Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 865 New Weapons Deal, "King George VI" Dry Dock

On the eastern coast of Malacca, the smoke of battle has not yet dissipated and the flames are still burning.

The capsized and sunken Chokai was half upside down on the sea surface.

The massive bridge, broken and hanging precariously from the side of the hull, accelerated the sinking.

Countless broken ship planks, Japanese military supplies, and bodies that had fallen into the water were scattered on the sea surface.

The once menacing Japanese warships were completely destroyed in a single salvo.

On the wrecked Japanese warships that were fleeing in panic, the surviving officers and soldiers were filled with horror and their bodies were ice-cold.

They were still in shock, their minds blank.

That's the heavy cruiser Chokai!

It was the flagship of the Japanese Second Fleet and the main heavy cruiser in the South Pacific operations, with fierce firepower and heavy armor.

Previously, it had sailed south without ever suffering a defeat at sea, and even participated in the attack on the famous British Z Fleet without any incident.

But today, within the Strait of Malacca, this heavy cruiser was engulfed by a hail of fireballs before it could even fire a single shot.

"Impossible... Absolutely impossible..."

The surviving captain of the Japanese light patrol ship leaned on the railing, his face ashen, his lips trembling, repeatedly murmuring this sentence.

He graduated from the Tokyo Naval Academy and thought he understood all kinds of naval tactics, but he had never seen such an unreasonable, brutal and terrifying way of fighting naval battles.

There was no gun battle between ships, no torpedo stealth attacks, and no aerial bombardment by fighter jets.

A single, overwhelming barrage of bullets, like the collapse of the sky and the splitting of the earth, slammed and sank a heavy cruiser and a patrol ship.

The wrecked ship fled at full speed, no one dared to look back even for a moment, and everyone felt only a chill to the bone.

The unknown fleet they fought against became a haunting nightmare for all the surviving Japanese officers and soldiers.

At the same time, urgent telegrams rang out at the Japanese Second Fleet's forward command post.

When the news of the sinking of the Chokai reached the command center, the entire command hall fell into an instant silence.

All the staff officers and officers stopped abruptly, their faces filled with disbelief.

The commander of the Second Fleet slammed his fist on the table and stood up abruptly, staring intently at the telegram: "Absurd!"

"The Chokai was a mainstay heavy cruiser, with complete armor and ample firepower. The British no longer had any main warships, and the waters around Malaya were under our control. How could it have been suddenly sunk in the Strait of Malacca?!"

He simply couldn't accept this outcome.

He immediately ordered his staff to send a telegram back inquiring about the details.

After a while, the staff officer returned with a telegram, relaying the battle situation reported from the wrecked ships at the front: "Commander, the enemy is not a conventional warship... It appears to be equipped with a large number of dense projectile weapons. A single salvo can cover an extremely wide area, striking without blind spots. Our warships have no way to evade it and are completely unable to defend against it..."

"Complete coverage? Dense projection?" The commander's pupils contracted sharply, a chill running through him. If such a weapon truly existed, it would be a nightmare for warships.

He ordered the Naval Intelligence Department to immediately report the matter to the Army, so that the Army's intelligence capabilities could be used to find out the true situation of that fleet and the mysterious weapon.

The Japanese intelligence department was no pushover either.

They quickly drew conclusions from the descriptions in the intelligence.

The analysis was then sent back to the Second Fleet.

The staff officer, holding the feedback telegram, reported to the fleet commander: "According to intelligence analysis, only the Soviet BM-13 rocket launcher could have produced such an attack effect. During the Soviet-German War last month, the Soviet Union used the BM-13 rocket launcher to launch a wide-area attack on the German forces, creating a brief gap in the German encirclement. Its power was immense. Taishan Military Industry also has a similar weapon, called Taishan Storm. The two share the same technology, and the intelligence department has reason to suspect that the weapon used to attack our warships was the Taishan Storm rocket launcher."

The staff officer paused, then looked at the second half of the telegram and added:

"What the intelligence agencies are unsure about is that rocket artillery, while having a wide coverage area and great power, doesn't have a high hit rate. Why was it able to accurately sink our warships in this naval battle?"

"It's Taishan again!" The commander of the Second Fleet muttered the name. The campaign to conquer French Indochina had failed due to the combined resistance of Taishan and the French.

Now, Taishan's reach has extended to Malaya.

This opponent is not easy to deal with.

Singapore, trapped in a desperate situation.

Inside the command hall of the British Army headquarters, staff officers and troop commanders stared at the sand table, at a loss for what to do.

The communications officer rushed in, excited: "Report! We received a telegram from Taishan. The Taishan Fleet encountered the Japanese Navy fleet while passing through the eastern section of the Strait of Malacca and engaged them in battle! They sank one Japanese Second Fleet flagship, the heavy cruiser Chokai, and one light patrol ship. The remaining warships fled!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the entire British military headquarters fell into a deathly silence.

All the generals, staff officers, and commanders were stunned and remained speechless for a long time.

For days, the Singaporean garrison has been in a hellish predicament.

The Japanese army on land pressed forward relentlessly.

They first occupied most of northern Malaya, leaving only Penang Island still holding out.

Meanwhile, on the southern front, the Japanese army was attacking Kuala Lumpur.

If Kuala Lumpur falls, southern Malaya will be cut in half.

Thus, the British troops left in central Malaya would be fighting alone.

Meanwhile, the tens of thousands of British troops in Singapore were unable to send troops to support British forces in other areas due to constant Japanese air raids and a lack of armored units.

At sea, due to the destruction of the Z Fleet, the Japanese fleet had effectively controlled the surrounding waters, except for the coastal defense artillery range that was not close to Singapore.

This also meant that the British forces in Singapore had their most important maritime supply line cut off.

Tens of thousands of British troops were trapped on an isolated island, with ammunition and supplies running out and morale on the verge of collapse. Everyone was prepared for the worst-case scenario of defeat and surrender.

But now, a piece of good news has brought hope.

The Chokai! The flagship of the Japanese Second Fleet! It was sunk?!

This means that the British military still has a chance to regain control of the sea lanes.

A few seconds later, the deathly silent command center erupted into chaos.

"God! How is this possible!"

"Those were the mainstay heavy cruisers of the Japanese Navy! Our Z Fleet couldn't do anything to them, but a ragtag fleet did?"

"I hope it's true, so we have a chance to turn things around."

A cacophony of voices rose and fell.

The chief of staff interrupted the discussion in a deep voice: "The most important thing right now is to verify the authenticity of this battle."

The British Commander-in-Chief, Lieutenant General Percival of the Malayan Theater, strongly agreed.

He immediately ordered in a deep voice: "Dispatch reconnaissance aircraft immediately to the eastern section of the Strait of Malacca, the area of ​​conflict, to investigate and verify the situation!"

The order was given swiftly, and a reconnaissance aircraft, converted from a Bristol-142 light bomber, quickly took off and flew at full speed toward the Strait of Malacca. Half an hour later, the reconnaissance aircraft successfully arrived at the combat airspace.

Through the cabin window, the pilot could see the view below.

The entire strait was shrouded in mist, slightly obscuring the view.

Through the smoke, one could see that the sea was covered with shipwrecks, floating debris, and corpses.

Three ships are anchored on the sea and cleaning up the battlefield.

Not far away on the sea, a huge ship was half upside down and floating on the water, with most of it already sunk.

However, its unique hull structure and bridge outline are distinctive features of the Japanese heavy cruiser Chokai, and there is absolutely no mistake for it.

As for the other Japanese light patrol ship that was sunk, it had already completely sunk into the deep sea, with only a few fragments floating on the surface.

The pilot witnessed the battlefield and was deeply shocked.

He maneuvered his fighter jet to circle twice at high altitude, paying his sincerest respects to the Taishan Fleet below, before turning the plane around and returning to Singapore base at full speed.

Upon landing, the pilots immediately went to headquarters and reported the battlefield situation they had witnessed.

Results verified.

The senior officers were thrilled.

Percival immediately ordered the entire army to report on the great victory and to publicize it to all garrison troops: the Japanese fleet had suffered a heavy blow, the Strait of Malacca had returned to our control, and Singapore was not completely trapped and still had hope.

This wave of military-wide propaganda had an immediate and significant effect.

After all, there were tens of thousands of British troops in Singapore.

What they lacked was confidence. The resumption of sea routes relieved them of worries about resupply, and morale naturally rebounded.

Time passed slowly, and six hours went by.

Three ships from Taishan arrived in Singapore.

A small British warship sailed over, and the sailors on the bow waved flags to indicate that they were a guide ship and asked Taishan's ships to follow them.

The crew of Taishan No. 1 responded using flag signals.

Immediately afterwards, the British warships turned around and entered the waterway between Singapore Island and the Malay Peninsula.

Sailing along this waterway around the island, we arrived at the Sembawang Naval Base on the north side of the island.

(At Sembawang Naval Base, the warship HMS Prince of Wales was moored and sunk by Japanese aircraft.)

(Note: This base is currently occupied by the US military.)

The three Taishan warships successfully entered the base.

Percival himself led a group of senior British military officers and naval technical specialists to line up at the dock to welcome him.

But when everyone could clearly see the three ships slowly entering the harbor, the anticipation on everyone's faces turned into astonishment and confusion.

The three ships in front of me were actually converted cargo ships. There were still many unfinished modifications on the exterior of the hulls. They had no heavy naval guns and no professional naval armor. They were so rudimentary that it was hard to associate them with the amazing feat of defeating heavy cruisers.

The officers exchanged bewildered glances, their doubts reaching a fever pitch.

How could these ships, which were not yet fully modified and seemed to have no combat power, defeat the well-equipped and powerful Japanese fleet head-on?

Under guidance, the ships docked in the dry dock.

Fang Wen and his group disembarked from the ship.

Percival, accompanied by British officers, greeted Fang Wen. Unable to contain his doubts, he spoke on behalf of all the high-ranking British officers present, solemnly voicing the unspoken concerns of everyone:

"Mr. Fang, please forgive my bluntness. Your ships have not yet completed their conversion into warships and do not even have naval guns. How exactly did you manage to defeat the elite Japanese fleet head-on?"

Facing the probing gazes of the British high command, Fang Wen calmly replied, "At that time, we met on a narrow path. The Japanese fleet blocked the way in the strait, and our troops could not retreat in time, so we had no choice but to fight on the spot."

"Although our three ships have not completed their conversion and lack naval guns, each ship is equipped with ten shipborne rocket launchers and a number of rockets. We immediately launched a salvo to cover them, taking advantage of the terrain to maximize the lethality of our weapons."

"The final results exceeded expectations. A saturation attack directly and severely damaged the Japanese fleet, sinking two warships."

These straightforward words made all the British officers present understand the actual situation at the time.

They never imagined that the key to winning a battle to regain control of the Strait of Malacca would not be heavy warships and artillery, but a dense rocket launcher weapon that had never been taken seriously by the Allies.

Unlike others, Commander Percival immediately realized that the battlefield effects of this weapon should not be limited to the sea.

He asked, "Mr. Fang, how effective are rocket launchers in land-based combat?"

In today's world, information is no longer transmitted through the internet as it will be in the future, allowing ordinary people to know what is happening around the world without leaving their homes.

The British forces in the Far East were unaware of the Soviet rocket artillery.

Fang Wen felt it necessary to explain to them: "The advantage of rocket artillery is its powerful firepower and fast firing rate. The disadvantage is that it cannot hit targets accurately. In fact, it can be used in the air, at sea, and on land. The Soviet Union has made great breakthroughs in this area. They have established rocket artillery armies, and the power of a salvo is enormous."

Fang Wen deliberately omitted the rocket launcher's shortcomings: poor accuracy and enormous consumption.

He had figured it out: by sinking the Japanese heavy cruiser with rockets, he had made these weapons a rare commodity.

Even if this weapon consumes an astonishing amount of ammunition, the British would be willing to pay for it.

Selling some to the British would help them defend Singapore Island and tie down the Japanese army; why not?

Besides, if we want to use the British shipyard for renovations, why wouldn't they put in the effort if we didn't offer them some incentives?

Just as he had expected, Commander Percival was very interested in rocket-propelled weapons.

He pressed on urgently, "Fang, can you sell it to us? We're willing to pay a high price for it."

“Price doesn’t really matter; the key is the modification of my ship,” Fang Wen replied.

Commander Percival replied, “I can authorize you to use the King George VI dry dock and the Admiralty No. 9 floating dry dock for ship conversion, and to use the materials in the dock free of charge.”

"What about the workers and technicians?" Fang Wen pressed.

"We'll give you everything, but you have to exchange half of our rocket launchers and ammunition for them, and give us your launchers to train."

"make a deal."

Fang Wen reached a deal with Commander Percival.

Taishan No. 1 sailed into the King George VI dry dock that same day, while the other two ships underwent modifications at Admiralty No. 9.

The Singapore naval base was stockpiled with supplies in preparation for the war against the Japanese.

The shipyard has a very rich supply of materials.

Historically, these things became the most important Japanese naval base in Southeast Asia after Singapore was occupied by the Japanese army.

Fang Wen's arrival provided a new destination for these supplies.

However, Fang Wen has many ideas about the modification of ships that contain future military concepts.

He must communicate effectively with the shipbuilding engineers in the dry dock to ensure they understand and follow his vision for the modifications. (End of Chapter)