Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 864 Battle of the Strait of Malacca: Shipborne Rockets Fired in Barrage

Fang Wen pilots an aircraft for reconnaissance in the eastern section of the Strait of Malacca.

The further they flew, the narrower the airway became.

The coastlines on both sides narrowed, and the width of the sea was decreasing. If the British Z Fleet were still there, they would have no need to worry about the Japanese breaking through the Strait of Malacca, thanks to the terrain advantage.

Unfortunately, Fleet Z has been destroyed, and the British no longer have powerful warships to protect this area.

Ten minutes later, a Japanese fleet appeared in the sea below, consisting of one heavy cruiser, two light patrol boats, and three gunboats.

The heavy cruiser at the very front of the formation had a highly recognizable bridge, and Fang Wen immediately identified it as the Japanese Second Fleet flagship, the heavy cruiser Chokai.

Last year, during the fighting in French Indochina, this heavy cruiser was also in the naval attack formation that bombarded Haiphong harbor.

Now, the Second Fleet, the main naval force for the Japanese military's South Pacific campaign, has actually arrived at the Strait of Malacca.

Did the British have no way to stop them?

Fang Wen climbed to a higher altitude and flew over the fleet, wanting to see what was happening in Singapore.

As they got closer to Singapore's airspace, Fang Wen discovered the problem using radar detection devices.

A large number of Japanese warplanes were conducting air raids over Singapore airspace.

Very few British warplanes took to the skies to engage Japanese warplanes.

The disastrous consequences of the destruction of three major military airfields in northern Malaya are evident here.

The situation for the British is now extremely bad.

They lacked tank units, suffered heavy losses in aircraft, and the number of British aircraft capable of taking off and fighting in Singapore was even less than half that of the Japanese.

Its only advantage is its ground defenses, which will be very effective against Japanese ground forces.

But they simply couldn't handle the pressure from the sea and the air.

Fang Wen's face turned cold.

The situation was far more dangerous than he had anticipated.

If things continue this way, the British will most likely surrender before his three warships are even fully converted.

Once Singapore falls completely, the entire South China Sea will be completely under Japanese control, and all his hard-earned naval foundation and subsequent plans will be completely wasted.

This situation must not be allowed to happen.

Is there any way to resolve this predicament?

His mind raced with lightning speed.

There are too many problems, but the most serious one is the control of the Strait of Malacca.

The Japanese fleet must absolutely not be allowed to pass through the Strait of Malacca.

Can I stop them?

can.

Fang Wen remembered his secret weapon.

Shipborne rockets.

Ever since the Soviet Union witnessed the power of large-scale Katyusha rockets, Fang Wen has been very enthusiastic about shipborne rockets as a weapon configuration.

The three ships that came to Singapore for refitting this time are not just empty shells. Although they have not yet been equipped with naval guns, they are equipped with ten shipborne rocket launchers.

These launchers are all located on both sides of the ship and can be adjusted 360 degrees to change the firing direction. Each launcher can fire 24 132 mm caliber rockets at a time.

In other words, a single salvo can unleash a barrage of 240 powerful rockets.

This type of unguided saturation attack weapon has limited accuracy and is easily evaded in open waters, but the narrow passage in the eastern section of the Strait of Malacca is a natural battlefield for rocket artillery.

It is believed that no fleet could escape such a massive barrage of rockets in the narrow Strait of Malacca.

It can be said that the chances of success are very high.

However, there is also a certain possibility of failure. After all, even Fang Wen's special ability cannot guarantee 100% success in matters on the battlefield.

With this in mind, Fang Wen made a decision: this risk had to be taken.

After making this decision, Fang Wen immediately turned the plane around and returned to base at full speed.

An hour later, the plane flew back to the Taishan Fleet, which was slowing down.

Fang Wen controlled the gunboat to land on the upper flight deck of the Taishan-1.

Upon disembarking, he immediately issued combat orders: "All personnel, enter Level 1 combat readiness! All shipborne rocket launchers unlocked!"

As his orders were given.

The entire Taishan fleet sprang into action.

The technicians from the base in northern Myanmar operated the rocket launchers mounted on both sides of the ship.

After the rocket launcher is ready.

Fang Wen, holding a walkie-talkie, said, "Attention all operators, I need to communicate with you about the launch process beforehand. Do you remember the spatial positioning method you learned at the base? This thing isn't usually used, but it's a very important part of my command. If anyone doesn't understand the spatial positioning method, say so immediately, so as not to affect the operation."

No one spoke.

Fang Wen continued: "Alright, I require that during wartime, you must operate according to my instructions. The operating method is to determine the firing direction based on the spatial positioning method, and there must be no mistakes."

After giving instructions and confirming that all operators met his requirements, Fang Wen ordered the broadcasting rooms of the three ships to broadcast his speech simultaneously.

In the ship's broadcasting room, the broadcasting operator points the Taishan walkie-talkie at the microphone.

Fang Wen's voice came through the walkie-talkie and was broadcast to various parts of the three ships.

"Comrades, we are about to face a battle. I know many of you have never experienced a real naval battle. Some of you are crew members of our Taishan Shipping Company, and some are technical workers at the base. We all joined the Taishan Fleet with the same ideal of fighting the Japanese devils, hoping that one day we could give the Japanese warships a good beating at sea. This should have been something for later, but the British did a terrible job. They couldn't even keep the Japanese fleet out of the Strait of Malacca. Now, a Japanese fleet has appeared in the waters opposite us. If we retreat now, the hopes of the Taishan Fleet will be dashed. If we go forward and engage the Japanese fleet, we have a chance to win."

After pausing, Fang Wen took a breath and continued.

"Although our ship has not yet been modified with naval guns, it carries 10 shipborne rocket launchers and 1000 rockets. These were originally intended for combat use after modification. Now, they are the key to our victory in the battle against the Japanese fleet. When the time comes, hundreds of rockets will be fired at the enemy. If they hit their targets, today will be a glorious victory day for our fleet."

After a passionate speech, the enthusiasm of the personnel on the three ships was mobilized.

Everyone actively participated in the pre-battle preparations.

The Taishan Fleet is sailing in the eastern section of the Strait of Malacca.

Two hours have passed.

Fang Wen, having rested and recuperated, opened his eyes, feeling that it was about time.

He and Gong Xiuneng boarded the gunboat and took off.

This time, the aircraft will no longer be a combat tool, but rather a central command system.

Ten minutes later, the Japanese fleet appeared in the sea fifty kilometers away.

Fang Wen unleashed his full power and absorbed even more energy from the secret treasure.

The extraordinary state reappeared.

They control everything, regarding life as insignificant as ants, like gods.

With a single thought, one can control everything around them.

This time, however, Fang Wen used his extraordinary state to command naval vessels in combat.

His mechanical perception was constantly expanding and amplifying.

The entire airspace, the sea below, the ships of both sides, the wind direction, the currents, the ship speeds, and the width of the channels were all in his mind, forming a three-dimensional, dynamic battlefield map.

The enemy fleet was approaching, and Fang Wen was calculating at high speed.

In the narrow waters of the Strait of Malacca, the Japanese fleet maintained a tight assault formation, with the heavy cruiser Chokai leading the way, its heavy hull cutting through the waves.

Inside the bridge of the Chokai, the commander stood in front of the observation window, holding binoculars to observe the sea area ahead.

According to his plan, the main British naval fleet in Southeast Asia had already been destroyed, and the British forces in Singapore were trapped on an isolated island and unable to go out to sea to resist. The Strait of Malacca was already in his grasp. This time, he led some warships through the Strait of Malacca to assist the army in attacking Penang Island and to plunder British merchant ships.

He wouldn't mind bombarding Yangon if given the chance.

Unbeknownst to him, fifty kilometers away on the sea, a seemingly rudimentary unconventional fleet had already set up devastating firepower capable of annihilating him.

Both fleets are about to enter observable range. Fang Wen picked up the microphone: "All ships, report the status of your rocket artillery systems."

"All ten launchers on Ship No. 1 are unlocked, fully loaded with ammunition, and firing direction is adjustable!"

"Ship number two is fully loaded, and the equipment is functioning correctly!"

"Ship number three is ready to fire at any time!"

All shipborne rocket launcher launchers are ready.

Fang Wen shut down the communication and continued to calculate the battlefield data.

In open seas, rocket artillery is unguided and has a straight trajectory, making it easy for high-speed ships to evade and avoid it.

But 30 minutes later, the Japanese fleet will enter the narrowest part of the Strait of Malacca.

That would be the best position for a saturation rocket attack.

Time passed little by little.

Ten minutes later, the Japanese lookout spotted the Taishan Fleet in the distance.

But to them, it looked more like a fleet of ships.

At this time, regardless of which fleet it was, all ships had to be inspected by the Japanese army, and seizure was a basic procedure.

Therefore, the Japanese fleet commander ordered the fleet to accelerate its approach.

As the two ships drew closer, Fang Wen picked up the microphone again.

"Attention all personnel! Execute Level 1 spatial positioning calibration! Initiate the firing procedure: [Four-layer anchoring, three-segment zoning, vector compensation]!"

Unlike conventional naval warfare that relies on visual ranging and experience-based gun estimation, he created a unique spatial positioning method for this shipborne rocket artillery saturation strike system, based on his exceptional spatial perception.

This tactical calibration system abandons the general firing logic of traditional naval guns in World War II. Based on the absolute coordinates at high altitude, it breaks down the system into four core dimensions: the difference in latitude and longitude at sea level, the channel constraint angle, the target relative vector, and the wind deflection compensation layer. It is specifically adapted to narrow straits with no way to avoid the battlefield and is a deadly tactic tailored for today's war.

The concise, proprietary tactical terminology is only understood by those who have systematically studied spatial positioning methods.

All the specially trained rocket operators were waiting.

Fang Wen continued, "The first step is four-layer anchoring! Each ship locks onto its own sea level reference point, anchors to the channel baseline, elevation difference baseline, wind drift baseline, and speed baseline, locks the static coordinates, and zeros them!"

The operators watched the trajectory adjustment device and operated it with tension.

"Ship No. 1 anchored!"

"Ship number two baseline zeroed out, no error!"

"All four baselines of Ship No. 3 are locked!"

A series of responses followed.

"The second step is to lock down the enemy in three sections! Based on the Japanese army's formation, we will divide the area into a core zone, a connecting zone in the middle, and a bottom-line protection zone at the rear!"

"The lead ship has locked onto the core area of ​​the first section, exclusively targeting the heavy cruiser Chokai, covering a range of 150 meters forward and backward along the ship's centerline!"

"Ship number two is targeting the mid-section transition zone, and is positioned to cover the two light patrol vessels in a crisscross pattern, sealing off their lateral evasion space!"

"Ship number three, lock onto the tail section and cut off the enemy's retreat!"

This three-stage zone tactic allows 240 rockets to form a point-to-point, area-to-area three-dimensional kill network.

The ship operators immediately followed the zone instructions, rotating the 360-degree adjustable launchers to precisely adjust the elevation and horizontal firing angles, aiming the guns firmly at their respective kill zones.

"First core area locked, firing trajectory stabilized!"

"Mid-section connection area cross angle calibration complete!"

"Tail zone firing direction adjusted and in position!"

"Step 3: Dynamic vector compensation! Import enemy forward speed vector, channel constraint vector, and sea wind interference vector!"

"The current Japanese fleet is traveling at 18 knots. The channel is narrow and the turning constraint is 72 degrees. The wind direction is southeast at 3 meters per second! All launchers should be moved forward by two degrees to shift the impact point forward by eighty meters and counteract the inertial displacement of the enemy ships!"

This is the core and most powerful feature of the spatial positioning method.

Conventional naval artillery fire only targets the target's current position, while Fangwen's vector compensation can accurately predict the enemy ship's movement trajectory in the next three seconds and lock onto the inevitable points in advance.

Even if the Japanese army wanted to accelerate or change direction to evade, they would still accurately crash into the core area of ​​the rocket barrage.

The three launchers completed their final fine-tuning simultaneously, following the optimal trajectory calculated by Fang Wen at high altitude.

On the sea, the Japanese fleet remained completely unaware of the impending crisis.

Inside the bridge of the Chokai, the commander looked at the sparse Taishan Fleet in the distance through binoculars, his face full of contempt, and even raised his hand to signal the ships to prepare to approach for inspection and seizure.

He had no idea that his fleet had already been locked down by a space-based, three-dimensional strike tactic that was far beyond the reach of this era.

Inside the high-altitude gunship, Fang Wen looked at the perfectly closed kill ballistic network in his mind, where all variables were under control and all evasion routes were blocked.

He picked up the microphone and waited for the final moment.

After the Japanese fleet entered the narrowest and most deadly section of the Strait of Malacca.

He announced, "Launch."

next moment

Boom boom boom!!!

Ten shipborne rocket launchers roared simultaneously, and the intense flames instantly illuminated the entire strait.

Two hundred and forty 132mm large-caliber rockets were fired from the barrel, trailing dense, crimson tail flames, like a fiery rainstorm that overwhelmed the sky, covering the Japanese formation.

The rain of bullets was layered and dense, covering the entire narrow passageway without any blind spots. The trajectories of the bullets intersected and blotted out the sky, creating a visually terrifying impact.

When the Japanese fleet officers and men saw such a dazzling scene, their pupils shrank and their faces were filled with terror.

They had fought in the South China Sea, sunk the flagship of the Z Fleet, witnessed naval gun salvos and aerial bombardments, but they had never seen such a terrifying and dense saturation attack on the sea surface.

"Enemy attack!! Take cover immediately!!"

The Japanese commander was shouting hoarsely, his voice already cracking.

But it was all in vain.

The speed at which a ship can turn to evade is nowhere near the rate of fire of a rocket launcher.

Not to mention that Fang Wen had set up a rocket artillery pocket formation for the Japanese fleet.

A barrage of rockets hurtled down like divine punishment!

The heavy cruiser Chokai, at the very front, bore the brunt of the attack.

Countless rockets slammed into the deck, bridge, main gun positions, and ammunition compartments, with one loud bang after another, and a series of explosions sending flames soaring into the sky.

The thick steel plates of the warship were torn to shreds like paper, the bridge observation tower collapsed instantly, the main gun emplacement was destroyed and scrapped, and flames and thick smoke billowed from the deck.

The explosion that penetrated the deck completely destroyed the ship's internal structure. Oil lines and pipelines burst, and a raging fire instantly engulfed the entire flagship. Seawater poured in through the numerous bullet holes, and the massive ship rapidly tilted and sank.

The light patrol vessel that followed closely behind also met the same fate, completely locked down by a barrage of horizontal bullets. Several rockets pierced through the middle of the ship and detonated it, breaking the keel and causing the entire warship to break apart. In just a few dozen seconds, it capsized and sank to the bottom of the sea with a large number of crew members.

The remaining two light patrol vessels and three gunboats were violently thrown about by the shockwave of the explosion. The ships shook violently, all deck equipment was destroyed, and the crew suffered heavy casualties and cries of pain. The damaged ships instantly lost all combat capability.

The Japanese fleet, which had initially marched south with great momentum, was suddenly and severely damaged, with its flagship sinking and patrol ships capsizing.

The remaining ships had completely lost their will to fight under such a terrifying attack.

They hurriedly turned their ships around and fled towards the open sea.

Fang Wen looked at the scene below and exited his supernatural state.

He picked up the microphone: "Forward, clean up the battlefield."

With Fang Wen's order, the Taishan Fleet advanced, entering the post-battle cleanup phase.

At this moment, the sea was littered with the wreckage of Japanese warships, oil slicks, raging fires, and billowing smoke. Japanese soldiers who had fallen into the water were struggling and calling for help.

Then, Fang Wen said to Gong Xiuneng, "Send a telegram to the British military headquarters in Singapore."

"Telegram: Our Taishan Fleet, while passing through the eastern section of the Strait of Malacca, encountered the main Japanese blockade formation in the South China Sea and proactively engaged them. We sank one Japanese Second Fleet flagship, the heavy cruiser Chokai, and one light patrol vessel, and routed the invading Japanese ships, temporarily clearing the maritime supply route in the eastern section of the Strait of Malacca." (End of Chapter)