Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 676 The Independent Regiment unleashes its advanced weaponry, and the Japanese army falls into its trap during the landing.
There was only one night left until the day the Japanese Navy's landing operation, as stated in the intelligence, was to take place.

The regimental headquarters was brightly lit in the night, and officers of all ranks gathered in the regimental headquarters conference room for a pre-battle meeting.

Fang Wen presided over the meeting and said, "According to reliable sources, the Japanese army will attack Yangjiang tomorrow. Now, let's go over the previous defense plan again. Everyone should clearly understand their own tasks and what our allies are doing, so that we can better coordinate during the battle."

He pointed to the map: "Battalion Commander William of the Third Battalion, your battalion has three companies, each of which will be allocated three military vehicles for mobile warfare and will be ready to be dispatched at any time."

"Qi Zhihao, Tank Company of the Fourth Battalion, your tank company is concealed in the Nasu and Nayang area." Fang Wen's finger moved towards the coast. "After the Japanese land, they will definitely seize the beachhead, and at the same time, they will be supported by the Japanese fleet's naval guns. Therefore, the defensive zone must not be within the firing range of the naval guns, otherwise we will be very passive. When you are fighting, you should also pay attention to the distance and not enter the firing range of the naval guns."

"Battalion Commander Liu Yubao of the Fourth Battalion, you are in charge of three Taishan Storm rocket launcher vehicles. Be well concealed and await orders to proceed."

After Fang Wen finished explaining the arrangements for each department, officers stood up to receive their orders.

Subsequently, Fang Wen contacted Pan Jiafeng, the battalion commander of the 2nd Aviation Battalion in Zhaoqing, by telegram.

Are you ready over there?

[All preparations are complete. The mine-laying pods sent from northern Myanmar have been loaded onto the gunboats. There are four aircraft in total, each capable of dropping 80 mines.]

Okay, tell the crew not to get too excited tonight and to get some rest.

Yes, Master.

After ending his telegram communication with Pan Jiafeng, Fang Wen announced: "Meeting adjourned. Go back and prepare."

The meeting ended, leaving only Fang Wen, Wu Yingzong, and Gong Xiuneng in the meeting room.

Fang Wen mentioned another matter.

"If we win this battle, I want to press our advantage and take back Hailing Island."

Hailing Island is an island in the western waters of Yangjiang. After the Japanese army captured Guangzhou, the Japanese navy sent troops to occupy the island and built pillboxes to garrison hundreds of Japanese and puppet troops. It was an important stronghold for containing the Japanese army in the southern waters of Guangdong and an important link in the Japanese navy's maritime encirclement.

Wu Yingzong asked, "Commander, how do we fight?"

Fang Wen looked at Gong Xiuneng: "I'm thinking of launching an airborne operation, sending elite troops to annihilate the Japanese forces on the island, destroy all the fortifications, but leaving no garrison troops. In the future, whenever the Japanese dare to send a large force to the island, we will clear them out and continue until they dare not send troops to the island. Therefore, special operations will become the norm for our regiment in the future. Gong Xiuneng, I appoint you as the captain of the special operations team."

"Special forces?" Gong Xiuneng was stunned. "Commander, my duty is to protect your safety. Let someone else handle the special forces."

Fang Wen sighed inwardly. This guy is so stubborn. Wouldn't it be better to lead China's first generation of special forces into battle? What future is there in being a bodyguard?

But that wouldn't work, so he tried a different approach.

“Gong Xiuneng, you are quite skilled. You have been following me for more than two years and have learned a lot. Now the regiment is short of people to manage the special operations team, and you are the most suitable.”

"But."

"No buts, it's decided. After this battle, you'll stay in the Independent Regiment. I'll work with Deputy Regiment Commander Wu to figure out the special forces team."

Under Fang Wen's insistence, Gong Xiuneng said nothing more.

Night passed quickly, and the sky was beginning to lighten with the first light of dawn.

The Independent Regiment's garrison was quiet.

All units are ready and waiting in the shadows.

Fang Wen did not take off immediately, but instead observed the enemy situation from the radar room.

Using a high-powered ground-based radar device, he clearly detected the movements of the Japanese army.

Multiple ships reported the incident 150 kilometers away in the sea.

Based on intelligence, it was the Japanese Second Fleet. At their speed of movement, they could reach the waters off Yangjiang in just over three hours.

Two aircraft were flying in this direction ahead of it.

The Japanese army would not act rashly and disrupt its own landing plan, therefore, it was definitely not a fighter plane, but a reconnaissance plane.

If the Japanese want to conduct reconnaissance, let them.

Fang Wen picked up the walkie-talkie and gave the order.

"The Japanese reconnaissance plane will arrive in half an hour. The 3rd Battalion will activate two anti-aircraft guns as a token gesture."

Under his orders, the soldiers of the 3rd Battalion's anti-aircraft company detached the two 20mm anti-aircraft guns from their towed positions and pulled them back to their original anti-aircraft gun positions, aiming them in the direction from which Japanese reconnaissance planes would fly.

Half an hour later, two Type 2 shipborne reconnaissance aircraft flew over the Independent Regiment's garrison.

The two anti-aircraft guns fired at the air in a timely manner.

Faced with attacks from ground-based air defense weapons, the two reconnaissance aircraft separated, made a wide turn in the air, and then returned to base.

On the sea, the Japanese Second Fleet was sailing majestically toward Yangjiang.

On the bridge of the flagship "Isuzu," the fleet commander was observing the sea with binoculars, his face full of disdain.

“They’re just a bunch of merchant militia, yet they managed to give the army a bad run. They’re useless.” He said to his staff officer, “Once we reach the waters near Yangjiang, we’ll bombard them with naval guns for an hour to flatten their fortifications. Then we’ll send the marines ashore. We can take Yangjiang in less than two days.”

The staff officer nodded in agreement and handed over a piece of intelligence: "Captain, we just received a telegram from the Canglong. Two reconnaissance planes have conducted aerial reconnaissance over the Taishan Independent Regiment's base and the coastal area."

The fleet commander took the intelligence report, read it, and smiled: "They haven't made any defenses along the coastline, so we can end the operation much faster."

The adjutant chimed in: "Although intelligence indicates that this unit has aircraft and tanks, they are all homemade junk. Their strongest weapon is a series of rockets purchased from the Soviet Union. However, according to intelligence we obtained from the Soviet Union, they purchased 2000 rockets and used them extensively in the two battles in southern Guangxi and southern Guangdong. It is impossible for them to have any more rockets in stock."

The commander sneered and threw the intelligence report on the table: "Taking the entire Yangjiang will be as easy as the landing operation at Qinzhou Port."

2 hours passed.

The Japanese fleet was only 50 kilometers away from Yangjiang and was expected to arrive at the nearshore waters an hour later.

Fang Wen climbed onto the Qinyuan fighter jet, taxied, accelerated, and took off.

This time, high in the sky, Fang Wen's primary role is that of an air commander.

His superpower activated, connecting with the radar detection device, allowing him to constantly monitor the surrounding area.

So far, the Japanese army has only sent one fleet to attack Yangjiang.

After all, there were only 2000 men from the Independent Regiment here, so it seems the Japanese Navy thought one fleet was enough.

Fang Wen picked up the microphone.

"Attention all units, the enemy fleet is about to arrive. Enter combat readiness status."

After giving the warning, Fang Wen piloted the Qinyuan to climb the altitude and flew towards the northeast sea.

He soon spotted the Japanese fleet. It appeared to be a small fleet, consisting of a light cruiser, three destroyers, four torpedo boats, three gunboats, and several civilian ships converted into support vessels.

Fang Wen was immediately relieved to see that the fleet did not have an aircraft carrier. Even if a war broke out, the air force supporting this fleet would take off from a distant aircraft carrier, so the pressure would not be too great.

As he was observing, Fang Wen suddenly noticed something was wrong with the light cruiser.

The anti-aircraft guns on the ship were rotating, searching for targets to attack.

It seems that he has been discovered.

Fang Wen's heart tightened.

War is the greatest catalyst for technology. The Japanese army even mastered radar technology and used this immature radar technology to discover themselves.

However, their air defense weapons could not reach Fang Wen's altitude, so they could only take defensive actions.

Fang Wen maintained his high altitude and monitored the Japanese fleet as it approached the waters near Yangjiang.

Forty minutes later, the Japanese Navy's Second Fleet arrived in the waters near Yangjiang.

The sea ahead was calm and seemingly without any danger.

However, beneath the surface, Taishan mines floated at a depth of 2 meters. So far, no ships had touched the mines, and they sailed safely into the minefield.

The first unlucky one appeared.

A destroyer's underwater propeller struck a Taishan mine.

The impact triggered the mine's detonation fuse.

Boom! A wave of water shot out, and the destroyer's propeller was completely blown off, with fragments of metal flying out.

With its engine damaged and the ship flooded, the destroyer was stranded at sea.

"There's a mine!" the Japanese navy shouted, and they all rushed to the side of the ship to observe.

The mine, located 2 meters underwater, was not easy to find, and subsequently triggered the explosion of another mine.

Realizing they had entered a minefield, the Japanese fleet halted its advance and had destroyers drop underwater bombs onto the surface.

A large number of underwater bombs were dropped, and the continuous explosions also detonated several mines.

Fang Wen couldn't help but feel regretful. The Independent Regiment's naval warfare weapons were still too weak. Mines alone were not enough to deal with the Japanese fleet.

But this is just the appetizer; the real show is yet to come.

Yangjiang is located along the coast.

The Japanese fleet cleared a path using underwater bombs and has now reached a position 3 kilometers from the shore.

This position is already the closest the ship can engage in combat; any further and it risks running aground.

The ships lined up, assuming an offensive posture.

Meanwhile, support ships from the rear lowered the landing craft, and squads of Japanese troops boarded the landing craft and headed towards the beachhead.

To cover the landing ships, Japanese naval guns continuously fired shells toward the landing beach, regardless of whether there were any defensive positions of the Independent Regiment there.

Fang Wen, watching from the air, also confirmed the Japanese landing location.

He picked up the phone:
"The 2nd Aviation Battalion is dispatched, with its target area being the southeast coast of the regimental headquarters."

"The 1st and 2nd companies of the 3rd Battalion shall immediately proceed to deploy in Area A3."

"The tank company also went to Sector A3 to cooperate with the infantry in combat."

"The Taishan Storm rocket launcher has entered the No. 2 pre-launch position and is awaiting further orders."

Under his orders, all departments proceeded in an orderly manner.

The 20 gunboats of the 2nd Air Battalion, which had been waiting in Zhaoqing, immediately took off.

The infantry of the 3rd Battalion, traveling in military vehicles, quickly arrived at their defensive positions and set up machine guns and mortars in concealed positions.

Ten medium tanks from Mount Tai also arrived at the defensive position to assist in the defense.

These positions were all located 4 kilometers from the beachhead, outside the firing range of the Japanese naval guns.

Twenty minutes later, the Japanese landing ships stopped on the beach.

The first batch of 1000 Japanese troops advanced without any obstruction.

Subsequently, the landing ships that had docked also disembarked and assembled.

Everything seemed to be going smoothly, even more smoothly than the Japanese army had anticipated.

Did the Taishan Independent Regiment not plan to defend against amphibious landing operations?
of course not.

After advancing 3000 meters, the Japanese troops encountered fierce firepower.

Machine guns, artillery shells, mortars, and rifle grenades.

The firepower, far more intense than that of the Japanese army, immediately stunned the Japanese soldiers.

They could only hold out in place, hoping that the Japanese troops arriving later would capture the position together.

But then, 20 gunship aircraft appeared in the air.

The dense barrage of bullets raining down from the sky kept the Japanese marines from raising their heads during the landing operation.

Four of them flew to the beach landing point and deployed their mine-laying pods.

Landmines with tiny parachutes landed on the beach, blocking the retreat of the landing Japanese troops.

The Japanese soldiers who were forced to retreat to the beach by the Independent Regiment's firepower stepped on landmines, causing them to explode.

Isuzu, flagship of the Japanese Second Fleet.

The fleet commander looked through his binoculars at a scene in the distance.

Things happened too suddenly.

The landing went smoothly at first, but now, 1000 Japanese soldiers are trapped after landing.

The Independent Regiment devised a deadly plan: first, they lured the landing troops into an area beyond the reach of naval guns, and then launched their attack.

Then they laid landmines all over the beach, preventing the 1000 Japanese soldiers from retreating to the landing ships and withdrawing.

The battle has barely begun, and the enemy already wants to wipe out 1000 Japanese soldiers?!
In order to relieve the pressure on the landing Japanese troops, the Japanese commander ordered the anti-aircraft guns on the ships to fire at the gunboats.

The anti-aircraft guns on the Isuzu light cruiser were the first to turn around, and the observers began to measure the range and reset the firing parameters.

But they forgot about Fang Wen, who was always above them.

Seeing the anti-aircraft guns on the warship below turn and point north, Fang Wen immediately understood the enemy's intention and realized that this was the best time to attack.

He immediately steered the plane into a dive.

The high-speed descent of the Chinyuan left the Japanese anti-aircraft gun operators completely unable to react.

As they hurriedly turned the hubs in an attempt to adjust the gun barrels back, the Qinyuan had already dived to an altitude of 1000 meters.

Eight quadruple rotary machine guns fired simultaneously.

A dense hail of bullets covered a large area.

Not only the anti-aircraft guns, but the entire deck was riddled with bullet holes and marks.

The sailors on deck were hit by bullets and fell to the ground one after another.

However, the anti-aircraft guns were not destroyed by the 7.92mm bullets because they had shields.

However, this is not the upper limit of the Qinyuan's military power.

Two 82mm air-to-air rockets were launched from below the nose of the Chinwon aircraft and hit the anti-aircraft guns instantly.

The massive explosion destroyed the anti-aircraft gun's connection point, ripped off the entire gun mount, and sent the gun barrel flying.

Meanwhile, Fang Wen had already piloted the Qinyuan to climb to a higher altitude and disappeared from the Japanese army's sight.

Not long after, the plane swooped down from high altitude again and destroyed another anti-aircraft gun at the stern of the ship.

Attracted by him, the Japanese fleet's anti-aircraft firepower dared not attack the distant gunboats and aircraft, and instead turned their guns around in an attempt to shoot down the Chinyuan.

However, their actions were observed by Fang Wen's mechanical senses, and the plane immediately soared into the sky and disappeared into the clouds once again.

Meanwhile, the fighting on the distant shore was even more intense.

(End of this chapter)