Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 843 The Battle of Smolensk : The Impact of New Weapons on the Battle

Twenty-two Yak-1 fighter jets flew over the town of Smolensk.

(Aerial photograph taken by military reconnaissance over the town of Smolensk in 1941)

(Fighter planes fly over the town of Smolensk and the Dnieper River)

Further ahead lies the area where the Soviet Union and Germany were at war.

The voice of Soviet air regiment commander Chkalovich issuing orders came through the Taishan radio communication equipment inside the fighter jet:

"Attention all aircraft, maintain formation flight, descend to 2,500 meters, bomb-carrying crews, unlock bomb release safety, prepare to execute the second phase of the operation: air strike on German armored groups on the northern front!"

Twenty-two Yak-1s descended to their designated altitudes in preparation for an air raid, as ordered.

Fang Wen's sixth combat squad was also among them, and they and the fighter jets originally responsible for air combat interception were positioned on the left and right flanks for guard duty.

The remaining bomb-laden air strike aircraft were positioned in the center, forming a ground attack formation, with their noses down, and flew towards the plains north of Smolensk.

During the flight, Fang Wen kept his supernatural abilities active, observing the battle situation below.

The fighting on the ground was exceptionally fierce at this moment.

The vanguard of the Hoth 3rd Panzer Group on the northern front, using Panzer III and Panzer IV tanks as the spearhead of the assault, and forming an assault column with armored vehicles and half-track troop carriers, is advancing at full speed along the main road from Vitebsk to Smolensk.

The steel torrent swept across the plains, its tracks crushing the scorched earth, smashing through the makeshift trenches and roadblocks erected by the Soviet army, as it charged toward the outer defenses of Smolensk.

German troops on the ground were prepared for the air raid.

Air defense forces were deployed in advance.

Dozens of 20mm Flak 38 anti-aircraft guns and 37mm towed anti-aircraft guns were scattered among the gaps in the armored formation, with gunners staring intently at the sky, their cold muzzles aimed at the heavens.

"Initiate the air raid," the Soviet air regiment commander ordered.

Soviet pilots accelerated and flew toward German airspace, beginning to drop their bombs.

The anti-aircraft artillery opened fire as the Soviet air force arrived, and dense anti-aircraft shells exploded in the airspace of one to two thousand meters, forming layers of black barrage interception nets, with broken shell casings falling to the ground like raindrops.

For Soviet pilots, this was an extremely dangerous way of fighting. In order to ensure the hit rate of aerial bombs, they dropped bombs at an altitude of more than 2000 meters, which was also within the effective range of anti-aircraft weapons. They were gambling with their lives.

"All personnel evade anti-aircraft fire, disperse to the left and right, and take turns diving to drop bombs!" Chkalovich adjusted the tactics on the spot, changing the fighting style to avoid the entire group being wiped out by anti-aircraft fire.

The Yak-1 formation instantly split into several small assault squads, changing their routes and skillfully weaving through the gaps in German anti-aircraft fire.

The shockwave from the explosions kept hitting the fuselage, and every fighter jet was on the verge of death. The pilots were flying with their lives on the line, dropping the aerial bombs.

Fang Wen's sixth squad was not idle either. Although they did not carry aerial bombs, they did have airborne weapons and could still conduct aerial suppression.

Of course, this wasn't the kind of fighting style that involved facing anti-aircraft fire head-on; Fang Wen had no intention of sacrificing his life for the Soviets.

Under his supernatural observation, he found a loophole in the anti-aircraft fire net, and then picked up the microphone and said, "Group Six, head southwest 35, I'll lead you on a flanking maneuver."

Without hesitation, Ivan followed Fang Wen's change of direction, and the other three pilots followed suit.

Five fighter jets broke away from the main formation and maneuvered around the rear of the armored group, bypassing the strongest air defense network in front.

"There are no anti-aircraft weapons here. Follow me and dive down to attack." Fang Wenjian gave the order and steered the aircraft to dive down first.

Ivan and three pilots then followed in the dive.

The surprise attack launched by five fighter jets from behind the armored formation struck precisely where the enemy was weak.

With no anti-aircraft fire, the planes swooped down and strafed the convoy below.

These trucks carried supplies for armored units, including the enormous amounts of fuel that German tanks consumed daily.

However, because it was located in the rear area and was in a mobile state, it was not equipped with anti-aircraft firepower, which allowed Fang Wen to spot it and make it a target.

Five fighter jets swooped down and strafed, tearing through ground soldiers and convoys with bullets, leaving bullet marks on the road.

The surviving soldiers raised their guns and fired, but the high-speed fighter jets had already climbed up and escaped.

Then, a new round of dive-bombing attacks began, pinning the supply convoy firmly to this section of the road.

Finally, during the third attack, the fuel in the convoy was blown up, and the explosion quickly spread, igniting other military supplies in the convoy.

A violent shockwave swept outwards, and shrapnel from the exploding shells inside the vehicle burst through and scattered in all directions.

Meanwhile, air raids on the main battlefield were also proceeding under extremely fierce conditions.

The Soviet aircraft group that had broken through the blockade unscathed to carry out the air raid had seven planes crashed under the cover of anti-aircraft fire.

The remaining fighter jets continued to carry out their bombing missions.

One aerial bomb after another was dropped, landing on the German assault tank units.

Several German Panzer IV tanks had their side armor penetrated by shrapnel, causing their fuel tanks to catch fire instantly. The leaking fuel triggered a secondary explosion, and the thick steel outer shell was directly torn apart and deformed.

The half-track troop carrier that was moving right next to the tank was blown to bits, and the German infantrymen on board were instantly engulfed in flames.

The continuous explosions and plumes of black smoke shot into the sky, turning the once orderly and unstoppable torrent of steel into chaos in an instant.

The German armored commander immediately issued an emergency order, and the originally dense assault column was quickly broken up, with all tanks and armored vehicles scattered to increase the operational distance and reduce mass casualties caused by aerial bombs.

At the same time, some tanks turned their main guns around to cooperate with the anti-aircraft gun groups and fired at the Yak-1 fighters circling at low altitude.

While the dispersed armored forces avoided the deadly risk of large-scale bombing, they also directly lost their ability to launch sustained attacks.

The offensive was forced to a halt, and the offensive that had been crushing the enemy and heading straight for the positions on the northern outskirts of Smolensk was completely cut short.

The Soviet infantry, who were struggling to hold out in the trenches of the outer defensive positions, saw their own fighter planes sweeping across the skies and holding back the German armored forces. Their pent-up emotions, which had been suppressed for many days, suddenly erupted, and cheers rose and fell in the trenches.

Many soldiers leaned out, raised their rifles, and paid tribute to the Yak fighters high in the sky.

The entire air attack lasted twelve minutes. After the Yak-1 fighters had emptied all the aerial bombs mounted on their bellies and wings, only eight remained.

Chkalovic issued the return-to-base order over the channel: "All units cease attack and return to Vnukovo Airport."

After completing the fourth round of dive strikes behind enemy lines, Fang Wen, upon receiving orders, led the only intact No. 6 squadron to climb and rendezvous with eight fighters from the air regiment. The 14 Yak-1s turned course and flew towards Moscow, disappearing into the horizon.

At Vnukovo military airfield, ground crew and air force officers who had been waiting for a long time could see the returning aircraft in the distance.

The number of returning planes told them how fierce the air battle had been. Their faces were solemn as they observed a moment of silence for their comrades who had sacrificed their lives in the air.

But for the Soviet Air Force leadership, this was a victory of great significance.

In this operation, the 34th Fighter Aviation Regiment, at the cost of zero aircraft loss, defeated a formation of twenty elite German Bf-109s and destroyed five enemy aircraft.

Although the subsequent air raids resulted in the loss of seven aircraft, they still severely damaged the German armored vanguard on the northern front, temporarily alleviating the crisis at Smolensk.

This is the most impressive achievement of the German Air Force since the invasion of the Soviet Union.

In particular, the revolutionary effect of airburst bombs in high-altitude interception battles completely shocked the Soviet Air Force leadership.

In the past, Soviet pilots could only rely on close-quarters dogfights to compete with German ace pilots in terms of skill and courage, resulting in high casualties. However, airburst bombs directly restructured the air combat mode, using low-cost ammunition to obtain absolute airspace suppression capabilities, which perfectly suited the current situation of the Soviet pilots' overall weak quality and outdated equipment.

That evening, several high-ranking officers from the Soviet Air Force General Command arrived at Vnukovo Airport to meet with Fang Wen immediately.

The atmosphere inside the office was solemn and dignified.

The Air Force commissioner bluntly conveyed the high-level instructions: "Comrade Fang, after discussion, the subsequent air strike operations on both the eastern and western fronts of Smolensk will not require your participation in front-line air combat for the time being. Your core mission has been changed to chief technical advisor for the airburst bomb project, stationed at the supporting production plant, and coordinating the mass production, optimization and iteration of ammunition, as well as the training of technical personnel."

His reasoning was simple and straightforward: compared to having one more excellent frontline pilot, Fang Wen, who could mass-produce revolutionary air combat weapons and change the entire air landscape of the Eastern Front, was far more valuable than anything else.

The Air Force leadership needed a massive supply of airburst bombs for the entire force, rather than limiting it to a single battlefield to help shoot down a few German aircraft or destroy some fuel convoys.

Fang Wen had no objection to this. The front-line air combat was fraught with danger. He was not a Soviet citizen, nor did he have the lofty ideals of an internationalist fighter. He was mainly here for the parts of the cyclotron particle accelerator.

He then presented his conditions: "I can take full responsibility for the mass production and technical optimization of airburst bombs, but I need to know the production progress of the parts I ordered and have the right to inspect the quality of each batch of parts leaving the factory."

The Air Force commissioner reported this situation.

The Soviet leadership agreed without hesitation.

In order to keep this foreigner who possessed technology that could influence battlefield weapons, the higher authorities issued a special approval document, ordering the Ministry of Industry's coordination team to mobilize the country's best precision machining factories to prioritize the production of customized parts for Fang Wen.

Two days later, the first batch of precision-machined parts samples were delivered directly to the dedicated airburst bomb production plant.

Inside the factory's temperature-controlled quality inspection workshop, Fang Wen, dressed in work clothes, used a full set of professional quality inspection equipment, including metallographic analyzers, dimensional precision analyzers, and compressive strength testing machines, to verify various component samples one by one.

From dimensional tolerances and metallographic structure to compressive strength, high-temperature resistance, and fatigue wear coefficient, every data point was rigorously matched to the design drawings he provided. After nearly an afternoon of testing, all sample parameters met the standards, with no defects or potential quality issues.

Fang Wen put down the testing equipment and nodded to the production coordination team leader from the Ministry of Industry who was waiting nearby: "The sample is qualified. Subsequent batches of mass production can be carried out according to this standard."

The team leader shook hands with Fang Wen: "We will produce for you according to the current quality, and you must also do your best to ensure the production of airburst bombs."

“I will,” Fang Wen replied.

Time passed day by day.

The situation on the main battlefield in Smolensk was changing, but it was not fundamentally reversed by the appearance of airburst bombs.

After Fang Wen became famous in one battle, the Soviet Air Force urgently distributed the first batch of mass-produced airburst bombs to various front-line air regiments.

Within a short period of time, six out of nearly ten air regiments on the western front of Moscow completed their ammunition re-equipment and rushed to the eastern and western battlefields of Smolensk.

But between ideals and reality lies an insurmountable chasm.

All frontline pilots are aware of the powerful destructive force of airburst bombs, but not every pilot can truly master the new air combat tactics that come with them.

Previously, the winning tactic of the No. 6 Squadron of the 34th Air Regiment was a unique tactic developed by Fang Wen based on his special ability to accurately calculate wind speed, air speed, and avoid flight paths. It had extremely high requirements for predictive ability, formation coordination, and timing of deployment.

The Soviet pilots who were hastily trained only received a few hours of simple instruction. They only knew that airburst bombs could create a large-scale explosion barrier, but they did not understand the core logic of layered interception, predictive delivery, and high-low position coordination.

Some pilots made similar mistakes in actual combat: either blindly dropping munitions at high altitudes, causing them to detonate prematurely and failing to block enemy aircraft from diving; or dropping them at too close a distance, causing the white fog barrier to backfire on their own formation and temporarily blinding their own aircraft; or a single aircraft mindlessly dumping munitions, wasting precious reserves without forming an effective interception network.

The airburst bomb, which could originally have dismantled the German air offensive at minimal cost, was rendered less than 30% effective in the hands of some air units.

There have even been friendly fire incidents, which indirectly increase the losses in frontline operations.

However, there are also many examples of battles where airburst bombs have achieved good results.

This also led to a stalemate in the aerial battle:

The Soviet Union, relying on airburst bombs, prevented the Germans from unilaterally crushing them in air combat and effectively curbed the Bf-109 fleet from controlling the entire airspace. This allowed the Soviet Union to adjust the pace of the battle accordingly, but it was never able to annihilate the German air force on a large scale and regain air superiority.

Such a situation prevents ground troops from receiving sufficient air support, directly determining the course of the ground battlefield.

The Soviet front lines retreated with each advance of armored forces.

Learning from the lessons of the air raids, the 3rd Armored Group of Hoth on the northern front increased the proportion of air defense forces, split armored columns, and steadily advanced in a multi-point parallel mode with small units.

On the southern front, Guderian's 2nd Panzer Group also adjusted its tactics, avoiding the high-frequency airspace of the Soviet Air Force, marching at night and concealing itself during the day, and advancing northward from Rogachev and Mogilev on two fronts.

The two steel torrents, one from the north and one from the south, were like two giant iron pincers, ignoring the Soviet army's layers of resistance and continuously penetrating deep into the heart of Smolensk.

Despite the Soviet Western Front's desperate defense along the Dnieper River line and the numerous large-scale counter-offensives launched by its infantry and tank units, it was still unable to stop the encirclement by the German armored forces.

On the evening of July 18, reports from the front lines reached Moscow: the two major German armored groups in the north and south had successfully completed their tactical convergence, completely encircling the main city of Smolensk and trapping nearly 7 Soviet troops of the Western Front within the encirclement.

The appearance of airburst bombs delayed the encirclement of Smolensk by two days, but still did not stop the German offensive.

However, there were also positive effects. The two-day delay gave the Soviet army room to maneuver, allowing a large number of troops to withdraw from Smolensk and return to Moscow.

These soldiers, who were originally supposed to be captured by the German army, became a new force in the defense of Moscow.

Subsequently, in order to better defend Moscow, the Soviet army also took more precautions.

This includes the Katyusha rocket they developed, a weapon that will be used in actual combat for the first time.

However, it is not the world's first modern vehicle-mounted multiple rocket launcher system to be officially deployed and used on a large scale in combat. Prior to this, the Taishan Storm rocket launcher had already demonstrated the power of this weapon to the world. (End of Chapter)