Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 312 311 The Wusong Landing and Defense Battle, the Great Air Battle of Shanghai, and the Taishan Combat Team's Assault
After the Nanjing investigators left, the First Aviation Battalion stationed at the Taishan Independent Regiment suddenly became very busy.

The reason was still related to the bombing. Because the Japanese Marine Corps building was removed, the Japanese spies in Shanghai lost their restraining effect, which allowed the 88th and 87th Divisions, two elite German-equipped divisions, to be freed up to support the defense of the Wusong area.

The two German-equipped divisions immediately marched to Wusong and, together with a part of the 9th Army Group and the Shanghai Garrison Security Regiment, launched an attack on the Japanese troops that had already occupied the Wusong railway wharf.

With their superior firepower, the previously lost Wenzaobang (Wenzao River) area was recovered, and the Japanese army retreated to the Wusong Railway Wharf.

If we go any further, we can completely drive the Japanese army into the water and disrupt the entire Wusong landing operation.

This time, however, they encountered fierce resistance from the Japanese army. Japanese warships on the river also bombarded the National Army, and there were also air raids and bombings. Despite the combined attack from the sea, land, and air, they were just a hair's breadth away from taking the lead.

Therefore, the frontline combat troops applied to the Nanjing Military Commission to send our fighter jets to Shanghai to assist in the battle.

In this situation, several squadrons of Nanjing's air defense were given new missions: to intercept enemy aircraft over the battlefield, harass enemy warships, and create opportunities for ground troops to launch attacks.

Fang Wenyi, stationed at Jianqiao Airport, also received the same order.

At Jianqiao Airport, Fang Wen is reviewing the latest issue of the intelligence special edition.

The intelligence special issue was originally a change made by the intelligence dealers at his request. It was published once a week and contained important domestic and foreign intelligence information from the past seven days.

As a result, information brokers in Shanghai discovered that this special edition format had greater sales value, and thus it became their product.

Although the current situation is tense, intelligence trading in Shanghai is booming. In the French Concession, which has not been affected by the war, a large number of intelligence dealers have gathered.

The Taishan secret intelligence station was also located in the French Concession. Whenever a special intelligence report was published, someone would be immediately sent out of the city to be delivered via a seaplane from Jiaxing to Hangzhou, bringing the valuable intelligence over.

It can be said that Fang Wen understood the world situation and important intelligence faster than many high-ranking officials.

He looked through the intelligence bulletin, searching for anything that interested him.

Beiping eventually fell completely, and the British government even proposed the "neutralization" of Shanghai.

Besides these, there are also those related to dialects.

He looked at one of them.

On the Eastern Front, a new type of aerial bomb emerged, developed by a Chinese businessman with a private army. Based on its effects, it was named a thermobaric bomb. This bomb, operating in a confined environment, could cause immense destruction, making it particularly suitable for assaulting fortified positions.

However, at present, this bomb is not very practical; it needs to be able to penetrate the outer shell of a solid fortification to be effective.

Next to this intelligence report was a small piece of paper, a note written by Chen Suoxin, the head of the secret intelligence station.

"Some people in Shanghai's intelligence circles have already spread the word that they want to obtain the bomb production technology data and are willing to pay a high price."

Fang Wen sneered. He would never share this technology with anyone, not even the United States, Britain, France, or Japan. He wouldn't even give it to the Nationalist government if they wanted it.

He continued reading, but another piece of information made him stop.

[Character information updated: Fang Wen, the controller of Taishan Airlines, has had his previously hidden strength exposed due to his joining the War of Resistance against Japan by forming an army. Therefore, special changes have been made to his character information.]

This is a separate piece of intelligence, available only for specific purchases, and was specially added by the Taishan Intelligence Station.

Fang Wen wanted to see how he was perceived by intelligence personnel.

He turned to the next page.

It resembles a form format similar to a file.

[Fang Wen]

[Public identity: Actual controller of Taishan Airlines, commander of the Taishan Independent Regiment.]

[Owns: Taishan Airlines, Taishan Aircraft Manufacturing Plant, Taishan Oil Refinery, and Taishan International (a US-listed company).]

This person possesses remarkable strategic vision and long-term planning abilities, along with exceptional business acumen and ambition, which they translate into action.

In addition, this person possesses superb aircraft piloting skills, achieving outstanding victories in numerous air battles within China. He is also an excellent mechanical engineer.

[Special Achievement: Participated in the Shanghai air battle in 1932, serving as a bomber pilot and sinking the cruiser Izumo.]

Between 1932 and 1936, within five years, a multinational aviation group was established, possessing multiple aviation businesses including international flights between Asia and Europe, domestic flights within China, and seaplane services.

In 1936, they secretly organized the Asian Air Force, participated in the Spanish Civil War, and returned at the end of the year.

After reading the intelligence, Fang Wen felt relieved. The contents did not involve his trump cards; they only provided a general description of what he possessed. As the war continued, he would know these things even without purchasing the intelligence.

Just as he was about to continue reading, there was a knock on the door, and Shao Deqing's voice came from outside.

"Commander, we received a call from Nanjing saying there are new combat missions to be arranged."

Fang Wen put the intelligence report into a hidden compartment under the table, got up and left.

In the airport telegraph room, Fang Wen received a request for coordinated operations from Captain Gao.

The target this time is Wusong District in Shanghai, and each air force will send out aircraft to carry out the mission.

The Nanjing air force is the main force, while the Ninth Air Force at Shaoxing Cao'e Airport is the support force.

As for Fang Wen and his team at Hangzhou Jianqiao Airport, Captain Gao requested their assistance in the operation, but the specific tactical arrangements still need to be agreed upon before they can be communicated.

Fang Wen naturally agreed to this; that was why he came to Shanghai from Jinan.

He then immediately returned to the hangar to begin preparations.

Inside the hangar, three Il-16 fighter jets were parked, while the Shrike was in another hangar.

Fang Wen needed to hurry up and prepare for the upcoming air battle in Shanghai.

Compared to other units, Fang Wen's Taishan Independent Regiment was supported by Taishan Aviation. During their stay in Hangzhou, the wartime logistics coordination department of Taishan Aviation also transported the corresponding ground maintenance personnel, replacement parts, ammunition and other supplies by seaplane.

It can be said that, despite its small size, Fang Wen's Taishan Independent Regiment achieved the most efficient logistical support of its time.

Fang Wen clapped his hands in greeting as he watched the busy mechanics and pilots in the hangar.

"Everyone, stop for now. There's a new operational plan, and I'm giving you all a heads-up."

Upon hearing that there was an operation, everyone immediately stopped what they were doing and stood in two rows in front of Fang Wen.

"Here's the thing, we received a call from Nanjing requesting that we join the air support mission in the Wusong theater. We haven't decided yet which air force we'll be working with or when we'll depart. But I've asked that the maintenance work on every aircraft be completed by today. If there are any problems, let me know as soon as possible."

Du Jiahuai stepped forward: "Reporting to the regimental commander, the stock of 20mm machine gun ammunition is running low and needs to be replenished."

This is a problem.

The 20mm autocannon of the Taishan has a rate of fire of about 350 rounds per minute, and the consumption is staggering after a battle.

Half of the 20mm cannon ammunition purchased from Europe has already been used up in the air battles over North China and during this period. Not to mention that the gunship aircraft also use a batch of 20mm cannons for suppressive fire, and once the gunship aircraft are put into practical use, the consumption will be even greater.

Although there are still a large number of orders for machine gun ammunition, this cannot continue indefinitely.

It seems that the production line for 20mm cannon shells needs to be set up as soon as possible. Otherwise, if there are problems with shipping or the situation in Europe, the aircraft without ammunition will only be able to use 7.92mm machine guns to fire at Japanese aircraft.

He replied, "There will be no shortage of ammunition supplies, so everyone can rest assured. It is estimated that in less than two months, our own 20mm machine gun shell production line will be able to produce our own machine gun shells. At that time, we will use our own machine gun shells to fight the Japanese devils."

Everyone laughed together, proud to be a member of Mount Tai. In a time when China is inferior to Japan in many ways, there is still this special group of people fighting with better technology and equipment than the Japanese.

Afterwards, the group dispersed and split up to carry out maintenance work diligently.

Fang Wen was no exception; after experiencing multiple high-intensity air battles, the Shrike would also experience metal fatigue and wear inside.

He needs to identify these situations under mechanical perception, and then make corrections one by one, replacing parts that need replacing and repairing parts that need repair.

Time passed little by little, from morning to afternoon, and the day was about to end so quickly.

Around 4 p.m., a call finally came from Nanjing.

This time, the telegram communication required Fang Wen to communicate alone. With the telegrams exchanged, Fang Wen received his battle plan.

Four fighter jets from the Taishan Independent Regiment will participate in the operation to assist the Fourth Squadron, targeting the Wusong area. There are no specific requirements for the operation, and adjustments will be made according to the situation on the ground.

Fang Wen had no objection to this assignment; the Fourth Brigade had cooperated before and had a certain tacit understanding with each other.

The lack of specific requirements does indeed reflect the complex combat situation in that region.

Therefore, he immediately ordered all pilots to enter combat readiness.

9 o'clock in the morning.

Fang Wen led three pilots to assemble outside the hangar.

The four teams from Nanjing will depart at 9:00 AM and are expected to arrive in 30 minutes.

Fang Wen's journey from Hangzhou Jianqiao Airport is shorter and the flight is faster, estimated to take only 20 minutes.

Therefore, Fang Wen deliberately delayed his team's takeoff by a few minutes so that he could meet the Fourth Squadron in Shanghai on time.

After the plane took off, with him as the main pilot and three wingmen following behind in a triangular formation, it flew rapidly towards the northeast.

Twenty minutes later, the flight team arrived over Shanghai and spotted the 4th Squadron that had come from Nanjing.

This time, the number of fighter jets in the 4th Squadron was twice that of the past, with more than 20 fighter jets looking very imposing.

Following their usual cooperative combat strategy, the two sides did not merge, but instead flew together towards Wusong.

The further they flew, the thicker the smoke on the ground became.

From Fang Wen's mechanical perspective, the situation in the Wusong war zone was laid out before him.

At the confluence of the Huangpu River and the Changjiao River, many warships were moored, all of which belonged to the Japanese army.

On the river, small landing craft were sailing towards the shore.

Their goal was to reach the starting station of the Wusong Railway.

It was both a train station and a large dock, which was perfect for unloading goods and transferring them by train.

Further back, at a distance of 1000 to several hundred meters, was the National Army's defensive line.

Under the threat of the warships' cannons, the attacking side dared not send troops out rashly, which gave the Japanese army at the Wusong Railway Wharf the opportunity to hold the place and allow the reinforcements to land on the wharf by boat to replenish their troops.

Meanwhile, in the sky, a large number of fighter jets were engaged in combat.

Most of the biplanes belonged to the Nationalist Air Force, and the Japanese also had some biplanes, as well as the Type 96 that Fang Wen had previously encountered.

(Photo of the Wusong Railway during the war)
After understanding the situation on the ground, Fang Wen began to consider how to fight.

No wonder there were no specific mission requirements. The battlefield situation was so complex, it was like a complete mess, with too many military targets to attack.

Before he could think any further, a squadron of Japanese planes came straight at him.

Quickly clearing his mind, Fang Wen used a secure communication device to send instructions to his subordinates.

Upon receiving the order, the three Il-16s and the Shrike assumed a fighting stance.

Approaching were five Type 96 fighter jets, clearly tasked with intercepting Chinese military aircraft, and they came straight at us ready for a head-on confrontation as soon as they appeared.

But this time they encountered a master.

Suddenly, the four Taishan fighter jets collectively took a climb, led by the Shrike, and flew to a higher altitude, using the change in space to conceal their shapes.

Japanese warplanes were not to be outdone and immediately scrambled to pursue them.

But what they didn't expect was that Fang Wen's move was just a feint. He led his team in a group somersault to shake off their opponents and move their aircraft behind them.

The outcome was decided in this tactical adjustment, and the five enemy planes were immediately subjected to fierce tail-to-tail fire.

Unable to outrun them, the five enemy planes were unable to shake off the pursuit and were shot down one after another by machine gun fire, crashing into the Yangtze River.

This was arguably the most exciting moment of all the battles today.

Both the Chinese and Japanese troops involved in the battle saw it.

In a 4-5 situation, seemingly evenly matched, they were fooled by a tactical feint, resulting in the complete annihilation of their team while the opponent remained unscathed.

Such remarkable tactical coordination made the air force of the Taishan Independent Regiment famous among soldiers.

The commander of the 87th Division looked at the sky with emotion.

"A poor general leads to a poor army. Look at Commander Fang, his flying skills are unparalleled, and his troops are just as formidable. This is the first time I've seen aerial combat employing deception tactics. Fighting in the sky is quite similar to fighting on the ground."

The adjutant echoed, "Yes. But he's a man who's indifferent to fame and fortune, and only cares about his own things. If I had such strong flying skills, I would have become a major general in the Nationalist Air Force long ago, but he just messes around with things here and there, and he's actually made a name for himself."

“Everyone has their own ambitions, why talk about this? What do you think he will do next?” the commander of the 87th Division asked.

"How would I know?" the adjutant said, suddenly showing a surprised expression. Not only him, but the division commander was also surprised.

In their view, the Shrike led three aircraft and veered towards the Yangtze River.

That area is controlled by the Japanese Navy. Did these four planes intend to attack the Japanese warships?

(End of this chapter)