Republic of China: Ace Pilot

Chapter 871 The Surprise Attack on Kuala Lumpur: A Miraculous Return

Night falls late in Malaya; in late December, the sun usually sets at 7 pm and it gets dark at 7:12 pm.

The operation was scheduled for after dark.

At 7:50 p.m., more than 2,800 elite British troops, fully armed, assembled at the western field camp.

Without further ado, the three British infantry battalions split into three groups and quietly left the camp.

To avoid being spotted by Japanese spies in Kuala Lumpur, they did not pass through the city, but instead bypassed it and headed towards the eastern defense zone.

An hour later, the three infantry battalions arrived at their respective assembly areas.

They used the radio to send out messages to report on the situation.

The telegram was sent to the command post in the west of the city and the airport in the north of the city.

After learning about the situation of the troops, Tyler Maxwell in the command post did not intervene, but waited for Fang Wen to give instructions.

Chengbei Airport.

Fang Wen also received telegrams from the three infantry battalions via the airborne radio while in the gunboat.

He announced, "Gong Xiuneng, close the cabin door, we're setting off."

Gong Xiuneng closed the hatch.

Fang Wen pressed the night navigation light switch, and as the night navigation light came on, the airport staff at the runway and the lights on both sides of the runway also turned on.

The plane accelerated on the runway and took off into the sky.

A few minutes later, they arrived at the area where the British troops were located.

Fang Wen controlled the plane to fly directly over and conduct reconnaissance of the Japanese-controlled area ahead.

Even under the observation of mechanical sensing capabilities, the Japanese garrison points were still clearly visible at night.

Currently, the situation appears unchanged from the daytime reconnaissance.

This means that the British army could pass through the Japanese-controlled front lines without changing its marching route.

Therefore, Fang Wen said, "Gong Xiuneng, activate the relay station."

The repeater station is a confidential technology developed by Taishan Radio Technology for external use.

By using an airborne repeater, the radio voice communication range of the Taishan walkie-talkie can be more than doubled.

This is also an important reason why Fang Wen can take unified command from the air while the three infantry battalions operate separately. Back in the battle against the Japanese in Hanoi, this equipment was also used to ensure timely communication between the various forces.

After the repeater was activated, Fang Wen picked up the microphone and made a broadcast.

"Airborne call to all units, response received."

Shortly after the broadcast was sent out, all three parties responded.

"The second revenue of the East Sari Regiment has arrived."

"The Royal Leicestershire Regiment has secured its first revenue."

"The second revenue of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlands Regiment has been secured."

The battalion commanders of the three battalions replied.

Fang Wen issued the order.

"The original plan remains unchanged. The 2nd Battalion of the East Surrey Regiment will take Route A1; the Royal Leicestershire Regiment will take Route B1; and the 2nd Battalion of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlands Regiment will take Route C1. They will march at full speed and are required to cross the Japanese-controlled area and reach their designated objective within 2 hours."

The three battalion commanders responded and immediately directed their troops to take action.

Under the cover of darkness, they traveled eastward.

Every single British officer and soldier on the march was filled with trepidation.

The shadow of being crushed by the Japanese army's lightweight blitzkrieg tactics in recent days is deeply imprinted in everyone's heart.

In their preconceived notion, the Japanese army was ruthless, skilled in jungle warfare, and prone to stealthy raids.

These hastily assembled raiding units were certainly far inferior to the Japanese army.

None of them believed that they could so easily cross the heavily guarded front-line blockade zone controlled by the Japanese army.

In their eyes, this buffer zone occupied by the Japanese army was full of traps and deadly dangers.

Therefore, these British troops were prepared to engage in battle if they encountered the Japanese army.

Amidst this tense atmosphere, the three units advanced along the marching routes set by Fang Wen.

But what happened in the next two hours was completely unexpected.

The three British troops rapidly advanced along the planned route, without encountering a single Japanese soldier along the entire way.

The Japanese front line was as if it had been split open with three gaps, just enough for three small British troops to pass through silently.

At 9:40, all three groups of troops successfully broke through the Japanese-controlled front line.

We entered the dense forest.

Only when the British soldiers were extremely tense did they dare to loosen their grip on their weapons, and heavy breathing echoed through the woods.

What was initially thought to be a near-death experience during a nighttime infiltration was accomplished with surprising ease.

The British officers and soldiers were thrilled.

Just then, the Taishan walkie-talkies equipped with each battalion commander suddenly sounded a call alert.

The three battalion commanders answered the call.

Fang Wen's voice came through the walkie-talkie.

"The established plan remains unchanged, and the entire army will continue its covert advance. The core objective of this operation is to destroy all fuel and oil storage facilities, and to withdraw immediately upon completion of the objective. Prohibition of lingering in combat or pursuing the enemy is prohibited."

The three battalion commanders responded in unison, "Understood."

The fact that they were able to pass under the noses of the Japanese army greatly boosted the morale of the British troops.

Following Fang Wen's orders, they advanced through the dense forest.

At 10 p.m., the three British armies approached the target area almost simultaneously.

The 2nd Battalion of the East Surrey Regiment and the 1st Battalion of the Royal Leicestershire Regiment launched a surprise attack.

The two units quickly eliminated the Japanese outposts on the perimeter.

By the time the Japanese garrison reacted, the British troops had already stormed into the oil storage camp.

Some of the awakened Japanese soldiers hurriedly got up and tried to resist, but were shot down by British soldiers wielding submachine guns.

The Japanese troops in the camp were either annihilated on the spot or fled in panic, and were powerless to stop the British army's operation.

Within just ten minutes, the two oil storage sites were completely under the control of the British army.

The demolition team quickly moved forward and precisely placed standard explosives on oil storage tanks, oil pipelines, and other locations, setting a timed detonation time.

"Settlement complete!"

"Everyone evacuate immediately."

The two battalion commanders ordered the troops to leave the oil storage point.

At this time, an unexpected event occurred in the operations of the 2nd Battalion of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlands Regiment on the southern front.

Compared to the other two loosely guarded outposts, the Japanese garrison at this oil storage site reacted more quickly and showed a stronger will to resist.

When the outer outposts were cleared out, the other guards discovered the situation. Instead of fleeing, they retreated into the enclosed oil storage warehouse, built a temporary defensive line against the walls, and put up a stubborn resistance, trying to hold the stronghold and wait for reinforcements from the rear.

But their judgment was wrong.

The mission of this British force was not to capture, but to completely destroy the oil facilities.

Upon seeing this, the battalion commander immediately ordered: "Use the PIAT anti-tank launcher!"

Four British soldiers immediately stepped forward, assembled their respective gun launchers and shells, and then aimed at the small oil depot.

This new anti-tank weapon is somewhat like a mortar and also similar to a rocket launcher.

It is not yet in mass production; the 2nd Battalion of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlands Regiment was allocated two for testing.

It can penetrate tank armor, so it would certainly be effective against small Japanese oil depots.

"Loading complete!"

"emission!"

At the command, the soldier pulled the trigger.

Whoosh—whoosh—! (Two sounds)

Two anti-tank rounds pierced the darkness, shooting out and striking the wall of the oil storage facility. They instantly breached the outer wall and poured directly into the massive internal oil tanks. The next second, a deafening explosion followed!

The high-explosive warhead ignited the fuel inside, and a towering flame instantly tore through the night, sending thick smoke billowing into the sky.

A violent shockwave swept through the entire camp, the sturdy walls collapsed instantly, and flames engulfed all the Japanese soldiers who stubbornly resisted inside the warehouse.

The violent explosion lasted for several seconds, and the flames illuminated the entire southern jungle.

At almost the same time, the time-delayed explosives at the two oil storage sites on the northern and central lines were detonated simultaneously.

Two flames shot into the sky, billowing and raging.

All three of the Japanese army's frontline oil storage bases were destroyed.

Above the night sky, Fang Wenqing could clearly see the explosions and flames below.

Tonight's operation was successfully completed.

The Japanese frontline tank units, having lost their fuel reserves, would also lose their mobility, which was great news for the British defenses.

Next, we need to deal with the remaining fuel reserves of the Japanese army.

Fang Wen had a clear plan this time: target the fuel. Once the Japanese army ran out of fuel, the mobility of nearly a hundred tanks on the Malay Peninsula would be lost.

In that case, a tank without mobility is just a lump of iron, at most serving as cover on the battlefield.

Now, Fang Wen's task is to safely bring back the three British battalions that launched the surprise attack, only then can tonight's operation be considered complete.

Thanks to his mechanical perception ability, the Japanese troops reacted after seeing the explosion.

Ten tanks are heading towards the oil storage point.

In addition, two bicycle units are also approaching the oil storage point.

Meanwhile, the surrounding Japanese troops were also making relocations.

They formed an arc-shaped encirclement around the oil storage point, intending to surround the attacking forces.

Fang Wen naturally wouldn't let them have their way.

He picked up the microphone and called out.

"Airborne call to ground, and a response heard."

The three battalion commanders quickly connected the call.

"receive."

"The operation was perfect. We can return now. Follow my orders."

Firelight soared into the night sky.

The three British troops were also put in a dangerous situation.

They had to retreat as soon as possible, and how to retreat was entirely up to Fang Wen's orders.

This time, however, Fang Wen's order was somewhat strange. Instead of returning the way they came, he ordered the three units to continue eastward.

To the east lies a deeper area controlled by the Japanese army, the enemy's heartland. Retreating westward along the original route is the only way home; continuing eastward now seems even more dangerous.

However, due to the miraculous infiltration and night raids, the British had already gained complete trust in Fang Wen, the air commander.

Despite their doubts, the three battalion commanders did not question the orders and acted accordingly.

Three elite British units, having just destroyed a key Japanese oil depot, are advancing eastward.

Meanwhile, what were the movements of the Japanese army?

Fang Wen piloted his aircraft high in the sky, unleashing his mechanical perception ability to take in the movements of the Japanese troops across the entire battlefield.

In the distance, on the plains, Japanese tanks were speeding toward the nearest exploded oil depot.

Japanese bicycle units also arrived on the highway.

Some Japanese troops at the front lines withdrew.

The Japanese army's calculations were very precise. They predicted that after the British army succeeded, they would inevitably retreat westward along the original route, so all the blocking forces were placed on the western, southern, and northern routes of retreat.

But to their utter surprise, Fang Wenjian took an unconventional approach and retreated in a completely illogical manner.

In the dark jungle, more than 2,800 British soldiers marched in what appeared to be the most dangerous, but was actually the safest direction.

With a depth of thirty kilometers, the three units moved further and further away from the Japanese encirclement forces.

When the main force of the Japanese army surrounded the ruins of the oil depot, all they could see were still burning flames, ruined oil tanks, and corpses scattered all over the ground.

They formed an encirclement, but found no trace of the attackers.

11pm late at night.

At this moment, the three British troops had completely broken out of the Japanese army's arc-shaped encirclement.

Fang Wen's voice came through the walkie-talkie again, issuing the next command.

"Each battalion shall proceed north and assemble."

Under his orders, three battalions of British troops were assembled into one force.

They turned and marched northwest.

In that direction, there are mountain ranges that block Kuala Lumpur from view.

These mountains were unsuitable for the Japanese mechanized forces to march through, making them the weakest point on the entire Eastern Front for the Japanese army.

The Japanese army only stationed one infantry regiment to guard the town outside the mountains, with the aim of preventing the Kuala Lumpur garrison from launching a surprise attack from the mountains.

This is the only absolutely safe route home tonight.

As night deepened, the British soldiers, exhausted from their long march and all-night battles, dared not slacken their efforts.

Everyone gritted their teeth and persevered, following the troops as they advanced into the mountains.

Above the night sky, Fang Wen piloted the gunboat, providing escort for the ground troops throughout the entire mission. He returned twice to rest before taking off again.

Thus, after a night of rapid march, at the break of dawn, more than 2,800 British troops successfully arrived at the entrance to the northeastern mountains.

Ahead, a town is garrisoned by a regiment of 3000 Japanese troops.

The British troops, who had not rested all night, were exhausted and had no ability to attack or fight.

Fang Wen never intended for them to engage in combat with the Japanese regiment.

After all, the team's defensive focus was on the Kuala Lumpur direction, and they never expected that someone would use this route to return.

Therefore, Fang Wen issued a new order.

The troops were told not to advance any further, but to take the small path on the west side up the mountain.

The exhausted British troops immediately changed course, entering the overgrown mountain path and heading uphill.

An hour later, it was dawn.

The Japanese regiment stationed in the town finally noticed the unusual activity in the mountains and saw many people moving along the ridge in the distance.

The Japanese commander was alarmed and immediately dispatched troops to climb the mountain in pursuit.

But it was too late.

By the time the Japanese soldiers reached the top of the hill, panting, the British soldiers had already crossed the ridge and entered the safe area on the other side of the mountain.

Looking at the empty hilltop, the Japanese regiment knew that the terrain was complex and that continuing the pursuit would be dangerous, so they had no choice but to stop and retreat back to their garrison town.

Seeing the Japanese army retreat, Fang Wen felt relieved.

He picked up the microphone and said to the ground, "Rest here for one hour."

Exhausted to the limit, the British soldiers scattered and lay down instantly. Some leaned against the rocks, some lay on the grass, panting heavily, quickly replenishing their water and eating. Many of them could fall into a deep sleep as soon as they closed their eyes.

The short one-hour rest allowed my depleted energy to recover significantly.

Without any prompting from officers, the British soldiers, eager to return, set off on their own.

At 11 a.m., the sun was shining brightly.

The three battalions of British troops successfully returned to the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur.

Taylor Maxwell had already received Fang Wen's notification in advance and personally led all the senior officers on the front lines and local administrative officials in Kuala Lumpur to wait.

In order to boost the morale of the entire army, which had been low for days, and to shatter the myth of the invincibility of the Japanese army, Taylor specially ordered a simple triumphant ceremony to be arranged.

When the three battalions of British troops appeared, enthusiastic applause and cheers followed.

This battle brought hope to the British. (End of Chapter)