Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 411, page 409: A one-man show of bombing, escaping unscathed, and a visit from a Soviet flight instructor.

Half of the one-ton bomb load has already been deployed to the western part of the Japanese positions at Taierzhuang; the remainder should be used to cover the Japanese forces to the east.

Fang Wen controlled the plane to change direction and circled towards the other side.

The fighting in Dongcheng was also fierce, with the Japanese army establishing positions at various key points to resist the National Army's offensive.

Fang Wen, who was observing through mechanical perception, couldn't help but wonder why the Japanese army knew so much about the terrain inside Taierzhuang.

They even knew more than the Nationalist army that surrounded them.

Otherwise, they wouldn't have immediately adopted a defensive posture after being surrounded.

It must be the work of Japanese spies again. Over the years, Fang Wen has seen and even personally experienced many incidents related to Japanese spies.

These people are incredibly pervasive, having infiltrated every part of China long ago. They even figured out the terrain and structure of Taierzhuang, a city that isn't very big.

He sighed inwardly, then cleared his mind and focused all his attention on gathering intelligence on the troops below.

(A military map of Taierzhuang drawn by a Japanese spy in 34)
The battle below remains intense.

The National Army has already stormed the East Gate. In the street fighting, these soldiers are using not only guns but also broadswords.

As the old saying goes, "When two armies meet on a narrow path, the brave shall prevail." In close combat, aiming with a gun is not as effective as using a melee weapon.

In the narrow alley, the Japanese soldiers raised their Type 38 rifles for a thrust, while the soldiers opposite them gripped their broadswords with both hands and slashed fiercely at the rifle shafts. The weight of the broadswords and the force of the slash directly knocked the Japanese soldiers' rifles out of their hands. The unarmed Japanese soldiers tried to rush forward, but were skillfully cleaved to the ground by the soldiers' backhand sword strike.

The same thing happens from time to time in the alleyways.

After clearing the Japanese troops from an alley, the experienced soldiers would not rush out of the alley, but would work together to knock down the adjacent wall and launch an attack on the Japanese troops on the other side of the wall.

If they can't push it down, they'll attack from both sides across the wall.

They would dig holes in the wall, stick out gun barrels to fire, and then fight over the guns that were sticking out of the holes.

Even more extreme, they threw grenades at each other, and then the grenades were picked up and thrown back at each other.

Such a battle was exceptionally fierce.

But even with that, the Nationalist soldiers, relying on their courage and bravery, were no less capable than the Japanese soldiers.

The key was that the Japanese army was well-equipped and could rely on the tanks that entered the city together to get out of this predicament.

Five tanks were stationed at different key points, some hiding in houses and others moving through several alleys.

If any Nationalist Army troops appeared in the alleyway across the street, they would be shelled.

These tanks were protected by Japanese infantry, making it difficult to carry out demolition even if scouts were sent to blow them up.

It can be said that it is more troublesome than infantry guns that fire directly.

Fang Wen made a decision: blow up the tanks and, incidentally, attack the positions next to them.

He gave the instructions.

"Bombers, prepare to drop bombs according to my instructions. Five consecutive drops, each with a base value of 1."

"General Manager, what do you mean by five consecutive throws?" the engineer-grenadier couldn't help but ask.

It seemed there was a communication problem, so Fang Wen quickly offered an explanation.

"I will fly to five bombing sites in sequence, with short intervals between them, and fly at low altitudes, estimated to be around 1500 meters, and drop the bombs horizontally. Your job is to drop the bombs accurately and promptly when I give the order."

This requirement means short intervals, high mental pressure, and no room for relaxation during continuous bombing phases.

Gong Xiuneng couldn't help but say, "Commander, let me do it."

The engineer-bombardier glared at Gong Xiuneng. Despite his frail appearance, the scholar was fearless and determined not to let this honor slip away to someone else.

He shouted, "I can!"

Fang Wen couldn't help but pay attention to this engineer using his mechanical senses.

He remembered that this person was among the first batch of college students recruited, but not from Tsinghua University or Beiping University, but from Nankai University.

At that time, Fang Wen did not go to Nankai University in Tianjin to recruit Wu Yingzong because of the attack by Japanese spies and the surgery he was performing. Instead, he entrusted the task to his subordinates.

Only 10 people were recruited, and this person was one of the best among them.

Shaking off his thoughts, Fang Wen said, "That's good, get ready."

Immediately, Fang Wen piloted the plane to a different direction, and the plane flew downwards along the pre-designed course.

The altitude is continuously decreasing, 3500 3000 2500
The plane did not level off until it descended to 1500 meters.

This height undoubtedly exerted a tremendous sense of pressure on the Japanese army.

They shouted orders to organize their forces to fire at the air.

Most of the bullets missed their mark, with only a few hitting the plane.

The sound of bullets hitting the ground, along with the vibrations, entered the cabin, putting all the crew members on edge.

Fang Wen knew the aircraft's condition best. He checked it with his mechanical senses and found that the aircraft's belly only had some scratches and the armor plate had not been penetrated.

However, two bullets were embedded in the aluminum alloy skin covering one-third of the left wing.

It did not have a significant impact on the aircraft's performance.

He announced, "10-second countdown, get ready."

The bombardier, lying prone on the ground, kept his eyes fixed on the mechanical sights, his right hand gripping the grenade launch lever, waiting.

A short time later, the planes arrived at the first bombing site.

Fang Wen, who had calculated the lead time, suddenly spoke up.

"bomb."

The bombardier pulled the lever in time, and a full load of aerial bombs fell.

Five napalm bombs fell from the sky and hit the area below 17 seconds later.

Instantly, a sea of ​​fire rose into the air, turning everything crimson.

The Japanese positions were engulfed in flames, bullets and shells exploded continuously in the high temperature, and human-shaped torches flew around everywhere.

At the epicenter of the bombing, the Type 97 tank, which was hiding in a civilian house, was covered in continuously burning flames. The high temperature was conducted through the metal into the tank's interior, turning the already stuffy tank into a death coffin.

Until the shells inside the tank exploded, the roof and the gun barrel were blown off.

The Nationalist soldiers in the distance immediately launched an excited charge.

The first bombing point was very effective, serving as a tactical strike that allowed the troops to break through the stronghold and advance on the next target.

At the same time as the explosion below, the Hengshan Type 1 bomber had already reached the second bombing point.

Following the same command, the bomb fell from the belly of the aircraft.

This time there was a slight deviation; the five bombs landed 100 meters off the intended center position.

This resulted in half of the Japanese positions being outside the bombing range.

Fortunately, the tank was destroyed by the raging flames.

Fang Wen immediately said, "Don't panic, just like the first time, it's very simple, isn't it?"

Sweat beaded on the bombardier's forehead as he listened to Fang Wen's advice to calm himself down.

After a moment, he replied, "General Manager, I can do it."

To ensure the success of the next bombing, Fang Wen added, "You're not just dropping bombs, you're dropping the lives of our soldiers. If we fail again next time, those soldiers will lose their lives."

The bombardier's body trembled violently. At that moment, he seemed to recall his homeland, the beautiful plain occupied by the Japanese army.

Hatred gave him strength, and his body quickly calmed down. He shouted again, "General Manager, give me another chance." Fang Wen was surprised. He saw an indomitable spirit in the man and realized he was a promising talent. He replied, "You only have one chance. If you make another mistake, I'll have Gong Xiu replace you."

The conversation ended there, and the plane continued its flight toward its third target.

The Japanese tanks there were facing aircraft in the air and were trying to escape.

Its speed is nowhere near that of an airplane; it's just a matter of adjusting the bombing position and angle.

Fang Wen quickly calculated in his mind, made adjustments, and gave a loud command.

"Use an assisted ejection device."

This is a relatively complex bombing operation, a method known only to the mechanical team, but not to others.

That's why Fang Wencai didn't let Gong Xiu take over.

Upon hearing his command, the rest of the mechanics immediately sprang into action.

They opened a cover on the left side of the bombardier and forcefully turned the torsion valve inside.

The reply then stated: "The ejection assist device has been activated."

Fang Wen continued, "Adjust the force to 2, and the launch angle to 15."

As per his instructions, the mechanical team adjusted the two operating components next to the torsion valve.

After completing these operations, Fang Wen focused intently on the target below in a state of mechanical perception.

As he approached the predicted airdrop location, he announced, "Drop the bomb."

The bombardier, who had maintained a prone position throughout, quickly pulled the grenade launch lever.

The right bomb bay under the fuselage opened, revealing five bombs. Unlike previous bombings, a push rod appeared on the side of the bomb bay. With the help of the push rod, the bombs' airdrop angle was deflected, and they fell towards the target area calculated by Fang Wenxin.

The rapidly falling bomb collided head-on with the fleeing tank, engulfing it in flames.

This time, because it escaped, the bombing location shifted, and although it destroyed a tank, it did not achieve its maximum effect.

Fang Wen was somewhat unwilling, but war is not something he can completely control. It is acceptable to achieve tactical objectives even if they are imperfect.

He cleared his mind and began bombing the final target.

The bombing was quite effective. The tanks that were blocked by the National Army at the city wall had nowhere to escape, and the Japanese troops nearby were wiped out by the incendiary bombs.

At this point, the 40-minute combat time was almost up.

According to the radar feedback device, there were twenty-seven aircraft in the sky 40 kilometers to the north.

If we don't leave now, we really won't be able to leave.

Fang Wen decisively piloted the plane to climb the altitude and flew towards Nanchang.

The plane's altitude rose in a straight line, climbing from 2000 meters to over 7000 meters.

Meanwhile, Japanese fighter planes arrived over Taierzhuang.

They faced an empty sky and a battlefield below, where flames raged.

The Hengshan-1 bomber that caused all this had flown to an altitude of 7000 meters, 100 kilometers away.

Even if these Japanese warplanes wanted to give chase, they would be unable to catch up.

The return flight, which lasted more than two hours, has ended.

The plane landed at Nanchang Airport.

Everyone immediately relaxed.

The same applies to Fang Wen.

He walked over to the bombardier who was slumped on the ground and patted him on the shoulder.

"Good. We'll have a proper talk later."

The bombardier nodded in surprise: "Yes, General Manager."

After finishing his conversation with the bombardier, Fang Wen stood up: "Our bombing over the past two days has been very effective, thanks to everyone's joint efforts. Now, the Japanese forces at Taierzhuang are divided into two parts and shouldn't be able to hold out for much longer. This victory also owes some credit to us. Now, all the stockpiled bombs have been airdropped, and we can no longer provide support for the operation. I will telegraph the forward command post in Xuzhou to request permission to return. Before heading back, I was thinking, should we celebrate here?"

The crew cheered; they also wanted a celebration.

Immediately afterwards, Fang Wen announced a temporary disbandment, and then used the aircraft's radio equipment to send a telegram to Xuzhou.

Xuzhou, Xuzhou Forward Command Post, Staff Office.

Commander Li beamed with pride as he faced the sand table.

"We won. None of the Japanese devils in the city will escape."

The theater staff officers remarked:
"This battle was arduous, but the results were remarkable."

"Yes, it demonstrated the might of our National Army. Conservatively speaking, we could annihilate 3 Japanese troops."

"Our casualties were also heavy, but it was all worth it."

Commander Li interrupted, "You forgot to mention Fang Wen. Without his accurate bombing, I'm afraid we wouldn't have been able to wipe out all the Japanese troops. Especially that bombing belt, which split the Japanese positions in two, was a stroke of genius."

"The bombs he used are good; I heard they were homemade. The Air Force should buy them," a staff officer said.

Commander Li, however, had a different opinion: "Weapons are just tools; it all depends on the people who use them. He has an exceptional talent for aerial combat. He used an old-fashioned fighter plane from the Northeast Army to bomb the Izumo, and it still sank. Besides, we'd better not interfere with the Air Force's equipment purchases."

The staff officers understood what he meant and stopped discussing the matter.

After a while, the communications officer came in with a telegram.

"Report: Commander Fang of the Taishan Independent Regiment has called. In his telegram, he said that the ammunition depot has been emptied and there is no more support available. He requests to return to base."

Commander Li laughed loudly: "Well done, emptying the ammunition depot. Tell him thank you. Oh, and also inform Captain Gao, after all, he was the one who introduced him."

"Yes."

After sending the telegram, Fang Wen went back to his airport accommodation, took a shower, changed into clean clothes, and then returned to the plane to wait.

Other crew members also came over.

They discussed where to celebrate in Nanchang.

Fang Wen listened without offering any suggestions, since he rarely visited Nanchang and didn't know where to find good food.

At that moment, a static sound came through the headphones.

He immediately recorded the telegram.

It was a reply from Commander Li, in which he expressed his gratitude to Taishan Airlines.

Subsequently, Fang Wen received another telegram.

This time it was Captain Gao's telegram. He said in the telegram that he wanted to bring a Soviet flight instructor with him.

Fang Wen recalled that Captain Gao had said that the Soviet Union was very interested in its new aerial bomb technology.

They're probably here to discuss this matter.

Fang Wen doesn't mind exchanging military technologies using aerial bomb technology.

They immediately called back and agreed.

After sending the telegram, he said, "You'll all have to wait a bit, as we have two guests coming. How about this, one of you go out and find a place to eat, and then we'll all go together."

Two technicians from the mechanical group eagerly raised their hands, so Fang Wen let them go first.

The rest of the people stayed on the plane and waited with Fang Wen for the guests to arrive.

(End of this chapter)