Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapters 279 and 278: Multi-echelon air attack, early tank warfare, domestic upheaval.

12 month 22 day.

The high ground outside the city of Cáceres.

Soviet support tank units are ready for deployment.

There are 3 tank companies, each with 18 T26 light tanks, for a total of 54 tanks at full strength.

Because it was a special tank regiment composed of light tanks, it did not have an artillery unit or any accompanying troops.

They were accompanied by 2 militia members from the People's Front.

These tanks were either lying in ambush on the slopes, covered in camouflage nets, or hidden in the bushes.

Meanwhile, the infantry units supporting the operation assembled in the rear.

What they are waiting for now is the arrival of the enemy.

Judging from the tank regiment commander's assessment, Franco's rebels were unaware of the tank ambush in Cáceres and likely did not make any targeted deployments.

Just as he expected, the rebels arrived in force, seemingly intent on taking Cáceres City in one fell swoop.

Dozens of tanks led the way, followed by a long column of infantry, transport vehicles, and artillery.

The enemy had several thousand troops, far more than the militia's 2000. The People's Front's advantage lay in their pre-arranged ambush and the firepower superiority of their T-26 tanks.

Half an hour later, the tank formation below moved out, with a dozen tanks leading the advance infantry towards the city of Cáceres on the hillside.

The battle began at that moment, with 54 T26 tanks firing downwards at an angle of depression.

The tank platoon that was preparing to advance suffered heavy losses.

Although the 37mm main gun was not very powerful, it easily penetrated the armor of the German Panzer I tank and the CV33 light tank.

In an instant, five enemy tanks were hit; some stalled while emitting black smoke, while others exploded.

The sudden attack caught the rebel tank force off guard.

The commander, realizing the situation, did not order a retreat but instead demanded that the attack continue.

These small armored vehicles, which were moving at a decent speed, swerved left and right on the slope, dodging the T-26's fire, and continued to approach.

But as they approached the ambush point of the Soviet tank regiment, they were surprised to find that their opponent was a huge machine.

This "big guy" is relative to their own tanks. The machine guns of the German Panzer I and CV33 light tanks could not penetrate the 25mm frontal armor of the T26 at all. Only by going around to the rear could they possibly damage the weak parts of the T26's armor.

But that was simply impossible; the semi-circular formation of dozens of tanks at the ambush point was impossible to break through.

The tanks suffered heavy losses under the bombardment of the 37mm main gun and turned to flee.

Taking advantage of this, the Soviet tank regiment launched an attack, and the militia also worked together to repel the enemy infantry that had sneaked up on them.

Using superior terrain to attack from a higher position, and achieving an initial victory, the rebel army began to fall into disarray.

At this point, the commander of the Soviet tank regiment ordered his communications officer to send a telegram to the Asian air force.

At the Albacete base, the Asiatic Air Force is on high alert.

Everyone stared at Deng Zhongyu, who was sitting in front of the telegraph machine with a receiver in his hand.

The long-awaited radio signal finally arrived. After recording the telegram, Deng Zhongyu immediately reported to Fang Wen.

"General Manager, they've requested our assistance in the operation."

Fang Wen stood up and put on his flight cap: "First team, take off. Second team, take off in half an hour, and third team, take off in one hour. All teams must strictly follow the plan, focusing on bombing. Unless a valuable and low-risk target is discovered, dive-bombing is strictly prohibited."

After he finished speaking, he led Zhai Xiaojun and Fan Bosheng, the first team members, out of the camp and boarded their respective planes.

Three planes took off from the Albacete base airport and headed west toward the battlefield in Cáceres.

At high speed, the first group arrived at their destination in less than an hour.

Fang Wen used his mechanical sensing energy to observe the battlefield below.

Below the slope, on the plain, smoke filled the air, and the wreckage of tanks spoke of the brutality of war.

Not only were there rebel tanks, but several Soviet T-26s were also destroyed on the battlefield.

Overall, however, the Soviet tank regiment held an absolute advantage, firmly controlling the area and preventing the enemy from entering the city of Cáceres.

However, the Soviet tank regiment dared not launch an attack down the slope. After all, their advantage lay in the terrain. Once they charged down, they would be in great danger facing the massive infantry below, as well as infantry guns and 20mm anti-aircraft guns that could penetrate the armor of the T-26 tanks.

They need a catalyst, an opportunity to break the deadlock from the air.

Immediately afterwards, Fang Wen led two fighter jets and flew behind the enemy tank formation.

Each plane carried two bombs, which were dropped from high altitude.

Six bombs exploded on the battlefield, two of which, thrown by Fang Wen, hit enemy artillery vehicles.

The bombing was effective, and chaos ensued in the enemy's rear.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, the Soviet tank regiment and militia on the hillside launched an attack.

Two thousand militiamen ran alongside the T26 tanks as they charged down the hillside, instantly tearing apart the already heavily damaged enemy tank formation.

Tanks from all sides were engaged in a chaotic battle across the entire plains battlefield.

Meanwhile, 2000 militiamen launched an attack on the enemy infantry.

Given this situation, Fang Wen would not return immediately; he needed to continue applying air pressure on the enemy until the second wave arrived.

But now there are no bombs left, and the only thing to do is fire the machine guns. But the enemy below has already installed 20mm anti-aircraft guns, and bullets are raining down into the sky.

It would be too dangerous for the pilots of the Asian air force if these anti-aircraft weapons were not destroyed.

Fang Wen pondered whether he could dodge the 20mm anti-aircraft guns and destroy them head-on.

The main advantage of fighter jets lies in air combat and bombing missions, rather than directly confronting ground-based anti-aircraft guns, which would undoubtedly be very dangerous.

Ground-based anti-aircraft guns, especially anti-aircraft guns, are designed for air defense and possess high rates of fire and fire density. Anti-aircraft guns have a wide fire coverage area and can effectively engage incoming aerial targets.

Anti-aircraft artillery positions often employ multi-layered firepower configurations, forming an air defense system that combines long, medium, and short ranges, making it difficult for fighter jets to penetrate easily.

But the situation is somewhat different now.

The enemy responded hastily, concentrating their firepower on a single point and failing to create a deterrent against air strikes.

This arrangement allows for more concentrated firepower, but it is not suitable for defense.

With this in mind, Fang Wen used a secret communication device to send instructions to the two wingmen.

The three planes immediately dispersed and flew separately in the air, which also dispersed the anti-aircraft firepower.

During this process, Fang Wen made large, irregular circles at high altitudes while searching for defensive vulnerabilities below.

He soon discovered that the four anti-aircraft guns clustered together below had suddenly stopped firing.

It wasn't because of a mass reloading, but rather a temporary relocation of positions. It's estimated that this was a response to avoid being wiped out by the militia as they approached the air defense positions.

This opportunity is fleeting and difficult for ordinary pilots to spot; even if they do spot it, they may not be able to react in time.

Despite being in a state of mechanical perception, Fang Wen immediately adopted an offensive stance.

The Shrike immediately changed its course and began a dive.

The plane descended at high speed, drawing a beautiful arc in the air, the end of which led to the anti-aircraft gun positions. To the rebels, the scene appeared as if the Shrike fighter had been hit and was about to crash.

Some rebel soldiers cheered happily toward the machine gun positions, leaving the artillerymen at the positions bewildered.

When they looked up at the sky, they were immediately horrified.

But it was too late.

The Shrike, which was diving and circling, suddenly opened fire with its machine guns, and a dense barrage of machine gun shells bombarded the anti-aircraft positions.

Two anti-aircraft guns were immediately shot to pieces.

Those artillerymen who couldn't escape in time also fell to the ground.

After the Shrike finished its strafing and took off, the remaining artillerymen scattered and fled.

They knew there would be more attacks, and they absolutely couldn't stay here.

As expected, the Shrike, which had taken off after a dive-bombing strafe, returned and destroyed the remaining two anti-aircraft guns.

These four anti-aircraft guns pose the greatest threat to air defense. Without them, the subsequent aerial harassment will be much safer.

Immediately afterwards, two other wingmen also launched harassment attacks on the ground.

Three fighter jets from the Asian Air Force, with no air defense weapons or enemy space to obstruct them, freely harassed the battlefield, causing chaos among the enemy with each dive-strike.

Half an hour later, the second wave of fighter jets arrived, and Fang Wen returned with two wingmen.

The ambush in Cáceres lasted all day.

Tank units from both sides were locked in combat on the plains, while the rebel ground forces were unable to provide support.

The militia blocked their way, and waves of planes relentlessly harassed and bombed them from the air, seemingly without end.

This was Fang Wen's design for a three-tiered offensive, rotating every half hour with coordinated actions. The previous tier would return after the next tier arrived, creating the illusion that there were always planes attacking the rebels over Cáceres.

Using this tactic, each aircraft of the Asian Air Force completed an average of three waves of air raids and multiple harassments, directly dropping all the bombs they had acquired on the battlefield outside Cáceres.

It also gives the enemy the illusion of a large-scale air attack.

After a full day of this situation, the enemy collapsed.

Only half of the rebel tank force escaped the battlefield, along with several thousand rebels who retreated.

As the old Chinese saying goes, "A defeated army collapses like a mountain."

As the enemy tank units withdrew, the Soviet tank regiment and militia launched an even more ferocious attack, relentlessly pursuing and attacking them until the unit abandoned its original camp and fled in panic toward the Portuguese border.

Thus ended the tank siege of Cáceres, and the Popular Front emerged victorious.

With the end of the battle for Cáceres, the Asian Air Force entered a period of rest and reorganization, and the original escort mission for transport planes was handed over to the Soviet-aided air force.

Subsequently, the BF.109 with the damaged wing was also brought back.

Taking this opportunity, Fang Wen conducted research on BF.109.

With the help of his mechanical senses, he learned about the internal structure of BF.109.

This type of aircraft was used throughout World War II. Although there will be changes in the future, they will all be upgrades based on this model.

Understanding this structure thoroughly will be of great help in building our own fighter jets.

He not only uses mechanical perception to understand, but also disassembles, repairs, and then reassembles.

Through these methods, Fang Wen obtained relatively comprehensive information.

The BF.109 features an all-metal semi-rigid fuselage structure, a low-wing configuration, and a certain sweep angle on the wings.

Like Boeing's design, this shape takes aerodynamics into account.

It helps reduce wind resistance and increase flight speed.

In addition, flaps are installed at the wing roots, which can increase lift during landing and improve the aircraft's handling and safety.

The landing gear features a retractable design, with the main landing gear being a two-wheel structure and the nose wheel being steerable. This design helps reduce drag on the ground and improve flight stability.

But its most distinctive feature is its power system.

The BF.109 was powered by a Mercedes-Benz DB 601 liquid-cooled V12 engine with a power output of 1450 horsepower.

An incredibly powerful engine.

This is the fundamental reason why BF.109 is so powerful.

It is this powerful propulsion that allows it to maintain maneuverability and high-speed flight under higher loads.

Fang Wen couldn't help but feel envious. The BF.109's engine was too good; his own Bumblebee engine was far inferior in comparison.

To achieve a breakthrough in this area, we can only wait until Pratt & Whitney develops a dual-row, high-power Hornet engine.

In the field of aviation propulsion, Britain and Germany are far ahead, but the aviation engine technology of these two countries is a top secret.

All Fang Wen could get his hands on were Pratt & Whitney engines, and he secretly decided to deepen his cooperation with Pratt & Whitney.

After studying the structure and advantages of the BF.109 fighter jet, Fang Wen also received a telegram from China.

A domestic upheaval forced Fang Wen to consider returning to China ahead of schedule.

12 month 25 day.

A telegram from within China.

Fang Wen looked at the translated telegram, which was sent by his wife, Kuang Mingzhu.

It seems that the civil war will be suspended as a result, and a positive situation of national unity in resisting the Japanese invasion will emerge.

Fang Wen smiled.

He continued reading the rest of the telegram.

[The assassination attempt on Wang Jingwei by Gang Leader Wang failed. He fled to Guangxi, where he was assassinated by agents of the Fuxing Society. Gang Leader Wang was seriously wounded and has been transferred to Hong Kong for treatment.]

[The domestic situation has changed drastically, and Taishan Airlines needs your leadership. We hope you will return as soon as possible. Also, please bring Kuang Anming back with you.]

When Chief Wang got into trouble, Fang Wen couldn't help but worry about his safety, after all, they had been friends for several years and had a deep bond.

He had known Wang Gangzhu for several years and knew him quite well. He was a generous, chivalrous, patriotic, and righteous man who hated evil, yet he also had a strong sense of chivalry and always sought revenge.

Fang Wen had warned Chief Wang to be careful, since the people he was dealing with were bigwigs of the Kuomintang, and they definitely wanted Chief Wang dead.

Now look what happened, I couldn't escape it after all.

Given the various situations at home, it seems it's time to go back.

Fang Wen got up, walked out of the camp, and headed to the International Brigades headquarters.

There, he requested a direct meeting with the commander.

The adjutant led him to the commander's office, where Emilio Cleber, the first commander of the International Brigades, stopped what he was doing and looked up at Fang Wen.

"Hello, Captain Fang, is there anything I can help you with?"

“A major event has recently occurred in my motherland, and I want to return home,” Fang Wen replied.

(End of this chapter)