Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 362 360 Aerial Interception Successful; National Air Force Invites Fang Wen to Join the Bombing Operation

The Japanese naval air force's covert attack on Zhoujiakou Airport was extremely meticulous. On the surface, the air battle at Jiangyin was used to distract the Nanjing National Air Force, while secretly, they flew over areas such as Yancheng and Huai'an, which were not yet affected by the war.

They wouldn't have been discovered otherwise, but unfortunately, Fang Wen has now found their whereabouts through his special abilities and radar detection device.

For Captain Gao's sake, and also to stop the Japanese air raid on Zhoujiakou Airport, Fang Wen immediately led a team to intercept them.

However, their location was 560 kilometers away from Zhoujiakou Airport, while the Japanese army was 460 kilometers away.

There is a 100-kilometer distance between the two.

However, one thing that is advantageous to the enemy is that, judging from the movement speed of the radar target acquisition device, the overall speed of the Japanese army's flight path is 400 kilometers per hour.

This is because the enemy's formation consisted of a mix of bombers and fighters, which caused the overall flight speed to slow down.

In other words, the other party will arrive in Zhoujiakou in 1 hour and 10 minutes.

Fang Wen's speed reached 480 kilometers per hour, and he arrived in Zhoujiakou in about 1 hour and 10 minutes.

This was a race against time; the eight aircraft of the Taishan Fighter Squadron sped off toward the northwest.

The two groups of aircraft flew simultaneously to Zhoujiakou Airport at an altitude of 3000 meters.

Meanwhile, Zhoujiakou Airport was completely unaware of this.

A group of people were gathered around 13 Il-16s, discussing the matter.

Among them were Soviet pilots who flew the plane to deliver the goods, Captain Gao from Nanjing and officials from the Aviation Commission, as well as Captain Chen from the Sixth Squadron stationed locally.

Captain Gao, who had just completed a live flight, shared his feelings.

"This monoplane is fast and more agile than the Hawk II. But why do I feel it's inferior to the Taishan Independent Regiment's Il-16? Also, the Independent Regiment's Il-16s have more powerful weapons that can shoot down enemy aircraft in mid-air, which is something you don't have."

Officials from the Foreign Affairs Department translated Captain Gao's words.

The Soviet pilot exclaimed in surprise, "Besides you, our country has not exported any other aircraft to China. The Il-16s sold to you are an improved version; there are no better models of the same type. Moreover, all Il-16s currently have the same weapon configuration; you must be mistaken."

Captain Gao shook his head: "It's an Il-16. It looks basically the same, and Commander Fang of the Taishan Independent Regiment also said that it was bought from Spain."

"Spain?!" The Soviet pilots were puzzled. They exchanged glances and then replied, "I know who it is. The strongest Asian pilot in the Spanish theater. Our volunteer pilots who participated in that war gave him the Russian name Mikhail."

The translator changed the name to the transliterated name 'Mikhail' and explained that it is a Russian name that means "a person like a god".

Captain Gao mouthed, "Mikhail, Fang Wen. Haha. Let's go to the canteen, we can eat and chat. You must tell me more about Fang Wen's experiences in Spain. By the way, I know you guys can hold your liquor, so I specially prepared some fine Eastern wine."

Upon hearing that there was alcohol involved, the Soviet pilot readily agreed.

The group left the airport and went to the cafeteria.

Just as I was about to sit down, I heard the pilots outside, who hadn't come in yet, exclaim in surprise.

"A plane is coming, but it's not our type. Something's happened, an air raid!"

Everyone present was particularly sensitive to the word "air raid".

Everyone reacted immediately.

Led by their captain, the pilots of the Sixth Squadron rushed out to prepare to board their fighter jets and engage in battle.

The Soviet pilot helplessly shrugged: "Sorry, we cannot participate in foreign wars at will."

If they don't fly the Il-16, it means those 13 planes will become live targets for the Japanese.

Without hesitation, Captain Gao led two pilots with experience flying the Il-16 out of the canteen and ran towards the fighter jets on the other side of the airport.

It's quite a distance from the canteen to the Il-16; it takes several minutes to run there, which is enough time for Japanese warplanes to fly over and launch an air raid.

It would be very dangerous to run over and drive an Il-16 at that time.

Not to mention, this Japanese air raid was probably specifically targeting the Il-16, since these aircraft were among the few monoplane fighters in the Nationalist Air Force.

At the critical moment, another squadron of planes appeared in the southwest.

We arrived just in time!
Fang Wen breathed a slight sigh of relief, stopped using the radar detection device, and led the fighter squadron to quickly approach the enemy aircraft group.

(Mitsubishi Type 97 heavy bomber group)
The enemy has 15 aircraft, including 10 Type 96 carrier-based attack aircraft and 5 Type 97 heavy bombers.

These enemy planes were preparing to launch an air raid on Zhoujiakou and had no idea that enemies would appear from their flanks and rear.

Even 10 escorting Type 96 carrier-based attack aircraft flew to the front to block the takeoff of ground aircraft.

How could Fang Wen miss such a good opportunity?

He immediately issued a secret telegram ordering the fighter squadron to split into four combat groups and launch a full-scale attack.

Immediately, the fighter squadron split into four directions and attacked the unsuspecting Type 4 heavy bombers.

The first to approach their target were Fang Wen and his wingman, Du Jiahuai.

The two skillfully flanked the target from both sides from behind.

A barrage of machine gun shells was fired, bombarding the wings and tail of the Type 97 heavy bomber.

Under the powerful attack of the 20mm cannon, the tail fin exploded, exposing the aluminum alloy frame inside.

Then, both wings caught fire and broke off. With such severe damage, the plane lost its balance and tumbled to the ground.

Before it could even hit the ground, the bombs inside the cabin had already been detonated, and the entire bomber exploded in mid-air.

Fang Wen, who easily dealt with a Type 97 heavy bomber, flew with his wingman to the next target.

That was the last Type 97 heavy bomber, and the only one that reacted.

It quickly turned around, trying to escape the area, but how could a bomber possibly avoid being pursued by fighter jets without escort aircraft?

Not to mention the situation where Fang Wen personally pursued and killed him.

The bomber also exploded during the attack.

Having easily ended the battle, Fang Wen immediately checked on his teammates.

Deng Zhongyu, Rao Minghe, and their team have shot down the target bomber.

Qi Baoqian, the target of Fan Bosheng's group, was seriously injured but was still trying to escape. The thick smoke trailing behind him indicated that he wouldn't last much longer.

The target that Shao Deqing and Zhai Xiaojun's group had also dealt with was now engaged in dogfighting with Japanese fighter planes returning to escort them.

In a short period of time, almost all of the Japanese heavy bombers were destroyed, rendering the air raid meaningless.

At this moment, Fang Wen and his team's sudden attack gave the planes at Zhoujiakou Airport a precious opportunity to take off.

The fighter jets of the Sixth Squadron took off, and three Il-16s also took off to intercept them.

Faced with this situation, the 10 Type 96 carrier-based attack aircraft dared not stay and continue fighting, and turned to flee.

This time, Fang Wen did not lead the pursuit, but left it to the Sixth Brigade.

After all, the objective of this battle has been achieved, and the Taishan fighter squadron, which was flying to Jiangyin for combat when it came out, did not have large-capacity external fuel tanks for long-distance flights, and now it has to return to Nanjing.

Before leaving, he piloted the Shrike parallel to Captain Gao's Il-16, and waved with a smile.

Captain Gao, who was on the plane next to him, waved happily in response.

He didn't know that this air raid was originally supposed to be the end of his life, but it was changed because of Fang Wen's arrival.

An hour later, eight fighter jets from the Taishan Independent Regiment returned to Nanjing. The eight jets, with little fuel left in their fuel tanks, landed at the Ming Palace Airport.

After the plane landed, pilots from other air squadrons at Ming Palace Airport immediately came over to exchange information.

"Where did you guys go? We were playing perfectly fine, and then you suddenly left."

Zhai Xiaojun did not answer when questioned, after all, the commander had changed the order of the operation at the last minute, and he was not aware of it either.

Fang Wen, who had just gotten off the plane, also heard this. This issue needed to be explained, otherwise the behavior of the Taishan Fighter Squadron could not be explained.

But this wasn't explained to the ordinary pilots; it was explained to the high command of the National Air Force. How was it explained?
Fang Wen thought about it for a long time and finally decided to fabricate an intelligence source, saying that he had found out that the Japanese army would launch an air raid on the Il-16 fighters at Zhoujiakou Airport, which was why this operation was carried out.

Although it's not a perfect explanation, it at least illustrates my actions.

But his fears did not come true; no senior National Air Force officials inquired about the matter afterward.

until the next day.

As the night passed and dawn broke, Ming Palace Airport became bustling again.

Pilots, mechanics, and ground crew from each squadron began their new day's work.

Fang Wen and his Taishan Independent Regiment pilots also got up early to jog along the runway.

After running a few laps, the pilots were drenched in sweat, which was considered a good warm-up exercise.

Fang Wen smiled and said, "Physical health is the most important asset for a pilot. Without a good physique, it's easy to run into problems during high-intensity flight. From now on, everyone should keep exercising whenever they have time."

Rao Minghe, panting heavily, asked, "Commander, didn't you say that our planes would be equipped with pressurized cabin technology to reduce the burden on our bodies? When will this technology be available?"

His words were what the other pilots wanted to know, and everyone looked at Fang Wen.

Fang Wen smiled and said, "Soon. The goods have already arrived in Europe and will be back in China soon. The pressurization chamber modification is expected to begin in January next year."

The antique vase containing the pressurized chamber technology has already arrived in Europe with the Whitneys and will fly to Wuhan in two days.

In other words, he could only stay in Nanjing for two more days before returning to Nanjing to sign a purchase contract for 100 aircraft with Whitney.

Therefore, things need to be arranged in Nanjing.

He notified Manager Liu and Fang Shouxin at the sea airport that Sun Debiao should come over.

They were tasked with overseeing the ongoing civilian evacuation.

Then, Qi Baoqian, the most composed fighter pilot, was assigned to temporarily command the fighter squadron after he left.

After some arrangements, things in Nanjing were settled.

After that, Fang Wen focused on completing the last two days of escort flights.

Around noon, two officers arrived at the Ming Palace Airport.

Two officers approached Fang Wen directly. One of them was Captain Gao's deputy, and he introduced Fang Wen to them:

"This is Lieutenant Colonel Gui from the Bombing Command. He's here to see you."

Fang Wen originally thought he was asking about the air battle in Jiangyin yesterday, but he didn't expect there to be another reason.

And it was a bombing of the command headquarters.

The National Air Force command structure has three parallel departments: the Destroyer Command, the Bomber Command, and the Reconnaissance Command.

Captain Gao was the commander of the Expeditionary Command, responsible for directing daily interception operations against Japanese warplanes.

The Bombing Command and the Reconnaissance Command, as their names suggest, are the decision-making bodies for bombing and aerial reconnaissance.

Thinking of this, Fang Wen asked calmly, "What is it?"

"Commander Fang's expertise in air combat is undeniable. Our command would like to invite Commander Fang over to discuss building a bomber force. We also have another operation we would like to invite you to join."

Fang Wen was very interested in the Nationalist Air Force's bomber force, so he agreed.

He then drove after the two officers to the temporary airport at Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum.

Three bombers were parked on the highway runway there.

As Fang Wen drove by, he couldn't help but take a look.

This is the 139WC medium bomber manufactured by the American Martin Aircraft Company.

In fact, it is the export version of the B-10 bomber that the US military equipped in previous years.

However, due to the rapid pace of technological advancements in aircraft over the years, this type of aircraft has been phased out in the United States.

However, the Nationalist government bought several of them last year.

It was these few bombers that formed the bombing force of the National Air Force.

Fang Wen couldn't help but wonder what they would be discussing later.

A few minutes later, the car stopped next to a villa.

Fang Wen got out of the car and went inside with two officers. Inside was actually the command post, with many soldiers going in and out.

He was taken to an office on the second floor, where the man was the commander of the bombing command.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, everyone got straight to the point.

"Commander Fang, I heard you fought in Spain last year?"

Fang Wen had no intention of keeping this a secret, and readily replied, "Yes, I went for two months."

"Have you ever seen this kind of bomber?" The commander took out a black and white photo and handed it to Fang Wen.

Fang Wen took the photo and looked at it.

Isn't this He111?

A model for converting passenger planes into bombers and military transport aircraft.

During the Spanish Civil War, Germany provided many He 111 helicopters as aid, and Fang Wen saw them more than once.

"I've seen it. In Europe, it's called a passenger-bomber dual-purpose aircraft. When used as a bomber, it mainly relies on eight external bomb boxes for bombing. It doesn't have a bombardier's compartment; the bombardier is located inside the aircraft and drops bombs through an observation port."

Seeing Fang Wen's knowledge, the commander said, "There are two He 111 bombers in Guangdong, with good performance. We're considering purchasing a batch of He 111 bombers from there through the German officer advisory group to increase our existing bombing capabilities. What do you think?"

Fang Wen's thoughts were racing.

To be honest, the 139WC is an outdated model, and Martin has even stopped producing it.

The He 111 bomber wasn't much better.

But these two models have one thing in common: they are cheap.

It is estimated that those in charge of bomber procurement were thinking about both achieving combat capability and minimizing costs.

Although he was internally complaining, Fang Wen wouldn't say it out loud.

He said tactfully, "Sure, we do lack bombers. Ordinary fighter jets carrying small aerial bombs are unlikely to pose a threat to ground troops. Only bombers can provide an air deterrent."

The commander liked this kind of talk. He said happily, "Yes, air power ultimately determines the outcome of a war, and it still depends on large-scale bombing. There's another reason I invited you here today. We're preparing a large-scale bombing raid on the Japanese forces around Jiangyin and Changzhou. We'll be using two Type 139WC bombers and two He 111 bombers, but I'm worried about problems during the bombing. You're the top bomber in China, having sunk the Izumo destroyer. You're an authority in this field. Could you join this bombing raid and pilot a Type 139WC in the battle?"

That's what it was for.

Fang Wen was not opposed to piloting the 139WC bomber.

He asked, "Why did you suddenly find me?"

The commander understood that it was a bit unreasonable to ask Fang Wen to join the operation so hastily, so he gave a special explanation.

"During this operation, one of the bomber pilots suddenly fell seriously ill. The doctor said it was a brain hemorrhage, and he's already in a coma. I know this request is a bit demanding; an aircraft that hasn't flown before isn't easy to master in a short time. You can try flying it first, but if you can't handle it, we won't force you. We can reduce the number of bombers in the formation."

Fang Wen asked directly, "When will we take action?"

"tomorrow."

Tomorrow's operation is perfect; it won't delay our return to Wuhan to sign the contract. Fang Wen readily agreed.

"Okay, I'll familiarize myself with getting off the plane today."

"You agree?" The commander was overjoyed and took Fang Wen out.

(End of this chapter)