Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 694 The Battle of Alaska, the Dunkirk Evacuation and the Taishan Airlift (2)

The plane was flying at an altitude of 6000 meters, and had now entered the German encirclement zone, with British and French positions below.

Fang Wen increases the strength of his special ability.

The supernatural perspective was as if a magnification button had been pressed, and the previously somewhat blurry fields and villages below instantly became clear as if they were right in front of us.

He saw a large army moving northwest—assembling, the situation was somewhat chaotic.

Clearly, the British and French armies, aware of being attacked from both sides, were unable to adapt to the sudden and drastic change in the war situation.

In just a few days, they went from being full of vigor to being surrounded and isolated.

However, the British and French troops below were not entirely helpless.

Fang Wen's mechanical perception perspective captured the abnormal movement.

Their tank units have been deployed!

Dozens of gray-green tanks were rolling over the damp wheat field, their tracks kicking up grass roots and mud, leaving deep ruts in the ground.

Fang Wen immediately recognized them as British Matilda Type 1 and Type 2 tanks.

(Matilda II)
(Matilda Type I)
According to information Fang Wen obtained about the British Army, these are 70 tanks from the British 1st Tank Brigade, which is currently the largest tank force in the British and French armies.

Following behind this tank unit was a division of infantry, also British troops.

In addition, a small number of French troops also joined the attack.

Are they going to retaliate?
Fang Wen observed from high above.

The troops advanced in a northwest direction.

The German positions in that direction were loosely laid out, with only a few scattered German soldiers moving around in the trenches, and a few Panzer II tanks parked haphazardly by the roadside, without even any decent fortifications.

Under the cover of the fog, British tanks approached to within a kilometer of the German positions before the Germans in the trenches suddenly noticed them.

From his supernatural perspective, Fang Wen clearly saw a German sentry raise a signal flare in terror. The moment the red signal flare pierced the thin mist, the muzzle of a British tank had already spewed fire.

The 40mm shells fired by the Matilda II tank hit the German trenches, sending dirt and gravel flying. Several German soldiers who were unable to dodge were thrown into the air by the blast and crashed heavily into the wheat field.

Immediately afterwards, the Matilda 1 tanks charged onto the German positions at an even faster speed. The coaxial machine guns mounted on the tanks began to fire, and the German resistance was instantly suppressed. Many Germans abandoned their weapons and fled in panic toward Arras.

Then, a large group of British soldiers, relying on tanks, occupied the position.

A rare local victory.

British soldiers cheered on the occupied positions.

Fang Wen could easily imagine how excited the media in both countries would be to publicize the victory.

Pushing aside his thoughts, Fang Wen continued to observe what lay below.

The German army also reacted after losing a forward position.

A German mobile force is rapidly assembling along the road, with a military vehicle in the middle of the force, surrounded by tanks.

A German general on the vehicle was giving orders to his subordinates; the vanguard of tanks had already advanced toward the direction of the British attack.

Fang Wen's heart skipped a beat; this person looked familiar, as if he had seen him in his future memories.

As far as he knew, the German tank forces had two famous generals: Guderian and Rommel.

Guderian was the overall commander of the Ardennes assault and should now be at the southern end of the encirclement.

Rommel is probably not being given a prominent position yet; he is likely the commander of the German 7th Panzer Division.

Therefore, the next general is very likely to be Rommel, who will later be known as the Desert Fox on the North African battlefield.

If a bomb were dropped now and killed Rommel, Germany's progress in North Africa would likely be much less smooth.

Of course, that's just a hypothetical scenario; Fang Wen would never do that.

He continued to observe.

By this time, the Allied forces below had broken through the first German line of defense. The Matilda tanks advanced nearly 5 kilometers westward, crushing the German makeshift camp. Tents collapsed under the weight of the tracks, and ammunition boxes that couldn't be moved in time exploded one after another in the artillery fire. Flames and thick smoke rose in the thin fog, forming plumes of gray-black smoke.

However, this kind of attack also encountered problems.

The tanks advanced too fast, leaving the infantry far behind, creating a gap of nearly two kilometers between them, resulting in a fatal disjointedness.

The British army's infantry-tank coordination was broken.

How would the German army respond?
The mechanical perception perspective shifts to the other side.

The German 7th Panzer Division had already set up an interception formation, preparing to engage British tanks.

Not only that, Fang Wen also saw other ways to deal with it.

Four 88mm anti-aircraft guns were being pushed by soldiers to the high ground beside the road, their muzzles forcibly lowered and aimed at the advancing British tank formation.

This artillery, originally designed for air defense, has now become a deadly weapon against Matilda.

Just then, the thin mist gradually dissipated, and sunlight pierced through the clouds, shining onto the battlefield.

This became the opportunity for the tanks from both sides to open fire.

But the first to fire were the four 88mm guns.

Fang Wen clearly saw the trajectory of the shell as it hurtled out, like a white lightning bolt, accurately hitting the side and rear armor of a "Matilda".

Under close-range fire from anti-aircraft guns, Matilda's side armor was torn apart like paper, and orange-red flames gushed out from the holes. The tank came to an instant stop, the hatch was pushed open, and several crew members covered in flames struggled to climb out, some running like firemen, others rolling on the ground.

After the initial success, the German 88mm guns began firing rapidly, and British tanks were hit one after another.

This threw the once unstoppable British armored onslaught into chaos. German tanks launched their own attack, striking from the front and flanks simultaneously, with German soldiers following suit.

At that moment, the radar detection system reported that a group of German fighter planes was approaching from a distance.

Fang Wen abandoned the observation, increased the altitude of the aircraft, and returned to base.

Battle of Alas: The British 5th Infantry Division and 1st Tank Brigade, equipped with about 70 Matilda I/II tanks, together with a small number of French troops, launched a surprise attack on the German 7th Panzer Division (commanded by Rommel).

The German army was initially caught off guard.

The Matilda II tank's armor (60mm front) could withstand attacks from German 37mm anti-tank guns, and it once broke through German defenses by 5 kilometers.

However, the Allied forces lacked air support (the Germans had complete air superiority), and their infantry advance was slow. By evening, they were repelled by Rommel's direct fire from 88mm anti-aircraft guns and a counterattack from armored formations.

But on this day, something else happened.

The French 9th and 10th Armies, south of the Somme, retreated westward in haste, abandoning a large amount of heavy equipment along the way.

Their defeat relieved Guderian's iron ring of defenses, allowing him to use more forces to encircle the besieged British and French troops.

August 22th.

Taishan Airlines' seaplane squadron has arrived in Africa.

To ensure the safe arrival of these aircraft, British intelligence personnel in Africa were fully mobilized, and resupply preparations were made in advance at the port cities where the aircraft would land.

The fleet is expected to arrive in Paris in another day.

This day was also the day that the French felt most deeply after the outbreak of the war.

The large number of defeated French soldiers made the people of Paris realize that it was no longer possible to save the hundreds of thousands of troops who were besieged at the front.

Meanwhile, at the headquarters of Taishan Airlines' Paris branch, Fang Wen was discussing matters with several experts he had recruited. Facing these experts, Fang Wen calmly said:

"The current situation is far more critical than described in the radio reports."

"What's going on at the front?" Macelda asked with concern. After being persuaded by his friend Pierre, he had agreed to bring all the technical staff of his aircraft manufacturing plant into Taishan Military Industry.

Fang Wen replied, "From what I understand, the German 2nd and 12th Armies are advancing from the east, while the 7th and 15th Panzer Divisions are squeezing from the south, compressing the Allied forces into the Dunkirk-Calais-Boulogne triangle. That area covers approximately 1500 square kilometers, offering some room for maneuver for now. However, to preserve these troops, the only option is a sea evacuation. This means nearly 40 troops will have to travel by ship from the port of Dunkirk and the surrounding beaches to the English Channel. Currently, the French and British forces are holding Calais, south of Dunkirk, using urban warfare to resist the German tank forces, hoping to buy time for the retreat."

"Are our French army finished?" Roger Robert asked in disbelief.

"The frontline troops have lost communication with the rear, some division-level units have lost contact, and the soldiers have spontaneously scattered. The roads are full of abandoned artillery, trucks, and rifles," Fang Wen told him about the actual situation he had witnessed.

All of this was ironic for the French, who, as victors of World War I, never imagined that the Germans, under the pressure of the Treaty of Versailles, could recover so quickly and turn the tide so suddenly.

Pierre said self-deprecatingly, "The glory of France is gone. Our proud Maginot Line is useless. The Germans have shown us what war is all about."

The French people in the room were outraged by this.

Fang Wenjing observed quietly. He could see that the experts' hearts were wavering. He no longer needed to do anything. As long as the war situation deteriorated further, most of them would naturally come to him and accept cooperation.

After a while, the discussion ended, and Fang Wen saw the experts off.

He discussed the evacuation with Macelda, who remained behind.

"Fang, how do you plan to get us out of France? If we take the original route, the Germans won't let us go," Maceldaro asked with concern.

“I have a safer route, but you’ll have to wait.”

"How long do we have to wait?"

"Five days at most. I'll personally fly the plane and take you away."

"Okay, I'll go prepare now."

Marcel Dallo shook hands with Fang Wen and left in a hurry.

After he left, Pierre asked, "Fang, why did you wait five more days before leaving?"

The matter of participating in the Dunkirk evacuation was a military secret, so Fang Wen naturally couldn't tell Pierre about it.

He mumbled, "Don't worry, the Germans won't attack Paris for the time being."

“Alright, I’ll go back and prepare then.” Pierre said and left.

August 23th.

At noon.

Taishan Airlines' 53 seaplanes finally arrived in Paris.

The planes were arranged to land on the Seine River outside the city.

Fang Wen did not appear at the temporary seaplane airport.

He went to the front lines to conduct reconnaissance.

An hour later, Fang Wen piloted the plane back and landed on the Seine River.

The plane adjusted its course and docked. The cabin door opened, and Fang Wen jumped ashore.

Taishan Airlines' civil aviation pilots and aviation students from the aviation school were all waiting on the shore.

He shouted, "Everyone, assemble!"

The pilots immediately came over and formed a line of 100.

Fang Wen stood at the front of the line, looking at the pilots with a serious expression.

"I just flew back from the front lines. The war situation in Europe is extremely dire. German armored forces are approaching the outskirts of Dunkirk, and their artillery can even cover the port. There are nearly 40 British and French troops in the city. They only have one way out: to retreat to Britain. To do that, they need to go by ship or plane. I have been commissioned by the British to lead you in using our aircraft to rescue some of these soldiers. For this, I need your participation. All participants will receive very generous rewards."

He paused for a moment, then continued, "Of course, this operation is extremely dangerous, and you can choose not to participate. Now, tell me your answer."

Among the more than 100 pilots, the flight cadets from the aviation school said in unison, "We are willing."

They are soldiers and are very interested in participating in such a large-scale military operation.

Among the other 20 civil aviation pilots, one asked, "General Manager, are you the one leading our flights?"

Fang Wen nodded: "It's me, I'll take you all flying together."

"I'm willing." The civil aviation pilots also agreed. They recognized Fang Wen's abilities, and at Taishan Airlines, any flight with Fang Wen was a symbol of safety.

"Alright, let's start preparing now. We could leave at any time."

Under Fang Wen's orders, the pilots returned to their aircraft for maintenance.

Compared to the complex mechanical structures of the future, pilots of this era, having mastered mechanical knowledge, could be considered half mechanics.

While they were carrying out maintenance and refueling, Fang Wen entered the command center of the temporary airport.

Three British officers were in charge there, communicating with London at all times via telegram.

As soon as he entered, Fang Wen asked, "How was it?"

One of the officers replied: "The evacuation has already begun, but things are very chaotic in Dunkirk. It is impossible to effectively organize the boarding and evacuation. So far, only 2000 people have boarded the ships, and it is expected that only 8000 people can be sent away today, or even fewer."

"So few?" Fang Wen exclaimed in surprise. "The Germans have already surrounded us. If we retreat at this rate, it might take us more than a month to get through."

The officer lamented, "Things are out of control over there now."

Fang Wen suddenly realized that the successful evacuation of British and French troops from Dunkirk to the British mainland was probably not as simple as he had imagined.

Are the Germans just going to wait for the British and French troops to withdraw from Dunkirk?
At that moment, a new telegram arrived from London, and the British officer recording the message stood up with the telegram in hand.

“Mr. Fang, we have received instructions to begin airlift. The landing site is on the beach northwest of Dunkirk, and we will use smoke to guide the way. The final destination is Ramsgate port, where refueling has been arranged.”

Fang Wen nodded, turned and left the command room.

He walked to the temporary airport dock and loudly ordered, "Depart in half an hour. Tell me immediately if there are any problems."

Half an hour passed quickly without any problems.

All pilots boarded the plane.

Fang Wen was also piloting one of the seaplanes when he picked up the microphone.

"Now report the numbers, in numerical order, to confirm that the wireless communication is normal."

"Unit One, reporting for duty." "Unit Two, reporting for duty."
After counting off, it was confirmed that all the wireless equipment was working properly.

Fang Wen continued into the microphone: "Now, take off according to the original formation order. I will give the next flight command in the air."

After he finished speaking, he took off in his plane.

Seaplanes then took off, forming a formation of 11 in groups of 5, following the flight formation that had taken them from Yangon to Europe.

Because they are low-speed aircraft, formation flying is much less difficult than for high-speed aircraft.

"Attention all formations, heading north, altitude 3000, maintain spacing."

A fleet of 53 seaplanes, led by Fang Wen, departed from Paris, first flying towards the English Channel, then northeast along the coastline to Dunkirk, thus avoiding the German air raid formations.

(End of this chapter)