Republic of China: Ace Pilot

The barrage of airburst bombs not only caused eleven Japanese warplanes to suffer engine failures and crash out of control instantly, but also completely disrupted the Japanese pursuit posture.

The once-aggressive Japanese aircraft formation was now in complete chaos. The pilots were panicking and desperately trying to avoid the aftershocks of the airburst bombs, and had no time to pay attention to the retreating P-40 fighters.

Fang Wen sat in the cockpit of the Taishan first-generation aircraft, using his supernatural abilities to observe the chaotic Japanese aircraft formation.

We must seize this fleeting, golden opportunity.

He immediately picked up the microphone and issued the order: "All air combat units, immediately bypass the airburst smoke and dust area, flank from both sides, and strike the Japanese warplanes with all your might, giving them no chance to breathe!"

Upon receiving the order, the 30 P-40 fighters that were originally retreating in the northwest direction immediately changed course, split into two groups, bypassed the thick smoke and dust barrier, and attacked the chaotic Japanese aircraft from the left and right sides.

Having just experienced the chaotic battle, the pilots had already shed their initial tension and, relying on their rich combat experience and the firepower advantage of the P-40 fighters, launched a fierce attack on the Japanese aircraft.

At this time, the Japanese warplanes were flying in chaotic postures. The original two-plane squadron, with the lead plane and wingman, had scattered while avoiding the airburst bomb zone, and there was no coordination for a while.

The P-40 pilots seized the opportunity, unleashing a barrage of bullets at the Japanese aircraft.

In the blink of an eye, four Japanese warplanes were shot down on the spot, and three were damaged and fled with difficulty towards the Beibu Gulf and Haikou military airfield, billowing black smoke.

This surprise attack completely shattered the Japanese army's wishful thinking.

The Japanese air force leader issued a retreat order via airborne telegraph. Upon receiving the order, the Japanese warplanes felt as if they had been granted a pardon and dared not linger any longer. They turned their aircraft around and did their best to return to their base.

This escape was completely disorganized; each group scattered and fled in disarray, their initial arrogance completely gone.

Fang Wen watched the Japanese warplanes disappear into the distance and did not order a continued pursuit.

He knew very well that the most important task at present was to stop while they were ahead and preserve their own strength, as there were even more arduous counter-offensive tasks waiting for them later.

After all, this battle was very tough, with 10 out of 40 P40s lost in the fighting, a loss rate of 25%.

"All crews, cease pursuit, return to base for rest and refitting. Carefully inspect the condition of your aircraft, replenish ammunition and fuel, and stand by at any time!"

After issuing the return order, Fang Wen piloted the Taishan first-generation aircraft and flew towards a secret military airfield southwest of Hanoi.

The Japanese air raiders returned empty-handed, leaving the main Japanese force on the ground in an isolated and helpless situation.

Without air support, the Japanese tank units were unable to break through the French front lines. The motorized infantry, which had attempted to flank the French from both sides, were also suppressed by the French's concentrated firepower, suffering increasing casualties and unable to break through the French lines at all.

Furthermore, with the Japanese advances from both the north and south stalled, it can be said that the previously successful blitzkrieg tactics of the Japanese mechanized forces suddenly became ineffective.

Seeing the predicament before him, the Japanese central commander knew that continuing to hold out would only result in more losses than gains. In the end, he ordered: "All troops, cease the attack and retreat in an orderly manner. Temporarily withdraw to the outskirts of Hanoi to rest and await further supplies and support!"

As the order was given, the Japanese central mechanized forces gradually withdrew from the offensive and began an orderly retreat.

Tank units led the way, followed closely by motorized infantry, who retreated in disarray from the French lines. What was originally an unstoppable blitzkrieg ended in a humiliating retreat.

Lieutenant Colonel Le Maire stood in the command post of the French defense line, watching the retreating Japanese troops with a relieved smile on his face. He immediately ordered his troops to reinforce the defense line, clear the battlefield, and rest and await further orders.

Meanwhile, Fang Wen piloted the Taishan first-generation fighter jet and successfully arrived at the military airfield. After the plane landed smoothly, he immediately went to the airfield command center. Without even taking a break, he immediately communicated with Lieutenant Colonel Le Maire by telegram, explaining the day's combat situation in detail.

Radio waves traveled back and forth between Hanoi and the temporary military airfield.

[Lieutenant Colonel Le Maire, today's air battle has ended. Our forces shot down 22 Japanese aircraft and damaged 5, while losing 10 of their own. We have successfully repelled the Japanese air raid.]

On the southern front, our army has defeated the Japanese armored forces on the southern front, with only five Japanese tanks managing to break through and escape to the central front.

The main French forces on the northern route continued to tie down the Japanese forces on the northern route, and the pressure on the Japanese forces on both flanks had completely disappeared.

After reading the telegram, Lieutenant Colonel Le Maire was filled with admiration and joy.

He called back.

[Fang, this deployment was absolutely brilliant. Without you, we simply couldn't have repelled the Japanese air raids and ground offensive. Now that the pressure on our flanks is gone, we can concentrate our efforts on dealing with the main Japanese force in the center.]

That's right, our core mission right now is to target the main force of the Japanese army in the central region.

"I have calculated the fuel situation of the Japanese tanks. The Japanese central tanks, advancing from Haiphong port to the eastern defense line of Hanoi, cover a distance of approximately 100 kilometers. The Type 95 and Type 97 tanks have a range of 250 and 210 kilometers respectively on a full tank of fuel. After days of advance and fighting, they currently have about half their fuel remaining."

[If we continue to send air force units tomorrow to focus on attacking the Japanese army's fuel supply lines and completely cut off their fuel supply, while simultaneously using artillery and air force to continuously drive away the Japanese ground troops, denying them the opportunity to rest and refuel, the fuel for the Japanese central tanks will be completely exhausted within a day. At that point, their mechanized forces will become a pile of immobile scrap metal.]

[Execute according to your plan. I will cooperate with your plan to prepare for tomorrow's battle and continue to tie down the main Japanese force in the central region.]

Fang Wen thought for a moment and then sent another message to add to the message.

If all goes well tomorrow, the Japanese central tanks will run out of fuel by tomorrow evening.

However, considering the high degree of uncertainty in nighttime operations, the counter-offensive will be scheduled for dusk. At that time, we will concentrate our air force, ground artillery, and infantry forces to launch a general offensive against the main Japanese force in the central region, which is in dire straits, to completely encircle and annihilate them, and to completely resolve the crisis in Hanoi.

[And once these tanks are destroyed, the supplies they left in Haiphong port will be rendered useless.]

[Understood! I will immediately adjust the deployment, notify all troops, and prepare for a counterattack.]

With the telegram completed and Fang Wen's detailed analysis, coupled with today's battle results, Lieutenant Colonel Mel's confidence soared. He was determined to lead the French army to a world-shaking victory, allowing the world to hear the cry of the Gallic rooster once again.

At 5 a.m. the following day, the secret military airfield southwest of Hanoi was already bustling with activity.

Thirty P-40 fighter jets, fully inspected and replenished with ammunition and fuel, were lined up in formation, their pilots in high spirits and ready to take off; ten gunship aircraft were also loaded with airburst and armor-piercing rounds and were on standby at any time.

Today's core task is to completely cut off the fuel supply line of the main Japanese force in the central region, and turn Fang Wen's prediction into reality step by step.

Fang Wen piloted the Taishan first-generation aircraft and took off first, flying over Haiyang. His mechanical perception ability was fully activated, instantly covering the area where the Japanese army was located in the central route and their supply lines. Several Japanese fuel supply convoys were departing from the direction of Haiphong Port. It was clear that after the air raids on their transport convoys, the Japanese had learned their lesson and no longer sent out large convoys for transport, but instead dispersed in batches to better avoid air raids.

But that only applies to other pilots; it wouldn't work for Fang Wen.

He ordered the fighter jets to take off, and after the planes were airborne, he gave the orders.

"Attention all crews, target: Japanese fuel supply convoy. Split up: French Squadron 1 to attack the convoy at Haiyang West 3, French Squadron 2 to attack the convoy at Haiyang East 2, and Taishan National Salvation Air Force to attack the convoy at Haiyang East 1. Ten gunboats and command aircraft will follow me."

As the order was given, the 30 P-40 fighter jets split into three groups and sped off toward their respective targets.

Fang Wen then led the gunboat squadron and command aircraft to the location of the Japanese central mechanized force.

The Japanese forces in the central region have now retreated 20 kilometers and are outside the range of French artillery fire, a position where they can either defend or attack.

Last night, the French army had already made arrangements, quietly marching from both flanks and concealing themselves 5 kilometers away from the Japanese army.

Fang Wen picked up the microphone and spoke with the ground troops commander, ordering the French tank units in the south and the elite French army in the north to march.

While the French army was marching, Fang Wen had already led his gunboat squadron to the airspace above the Japanese central forces. From their high vantage point, the gunboat squadron skillfully launched air strikes against the ground tanks.

The Japanese mechanized units were not equipped with anti-aircraft firepower; their air defense capabilities depended entirely on the support of Japanese air force aircraft.

Faced with continuous fire from gunboats and aircraft, the Japanese tank units suffered damage and had to be redeployed from their base.

At the same time, the Japanese fuel supply convoy closest to the central Japanese forces was attacked by air. P-40 fighter planes swooped down, firing their machine guns and dropping aerial bombs, with explosions booming one after another.

The truck, fully loaded with fuel, was hit and instantly burst into flames, with flames shooting into the sky and thick smoke billowing, engulfing the entire highway in a sea of ​​fire.

Subsequently, the second Japanese fuel supply convoy was also heavily attacked by P-40 fighter planes.

Although the Japanese escort force fought hard, it was no match for the firepower of the P-40 fighters. In just over ten minutes, the convoy was completely destroyed, and not a single fuel truck was able to break through the blockade and reach the Japanese central camp.

When the news reached the Japanese army's central garrison, the commander was completely panicked.

He hadn't expected that the French and Taishan air force would strike the fuel supply line so precisely. At this moment, the Japanese tanks in the central area had less than half of their fuel left. If they couldn't be replenished in time, it wouldn't be long before all the tanks would completely lose power.

In desperation, he ordered a portion of motorized infantry to form a temporary escort team in an attempt to transport fuel from Haiphong Port again. However, shortly after setting off, they were intercepted by fighter jets led by Fang Wen. The temporary escort team suffered heavy casualties, and the fuel transport plan was completely ruined.

Throughout the day, Fang Wen commanded the air force to repeatedly attack the Japanese supply lines, while the gunboat squadrons also cooperated with the ground troops to continuously harass the Japanese central forces.

With insufficient fuel, the Japanese army was caught in a dilemma, unable to advance or retreat. However, the air strikes forced them to move, and their fuel was constantly being depleted.

As for their request for air support, Fang Wen chose to avoid fighting this time.

Japanese warplanes came from the Beibu Gulf and Haikou military airfields, but found nothing. They circled in the air for half an hour to an hour without seeing a single enemy warplane and had to turn back and leave.

As soon as they left, Fang Wen led the French Air Force into battle.

This strategy is simply unsolvable.

The Japanese could not find anyone in their large-scale air force formations, and if they sent too few, they would be wiped out. They were completely helpless against the air force commanded by Fang Wen.

At this point, the main force of the Japanese army in the central region was in an unprecedented predicament: the tanks were running out of fuel and could not move; ammunition and food were also gradually running out, the soldiers' morale was low, and pessimism was spreading.

The five tanks that broke through from the south had already spread the news of the disastrous defeat on the south route throughout the entire garrison. Coupled with the lack of fuel, everyone knew that they were in dire straits.

All the Japanese commanders could do was repeatedly request assistance from the aircraft carrier fleet in the Beibu Gulf and the Haikou military airfield, and ask the command headquarters for a temporary retreat to Haiphong port.

Even if air support comes, it won't make a difference.

Meanwhile, the command post hesitated and did not order the Japanese central force to withdraw.

After all, the Japanese forces in the central region were only 70 kilometers from the coast. They believed that as long as any fuel supply convoy could break through the air blockade and deliver the supplies, the crisis would be resolved, and the outcome of the next battle would remain uncertain.

As evening fell, Fang Wen used his mechanical perception ability to investigate the Japanese army's central garrison. He confirmed that the Japanese tanks had completely run out of fuel, most of them were stationary and unable to move, and the soldiers had lost their will to resist.

He immediately telegraphed Lieutenant Colonel Lemaître and issued the order: "Lieutenant Colonel Lemaître, the Japanese central tanks have run out of fuel. Everything is ready. We can launch the general offensive!"

"Understood! All troops are ready for a counterattack and await your orders!" Lieutenant Colonel Le Maire's voice was full of excitement. After two days of deployment and attacks, they had finally reached the decisive moment.

Immediately, all French troops deployed in the surrounding area mobilized.

Under the cover of dusk, they quietly surrounded the Japanese central force.

At this moment, in order to lull the Japanese army into a false sense of security, Fang Wen deliberately left a seemingly survivable opportunity for them.

He let a fuel convoy go free.

The commander of the Japanese central force was overjoyed upon learning by telegram that a convoy was approaching.

He ordered the tank crew to walk to the other side of the road to guide the convoy.

An hour later, the Japanese transport convoy came into view of the tank crews, who waved excitedly.

But then, fighter jets reappeared and, right in front of the tank crew, blew up the convoy.

Despair appeared on the faces of the Japanese tank crewmen.

Little did they know, something even more devastating was about to happen. (End of Chapter)