Chapter 153: Aircraft Attacking Warships

The German expert team arrived at the "Oasis" base on the morning of November 3, 1912.

Three off‑road vehicles kicked up sand as they drove through the gate, and six people got out. Leading them was Otto Koeler, in his forties, short but sturdy, with a hooked eagle nose, deep eye sockets, and a sharp gaze when he looked at people.

Chen Feng led the entire staff in a line beside the runway to greet them.

"Dr. Koeler, welcome to Lanfang," Chen Feng said in fluent German.

Koeler was visibly startled for a moment, then extended his hand: "Mr. Chen, your German is excellent."

"I've studied a bit," Chen Feng said as he shook his hand, feeling the firmness of the other's palm, "This is our Technical Director Zhao Tianxiang, and this is Chief Engineer Ma Shifu…"

—After the introductions, Koeler got straight to the point: "Our time is limited—three months. Show us your facilities and aircraft."

Chen Feng gave them a tour. In the hangar, Swallow‑I and two Blaerio XI were parked side by side. In the workshop, engineers were fabricating parts for Swallow‑II. In the classroom, trainees were taking a theory lesson.

The Germans watched closely, occasionally murmuring to each other in German. Chen Feng understood some of it:

"The craftsmanship is rough, but the design Concept is advanced…"

"The airfoil is very unusual, never seen before…"

"The engine is too outdated…"

After the tour, Koeler sat down in the conference room and got straight to the point: "Mr. Chen, we have received orders from Berlin to provide you with aviation technical consulting. However, the scope is limited: no military technology, no latest German research results."

"Understood," Chen Feng nodded, "We mainly need assistance in three areas: engine improvement, structural optimization, and flight training."

"Possible," Koeler said, "But I have a question: where did these aircraft blueprints come from?"

Here it comes again. Chen Feng was prepared: "We designed them ourselves, borrowing advanced European Concepts and adapting to our actual conditions."

"Self‑designed?" a young engineer behind Koeler couldn't help but interject, "But these aerodynamic layouts… some concepts are still only on paper at our institute!"

Chen Feng smiled: "Perhaps it's because we are not bound by tradition, daring to think and act."

Koeler gave him a deep look, then stopped asking. The subsequent conversation shifted to specific technical issues.

The German experts were highly efficient. They began work the next day.

Engine specialist Hans Fischer plunged into the workshop, tearing the Blaerio engine apart completely—this made Ma Shifu wince in pain, but he dared not say so.

"The cylinder casting quality is poor, material impurities are many," Fischer said in halting English, "The piston rings don't seal well, the valve clearances are off. And this carburetor… it's practically an antique."

"Can it be modified?" Chen Feng asked.

"It can be improved, but the effect is limited," Fischer spread his hands, "Better to replace it with a new engine. Our Daimler company has an aircraft engine, eighty horsepower, and still light."

"Price?"

"Three thousand pounds per unit."

Chen Feng did the math in his head; that's enough to build half a plane. But thinking of Lin Guodong's cause of death…

"Buy two. Also, we need technical data to learn how to maintain them."

"We can provide the data, but not the core processes."

"Understood."

Structural expert Karl Mueller was more interested in Swallow‑I. He measured every dimension, drew countless sketches, and finally approached Chen Feng:

"Mr. Chen, the designer of this aircraft is a genius. Wing load selection, center‑of‑gravity position, tail‑plane efficiency… all very reasonable. However—"

He pointed at the fuselage‑wing junction: "The strength here is insufficient. If you perform high‑g maneuvers, it may fracture."

Chen Feng's heart tightened: "What level of overload?"

"By my calculations, anything over 3 G carries risk."

3 G means three times gravitational acceleration. A sharp turn can reach that.

"How to improve it?"

"Here you need reinforcement ribs, and here you need to change the joint method," Mueller drew on the blueprint, "I can redesign it for you, but it will take time."

"How long?"

"Two weeks for a proposal, one month to finish the modifications."

"Good." Chen Feng decided on the spot, "Ma Shifu, take two apprentices and follow Mr. Mueller throughout. For every change, understand why."

"Yes!"

What surprised Chen Feng most was aerodynamic specialist Erich Wolf. This doctor in his early thirties raved about Swallow's airfoil, spending three consecutive days in the wind tunnel—if that crude setup of a fan and smoke tubes could be called a wind tunnel.

"The lift coefficient is fifteen percent higher than conventional airfoils! Drag is even lower!" Wolf exclaimed like a child, "Mr. Chen, how did you conceive this shape?"

"It came out of testing," Chen Feng replied vaguely, "Dr. Wolf, we want to design a new aircraft specifically for dive bombing. Do you have any suggestions?"

"Dive bombing?" Wolf was startled, "What does that mean?"

Chen Feng spread out a simplified drawing of the Ju87 "Stuka"—only the aerodynamic shape, without the internal structure.

"This type of aircraft must be able to dive from high altitude at an almost vertical angle, drop bombs accurately, then pull out. It needs exceptionally good low‑speed handling, a particularly sturdy structure, and also… this."

He pointed to the nose section on the drawing: "Install a sound‑emitting device here; during a dive it will emit a shrill scream, creating psychological deterrence."

Wolf's eyes widened: "Vertical dive? The overload will be huge! The pilot will black out, even faint! Moreover, the modification requires altitude—far too dangerous!"

"That's why we need expert guidance," Chen Feng said sincerely, "We need to design wings that can withstand high overloads, efficient dive brakes, and also… the anti‑blackout measures you just mentioned."

Wolf stared at the drawing for a long time, then looked up: "I'll join this project. But I must clarify: the German military is also researching similar concepts, yet has not succeeded. The difficulty is immense."

"We know," Chen Feng said, "but we want to try."

"Why? You don't even have a decent fighter now, why pursue a bomber first?"

Chen Feng walked to the window, watching the training aircraft on the runway: "Because we need a weapon that can deter the enemy. Fighters can only shoot other aircraft; bombers can strike ground targets, ports, and… warships."

He said the last two words lightly, but Wolf understood.

"You intend to use aircraft to strike warships?"

"Perhaps in the future," Chen Feng turned, "but for now, it's enough if the enemy knows we have that capability."

Wolf was silent for a moment, then nodded: "Fine. I'll help you. But I need a copy of all research data to take back to Germany."

"Agreed," Chen Feng replied readily—after all, these are things the Germans will develop decades later, so giving them ahead of time is no problem.

Deguo expert's joining caused the base's technical level to soar.

The engine was replaced with a new one, power increased by thirty percent, reliability greatly improved. The structure was reinforced, overload limit raised from 3 G to 5 G. Swallow-I's performance clearly improved: maximum speed rose from one hundred three to one hundred fifty kilometers per hour, climb rate rose from three point five to five meters per second.

More importantly, Chen Feng learned from the Deguo people the system's development methods: how to conduct static tests, how to perform fatigue testing, how to establish data files.