Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 428, Page 426: Grenade Launcher - Testing its Power in Combat

Inside the headquarters office building in Yangon, Fang Wen remained inside the general manager's office, refusing to leave.

He is conceiving new types of weapons.

Now it is the first year of the full-scale war of resistance against Japan. The infantry is mainly on the defensive, and they are resisting the enemy's attack by building strong defensive fortifications.

However, as the war progressed and weaponry developed, infantry gradually began to shift towards mobile offensives.

The Japanese army's extensive use of tanks and other armored vehicles provided its infantry with a powerful mobile offensive capability.

This also explains the gap between the poorly equipped Chinese army and the Japanese army.

Fang Wen felt he was capable of being bolder and more unrestrained, and directly produced rifle grenades and rocket launchers that only appeared at the end of the war.

These types of weapons are extremely effective in offensive operations, and are more efficient and safer than soldiers carrying explosives with their own bodies.

He first designed a grenade launcher.

It is a tubular device.

One end extends above the rifle barrel and is fixed above the bayonet lug, while the other end holds the rifle grenade in place.

Before firing, load blank ammunition into the rifle.

Upon firing, the high-pressure gas generated by the bullet propels the grenade forward with considerable force.

This type of rifle grenade can be launched up to 200 meters away, which is much farther than the maximum throwing distance of a hand grenade, which is 30 meters.

Compared to the Japanese army's grenade launcher, it was simpler and more practical.

(In 45, the M7 rifle-mounted grenade launcher was launched using muzzle energy.)
Because of its simple structure, the main difficulty lies in the grenade itself.

Fang Wen directly instructed the bomb factory to modify the 20mm machine gun shells.

Five days later, a seaplane flew back from the bomb factory in northern Myanmar and landed at Yangon Port Airport.

After disembarking, the pilot carried a suitcase and took a shuttle bus directly back to the industrial park.

There, he handed the box to Fang Wen.

"General Manager, the items have been delivered."

Fang Wen, who was recording data on grenade manufacturing, got up, opened the box, looked at the contents, and replied, "Okay, go report to the logistics department."

After the pilot left, he took the modified grenade from the box.

"Gong Xiuneng, Zhao Junping, come over here and start the experiment."

Gong Xiuneng and Zhao Junping came over from the other side, looking curiously at what Fang Wen was holding.

Gong Xiuneng asked, "Commander, is this the grenade you mentioned that's fired from a gun?"

"Yes, we'll know how effective it is after a test shot. Go and get the Hanyang rifles from the warehouse."

"okay."

Gong Xiuneng jogged to the back and took out a Hanyang rifle.

Fang Wen took the gun, pulled back the bolt, and put a bulletless round into the magazine.

Then install the grenade launcher on the muzzle and load the rifle grenade.

Next, instead of firing it himself, he placed the gun on a specially made slanted stand and used a rope to attach it to the trigger for the first test shot.

With the trigger pulled, a muffled thud was heard, and the grenade shot into the air, arcing through the air before landing 100 meters away.

Fang Wen frowned; the range was far from what he had expected.

He walked over and picked up the rifle to examine it.

Using his supernatural ability to see through objects, he could see inside the gun.

Because of its rough structure and insufficient airtightness, the muzzle kinetic energy cannot be fully released through the muzzle.

This is a relatively new Hanyang rifle. On the battlefield, the older Hanyang rifles would probably be even less effective.

Fang Wen realized that military equipment was not so simple, and that there was a big difference between reality and theory.

If a batch of rifle-mounted grenade launchers were mass-produced and deployed to the battlefield, soldiers would likely find them largely ineffective, given their limited range.

He reminded himself that he must consider the actual situation before developing military products in the future.

Since rifle-mounted grenade launchers are not suitable for the situation in China.

Why not skip that and develop better rifle grenades?

A picture flashed through Fang Wen's mind.

That's the kind of powerful weapon that special forces soldiers wield when you watch blockbuster movies in the future.

It's not that it's impossible to make.

He was struck by inspiration, took out paper and pen, and drew the image from his memory.

After sketching, he began to conceive and design.

After two days, the structural diagram was completed.

This is a handheld grenade launcher, far more advanced than the rifle-mounted grenade launchers that appeared in the later stages of World War II.

It is a close-combat assault weapon suitable for various environments, and its power is more than sufficient.

It consists of a firing tube with a handle, aiming equipment, firing turret, drum magazine, firing mechanism, and detachable and retractable stock (grip).

With the design drawings in hand, Fang Wen immediately began the actual production.

He went to the processing laboratory in the industrial park.

The processing laboratory is equipped with various devices specifically prepared for him.

Fang Wen began handcrafting a prototype grenade launcher.

Each component is manufactured using various machine tools and then welded together.

Throughout the process, Fang Wen used his special abilities. With the help of his powerful mental strength and clairvoyance, he could clearly see whether there were any problems with the internal structure of the equipment he was making.

After two failed attempts, he finally produced a prototype grenade launcher.

Having grenade launchers alone is not enough.

It requires matching ammunition; this type of rifle grenade has a caliber of 40 mm and a six-round drum magazine.

The warhead has a structure similar to that of a hand grenade, and is cylindrical.

Based on the internal explosive charge, they are divided into two types: high explosive type and incendiary smoke bomb type.

The explosion-triggered fuse uses a delayed fuse, which will explode approximately 5 seconds after launch.

The tail tube at the rear of the projectile is the thrust component that propels the grenade and gives it its direction. The tail tube is also fitted with fins to maintain the grenade's flight stability.

Fang Wen made 10 rifle grenades by hand and then began test firing them.

Aircraft manufacturing plant and flight test base.

Five human-shaped wooden frames were temporarily erected.

Gong Xiuneng, with a chain of grenade launchers hanging from his body and holding a Taishan grenade launcher, walked toward his target.

He stopped 200 meters away from the six targets.

He raised the grenade launcher and fired at the target.

The six grenades in the drum magazine were launched, each reaching a distance of 200 meters, but the point of impact was somewhat off.

They landed next to the five targets respectively.

Then, an explosion was heard, and six plumes of white smoke rose into the air.

Of the five targets, one fell down, but the others were fine.

Fang Wen, who was standing nearby, recorded the results of the longest-range test firing and then asked a question.

"Share your thoughts."

Gong Xiuneng replied, "Without ammunition, the gun itself weighs 15 jin (7.5 catties), and with a full load of ammunition, it requires a 30 jin (15 catties) load, which is acceptable for soldiers. But it's best to choose a strong and healthy person to operate it. I feel it works very well; you can't swing a grenade that far, and it can fire six at once."

Fang Wen nodded. "Load the ammunition and conduct a 150-meter firing exercise."

Gong Xiuneng took the rifle grenades from the grenade belt hanging on his body, then opened the front cover of the drum magazine, loaded one grenade, adjusted the cylinder, and loaded the next. The loading process was not difficult and could be easily completed within 2 minutes; with practice, it could be even faster.

After loading his ammunition, Gong Xiuneng strode forward and continued firing at 150 meters.

At this distance, the accuracy has improved slightly.

Then came the 100-meter and 50-meter tests.

After all the tests were completed, Fang Wen looked at the data and wrote his evaluation.

The maximum launch distance was 220 meters, but it had almost no effect; the impact point was uncontrollable.

[The situation is better at 150 meters; skilled or talented soldiers might be able to handle this distance.]

100 meters is the optimal shooting distance, suitable for various situations.

[Optimal effectiveness at 50 meters, suitable for urban warfare and assaults.]

He closed the notebook, his mind filled with thoughts.

Whether this weapon is effective or not needs to be tested in war.

He immediately mobilized a group of skilled workers and engineers to produce weapons according to his design drawings and manufacturing data.

After the first batch of handheld rifle grenades was manufactured, they were flown by seaplane to Fuping, Shanxi, via a new route connecting Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan, and Shaanxi.

Late June of 38.

The breaching of the Yellow River did not stop the Japanese army's advance.

The Nationalist army, suffering repeated defeats, has retreated to the vicinity of Wuhan.

The Japanese army launched a fierce offensive against Wuhan.

Meanwhile, in Fuping, north of the Yellow River, a seaplane flew in from the southwest.

After the plane landed and docked, boxes of supplies were unloaded.

Gong Xiuneng, who arrived randomly, explained: "There are 15 of these weapons in total. The regimental commander said that we would keep 5 for training and provide the rest to the Eighth Route Army, but there is one requirement: the process of using them must be recorded and given to us in written form."

Wu Yingzong sent someone to summon Bai Yunfei.

Bai Yunfei was quite surprised to see Gong Xiu take out weapons he had never seen before from the box.

"what is this?"

"Grenade launcher, very powerful, with a range of 200 meters, comes in two types: explosive and smoke grenades."

Gong Xiuneng demonstrated to Bai Yunfei and explained Fang Wen's requirements.

Bai Yunfei could not make a decision on his own, so he hurried back to send a telegram.

After a while, he agreed.

After Bai Yunfei took away the 10 grenade launchers and 20 grenades for each, a team of Eighth Route Army soldiers came the next day and took the supplies away.

They took the items directly out of the Taihang Mountains and came to Quyang County.

At the Quyang County Party Committee, the Railway Guerrilla, recalled from the Pinghan Railway, received this batch of weapons.

They were overjoyed to hear that Taishan Military Industry had asked them to test the power of their weapons in actual combat.

They then returned to their base with their weapons.

In the following days, the guerrillas suddenly launched an attack.

And they have achieved remarkable results one after another.

These battles were recorded in writing and handed over to Bai Yunfei to deliver to Wu Yingzong.

The supplies were then transported back to Yangon by seaplane on their return voyage.

The weapons combat test report was sent to Yangon.

Fang Wen looked at the Eighth Route Army's weapons test report with great interest.

This is a large bag wrapped in kraft paper, and it looks like it contains quite a lot of things.

He untied the seal on the brown paper bag and took out the bound papers inside.

The cover says.

[Compiled by Cheng Yinan, Pinghan Railway Guerrilla Team]

Fang Wen opened the book.

[Record 1:]

"Recently, our superiors delivered a batch of new weapons—the Taishan grenade launcher. These things are less than a meter long, but much heavier than rifles. According to the comrade who delivered them, they can cause massive damage at short range, making them perfect for our guerrilla warfare needs. The captain immediately organized several experienced soldiers for a preliminary training session. Everyone sat around the campfire, carefully studying every detail of the instruction manual by the dim light. Operating the grenade launcher isn't complicated, but mastering its essence requires time and practice. We decided to use it directly in tomorrow's battle and see how it performs."

[Record 2:]

"The first time we used the Taishan grenade launcher in actual combat was during an ambush on the Dingzhou railway section. We had scouted ahead that an enemy train would pass by at night, so we laid an ambush along the railway. At that time, there was an armored railcar providing cover in front of the train, and there were more than a hundred Japanese soldiers on board. Under these circumstances, we should have given up, but out of curiosity about the weapon, we decided to give it a try."

After the battle began, the two strongest soldiers in the team took up grenades and fired at the enemy.

A grenade the size of a child's fist was fired at the train, blasting a large hole in the train wall; its power was much greater than that of a hand grenade.

This is the power of a high-explosive grenade.

It also has a smoke bomb, which is also very useful.

The soldiers fired smoke bombs at the large hole created by the explosion. Flames and smoke billowed out of the carriage, forcing all the Japanese soldiers hiding inside to come out.

In addition, smoke bombs can also be attached to armored railcars. After they continue to burn, the Japanese soldiers inside cannot withstand the high temperature and have to crawl out, where they are killed by us.

Although enemy reinforcements later arrived, forcing us to retreat, the experience of using rifle grenades was truly memorable.

[Record 3]

"After the last battle, we found that although the Taishan grenade launcher is extremely powerful, its range and accuracy are not high. As the manual says, it is suitable for close combat, urban warfare, and assault warfare. Very good. This time, the county brigade will join us in attacking the Japanese pillbox in Xinle, and we have decided to test its effectiveness again."

At that time, the area near the Japanese pillbox was an open area, guarded by 100 puppet troops and 20 Japanese soldiers. If they discovered it, the machine guns on the pillbox would block all the flat terrain around it.

This situation made attacking the pillbox extremely difficult.

Fortunately, with the Taishan grenade launcher, we came up with a method: launching incendiary smoke grenades at the pillbox from below the slope using a projectile method.

The grenades burned in front of the pillbox, producing a lot of white smoke, which blocked the Japanese soldiers' vision, giving us the perfect opportunity to launch an attack.

Because of the smoke, we successfully reached the foot of the pillbox.

At this time, the puppet troops and Japanese soldiers inside the pillbox were still putting up a stubborn resistance. They were afraid that we would blow up the pillbox with explosives, so they set up machine guns on the first floor for defense.

Three machine guns controlled a distance of more than 50 meters, preventing us from advancing further. The dense bullets kept the soldiers from raising their heads.

At this moment, the rifle grenades came in handy again, and the soldiers fired them at the first floor of the pillbox.

The high-explosive bomb exploded on the wall, creating a gap.

Two rifle grenades were fired inside, killing a large number of Japanese soldiers and puppet troops.

We have now successfully captured the pillbox.

He turned to the last page.

It was also a summary by the guerrilla instructor.

[Record 4]

"During our time using the Taishan grenade launcher, we deeply appreciated the profound impact of weaponry on tactics. It not only enhanced our firepower and range of attack, but more importantly, it gave us more initiative in battles behind enemy lines."

Thanks to Taishan for providing the weapons, which enabled us to achieve victory in the battle.

Upon seeing these records, Fang Wen smiled, for at least the power and effectiveness of this modern weapon were evident during the War of Resistance.

This also gave Fang Wen confidence in his path in the military industry.

He immediately set about expanding grenade launcher production.

However, this grenade launcher is no match for tanks. We still need to develop a powerful weapon to deal with tanks: the man-portable rocket launcher.

In that case, the Japanese would have no advantage in ground battles.

(End of this chapter)