Wang Zhong: “As for the optical sights, I’ll think of another way.”
At this moment, Vasily chimed in, “You can capture a thousand Prosen tanks, and then you’ll have enough sights!”
Wang Zhong wanted to kick this smart-mouthed guy to death: “What are you blabbering about? Where is it that easy to capture so many Prosen equipments?”
Ke Jing: “Using captured equipment isn’t quite appropriate, is it? We can’t control production, and it poses a big problem for resupply. Of course, if we captured a thousand, we could use half as spare parts…”
Wang Zhong: “We won’t be using captured equipment.”
Damn it, why don’t you question the feasibility of capturing a thousand Prosen tanks!
Wang Zhong, just like when he had sent Tokarev off earlier, patted Ke Jing on the shoulder: “Go get this thing done, and then drag it to the testing ground for a trial.”
“Are you satisfied with the item I’ve rushed out in less than a month?” Ke Jing was rather surprised.
Wang Zhong: “Of course, for something designed in such a hurry, it’s already quite good. The remaining issues can’t be discerned just by looking at the design drawings, so hurry up and produce the real vehicle.”
“Whether the real vehicle can be smoothly produced still depends on…”
Wang Zhong: “I know, I guarantee that tomorrow the royal production tasks will be assigned to the Ordnance Department and the union factories, and a phone call will be made to your design bureau tomorrow, instructing you to bring the blueprints over quickly.”
Suddenly Wang Zhong felt like he was a CEO drawing pies for new employees at the company.
So this is what it feels like to be in the shoes of a boss during an internship?
And so “by hook or by crook,” he sent Ke Jing away, and Wang Zhong even took the trouble to check outside the door to make sure no designers were about to barge in. Only then did he turn back to look at the committee members.
The Air Force representative stood up: “Your Excellency General, the planes supported by the Federation are due to arrive at the airfield for transfer today. Do you have any interest in joining us to welcome them at the airport?”
Wang Zhong: “They arrive today? They’re even later than Coke and Spam cans!”
The Air Force representative smiled, “It’s said that their planes experienced many mechanical failures upon reaching the north, so they underwent a series of modifications like using anti-freeze lubricants before flying over.”
Wang Zhong raised an eyebrow; he remembered when the Americans aided the Russians with planes, there was one model that originally had poor cooling but turned out to be fine in Russia. Consequently, the Russians loved that model, and their evaluation was completely opposite to that of the American army aviation.
And now they’re having mechanical failures due to the cold? Which model of plane is it exactly?
Wang Zhong: “So what kind of plane is coming?”
The Air Force representative: “According to the list from the Federation, it should be the P47 model. It’s said that because you specifically requested this model, the Federation’s army aviation directly sent over their own in-service planes, as they were about to replace them with a new model called the Mustang anyway.”
Wang Zhong knew that on Earth the decision to adopt the P51 Mustang was made around the same month of the year, after the United Kingdom had tested it for a while, clearing up all the faults.
But because the P51 had low production, the Americans continued to use the P47 for quite a while.
Could it be because in this timeline, Prosen exerted too much pressure on the United Kingdom, tremendously increasing the Mustang’s production, allowing the Federation Air Force to replace their aircraft faster?
Back on Earth, during the Battle of Britain, the Brits actually had an ace up their sleeve as they had a large number of Air Force units in training in places like Scotland, out of reach of the Sturmtiger. The Sturmtiger’s Harlamov, in fact, never managed to make the British Air Force exert their full strength from start to finish.
Did Harlamov finally force the United Kingdom to go all out here?
If the Americans could quickly replace their aircraft with Mustangs, then nobody would want the P47s. If nobody wants them, I’ll take them, to use as single-seat dive bombers, dropping 500 kg bombs.
Wang Zhong turned back to ask Vasily, “Can I clear my schedule for an afternoon today?”
“Your afternoon mainly involves teaching students. Just notify the school to adjust the class schedule; Vice Principal Valery will handle it,” said Vasily.
Wang Zhong nodded and turned to the Air Force representative, “Then I’ll go have a look. Has it been decided which unit will receive these planes?”
“The 31st Fighter Squadron.”
Wang Zhong: “Harlamov’s squadron?”
The planes I’ve asked for are being assigned to the fighter squadron commanded by a colonel who has close ties with me. You people, you’re fueling improper rumors about Ye Fort!
Wang Zhong: “No no, I don’t need these planes for use as fighters.”
The Air Force representative was shocked, “But Colonel Smith, who’s coordinating with the Federation, says they’re fighters?”
Wang Zhong: “Then you’re not familiar with the characteristics of the Federation’s excellent fighters.”
Federation’s excellent fighters are indeed strong in aerial combat, but their most notable feature is the substantial ground support payload.
Apparently, this is because the aviation fuel used by the Federation is top-notch; putting it in planes is like giving them an incredible boost.
There was even an incident on Earth where the Americans captured a fairly intact Japanese Zero, then tested it with their own aviation fuel, only to discover its performance terrifyingly fierce. This scared the Navy into immediately improving the performance criteria for their new fighters.
However, the Japanese aviation fuel was subpar, and the Zero didn’t have such high performance with their lower-quality fuel. In fact, the Zero’s exceptional design came out of necessity due to the lack of power.
Wang Zhong was actually somewhat worried that the aviation fuel produced by Ante wouldn’t allow the P47 to perform as well as it did in the hands of the Federation.
But then he thought about the aviation fuel that he had also requested from the Federation and considering these people’s tendency to provide familiar units with what they need, the high-quality aviation fuel would likely be supplied to these units first.
Wang Zhong: “Help me send a message to the Air Force headquarters; these fighters should be handed over to the 4th Fighter-Bomber Regiment for use as ground attack aircraft.”
The 4th Fighter-Bomber Regiment was the group that the pilot who had raised his concerns in the Ordnance Department building belonged to. At the time, Wang Zhong had promised them he’d secure some single-seat, single-engine fighters suitable for dive bombing—and here they were!
“The 4th Fighter-Bomber Regiment?” The Air Force representative furrowed his brows. “Alright, I’ll speak with the Air Force commander… Why don’t you talk to him personally when you welcome the planes today?”
Wang Zhong: “That’ll work. Vasily, did you notify the school?”
“Ah? I’ll make the call right now.” Vasily hurriedly ran off.
This guy was just standing by merrily watching; he didn’t even take the time to make a phone call.
Before long, Vasily came back: “Done!”
Wang Zhong: “Let’s go!”
————
At the airfield, Wang Zhong met with Air Force General Dostoevsky.
“Assign the fighter jets to the fighter-bomber regiments?” The general was stunned. “How could we do that? We’re actually in dire need of fighters right now. The performance of the LaGG-3s is not very good; the pilots aren’t happy with them. We were planning to use these fighters to replace the LaGG-3s…”
Wang Zhong: “You mustn’t do that! The performance of this aircraft is a little bit superior to the LaGG-3. It’s designed for energy fighting—gain altitude, dive down, and then quickly pull up.”
Air Force General Dostoevsky’s eyes widened as he looked at Wang Zhong, who spoke with confidence: “You actually know about this stuff? I thought it was just more flattery for you.”
Wang Zhong: “Flattery?”
Air Force General Dostoevsky shrugged: “You really should go undercover to the bars in Ye Fort and listen, you’ve become like a member of the Giant Clan from Prosen mythology, challenging their gods.”
Is that really the reputation I have in the bars?
The Air Force General returned to the original topic: “You mean this plane is very suitable for bombing like the enemy’s Stuka?”
Wang Zhong: “Are you joking? This thing is much more powerful than the Stuka.”
General Dostoevsky: “The Air Force has always been interested in learning from the Ploson Air Force, trying to have the Pe-2s conduct as much dive bombing as possible. But from the current feedback, the Pe-2 as a dive bomber is a bit too large.
“Our single-engine attacker, the Il-2, was designed for low-level straight flight attacks. If the dive angle goes beyond 30 degrees, it would shake violently. Previously, there was a tragedy where a plane disintegrated mid-air during a 60-degree dive. We’ve really been needing a dedicated dive bomber.”
Wang Zhong: “Now you have one.”
Just then, the roar of engines filled the sky as a formation of P-47s flew over the airport.
Vasily, looking up at the planes sporting the traditional zebra stripes of the Federation’s Army Aviation on their wings, casually commented, “How does this thing look like a milk bottle with wings?”
You’re right, Vasily! On Earth, this thing is nicknamed “The Milk Bottle.”
Vasily: “Doesn’t look strong at all. Shouldn’t a good fighter jet have the shape of a long cigar?”
Wang Zhong: “That shape is for planes with liquid-cooled engines. Those with air-cooled—or rather, wind-cooled engines tend to have this more robust appearance.”
General Dostoevsky took another long look at Wang Zhong.
The thirty “Milk Bottles” completing their flyby started to land in batches, taxiing toward the apron where Wang Zhong was standing.
It was then that General Dostoevsky said, “Since you think these airplanes should be handed over to the fighter-bomber regiments, let’s first have the fighter-bomber pilots give them a try. However, most of them have no experience with fighter jets, so their air combat capability might be lower.” Your next chapter is on M V L
Wang Zhong: “There’s no need for them to engage in air-to-air combat. Dive bomb, and then use the high speed gained from the dive to stay low and escape.”
General Dostoevsky: “Let them try it out first; maybe the pilots won’t like it. In that case, I’ll allocate these planes to the fighter regiments.”
Wang Zhong: “Sure, and then have the fighter regiments perform dive bombing missions. Harlamov’s regiment—I had them do dive bombing in Shostka, and they complained that carrying only two 100-kilogram bombs was too little to inflict significant damage on the enemy.”
General Dostoevsky: “Since then, they’ve been training regularly in dive bombing—it would indeed be appropriate to task them with it.”
“Then it’s settled.”
At that moment, one of the P-47s that had landed taxied up to Wang Zhong. The pilot opened the cockpit hatch and, without waiting for the ground crew to bring a ladder, hopped onto the wing and then to the ground, heading straight for Wang Zhong and asked in broken Ante language, “Hello, are you General Rocossov?”
Guards immediately rushed up, barring the way for the pilot.
Wang Zhong: “Don’t stop him, he just wants to shake hands.”
After saying that, he personally pushed aside the guards and took the hand the pilot extended: “You’ve worked hard.”
The pilot immediately withdrew his hand and saluted Wang Zhong: “Colonel Donald from the Volunteer Flying Corps, at your service.”
Wang Zhong: ?
The Volunteer Flying Corps?