Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 463 Capturing Wangdu County: Reconnaissance, Supply Operations, and Ambushes
The airborne operation behind enemy lines in Baoding has been underway for 50 minutes.

In just 50 minutes, a great deal of things happened. Apart from Fang Wen, who was in control of the overall situation from the air, the enemy remained in an information cocoon throughout the entire battlefield, completely unaware of what was happening outside their line of sight.

The thousands of Japanese soldiers at Dongdaying only knew that something big must have happened at the barracks and railway freight yard outside the city.

The downing of 11 of their own aircraft providing aerial support further convinced the commander of the Dongdaying camp that this was a well-prepared and large-scale offensive by the Chinese army.

Although it seemed incredible that such a large army would attack during the sweep, the Japanese commander of the Dongdaying camp was intimidated by the fierce firepower and combat effectiveness.

Therefore, in order to avoid the fall of Baoding, the East Camp withdrew completely and began to set up fortifications in the streets far from the South Gate in preparation for the next wave of attacks.

All of this is, of course, impossible.

With a total of 400 paratroopers, even with 20 gunboats, they couldn't kill all the thousands of Japanese soldiers. Not to mention the complex situation inside the city, where civilians would be coerced, and there were many other Japanese intelligence agencies and puppet troops.

While the enemy was constructing fortifications, Fang Wen had already ordered the Independent Regiment's ground troops to retreat.

In order to create the illusion that the offensive was still ongoing, the Independent Regiment's gunboat squadron launched a new round of feint attacks.

Machine gun bullets swept down on the Japanese troops from the sky. The Japanese soldiers realized the danger and fled the open area, taking refuge in the buildings on both sides.

The air fire suppression lasted for 10 minutes.

One hour has passed since the airborne operation in Baoding began.

A radio call came from the command aircraft, Tiger 4.

"This is Yan Wenwu. The paratroopers of the flight regiment have arrived at the barracks airfield, and gunboats are on alert over the barracks."

Fang Wen used his mechanical senses to check the movements of the independent paratrooper force outside the city. They were heading towards the barracks airfield and estimated they would arrive in about 5 minutes.

He picked up the microphone and said, "Received. Your unit will land first to receive the paratroopers, board the planes, and take off. We will be there shortly after."

After the order was given, Fang Wen immediately instructed Zhao Junping to switch radio frequencies to make internal calls within the gunboat squadron.

"Cease fire, ascend, and proceed to the barracks airfield for landing."

The gunboat squadron immediately followed his orders and flew out of Baoding City with the Water Tiger 4.

The enemy inside the city remained vigilant, and who knew if these aerial tortoise shells would return to fight again.

One hour and five minutes into the operation, the gunboat squadron arrived over the barracks airfield.

At the airport below, the paratroopers of the flight regiment had already boarded their planes and were taking off one after another.

After all the gunboats of the air regiment took off, Fang Wen immediately ordered the gunboat squadron of the independent regiment to land in batches.

At this moment, the Independent Regiment's paratroopers, who had come from the south gate, also entered the airport.

The soldiers searched for their gunboat serial numbers and quickly boarded their aircraft.

Meanwhile, airborne artillery and naval aircraft were also conducting patrol and circling maneuvers.

One hour and fifteen minutes later, all the planes of the Independent Regiment took off, and the two formations flew towards the southeast.

With the departure of the paratroopers, the area outside the city and at the south gate became unusually quiet.

The Japanese troops, who were on high alert in the city, sensed something was amiss.

What were those Chinese troops doing?

Immediately, several daring cavalrymen were dispatched to scout the area near the South Gate.

As a result, they encountered no obstacles along the way, and there was no one at the south gate.

Just over twenty minutes ago, they were engaged in a fierce battle, but now they've vanished without a trace.

The cavalry reported this situation to the rear, but the city commander dared not rashly send troops to recapture the south gate, fearing that there might be a trap.

The journey from Baoding to Wangdu County is 30 kilometers.

Gunships can reach the destination in about 10 minutes.

In other words, while the Japanese army was still wondering where the attackers at the South Gate had gone, this mysterious rapid reaction force had already arrived at the next battle zone.

During the ten-minute flight, Fang Wen also communicated with the flight group and learned about the situation of the flight group's gunship aircraft.

The gunships of the air regiment and the independent regiment had roughly the same ammunition consumption, and even had some left over.

After all, during the blitzkrieg outside the city, there weren't many stages that required deploying gunboats and aircraft for assaults.

Therefore, Fang Wen planned to use the gunboats of the air regiment as the main firepower for suppressing attacks on Wangdu County.

Before taking action, he used mechanical sensing to survey the area.

A railway line runs south across the road below.

The train station in Wangdu County was located on the edge of a town outside the city, where about 100 Japanese and puppet troops were stationed.

Meanwhile, Japanese troops were also stationed in the ancient city of Wangdu County on the other side.

There weren't many of them; there were a few on the city wall, a squad at the east gate, and more than 200 Japanese and puppet troops staying in a large courtyard inside the city.

(In the scene, the stone wall in the background is the old city wall of Wangdu County, and the two people in the foreground are opening a sluice gate, which should be some kind of water storage device inside the city.)
After observing the situation below, Fang Wen was certain that attacking Wangdu City would be very easy.

Immediately, he picked up the microphone: "Commander Yan, this time the main attack on the county town will be handled by your air regiment, we will attack the train station."

This is to give the flight regiment more practical experience. Flight regiment commander Yan Wenwu immediately responded: "Okay."

Immediately, the two sides split up and began the airborne operation.

Twenty planes descended from the sky and appeared over the county town and the train station.

One by one, umbrellas fell from the sky.

The Japanese troops in the area were still unaware of all this.

They stared blankly at the sky, thinking it was their own troops carrying out a special operation.

One of the puppet soldiers asked, "Sir, what are these things? Could they be the enemy's?"

The puppet soldier who asked that question got slapped across the face and then yelled at.

The Japanese soldiers didn't believe that the creatures falling from the sky could be the enemy.

In such a short time, some of the umbrellas in the sky had already fallen.

The first paratroopers to land, regardless of their location, must first cut their parachute straps and then launch an attack based on what they observe during the descent.

The battle thus began, with gunfire erupting simultaneously in the county town and the train station.

At the train station, the puppet troops outnumbered the Japanese troops, and the puppet troops were weaker. After more than a dozen Japanese soldiers were killed, the remaining puppet troops did not even try to escape; they surrendered with their guns raised.

Over in the county town.

The Japanese and puppet troops standing guard on the city wall were killed by paratroopers who landed in the air and successfully seized the high ground of the county town.

The paratroopers who landed in the city launched an attack on the Japanese checkpoint at the east gate, killing the Japanese soldiers at the checkpoint. The remaining ten puppet soldiers surrendered without weapons.

Subsequently, the paratroopers assembled in various parts of the county town and then established contact with the gunboats overhead via Taishan walkie-talkies.

In the gunboats overhead, squadron commander Yan Wenwu lay prone at the observation port on the floor, watching the ground situation through binoculars while loudly issuing commands.

Instead of directing individual squads to carry out specific actions, he told his troops that the target was a large mansion in the northwest.

With the objective determined by air command, the paratroopers quickly advanced towards the northwest of the county seat.

Ten minutes later, they arrived at the target area and engaged in battle with the Japanese troops there.

More than a hundred Japanese and puppet troops inside the compound used ladders to prop up the courtyard wall and fire at the outside. Because the intersection was under their fire, the paratrooper unit chose to request air support.

Gunships descended from the sky, using the residence as a focal point, and launched a barrage of fire.

Bullets rained down, shattering the courtyard wall into dust, and it collapsed under the explosive impact of the 20mm cannon fire.

The Japanese defenses were easily breached, and without the cover of the walls, they tried to hide in the rooms and put up a last-ditch resistance.

This was too easy for the air force soldiers who had just dealt with the barracks outside Baoding.

Amid the explosions, the remaining Japanese and puppet troops inside the compound gave up resistance and surrendered.

The whole process took no more than 40 minutes.

Ten minutes of that time was spent traveling.

With Wangdu City easily captured, Fang Wen felt slightly relieved. The plan had progressed smoothly up to this point, but he was still unsure whether the final ambush would be successful.

The Japanese troops in the county town must have relayed the information via telegram.

This was the main base of the left flank of the Japanese army's three-pronged sweep. The Japanese probably never expected that their entire force would be raided.

Now the situation for the Japanese forces sweeping the left flank is awkward. Their rear has been cut off, and their own supply lines are gone. It remains to be seen whether they will try to rescue the enemy themselves or request support from others.

In response, Fang Wen was able to use his supernatural abilities to detect the movements of the Japanese troops from all sides immediately.

To ensure he understood the true situation of the Japanese army, Fang Wen first sent the other gunboats and aircraft back to Fuping for resupply and repairs, while he stayed behind to conduct military reconnaissance.

High in the air, Fang Wen, with his mechanical senses fully activated, first surveyed the area around Wangdu County.

A force of one thousand men appeared in the southwest direction of Wangdu County.

Those were Eighth Route Army troops involved in the ambush. They had circled around the edge of the Japanese encirclement and were finally close to Wangdu County.

Fang Wen picked up the microphone and switched to the walkie-talkie frequency.

The distance was too far for the plane to communicate with the other side, so Fang Wenfei moved closer.

"Calling Guai Zi Ma, this is the air command center for operations, code 99657."

Although it is currently impossible for the Japanese to forge frequencies, Fang Wen still regards the requirement of a password to establish air-to-ground communication as the standard.

A moment later, a static-filled voice came through the radio: "Air command received. This is Guai Zi Ma, code 66487."

After exchanging passwords and confirming the identities of both parties, Fang Wen continued:
"Wangdu County has been recaptured. Your unit can proceed directly into the city to regroup. Follow-up actions will be conducted in four hours."

After notifying the unit, Fang Wen continued aerial reconnaissance.

He saw it.

There was still no movement from the Japanese army 30 kilometers away from Wangdu to Quyang.

Meanwhile, in Baoding, the troops inside the city had already sent people out of the south gate to investigate both the barracks and the train station.

There was also no indication that troops were being sent to Wangdu.

Fang Wen was somewhat troubled; why was there no response from either side?

War is constantly changing, and a commander must adjust his actions according to the changing situation. If the enemy does not act, it is impossible to make targeted predictions and arrangements.

He wondered if this blitzkrieg tactic was so aggressive that the Japanese army didn't know how to respond.

With no other option, Fang Wen could only continue to hover and circle in the air to ensure that he could keep track of the Japanese army's movements.

Anyway, we still have enough fuel and the equipment is in good condition, so we can hold out against the enemy.

Time passed little by little.

The Tiger 4 was circling at low speed in the air for reconnaissance, and most of the fuel in its auxiliary fuel tank had been used up.

The 1000-strong Eighth Route Army unit has entered the city and completed its rendezvous.

The Japanese troops in Baoding remained inactive, clearly indicating their conservative stance; they preferred to abandon support for Wangdu rather than compromise the safety of Baoding.

Meanwhile, the Japanese left-wing sweeping force in Quyang finally made a move.

A portion of the Japanese troops marched towards Wangdu.

They need to travel 30 kilometers. How long will it take them to get there?
Based on the normal marching speed of infantry, which is 5 kilometers per hour, it is estimated that it will take 6 to 7 hours to reach Wangdu.

This is enough time to set up an ambush.

Immediately, Fang Wen picked up the microphone and informed the ground troops of the situation.

The ground troops in Wangdu County and the independent regiment's paratroopers near the train station immediately merged into one force to prepare for an ambush in the city.

Fang Wen then piloted the Water Tiger 4 towards Fuping.

At 7:00 AM, the Water Tiger No. 4 flew back to Fuping Water Airport.

The high-speed mobile operation, which involved moving between multiple locations, actually only took a little over two hours.

Fang Wen was the last to return. Nine gunboats were already moored at the seaplane base, undergoing emergency maintenance and refueling.

After the plane landed, the Water Tiger No. 4 gunboat piloted by Fang Wen was also urgently inspected and resupplyed by mechanics and logistics personnel.

These things have been worked out many times, and Fang Wen doesn't need to ask any more questions; they will handle it.

As for the flight squadron, I wonder how well they are preparing due to the lack of mechanics and logistics personnel.
To ensure that they could depart within four hours, Fang Wen contacted the flight crew.

"Commander Yan, how is your supply and rest situation?"

There was a small problem, but it has been resolved.

"what is the problem?"

"The auxiliary fuel tank of Snow Mountain No. 2 was leaking oil, and our mechanics used glue to seal the leak."

To ensure safety during combat, the auxiliary fuel tanks of gunships are not designed to be launched like those of fighter jets, but are instead installed in the rear compartment, and can also be refueled in the air using fuel drums.

It is precisely because of this built-in fuel tank design that it has a large capacity, and if it leaks, the consequences can be severe.

If the fuel tank pipe wall is damaged, the fuel inside needs to be emptied before repairs can be carried out.

Unexpectedly, the flight crew glued it shut.

Fang Wen became interested in what kind of glue could repair metal defects so quickly. He thought he would talk to the mechanic after the operation was over, as it might be a valuable technological discovery.

He turned off the communications, stepped out of the plane, and checked on the status of his own gunboats one by one.

While the air regiment only experienced fuel tank leaks, the independent regiment's gunboats encountered some more troublesome problems.

The main cause is metal fatigue in the bulletproof plate.

During the fire suppression in Baoding, the gunboat aircraft were subjected to anti-aircraft fire from Japanese Type 92 infantry heavy machine guns.

This high-rate-of-fire heavy machine gun, although firing 7.7mm bullets, could not directly penetrate the armor plating of the gunboat.

However, continuous firing at one spot will still cause metal fatigue in the bulletproof plate, resulting in many damages and cracks.

Fang Wen used his mechanical senses to examine each of the gunboats and aircraft. These bulletproof plates will probably all need to be replaced after this battle.

But it is still usable now, and there is still no need to worry about the Japanese army's 7.7mm bullets.

Next, we patiently waited for the Japanese reinforcements to arrive, and then, relying on Wangdu City as a defense, launched a ground-to-ground ambush operation using gunboats and aircraft, thus perfectly concluding this modern-style mobile blitzkrieg operation behind enemy lines.

(End of this chapter)