Chapter 225 Kinoshita Toshi's Dirty Tricks

If the casualties on the front battlefield of the Zhongtiaoshan Campaign can only be regarded as a serious injury to the North China Front Army.

Then the Army Aviation was definitely severely damaged, and it would not be an exaggeration to say that it was skinned and cramped.

Since the main opponent of the North China Front Army was the Eighth Route Army with extremely high combat literacy, facing the dispersed and flexible guerrilla warfare and mobile warfare, the role that air power could play was very limited.

This resulted in the original number of fighters not being able to meet the needs of the battlefield.

But the situation in Zhongtiaoshan was different. The Guosu defenders gathered heavy troops here, and they lacked regular field anti-aircraft weapons, which was clearly sent to the door to be bombed.

In order to cooperate with the advancement of the ground forces, Okamura Ningji even pulled his face to borrow troops from the Kwantung Army.

As a result, now it’s good. On the first day of the battle, the Army Aviation lost 80% of its fighters. The entire Third Flight Group, including the two flight squadrons supported by the Kwantung Army, was almost wiped out as a whole.

Such war losses are simply a disaster for an island country with scarce resources. With Japan’s military production capacity, it will take at least a few months of accelerated production to make up for the losses.

After all, at this point in 1941, the entire expeditionary army had only 19 fighter squadrons, 20 bomber squadrons and 7 reconnaissance squadrons.

With a one-time loss of nearly 20% of combat power, anyone would be furious.

After learning the news, the General Staff Headquarters, which was in charge of the army's military orders, sent a telegram overnight to hold the army accountable.

The telegram scolded Lieutenant General Kinoshita Toshi of the Third Flight Group for nine pages, and even Raeder felt distressed for a few seconds when he saw such cruelty.

In addition, the Army Ministry, which was responsible for daily affairs, also made a strong statement, demanding that the North China Front Army dismiss such an incompetent general.

But all this pressure was taken by Okamura Yasuji.

As an eyewitness, he knew how powerful the Eighth Route Army Air Force was. The situation at that time would not have changed even if someone else was in command.

Although the old devil shouted all-in attack every day, it did not mean that he was a reckless man with only muscles in his head.

He knew that air supremacy was very important in modern warfare. A rash attack would only cause the army to be beaten everywhere. Without the support of the air force, it would be difficult to move forward.

Moreover, helping Kinoshita Toshi to stop the pursuit of responsibility was a matter of more benefits than disadvantages.

First of all, the temporary change of commander would inevitably affect the morale of the troops and have a negative impact on the next offensive.

Secondly, if the attack was not smooth or problems occurred again, the opponent could also become the scapegoat for the failure of the war. The weight of a lieutenant general of the younger country was definitely enough to shut up those people in the General Staff.

Finally, a general who had received favors would help him control the next situation. If a person who cherishes his life was transferred and did not cooperate with the work, it would be troublesome.

Xinxiang, the headquarters of the third flight group.

"Your Excellency, the flight regiment transferred from Central China is already in place. It includes two fighter flight squadrons and one bomber flight squadron."

"Counting the remaining 40 or so aircraft, we have regained the opportunity to seize local air superiority. All the above aircraft have been prepared and can be dispatched at any time,"

"But we still have to avoid the Eighth Route Army's air force as much as possible, after all, the other side is a formation composed of pure fighters."

The adjutant's words cheered up Kinoshita Toshi, but soon he was like a frost-bitten eggplant.

Although the reinforcement of the two fighter flight squadrons is very important, air combat cannot be won by simply competing in quantity. When the technical level of the pilots on both sides is not much different, quality is the key to victory.

When the old devil thought of the other side's fighter planes with high protection performance and strong combat capability, his face was full of bitterness.

"Did the allies send back any valuable intelligence? Two and a half days have passed, and we still haven't figured out the models and basic data of the enemy's fighter planes?"

"Are the intelligence agencies of the three major Axis powers all parasites who eat military pay? Can't they even do this?"

After the first duel with the Air Force 1st Division, Kinoshita Toshi gathered all the surviving pilots. He asked them to draw a sketch of the appearance of the aircraft they would fight against based on their memories.

With nearly a hundred Gladiator fighters, the staff of the Third Flight Group set their sights on the British Isles, far away in the northwest corner of the European continent.

Fortunately, intelligence collection is not difficult, after all, the allies fought a shocking air battle last year. With the relationship between the two sides, it is reasonable to share some data.

Faced with the questions of his own lieutenant general, the adjutant took out the information he had prepared long ago.

"According to the information we submitted, the Germans quickly recognized that the fighters used by the Eighth Route Army were Daiying's Hurricane and Spitfire."

"It's just that the weapon models and basic information provided by the other party don't match. The Eighth Route Army's active equipment seems to be more advanced. It's incredible."

This is also reasonable. After all, the Spitfire provided by the system is the MKK5, which has just been released not long ago.

From the appearance alone, the shape of the wing is slightly different. What's more, in air combat, the difference in thrust, climb speed and weapon system is obvious at a glance.

The situation of the Hurricane is similar. Daiying is still using the MK2A with 8 small water pipes.

Kinoshita Toshi took the information and read it carefully. The various data on the paper made his back cold. Although he is not a technician, he can also understand that the gap between the two sides is not a little bit.

Duties and pressures do not allow the Third Flight Group to give up the battle easily. They can only think of ways to deal with the foreseeable difficult operations.

"Hey, the problem now is not whose fighter model is more advanced, but how we use the Type 97 fighter jets with backward performance to fight the enemy."

"It seems that before the Type 1 Fighting Falcon is fielded, we can only rely on tactics to gain advantage on the battlefield."

"Call all staff officers and prepare for a combat meeting."

Since the Army Aviation rarely fought tough battles in the Republic of China, the crushing battles made the thinking of the top management of the Third Aviation Group rigid.

Kinoshita Satoshi and a group of staff discussed from noon to night, and finally came up with a decent battle plan before midnight.

In the new plan, they would send half of their air power to bomb Luoyang.

In this way, it is possible to attack the headquarters of the first theater and distract the commander from remotely controlling the entire Zhongtiao Mountain garrison. It can also attract the attention of the Eighth Route Army Air Force and distract the opponent's forces.

If the Type 97 fighter jets can achieve an absolute advantage in numbers, they will be able to fight against the Spitfire and Hurricane.

"Isn't your Eighth Route Army always known as the army of benevolence and righteousness? I want to see if you care about the death of civilians. Once I seize the opportunity to defeat the enemy with more enemies, it will be the day when our Third Flying Group will avenge its humiliation."

"Send a telegram to Commander Gangcun. I will not disappoint his expectations of me this time!"

"Hi!"

······

May 10, Luoyang.

This city has more than 100,000 residents. It is not only the capital of Henan Province, but also the seat of the headquarters of the First War Zone.

To the north, there are the dangerous fortifications of Zhongtiao Mountain and the natural barrier of the Yellow River, which is tortuous and almost impossible to cross. However, such natural barriers could not stop the indiscriminate bombing by Japanese aircraft.

Before the war broke out in Zhongtiao Mountain, people seemed to be living a very peaceful city life.

But as news of the Japanese's massive attack reached the city and broke through an important line of defense, all the residents suddenly became frightened.

Since Okamura Neiji approved Kinoshita's combat plan, this densely populated city has been bombed twice, and an atmosphere of fear, panic, and chaos has enveloped the city.

At this time, people in the First Theater Provisional Headquarters were panicking. As of the beginning of the war at Zhongtiao Mountain, the Japanese army had bombed at least 200 sorties. The previous headquarters had collapsed, and everyone had to move to an office building.

"The fighting was brutal, something we have never seen in the past several years of the Anti-Japanese War. From dawn to dusk every day, there was an average of not one minute in the sky where enemy aircraft were not active. Every position was covered by enemy artillery smoke and poisonous gas."

"In this battle, more than 300 enemy air forces were dispatched day by day, and traffic lines, river crossings, and communication lines were completely destroyed by them."

"Over our position, we were bombarded and threatened all the time. Our position was destroyed, men and horses were injured or killed, supplies were cut off, and reinforcements were not available, which almost brought the operations of our troops to a complete standstill."

The battle reports coming back from the front line made the combat conference room fall into silence, and the usually steady Commander Wei was also a little confused.

After hearing the noise outside, he opened the curtains to let the sunlight into the house, then opened the window and looked outside.

The streets were in chaos and crowded with vehicles. Thousands of people rushed outside the city, shouting and yelling.

In order to compete for property, there are many people who fight with each other with fists and kicks. Dust filled the air, giving people a sense of impending disaster. The city had become in disarray and dilapidated during the bombing.

In addition to the fleeing citizens on the street, there were also staff cleaning up the scene.

Staff in white clothes carried away corpses wrapped in straw mats.

The streets were full of refugees looking aimlessly for their lost relatives. They cried in grief and called in despair, adding to the atmosphere of sadness, fear and desolation after the bombing.

Due to the bombing, the power plant in the city has been forced to stop working.

Schools and shops were also affected. Prices changed rapidly. Gold, silver, jade and other rare items that are easy to collect and carry increased in price across the board.

The tragic situation in the city awakened Commander Wei's unyielding will. He glanced at the officials with sharp eyes and asked through gritted teeth:

"I heard that some of you abused your power. Not only did you wantonly collect property to make war fortune, but you also took advantage of your position to transport your family members and private property out of the city in advance."

"Is this possible?"

As soon as he finished speaking, most people in the room changed their expressions. They never expected that what they had done secretly would be exposed so quickly.

"Commander, there is a lack of anti-aircraft weapons in the city, so everyone can only lie on the ground and resign themselves to fate when encountering the bombing. Many of our family members were killed and injured, so this is just a helpless move."

"Those of us who are officials usually work hard for the people, so it's not too much to enjoy some privileges now."

This view resonated with many people, and they all cited examples to echo it, as if everything was justified.

Unexpectedly, Commander Wei was furious and looked at the chattering officials. He had a fierce look on his face and slapped his right hand heavily on the table!

"Stupid! By letting your family members evacuate first, you are telling the citizens that we cannot hold Luoyang City. You have ruined the foundation of the First War Zone that you have worked hard for four years for the sake of the petty profit you have in front of you!"

"Send my order! From now on, no official or his family members are allowed to leave without my approval! Those who are afraid of death should get into the air-raid shelter!"

"Send me the garrison troops to maintain order. Those who raise prices will be killed without mercy! Those who smash, loot, and burn will be beheaded in public display!"

After issuing several orders in succession, Commander Wei's expression seemed to ease a lot. He came to the situation map of Zhongtiao Mountain and asked everyone present:

"What do you think about the next battle? Let me tell you in advance that I don't agree to withdraw the troops."

"Take the initiative to retreat south and abandon Zhongtiao Mountain to consolidate the Yellow River defense line with all your strength? I really don't know who came up with this stupid idea. If you send Shanxi this time, will you send Shaanxi and Henan next time?"

Everyone has seen through the purpose of the Japanese army since the war, which is nothing more than holding back the four divisions of the North China Front Army with a total of 70,000 people.

Without these people, the Japanese army could not launch any large-scale offensive. The other side intends to eat up the defenders while freeing up troops to deal with the Eighth Route Army with all their strength.

"Commander, in my opinion, we should ask for compensation from the Eighth Route Army! This time we completely took the blame for them. If the other side hadn't launched the Hundred Regiments Campaign, the Japanese army wouldn't have jumped over the wall in desperation."

"No matter how we fight next, it's right to ask for a batch of weapons first! Even if we have to fight together in the future, it's easier to explain to the chairman after we get the compensation."

After the outbreak of the Zhongtiaoshan Campaign, the Eighth Route Army's air force not only scared Okamura Yasuji and Iwamatsu Yoshio, but even the insiders of the preserved fruit were worried.

It was okay before that it was just infantry light weapons, but in just half a year, a large number of new fighters were produced.

Although we can't take action due to the international situation, it's okay to make some small moves for the sake of justice. As long as we can get the right increase, it doesn't matter even if Zhongtiaoshan is lost.

Originally, the officials thought they had a good idea, but they didn't expect to flatter the wrong person.

"Bullshit! At this critical moment, you are still thinking about fighting among yourselves? If it weren't for their air support, the defense lines on all sides of Zhongtiao Mountain would have been destroyed long ago!"

"Do you think they are fools? Do you want airplanes? If you dare to say this again, put on your helmet and go to the air defense position to shoot down the planes!"

"I have contacted the Eighth Route Army, and they will send fighters to help us defend the city! The airport is already under emergency repair, and anyone who dares to have any evil thoughts will die!"

With the strong command of Commander Wei, a group of officials dared not to make any small moves. But at this moment, the sound of the air defense alarm resounded over the city again.

"Bring out all the anti-aircraft guns! I don't believe it! It's a thousand-year-old ancient capital, and it's the turn of the Japanese to run wild on our heads!"

Ah, I have a cold and my head is buzzing