Republic of China: Ace Pilot

The bombing of Hanoi's military airfield is still ongoing.

The camouflaged targets at the airport were completely destroyed, the wreckage of dilapidated warplanes burned in the flames, wooden frames were blown to pieces, and billowing smoke rose straight into the sky.

The Japanese bomber pilots looked at the "victories" on the ground with smug grins on their faces, completely unaware that they had already fallen into Fang Wen's trap.

The Japanese wing pilot issued an order via radio, and the nineteen Type 97 carrier-based aircraft immediately closed formation, providing cover for the remaining eight Type 96 carrier-based bombers as they flew toward the Gulf of Tonkin.

Thanks to the French army's thorough preparation, the Japanese army lost one Type 97 carrier-based aircraft and two Type 96 carrier-based bombers in this bombing raid, but the Japanese pilots were very satisfied with the bombing results.

At this moment, Fang Wen was leading twenty-nine Potez 25 fighter jets, concealed and waiting in the clouds southeast of Hanoi.

The radar detection system of the gunboat operated in sync with his mechanical perception, and the course, speed, and formation of the Japanese aircraft were clearly presented in his mind.

"Attention all aircraft, Japanese aircraft are about to enter the ambush area. Do not fire without authorization. Follow my instructions!"

Fang Wen's voice was transmitted to every French pilot through the Taishan walkie-talkie.

The French pilots gripped the control sticks tightly, their eyes fixed on the horizon beyond the clouds, their hearts filled with tension and excitement.

The three days of maneuvering and fighting had already made them have complete faith in this Chinese commander.

Fang Wen always managed to turn their disadvantages into advantages with the most accurate judgments, and even when piloting an outdated biplane, he could outmaneuver the advanced Japanese fighter planes.

If this interception is successful, it will be a feat that will be recorded in the history of aerial warfare.

As firsthand witnesses, they also hoped to succeed and add luster to their military pilot experience.

Soon, the shadowy figures of Japanese aircraft appeared.

Nineteen Type 97 carrier-based aircraft led the way in a wedge formation, followed closely by eight bombers, their flight attitude appearing somewhat loose.

Fang Wen knew why this was happening.

The Japanese pilots relied on taking Assault Pills to maintain their high combat energy, but now that the effects of the pills have worn off, they are exhausted and their vigilance has dropped to its lowest level.

This was a key factor in his design of this interception operation.

"Now! Groups A and B, move out and focus your attack on the left flank. Groups C, D, and E, stand by."

At Fang Wen's command, 12 Potez 25 fighters swooped down from the clouds and attacked the right flank of the Japanese aircraft formation.

Caught off guard, the Japanese pilots were met with an emergency response from eight fighter planes on the left flank.

Because of the two-way offset, the speed disadvantage of the Potez 25 can be ignored at this point.

As the two sides drew near, they fired machine gun bullets almost simultaneously, and both sides sustained damage.

After a brief encounter, the two sides' fighter jets turned and circled back, beginning an aerial dogfight.

At this moment, Fang Wen issued a second order.

Send 17 fighter jets from Group CDE to attack.

Instead of attacking the right flank, they attacked the Japanese dive bomber group through the gap on the left flank.

This situation left the Japanese warplanes that were originally positioned on the right flank and directly in front of them dumbfounded.

The 11 Type 97 carrier-based aircraft on the right flank and directly in front immediately changed course in an attempt to intercept the Potez 25 fighter.

Fang Wen had already anticipated the Japanese army's reaction. He knew that if he could seize this opportunity to attack, he had to use his numerical advantage to fight them to the death.

He picked up the microphone and shouted in French, "Concentrate your firepower and shoot down one plane at a time! As long as you dare to fight, the advantage is on your side."

Hearing Fang Wen's words, the pilots became even more excited and concentrated their attack in a strategy of outnumbering the enemy.

Meanwhile, Fang Wen was not idle either.

Although gunships are not suitable for air combat, this time he was equipped with air suppression weapons: airburst bombs.

He then gave orders to the crew members.

"Shooter, prepare to await the order to launch airburst rounds."

The gunner inside the cockpit gripped the airburst grenade launcher and waited.

Under Fang Wen's control, the gunboat turned and, the moment its fuselage was aligned with the Japanese Type 97 carrier-based aircraft attacking from the right flank, he gave the order: "Fire!"

Three firing ports simultaneously launched airburst bombs toward the Japanese warplanes.

These airburst bombs exploded after flying hundreds of meters, covering the entire airspace with large plumes of smoke and burning aluminum powder.

The two Japanese warplanes in front crashed into the airburst zone, immediately suffered engine failure, and the planes stalled and crashed.

The other Japanese warplanes quickly turned away and dared not fly in that direction again.

Fang Wen's airburst bomb interception created a valuable opportunity for the French pilots.

Group A concentrated its attack on a Japanese escort fighter. Faced with machine gun fire from multiple directions, the Japanese fighter had no way to avoid it.

"Boom!" The Type 97 carrier-based aircraft burst into flames instantly, and the pilot did not have time to parachute before the aircraft crashed to the ground.

"Bravo!" A French pilot couldn't help but cheer and celebrate over the air communication frequency.

The captain of Team A shouted into the radio, "Shut up, next target at 90°, keep fighting!"

Because of the wireless voice communication, the team members could use magnetic compass markings to locate each other, and the fighter jets in the same group could immediately adjust their course and head towards the next target.

The same pattern is occurring in other groups as well.

Since they couldn't match the speed of the Japanese fighter planes, they decided to completely abandon fighting alone.

In any case, the Potez 25's low speed and agility are more suitable for coordinated team operations, and it proved to be very effective in this encounter.

French pilots attacked in teams, their 7.5mm fixed machine guns under the wings firing wildly, a dense hail of bullets like a net enveloping the Japanese aircraft.

Three more Japanese warplanes were shot down.

Two French warplanes were also hit and crashed.

Overall, the French army still had the advantage.

Within just five minutes, four fighter jets were lost, including one dive bomber.

The Japanese army panicked.

They separated some fighter jets to continue the engagement, while the rest of the planes suddenly accelerated and broke away.

Fang Wen keenly sensed the Japanese army's intentions. Given the speed of the Potez 25, it was impossible to catch up. He immediately ordered, "Don't pursue! Hold on to what's in front of you and eat as much as you can!"

The French pilots immediately understood the intention, locked onto the intercepting aircraft, and continued firing.

Two more Japanese warplanes were shot down, and the rest fled in panic eastward.

At this point, Fang Wen picked up the microphone and said, "Alright, this aerial interception operation is over. Return to base."

Twenty-seven Potez 25s rejoined the formation and flew towards Hanoi. A dozen minutes later, the group returned to the airspace above Hanoi's military airport.

The airport runway below is undergoing emergency repairs.

The destroyed and scrapped planes were towed away, and the bomb craters on the runway were being filled.

Fang Wen picked up the microphone and called the ground.

"The interception operation is complete. Is the runway clear for landing?"

Ground response.

"The second runway is clear for landing."

Fang Wen then arranged the landing order, and twenty-seven Potez 25s landed one after another on the second runway.

After all the planes had landed, Fang Wencai piloted his gunboat down.

The plane taxied to the parking area, and he got off.

It was immediately met with enthusiasm by the French pilots.

The pilots lifted him up and shouted, "Hourra!"

The cheers of the pilots echoed over the airport as Fang Wen, lifted up, circled the airport with them.

This atmosphere also spurred the French troops around the airport.

Cheers erupted one after another.

The successive air victories rapidly boosted the morale of the French army.

Many French people who originally thought it was impossible to defeat the Japanese army changed their minds.

This shift in mindset spread like wildfire throughout the French forces in French Indochina.

The plan to counterattack Haifang City is progressing rapidly.

Five thousand elite French troops, dressed in neat uniforms and equipped with Berthier M1916 rifles, as well as 75mm field guns, 105mm howitzers, and Hotchkiss heavy machine guns transported from Hanoi, advanced in orderly formation toward Hai Duong.
Twenty thousand local soldiers, dressed in simple uniforms and carrying old-fashioned Lebel M1886 rifles, followed closely behind.

Not long after the main force set off, another unit was dispatched.

Those were 20 Renault FT-17 light tanks, but instead of following the main force, they drove to the military airfield and stopped.

An officer got off the tank and spoke with the airport guards.

"I want to see your temporary commander, Fang Wen."

"I'm sorry, the military airfield is under martial law. No outsiders may enter without the permission of the Air Force Commander and the Governor."

"Then please tell Commander Fang Wen that I am a friend of Pierre, an art dealer in Paris, and that I have something special to discuss with him."

After some hesitation, the guard decided to go in and report.

"Commander, there's an armored forces officer outside the airport who wants to see you. He says he's a friend of Pierre, an art dealer from Paris, and he has something important to discuss with you."

"Pierre?"

Fang Wen was surprised as he was studying how to coordinate with ground troops in airstrikes.

Pierre is in Yangon, so how come there are people here who are connected to him?
Moreover, he was an officer in the armored forces.

Does the French army still have armored units? Why didn't they send them out to fight sooner?

Fang Wen, filled with curiosity, arrived at the airport gate.

He saw the French tank units.

Renault FT-17 light tank.

This type of tank was already used in warfare during World War I.

Fang Wen had heard interesting stories about this tank before. It was said that the Northeast Army had more than 30 Renault FT-17 light tanks.

During the Second Zhili-Fengtian War, the army lacked the concept of combined arms warfare. When Zhili soldiers got close, they used grenades to break the tracks of the tanks and fired homemade guns at the observation ports, directly destroying four tanks.

The remaining Renault FT-17 light tanks were all left in the barracks after the September 18 Incident and were captured by the Japanese army, just like the batch of Northeast Army aircraft, which were given to the Japanese for nothing.

Now, the French army is sending out their most prized World War I tanks, which shows their determination to fight.

After inspecting the tanks, Fang Wen met with the officer.

The officer introduced himself. "Mr. Fang, I am Lieutenant Colonel Le Maire. I am here to meet you on behalf of Free France, led by General de Gaulle, to discuss important matters."

Fang Wen nodded slightly, gesturing for him to talk in the tent outside the airport.

Inside the tent, Lieutenant Colonel Le Maire got straight to the point: "Commander Fang, your exceptional performance in commanding the Air Force has inspired the entire French Indochina. If you are willing to support Free France and help us wrest control of French Indochina from the Vichy government, Free France will pay a much more generous reward than the Vichy government did. This includes not only mining equity, but also priority access to ports and railways, as well as a large amount of land."

Fang Wen listened quietly, having already weighed the pros and cons in his mind.

Free France is currently nothing more than an empty shell in exile, supported by the British, and has almost no real control over French Indochina. Even if we agree to their demands, we will not be able to gain any real benefits in the short term. On the contrary, we will offend the Vichy government's governor-general De Gu, which would be a losing proposition.

He looked up at Le Maire and said calmly, "Major Le Maire, I greatly admire General Dai Gaole's fighting spirit, but Free France's current strength is insufficient to support me in making such a choice."

Major Le Maire's expression changed slightly, and he quickly said, "Commander Fang, although we are currently weak, we have the support of Britain and the United States, and we will surely become the legitimate successor of France in the future. As long as you are willing to support us, we can immediately pay a partial deposit, including equity in rubber plantations in northern Laos..."

“No need,” Fang Wen interrupted him, tapping his fingertips lightly on the table. “I’m only interested in tangible benefits. If the British are willing to sell me all their shares in the Burma Oil Company, I’ll consider supporting Free France. Otherwise, there’s no need for us to continue negotiating.”

The Burma Oil Corporation was the largest oil company in Southeast Asia at the time, controlling Burma's oil fields, refineries, and pipelines. Oil was the lifeblood of war and had far greater strategic value than minerals or rubber.

It was something Fang Wen was determined to obtain.

Upon hearing this, Major Le Maire's face turned pale instantly. He knew very well that Britain would never easily give up such an important strategic resource.

“Commander Fang, this condition… is too demanding,” Major Le Maire said with difficulty. “I need to report to General de Gaulle and the British before I can give you an answer.”

Fang Wen stood up, his tone leaving no room for argument: "I'll give you three days. If you don't give me a clear answer after three days, our negotiations will end here. Right now, I need to focus on the offensive against Haiyang City, so I'm sorry I can't keep you company."

After seeing Major Le Maire off, Fang Wen immediately returned to the airport.

Before long, the colonial air force commander and ground force commander arrived at the military airfield to hold a pre-war meeting.

The ground forces commander announced, "Tomorrow morning, the ground forces will launch an attack from the outskirts of Haiyang, aiming to advance 20 kilometers that day and reach 15 kilometers west of Haiphong. I would like to know how the air force will coordinate with this operation?"

The Air Force Commander looked at Fang Wen.

Fang Wen replied, "My gunship squadron and twenty-seven Potez 25 fighters will provide air support throughout the entire process."

He pointed to the western area of ​​Haiyang City on the map: "This area has many river branches and relatively complex terrain, which is not conducive to large-scale attacks. The Japanese army has built many defensive fortifications in this area. To break through here, we must destroy their positions one by one. To this end, the air force will carry out saturation bombing of the Japanese army's forward positions, artillery positions and ammunition depots to destroy their defensive system."

He then took out a Taishan walkie-talkie, placed it on the table, and pushed it to the ground commander.

"The air strikes by the gunboat squadrons will continue, requiring real-time communication with ground troops to better coordinate their assault on Japanese positions. These walkie-talkies are battlefield communication equipment; I will provide 10 units for you to distribute to frontline commanders." (End of Chapter)