Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 320, Section 319: Air and ground mechanized coordination, gunboat and aircraft joint defense of the Wenzaobang River section, Japanese attack detected.

The 2nd Aviation Battalion of the Taishan Independent Regiment began its exercise.

Fang Wen, along with Captain Gao and Major Liu, boarded the gunboat piloted by Pan Jiafeng. Just as the plane was about to take off, Fang Wen introduced them to the two men.

"This is a gunship aircraft developed by Taishan Aviation. It is a military aircraft that flies around the target and uses a side-fire weapon system to provide continuous fire suppression to ground targets. Its flight speed is not high, and it is mainly aimed at ground fire suppression, providing strong fire support to ground troops."

Captain Gao and Major Liu surveyed the interior of the aircraft.

There are a total of 4 combat positions, including 3 12.7 mm machine guns and 1 20 mm cannon.

Each weapon station is protected by a thick steel plate and outer shell, and the operator aims and fires through an observation port behind the shield.

Captain Gao asked, "What is the firing angle of the weapon?"

"60 degrees allows for wide-area coverage fire on the ground," Fang Wen replied.

"What are the specific results?" Major Liu was more concerned about practical issues. After all, he came to understand the details. Professional details such as shooting angles were not as convincing as seeing the actual combat results.

"You'll know in a minute."

Fang Wen gestured to Pan Jiafeng, who immediately shouted, "On your marks, let's go!"

Immediately, the three seaplanes accelerated on the water and flew into the sky.

Meanwhile, 50 mercenaries in the camp were also setting off.

They lined up in a long queue, following a hastily purchased gasoline truck. The truck carried a vehicle-mounted radio, the kind of large voice radio used at airports to communicate with aircraft. It was an essential tool in Fang Wen's design for the mechanized warfare of the Taishan Independent Regiment. In Jinan, such large radios were installed on the 'Taishan Pine' medium tanks, but here they could only be used by vehicle-mounted radios.

The troops left the camp and headed towards the exercise target not far away.

As required by the exercise, they conducted reconnaissance and reported the situation to Pan Jiafeng via vehicle-mounted radio.

Upon receiving ground reconnaissance intelligence, Pan Jiafeng immediately issued instructions.

"Tiger 1 calling Tiger 2 and Tiger 3, enemy targets have been identified and ground troops are gathering nearby. They need fire support. Form up and proceed immediately."

Captain Gao was extremely surprised to see this scene and couldn't help but whisper to Fang Wen.

How did they achieve real-time ground communication and aerial voice communication?

Fang Wen explained: "This is the advantage of low-speed seaplanes. They sacrifice speed but increase their load capacity and defense capabilities, and can be equipped with bulky wireless voice equipment, which is something that other fighter jets cannot do at present."

This was Fang Wen's idea: not to pursue high speed, but to improve overall performance, so that firepower, defense, and air-to-ground coordination could all reach the state he wanted.

This idea is fundamental to future mechanized warfare. Fang Wen thought it was perfectly normal, but Captain Gao and Colonel Liu didn't quite understand it.

They continued to observe, with a sense of rarity and wonder.

After air-to-ground communication, the fighter jets established contact with the ground forces and flew to the target area under the guidance of the ground forces.

There, a simulated enemy was erected—a wooden building.

According to the situation report of this exercise, a group of enemy troops were entrenched in this building, holding their ground and firing from the high ground, which made it difficult for the ground troops to deal with them for the time being.

Now, three gunship aircraft have arrived and immediately launched an attack.

Three gunship aircraft conducted a circling attack, circling the building.

Hundreds of meters above the ground, the aircraft circled around this point, with weapons pouring down from one side.

12.7mm machine gun bullets and 20mm cannon bullets instantly turned the entire house into a honeycomb.

Such intense firing created a dense storm of metal, greatly shocking Captain Gao and Major Liu who were watching.

Not only the two of them, but the two photographers who were taking the pictures almost forgot about filming, and even the tourists who had quietly slipped over nearby were stunned by this scene.

There was a time when China also had such powerful firepower; it looked incredibly formidable.

The two-story building was riddled with splinters and explosions from the gunfire, and it quickly lost its support, collapsing and catching fire.

If this were a real battle, the enemy inside the building would probably have been completely wiped out.

Subsequently, ground troops carried out cleanup operations, continuing to check for any remaining enemy forces and then eliminating any remaining enemy troops.

After the exercise ended, the seaplane landed, and Fang Wen and his group disembarked by boat.

He summarized the gunship and aircraft exercise: "Our gunship and aircraft at Taishan are mainly used for field operations, especially in areas with water where they can take off and land repeatedly. They are very effective in coordinating with field troops. As we just saw, with air-ground coordination, ordinary field troops simply cannot fight them. Air firepower suppression will put a lot of pressure on the enemy's ground troops."

Major Liu then asked, "If your seaplanes were stationed at Wenzaobang, what kind of combat effect would they have?"

Fang Wen did not answer immediately, but led the group into the camp command room, where he spread out a map of Shanghai.

He pointed to the Wenzaobang on the map and said, "Currently, the Huangpu River is controlled by the Japanese fleet, but their warships cannot enter the Wenzaobang area. It is about 30-50 meters wide and can be used for seaplane landings. Our aircraft can establish a forward combat base here to radiate outwards and assist the fighting in the Wusong area. However, since we only have 3 fighter jets at present, the effect is not high and can only support one unit in combat."

(Early section of the Wenzaobang River in Shanghai)
Hearing Fang Wen's words, Major Liu was somewhat puzzled: "Why can we only cooperate with one unit? Shouldn't we go to support whichever side needs us?"

Fang Wen remained silent, coldly staring at the other person.

The Taishan Independent Regiment was capable of supporting the War of Resistance against Japan, but they were not fools.

If, as Major Liu said, we are ordered around on our own, we will ultimately achieve nothing and may even be discarded after we have used them.

He had witnessed the fate of the few Nationalist Army tanks that participated in the war. Because they failed to coordinate with the infantry during the battle, they were separated from the infantry in the war zone and ended up being destroyed by the Japanese army.

The reason why the Taishan Air Combat Team was able to launch frequent attacks during this period was that Fang Wen held the initiative, could choose to fight selectively, and was completely free from Nanjing's constraints during operations.

Fang Wen dared not imagine what would happen if he truly lost his autonomy.

His attitude made Major Liu realize that his words were inappropriate, and he immediately tried to smooth things over: "It was my oversight. Such an important air force does need to be specifically coordinated with a unit to achieve better combat results. Here's what I'll do: I'll go back and report the situation to my superiors, including your request, and give you a reply as soon as possible."

Fang Wen's expression softened, and he asked Pan Jiafeng to bring over two photographers, requesting that they take out the film they had shot and hand it over to Major Liu to take to Nanjing.

The two explained that the film needed some processing, otherwise it would be damaged by exposure. They then found a darkroom in the camp and got to work.

More than an hour later, the film was ready, and Fang Wen handed it to Major Liu and sent him and Captain Gao back to Jianqiao Airport.

The two then boarded a plane and returned to Nanjing.

Major Liu, who was in Nanjing with the film reels, explained the situation to the Military Commission.

Upon hearing that a film had been specially made to record the exercise, the Military Commission immediately organized a screening.

In a small auditorium inside the Nanjing government building, cinema staff screened a film, and many people attended the screening.

However, the feedback after watching it was mixed. Some praised it, saying that this combat method, with its air-ground coordination, is indeed a good direction for development.

Some people disagree with this.

Some people believe that such a waste of ammunition could be achieved by sending ground troops in a direct assault, which would have the same effect.

Some people also felt that this combat method was too flashy and might not be very effective in the complex terrain of Shanghai.

Some of these assessments are fair, while others are biased. To those people, Fang Wen's Taishan Independent Regiment relies entirely on its highly skilled pilots, and everything else is just for show.

However, the final result of the discussion was an agreement to send this seaplane unit to the Wenzaobang area for defense assistance.

At the same time, in response to Fang Wen's request, a special unit was also arranged to cooperate with him.

Nanjing has approved the request for assistance in operations from the 2nd Aviation Battalion of the Taishan Independent Regiment, and the transfer order has been sent to Jianqiao Airport.

Upon receiving the transfer order, Fang Wen immediately began preparations.

First, he would personally travel to the Wenzaobang area of ​​Shanghai to liaise with the local garrison.

Immediately afterwards, he and Pan Jiafeng took a gunboat from the West Lake Water Airport and flew to Wenzaobang.

It took the gunboat, traveling at 200 kilometers per hour, an hour to reach Shanghai.

Fang Wen, the driver, observed the situation below.

Construction has begun on the north bank of the Wenzaobang River, mainly relying on the area around the Wusong Bridge.

Clearly, their main task was to hold the Wusong Bridge and ensure that supplies could be delivered to the front lines via the bridge.

(The Wusong Bridge on the Wenzaobang River section at that time)
However, this group of garrison troops was not the target that Fang Wen was going to contact. According to the order, the unit that would be fighting alongside the gunboat squadron was a well-equipped force.

She had also collaborated with Fang Wen before.

That was the 524th Regiment under the 88th Division.

This was a fully German-equipped unit, and also a top-tier elite force heavily invested in by the Nationalist government.

Fang Wen shifted his gaze from the bridge-guarding troops to find where this unit was.

He saw it; it was on the other side of the north bank, in a warehouse district.

At that moment, some soldiers from the army came to the riverbank and waved.

Fang Wen then landed the plane on the water, and the other party quickly threw over a large hemp rope, which helped bring the plane to shore.

After getting off the plane, Fang Wen left the combat personnel on board to guard the aircraft, while he and Pan Jiafeng disembarked and headed to the position of the 524th Regiment.

The area was bustling with activity. Even during the war, many soldiers were still transporting goods from warehouses along the river to various parts of the front lines.

Clearly, this is a wartime military supplies storage site.

Leaving this warehouse area, you reach the defensive line of the 524th Regiment. They have built sandbag positions on several streets nearby, and the soldiers are guarding the positions.

The temporary headquarters of the 524th Regiment was located in a small building.

Fang Wen entered the building, where a middle-aged military officer shook hands with him with a broad smile.

"Commander Fang, it's great to finally meet you in person. I've been watching your planes fly overhead every day for the past few days, and you've shot down more than a dozen enemy planes. You truly are the number one pilot in China."

Faced with such praise, Fang Wen smiled and replied, "On the battlefield, we can only give it our all. This achievement is just a coincidence and nothing special. In the future, my Second Aviation Battalion will be cooperating with Commander Xie's troops, and we still need to work on this together. Let me introduce you, the man next to me is Pan Jiafeng, the battalion commander of the Second Aviation Battalion of the Taishan Independent Regiment, and also the commander of the gunboat squadron."

Upon hearing Fang Wen's words, the officer looked at Pan Jiafeng with a serious expression. "Xie Jingyuan, commander of the 524th Regiment of the 88th Division of the National Army, is very pleased to cooperate with you."

Pan Jiafeng also introduced himself, and the two had a preliminary exchange.

Next, Fang Wen and his two colleagues began to collaborate and exchange ideas.

Commander Xie explained his current situation: "Our regiment belongs to the second echelon. If the front line can't hold, we will be deployed to the battle. According to the higher-ups, Wenzaobang is the central line of the Shanghai defense battle, and Suzhou Creek is the last line of defense. If we can't hold Wenzaobang, we can only retreat to Zhabei to hold out. If Zhabei can't hold out either, the battle will end at Suzhou Creek."

"Why do you say that?" Pan Jiafeng asked in surprise.

"Because the south bank of the Suzhou Creek was the British and French concession, and the north bank was the International Settlement, the Japanese would only attack the International Settlement. Once the International Settlement was completely lost, the British and French would intervene," Commander Xie explained.

"What is the current situation of the Japanese army?" Fang Wen asked.

Commander Xie's face darkened. "Baoshan City has fallen. The Japanese army attacked the city with heavy artillery fire and dropped sulfur bombs, causing a fire inside the city. Taking advantage of the fire, Japanese tanks and infantry attacked the city through the breach in the city wall. The 500 defenders in the city held out for two days and nights, and all of them died heroically today."

Upon hearing this news, Fang Wen couldn't help but feel saddened. He had fought alongside the soldiers of Baoshan City and witnessed firsthand how tenaciously they defended that isolated city.

Now that Baoshan City has fallen, it means that the area along the Yangtze River in Shanghai has been occupied by the Japanese army, and the Battle of Shanghai has changed from an anti-landing operation to a defense in depth.

He asked, "So what's the situation now?"

Commander Xie pointed to the map: "The Japanese army captured Baoshan City and prepared to continue south. Our troops in Luodian launched an attack and blocked their advance. Meanwhile, the defense line 2 kilometers away from us has already engaged in close combat with the Japanese army."

Fang Wen nodded, looked at Pan Jiafeng, and explained the situation in more detail.

"The Japanese fleet cannot accurately bombard the defenses here, and aerial bombardment will also be ineffective due to the dense buildings. Therefore, they will deploy a large number of ground troops, advancing continuously under the cover of tanks. Your task, the artillery fleet, is to cooperate with the 524th Regiment to repel the enemy's attack."

Pan Jiafeng nodded vigorously, but felt immense pressure.

After all, this is not the most suitable combat environment for gunship aircraft. The enemy will appear in large numbers from the north, but gunship aircraft cannot use circling and flanking fire to suppress the enemy.

How can we achieve coordinated aerial firepower?
In response to this situation, Fang Wen patiently explained: "You need to understand that when you're piloting a low-speed aircraft, there are many ways to maneuver. In combat, in addition to circling and attacking, you can also patrol back and forth. For example, the Wenzaobang River section can be used as a back-and-forth route. When you spot the enemy, you can then provide flanking fire suppression."

Just then, a soldier ran into the regimental headquarters to report the situation: "Regimental commander, a group of Japanese troops has bypassed the forward defenses and appeared outside our regimental defensive positions."

Commander Xie stood up abruptly: "How many people? What equipment?"

"About 500 people, and two tanks."

Surprisingly, the unit was equipped with tanks and had even broken through friendly lines to reach this point. Commander Xie immediately prepared to attack.

Fang Wen's heart skipped a beat, and he said loudly, "Commander Xie, our gunship aircraft can assist you in defense."

Commander Xie didn't quite understand what kind of cooperation was involved, and simply replied casually, "Okay."

Immediately, Fang Wen and Pan Jiafeng jogged towards the Wenzaobang River.

This time, Fang Wenlai will serve as the pilot and commander of the gunship aircraft, leading the gunners on board to complete a live-fire patrol.

(End of this chapter)