Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 92 91 Security Gate and World War II, Huo Duanyang's Napalm Bomb
The bombing of the Japanese army in Shenyang was a pipe dream for others, and it was impossible for China's current air force capabilities to achieve.

The main problem is that current aircraft have poor range, making it impossible to achieve long-distance round trips.

Whether it's taking off from Qinghe Airport, the newly built Qingdao Airport, or Taishan Airlines' Jinan Airport, arriving in Shenyang to complete the bombing mission and then returning, it would require a round trip of at least 1000 kilometers, which no domestic fighter jet could accomplish.

Although Fang Wen's P26-B Shrike fighter was equipped with external fuel tanks, enabling it to fly long distances of 1200 to 1400 kilometers, it was also unable to carry more bombs for bombing because the bomb rack was equipped with external fuel tanks.

Using a modified Boeing 247 is even more impractical, as it is used to bomb military camps located on the outskirts of cities. Accuracy must be ensured, otherwise, what if civilian houses are accidentally damaged?
This isn't like bombing a warship on the Huangpu River or the Izumo at sea; there's no need to consider the surrounding environment. Even if the bomb misses its target, it will at most land in the water, not in civilian houses.

Therefore, after careful consideration, Fang Wen abandoned the primitive method of dropping bombs from the boarding gate, as was used on Boeing 247s.

Is there no other way?
Lost in deep thought once again, he suddenly remembered something.

When the Fuyang air route was first opened, in order to suppress bandits, we once thought of dropping auxiliary fuel tanks from high altitudes to use as incendiary bombs.

At that time, Huo Duanyang explained that such a method could not create a combustion explosion effect, and a pre-ignition device was necessary.

They eventually resorted to using gourd-shaped incendiary bombs to deal with the bandit cavalry.

Later, Huo Duanyang went to the Jinling Arsenal. Before leaving, he promised to help research a type of incendiary bomb that could be airdropped.

I wonder if Huo Duanyang's research has yielded any results in the time that has passed.

The next day, Fang Wen got up early and asked Shunzi to go to the city to buy a China Airlines ticket.

At 9 a.m., passengers from the city arrived by China Airlines shuttle bus.

Fang Wen, dressed casually, also stood in the passenger queue, preparing to board a China Airlines plane to Nanjing.

This was his first time flying as a passenger during the Republic of China era, and it felt quite different.

The passengers lined up and went through the right-hand gate.

That's a shared security passage between China Airlines and Taishan Airlines.

Because of the sense of security provided by Taishan Airlines' security gates, passengers made repeated appeals, so China Airlines simply closed its own boarding gates and leased Taishan Airlines' security gates, even entrusting the security work to Taishan Airlines' security team.

However, this security measure is only half complete; there are no security gates for those returning to Shanghai from Nanjing.

For this reason, China Airlines specifically came to discuss purchasing a security gate for installation in Nanjing.

This quote is only 3000 yuan, a truly high-tech price. China Airlines is still considering whether to purchase it.

But the price isn't high. Fang Wen is already preparing to apply for patents for this practical technology globally, and the price abroad is $1000 per unit.

He had already thought it through. With World War II about to begin, security checks would be absolutely necessary for both air and land transport.

At that time, both the Allied Powers and the signatory countries will need this equipment, and there is only one supplier in the world that can provide it. Fang Wen can take advantage of this to obtain some things he wants.

Moreover, this kind of business should be done as early as possible. After all, the technical principle is not complicated. You must sell the products and make a profit as soon as possible before others have figured out the security gate and produced the finished product.

As he was thinking this, he had already reached the security checkpoint by following the queue.

The security guard recognized Fang Wen at a glance and said with difficulty, "General Manager, it's me."

He didn't want to check the general manager, but since the passengers were from China Airlines, he didn't dare break the rules.

"It's alright, safety first." Fang Wen smiled as he walked through the security gate, taking out his watch, wallet, and other metal ornaments amidst the buzzing sound.

After completing the check-up like everyone else, Fang Wen boarded the plane.

It was another Detroit-made plane, and the pilot, Fang Wen, recognized it.

The other person greeted him warmly in English, and Fang Wen chatted with him for a few minutes.

After a while, the plane took off, and there was a slight turbulence as it lifted off.

The passengers didn't have to sway, and some almost slipped out of their seats.

Fang Wen did not activate his mechanical senses, but he was still able to judge the problem with the plane based on his experience of flying Detroiters for a year.

He stood up and warned the American pilot in English.

"It's probably carbon buildup in the piston engine's combustion chamber. You'll need to have the mechanic clean it after this flight."

While piloting the plane, the other driver complained, "The new mechanic knows nothing. I told him it was an engine problem, but he hasn't fixed it. Since Howard left with you, the aircraft's warranty has been much worse. We're applying to replace him with a new mechanic."

This has something to do with me, Fang Wen thought, slightly embarrassed. He said nothing more and returned to his seat.

After an hour and a half flight, the Detroit plane landed at Nanjing Airport, and passengers disembarked.

They took a China Airlines shuttle bus to the city, and Fang Wen was among them.

The shuttle bus entered the city from Zhongshan East Road. At this time, Nanjing had not yet been attacked by the Japanese. The city walls were well repaired, and the modern and ancient atmospheres were well integrated.

The shuttle bus drove past the Presidential Palace and stopped at the intersection of Zhongshan North Road and Zhongshan East Road, which was the final stop, where all passengers disembarked.

Fang Wen, who was not familiar with Nanjing, asked a fellow passenger for help.

How was the Jinling Arsenal established?

The other person pointed in a direction: "Hey, go that way, along the Qinhuai River, go through Yanghu Lane."

He was referring to the south, but that area could be large or small. Fang Wen continued, "How do you get there without walking?"

“You can take the bus from Jiangnan Company, get off at Confucius Temple, then take a rickshaw through Wuding Gate and Yuhua Gate, cross the Qinhuai River, and then turn into Yanghu Lane.”

Fang Wen took out a box of Sanpaotai cigarettes and offered one to the man.

At that time, Sanpaotai was considered a high-end cigarette product in the cigarette industry of the Republic of China.

The other person accepted the cigarette, which Fang Wen lit for him. After taking a puff, the conversation turned to romance.

According to him, Nanjing is now the capital of the Nationalist government, and all kinds of construction must keep up.

Last year, Jiangnan Bus Company was established, acquiring all the buses in the city, large and small, and also establishing a unified standard for buses.

However, there is only one line at present, and it is still in the trial operation stage.

That is, one bus.

After talking for a while, the man pointed north and said, "A bus is coming."

It was a blue bus, slowly approaching.

Fang Wen quickly ended the conversation and boarded the bus after it stopped.

There weren't many people in the car, and there was a ticket seller holding a ticket board.

Fang Wen said, "Let's go to the Confucius Temple."

"10 copper coins."

After paying for the ticket, the ticket seller put the copper coins into the wooden box he was carrying and tore off a ticket to hand to Fang Wen.

Fang Wen found a seat by the window and sat down, watching the scenery outside.

There was also a metal plate attached to the side of the bus window, with English text about who manufactured the bus.

It's actually a German product, manufactured by Mercedes-Benz.

Not long after, the bus stopped. Since it was the final stop, the passengers got off one after another, and Fang Wen followed suit.

The area around Confucius Temple is very lively, with throngs of pedestrians.

This place is like a pedestrian street of the future; large vehicles have difficulty passing through, but there are many rickshaws.

Seeing Fang Wen's gaze, several rickshaw drivers pulled their rickshaws over to inquire.

"Sir, would you like a ride?"

"Let's go to the Jinling Arsenal." Fang Wen selected a car and got in.

The driver pulled the rickshaw hard all the way south.

He even ran, at a very fast speed, the wheels turning on the stone road, the vehicle swaying from side to side due to the slight unevenness of the road surface.

Along the way, there were many people riding in rickshaws, who were clearly used to this swaying mode of transportation. In this way, the rickshaws perfectly matched the route Fang Wen had taken after asking for directions. After passing through Wudingmen and Yuhuamen, two newly built inner city gates during the Republic of China era, and crossing the stone bridge over the Qinhuai River, they arrived at Yanghu Lane.

The driver then turned into Yanghu Lane and stopped next to a high wall.

"The gentleman has arrived."

"Hmm. How much is the fare?"

"10 copper coins".

Fang Wen couldn't help but sigh that the rickshaw driver had traveled such a long distance for the same fare as one stop on bus route 1.

He took out a silver coin and handed it to the other party.

"keep the change."

"Thank you, sir." The rickshaw driver bowed, his face full of gratitude, and then pulled the rickshaw away.

Watching the rickshaw driver leave, Fang Wen once again realized just how vast the gap between the rich and poor was during the Republic of China era.

There are many reasons for this, but even in such decline, the Japanese still plundered a large amount of wealth during the subsequent War of Resistance.

This resulted in China taking more time and effort to rise to prominence.

Shaking off his thoughts, Fang Wen strode across the street and walked along the high wall to a gate.

The sign at the entrance reads "Jiangnan Arsenal," so it seems we've arrived.

But getting in wasn't easy, since it was a weapons manufacturing facility. He said to the gatekeeper, "I'm looking for someone."

"You need to register if you're looking for someone. We report this to the factory every day. Come over tomorrow and wait for our notification."

Even finding someone requires a certain formality, Fang Wen couldn't help but chuckle to himself; he knew how to handle this kind of situation.

He took out a silver dollar.

"I want you to pass on a message to him."

The gatekeeper was overjoyed and tried to take it, but failed.

"Tell me his name, and I'll go tell him right now."

“His name is Huo Duanyang. He works in the explosives department. Just tell him you’re an old friend from the airport and you’re looking for him.”

"I'll go now. Tell him to bring me the silver dollars, and you can't go back on your word."

"will not."

Upon receiving Fang Wen's reply, the gatekeeper instructed his partner to keep watch while he quickly ran into the factory.

After a while, the gatekeeper returned with Huo Duanyang.

Fang Wen handed the silver coins to the gatekeeper, and then strolled along the Qinhuai River with Huo Duanyang.

How have you been lately?

“Very good. I am researching a new type of gunpowder. If successful, the power of the shells can be increased by 10%.”

"It seems you made the right decision to leave Fuyang."

"Yes, teaching is too slow. I would rather choose to make weapons to save the country. At least the weapons I make can kill the enemy."

The two stopped at the small steps by the river, from where they could go down to where a group of women were carrying washbasins and preparing to go to the river to wash their clothes.

After the women descended the steps, Fang Wen spoke up: "Didn't you say you'd help me research an air-droppable incendiary bomb? Any results yet?"

Huo Duanyang nodded.

“I’ve been thinking about this in my spare time. If you mix gasoline with other substances, the resulting combustion effect will be stronger, and the combustion effect will even splash in all directions. The temperature is around 1 degrees Celsius, and it can stick to other objects and burn for a long time.”

Upon hearing Huo Duanyang's words, Fang Wen immediately became very interested. Wasn't this exactly the effect of the incendiary bomb he wanted?

He asked, "Do you have any finished products? I'd like to see them."

"It's inconvenient to demonstrate in the city, but I can go outside the city to make it on-site and demonstrate it to you."

Huo Duanyang spoke as if this thing was easy to prepare, which made Fang Wen even more eager to know what was going on.

After Huo Duanyang requested leave, the two immediately left the city.

Outside Nanjing Airport, Fang Wen led Huo Duanyang into the courtyard house he had previously bought.

Huo Duanyang immediately began the operation.

He took out some powder and crystals, then poured them into the liquid.

"This is alum. I'm going to use sulfuric acid to make aluminum sulfate."

He then took out solidified grease and some chemical reagents from his backpack.

"Then I will use these palm oils and sodium hydroxide aqueous solution to saponify and remove the glycerin to make a special substance."

As the language became increasingly profound, Fang Wen gradually lost his understanding.

I simply waited quietly on the sidelines.

Subsequently, Huo Duanyang mixed the aqueous solutions of the two substances in a special ratio.

After a chemical reaction, a viscous substance was obtained.

At this point, Huo Duanyang carefully mixed the aviation fuel that Fang Wen had obtained with the substances he had prepared.

Finally, the fuel and thickener are mixed into a paste.

For some reason, Fang Wen felt that the ointment-like substance was extremely dangerous.

The way he looked at Huo Duanyang changed.

It's fortunate that this guy lived during wartime; I wonder what he would be like in peacetime.

He shook off his thoughts and coughed.

"Hmm, this is the new type of incendiary bomb?"

"Yes, it should be called napalm bomb. It can also be used as a flamethrower, but the proportions will be slightly different, and the burning effect is longer."

"How do we light it?" Fang Wen pressed.

“It can be ignited with an open flame, but that’s not suitable for aerial bombs. I thought of another method.”

As he spoke, Huo Duanyang took out a small round ball.

"This thing is a snap pop that can be bought anywhere outside Nanjing. It's a toy for children during festivals. If you drop it on the ground with a little force, it will trigger the detonator inside, which will then ignite the gunpowder and cause an explosion. We can put a similar detonator into napalm bombs. After dropping them from a high altitude, the impact force generated when they hit the ground will trigger the detonator, thus causing the napalm bomb to explode."

The matter became clear after Huo Duanyang explained it.

The detonator inside the snap pop is silver fulminate, commonly known as fulminate in civilian circles. However, that substance is not suitable as an initiator for aerial bombs. Huo Duanyang would use an initiator that could only be triggered by high-altitude bombing.

Huo Duanyang, a chemical genius, used his talent to successfully research what Fang Wen wanted.

But what were the results?

Fang Wen and Huo Duanyang conducted the experiment that same day.

Solid, paste-like gasoline is poured into a bottle, and a small piece of silver fulminate is inserted into the bottom. The bottle is then dropped freely from a height.

Upon impact with the ground, the detonator ignited the solid gasoline, causing an instant explosion.

The experimental site was littered with sparks. Even if those flames clung to the soil and rocks and continued to burn, they could ignite flammable materials such as wooden boards.

Upon seeing these experimental results, Fang Wen couldn't help but nod in approval.

"I want to make a batch of these bombs."

(End of this chapter)