Chapter 328 The Eighth Route Army, Dozens of Aircraft
Wanquan, the temporary command post of the Third Flight Group.
Looking at Kuroe Yasuhiko, who was like a lost dog, the newly appointed Lieutenant General Sugawara Michida angrily threw the battle report to the ground. He only felt a nameless fire burning in his heart.
Before taking office, the old devil also specially met with Kinoshita Toshi, who was demoted back to the country, and learned from him in advance about the situation of the North China Front Army and the approximate strength of the enemy's air force.
But he never expected that even if he had been fully prepared in his heart, he still underestimated the strength of the Eighth Route Army.
When he thought that there would be bigger and more messes in the days to come, Sugawara Michida's expression became extremely ferocious.
Why?
Obviously, he was doing well in the First Flight Group and was about to go to Southeast Asia with the army to reap the fruits of victory. Why did he have to come to the Republic of China to clean up others' butts.
The more he thought about it, the angrier he became, and the old devil simply poured his anger on his subordinates.
"Major Kuroe, I need a reason for you to flee without a fight, otherwise no one can save your life."
"Five squadrons, but not even half of them returned successfully! Our Third Flight Group has only eighteen squadrons in total! If we continue like this, we will be reduced to a flight regiment sooner or later!"
"As the frontline commander of this operation, how can you still have the face to report back to the command post? Why didn't you lead your team to launch a heroic charge?"
Faced with the barrage of scolding from his superior, Kuroe Yasuhiko could only lower his posture again.
He first returned the document on the ground to the other party, and then carefully explained to his lieutenant general:
"Commander, at that time, the Eighth Route Army had dozens of Spitfires attacking my formation. The warriors were at a disadvantage in both quantity and quality, and they were really powerless to save the situation!"
"This intelligence contains the intelligence we collected at the cost of our lives."
"Those key data are very important to the entire Third Flight Group. Please check it carefully first."
As soon as these words came out, Sugawara Michida immediately became extremely serious.
Unlike Kinoshita Toshi and others who changed their careers halfway, he was one of the few senior generals in the Army Aviation System who came from the aviation corps, so he naturally knew the importance of the intelligence in his hands.
After a moment, the old devil finished reading.
At the same time, a sense of powerlessness from the heart still arose.
"Damn it, what's going on? Why are the performance of the Type 1 and Type 2 fighters still inferior to the fighters of the Eighth Route Army?"
"Those are not Spitfires at all. The British planes can't be so advanced! If the British had this kind of strength, Hermann Goering would have changed his name to Meyer long ago."
"Based on my experience, the enemy must have used a similar appearance to try to deceive our eyes."
After a mysterious analysis, Sugawara Michida began to think about ways to break the deadlock.
In order to support the Southward Policy, the First and Second Flight Groups and even the Navy Red Deer have drawn a large number of troops and fighters to Southeast Asia.
At present, their North China Front Army can be described as isolated and helpless. The existing fifteen squadrons are all the chips of the Third Flight Group.
In the case of insufficient troops and poor individual quality, launching a group-type attack is self-destruction.
At this moment, if you still want to break the deadlock, you can only pull the Eighth Route Army's Air Force to the same starting line.
"Major Kuroe, I can spare your life. But in the days ahead, you must personally lead the team to carry out the mission and complete the tactics I have arranged with quality and quantity."
"I will divide the remaining squadrons into 45 groups, and attack the counties and towns except for the military strongholds with high frequency and small sorties."
"The Eighth Route Army has many planes, so let them experience the feeling of running around. The sixteen-character formula of guerrilla warfare is very good, so let's use it."
In fact, Sugawara Michida's tactical arrangement can be seen as an upgraded version of Kinoshita Toshi a few months ago.
At that time, in order to tie down the energy of the First Air Division, the latter sent nearly three flying squadrons to attack Luoyang City over long distances, trying to use the lives of ordinary people to make the Eighth Route Army afraid to act rashly.
However, the old devils never expected that the new air force actually had the ability to defeat the First Flying Regiment head-on.
Sugawara Michida's plan was even more ruthless. He dispersed all the troops and sent them to the entire Shanxi territory, which seemed to mean that they would change their homes if they disagreed.
In this case, the First Air Division must allocate a large number of troops for defense. After all, the Eighth Route Army cannot ignore the lives of ordinary people.
Moreover, airplanes are not so easy to encircle and suppress. Even if the performance of the North China Front Army's aviation fighters is backward, more than a hundred aircraft are determined to sabotage, which can definitely make any force in the Republic of China anxious.
Hearing this, Heijiang Baoyan's eyes lit up immediately.
The above plan can allow all pilots to reduce the probability of encountering the enemy as much as possible. If you are lucky, you can even find an opportunity to blow up a few field airports to vent your anger.
"Hi!"
"I will definitely not let you down this time, and I will definitely obey orders!"
After solving the urgent task, Sugawara Michihiro took out a folder from the drawer in front of him, which contained a long-planned plan.
According to common sense, such relatively confidential things should not be shown to a major who is dedicated to combat.
But now the Third Flight Group is in ruins, and the middle and high-level generals were almost broken by the Eighth Route Army. Even the First Flight Regiment does not have a major general commander.
In desperation, the old Japanese could only discuss with the ace pilot in front of him.
"Heijiang Lord, I am going to make a formal proposal to the base camp in the near future. Let several flight schools in the rear train a group of quick pilots to support the North China battlefield."
"The current situation of the Army Aviation is very embarrassing. In terms of technology, there is a generation gap between us and the enemy. Moreover, the number of enemy fighters has always remained more than twice that of ours."
"Under the circumstances of this ebb and flow, sooner or later we will be driven to death by the enemy."
As soon as these words came out, Kuroe Yasuhiko, who was an elite of the Army Aviation, felt a chill go down his spine. He never expected that his general would make such a decision.
What the other party wants to express is very simple, that is, to cultivate a group of cannon fodder to assist the frontal battlefield.
After all, there has always been a generally accepted theorem in the air combat circle.
That is, there may be a gap in performance between fighter jets of the same period, but this gap can be made up by the pilot's personal ability or exquisite tactics.
But once there is a generation gap, it can only be piled up with human lives.
Seeing that his subordinates were silent, Sugawara Michio simply continued to describe his plan.
"If one replacement doesn't work, then we will replace three with one. If three cannot be replaced, then we will replace five with one."
"After the Type 1 and Type 2 fighters are put into service, we will have a large number of idle Type 97 fighters. Rather than letting them grow moldy and infested in warehouses, it is better to bring them to the battlefield to use their remaining heat."
"It is not difficult to train quick pilots. One month of cramming education is enough for soldiers with zero basic knowledge to learn to drive and shoot."
The "five for one" mentioned by the old devil does not mean that five Type 97 fighter jets fight one Spitfire. Instead, four old-fashioned fighter planes were used as decoys to give one Type 1 or Type 2 fighter a chance for a surprise attack.
After hearing what his superior said, Kuroe Yasuhiko's mood can be described as mixed emotions.
This is not because his conscience has revealed that he cannot bear to use his own compatriots as cannon fodder. But Sugawara Michio's idea was a bit ahead of his time and even went against the training purpose of Army Aviation.
After all, from the early days of their establishment, they have been following the elite route, focusing on quality over quantity.
Now that troops are suddenly about to explode, this change is somewhat unaccustomed to people.
However, Kuroe Yasuhiko knows one thing very well, that is, every opportunity advocated by Lieutenant General Sugawara Michichi to be implemented will definitely receive the support of the base camp.
This man had served in the Army Aviation Headquarters and was the principal of Shimojin Army Flight School. He was inextricably linked to all the top brass of Army Aviation.
Coupled with Lieutenant General Toshita Kinoshita, who serves as the principal of the Tokorozawa Army Flying School, it is estimated that the entire project will be approved at an incredible speed.
Those at the base camp don’t care about the lives of ordinary soldiers.
If you can use old-fashioned fighter planes and a negligible cost to defeat the Spitfire of the Eighth Route Army, the top brass of the Army will definitely approve of it.
"Hi!"
"Your plan is perfect. We will definitely defeat all enemies."
After a brief period of grief over the death of a rabbit and a fox, the long-term brainwashing of militarism occupied the high ground of Heijiang Yasuhiko's IQ. There was some fanaticism in his eyes, and he vigorously promoted the leader's plan.
It seemed that they were having a good time chatting, and Michio Sugawara had an idea to give the future unit a name.
"Let's call it the Army Volunteer Air Assault Team! This name will definitely leave a mark in the history of the world's military!"
At this moment, Kuroe Yasuhiko suddenly thought of the Spitfire fighter jet engraved with more than forty red stars.
As the super ace pilot of the Eighth Route Army, that monster wouldn't use a quick rookie to improve his record, right? Why shouldn't a master have his own pride?
should?
No way?
······
Fengzhen, the command post of the Cavalry Group and the 26th Division.
"Hi!"
"General Gangcun is right. I will definitely not hesitate this time and will definitely launch an attack within the specified time!"
In the communications room, Lieutenant General Otonzaburo Yano and Lieutenant General Itachi Nishihara held the phones and kept bowing.
As the two were reluctant to launch an attack, Neji Okamura, who was extremely angry, finally decided to take action personally and rushed from Peiping to Jining to supervise the battle.
"I don't want to say anything unnecessary a second time."
"I have fulfilled all your requests one by one. Basically, I have given you people and cannons."
"If something goes wrong in the next battle, Yoshio Iwamatsu will be the best fate for you. I won't even give you a chance to go to the reserves!"
"Hi!"
After hanging up the phone, Issaku Nishihara transformed into a face-changing master, changing his previous groveling attitude. He raised his head and puffed out his chest, like a peacock who had successfully courted.
"Yano-kun, look what I'm saying. Only children who cry can get candy."
"If we keep putting it off, our superiors will find ways to eliminate our worries. You see, now, the headquarters has not only replenished our troops and some artillery, but even the enemy's air force has a solution."
"If the Army Aviation Group hadn't been able to hold on for too long, I would have really wanted to wait until December before launching a general offensive."
Hearing his colleague's words, Yano Otonzaburo nodded happily.
The previous worries are now solved, and the only thing that needs to be dealt with is the city wall of Datong County.
Although we don't have the pipes big enough to knock down the city wall, the free Imperial Army and the loyal warriors can do it. As long as you bring enough explosives, there is always a chance to break through the city wall.
As if thinking of something important, Yano Otonzaburo solemnly reminded:
"Nishihara-kun, your cavalry group often focuses on mobile warfare and lacks experience in attacking fortresses and large-scale positional warfare."
"In this battle, you must strengthen the defense of the artillery positions. The Eighth Route Army is extremely proficient in infiltration and penetration tactics. The enemy will most likely send troops to make a detour and attack your artillery positions."
"One more thing, you must widen the warning circle. Guards must be deployed several kilometers around the battlefield command post. Don't make mistakes because of carelessness."
Strictly speaking, this battle was the first time that the cavalry group fought against the Eighth Route Army.
Considering the opponent's performance in the previous battle with the Seventh and a Half Route Army, Yano Otosaburo was still a little worried and repeatedly reminded him. After all, the two are now on the same rope, and if one wins, they win, and if one loses, they lose.
The seriousness of his comrades made Nishihara Issaku nod seriously.
Half an hour later, the two Japanese lieutenant generals checked the battle plan and detailed attack routes again.
"Pass my order! The 14th Cavalry Regiment, the 71st Tank Regiment, and the 1st Cavalry Artillery Regiment, launch an attack on the left wing of Datong according to the predetermined plan!"
"The direct tank team and the rapid-fire artillery squadron are the reserve!"
At the same time that Nishihara Issaku gave the order, Yano Otosaburo was not far behind.
"Pass the order, the 11th, 12th, and 13th Independent Infantry Regiments, the 26th Independent Field Artillery Regiment, and the 27th Independent Mountain Artillery Regiment, launch an attack on the main position of Datong."
"Break through the Eighth Route Army's defense line in one go! Be sure to take Datong within three days!"
"Hi!"