Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 461, Section 457: Military Agreement, Airborne Assault on Baoding, Beginning of Air-Ground Mobile Warfare Behind Enemy Lines

A fighter jet brazenly lingered over Baoding for nearly 40 minutes and destroyed five aircraft that had not yet taken off from the airport outside the city.

Moreover, they escaped unscathed before the rescue Japanese warplanes arrived.

This enraged the high command of the invading Japanese army in Baoding, who ordered the Special Higher Police and other intelligence organizations in the city to find out the origin of the fighter plane.

While the Japanese army was in chaos in Baoding, Fang Wen had already flown back to Fuping Airport.

After landing, he immediately began drawing up a military map of Baoding that he had scouted.

The map he created wasn't as detailed as he knew; it only showed the general area of ​​military facilities and was presented as a guess. The more detailed information he saw with his mechanical eagle eye was too far-fetched to be included in the reconnaissance report.

After the military reconnaissance report was completed, Fang Wen held a joint military intelligence meeting with the flight regiment.

Looking at the map drawn by Fang Wen, the two staff officers from the military district quickly compared it with the information they already had.

Staff Officer Bing took out a small notebook and explained, "According to the intelligence we received from the underground party in Baoding, the main forces currently stationed in Baoding are the 110th Division, the railway police regiment, and the puppet police force in the city."

Staff Officer Wei, looking at the map, added: "The military camp next to the train station is occupied by the Railway Police Regiment, as well as part of the 163rd Regiment of the 110th Division. There are also more than a hundred Japanese soldiers guarding the train station and freight yard. In the city, the Baoding Military Academy near the South Gate has been occupied by the Japanese. They call it the 'East Camp' and have stationed many troops there. Once we launch an attack, they will quickly rush out of the South Gate to support the area outside the city."

Listening to Staff Officer Wei's analysis, Fang Wen replied, "My plan is to split our forces into two groups. One half will take out the barracks outside the city, and we'll leave the train station for the time being. The other half will set up an ambush outside the south gate. Once the barracks outside the city are attacked, the main force of the Japanese army inside the city will inevitably come out to support them. The nearest Japanese troops are the 'Eastern Camp' troops. If they want to get there quickly, they can only leave through the south gate. As long as we block their exit, we can buy time for the battle outside the city."

"And then?" asked Yan Wenwu, the squadron leader.

Fang Wen asked seriously, "We need to determine the battle time first. If the paratroopers of the air regiment are the main force, can they resolve the battle at the barracks outside the city within an hour?"

Yan Wenwu was quite experienced in ground combat. "The map you drew is very detailed, including the layout of the buildings in the camp. We can use it to plan our battle strategy."

He paused, then pointed to the grenade launcher and individual rocket launcher on the gun rack: "But if we want to finish the battle within an hour, we'll have to rely on these. With these two things, the Japanese can't hide in the house."

Yes, rocket launchers are great for dealing with bunkers, and grenade launchers are great for dealing with stubborn enemy troops inside barracks.

With the addition of gunboats and aircraft, the enemy in the barracks would definitely not be able to withstand it.

After receiving Yan Wenwu's promise to resolve the battle within two hours, Fang Wen continued.

"Within one hour, you will resolve the battle at the barracks outside the city. In the next hour, you will go to the train station and destroy the military supplies in the freight yard there, and then rendezvous with us. Our Independent Regiment's mission is to prevent the Japanese army from leaving the city within these two hours."

"Can you hold off the Japanese troops in the city?" Yan Wenwu asked doubtfully.

To show that he cared, rather than belittled, the Independent Regiment, he specifically explained: "There are 3000 Japanese troops stationed at Dongdaying, which is the main defense force in the city. Aren't 200 of you too few?"

Fang Wen laughed and said, "More won't make a difference. In order to rescue them, they can only get here quickly by coming out of the south gate. One city gate is our defensive position. There is an old saying, 'Catching a turtle in a jar.' The city walls and city gates will become their constraint."

Although it sounds easy, it's actually quite stressful to achieve.

However, the Independent Regiment led by Fang Wen has repeatedly achieved remarkable feats, making it a force to be reckoned with.

The discussion then continued.

Staff Officer Wei asked, "Once we capture the military camp and train station outside the city, our mission will be complete. How will we withdraw then?"

"I don't think this air-to-ground guerrilla warfare is over yet."

These words greatly surprised the people present.

Fang Wen's previous battle plan was reasonable. They thought they would annihilate the enemy troops outside the city, attack the train station, and then withdraw.

Unexpectedly, Fang Wen had a follow-up plan.

Fang Wen then went on to explain.

"After completing aerial reconnaissance in Baoding, I deliberately bypassed Wangdu County. I found that it was very vulnerable because a large number of troops had been sent to sweep through the base areas. We can go around there and take Wangdu County."

This proposal is very attractive.

Wangdu County is an important node on the Pinghan Railway, and the Japanese army usually stationed a large number of troops to guard it.

If Wangdu County is captured, not only will the Pinghan Railway be cut off, but it will also be connected to Quyang County.

Under such circumstances, could the Japanese still carry out a mopping-up operation?
If they want to retake Wangdu County, they will inevitably have to withdraw their troops.

Once the troops on this front are withdrawn, the Japanese forces on the other two fronts will be unable to carry out an encirclement and sweep, and the entire military plan will fail as a result.

Staff Officer Bing stood up abruptly: "This plan is excellent. I need to report it to my superiors."

Yan Wenwu spoke up, saying, "Don't rush. There are some things we need to figure out first. It's nearly 30 kilometers from Baoding to Wangdu City. If the troops try to outflank us by going to Wangdu County, we'll face a lot of problems and might even be intercepted and surrounded by the Japanese army along the way."

This was indeed a big problem, and Flight Commander Yan Wenwu discovered this major loophole from his own perspective.

But how could Fang Wen not have considered this?

He nodded. "The whole battle wasn't as complicated as you think. Our strength lies in high-speed mobile warfare. Besides weakening the Japanese army, capturing the barracks outside the city had an even more important purpose: the airfield next to the barracks. We could land gunboats there, pick up our soldiers, and then fly them to Wangdu County."

"So that's how it is," Yan Wenwu and his two staff officers suddenly realized.

They had no idea about the new era of warfare before, but after Fang Wen's explanation, they began to understand it.

The entire airborne operation behind enemy lines can be summed up in one word: "speed".

The fact that they could launch a surprise attack on Baoding in a single day, and then quickly appear in Wangdu County, 30 kilometers away, and capture the county seat, is something that other troops simply could not achieve.

This time, Staff Officer Bing didn't impulsively rush to report. Instead, he asked, "Don't our paratroopers need new parachute packs for their second jump? Also, the planes are almost out of fuel after attacking Wangdu County. How will they be resupplied?"

"You can carry an extra parachute pack. For refueling, all gunship aircraft will carry a fuel canister in their cabins for in-flight refueling. This way, after completing the Wangdu County mission, all gunship aircraft will fly back to Fuping for repairs."

Fang Wen's expression turned serious at this point: "The gunboats will return to resupply with ammunition, supplies, and fuel, and will also need to undergo brief maintenance, which will take about 4 hours. During this period, the paratroopers in Wangdu County will be in the most dangerous situation. They will have to hold out until they rendezvous with the troops in Quyang, set up an ambush on the Japanese army's way back to rescue Wangdu County, and complete the ambush together with the air force. Only then will our entire operation be over."

That concludes Fang Wen's battle plan.

Staff Officer Bing immediately went out and reported the situation to his superiors.

These kinds of things can't be decided immediately, and Fang Wen and his team didn't receive a response until the afternoon.

Fang Wen's battle plan was adopted in its entirety.

In order to ensure the plan could be executed perfectly, a unit from Quyang was specially ordered to provide full cooperation.

Therefore, this unit was removed from its role in blocking the Japanese army's sweeping operations and instead bypassed the Japanese army, heading towards Wangdu.

This unit would not arrive for another two days because it had to detour around the area being swept by the Japanese army.

Fang Wen's Independent Regiment and the Eighth Route Army Air Regiment were also preparing to take action in two days.

Time passed quietly, and everything was ready. Two days had gone by.

It was 4 a.m., and the sky was just beginning to lighten.

The flight group's seaplane base and Fuping seaplane base operated simultaneously.

Gunships carrying paratroopers took off, forming two V-shaped formations in the air.

As the air commander, Fang Wen piloted the aircraft to lead the formation while simultaneously using a microphone to communicate with friendly forces in the flight group.

"Commander Yan, your unit must maintain consistency with us. From now on, follow my command and increase the flight altitude to 5000 meters."

5000 meters is the upper limit of altitude for low-speed gunboats. It is also the way to ensure their whereabouts remain undetected to the greatest extent possible.

Two formations of 20 gunboats climbed to an altitude of 5000 meters.

Taking advantage of the still-dark sky, they quietly flew out of the Taihang Mountains.

Fang Wen, with his mechanical senses activated throughout, observed the situation above and below him.

Below in Quyang, a large number of Japanese troops appeared. At this moment, they were still resting in their field camp, with only a few sentries and patrol units.

Airplanes at high altitudes are completely invisible in the dark sky, and at an altitude of 5000 meters, the noise from their engines cannot reach the ground.

Therefore, without the Japanese army's knowledge, 20 planes quietly passed through the Japanese encirclement.

Half an hour later, the plane arrived in Baoding.

The battle was about to begin, and Fang Wen picked up the microphone to make an announcement to everyone.

"Attention all gunboat squadrons, the battle is about to begin. Proceed according to the established plan. Air and ground forces must coordinate closely, and be wary of friendly fire incidents."

Yan Wenwu's same-frequency communication could be heard through the wireless equipment.

"Commander Fang, rest assured, we will definitely complete the attack mission on time as required."

"Okay, let's split up."

After saying that, Fang Wen piloted the Water Tiger No. 4, leading the Independent Regiment's gunboats to the South Gate.

The gunboats of the air regiment flew to the barracks outside the city.

The two flight formations descended to their lowest altitudes almost simultaneously, making a rapid descent at an altitude of 1000 meters.

As the cabin doors of the gunboats opened, soldiers leaped out.

White umbrellas bloomed outside Taiyuan City and drifted to the ground.

A skydive from 1000 meters takes about 3 minutes to land.

This time is neither fast nor slow; the key is the exact moment. Right now, it's only 4:30.

Under the gloomy sky, most of the Japanese and puppet troops were still fast asleep.

Only a few sentries were awake.

Somewhat distracted, they didn't notice.

Some, however, heard the noise in the sky and couldn't help but look up.

They saw a vast expanse of white fall from the sky.

The nearest white flower drifted directly towards a Japanese soldier on a watchtower. The Eighth Route Army paratrooper swung his bayonet and plunged it into the Japanese soldier's neck.

White flowers covered the watchtower, and no alarms were sounded.

One by one, the Eighth Route Army paratroopers landed inside and outside the barracks, quickly removed their parachutes, and joined up with their comrades nearby.

They quickly formed combat squads to clear out the sentries and patrols in the barracks.

Most of them were quietly dealt with, but some Japanese soldiers still escaped. He blew the alarm whistle to alert the Japanese soldiers in the barracks.

One by one, disheveled Japanese soldiers carrying Type 38 rifles rushed out of the barracks, only to be picked off by paratroopers outside.

After more than a dozen people died in succession, the people inside the barracks dared not come out and tried to hide inside and put up a last-ditch resistance.

They believed that the barracks, built with thick timber, could stop bullets.

But no one expected the attack to be so fierce.

Gunships in the air launched a barrage of fire.

12.7mm heavy machine guns and 20mm cannons blasted wood chips off the walls, leaving numerous bullet holes.

The barracks were filled with howling and wailing, and someone was trying to fire into the air.

It was of no use; the defenses of gunships were not something that the Type 38 rifle could penetrate.

Meanwhile, the ground paratrooper offensive also began.

The two-person rocket launcher team consists of one person carrying the rocket launcher and aiming it, while the other person takes the rocket off their back and loads it from behind.

After the two men worked together to load and aim the rocket, the rocket, trailing a plume of fire, hurtled towards the barracks as the trigger was pulled.

The offensive power of rockets is even greater than that of 20mm autocannons.

The rockets, capable of penetrating the armor of Japanese medium tanks, easily tore a large hole in the barracks.

Paratroopers holding grenade launchers immediately fired rifle grenades into the opening.

Boom, boom, boom

After a series of explosions occurred inside the barracks, the other paratroopers began to clear the area.

Barracks were destroyed in the same way.

Military operations aimed at annihilation will leave no hidden dangers.

Fang Wen had been observing the battle at the military camp outside the city.

Depending on the situation, the air corps should be able to finish the battle in 40 minutes.

Compared to the fierce fighting at the military camp, the situation at the south gate was resolved relatively easily.

The sentry on the city wall was still dozing off when the independent regiment's paratroopers landed on the wall and slit his throat.

With the city walls captured, the soldiers directly dealt with the Japanese and puppet troops at the checkpoint behind the city gate.

They easily captured the south gate.

Immediately, preparations to block the Japanese army began.

The nearby civilians all temporarily left their homes.

The paratroopers buried explosives on the road, stretched out the fuses, covered them with soil, and then hid in guard posts and nearby houses.

Time was of the essence. The gunfire and explosions outside the city had alerted the Japanese troops at the East Camp, who were now assembling their forces and heading towards the South Gate.

To buy time for the paratroopers, Fang Wen led the gunboat squadron to attack the East Camp.

Dongdaying was formerly the Baoding Military Academy.

The Japanese army converted all the teaching and student dormitories of the original military academy into a military barracks, and built an independent ammunition depot and stables on the east side of the parade ground.

They actually have cavalry!
Seeing a group of cavalry charge out first, Fang Wen immediately chose to deal with them first.

(End of this chapter)