Chapter 305: Captain Gao Promoted, Fang Wen Stays Behind In Hangzhou, Air Defense Against Overwhelming Odds
The Imperial Japanese Navy’s mid-August bombing was intended as an air power deterrent to support the navy’s offensive and inflict damage, but it did not go as smoothly as they had anticipated.
After five years, not only had the Japanese side’s military equipment strength grown.
The National Government spent vast sums, and although only a portion was put into actual use, it still trained a group of pilots with very strong combat strength.
It could be said that this was the peak period for the National Air Force in the early stage of the War of Resistance.
In response to the Japanese Army’s bombing, the National Air Force also launched a counterattack.
Battle results:
The Japanese side’s Luchuan and Kisarazu Naval aviation teams invaded airports such as Hangzhou, Jiaxing, and Cao E Airport with bomber formations.
China’s Ninth Air Group shot down 4 enemy aircraft over Cao E.
The Fourth Air Group and Taishan Aviation Team shot down 18 enemy aircraft over Hangzhou.
Such battle results instead made the Japanese side even more frenzied.
They assembled larger aircraft clusters, intending to conduct large-scale bombing and have a decisive battle with the National Air Force.
Jianqiao Airport, yesterday the Fourth Air Group’s battle results were gratifying; it could be said they heavily damaged the invading bombing formation.
Even today, the pilots who participated in this battle were still immersed in joy.
In contrast, Fang Wen and his group were much more calm; as the number of times they participated in air combat increased, they increasingly treated air combat victories as ordinary.
But no matter what, celebration was necessary.
A small internal celebration was held inside the airport. At this celebration attended by airport staff, military officers, and family members, a phonograph played songs by Shanghai singers, men and women danced and socialized in the dance floor, or gathered in twos and threes to chat.
Fang Wen’s group gathered in a corner of the venue, also participating in the celebration.
Although it was only their second day there, they had already become star figures at Jianqiao Airport and were very popular.
Two ladies took the initiative to come over, shyly inviting Taishan’s pilots to the dance floor to dance together.
In response, Du Jiahua and Shao Deqing blushed and refused, while Zhai Xiaojun was very willing to participate.
As for Fang Wen, given his status, no one would disturb him.
He was quite happy to relax, holding a wine cup and watching the excitement from the side.
The reactions of his three subordinates were also within reason.
Du Jiahua was the reconnaissance company commander of the First Front Army of the Red Army, skilled in reconnaissance and assault. He had been poor since childhood, lost both parents, later joined the Red Army, but had never been in love. Regarding this aspect, he was completely unlike his steady and heroic self in combat; on the contrary, he was somewhat shy.
Shao Deqing was even younger, just 20 years old. When he joined the Fourth Front Army, he was not much older either. As a cavalry team communicator and now a pilot, he got along well with horses and handled flying airplanes with ease, but he didn’t dare to touch a woman’s hand.
On the other hand, Zhai Xiaojun had experienced much in Nanyang and was open-minded about romantic feelings between men and women, and very proactive.
Fang Wen walked over with a smile and sat next to Du Jiahua and Shao Deqing, asking.
“Why not go dance? If you like them, I can help make introductions.”
The two Red Army pilots quickly shook their heads, indicating they hadn’t considered this aspect.
Fang Wen understood; they were true warriors with ideals, striving to build a brand-new China, so they could suppress their desires and advance for their ideals.
Fang Wen had seen this situation more than once.
At Xiangxi Airport, under the alias Bai Yunfei, the Red Army officer Shu Zhitao who had always been in contact with the airport was also such a person.
And those Red Army soldiers who relied on willpower to overcome their physical limits.
They were all young, originally at the age to enjoy youthful pleasures, but unfortunately born in this era, they became the strongest warriors.
Fang Wen sighed with emotion and did not tease them on this matter, instead getting up and walking over to Captain Gao.
He wanted to discuss air combat matters for the upcoming Battle of Songhu with Captain Gao.
The two walked out of the celebration venue and strolled along the airport runway, chatting idly.
“Captain Gao, what do you think of the situation to the south?”
“I think the Japanese side seems uncoordinated between land and sea: the army is attacking from the north, and the navy is launching from the south. Clearly, there is conflict between them, mutual competition.”
“Competition is not a bad thing, especially for our enemies; it will make them more destructive.” Fang Wen replied.
“Yes. These 5 years have passed, the Imperial Japanese Navy must be stronger than 5 years ago, and we concentrated all of China’s most excellent pilots to achieve this victory, but after all, those who can fly and fight are the minority. Once it continues, the war will inevitably be a battle of attrition, which we cannot afford.”
Captain Gao, as a mid-level officer in the National Air Force, understood their own situation very well; every word he said came from the heart.
Don’t think that this battle was won.
But what about the actual situation?
Nine aviation brigades, over 300 aircraft in total, but only 200 combat-ready aircraft.
But in reality, not that many could actually take to the sky and fight the enemy.
There were also various excuses for illness retreats and desertions.
Take the Fourth Air Group as an example: these most combat-capable pilots were mostly overseas Chinese pilots, who were more daring in battle. In contrast, those with high official backgrounds who were stuffed in had long left Jianqiao Airport for various reasons when the crisis occurred.
This situation was not unique to the Fourth Air Group; it was a widespread phenomenon.
So Captain Gao had such concerns: even generals can die on the battlefield, and those who can fight will inevitably die on the battlefield.
If they were killed in action, could they still count on those who deserted?
Listening to Captain Gao’s heartfelt words, Fang Wen fell silent.
Logically speaking, this was not something he could discuss, after all, Taishan Airlines and Taishan Independent Regiment Aviation Battalion 1 were not in the same system as the National Air Force.
But this situation also meant that the superficial brilliance would eventually collapse.
No wonder there was an 8-year War of Resistance; all of this had its reasons.
He waved away his thoughts and changed the topic.
“Future matters may still have turning points. What we can do now is only to do our utmost to strike the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Force, provide support to the ground troops, and prevent them from bombing coastal cities.”
Yes, no matter what the future holds, a sigh is enough. Now the Japanese Army’s bombing is still ongoing, and cities like Shanghai, Nanjing, and Hangzhou are all under the threat of Japanese Army bombing.
This is the evil result of lacking air superiority and sea control; the bombing causes heavy losses to the people, even loss of life, which these pilots must strive to make up for.
Captain Gao’s expression gradually cleared, and he discussed with Fang Wen.
“As for Shanghai, the Japanese Army won’t bomb on a large scale, after all they have many industries there themselves, and there are British, French, American, and German forces in Shanghai; they won’t offend them all. Bombing Hangzhou shows they are probing; in the future, they will attack deeper targets, I think it’s Nanjing.”
Fang Wen did not fully agree with Captain Gao’s judgment; how could the Japanese Army not bomb Shanghai on a large scale? It hadn’t happened yet, but it would start later.
But he agreed with the other aspects.
“Indeed, it should be Nanjing.”
Fang Wen, who had frequently flown the Shanghai-to-Nanjing flight path early on, had his own judgment of the situation.
He took out a folded map and walked with Captain Gao into the airport office, discussing over the map.
If it was bombing Nanjing, the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Force would not invade from Hangzhou Bay, but would choose from above Shanghai: Rudong—Taizhou—Yangzhou—Nanjing.
From the map, it could be seen that compared to Hangzhou, Nanjing had denser defenses, with three aviation brigades protecting around Nanjing. If the Japanese Army wanted to bomb, they would inevitably send larger-scale bombing clusters.
It could be said that the air combat during the Battle of Songhu would be the largest-scale air combat of the War of Resistance period.
In the future, these aircraft and pilots would be gradually consumed in the war, and it would no longer be possible to have a scale like this time.
Fang Wen sighed inwardly and could only strive to participate, using his own strength to make some contribution to the Battle of Songhu.
Needless to say, as long as one more enemy aircraft was shot down, there would be fewer instances in the future of huge losses and lives lost due to bombing by these enemies.
He spoke up: “The air raids here in Hangzhou are probably just a feint; should we apply to Nanjing for coordinated defense?”
Captain Gao had the same idea. The straight-line air distance from Hangzhou to Nanjing was only 230 kilometers, reachable in half an hour. If the Japanese Army bomber formation was discovered on the coastline, the distance to Nanjing was about 240 kilometers; aid from Jianqiao Airport in Hangzhou could arrive in time.
With this idea, the two reached a consensus and jointly sent a telegram to Nanjing, requesting to assist in combat.
The telegram was sent to Nanjing.
The Nanjing side highly agreed with Captain Gao’s judgment.
Moreover, because of the Tianjin South air combat and the just-occurred Jianqiao air combat, Captain Gao’s reputation in the National Air Force had soared.
Therefore, the Aviation Committee did not approve the coordinated defense request, but instead specifically required Captain Gao to bring the Fourth Air Group to Nanjing to cooperate with Nanjing’s air defense.
At the same time, he was given a heavy responsibility to assist in commanding Nanjing’s air defense.
This was something no one had expected; Captain Gao was suddenly promoted, becoming the temporary air force combat commander.
Captain Gao, preparing to go to Nanjing, invited Fang Wen to come along; after all, guarding the capital would bring even higher prestige, and he was thinking of Fang Wen.
In response, Fang Wen did not agree.
Nanjing’s air defense already had more than enough with three brigades; adding the Fourth Air Group would just be icing on the cake.
The Fourth Air Group stationed in Hangzhou to assist in defending Nanjing would be the best arrangement.
But now so many aircraft had gone to Nanjing; what about the air defense on this side of Hangzhou Bay?
Without the Fourth Air Group, only the Ninth Air Group at Shaoxing’s Cao E Airport remained, making it hard to deal with large-scale Imperial Japanese Navy Air Force attacks.
More importantly, Fang Wen remembered that the Japanese Army seemed to land from Hangzhou Bay; this place was extremely important and could not be lost.
For this reason, Fang Wen rejected the request to go to Nanjing and planned to continue staying at Jianqiao Airport.
Captain Gao also understood Fang Wen’s intentions; the air defense here was indeed weak now. As the theater air force commander, he gave Fang Wen a special privilege: full command authority over Jianqiao Airport.
The airport staff, ground crew, and garrison officers would all obey his command.
Such an arrangement was expedient in wartime, giving Fang Wen temporary control over this air force military base.
The Fourth Air Group departed.
The airport was left with only four fighter jets from Taishan Independent Regiment Aviation Battalion 1, and some old trainer aircraft types without combat capability.
Taking on this burden meant replacing the Fourth Air Group in guarding the airspace over this Hangzhou area.
Four fighter jets were too few in number; the task was arduous.
To quickly establish coordination between the airport and Taishan Independent Regiment Aviation Battalion 1, Fang Wen immediately convened a meeting with airport management, ground crew, and garrison officers.
Owning a large multinational aviation enterprise, he naturally had a strong leadership aura. Once everyone was assembled, he took the initiative to speak.
“Everyone, the war situation is urgent now. Captain Gao has taken the Fourth Air Group to Nanjing, so the defense here will be under my charge. Let me say this upfront: everything must prioritize confronting the Japanese Army. All demands of my aviation team must be met; I believe this is not difficult, right?”
The various management officers responded one after another, agreeing to Captain Gao’s arrangement and willing to cooperate with Fang Wen.
With these promises, Fang Wen took them at face value.
Immediately, everything proceeded as usual.
And in the following days.
There was no fighting at all on the Hangzhou side.
But Nanjing became increasingly busy.
Multiple waves of Japanese Army bomber formations attempted to bomb Nanjing.
In response, the four aviation brigades intercepted, playing an excellent role.
On the first day of air raids, 4 Type 96 carrier-based fighters of the Japanese Army were shot down.
The next day, the bomber formation came again and three more were shot down.
This bombing continued in multiple waves, ongoing without cessation.
At first, the National Air Force held the advantage, but as Captain Gao worried, this kind of war was a battle of attrition. Once the attrition exceeded the National Air Force’s limits, the situation would change.
Nanjing air combat was intense, Hangzhou had no movement.
In response, Fang Wen was not anxious.
He came not for merit, but to protect the people from casualties caused by Japanese Army bombing.
Especially with Jianqiao Airport’s layout, actually built in the city center; once bombed, it would definitely affect the surrounding people, not to mention the Japanese Army was already cruel and might deliberately drop bombs indiscriminately on crowded places.
Therefore, even with no situation, he still maintained a normal state of alert.
At the same time, he established contact with the Ninth Air Group and reached an early warning cooperation for air raids with the defending troops at Hangzhou Bay.
These preparations proved useful three days later.
Three days later, at dawn along the Hangzhou Bay coastline.
Just as the sky was dimly lit, soldiers changing shifts yawned while waiting for their replacements.
He suddenly felt the sky darken a bit.
The soldier instinctively looked up.
It was Japanese aircraft.
The soldier hurriedly pulled the alarm rope and shouted a warning. The officer woken by the alarm sound saw the situation in the sky, remembered the mission from above, and quickly took out the telegraph machine to send telegrams to Jianqiao Airport and Cao E Airport.
At this time, amid the whistling sound, five Type 97 carrier-based attack aircraft flew toward Chinese territory in a V formation.
Protecting beside them were ten Type 96 carrier-based fighters.
Such a large-scale bombing was not targeted at Nanjing, but heading toward Hangzhou.
At Jianqiao Airport, Fang Wen looked at the telegraph operator’s alarm telegram, said nothing, and sounded the alarm.
At the same time, he quickly ran out of the office.
The three pilots in wartime readiness also ran to assemble at the airport runway edge as soon as the alarm sounded.
Fang Wen sternly said to his three subordinates: “Take off immediately. Remember, this time we only have 4 aircraft; focus on defense. Harass and shoot down enemy aircraft as much as possible outside Hangzhou City, leaving them unable to invade Hangzhou.”
“Yes.” The three pilots said in unison.
Immediately, Fang Wen and the three ran to board the aircraft and took off from two runways.
Everything was as planned: from alarm—assembly—takeoff, less than ten minutes.
When they flew out of Hangzhou, they ran right into the enemy bomber formation.
