.

Fang Wen immediately took command.

"Attention, mobile units! Japanese troops are approaching from the northwest and northeast. All of you, proceed north and break through."

Upon receiving the command of Fang Wen, the mobile force immediately took action and broke through to the north at a speed of 30 kilometers per hour.

This speed was much faster than that of the Japanese army, and they were already far away before the Japanese army even arrived.

Subsequently, Fang Wen ordered the mobile troops to turn northwest to the railway line.

That was another heavy artillery position.

Ten minutes later, the mobile force arrived at the second heavy artillery position.

Here, continuous artillery bombardment is being carried out on the front lines.

The loud noise, the recoil of the cannon, and the light emitted from the muzzle became the most obvious sources of firepower.

The rapidly advancing mobile force launched an attack from the rear. The mechanized troops had no trouble dealing with a group of infantry.

Just like the battle just now, the defensive forces and artillerymen of the heavy artillery positions were all wiped out, and the soldiers were setting up explosives.

At that moment, Fang Wen saw something strange.

That thing had a huge cannon barrel; it was a cannon that was completely fixed to the train.

Based on its situation, Fang Wen found a matching one from the data on Japanese military equipment that he knew.

Type 90 240mm train cannon.

This gun is 12.8 meters long, has a firing angle of 0-45 degrees, and can rotate 360 ​​degrees forward and backward.

The shell weighs 165 kilograms, and the gun barrel weighs 55 tons.

Maximum range: 50 kilometers.

How did such a powerful train cannon end up here?
Fang Wen recalled that one intelligence report mentioned a train of cannons being transported from Tokyo to the Northeast.

Unexpectedly, they were transported by rail to Shanxi to participate in the battle.

Perhaps it was used to test the power of this strategic artillery.

Fang Wen didn't want it to launch; he had to take this opportunity to destroy it.

Moreover, the location where this railway gun was parked was near the enemy's command center.

That's perfect for finishing it all off in one go.

After making the decision, Fang Wen immediately took command of the mobile force.

"After destroying the heavy artillery positions, immediately head north along the railway. The plan has been changed; before attacking the enemy command center, destroy important Japanese facilities on the railway first."

Upon receiving the order, the mobile unit soldiers immediately cleared the battlefield. Amidst a series of explosions, the convoy turned and charged back.

A night of chaos.

The Japanese 20th Division was completely stunned.

Fighting is taking place on the front lines, and it is very intense, with various firepower configurations and large-scale charges. The two sides are engaged in fierce fighting.

Just as the 20th Division was mobilizing its troops to launch an offensive at the front, problems arose in its rear.

Two heavy artillery positions were attacked one after the other, leaving no survivors.

The Japanese troops who arrived at the scene still have no idea what the enemy who launched the attack was like.

In fact, none of their troops ever encountered that mysterious raiding force.

It moved about within the 20th Division like a ghost, yet you couldn't even see its shadow.

As a result, the 20th Division's command was in complete chaos, with the division commander and his men racking their brains to figure out where this mysterious unit would appear next.
"They were very purposeful; they had obviously scouted our heavy artillery positions beforehand and then attacked under cover of night."

"How did they manage to annihilate all the soldiers in my heavy artillery position, completely destroy it, and then quickly move away?"

"That's what I can't figure out either. Could it be someone from the 18th Group Army?"

“Those Eighth Route Army guerrillas? They are indeed very powerful in the mountains, but they couldn’t have gotten here so quickly.”

"What kind of unit could that be?"

"The Taishan Independent Regiment that fought us during the day? Their tanks and armored vehicles have this kind of mobility."

"But how did they manage to evade our troops and maneuver between the two heavy artillery positions?"

During the discussion, one of the officers suddenly remembered something.

"If they can quickly and accurately locate their targets at night, the two heavy artillery positions are probably not their final objective; destroying the command center is."

Suddenly, an explosion occurred outside, illuminating the area.

An officer rushed in to report: "The railway artillery sent by Army Headquarters has been attacked."

The railway gun was a very important strategic artillery piece, which was valued by the high command. If it were destroyed, not only the 20th Division would suffer the consequences.

The officers immediately dispatched reinforcements.

Meanwhile, the rapidly advancing mobile forces had already annihilated the Japanese troops near the railway guns.

They are preparing to blow it up now.

A dozen soldiers climbed onto the train and installed bombs on the gun pedestal.

Below the train, several tank commanders from the mobile unit were gathered together discussing something.

"It would be great if such a big cannon could be fired."

"Yes, I also want to see how it fires."

"Unfortunately, none of us know how to use it."

At that moment, a soldier noticed movement among the Japanese soldiers' corpses.

He grabbed it and was about to finish it off.

See this scene.

One of the train conductors quickly stopped him, saying, "Wait, he might be useful."

Then, the only surviving Japanese soldier was brought over.

It was a pair of glasses, suggesting it belonged to a technical officer in the Japanese army.

He was trembling with fear and looked very cowardly.

When asked in Chinese, he answered proactively: "I understand Chinese. I received special training in Manchuria, oh no, Northeast China."

"Do you know how to drive this thing? If you don't, you'll die," a driver asked.

Immediately, several guns were pressed against his head, the bolts cocked, ready to be pulled at any moment.

Faced with such a threat, there are only two choices: live or die.

He chose the former option, decisively climbed onto the train, and vigorously cranked the turntable, turning the cannon barrel toward the command center with the help of the soldiers.

At this moment, Fang Wen had already flown to the airspace above the command center.

Both sides launched their attacks almost simultaneously.

(End of this chapter)