Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 872 From Tactics to Strategy: Air Raid on Kota Bharu Port

It turns out the Japanese army wasn't as powerful as it seemed.

Last night's surprise attack was like a ray of dawn piercing the darkness, dispelling the gloom that had hung over the British troops in Kuala Lumpur for days.

Since the Japanese launched the Malayan Offensive, their lightweight blitzkrieg tactics, which swept through the jungle and repeatedly broke through defenses, had created a sense of oppression that dampened the morale of the British troops.

Everyone assumed that the Japanese army was ruthless in tactics and powerful in combat, especially the rapid infiltration tactics of its mechanized units, which left the British army helpless.

However, last night, more than 2,800 infantrymen crossed the Japanese front-line positions, carried out precision strikes on the target area, and returned overnight.

It completely overturned everyone's understanding.

It turns out that the British army itself was also able to launch a surprise attack that achieved victory through skill and outmaneuvered the enemy.

The news quickly reached the Far East Command in Singapore. Compared to the jubilation of the frontline soldiers, the senior staff and generals in the command had a much longer-term perspective.

The core of the Japanese army's tactics in Malaya relied on the rapid mobility of its mechanized units, and the foundation of all its mobile combat power was a continuous supply of fuel.

Fang Wen's tactical approach, which directly targeted the lifeline of oil supplies, completely awakened the British high command, who were deeply entrenched in a passive defensive mindset.

More importantly, Fang Wen had the ability to sabotage the Japanese army's fuel supply lines.

Therefore, the Far East Command immediately issued an emergency order, inviting Fang Wen to return to Singapore immediately to participate in an emergency military meeting.

That afternoon, after a half-day rest, Fang Wen piloted a fighter jet from the front lines in Kuala Lumpur and returned to Singapore.

After the plane landed, a military vehicle that had been waiting for him took him straight to the British Far East Command.

Inside the operations command center, Lieutenant General Percival, the highest-ranking commander of the Malayan theater, sat in the main seat. The attendees included a group of senior staff officers, the chief of operations, and the chief intelligence officer. All eyes were on Fang Wen, who had just entered the room.

After Fang Wen walked in, Lieutenant General Percival said, "We've all been waiting for you. Please take a seat."

Fang Wen sat in the empty seat next to the lieutenant general.

"The meeting may now begin." Lieutenant General Percival looked at the operations staff officer on his right.

The operations staff stood up and picked up the file: "Based on your logistics sabotage tactics, we sent intelligence to the mainland for assistance. By mobilizing the Far East intelligence system and combining the analysis of intercepted Japanese telegrams, port dispatch records, and shipping route intelligence, we have ascertained the current situation of Japanese oil transportation for their attack on Southeast Asia."

Fang Wen was surprised. It seemed that the British were very good at intelligence gathering, and they were even able to obtain this kind of military intelligence.

He listened attentively as the operations staff continued.

"The Japanese military's fuel transport system for this South Pacific operation consisted of three types, which supported the entire operational consumption of the front-line mechanized forces, fleet, and air force, and were also the core reliance for its ability to launch continuous lightning strikes."

"The first type was the dedicated supply force for the navy's ocean-going fleet, which was the core of supporting the Japanese military's transoceanic operations. The Japanese military deployed seven Kawasaki-class high-speed special-purpose oil tankers as the main escort force for the fleet. Each ship had a standard tonnage of 10,000 tons and could carry 12700 to 13300 tons of heavy oil and aviation light fuel when fully loaded. The speed could reach 19 knots, and it could follow the mobile fleet across the ocean to ensure real-time replenishment at sea for aircraft carrier, heavy cruiser, and destroyer formations. At the same time, it was equipped with one Kazehaya-class regular military oiler, which could carry 11000 tons of fuel per trip. It was supplemented by several Shiretoko-class and Tsurumi-class old-fashioned medium-sized oilers, each carrying 5000 to 6500 tons of fuel, which traveled between the mainland and the rear base on Hainan Island to be responsible for rear reserve replenishment."

"The second type is the army's dedicated offshore supply vessels, which are specifically used to serve the Malayan ground mechanized forces and army aviation. It mainly relies on six 5000-ton requisitioned oil tankers, each of which can carry 4200 tons of refined oil. The oil is then packaged into barrels at the Hainan Island and Sarawak oil bases and supplied to the front-line divisions, tank and armored units."

"The second tier consisted of civilian requisitioned transport fleets, responsible for supplying oil between the Japanese mainland and the front lines in Southeast Asia. Before the war, the Japanese urgently requisitioned more than 130 civilian oil tankers, including 22 to 28 tankers with a capacity of 10,000 tons each. These transport tankers traveled between the Japanese mainland and the oil fields in Borneo, with each ship having an effective oil carrying capacity of 8500 to 12000 tons, and a total carrying capacity of 280,000 to 360,000 tons per voyage. These vessels were responsible for transporting crude oil back to the Japanese mainland for refining."

After saying this, the operations staff turned the page:

"Based on the combat data compiled by the intelligence department, it can be seen that the Japanese mechanized units alone consumed as much as 20 liters of fuel per month."

"The three forward oil storage bases destroyed last night were the final oil replenishment nodes in the Japanese army's forward supply system. The destruction of 25,000 liters of oil is about the amount of oil that the Japanese mechanized combat units attacking Kuala Lumpur will need to replenish in the next three days. During this period, it will be impossible for the Japanese army to launch an attack."

After saying all that, the operations staff officer concluded the report.

Lieutenant General Percival looked at Fang Wen with great appreciation.

"You're right. The Japanese blitzkrieg was a 'tactic built on fuel reserves.' But they were different from the Germans; the Germans had their own fuel sources and resupply, while the Japanese didn't."

Fang Wen nodded, thinking to himself that this was also the fate of the times. China had been weak for over a century and had not developed its oil industry in time, which prevented the Japanese from plundering oil resources from China.

This is precisely why, coupled with the US oil embargo, Japan took the risk of temporarily halting its offensive against China in order to seize oil resources in Southeast Asia.

Coming from the future, he clearly understood the problem, which is why he launched a targeted attack on the Japanese army's weak logistics system.

Lieutenant General Percival was still speaking in my ear.

"I'm glad I understood your thinking in time and made a bold strategic assumption: if we cut off their fuel supply lines, could we break the Japanese mechanized offensive and prevent their blitzkrieg from having a mobility advantage?"

After he finished speaking, the command room fell silent.

A group of high-ranking British officers pondered the lieutenant general's words.

The combat concepts brought by Fang Wen changed the strategic and tactical thinking of the British high command after he successfully commanded a night raid.

In response, Fang Wen asked, "Yes, what are the Commander's plans?"

Lieutenant General Percival gave an awkward smile: "No, I don't. I hope you can give me an answer."

He had the idea, but lacked the means to realize it.

This is also why Lieutenant General Percival invited Fang Wen back to Singapore.

Fang Wen was willing to help the British, as long as the British could hold the Strait of Malacca and control at least the western part of the Malay Peninsula, preventing the Japanese fleet from freely crossing the Strait of Malacca, then Fang Wen's purpose in coming here would be achieved.

Therefore, Fang Wen stood up and said, "Judging from our current situation, it is impossible to cut off the Japanese army's sea transport routes or strike the Japanese army's rear oil reserves in Hainan Island. But I think it is possible to destroy the Japanese army's front-line oil reserves. Let's demonstrate with a map."

He walked over to the large military map hanging on the wall and picked up the pointer stick next to it.

“These past few days, I have been conducting aerial reconnaissance on the Japanese military’s deployment in Malaya. I have discovered that the Japanese military currently only occupies one deep-water port, Kota Bharu, in the eastern part of the Malay Peninsula. The port of Dungun, which is closer to the south, is a small port with very limited scale and supporting facilities, and does not have the basic conditions to serve as a large-scale oil transshipment port.”

"Therefore, the Japanese military's operational fuel reserves transported to the Malay Peninsula were all sent to Kota Bharu Port, and then distributed to the northern and southern battlefields respectively."

"I think this is a very good opportunity. As long as your air force can successfully carry out an air strike against this target and destroy their local fuel storage warehouses, the Japanese fuel supply line will be paralyzed."

Fang Wen, holding a pointer, pointed to Kota Bharu Port on the east coast of the Malay Peninsula. The air raid took off from Singapore and covered a distance of 560 kilometers. If it carried auxiliary fuel tanks, it could achieve such a round trip.

Silence fell over the entire command center.

All the high-ranking British officers looked hesitant and exchanged glances.

A moment later, the Air Force Operations Director stood up: "Advisor Fang, I must be frank about the current predicament of the Air Force. This long-range attack is extremely risky, and we cannot afford it."

He said in a heavy tone: "Since the start of the war, all the military airfields on the northern front of Malaya have been destroyed by Japanese air raids. We currently only have three usable military airfields: two field airfields north of Kuala Lumpur and the main military airfield in Singapore."

"Our existing fighter jet inventory has long been depleted and is completely incapable of supporting a large-scale long-range strike." "Currently, the entire army has only twenty-four Spitfire fighters, twelve Brewster Buffalo fighters, and eight Hudson light bombers available for combat."

"Among them, the Buffalo fighter was old and outdated, and its performance and firepower were far inferior to the Japanese Zero fighter, making it difficult to play a role in air combat; the Spitfire was our only main air superiority aircraft at present; and the last eight Hudson bombers were the only remaining ground and sea bombing force in the theater."

"These fighter jets are the last air barrier for the two lines of defense of Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. If they are sent to attack Kota Bharu and are intercepted by Japanese fighter jets en route, the attack formation will probably have a hard time returning, and we will completely lose air superiority."

"At that time, the Japanese air force can bomb our positions, ports and cities without any scruples, and no force can intercept them. The entire southern Malayan defense line and the main island of Singapore will be completely exposed to Japanese air raids."

The Air Force director's concerns were shared by all the officers present.

Each of these remaining air units is invaluable.

A conservative defense offers a glimmer of hope for air defense; however, a failed offensive would leave no mobile air combat capability.

Faced with the British people's conservative concerns, Fang Wen couldn't help but sneer.

"Gentlemen, it seems you haven't yet grasped the deadlock we're in."

"Your Z Fleet has sunk, the Far East Navy no longer exists, and the remaining fighter jets cannot protect you."

"Your current approach is merely passively taking off to intercept, passively taking hits, and passively suffering losses, consuming fighter jets and pilots, but it has no value to the overall battle situation and only delays the inevitable defeat."

Fang Wen then pointed back to Kota Bharu Port: "As long as we destroy all the oil depots in Kota Bharu, the Japanese army's entire mechanized forces on the Malayan front will be completely cut off from oil."

"The next batch of oil tankers departing from mainland Japan will take at least half a month to arrive."

"During these fifteen days, the Japanese army was unable to advance with mobile armored vehicles and could only remain stationary. This was our only window of opportunity to reorganize our defenses, gather our forces, and launch a counterattack to turn the tide."

"Do you think it's worth it to trade a batch of fighter jets that could only be passively consumed for a chance to turn defeat into victory?"

The straightforward and brutal strategic analysis instantly shattered the conservative mindset of the British officers.

A heated argument immediately erupted in the command room.

Conservative officers insisted that a hasty attack was too risky, and that if the raid failed, their already weak air force would be completely wiped out.

The radical officers were completely enlightened by Fang Wen's strategy and agreed that the only way to break the deadlock was to actively paralyze the Japanese army's logistics and fuel supply. They would rather fight a battle to save their lives than sit and wait for death and slowly collapse.

The two sides clashed fiercely, each sticking to their own arguments, and the entire command room was filled with noise.

After a long while, the arguing gradually subsided, and all eyes turned to Lieutenant General Percival, awaiting his final verdict.

Percival remained silent for a long time. Although he was the commander, making such a decision was very difficult.

After days of retreat and setbacks, the dead end of holding out had long been proven to be a dead end. Last night's surprise attack victory proved that Fang Wen's tactical vision was irreplaceable.

He took a deep breath.

"I have decided to allocate half of the air force to form an air strike group to carry out the mission of destroying the Kota Bharu oil depot. The remaining fighter jets will maintain air defense for Kuala Lumpur and Singapore."

After saying that, he looked directly at Fang Wen and said earnestly, "Advisor Fang, I know you are the best pilot. On behalf of the Far East Command, I implore you to lead the team and command this air raid operation."

Fang Wen nodded readily: "Okay."

He was more than willing to do the British this favor, given the Strait of Malacca and the Malay Peninsula as a natural barrier.

The order took effect immediately, and fighter jets were simultaneously deployed to airports in Singapore and Kuala Lumpur.

The military ultimately finalized the formation: six Spitfire fighters and four Buffalo fighters were selected for escort, and eight Hudson light bombers were deployed as the core strike force, totaling eighteen aircraft, which were assembled at Singapore's military airfield.

One fighter jet after another flew in and landed at the airport.

The pilot disembarked and went to the barracks next door.

Fang Wen met them in the barracks and got to know them one by one.

Once all the pilots were in place, Fang Wen worked with them to refine the tactical details.

Unlike the British Army's previous rigid formation flying and high-altitude bombing patterns.

This time, Fang Wen's demand was that the air raid be carried out according to his instructions.

This is extremely important and must not be disobeyed.

In addition, he asked all the fighter pilots whether their aircraft were equipped with Taishan's radio voice communication equipment.

The results showed that half of the fighter jets had not yet been equipped with it.

Therefore, Fang Wen took the radio voice equipment from the Taishan Fleet and installed it on the aircraft for temporary use in air combat command and communication.

Subsequently, in order to return to base after combat operations, all fighter jets began to be equipped with auxiliary fuel tanks.

Fang Wen piloted a Spitfire fighter jet alone and took off, heading straight for Kota Bharu Port on the east coast to carry out reconnaissance before the air raid.

Because the fighter jet lacked radar detection, Fang Wenfei was very careful, flying over at an altitude of 6000 meters and using his mechanical sensing capabilities to observe the area below.

With the help of his supernatural ability to see from the sky, Fang Wen was able to see the entire Kota Bharu port.

Inside the port, rows of warehouses were bustling with activity.

Large quantities of barrelled oil were unloaded from cargo ships and piled up at the port docks, where they were then transported to warehouses by Japanese soldiers and local laborers using handcarts.

On one side, goods are being received into the warehouse; on the other side, goods are being shipped out.

Outside the port, more than twenty oil tanker trucks were lined up, waiting to be loaded.

Looking at these, Fang Wen's thoughts wandered.

At this moment, the Kota Bharu oil depot is at its most fully stocked.

The sooner we act, the better the destruction will be, and the more devastating the blow to the Japanese army will be.

Fang Wen noted down the positions of the port's air defense firepower and the location of the oil depots, then piloted his plane back to Singapore. (End of Chapter)