Republic of China: Ace Pilot

After the first round of tank clashes on the southern front, the Japanese Type 97 medium tanks were already at a clear disadvantage, and the shortcomings of the American M2A4 light tanks were also exposed.

Although the 37mm small-caliber main gun could penetrate the frontal armor of the Type 97, its destructive power was far from sufficient.

Of the five Type 97 tanks hit, only two were destroyed on the spot due to the shells hitting the ammunition compartments and causing secondary explosions. The other three only suffered armor damage and injuries to the crew inside. After some adjustments, they were able to move and continue firing, and were not completely rendered combat ineffective.

All of this is not uncontrollable.

Fang Wen used his supernatural ability to keep a close eye on every movement on the southern battlefield, capturing the speed difference and tactical loopholes between the two types of tanks. He picked up the microphone again, his voice steady and precise, and issued the order for a protracted battle: "Maintain the speed advantage, keep the distance, do not engage the Japanese tanks at close range, and use mobility to fight a war of attrition!"

Upon receiving the order, the 30 M2A4 light tanks immediately accelerated, and their speed of 58 kilometers per hour instantly widened the gap. Compared with the Type 97, whose top speed was only 40 kilometers per hour, their advantage became increasingly obvious.

They dispersed to the left and right, like a group of agile cheetahs, quickly moving out of the range of the Japanese tanks and disappearing from the Japanese sight in the blink of an eye.

Seeing this, the Japanese tank commander on the southern route was furious and immediately ordered a pursuit. However, the cumbersome Type 97 tanks could not keep up with the agile American light tanks and could only watch helplessly as the enemy drove away, trapped in a passive and desperate situation of "unable to hit or catch up".

What made the Japanese army even more desperate was that the French tank units, which had disappeared from sight, could launch another attack at any time. In the next round of battle, they still couldn't solve those problems and would still be in a passive and defensive situation.

Just as the Japanese had feared.

After creating enough distance and completely escaping the Japanese army's sight, Fang Wen once again mobilized the ground tank forces and issued an encirclement order: five tanks per group, divided into six attack units, to launch a surprise attack on the Japanese tank formation from six directions simultaneously!

Thirty M2A4 light tanks immediately sprang into action, divided into six groups, and circled around along different routes, silently reaching the flanks and rear of the Japanese tank formation.

At this moment, the Japanese infantry unit on the southern route, which had been closely following the tanks, had been scattered in the tank charge. Faced with the French tank attack, they were unable to mount an effective counterattack and could only retreat in a sorry state, moving towards the flank of the Japanese tank force.

However, they were cut off by a group of French tanks that crossed the area.

This led to an even more chaotic situation for the Japanese army.

"Fire!" With a command from the tank commanders, six groups of M2A4 light tanks launched an attack simultaneously, their 37mm main gun shells hitting the weak points of the Japanese tanks: the side and rear armor and the tracks.

Dense artillery shells whistled past, and Japanese tanks were hit one after another. Their tracks were blown off and their armor was penetrated. The three tanks that were barely able to move were completely paralyzed. The remaining tanks that were not hit were also suppressed by fire from all sides and could only hastily turn their guns around and launch a haphazard counterattack.

In less than an hour of fighting, the Japanese tank formation was compressed into an open area by the French tanks, forming a tight encirclement.

If any Japanese tank dared to break through the circle, it would immediately be attacked from both sides by French tanks.

To make matters worse for the Japanese army, their infantry units were completely isolated outside the encirclement and were unable to cooperate with the tank units in combat.

The infantry were exposed in the open area and were pinned down by the French infantry units that followed. They were unable to get close to the tank formation to provide support and could only struggle in place, with men constantly falling to the French guns.

Seeing the desperate situation before him, the Japanese commander of the southern route knew that continuing to hold out would only lead to the annihilation of his entire army. Finally, he gritted his teeth and ordered: "All troops move towards the central Japanese forces, join up with the main force in the central route, and break out!"

This means they abandoned the infantry.

The Japanese tanks immediately adjusted their formation and launched a breakout towards the central Japanese forces. However, as soon as they moved, the French tanks, which were already in full battle array, immediately followed and pursued them, skillfully circling around to the flanks of the Japanese breakout formation and opening fire.

The explosions rang out one after another, and the Japanese breakout formation was instantly torn in two. One group of tanks was pinned down by the French tanks and could not advance, while the other group fought with all their might and barely broke through the encirclement, fleeing towards the center.

In the end, only five Type 5 medium tanks successfully broke through the encirclement. The remaining 10 tanks were either destroyed or disabled. The Japanese infantry suffered heavy casualties, with almost the entire army wiped out.

On the command aircraft, Fang Wen looked at the five fleeing Japanese tanks on the radar screen, a faint smile playing on his lips, but he did not order troops to intercept them.

He picked up the microphone and said to the commander of the southern tank unit, "No need to pursue them. Let them go to the central route. I want them to carry their defeat and pessimism to the main Japanese force in the central route."

After saying that, Fang Wen piloted the command aircraft back to base. A tough aerial battle awaited him.

Meanwhile, the main force of the Japanese army in the central route, which had been advancing unimpeded, finally encountered fierce resistance from the French army on the outskirts of Hanoi.

To halt the Japanese tank offensive, Lieutenant Colonel Le Maire had already deployed the strongest French forces here, including not only battle-hardened French infantry but also American 40mm anti-aircraft guns recently purchased from the United States.

At this moment, these weapons, originally intended for air defense, were also used as anti-tank guns, just like Rommel in Germany, with their muzzles flattened and aimed at Japanese tanks, ready to fire at any time.

Three kilometers away, more than 100 Japanese tanks in the central sector continued their blitzkrieg momentum, charging toward the French defenses, their tracks carving deep furrows into the road.

Both sides opened fire almost simultaneously after entering each other's line of sight.

The battlefield was ablaze with flashes of fire and explosions, and the French anti-aircraft guns were proving remarkably effective.

The American 40mm anti-aircraft gun is fed by a 4-round magazine and can fire 80-100 rounds per minute. When firing at air targets, the hit rate is not high due to the speed of the aircraft and the range of the shells.

However, when the cannon is laid flat, its power and rate of fire at a single firing angle far exceed those of infantry cannons, and its hit rate is greatly improved.

A barrage of 40mm shells shot out, cutting across the battlefield.

Several Type 95 and Type 97 tanks were immediately hit, burst into flames, lost power, and came to rest haphazardly in front of the defensive line, becoming obstacles to the advance of subsequent tanks.

The Japanese forces in the central area did not give up; they had other plans.

Motorized infantry were deployed, flanking from both sides to launch an attack.

The main French infantry, relying on pre-established fortifications, trenches, and bunkers, fiercely fired rifles and machine guns at the Japanese motorized infantry, and the dense firepower suppressed the Japanese offensive.

The Japanese army made several attempts to break through the French defenses, but were repelled by the fierce resistance of the French, resulting in increasing casualties and a complete slowdown in their advance.

In order to support the central force in breaking through the French defenses, the Japanese aircraft carrier fleet in the Gulf of Tonkin and the Haikou military airfield simultaneously dispatched dozens of fighter formations, including Zero fighters and Type 97 attack aircraft, which also arrived over Hanoi at this time.

Bombs rained down, landing on the French lines, causing trenches to collapse and bunkers to be destroyed, resulting in heavy casualties among the French soldiers and creating several breaches in the lines.

In that critical moment, French and allied air force fighters, having just completed their mission to raid Japanese supply lines, also took off from a military airfield southwest of Hanoi, speeding towards the city. Moments later, the two groups of aircraft met over Hanoi, and a fierce air battle erupted instantly.

The Japanese Zero fighters, with their agile maneuverability, launched the first attack, diving down towards the P-40 fighters and strafing them with their cannons. Shells exploded around the P-40 fighters, creating plumes of black smoke.

Although the P-40 fighter jet was not very agile, it had a clear advantage in firepower. As a result, the fighter jet unleashed its full firepower, with countless bullets streaking across the sky.

Nearly eighty fighter jets clashed and fought each other over Hanoi. The roar of machine guns, the boom of shells, and the explosions of crashing fighter jets blended together, and flames and black smoke covered half the sky.

In the chaos, conventional air command had become ineffective and could even affect the pilots' judgment. Fang Wen made a decisive decision to abandon centralized command and left only the words, "Remember what we said during the exercise, everyone be careful in the face of the enemy."

After saying that, he piloted the Taishan first-generation fighter and headed straight for the Japanese army's core combat force, the Zero fighter.

He knew very well that the Zero fighter's agility and maneuverability were key to the Japanese air superiority, and that if the Zero's advantage was eliminated, the Japanese air force would be greatly weakened.

His Taishan first-generation aircraft was no less fast and agile than the Zero, and its six 12.7mm aircraft machine guns and rocket launchers made it far more powerful than the Zero. In addition, with the precise locking of his mechanical perception ability, the Zero was almost powerless against him.

Fang Wen's gaze swept across the air combat area, and he instantly locked onto his first target.

A Zero fighter is relentlessly pursuing a French P-40 fighter.

The French fighter plane had been hit in the tail and was emitting black smoke. Its fuselage was shaking violently and it could crash at any moment. The Zero was in hot pursuit, strafing the plane with its machine guns and closing in step by step.

Without the slightest hesitation, Fang Wen controlled the Taishan first-generation aircraft, cutting between the two at extreme speed. The moment the nose of the aircraft was aligned with the other aircraft, he locked onto it with firepower and decisively pressed the rocket launch button.

Two rockets roared out of the launch pod, hurtling towards the Zero fighter with a sharp whooshing sound.

At this moment, the two planes were extremely close, and the Zero pilot had no time to react. He didn't even see the incoming rocket before it accurately hit his fuselage.

With a deafening roar, the Zero fighter exploded in mid-air, turning into countless fragments that scattered and fell to the ground, taking the pilot with it into the inferno.

After rescuing the French warplane, Fang Wen did not linger at all, immediately turned the plane around, and locked onto the next target.

Not far away, another Zero fighter had just damaged a P-40 fighter from the Taishan Air Force. The P-40, billowing black smoke, struggled to retreat, but the Zero did not pursue it. Instead, it turned and lunged at another French fighter that was intercepting a Type 97 attack aircraft, looking for an opportunity to fire.

Clearly, the pilots of the Zero fighters were all experienced veterans from the Japanese air force, and they inflicted great damage on the French Air Force.

Fang Wen piloted the Taishan first-generation fighter jet and quickly climbed up, circling around to the side of the Zero. Taking advantage of his speed, he instantly closed the distance.

The instant he entered the attack angle, he pressed the rocket launch button again, and a rocket accurately hit the side of the Zero's fuselage.

The Zero fighter's armor was already thin, often described as "paper armor." Under the immense power of the rocket, the fuselage was instantly torn apart, exploding in two. The pilot was thrown from the cockpit by the massive impact and plummeted straight down from the sky. At that height, he would have been smashed to pieces upon impact, with no chance of survival.

After shooting down two Zero fighters in succession, Fang Wen's offensive became increasingly rapid.

With his superb flying skills, he maneuvered nimbly through the melee, dodging attacks from Japanese warplanes. At the same time, he used his mechanical perception ability to accurately lock onto targets, alternating between rockets and aircraft machine guns, each attack aimed directly at the Zero's vitals.

In just over ten minutes, he shot down three more Zero fighters. The arrogance of the Japanese Zero fighters was completely suppressed. The pilots no longer dared to advance rashly and all restrained their offensive, becoming wary of this "killer" hidden in the formation.

By this time, the air battle had lasted for nearly twenty minutes, and the casualty situation on both sides was becoming clearer: the French lost 9 aircraft, the Taishan National Salvation Air Force lost 1, and the Japanese lost 15 aircraft, with a casualty ratio of 10:15.

Fang Wen's expression grew increasingly grave upon seeing these battle damage figures.

With only 40 P-40 fighters in total, a quarter of them were lost in a single air battle. Such a rate of attrition was simply unsustainable.

The Japanese military had a domestic military industrial system to support it, and its fighter planes could be replenished continuously. In contrast, the French military and the Taishan Air Force faced extremely difficult supply of fighter planes. Every plane lost meant that the subsequent defensive forces would be weakened.

"Attention all crews, immediately disengage from the battle and retreat to the northwest. Do not linger!" Fang Wen issued the order via communicator.

Upon receiving the order, the remaining 30 P-40 fighters immediately adjusted their formation, ceased their dogfight with the Japanese aircraft, and turned their aircraft around to quickly withdraw in the northwest direction.

Upon seeing this, the Japanese warplanes were greatly encouraged, believing that the French and the Taishan Air Force had been defeated and were fleeing. They immediately abandoned their original air raid missions and turned their aircraft around to pursue the retreating P-40 fighters.

With its agile maneuverability, the Zero fighter gradually closed the distance to the P-40 fighter, continuously strafing it with its cannons, attempting to shoot down a few more aircraft during its withdrawal and expand its gains.

Just as Japanese warplanes were chasing the P-40 fighters to the airspace northwest of Hanoi and about to catch up with them, 10 gunboats flew in from the northwest.

The gunship's side firing ports were all open, but instead of machine guns and cannons, they were airburst bomb launchers.

"Gunship and aircraft units, launch airburst bombs to cover the airspace where the Japanese are pursuing!"

Under Fang Wen's command, the gunboats and aircraft collectively turned to the side, aiming their firing ports at that area of ​​airspace.

As the order was given, 10 gunboats opened fire simultaneously, and a large number of airburst bombs roared out and detonated densely in the airspace in front of the Japanese warplanes.

A series of explosions rang out, and countless fragments and dust filled the entire airspace, forming a thick "smoke and dust barrier" that severely obscured the vision of the Japanese pilots.

Even more deadly was that the fine dust generated after the airburst bombs detonated continuously entered the engine of the Japanese warplanes through the engine vent pipes.

The dust burned in the high-temperature environment of the engine, causing the engines of several Zero fighters to malfunction, their speed to drop sharply, their fuselages to shake violently, lose power, and fall to the ground.

What started as a fierce pursuit instantly turned into a humiliating defeat.

Seeing this, the remaining Japanese warplanes dared not continue the pursuit and could only hastily turn around in an attempt to avoid the dense airburst bombs and smoke screens. However, many warplanes still crashed because their engine vents sucked in dust during the turn, causing engine failure.

Airburst bombs, originally designed as supplementary defenses against enemy aircraft for gunboats, proved to have an effect far exceeding their tactical value in this situation. (End of Chapter)