Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 540 Re-entering the Extraordinary State, Bombers' Ultra-Low-Altitude Combat

A dark shadow flashed across the sky. Due to the gloomy weather and the roar of the ship's guns, the Japanese Fifth Fleet in the Qiongzhou Strait did not notice the Hengshan No. 1 flying overhead.

Naturally, they were unaware that nearly a ton of aerial bombs had fallen.

Five armor-piercing shells arrived first, striking the Phoenix aircraft carrier at a near-vertical angle.

The first missile hit the bow elevator, instantly blasting the steel cable and elevator platform away, creating a huge gap in the entire elevator shaft.

The second, third, and fourth missiles landed on the aircraft deck. The metal jets that exploded instantly acted on the steel plates, creating a piercing metallic twisting sound that mixed with the sound of the explosion. The deck was blasted into three deep craters.

The fifth missile landed on the apron behind the deck, igniting the fuel tanks there and causing a series of explosions.

Then, the high-explosive bombs that fell exploded on the deck, creating a chain of fires, and bursts of orange-red flames engulfed the entire flight deck.

The Hosho, having suffered such a sudden blow, had its flight deck completely destroyed and could no longer be used to land carrier-based aircraft.

However, its main body, located below the aircraft deck, was not severely damaged and only needed to be returned to the mainland for repairs to resume operations.

This was not the effect Fang Wen wanted. He wanted to sink the aircraft carrier and give it no chance of being revived.

The external bombs have been used up, and there is still 1000 kg of internal bombs remaining, including 20 incendiary thermobaric bombs and 40 high-explosive bombs.

How can we use them to deliver a fatal blow to the Phoenix?

As Fang Wen climbed higher, he used his mechanical senses to observe and think.

The 10 incendiary thermobaric bombs were planned for use on the three funnels of the aircraft carrier.

The other 10 incendiary thermobaric bombs were used in conjunction with high-explosive bombs to conduct a secondary explosion inside the ship's hull.

However, the first round of bombing was not very effective. Although all the bombs hit, the impact points were scattered, causing breaches and disarray on the aircraft deck.

Which breach should the bomb be dropped into?
To enhance the bombing effect, Fang Wen reached for the bone bead necklace around his neck, adding X-ray vision to his mechanical perception state.

The mechanical eagle eye's gaze pierced through the twisted and deformed deck steel plates, and the chaotic scene inside the Fengxiang unfolded before Fang Wen's eyes like a dissected anthill.

The area below the deck was partially paralyzed. The shockwave from the explosion, along with the shattered steel fragments from the collapsed deck, left the area in a state of chaos. Beneath the broken I-beams, Japanese soldiers were screaming in agony. Some of the steel pillars supporting the flight deck were twisted into metal braids. Leaked aviation fuel formed winding rivers of oil on the ground. Japanese officers were ordering sailors to frantically fill the oil fire with sandbags in an attempt to stop the fire from spreading.

The fire pumps on the east side of the ship were roaring, and high-pressure water jets were shooting at the sparks seeping from the ceiling, but the white steam and smoke coming out of the ruptured steam pipes reduced the visibility in the entire space to less than five meters.

Fang Wen increased his energy input, and his gaze penetrated through this layer to look further down. In the long corridor below, Japanese armorers were frantically transferring ammunition boxes to this layer to prevent ammunition from exploding.

Looking at those aerial bombs, detonating this area would have a very good bombing effect.

Fang Wen decided to use this location as the bombing site.

But he didn't look away. Instead, he looked at the engine room area on the other side. Through the two decks, he saw that six heavy oil boilers were still running. The Japanese boiler soldiers were shirtless, shoveling coal into the furnace, while the pressure gauge needle moved at the edge of the red alert zone.

It wants to run away!
Fang Wen sneered; he knew he couldn't escape today.

Fang Wen withdrew his supernatural perspective and issued an order.

"We will now conduct two consecutive bombing runs. The first will be at an altitude of 2500 meters, dropping all high-explosive bombs and 10 incendiary thermobaric bombs. The second will be a gliding bombing run, dropping the remaining 10 incendiary thermobaric bombs. Both bombing runs will be conducted according to my orders. Do you understand?"

"Understood," the two bombardiers replied loudly and began their operation.

Fang Wen continued: "Machine gunners, be careful. During the bombing, we may encounter attacks from Japanese warplanes in the direction of Haikou. You will need to retaliate."

"Yes, sir," the machine gunners replied in unison.

There are still two people in the cabin who haven't been assigned a place.

The interviewer continued, "Shao Sishen, go to the bomb room to assist. If you find any problems, point them out immediately. Gong Xiuneng, go and inspect the three machine gun positions, and be ready to fill in at any time."

Shao Sishen and Gong Xiuneng responded and went to their respective posts.

The crew members are all arranged; now it's up to Fang Wen.

The first bombing was actually the safest because the enemy didn't have time to react.

That's different now.

Fang Wen needed to reduce the altitude of the bombing while also being wary of the anti-aircraft fire of other warships and Japanese warplanes returning from Haikou.

Only by dealing with these factors can the task be completed.

Therefore, Fang Wen activated his extraordinary state once again.

Abundant energy was drawn from the treasure, unleashing the body's super potential.

That feeling of being in control of everything is back.

The sense of speed slows down, mental energy is projected outward, and everything becomes insignificant.

Like a deity walking among humans.

He then controlled the fighter jet to descend and fly downwards.

Hengshan-1 descended rapidly like an arrow released from a bow, its propellers churning the gunpowder-smelling air and emitting a deep roar.

Fang Wen's extraordinary perception was like an invisible giant net, taking in all the movements below.

He saw that the anti-aircraft guns on the three warships around the Fengxiang had been turned and pointed at the sky.

You can even clearly see the anti-aircraft gun barrel slowly rotating along the trajectory of the fighter jet.

A flash of light appeared from the muzzle, and anti-aircraft shells shot towards the sky.

Their target was the Hengshan No. 1 piloted by Fang Wen.

However, the shells fired could not catch up with Hengshan-1, which had changed its flight path in advance.

A series of anti-aircraft gun smoke clouds exploded in the air, but none of them posed a threat to Fang Wen.

"The first round of bombing is about to begin. How are the preparations?" Fang Wen's voice came through the microphone into the bombing room, calm and without a trace of emotion.

“It’s all ready,” Shao Sishen, who was in charge of assisting, replied.

Immediately, Fang Wen quickly adjusted his position and flew towards the Fengxiang below.

In a dozen seconds, the plane will arrive over the Fengxiang.

In his superhuman state, Fang Wen had already calculated the environmental factors and issued the order from the optimal bombing position: "Put the bombs immediately."

The lead bombardier, who was lying on the ground, quickly pulled down the bomb release lever.

The bomb bay door opened, and high-explosive bombs rained down, followed by 10 incendiary thermobaric bombs.

Below, on the damaged deck of the Fengxiang, a makeshift anti-aircraft machine gun had been erected, and several Japanese soldiers lay prone on the edge of the broken deck, frantically pulling the trigger.

Their firing posed no threat to the Hengshan-1; its only effect was hitting an aerial bomb, causing it to fall into the sea near the Fengxiang.

The remaining aerial bombs all fell into the large hole created by the armor-piercing shells.

Dozens of orange-red flames shot out from the breach in the middle deck of the Fengxiang, like the gaping maw of a giant beast. Broken steel plates were lifted into the sky by the shockwave and then crashed back into the sea with a whooshing sound.

Explosions continued unabated.

The ship was shaking violently.

A crack appeared on the outer hull.

The explosion was so powerful that hundreds of kilograms of bombs, including high-explosive bombs, detonated in the same area, causing severe damage to the ship.

Then, 10 incendiary thermobaric bombs fell into the gap that had been doubled in size.

Although the bottom was blown to pieces, it was still a sealed ship structure.

This gives incendiary thermobaric weapons a great opportunity to be used.

There was no earth-shattering roar, only clusters of orange-red flames rolling and expanding inside the cabin, and mushroom-shaped clouds rising. The intense heat instantly ignited the leaking fuel, forming a fiery dragon that pierced through the ship's hull and surged wildly through the interior.

Subsequently, a second explosion occurred.

The aluminum powder in the air exploded and ignited, instantly drawing out the air and creating enormous pressure.

The entire central area of ​​the ship was extremely hot and under high pressure; it was practically a death trap.

No living thing can survive in this area.

Then, a chain reaction of explosions occurred in the lower ammunition compartment.

The explosion from the internal ammunition dealt a fatal blow to the hull, tearing open the crack in the midships and allowing a large amount of seawater to flood in.

After completing the 2500-meter bomb drop, Fang Wen piloted his aircraft to climb the altitude, and the anti-aircraft barrage behind him still could not keep up with his trajectory.

He could also see the situation of the Fengxiang below very clearly.

It takes one last blow to disable the aircraft carrier and leave it to sit quietly on the surface of the sea, waiting to sink.

However, according to the radar detection system, six Japanese warplanes that attacked Haikou have already returned and are flying towards Hengshan No. 6.

Does this mean all our efforts will be in vain?
Fang Wen, in a state of superhuman ability, quickly incorporated this factor into his analysis.

The brain, like a high-speed biological computer, quickly reached a conclusion.

Fang Wen still has a 96.7% chance of succeeding.

Given such a high probability, Fang Wen did not hesitate to continue the bombardment.

He suddenly steered the plane, changing direction at an angle of more than 30 degrees.

This is a major taboo in bomber piloting. Generally, the pitch angle of a bomber should not exceed 30 degrees to avoid putting excessive pressure on the fuselage, which could lead to a stall.

But Fang Wen was very confident; he understood the current condition of Hengshan No. 1 as well as his own body.

After dropping 1800 kilograms of aerial bombs, Hengshan-1 no longer had a heavy payload and could perform some flight maneuvers that were previously impossible.

With his skillful maneuvering, the bomber actually completed a difficult turn, turning into a dive.

Six Japanese Type 97 fighter planes immediately changed course and followed.

Because the Japanese warplanes were too close, the warship's anti-aircraft guns had to stop firing.

What should I do next?

The original plan of gliding bombing was definitely not going to work, so while controlling the flight, he also loudly issued new orders.

"Bombardier, prepare for a second grenade drop. Slide carefully and drop the grenade immediately upon receiving the order."

The bombardier shouted back, "Yes, sir!"

But the next second, the fuselage suddenly swayed violently to the side and entered an ultra-low altitude flight state.

The prone main bombardier was thrown out by inertia, and the assistant bombardier was unable to take over.

Shao Sichen, who was assisting from the side, was able to avoid being thrown out thanks to the hatch. Seeing this, he rushed to the bombardment position and took over the position of the main bombardier.

He shouted, "Bombardier move, I'll take over, keep going!"

Hearing his words, Fang Wen did not change his plan and continued flying at extremely low altitude.

Propeller aircraft typically fly at low altitudes above 300 meters, while ultra-low altitude flights are below 300 meters.

At this time, Fang Wen was piloting Hengshan-1 at an ultra-low altitude of 150 meters.

The high-speed flight of the plane stirred up waves on the sea below.

This height is very dangerous; if you lose control and experience even a second of slowdown, you could crash into the sea.

The six Japanese Type 97 carrier-based aircraft that followed behind faced the same problem.

One of them suddenly stalled and plunged into the sea, creating a giant wave more than ten meters high.

Upon seeing that their teammate was in trouble, the remaining five fighter jets did not give up. Instead, they used their speed advantage to accelerate and catch up.

As Fang Wen piloted the aircraft closer to the Fengxiang, he suddenly ordered, "The rear machine gun positions will begin horizontal strafing."

The rear machine gun position is the machine gun position at the tail of the aircraft. When the machine gunner hears the order, he grabs the handle and pulls the trigger.

The 12.7mm machine gun was shaking violently, firing from left to right, with spent cartridges scattering onto the ground.

He didn't even have time to look at what was happening outside the firing port.

At that moment, a Type 97 fighter jet flying at high speed collided with the strafing bullets.

A series of bullet holes appeared on the nose of the plane. The pilot was hit and lost consciousness. The plane stalled instantly and plunged into the sea.

"Right machine gun position, 25 degrees to the top, strafing!" Fang Wen's voice boomed in the cockpit. At this moment, his extraordinary senses had locked onto a Type 97 fighter jet on the right that was trying to pull up to evade. The enemy aircraft had just dodged the blind spot of the tail machine gun and was preparing to take up a firing position. The horizontal distance between its wing and Hengshan-1 was less than 100 meters.

Almost simultaneously with the command, the right-hand machine gunner turned the gun, and bullets shot out like silver snakes. The bullets precisely tore through the enemy aircraft's wing skin, and the moment the fuel tank was punctured, a tongue of fire spread along the wing. In a panic, the pilot frantically jerked the control stick, but the fighter jet plummeted towards the sea like a kite with a broken string, creating a towering spray of water.

Fang Wen's mechanical perspective shifted to another enemy aircraft that was slanting in from the left front. This Type 97 had clearly learned from the lessons of the previous ones, and kept hovering at the edge of the effective range of its machine guns, trying to find an opportunity to launch a surprise attack.

This is clearly a seasoned player, and his behavior is extremely insidious.

But Fang Wen didn't give it any chance.

"Forward machine gun, fire to the left front!"

As he gave the order, Fang Wen controlled the aircraft to slow down slightly.

Instantly, the plane entered firing range.

As the machine gunner turned the barrel to the left front to fire, the enemy plane rushed head-on.

The machine gun fire rained down like a storm, shattering the cockpit window instantly. The pilot's blood splattered throughout the cockpit, and the fighter jet lost control, flipping at an odd angle and plunging into the sea. The spray it generated even splashed onto the wings of the Hengshan No. 1.

Within ten seconds, two more enemy planes were shot down. The remaining two Type 97s were finally stunned by the almost predictable firing rhythm. They dared not approach rashly and could only follow behind Hengshan-1 at a distance of 200 meters. They dared not accelerate to catch up, but were also unwilling to give up the pursuit.

"Now!" Fang Wen seized the moment when the enemy plane hesitated and suddenly pulled up the altitude of his fighter jet. Hengshan-1 broke free from the sea surface like a fish, completed a 30-degree climb at a low altitude of 150 meters, and instantly broke through to an altitude of 300 meters—this altitude was exactly the minimum altitude for dropping bombs.

After a while.

"Shao Sishen, drop the bomb!"

Having been waiting for the bombing order, Shao Sishen pulled down the bombing lever, and the last ten incendiary thermobaric bombs fell along the bombing rails. They drew arcs in the air, with three of them precisely penetrating the three large smokestacks on the deck of the Fengxiang.

Almost simultaneously with the bombing, Fang Wen maneuvered Hengshan-1 to perform a climb, sending the aircraft flying from low altitude to higher ground.

The last two enemy planes failed to catch up, clearly bewildered by the bomber's machine gun fire that had taken out three of their own aircraft.

But their ending was not good.

The two Type 97 carrier-based aircraft, which did not choose to continue the pursuit, flew over their own aircraft carrier when a huge orange-red fire wave erupted from the smokestack of the Hosho below, instantly engulfing the two fighter jets.

That was caused by a thermobaric bomb triggering a series of explosions inside the engine room. The boiler explosion not only caused the aircraft carrier to lose power, but also further enlarged the crack in the middle.

Suddenly, the entire ship broke in half, the smokestack collapsed with thick smoke, and seawater rushed into every compartment as if boiling.

"The target is sinking!" Shao Sishen reported the good news immediately upon seeing the situation below through the bombing camera.

The crew members were overjoyed.

They experienced the most thrilling air combat.

Not only did they sink Japanese aircraft carriers, but they also destroyed Japanese fighter planes. This is a battle that deserves special mention in the history of bomber air combat.

(End of this chapter)