Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 364-362 Jiangyin Fortress, Bombing the Destroyer, Destroying the Reconnaissance Hot Air Balloon
The crews of the three bombers arrived at the operations conference room inside the temporary airfield at Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum.

Several high-ranking officers from the bombing command were there.

The meeting began after everyone had arrived.

The commander spoke.

"This mission is very important. Captain Xie will explain the details to everyone."

Captain Xie stood up.

"The target of this bombing mission is the Jiangyin Fortress, which controls the Yangtze River. However, due to its special nature, it has now become an important ground attack target. The Japanese army is concentrating its forces to attack that place. We have two tasks: to bomb the Japanese naval forces on the river that are trying to destroy the sunken ship obstacles, and to bomb the Japanese troops on the outskirts of Jiangyin."

This mission was not unexpected, given that the Jiangyin and Changzhou area is currently the focus of the war.

Fang Wen listened attentively. The military operation with only three bombers seemed meager, but it represented all the bomber force that the National Air Force could currently muster.

In addition to aircraft 3003 and 3005, this operation also included a former Guangdong Air Force He-111 bomber, which was personally piloted and led by Captain Xie.

In addition, to ensure the success of the bombing operation, several air squadrons of fighter planes were also deployed for escort.

After explaining the situation, Captain Xie specifically asked Fang Wen, "Commander Fang, are you confident about this operation?"

"I can't say for sure, but I'm very confident about it," Fang Wen replied.

"That's good." The commander shook hands with Fang Wen, and then saw all the bombing crew off.

Three bombers took off one after another from the runway.

Captain Xie's He 111 bomber took off first, followed by 30003, and Fang Wen's 3005 took off last.

After the first two planes took off, Fang Wen controlled 3005 to accelerate on the runway.

This American bomber continued the characteristics of American aircraft, with the control stick adopting the structure of a car steering wheel.

It was very easy to operate. After a short run and acceleration, Fang Wen controlled the aircraft to lift off steadily.

With a whooshing sound, the planes soared into the sky and joined the bombing formation.

He 111 was in front, followed by 3003 and 3005, while four Hawk 2 fighters escorted each of the three bombers on the sides and in front.

The bombing formation consisted of 12 fighter jets and 3 bombers.

It flew towards Jiangyin, 160 kilometers away.

(The formation flight of He-111 bombers and Hawk II fighters at that time)

Half an hour later, the bombing squadron arrived in the Jiangyin area.

Fang Wen activated the mechanical sensor to observe the situation below.

The fortress area below is actually a small hill on the banks of the Yangtze River.

Many cannons were placed in different locations on the mountain.

This section of the Yangtze River is also the narrowest part of the lower reaches of the Yangtze. There are sunken ships on the river, and the fortified gun emplacements on the shore effectively prevented Japanese warships from going up the Yangtze.

This superior defensive strategy is no longer effective. The Japanese ground forces launched an attack from the rear of the Jiangyin Fortress, and the National Army on the outer defense line fought passively and could not effectively stop the Japanese advance.

The fall of Changshu and Wuxi turned Jiangyin, a rear coastal defense base, into a frontline position.

Fang Wen also saw some things that others didn't know.

Behind the Jiangyin Fortress, several heavy artillery pieces are being towed away from the area.

Those were 150mm Krupp howitzers, the most powerful heavy artillery in the Nationalist army, originally intended to deal with Japanese warships. Now that they've been taken away, the meaning is self-evident.

Fang Wen felt helpless; this bombing was yet another perfunctory gesture.

But he didn't want to just visit. Since he was there, he wanted to teach the Japanese a lesson so that the plane would be worthy of the aerial bombs it was loaded with.

At this moment, the He 111 bomber in front tilted its fuselage and dived towards the river.

The bombing squadron's first target operation has begun.

3003 and 3005, driven by Fang Wen, followed closely behind.

Three bombers swooped down to a height of 1000 meters above the river, below which was a fleet of Japanese warships.

It wasn't a large warship, but a destroyer and five minesweepers.

They are clearing mines from the river and simultaneously placing explosives on the sunken ship in an attempt to destroy it.

Upon seeing the formation of bombers in the sky, the Japanese soldiers immediately took precautions against air raids.

The ship's anti-aircraft machine guns were raised and began firing into the air.

Meanwhile, he111 and 3003 also dropped bombs.

Only Fang Wen's 30005 remained motionless.

Inside the cabin of aircraft 3005, Huo Jiamu and Qi Yang were filled with anxiety.

But they still remembered Fang Wen's words from yesterday: they had to listen to Fang Wen in everything, so they could only remain patient and do nothing.

More anxious was Dai Jingxing, the navigator, who could see the operations of the friendly aircraft and couldn't help but ask questions in the front cockpit.

"Captain, why don't you order the bombing?"

Fang Wen said coldly, "I need to confirm, don't rush."

From his mechanical perspective, the bombing raids of he111 and 3003 completely missed their mark. The bombs landed on the river surface, creating huge waves, but they failed to hit the ships.

Clearly, smaller ships are more difficult to hit, and with anti-aircraft machine guns defending below, the He111 and 3003 dared not lower their altitude too much, which is why all their bombing attempts missed.

Their remaining bombs were intended for the Japanese troops outside the Jiangyin Fortress, so their own bombing was the only thing that could threaten this small fleet.

Fang Wen did not change his strategy because of navigator Dai Jingxing's words.

He calmly maneuvered the 3005, circling over the river, dodging the bullets from the anti-aircraft machine guns below while confirming the timing of the bombing.

After circling once, Fang Wen made a decision and said, "Prepare to drop bombs. Use the left bomb bay for a one-time airdrop."

Inside the cockpit, bombardier Huo Jiamu quickly replied: "Received: Use the left bomb bay, one-time airdrop."

After confirming that the words were correct, Fang Wen continued, "I will count down to 10 in a moment. When the countdown reaches zero, immediately proceed with the bombing operation."

Immediately, the aircraft readjusted its angle, aligning itself with the fleet below, and rapidly approached.

Meanwhile, the countdown also began at 10.9, 8.
The two crew members inside the cabin waited anxiously, especially Huo Jiamu, who gripped the bomb release lever with both hands.

As the countdown reached zero, he used all his strength to pull the lever all the way to the bottom.

The bomber's left bomb bay on its belly opened, and four high-explosive shells modified from howitzers fell downwards.

Four black dots descended from the sky, getting closer and closer.

It landed precisely on the destroyer flagship of this small fleet.

Four high-explosive bombs collided and detonated at the mid-section of the deck, unleashing a massive explosion of flames and sending shockwaves carrying debris in all directions.

The explosion was devastating, blasting a large hole in the middle of the small destroyer and causing it to list as a large amount of river water flooded in.

Judging from the situation, it wouldn't be long before the ship sank in the Yangtze River, and the Japanese soldiers who survived the explosion jumped into the river to escape.

This scene was also observed by the bomber formation in the sky.

Captain Xie's HE111 was parallel to Fang Wen's 3005, and he gave a thumbs up to express his admiration for Fang Wen's accurate bombing.

Then he made a circle with his hand, indicating that he was turning to the second bombing target.
Fang Wen responded with a hand gesture, and the bomber formation flew away from the Yangtze River, heading towards the east side of the Jiangyin Fortress. A few minutes later, the bomber formation arrived at the east side of the Jiangyin Fortress.

At the same time, Japanese warplanes also appeared in the air.

There were only five of these fighter jets, far fewer than the Hawk II fighters in the escort formation.

They probably weren't there specifically to intercept the bomber formation; they just happened to run into it.

To prevent enemy aircraft from getting close, eight Hawk II fighters intercepted them, while He 111 flew eastward, attempting to drop the remaining bombs on Japanese troops.

Fang Wen's 3005 followed.

The other 3003, however, did not, seemingly hesitant.

A moment later, 30003 flew southwest, where no Japanese warplanes intercepted it. It seemed that it intended to drop its bombs on the Japanese positions there before returning to base.

Fang Wendu saw this situation clearly.

He suddenly understood Captain Xie's feelings; having such subordinates on flight missions was practically a trap for him.

Clearing his mind, Fang Wen searched for ground targets worthy of bombing.

Because of the Jiangyin Fortress, the troops here used skirmish lines specifically to avoid artillery fire from the fortress.

Fang Wen didn't want to use the bombs on these stragglers, so he looked for the Japanese artillery positions.

After searching, they didn't find the artillery position, but they discovered something else.

In the rear of the Japanese lines, a group of Japanese soldiers were busy at work.

They were inflating the hot air balloon. As the balloon rose into the air, soldiers in the basket hanging below it used binoculars to observe the area ahead, then wrote down the situation on paper, put it in a paper tube, and dropped it to the ground.

These are the Japanese army's balloon soldiers, a special type of soldier dedicated to guiding artillery attacks.

Since we've run into each other, let's not let it go.

Fang Wen announced, "Attention crew members, Japanese hot air balloons spotted ahead. I order you to use the aircraft machine guns to fire."

Navigator Dai Jingxing was overjoyed. He had originally thought that this bombing had nothing to do with him, but he never expected that he would be of use.

After all, in addition to navigating, the rear cockpit also needs to control the machine gun in the nose for firing.

He immediately accepted the order.

However, Huo Jiamu and Qi Yang, who were inside the cabin, were a little confused.

but.

Regardless, this operation must follow the orders of this temporary captain, as agreed upon yesterday.

The two men immediately got up and ran toward the two aircraft machine guns on the belly and rear of the plane, respectively.

At this moment, Fang Wen spoke up again: "There are two hot air balloons. I will fly around the balloons and point out their location to you as needed."

Immediately afterwards, 3005 descended and flew around the Japanese hot air balloon.

This was supposed to be basic operation for gunships, but the crew members in the cockpit had not received the corresponding training. Fang Wen could only remind the operators to fire when they were in the appropriate firing position.

And so, the three machine guns of the 3005 bomber finally came in handy. Although their accuracy was not high, the large number of bullets fired made it not difficult to hit a large target like a hot air balloon.

Two hot air balloons were shot through in mid-air, quickly deflated and flattened, and crashed to the ground.

Having resolved the hot air balloon issue, Fang Wen did not fly away from the area. He had a premonition that there was a hidden Japanese artillery position nearby.

He then carefully observed the situation below and eventually discovered a concealed artillery position about one kilometer from where the hot air balloon crashed.

There, Fang Wen confirmed the bombing again, and then ordered the operators in the cockpit to drop the remaining bombs.

As the right bomb bay opened, four high-explosive aerial bombs fell, sending huge plumes of flame and smoke into the sky, turning the entire artillery position into ruins.

Fang Wen then piloted the 3005 bomber to rendezvous with Captain Xie's He 111.

Meanwhile, 3003, which had chosen a different bombing spot, returned to its position. The three bombers, having emptied their bombs, flew back together.

Meanwhile, the eight Hawk IIs that had intercepted the Japanese fighter planes also withdrew after the bomber formation had safely departed.

Half an hour later.

Three bombers landed on the temporary road runway at Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum Airport.

Fang Wen got off the plane and shook hands with the crew to say goodbye: "You all cooperated very well. I hope to see you again someday."

The three crew members had an experience they had never had before after this bombing.

That's why they realized that Fang Wen's aerial abilities weren't exaggerated in the reports, but were genuine.

Unfortunately, there will probably be no chance to cooperate in the future. The commander of the Taishan Independent Regiment will no longer be able to fly bombers from the Eighth Air Group on missions.

Qi Yang couldn't help but ask, "Commander Fang, may I join your Independent Regiment?"

Fang Wen was stunned for a moment, then smiled and replied, "I'm afraid that won't work. Our Independent Regiment is too small to accommodate Martin's squadron."

After saying that, Fang Wen turned and left to find Captain Xie.

After a conversation with Captain Xie, he went to the command post to complete the handover of the operation, and then drove the military vehicle he had brought away from Zhongshan Mausoleum Airport.

This bombing mission has now come to an end.

After finishing his temporary participation in the bombing operation, Fang Wen prepared to return to Wuhan that afternoon.

He took Gong Xiuneng to the sea airport.

The area outside the airport was packed with people.

Even the main gate was blocked. In order to let the car in, Gong Xiuneng stood by the car and shouted loudly, "Make way, we need to go in."

People with their families showed no intention of making way; instead, they squeezed even harder to get in.

This scene was witnessed by the staff of Taishan Airlines inside.

A team of armed security personnel immediately arrived.

Sun Debiao, accompanied by security guards, opened the gate to let Fang Wen's car in, and then immediately closed the gate.

Fang Wen got out of the car and asked, "What happened? Why did you close the door?"

Upon hearing the news, Manager Liu explained, "As the battle draws ever closer to Nanjing, more and more people want to leave by seaplane. The airport is already overcrowded. The waiting list for boarding is stretching until the day after tomorrow. Those who can't get into the airport yet will have to wait three days to board. Even so, they are unwilling to leave now, so they bring their luggage and bedding and spend the night outside the airport, hoping to be the first to enter when it opens."

Upon hearing what Manager Liu said, Fang Wen replied, "The weather is already cold now, and it's very uncomfortable for them to spend the night outside. The company should allocate funds to hire people to set up several outdoor stoves outside the airport to ensure the supply of hot water and basic food."

"Okay, I'll arrange it right away," Manager Liu replied.

Fang Wen added, "Also, I'm flying back to Wuhan today, and I'll be taking a group of people with me. Please arrange for some passengers to board the plane."

Manager Liu, Sun Debiao, and Fang Shouxin all refused in unison.

"No, you mustn't." "I can't." "Young master, you're too ambitious."

Manager Liu earnestly advised, "General Manager, you'd better not take passengers back to Wuhan. The world is too chaotic right now, and Japanese spies are everywhere. We're all extremely worried about you coming to the airport now. What if there are Japanese passengers on the flight back to Wuhan!"

Fang Wen understood that no one wanted anything to happen to him. After all, Taishan Airlines and everything he had established were created because of him. If something happened to him, the entire system would collapse.

Although he was confident that he could control everything on the plane, he still accepted the request from Manager Liu and his group.

In the end, Fang Wen piloted a seaplane without passengers back to Wuhan with Gong Xiuneng.

(End of this chapter)