Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 328, Section 326: A makeshift Yellow River crossing, aerial guerrilla tactics.

As the Japanese army advanced south, the people of Dezhou City retreated to the south. In order to slow down the Japanese army's march, the 1st and 2nd Air Battalions of the Taishan Independent Regiment carried out a joint air raid.

This operation successfully disrupted the railway line and destroyed a troop transport train, causing losses to the 10th Division and halting its rapid march via the railway.

The air strike group then returned to Jinan. It was already evening, and apart from Fang Wen, the other pilots were not suitable for night operations. They then rested for the night to prepare for reconnaissance and air strike interception the next day.

Fang Wen, however, had more to do, so he immediately contacted the garrison in Dezhou City.

In Texas, most of the residents had already left the city, leaving only more than 1000 soldiers to guard it.

These soldiers included the 3rd Battalion of the Taishan Independent Regiment, remnants of the 29th Army, and the Dezhou Security Regiment.

Among them, the 500 men of the Third Battalion of the Taishan Independent Regiment were the backbone of this city defense battle. It was because they stayed in the city that the other soldiers dared to hold the city together.

After all, they didn't believe that such an elite force as the Taishan Independent Regiment would defend an empty city to the death.

As night fell, the deserted city of Texas fell silent, except for the soldiers on guard duty on the city walls, while the others gathered at the West Gate camp.

They ate the special military rations of the Independent Regiment and talked enthusiastically with the soldiers of the Third Battalion of the Independent Regiment, trying to learn more about the Taishan Independent Regiment.

They were extremely curious about this special unit, which consisted of half Chinese and half foreigners.

In particular, using foreigners as soldiers to fight in the country was a very unusual thing for them.

Even the county magistrate of Dezhou and the officers stationed there by the 29th Army were surprised by this situation.

Wu Yingzong, the battalion commander of the 3rd Battalion of the Taishan Independent Regiment, offered an explanation in response.

"Our soldiers are selected through a rigorous process. Those from within the country are all brave and skilled, and they are paid very well, enough to make them willing to risk their lives for us. As for those foreign soldiers, you don't need to be too impressed. There are far too many foreigners in this world, and many places are even poorer than China. Some of them specialize in mercenary work and are quite capable in fighting and killing."

"Mercenaries?" the county magistrate asked in surprise. "Where did they hire them from?"

Wu Yingzong took a sip of vegetable soup, and the matter Fang Wen had told him came to mind. There was no need to hide the issue of foreign soldiers in the Taishan Independent Regiment.

He then explained, "The recruitment is all handled by the company. Taishan Airlines has international routes in Asia and Europe, and its offices in various regions are also responsible for recruiting suitable personnel. Among them are members of the French Foreign Mercenary Corps, as well as retired soldiers from West Asia and Europe. Therefore, the foreign faces you see actually come from many countries."

"They come from diverse backgrounds, can they really be put together to fight?" a garrison officer of the 29th Army asked in surprise.

"There were indeed problems with language communication at the beginning, but their military skills were quite good. It took them a year of training and adjustment to adapt to the independent regiment."

Wu Yingzong explained calmly, but in reality, it was a very difficult process for the Third Battalion of the Independent Regiment to become so disciplined. Back then, during training in Yangon, both the soldiers from China and abroad were troublemakers, and no one was willing to submit to anyone else. They would fight and cause trouble every few days.

If it weren't for the later introduction of competitive training that separated the Chinese and foreign soldiers for combat, these guys' volatile tempers would have been really difficult to manage.

After a year of adversarial training, the two groups not only developed a friendship through constant competition and adjustment, but also accepted the military regulations of the Independent Regiment, which led to the later joint air-ground operations.

It can be said that Wu Yingzong devoted a great deal of effort to the Third Battalion of the Independent Regiment, and therefore, he was a very authoritative battalion commander in the Third Battalion.

The garrison officer of the 29th Army was more interested in the specific training of the Independent Regiment, and he couldn't help but ask, "So how do you train your troops?"

Wu Yingzong did not want to answer this question. Every unit has its own secrets. A lot can be seen from the training plan. He was unwilling to tell outsiders the secrets involving the Third Battalion of the Independent Regiment.

Just then, the battalion telegraph operator came running over, and he immediately stood up to listen to the operator's report.

"The regimental commander called and said that at 4 pm today, an air raid was launched on the Japanese army on the railway section within Cangzhou, which damaged the Japanese military trains and slowed down their march. The regimental commander also asked you to report on the situation in Dezhou City and the situation of the people who retreated to the south."

Wu Yingzong nodded and gave a report on the spot.

"Reporting to the commander, we have completed the defensive arrangements in Dezhou City, marked the firing data of artillery in different areas outside the city, and planted explosives outside the city, just waiting for the Japanese army to arrive. As for the retreat to the south, we sent a company to maintain order during the retreat, and it has now reached Pingyuan County. The retreat has also caused panic in Pingyuan County, and some people in Pingyuan County have also fled."

After a pause, Wu Yingzong continued, "Tell the commander that the situation at the ferry crossing on the north bank is very bad, and I'm afraid they won't be able to send so many people across the river."

At Jinan Airport, Fang Wen looked at Wu Yingzong's reply call.

According to Wu Yingzong's report, there are some minor problems with the southward withdrawal plan.

Could it be that the Yellow River ferry crossing in Jinan cannot transport tens of thousands of people across the Yellow River?
This is also a major problem. If it is not handled properly, a large number of people who fled south will be stranded on the north bank of the Yellow River. It will be difficult to solve the problem of so many people eating, drinking and relieving themselves.

This matter can only be considered complete once they have crossed the Yellow River as soon as possible.

In order to achieve this, Fang Wen made a small adjustment to the plan.

The next day, four fighter planes from the 4st Air Battalion took off to conduct aerial reconnaissance and harassment operations against Japanese forces north of Texas.

Fang Wenze piloted a gunboat across the Yellow River crossing.

The plane only took a short time to reach the ferry crossing, and Fang Wen observed the situation below from the air above the north bank of the Yellow River.

Upon seeing it, I was stunned by the simplicity of the ferry crossing.

He never imagined that Luokou Ferry, which connects the north and south banks of the Yellow River, would be in this situation.

(Luokou Ferry in the Jinan section of the river during the Republic of China era)
(Luokou Ferry in the Jinan section of the river during the Republic of China era)
Several wooden boats were moored at the ferry crossing, and passengers, mules, horses, and even cars crossed the Yellow River on these boats.

A boat is ferrying passengers across the river. The boatman in front is rowing vigorously, while the boatman behind is punting. The ferrying is completed entirely by human labor.

Fang Wen couldn't help but sigh, thinking that if they relied on these few wooden boats to transport people, it would take forever to get so many people across the Yellow River at once.

We need to get bigger boats for ferrying.

No, Fang Wen immediately dismissed the idea.

With the war situation urgent, the large boats sailing on the Yellow River have long been requisitioned, and it is impossible to obtain a large ferry boat in a short period of time.

However, Taishan Airlines' seaplanes can also handle water ferry services.

It doesn't even need to take off; it can travel back and forth across the Yellow River by floating on the water.

Moreover, the Yellow River's current here is relatively gentle, posing no major problem for seaplanes.

With this in mind, Fang Wen immediately set about implementing the plan. He returned to the seaplane airport and telegraphed Taishan Airlines headquarters, requesting that the 30 empty seaplanes used to transport refugees be sent to Jinan.

After the instructions were given, Taishan Airlines headquarters in Wuhan immediately began to implement them.

Thirty seaplanes parked at Wuhan's seaplane airport took off one after another, bound for Jinan.

More than three hours later, 30 civilian seaplanes appeared in the skies over Jinan.

The appearance of so many planes caused chaos in Jinan.

But soon, they realized something was wrong.

The planes flew in from the south and didn't look like Japanese warplanes.

Subsequently, local government officials in Jinan came forward to explain that the vehicles were used to transport refugees from the war-torn north.

The brief panic subsided, and Jinan returned to normal.

The 30 seaplanes were docked at Jinan Sea Airport, waiting for the refugees to arrive on the north bank so that they could be ferried by seaplane.

Everything was ready. As long as the Japanese army's southward advance was stopped and the evacuating civilians were allowed to cross the Yellow River, the operation would be considered a success.

Fang Wen resumed his command of the air force, leading the air raid squadron to launch a harassing attack on the 10th Division.

After a one-hour flight, the flight formation arrived over the marching route of the Japanese 1th Division.

At this point, the Japanese army had already traveled 30 kilometers and was still more than 60 kilometers away from Dezhou.

Without railways to transport troops, the 10th Division switched to roads, but the narrow roads caused the marching column to become increasingly long.

Seeing this, Fang Wen sighed inwardly. If he had a ground force of several thousand men, he could coordinate with the ground force to blow up the entire marching column in the middle, and then command the ground force to wipe out the enemy troops in front.

Now, without ground troop support, they can only conduct harassment operations.

Immediately, at his command, four fighter jets swooped down and strafed and bombed the long column.

Meanwhile, gunboat squadrons also conducted focused strafing of the 10th Division's convoy. Chaos erupted on the ground, and the march was interrupted once again.

Fang Wen, who had activated his mechanical senses, dared not relax in the slightest.

He carefully observed the ground situation with his mechanical eagle eye, searching for Japanese anti-aircraft weapons.

From his aerial, global perspective, he spotted the target.

Right in the middle of the convoy, there was a separate convoy of three trucks.

Soldiers in the truck are unloading anti-aircraft machine guns; once they are set up and secured on the ground, they can fire into the air.

Fang Wen's heart raced, and he said urgently, "Shooters, listen up! I want you to fire according to my command."

Upon hearing the regimental commander's order, the gunners in the airport immediately stopped, and Gong Xiuneng also ceased operating his 12.7mm machine gun.

Fang Wen continued, "The plane will veer to the left. The target is three cars parked in a row on the left. They are using the cars as cover to set up anti-aircraft machine guns. Destroy them."

The gunners tensed up immediately, knowing that the armor-piercing rounds of the 20mm anti-aircraft machine gun could penetrate the protective steel plates of gunboats and aircraft.

It must be destroyed as soon as possible.

Immediately, the shooters searched for targets below through the observation pier.

As the gunboat veered to the left, three cars came into the gunners' view.

Furthermore, this deflection angle is centered around the three cars.

This is also the standard shooting position in daily training.

Under Fang Wen's precise flight control, the shooter completed target aiming at top speed.

Immediately, a large number of bullets were fired from the gunboat.

The sudden attack ripped the cargo compartments of three trucks apart, scattering wood chips and tarpaulins everywhere, and leaving wounded bodies lying on the ground.

After the first round of firing, the three trucks were completely destroyed, and the anti-aircraft machine guns hidden behind the trucks were exposed.

Two of the gunners had been killed, while the remaining gunners were cranking the anti-aircraft machine gun aiming wheel, attempting to fire at the gunships in the air.

These actions were all observed by Fang Wen in his mechanical perception state.

The gunship suddenly took off and changed its flight angle, making it impossible for the ground-based anti-aircraft machine guns to aim for it for a moment.

Meanwhile, Fang Wen also gave orders inside the cabin: "I will conduct evasive maneuvers, and then immediately enter a circling state. Be ready to take aim at any time."

The gunners were on high alert. The plane suddenly changed direction in the air, and they gripped the weapon stalks tightly to keep their bodies still.

Even the newly joined Gong Xiuneng was the same, gripping the machine gun handle tightly with both hands, his lower body in a horse stance, not moving at all.

But the most dangerous person is the loader.

The bomb loaders, secured by their belts and safety ropes inside the cabin, struggled to maintain their balance while changing course during flight, and also had to install the ammunition belts.

Time passed slowly, each second magnified and felt incredibly long.

Everyone was doing this because of Fang Wen's order.

A minute later, Fang Wen suddenly spoke up: "Get ready to aim."

Almost simultaneously, the aircraft entered a circling state, and the gunners immediately identified the target through the observation window at the previous firing angle.

Aiming was completed in a short time, and a new round of firing began.

A dense hail of bullets rained down on the anti-aircraft machine guns on the ground.

Even the front shields of those 20mm anti-aircraft machine guns couldn't stop such a dense barrage of bullets, not to mention the explosive force of the 20mm cannons.

The sounds of bullets striking steel plates, explosions, and screams filled the air as this anti-aircraft machine gun emplacement, which posed a significant threat to the gunboat fleet, was wiped out in its infancy.

Having destroyed the anti-aircraft machine gun position, Fang Wen once again used his eagle-eye ability, enhanced by mechanical perception, to survey the entire battlefield.

It appears that no second anti-aircraft machine gun position has been found, meaning this harassment will no longer be threatened from the ground.

Subsequently, eight aircraft ravaged the skies over the 8th Division, continuously causing damage to the unit.

The 10th Division was thrown into chaos by this unbridled attack.

At this moment, Fang Wen detected the aircraft signal fed back by the radar detection equipment through mechanical perception.

More than twenty aircraft are heading this way, 100 kilometers to the north.

It seems that the air support requested by the 10th Division has arrived.

Fang Wen chuckled inwardly; now that they were here, he should leave.

He immediately issued an order for the air strike formation to withdraw, and the eight aircraft abandoned their ground attack and retreated south.

Twenty minutes later, a formation of 25 Japanese warplanes arrived over the 20th Army Corps.

All that remained for them was the chaotic scene of the 10th Division's air raid; they didn't even see a single plane from the Taishan Independent Regiment that had caused the attack.

The large Japanese warplanes, having come in a great number only to find nothing, could only circle helplessly in the air before returning to Tianjin Airport.

This air raid made Fang Wen realize more deeply the importance of his role as the battlefield command center.

It can provide overall command of air and ground forces, and can also detect enemy aircraft in advance and make timely retreats.

This tactical approach is perfectly suited to the Taishan Independent Regiment.

In subsequent aerial harassment operations, Fang Wen thoroughly integrated this aerial command concept with practice.

This resulted in the Japanese army being attacked repeatedly by the elusive air formations of the Taishan Independent Regiment, but each time the Japanese Army Air Force came to intercept them, they failed.

Even if they conduct pre-surveys, the Taishan air strike formation can still find gaps to harass them.

Fang Wen named this tactic, which involved elusive movements and made it impossible for the enemy to hit or touch it, "aerial guerrilla tactics."

The planes of the Taishan Independent Regiment seemed to have eyes; they could spot them from a great distance and then end the air raid and retreat ahead of time.

After the Japanese Army Air Force planes returned to base, the Taishan Independent Regiment's planes reappeared and carried out air raids to harass the Japanese forces.

Thus, what should have been a 3-day march took 5 days to reach Texas.

Subsequently, outside Texas, the 10th Division suffered a fierce attack.

The explosives outside the city detonated, causing a series of explosions that sent the vanguard troops flying.

Subsequently, 75mm infantry guns and 80mm medium mortars inside the city launched an artillery barrage against the Japanese troops.

These cannons, whose firing parameters had been determined long ago, accurately launched their shells to the designated positions, launching another fierce attack on the Japanese troops who had gathered outside the city.

Before even seeing anyone, they were subjected to such a fierce attack, and the 10th Division barely managed to organize a siege operation.

But what they faced next were two Taishan Pine Tanks that drove out of the city gate.

This medium tank, with 25mm frontal armor, became a mobile heavy firepower output, working in conjunction with the infantry on the city walls to fiercely fire at the attacking forces.

But that wasn't all; the air raid squadron of the Taishan Independent Regiment reappeared on the battlefield.

The air strike formation on Mount Tai, which was coordinated with ground troops, played an even greater role this time.

Fang Wen used mechanical sensing to locate the Japanese artillery positions behind the lines. The air raid squadron flew directly over the front of the 10th Army Corps and launched an air raid on the artillery positions that were calibrating their firing data and attempting to bombard the city wall.

(End of this chapter)