Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 571 Military Transportation: Taihang Mountain Transformation, Strategic Bomber Takeoff
The rainy season in northern Myanmar in May came unexpectedly.

The raindrops pounded against the factory roof, making a crackling sound, but they couldn't drown out the roar of production inside the workshop.

Fang Wen inspected the different workshops. The rocket factory's production line was officially starting operation for the first time, and he was even more nervous than the workers.

The modified Creusot 400 stamping press is processing steel plates at a steady pace of 8 times per minute.

"The pressure gauge fluctuation is controlled within 0.3!" The stamping workshop director reported to Fang Wen, which is in line with the design value in the standardized process.

The first batch of projectile blanks were lifted by lifting rings, placed on flatbed carts, and sent to the processing area.

In the machining area, the workers immediately used special clamps to secure the lathe cutter head, which then fell down, milling out the required structure amidst a shower of sparks.

All of these processes are done manually, and the workers involved are experienced workers transferred from the ammunition factory.

This process takes a whole day.

Then it was sent to the welding workshop next door.

Sparks flew and fumes filled the welding workshop.

Beside a secondhand welding machine transported from the Škoda arms factory, Schneider technician Le Maire was watching the workers operate it: "The weld must be continuous; any interruption results in a failure!"

Fang Wen arrived at the newly welded missile tail fin assembly and tapped the joint with a copper hammer. The crisp metallic sound proved that there was no false welding.

He then went to the easternmost fully enclosed factory building.

That's where the pharmaceutical preparation room and the filling room are located.

Huo Duanyang and the chemistry team members, wearing masks, are carefully loading the medicine.

The improved double-base propellant is pressed into the propellant die, and the pressure gauge pointer must stop at the 120 kg/cm mark, neither more nor less.

In the fuse workshop, the first batch of mechanically triggered fuses has completed testing.

The assembly team began docking the warhead and propulsion unit.

These situations were marked by the factory office staff on the process flow board on the wall in the director's office with different symbols, so as to keep track of the factory's production situation in real time.

After three days of hard work by all staff, the rockets produced on the assembly line in northern Myanmar were successfully manufactured.

Just then, the heavy rain that had lasted for several days stopped, and the sun shone through the clouds, as if God himself was celebrating this moment.

The weather cleared up, which was perfect for live-fire testing. The rocket factory then loaded the ammunition onto military vehicles and transported it to the live-fire testing range outside the base.

The military vehicle bumped along the muddy dirt road and arrived at the test site.

On the distant earthen hill, some tree stumps were erected as targets for soldiers, and behind them were five concrete bunkers with a diameter of three meters.

This was used to simulate a battle of attrition; the earthen hill was the Japanese army's fortification position.

Yan Huaixun, a specialist in artillery testing at Taishan Military Industry, was in charge of this live-fire exercise.

He and six launchers, specially trained for rocket launches, began their work.

One by one, 82mm Taishan homemade rockets were unloaded from the truck and installed on different launching devices.

It has a vehicle-mounted 16-round Taishan Storm launcher, and Taishan 7-round and 10-round air-to-ground rocket launchers.

Different launching devices have different installation methods.

It is also the most time-consuming part of rocket launch; it can be said that installation takes an hour, while launch takes only a few minutes.

After a flurry of activity, all the rockets were installed, and we could begin.

Yan Huaixun and three launchers waited in place, while three others, playing the role of scouts, set off.

The launch positioning for this simulated combat exercise was achieved using the intersection method, which was designed by Yan Huaixun based on the characteristics of rocket launches.

The essence of the intersection method is to use "two points to determine a straight line". The azimuth of the target is measured through at least two observation points, and the intersection of the two direction lines is the target position.

It is also a commonly used positioning method employed by artillery.

This time, a three-point intersection method was used: three observation points, that is, three direction lines should theoretically intersect at the same point. If there is a deviation (due to measurement error), the center of the triangular area is taken as the target position, which can provide more accurate positioning than a two-point intersection method.

Near the earthen slope of the test site, three markers—red, yellow, and blue—were planted. These were three observation points set up in advance by Yan Huaixun, spaced about 1.5 kilometers apart, forming a triangle covering the entire target area.

Three observers, carrying surveying tool bags, carefully crouched down in the grass under the marker, and then took out a military compass and a wooden board marked with graduations.

The observers placed the compass flat on their knees, rotated the dial to align the magnetic needle with true north, and then measured the lines on the wooden board.

After measurement, the target location was marked on the map with a pencil, and then reported using a Taishan walkie-talkie.

Meanwhile, at the rocket launch site, Yan Huaixun immediately marked the location on a hand-drawn map after receiving the report, and then made calculations.

After obtaining the calculation results, he and the launcher began to adjust the firing angle and direction.

He then reported to Fang Wen: "Target coordinates confirmed, firing parameters: distance 2800 meters, azimuth 75°, elevation 12°! Requesting firing."

Fang Wen nodded in agreement.

Immediately, the vehicle-mounted rockets began to be launched, with 16 rockets being fired in quick succession towards the target 3 kilometers away.

Moments later, 16 rockets landed on the hill, creating a large blast zone.

Flames and smoke billowed into the sky, and a series of explosions obscured the entire hill.

It looks like it's working well, and everyone is very excited.

Only Fang Wen remained calm.

With his exceptional senses, he keenly noticed a gap in the explosion area, where there must have been a dud that hadn't been detonated.

After a while, the smoke cleared, and the observer drove over to check the situation, reporting via walkie-talkie: "Two rockets failed to explode."

One in eight failures is a bit high; if we were to mass-produce at this rate, it would result in a huge waste.

The launchers of subsequent air-to-ground rockets also had the same problem, with some rockets failing to detonate.

Fang Wen said seriously, "This shows that the rockets produced in Taishan have technical defects. They absolutely cannot be mass-produced and sent to the battlefield like this. Take the duds back, and we'll work on tackling the technical problems."

Four unexploded ordnance were transported back to the rocket factory.

Even duds can still explode, so safety measures must be taken if you want to study them.

The technicians carefully pried open the connection, separated the warhead from the propulsion section, and then removed the warhead's explosive charge.

The danger was thus averted.

Subsequently, Fang Wen and the factory's technicians began to study the matter together.

An engineer who had participated in the production of the Taishan individual rocket was the first to speak up.

"The 82mm rocket uses an impact-activated mechanical fuse. Its core is the 'firing pin-spring-detonator' linkage mechanism, which requires the impact force of the rocket hitting the target to compress the spring, causing the firing pin to pierce the detonator. If the spring stiffness is too strong, or the firing pin stroke is too short, it will only produce a slight impact and will not trigger. Our man-portable rocket launchers often misfired when hitting the side of Japanese light armored vehicles because the spring stiffness was too high. These four rockets were the same."

Another engineer countered: "The spring stiffness is the result of multiple tests. If the stiffness is insufficient, it is easy to explode prematurely, which is not conducive to dealing with assault targets such as tanks and bunkers."

That's true; the stiffness of a spring cannot be adjusted.

Then they started discussing other possibilities. Could it cause the insurance company to become ineffective?

To prevent accidental triggering during transport, the fuse is equipped with a safety pin and a centrifugal safety. The safety pin is removed when loading the fuse, but the centrifugal safety needs to be released by centrifugal force during flight.

Some technicians believe that the centrifugal safety device's counterweight may be stuck, preventing the safety device from being released.

This is also possible.

Fang Wen personally disassembled the four fuses, revealing the centrifugal safety device inside.

They all had the same problem: the counterweight was stuck in the tube groove and had not been released, which caused the rocket fuse to be in a semi-locked state.

Fang Wen poked at it with a screwdriver, and the safety device slid out.

"Found it. The problem is that the parts were manufactured with non-standard specifications." Fang Wen said seriously, "Find the corresponding workstations according to the production numbers and punish the relevant staff."

To achieve a high yield rate, no step in the production process can be relaxed, and Fang Wen showed no mercy this time.

Subsequently, the factory management located the worker by following the part's production number and gave him a serious reprimand.

The worker never expected that his mistake would cause the malfunction of four rockets. He felt guilty and wrote a letter of self-criticism, which he made to everyone at a factory meeting.

This also gave all the workers a new understanding of rocket production, which is a rigorous process where any mistake in any step can lead to failure.

In mid-May 1939, the first batch of 300 rockets was completed.

Fang Wen sent a telegram to his contact, Bai Yunfei.

[New factory shipment: 300 rockets, 4 vehicle-mounted units, and 2 gunships/aircraft carrying rocket launchers.]

One hour after the telegram was sent, Bai Yunfei replied.

Does this new weapon require training?

Fang Wen replied. "The training methods will be similar to those used by artillery, and the firing data will differ. I will arrange for instructors to accompany you to conduct the training."

Afterwards, Bai Yunfei went to report to Yan'an.

After exchanging telegrams, both parties agreed on the delivery method and location.

Vehicle-mounted rockets and modified gunboats were all transported to the Taihang Mountains, where a major operation was planned to use these new weapons.

The Eighth Route Army is preparing a counter-offensive against the Japanese forces in North China!

Fang Wen was also eager to participate in this operation, and immediately began preparing to ship the goods back to China.

Just in time, Taishan No. 1 has also been renovated.

At the No. 2 Aircraft Manufacturing Plant, Fang Wen piloted the massive Taishan No. 1 aircraft out of the hangar.

Compared to before, it is still huge, but the fuselage has been transformed into a streamlined shape, with two propellers mounted on the left and right sides of the high-wing monoplane, and the engine located under the wing.

As a modified strategic bomber, its carrying capacity has been increased to 10 tons, and its internal structure has also been modified.

Forward area: cockpit, bombardier's compartment, forward machine gun compartment.

The upper level is the cockpit, with two people seated side by side, equipped with a steering wheel-type control stick, instrument panel (air speed gauge, altimeter, fuel gauge, engine tachometer, etc.), and radio communication equipment.

The cockpit crew consists of three people: a pilot, a co-pilot, and a radio operator.

The lower level is the bombardier's compartment and the forward-mounted machine gun compartment.

The bombardier compartment has two people who use an overhead bombardment sight to calculate wind speed, altitude, and speed, lock onto the target before dropping the bomb, and then operate the bomb bay to release it.

The forward machine gun compartment is for one person and is equipped with a 12.7 mm machine gun with a firing angle of 180 degrees forward.

Central area: ammunition compartment, supply compartment, left and right machine gun compartments.

The bomb bay is located inside the fuselage below the wings and is the largest enclosed space in the entire aircraft.

The interior features a metal frame and an openable bomb bay (hydraulic-driven, opening downwards when bombs are dropped); it is equipped with bomb racks ("ejector racks", which use a spring mechanism to push bombs out of the cabin to prevent jamming).

The Taishan-1 strategic bomber abandoned the external mounting of aerial bombs and instead used a bomb bay for bombing.

There are three bomb loaders in the bomb bay, who are specifically responsible for loading aerial bombs onto the bomb racks during wartime, so that they can work with the bombardiers to bombard the target area continuously.

The maximum payload capacity inside the cabin is 9 tons.

The types of munitions that can be deployed include high-explosive shells, incendiary shells, and cluster shells.

The supply compartment is located in the empty area in front of and behind the bomb bay. The space is narrow and contains living supplies and sundries such as folding seats, first aid kits, and dry food boxes, as well as parachutes and spare ammunition for aircraft machine guns.

The left and right machine gun compartments are located on the sides of the bomb bay as "waist machine gun compartments". They have a firing angle of 120 degrees and a 12.7 mm aircraft-grade gun. They can fire to the side and rear to defend against enemy fighters approaching from both sides.

The machine gun room is staffed by one person.

Rear area of ​​the aircraft: tail machine gun bay, rear cabin space, rear cabin door.

The tail gun pod is located below the vertical stabilizer, with a firing angle of 180 degrees, and is equipped with two 12.7 mm machine guns to defend against fighter jets pursuing from behind.

Two staff members are assigned.

The rear cabin is quite spacious and can be used as a storage area for transported supplies, as well as a resting and waiting area for paratroopers to land.

The rear hatch, in addition to loading and unloading supplies, also serves as the exit for parachuting and the drop point for airdropped supplies.

This is the condition of the renovated Taishan No. 1.

After Fang Wen piloted the aircraft out of the hangar, he opened the rear cabin door. Base staff pushed carts of wooden crates filled with rockets into the rear cabin area. After the rockets were loaded, there were also four disassembled rocket launchers.

Taishan's self-made 82mm rockets weigh 7 kilograms each, so 300 rockets would weigh 2.1 tons. Adding the launcher, the total weight is 3 tons.

For Taishan-1, it did not reach its carrying capacity limit at all.

After the supplies were loaded, the personnel boarded the plane.

The aircraft crew consisted of 11 people (5 machine gunners, 2 bombardiers, 3 bomb bay loaders, 1 communications soldier, and no co-pilot), along with 6 rocket launch instructors including Yan Huaixun, and 5 technicians from the rocket factory.

After these people boarded the plane, Gong Xiuneng came over to report: "Commander, loading of supplies and boarding of personnel are complete."

Fang Wen nodded, pressed the mechanical switch on the rear hatch, and the linkage activated the hydraulic system, causing the rear hatch to close slowly.

He picked up the microphone and notified the other two gunboats returning home to prepare for takeoff, then steered the aircraft onto the runway.

The large strategic bomber slowly taxied onto the runway, and Fang Wen entered mechanical awareness mode to conduct a comprehensive inspection of the aircraft.

Apart from the rear hatch not being fully closed, no other problems were found.

He picked up the internal communication microphone and said, "Gong Xiuneng, open the hydraulic switch for the rear hatch and push it up."

Upon receiving the instruction, Gong Xiu followed it, and with a muffled thud, the rear hatch clicked into place.

Immediately, Fang Wen, maintaining his mechanical awareness, piloted Taishan-1, accelerating on the runway. When the speed reached the takeoff threshold, the nose pulled up, and the aircraft soared into the sky.

(End of this chapter)