Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 581 The Soviet Military Technical Mission: The Problem of the Precursor to the Katyusha Rocket
Northern Myanmar base.

Fang Wen was reading a telegram from the Yangon headquarters regarding the progress of the European business plan.

As he envisioned, semiconductor radios became the equivalent of smartphones in later generations, while vacuum tube radios became feature phones, and it was inevitable that they would be replaced by them.

In peacetime, he is confident that he can launch more semiconductor-based products and transform Taishan Airlines into a super-enterprise.

But now, he focuses more on the military industry.

After hanging up the telegram, Fang Wen continued developing the military bicycle production line.

The procurement request made by the Eighth Route Army made him realize his own problem.

Military equipment development should not only focus on high-end fields, but also be closely aligned with current realities.

The base area needs not only high-end military equipment, but also various useful equipment that can be used in practice and promote the balanced development of the army's combat effectiveness.

Military bicycles are one example.

It can carry heavy loads and can move for long periods of time at a speed of 8-10 kilometers per hour in plains areas. Durability and performance are the two most important factors.

Therefore, Fang Wen chose to use the special manganese steel originally from the Soviet Union.

Of course, we don't choose whole pieces of special manganese steel, that would be too wasteful; instead, we choose the scraps from the processing.

The special manganese steel scraps from die casting and cutting are irregular strips and rings of waste, and I never thought of any use for them.

But now military bicycles have become the best application area.

He decided to build a bicycle by hand first.

Amidst the roar of machines in the stamping workshop, Fang Wen, wearing canvas gloves stained with machine oil, stared at the first piece of special manganese steel scrap next to the stamping machine—an irregular strip of waste with cutting burrs on the edges, a full 1.2 centimeters thick, which had been piled up in a corner of the warehouse collecting dust.

When the operator pressed the button, the heavy-duty stamping press head fell with a dull "clang". The manganese steel scrap was forcibly shaped in the mold, and the originally abrupt edges were flattened, initially revealing the arc outline of the frame tube. The heat generated by the metal being squeezed came through the air. Fang Wen reached out and touched the stamped semi-finished product. His fingertips could feel the unique hard texture of the special manganese steel.

"Take this and do a strength test." Fang Wen handed the semi-finished product to the technician next to him. Although the special manganese steel has high strength, the scraps may have hidden cracks, which is a major taboo for military equipment. Therefore, metal flaw detection is necessary.

Half an hour later, the flaw detection report showed no abnormalities, and the production line officially entered the batch stamping stage. Strip-shaped waste materials were fed into different molds in sequence and pressed into the upper tube, lower tube, and upright tube of the frame, while ring-shaped waste materials were pressed into the sleeve of the fork. The originally messy waste materials gradually became bicycle frame component blanks under the stamping machine.

These die-cast blanks need to be further processed on machine tools and grinding equipment to make them into components that meet specifications.

The operator fixes the blank on the lathe, and the cutting tool slowly moves along the interface to remove the excess part of the blank edge and grind the inner diameter of the riser to ensure that it can fit perfectly with the seat rod later.

The fork sleeves need to be drilled with internal threads to facilitate the installation of the front axle.

Next comes the welding process. The welders, holding protective goggles, aimed their arc welding guns at the joints of the manganese steel components. Blue arcs of light rose and fell throughout the workshop as the high temperature melted the welding material into a liquid state, which was then filled into the joints.

Fang Wen specifically requested the use of the "fish scale welding" process, where each weld line must be tightly connected to avoid porosity.

Through welding, the originally scattered parts are now connected into a complete frame, followed by rust prevention treatment.

The pickling tank in the workshop was already prepared. The bicycle frame was hoisted into the tank and soaked for 20 minutes to remove the oxide layer and oil stains on the surface. Then it was transferred to the phosphating tank to form a fine phosphating film. This is more durable than the paint for rust prevention on ordinary bicycles and can withstand the humidity of the rainy season in the south and the wind and sand in the mountains of the north.

After phosphating, the chassis is sent to the paint booth and sprayed with a special dark gray paint. After being baked at a high temperature of 120°C, the paint adheres firmly to the manganese steel surface, and will leave virtually no trace unless damaged by a hard metal object.

At the same time, the production of other components is also progressing simultaneously.

The rims of the wheels were also stamped from manganese steel scraps. For bicycle production, Fang Wen specially designed and manufactured a rolling machine.

A rolling machine can be used to make manganese steel strips into wheel rims and correct their roundness to ensure that they do not become eccentric during rotation.

The seat is made of canvas wrapped around hard sponge, and the outer layer is covered with a layer of buffalo leather bought from Kunming, which can ensure both riding comfort and wear resistance.

The best material for foot pedals is plastic, but plastic is very expensive now. Considering the cost and manufacturing difficulty, Fang Wen chose wooden pedals, and they are replaceable. If they break, users can simply carve wood to make a replacement and put it on.

There are also rubber tires.

In this regard, the availability of bicycle tire rims was directly provided by Chinese rubber merchants in Southeast Asia, which saved a lot of trouble.

However, there are also some parts that cannot be produced in Asia for the time being.

Includes: chains and spokes on wheels.

Chains are an important mechanical power component of bicycles. It would be difficult to produce them entirely in-house, and it would even require building dedicated steel mills and chain factories, which is unnecessary. It would be better to purchase them from Europe.

Spokes require thinner steel shafts. Although the Taishan Myanmar base has a full range of processing equipment, it lacks such precision machining equipment. After all, the hardness of manganese steel scrap is high, and the existing equipment is basically unable to produce such a fine material.

Therefore, the spokes also had to be purchased from Europe.

Therefore, after receiving Fang Wen's order, the European branch sent people to purchase spare parts from bicycle manufacturers in Europe.

In Europe, bicycles sell very well, and there are many manufacturers.

The staff of Taishan Airlines branch mainly took advantage of the opportunity to open specialty stores in Germany, France and the UK to negotiate with bicycle manufacturers in the three countries.

They contacted Diamant and Kalkhoff in Germany, Raleigh in England, and Alcyon in France.

However, under the current circumstances, the two German companies are under military control and unable to conduct commercial procurement, while Raleigh in the UK is now focused on military production and has little interest in procuring bicycle parts.

Alcyon of France, on the other hand, while having businesses in bicycles, motorcycles, and automobiles, still maintains a good production capacity in the bicycle sector.

Ultimately, Alcyon of France was chosen to procure the components, and the first batch of samples was shipped directly to Myanmar by plane.

Once the European parts arrived, Fang Wen, fully prepared, began the final assembly. He worked alongside the workers, fixing the frame onto the assembly table, first installing the bottom bracket and cranks, adjusting the chain tension to ensure there was no jamming during pedaling; then installing the front and rear wheels, calibrating the wheel rim clearance to the frame, and tightening the axle nuts with a specially made torque wrench, operating at the specified torque—too loose and it would loosen easily, too tight and it would increase riding resistance.

When the first military bicycle was assembled, Fang Wen pushed it to an open space outside, lifted the rear of the frame with one hand, and raised the front wheel off the ground—the whole bicycle weighed 3 kilograms more than an ordinary bicycle, but it felt very solid.

He hopped on the bike and started pedaling. The bike moved smoothly on the gravel road. Even when it ran over protruding stones, the shaking and bumping frame had no problems. When he braked, the wheels stopped quickly and steadily without veering off course.

It seems to be working well; let's test the download again.

Fang Wen instructed the workers to bring over boxes containing stones, each weighing 25 kilograms, for a total weight of about 50 kilograms. He placed the two boxes on the shelf behind the truck and then tied them together with rope.

After another ride test, although the pedaling force was slightly greater than when unloaded, the speed was still stable at around 8 kilometers per hour, and there were no signs of bending in the load-bearing parts of the frame.

Fang Wen stopped the car, patted the dark gray paint on the frame, and finally a smile appeared on his lips.

This is the military bicycle he envisioned: durable, capable of carrying heavy loads, and stable, which should be able to serve military operations on the North China Plain.

Currently, some parts are produced at the northern Myanmar base, while others are sourced from Europe, meeting all the necessary elements for production. Subsequently, Fang Shouxin, who took over the bicycle production business, began preparations to establish a bicycle assembly line in Yangon.

Meanwhile, a group of visitors landed at Yangon Airport aboard a Thai Airways plane.

Having received advance notice via telegram, Fang Wen went to Yangon to pick up the passenger.

On the tarmac at Yangon Airport, the propellers gradually stopped turning. After the roar of the engines disappeared, the cabin door opened, and the flight attendant opened the door and smiled, saying, "Dear passengers, Taishan Airlines Asia International Flight has arrived at Yangon Station. Passengers who are disembarking here, please disembark. Other passengers, please do not leave without permission. We will stop here for thirty minutes and then continue our flight to Kunming."

Five members of the Soviet military technical inspection delegation disembarked one by one from the gangway.

They wore civilian clothes with stand-up collars, but to identify themselves, they wore badges with a hammer and sickle and a five-pointed star on their chests, and their cuffs were sewn with their respective insignia ('Aerodynamics Research Institute', 'Ural Machine-Building Plant', 'USSR Academy of Sciences').
The person in the lead had no badge on his cuff, but he took the initiative to talk to Fang Wen, who came to pick him up.

"Hello, I am Vasily Ivanov, the head of this military technology study and exchange delegation."

"Welcome, I am Fang Wen."

Fang Wen greeted the five-person Soviet inspection team with a smile, and led them onto another plane, which flew directly to the base in northern Myanmar.

Fang Wen was piloting the plane in the cockpit, while Gong Xiuneng stood guard at the cockpit door.

Five members of the Soviet delegation sat on the folding chairs behind them.

The Soviet delegation had heard of Fang Wen, an airline owner who loved to fly around the world in his own plane, and an aerial combat hero. They were thinking about how to take the opportunity to talk to Fang Wen during the flight and start this military expedition.

Vasily Ivanov did not approach the hatch, but spoke through Gong Xiuneng: "We came here this time for your rocket launch technology. The five of us and the domestic technical experts are very curious about this. You clearly used our rockets, but you don't have the corresponding launch technology, so how can you achieve such good shooting results?"

Fang Wen, who was piloting the plane, replied, "There's no need to rush this. We can discuss it when we get there. I guarantee this investigation will benefit both of us. Before that, could you tell me about the air battle that took place in Nomonhan? I'm very interested in it."

Vasily Ivanov turned to a member of the expedition and asked him to recount the Battle of Khalkhin Gol.

The man was from the Aerodynamics Research Institute. He described in great detail the process of using air-to-ground rockets in salvo attacks during aerial combat, which also gave Fang Wen some inspiration regarding the launch of air-to-ground rockets.

After a four-hour flight, the plane arrived at its base in northern Myanmar.

After the plane landed and came to a stable stop, Fang Wen led the five-person Soviet inspection team to the base's guesthouse to settle in first, and then took them to the rocket factory for inspection.

The group entered the Taishan rocket factory and saw rows of production workshops where different equipment was running, continuously producing various components of rockets.

The representative from the Aerodynamics Research Institute looked on with surprise.

He whispered to his companions.

“These production lines are different from ours, and the processes they use are not ours either. It seems that they have mastered their own rocket production technology.”

"Since they have mastered their own production processes, why do they spend so much money to buy ours?"

This question became a common concern for all five of them.

In response, Battalion Commander Vasily asked, "General Manager Fang, did your rocket technology originate from us?"

“Yes.” Fang Wen responded honestly: “By reverse engineering your rockets, we understood their structure and launch principles, and combined them with our own rocket technology to upgrade and modify them, which led to the industrialized production workshop we have today. The reason I showed you all this is because I know you also have similar technology, so we are on the same starting line.”

Vasily nodded: "In March of this year, our Comintern factory successfully trial-produced the BM-13-16 vehicle-mounted rocket launcher prototype. The system uses a ZIS-6 truck chassis and is equipped with eight I-beam launcher racks, capable of carrying 16 M-13 (132 mm) rockets. Although it produces a huge flash and smoke when launched, tests have shown that it is highly effective against clustered targets—16 rockets can cover an area 400 meters wide and 800 meters long, instantly unleashing 230 kilograms of high explosives. We originally thought it was a secret, but we didn't expect that you had also achieved it and were using it in actual combat, beating us to the punch."

Fang Wen smiled and said, "I don't think there's anything wrong with that. Your technology can also be used in actual combat."

His certainty is based on history; the BM-13-16 vehicle-mounted rocket launcher is the predecessor of the famous Katyusha rocket launcher.

An hour later, he led the inspection team on a tour of the entire factory, and it was noon, time for lunch.

Fang Wen led the inspection team to the base's guesthouse and hosted them in the guesthouse's canteen.

A table of dishes was prepared, and the group took their seats.

Considering the Soviets' drinking capacity, Fang Wen prepared Yunnan's high-proof liquor, 'Lishi Liquor,' for them.

After a few glasses of liquor, the Soviets became more straightforward and talkative.

After praising the quality of the liquor, the delegation leader Vasily explained the true purpose of their visit.

"We developed rockets to compete with Germany's 150mm 'Smokeer' rocket artillery. Although their rocket artillery has a larger caliber, we have a longer range than Germany, and we also have an advantage in salvo density, with 16 tubes while they have 6. However, we are now facing a very thorny problem that we have not been able to solve, while you seem to have solved this problem. Can you help us break through it?"

Fang Wenqi asked, "What's the problem?"

(End of this chapter)