Republic of China: Ace Pilot

1:8 AM on August 21.

After completing his strategic bombing mission, Fang Wen piloted the Taishan-1 back to base.

This was his second strategic bombing operation in coordination with a large-scale ground force; the first occurred during the Battle of Taierzhuang.

At 2 a.m., the plane crossed the Yellow River and returned to the airspace over Yan'an.

On the runway of Yan'an Airport, two rows of guiding torches were lit. Fang Wen picked up the microphone: "Night mission completed, requesting landing."

An excited voice came through the radio: "Landing cleared. Success!"

Cheers then came from the radio.

Fang Wen turned off the wireless communication and piloted Taishan-1 to land steadily on the runway.

Just as Fang Wen stepped out of the cockpit, Qiu Shanhe ran in from outside, bringing good news: "Victories have been reported from Niangziguan, Yangquan, and the northern section of Tongpu, but the Japanese army is mobilizing reinforcements, and there are movements in the Shijiazhuang and Taiyuan directions."

Fang Wen took the battle report and exchanged glances with Qi Baoqian of the Yan'an Air Force.

"Last night's air raid was just an appetizer; the real battle begins today. Qi Baoqian, are your men confident?"

"I have absolute confidence."

"Alright, I look forward to working with you."

After a brief exchange, Fang Wen went to rest. He couldn't be careless in such a big battle and needed to be in better mental condition for the day's fight.

Time passed slowly, and dawn gradually broke.

In the early morning, at Niangziguan on the eastern section of the Zhengtai Railway.

The troops of the Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region have completely cleared out the remaining enemy forces in the pass. The soldiers are seizing the time to reinforce the fortifications and move the machine guns and grenades left behind by the Japanese army to the defensive positions.

The breach in the city wall that was blown open by bombs last night was temporarily sealed with stones and wooden beams, while scouts infiltrated the east side of Niangziguan in batches to investigate the movements of Japanese reinforcements.

Standing atop the pass, the commander gazed at the dust and smoke along the distant railway line and said to the soldiers around him, "The Japanese army will definitely come to seize Niangziguan. We must hold this place and prevent them from reopening the Zhengtai Railway!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than the sound of Japanese artillery fire came from afar—the vanguard of the Japanese Independent Mixed Brigade No. 8, which had come from Shijiazhuang, had arrived 5 kilometers east of Niangziguan and was bombarding the outer positions of the pass with artillery.

At that critical moment, five planes flew in from the northwest; they were gunboats from the Eighth Route Army's air regiment.

The five gunship aircraft immediately entered a side-flying position and descended to an altitude of 800 meters.

At such a height, the gunners inside the cockpit gripped the handles of the aircraft machine gun and the 20mm cannon, and opened fire on the Japanese troops below.

At a distance of 800 meters, and with the superior vantage point for shooting, it has a significant advantage.

A hail of bullets rained down, driving back the vanguard of the Japanese 8th Independent Mixed Brigade.

At this time, the five gunship aircraft also ended their attack and returned to base, and another five gunship aircraft took their place.

This was intended to create continuous pressure on the Japanese army through alternating attacks.

Meanwhile, the ground soldiers seized the opportunity, rushed out of their positions and launched a counterattack. The Japanese vanguard was caught off guard and suffered heavy casualties, and was forced to retreat 3 kilometers to build a temporary defensive line.

Taking advantage of the momentum, the troops of the Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region pursued and captured three Japanese outposts, further consolidating the defense of Niangziguan Pass.

By this time, the Japanese army had reacted and launched twenty fighter planes from the Tianjin military airport toward Niangziguan.

(Niangziguan Pass, built 39 years ago, features a waterfall cascading down a cliff. It is a strategically important location, easy to defend and difficult to attack, connecting Hebei and Shanxi provinces, and serving as a crucial hub on the Pinghan Railway.)
9 am.

Fang Wen had already gotten up and was ready to go.

The other pilots were in the same condition as him.

This time, Fang Wen will pilot a Taishan high-speed fighter jet and fight alongside pilots from Yan'an Aviation.

He inspected each of the fighter jets parked along the runway.

These fighter jets are all well-maintained and have no major problems.

In terms of weaponry, the Il-16 is primarily equipped with autocannons and carries two 50-kilogram aerial bombs.

The Taishan first-generation high-speed fighter had two configurations. The first two aircraft had four 7.92 mm caliber aircraft machine guns on each wing, while the newer models that were transferred later were equipped with rocket launchers, which reduced the number of aircraft machine guns by two.

9:20.

Qiu Shanhe and Qi Baoqian walked out of the telegraph room.

Qi Baoqian shouted, "Our radio has detected enemy aircraft, number unknown. All pilots, board immediately and proceed to Niangziguan."

The pilots immediately sprang into action, rushing to their respective fighter jets.

Fang Wen was about to board the plane when Qi Baoqian shouted, "Sir, the operation must not go wrong. You should take command of the operation."

Fang Wen nodded in agreement, without any modesty.

He ran quickly to the fighter jet, climbed onto the plane in a few strides, and the ground crew hurriedly moved the boarding ladder and other items to make way for him.

Sitting in the cockpit, Fang Wen turned on the radio.

"Attention all aircraft, I will be in command of this air combat mission. Target: airspace above Niangziguan Pass. Number of enemy aircraft unknown. From now on, I will call you by your assigned numbers to issue attack orders. I am muting my microphone now. Everyone, please state your assigned number and name to prevent any errors."

Qi Baoqian was the first to speak.

"Unit 1, Qi Baoqian"

"Unit 2, Du Jiahuai"

"Unit 3, Shao Deqing"

"Unit 4, Deng Zhongyu"

"Unit 5, Zhai Xiaojun"

"Unit 6, Rao Minghe"

"Unit 7, Fan Bosheng"

The Taishan Elite Aviation Team has reunited, except for Pan Jiafeng.

In addition, there were 6 other pilots who joined later: Wang Shuanzhu (aircraft No. 8), Li Fushun (aircraft No. 9), Zhang Baocai (aircraft No. 10), Zhao Gensheng (aircraft No. 11), Sun Changgui (aircraft No. 12), and Zhou Shunfa (aircraft No. 13).

The last machine, number 14, belonged to Fang Wen himself.

After the registration process was completed and Fang Wen confirmed that everything was correct, he immediately arranged for the planes to take off in sequence.

The fighter jets on the two runways took off one after another. Under Fang Wen's command, the 14 fighter jets quickly formed a formation in the air, which shows that their training results are commendable.

Fang Wen's No. 14 aircraft was at the center of the formation, with the veteran pilots led by Qi Baoqian on the left and the auxiliary team of 6 new pilots on the right. The whole formation was in an arrowhead shape. In order to maintain overall consistency, it sped toward Niangziguan at a constant speed of 400 kilometers per hour.

Inside the cabin, Fang Wen operated the control stick with his left hand and activated the radar detection device with his right.

This thing has been installed on high-speed fighter jets, but its effectiveness is not ideal; it only alerts the aircraft that is appearing in a certain direction.

But in Fang Wen's hands, it became a powerful weapon.

With his supernatural abilities activated simultaneously, Fang Wen discovered more military intelligence through his radar detection device. Twenty flying lights were rapidly moving to the east.

There were also flying lights to the northwest of Niangziguan, but they were not heading towards Niangziguan; instead, they were temporarily withdrawing to the flight group's base at the seaplane airport.

Clearly, they had also received ground radar detection alerts and were temporarily avoiding Japanese warplanes.

However, due to the delay in battlefield information transmission, some gunships and aircraft did not receive the alarm in time and thus became involved in the battlefield.

Fang Wen had a plan in mind and secretly plotted how to deal with these Japanese planes.

After flying 400 kilometers, the air force arrived at Niangziguan.

At this moment, 20 Japanese Type 96 fighter planes were divided into three groups over Niangziguan. Eight planes were circling at low altitude over the east side of Niangziguan, strafing the defensive positions of the Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region on the ground. Eight planes were on high-altitude alert, forming a high-low defensive formation. The remaining four planes were chasing the gunship planes and engaging in dogfights and tail-biting attacks.

On the ground, the Japanese artillery, which arrived later, had already set up its positions and was intermittently bombarding the positions in front of the pass and the pass itself.

Fang Wen picked up the microphone: "Attention all aircraft, report enemy situation: 20 Japanese warplanes are using a high-low tactic of dive-bombing. I now order them to split into three groups: Qi Baoqian, aircraft number 1, will lead aircraft numbers 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 to pursue the enemy dive-bombing aircraft. Aircraft numbers 8 to 13 will form one group, with aircraft number 8 as the temporary group leader, responsible for attacking the Japanese high-altitude warning echelon. It is imperative to separate the enemy aircraft and defeat them one by one."

With this combat allocation, there are still 4 enemy aircraft that have not been assigned to the pursuit gunships. Fang Wen continued, "The remaining 4, I and aircraft number 7 will take care of them."

"Received!" The 13 fighter jets responded in unison.

Wang Shuanzhu, piloting aircraft number 8, gripped the control stick slightly. It was his first time participating in a large-scale air battle, and his palms were sweaty.

Li Fushun, who was working on the nearby No. 9 aircraft, reassured him in a low voice over the radio: "Don't panic, just do it the way we usually train."

The fighter jet formation continued to speed along, getting closer and closer to Niangziguan Pass. Below the clouds, the gullies of the Loess Plateau and the winding Zhengtai Railway could be seen.

Fang Wen's supernatural perception became increasingly clear. He detected the turning trajectory of the Japanese high-altitude surveillance echelon and immediately adjusted his orders: "Group One, pay attention. Wait for Group Two to attack before you move. Group Two, move out."

"Received!" Wang Shuanzhu, piloting aircraft No. 8, took a deep breath, suppressing his tension, and piloted his fighter jet to take off. Long-term high-intensity flight training had enabled him and his comrades to reach a tacit understanding. The five fighter jets behind him then followed and flew out of the original formation.

The Japanese high-altitude surveillance team pilots quickly spotted the approaching Eighth Route Army warplanes and immediately adjusted their formation, attempting to form a defensive perimeter to block them.

Fang Wen's voice came through the pilot's radio: "Second air combat training plan, 8910 left three, 111213 right three, rush over and break them apart!"

Immediately, the six fighter jets skillfully responded, and the arrow formation suddenly split in two, forming an encirclement.

In response, the Japanese army was forced to fight separately, and their original formation was torn apart.

However, they did not have real-time communication devices to communicate, while the pilots of the air force could communicate with each other.

This is so important.

Wang Shuanzhu gripped the tail of a Japanese warplane, his palms sweating as he gripped the control stick. He heard Li Fushun's warning: "Number 8, watch out for the enemy plane on your right! I'll distract it for you!" As soon as he finished speaking, Li Fushun, in aircraft number 9, cut in from the rear and strafe the flank of the Japanese warplane with his machine guns, successfully drawing it away.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Wang Shuanzhu stabilized his aircraft, aimed at the engine of the enemy aircraft in front, and pressed the 20mm cannon firing button. The cannon shell was fired rapidly and hit the enemy aircraft. The aircraft instantly burst into flames and fell to the ground with black smoke.

"I hit it! I hit it!" Wang Shuanzhu couldn't hide his excitement, his voice trembling slightly.

What was originally a chaotic aerial battle turned into a decisive engagement when the Yan'an Air Force's fighters clearly divided their roles, focusing their attacks on a single Japanese aircraft, thus achieving the first kill of the battle.

"Don't be careless, there are still 7 aircraft left!" Fang Wen warned in a deep voice over the radio, and then gave the order, "One group, attack."

Group 1 of 6 high-speed fighter planes descended from the sky, rapidly approaching the Japanese dive bombers below.

"Take out the two on the left first," Qi Baoqian shouted.

Instantly, six fighter planes simultaneously turned towards the two Japanese fighter planes on the left below, and a dense barrage of bullets rained down.

The power of the 6-8 machine guns on the high-speed fighter jet was demonstrated at this moment.

The entire airspace was covered by a hail of bullets, and the two Japanese warplanes had nowhere to hide, so they made an emergency landing amidst black smoke.

After concentrating their superior firepower to take down two fighter jets, Group 1 immediately selected a new target.

Thus, 14 Chinese fighter planes were engaged in a battle against 20 Japanese fighter planes, but the Chinese side gained the upper hand.

Only a few minutes had passed.

At this moment, Fang Wen also joined the fray.

He piloted aircraft number 14, flying northwest with aircraft number 7 piloted by Fan Bosheng.

Four Japanese warplanes were relentlessly pursuing the gunboat.

7.7mm machine gun bullets struck the 10mm bulletproof steel plate of the gunboat, leaving dents, but they could not penetrate it for the time being.

However, the Japanese warplanes had a maneuver advantage, constantly circling and firing, making it impossible for the gunners on the gunships to track their flight paths and attack them.

But now, their time has come.

When one of the enemy planes entered the rocket's range, Fang Wen used his special ability to aim, calculate the lead, and then pressed the rocket launch button twice.

Two 82mm air-to-ground rockets were launched from the launch pod, flying at high speed towards the target while trailing plumes of exhaust.

At that speed, there was no way to dodge it, and the enemy plane was hit by two rockets in quick succession.

Boom! A massive explosion erupted, sending countless burning sparks scattering in all directions.

It was the explosion of the rocket that caused the aircraft's fuel tank to burn out, making it impossible for the Japanese pilot on board to survive.

In response, the other three Japanese warplanes hastily climbed to higher altitudes and ceased their pursuit of the gunship aircraft.

In response, Fang Wen picked up the microphone and said, "Unit 7, cover me."

“Yes, it’s the general manager,” Fan Bosheng replied.

Two fighter jets quickly flew towards the three enemy fighter jets.

In Fang Wen's supernatural vision, the Japanese pilot excitedly shouted "Jade Shatter!" and then took out the "Assault Pill" and swallowed the medicine in the bottle.

Stimulated by the drugs, the three Japanese pilots, now in a state of frenzy, forgot their fear and shouted as they flew their planes toward each other.

Fang Wen had no intention of engaging in a mutual destruction game with the other party.

He pressed the burst fire button on the rocket launcher.

A series of rockets were launched, hitting the two enemy planes in front, causing them to explode instantly.

Emerging from the explosion's flames, only half of the nose cone and scattered propellers remained.

The remaining fighter jet was also shot down outside Niangziguan by No. 7, which used its high speed to outflank the enemy.

Fang Wen looked around the battlefield and saw that the remaining Japanese warplanes had actually retreated.

He then picked up the microphone: "Don't pursue, we don't have enough fuel. Conduct one airstrike now and then return to base."

Immediately, the air force swooped down and strafed the Japanese positions.

On the ground, the soldiers of the Jin-Cha-Ji Military Region witnessed the entire aerial battle. After the Japanese warplanes fled, it was the Eighth Route Army's turn to launch an air raid, and the soldiers cheered loudly.

After so many years, we can finally reclaim our dignity in our own skies. (End of Chapter)