Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 273-272 Destroying the Hidden Heavy Artillery Position, the International Brigades' Strategic Transfer, and the Battle of Valencia
Above the University City of Madrid, Fang Wen piloted the Shrike high in the sky.

At this time, as the brain of the air force, he had many responsibilities.

As a commander, it also needs to assume a role similar to that of a future early warning aircraft, detecting potential enemy air force units in advance.

But this time, it seems the Condor Legion did not take any action.

Fang Wen judged that the Condor Legion was likely cooperating with Franco's army to attack Valencia.

After all, compared to Madrid, Valencia, as an important agricultural production area and port in Spain, was a vital gateway for Spain to the Mediterranean and an important channel for the Second Spanish Republic to obtain international aid.

If Franco, with German support, captures the port of Valencia, his chances of winning will greatly increase.

Therefore, Franco's side used the foreign air force reinforcements in the most important places.

Just as he was thinking this, Fang Wen, who was in a state of mechanical perception, received a special radio wave feedback.

Kuang Anming has discovered a key enemy military target!
Fang Wen immediately cleared his mind of distractions and followed the guidance of the feedback waves to observe the area below.

It was a separate complex of buildings.

After superimposing the map in his mind, Fang Wen knew where the target was.

It's the University of Alcalá.

It was an old university with a long history of architecture, full of traditional Spanish architectural style.

The location indicated by the radio wave feedback was in a church-style building on campus.

There, on a plaza surrounded by towering buildings, five new heavy artillery pieces were being adjusted by soldiers.

This cannon was definitely not made in Spain.

Fang Wen recalled the S.FH18 howitzer mentioned in the intelligence he had purchased.

That's a new type of artillery that Rheinmetall developed for the German Army last year.

Clearly, they were preparing to test the power of this artillery on the Spanish battlefield.

Fang Wen recalled the description of this weapon in the intelligence report.

With a 150mm caliber, firing 43.5kg high-explosive shells, and an effective range of 13250 meters, it can even use rocket-assisted projectiles to extend its range. It is a powerful heavy artillery piece for the German Army and has a strong deterrent effect on local battlefields.

If these five cannons continue firing, the threat to the International Brigades will be too great.

With this in mind, Fang Wen immediately began preparing to attack the target below.

In a safe environment surrounded by buildings, the enemy could not use machine guns for dive-bombing. The only thing that could cause damage was a Soviet-made aerial bomb carried by the Shrike.

This is a 100-kilogram Soviet-made aerial bomb. Its explosive charge can cause damage over a radius of tens of meters. If it hits the center of five artillery pieces, the explosion of the artillery shell could destroy all the heavy artillery pieces.

Fang Wen then lowered the flight altitude and focused intently on predicting the bombing drop.

At this moment, the five S.FH18 howitzers hidden in the university buildings began their first round of firing.

This is a test firing. If the forward observer reports a successful hit on the target, the established firing data will be used for continued shelling. Otherwise, the firing data will be changed for corrective firing.

Five shells soared through the sky, traversing the university town in parabolic arcs before landing in the area where the two sides were engaged in battle.

Four of the shots landed on the open ground, sending shrapnel flying and causing minor casualties on both sides, temporarily halting the attack.

The most serious blow came from the fifth shell. The 150mm grenade landed on the International Brigades' defensive fortifications, and the powerful blast instantly destroyed one-fifth of the building.

If such powerful artillery fire were to occur a few more times, the International Brigades would not only be unable to launch a counterattack today, but might even lose this position.

After the first round of shelling, the concealed artillery positions at Alcalá University immediately contacted the frontline observers to confirm the effectiveness of the shelling. The artillerymen then began to adjust their positions based on the firing data of the fifth howitzer shell.

Once they have adjusted, the next round of shelling will cause enormous damage to the International Brigades' front-line positions.

Kuang Anming clenched his fists as he observed all this, sweat dripping from his palms.

His French comrade was equally anxious: "Why hasn't your brother-in-law taken action yet?"

"Shut up, my brother-in-law will definitely succeed, he just needs time."

After angrily rebuking his comrades, Kuang Anming looked up at the sky.

He saw it.

A dark shadow emerged from the clouds, swooping down on the concealed artillery position like a ferocious shrike.

It dives at high speed, drops a bomb at an extremely low altitude, and then quickly pulls up in a U-shape.

A few seconds later, a mushroom cloud rose from the ground, followed by the enormous sound of the explosion.

Kuang Anming excitedly announced to his comrades, "See? This is my brother-in-law."

In early November, the Asian Air Force, in cooperation with the University City International Brigade, conducted a joint air-ground attack on Franco's forces' front-line positions.

A secret artillery position was destroyed, and at the same time, the International Brigades' counter-offensive recaptured some of the lost positions.

This was a good start, and it also made the Asian Air Force famous among international airlines.

After proving its capabilities, it was given priority in providing supplies to various Asian air fleets, and its flight missions increased.

Routine aerial harassment has become an important task for the Asian air force.

Under the airdrops and dive gun attacks of the Asian Air Force, the International Brigades launched attack after attack with the help of air superiority, taking the opportunity to push their positions forward until Franco's army retreated to the mountains north of Madrid.

That location was more suitable for Franco's army, whose manpower came from the mountainous environment of northern Spain. Furthermore, the fact that Franco's army was scattered in the complex mountainous environment prevented the Asian Air Force from gaining an air firepower advantage.

The battle thus became a stalemate.

While Madrid was winning a localized battle, Valencia was suffering a fierce attack on the other side.

The focus of the war shifted from Madrid to Valencia in an instant.

The International Brigades convened a military conference for this purpose.

11 month 15 day.

At the Albacete base, the International Brigades Conference was held.

Fang Wen, as the captain of the Asian aviation team, participated in this meeting.

At the start of the meeting, Emilio Cleber's adjutant, the commander-in-chief of the International Brigades, briefed the attendees on the latest war situation.

The adjutant spoke up:
"Comrades, the Popular Front is now preparing to completely abandon Madrid and concentrate its forces to defend Valencia. Franco has received more than 90 new German warplanes and, under the cover of the navy and air force, has launched a very fierce attack on Valencia."

Upon hearing the adjutant's words, officers from various units of the International Brigades began to discuss among themselves.

"It seems that Franco has temporarily abandoned the attack on Madrid and is preparing to concentrate his superior forces to take Valencia."

"Once Valencia falls, the Republic will lose foreign support, and we must send troops to assist in the defense of Valencia."

"But our forces are already insufficient. If we support Valencia, what will happen to Madrid?"

Fang Wen listened to the officers of the International Brigades discussing the situation, while also analyzing the current circumstances himself.

As a person from the future, he analyzes this matter from a results-oriented perspective.

The Second Spanish Republic, which ignited the spark of European revolution, was something other European powers were unwilling to see. Therefore, apart from international brigade volunteers from all over the world, only the Soviet Union provided support.

Britain and France are unlikely to participate or help the People's Front.

Germany and Italy, however, leaned towards Franco's camp.

Therefore, this situation is an unsolvable dead end, and ultimately this European revolution will be strangled by a united front.

Thinking of this, Fang Wen couldn't help but sigh.

All he could do was participate in the war as much as possible, accumulating practical experience while contributing his share.

At this point, the discussion came to an end, and Emilio Cleber spoke up to summarize.

"Comrades, we must make choices. For the victory of this revolution, we can only concentrate our forces on one side. Therefore, I have decided that some defensive forces will remain to tie down the Madrid local forces, while the rest of the International Brigades can march towards Valencia. Does anyone have any objections?"

No one objected, after all, the purpose of the International Brigades was to continue the Spanish Revolution, not to be limited to the victory or defeat of a particular place.

Therefore, the meeting came to an end.

The meeting ended, and everyone got up to leave. Fang Wen was also about to leave, but was asked to stay.

Emilio Kleber spoke with Fang Wen specifically, saying, "Currently, Germany has deployed more new fighter jets, some of which are no less capable than the Il-16. I hope that your Asian Air Force can cooperate with the Soviet Air Force to regain air control over Valencia."

Fang Wen calmly replied, "We will do our best. Do you have any information about the new fighter jets provided by the German army?"

Emilio Cleber looked at his adjutant, who took out a stack of documents and handed them to Fang Wen: "That's all. Take these back and look at them."

Fang Wen left the conference room with a stack of German fighter jet data and returned directly to his base.

Upon returning to the barracks, he immediately began reviewing the documents.

Even if this information is incomplete, it is still very important, as knowing yourself and your enemy is crucial in aerial combat.

The first part of the information was already known to Fang Wen.

Germany initially provided Ju.52 transport planes and He.51 fighter planes as aid.

Despite the He.51 fighter's apparent weakness against Fang Wen, it had a significant advantage in previous air battles against the Spanish Air Force's NID-52 fighters, resulting in a high kill ratio.

Even more shockingly, the He.51 fighter jets of the Condor Legion attacked the airfield and sank the Republic's warships.

Now, Franco's foreign aid air force has expanded again.

Germany's latest Messerschmitt BF.109 fighter jet.

CR.32 fighter jets provided by Italy.
After reading all the materials, Fang Wen closed his eyes and pondered.

In terms of performance, the German Messerschmitt BF.109 fighter jet is no less capable than its modified Il-16 in any aspect, and fighting against this new fighter jet is very challenging.

But air combat is not just about performance; it also involves flight skills and teamwork.

While they were training in Spain, so were the German pilots.

He recalled the German pilot who escaped in the He.51 fighter with his superb flying skills during that air battle. There would inevitably be many such skilled pilots in future battles, which would be a huge challenge for him and the pilots of the Taishan Elite Air Force.

Thinking of this, Fang Wen took a deep breath. The combat training in Spain was getting more and more exciting.

11 month 16 day.

The International Brigades began moving troops westward.

Asia Pacific also began operations.

The modified Boeing 247 fuel aircraft was temporarily used as a transport plane to transport International Brigades soldiers and military supplies to Valencia.

Fang Wen piloted the Shrike, leading three modified Il-16s to protect the transport plane while conducting aerial patrols.

The aircraft formation took off from the Albacete base and flew westward.

As the team leader, Fang Wen activated his mechanical senses and took the lead in flight.

After flying in formation for three hours and about to arrive in Valencia, Fang Wen, in his mechanically aware state, detected a large number of airborne early warning signals on the radar.

Hundreds of aircraft were engaged in fierce aerial combat over Valencia.

This was Fang Wen's first time encountering a large-scale air battle, and even he couldn't help but feel his heart race and become excited.

He immediately issued a secret telegram.

He ordered the Boeing 247 to land immediately, while he and three wingmen provided cover.

Upon receiving the order, the Boeing 247 descended and flew towards the military airport north of Valencia.

The distance was only 100 kilometers, and we arrived quickly.

Just as the transport plane was landing, a new formation of enemy fighter planes flew in from the south.

There were a total of 6 He.51 fighter planes and two Ju.52 transport planes converted into bombers.

Judging from its flight path, it was preparing to bomb a military airfield.

This won't do, Fang Wen immediately issued a new secret telegram order.

Immediately, the three wingmen and the Shrike formed a triangular formation and flew head-on towards the other aircraft.

A battle of 4 against 8 unfolds, a clash of performance and numbers.

Faced with the provocation from the Asian aviation team led by Fang Wen, the other side immediately responded.

The He.51 fighter escort squadron spun out four aircraft, actually wanting to fight Fang Wen and his group one-on-one.

Such actions are too audacious and will be met with fatal consequences.

Fang Wen, of course, would not let this good opportunity pass him by. He issued a joint operation order, commanding the fighter squadron to conduct a flanking maneuver.

Immediately, the four high-speed fighter jets dispersed, spreading out to the left and right, and maneuvered at high speed toward the enemy's flanks.

This was a lesson learned from fighting the He.51 fighter; biplanes are far less maneuverable in maneuvering and turning than monoplanes.

This single tactical change gave the Asian Air Force a huge advantage, allowing them to flank the enemy from both sides.

They launched attacks in pairs.

The 20mm cannon fired its ammunition belt, creating a deadly cross, and instantly pierced through a He.51 fighter plane.

The fighter jet didn't even have time to make any evasive maneuvers before it was torn to pieces and exploded in flames in mid-air.

Faced with such sudden bad news, the remaining three He.51 fighters immediately took tactical evasive maneuvers, heading to different altitudes and directions in an attempt to escape the danger zone before seeking another opportunity to attack.

Their maneuvering is highly effective in one-on-one air combat, but this time they are facing a coordinated Asian air force and the technically superior Fang Wen.

The three wingmen who received the order immediately pursued a He.51 fighter jet and began to surround and kill it. With their speed and crossfire, the aircraft was probably doomed.

Meanwhile, Fang Wen's Shrike suddenly performed a roll in the air, completing a rapid tumble and turn before heading towards another He.51 fighter.

(End of this chapter)