Chapter 566: India Strategy (11)

"Do you know how many tanks the combined fleet has brought back this time?"

"I heard there are a lot of them. There are hundreds of them, right?"

"More than 1,400 vehicles - this is the number allocated to the Army. The Navy took away more than 300 vehicles."

"So many?" Suzuki Sosaku was stunned. He was in charge of weapons production and knew very well how much Japanese tanks produced. He blurted out, "This is more than our annual output. The Germans shouldn't use light tanks to make up the numbers." ?”

"No, the Germans are still very practical. I have read the detailed model and quantity lists. The worst ones are the T-26 and 38T, which are slightly inferior to the 97 medium tank, but the number is less than 300. The others are equivalent Type 97 or better, not to mention the T-34, No. 4 and Tiger." Yamashita Fengfumi said with envy, "You think more than a thousand are too many? This is only equivalent to three weeks of Germany. Yield."

"Three weeks?" Suzuki Sosaku's eyes widened, "Can you build 20,000 vehicles a year?"

Yamashita Fengfumi nodded: "It's definitely more than 20,000. It is estimated that the United States can produce more than 30,000 a year."

All the staff officers in the dispatched army headquarters were frightened. 30,000 people vs. 1,000+ people. How should we fight this battle?

Nagurakan immediately said sadly: "What a waste...Why does the Navy need tanks?"

"The navy still needs to have tanks, otherwise it would make more sense for the navy to accuse the army of having so many ships." Yamashita Fengwen sighed, "It was not the German Marines who captured Ceylon this time. Although the Marines had a words, but it’s still the navy.”

Nagurakan still didn't understand Yamashita Tofumi's intention of letting him learn to master multiple types of tanks, and asked hesitantly: "It should be more difficult to master multiple types of tanks, which is not conducive to the rapid formation of troops and the development of tactics. I apologize for my stupidity. , I really don’t understand the officer’s intention.”

"How many tank divisions are there in the country now? How many tanks are equipped? If these more than 1,000 tanks are dropped, can the tank force not be expanded? If a second batch of tanks arrives by the end of the year, I am afraid that the tank force will "It will double," Yamashita Fengfumi said enthusiastically, "Nakura-kun, it's a good time for you. I estimate that we will have at least 10 tank divisions and 3-4 mecha corps in the future. What do you think?" what does that mean?"

Nagurakan's breathing suddenly became rapid, and Suzuki Sosaku smiled first: "Now that the 4th Tank Division is under control, it will be the top seed unit for military expansion from now on. That means everyone has the opportunity to be promoted, and the commander of the regiment can at least be a brigade The commander of the regiment and brigade is the commander of the division. A division commander like Nagura-kun will be at least the commander of the corps in the future. With good luck, he will be promoted to army general. "

"Thank you for your cultivation, sir. How dare I die if I don't serve?" Nagurakan respectfully saluted Yamashita Fengwen.

"This time the other tank units of the Kwantung Army refused to let go, and were only willing to use the tank regiment originally deployed in Nanyang and your newly established 4th Tank Division to take the lead. This shows that their vision and structure are not enough, and they are probably still doing It was a big dream to send tanks to Manchuria and let them choose first. Unexpectedly, General Horikichi turned the Indian strategy upside down. Instead, our dispatched troops got the tanks and supplies first. I think we should thank the navy. !" As soon as this was said, the scene burst into laughter.

Perhaps knowing that he was in a particularly good mood after the victory of the Ceylon Campaign, Yamashita Fengfumi summoned all the young staff officers and junior officers in the headquarters together, and said to them with a smile on his face: "Everyone, the era of Army cavalry has passed forever. The future is the age of mechas. If you want to stand out and become an army general, you must not understand tank and mecha tactics, let alone foreign languages ​​- especially German. I hope you will do these two things when you arrive in Ceylon. Things: First, let go of your sectarian views and truly respect the navy. Without unity, the Indian campaign will not be successful; second, respect the German officers and soldiers, learn tactics from them with an open mind, master the German language carefully, and strive to learn their skills. Especially don’t be afraid of hardship, there is no reason why you can become a general easily in the Imperial Army!”

"Follow your commander's instructions!"

Motivation for promotion is endless. After Yamashita Fengfumi pointed out the clear way to everyone, Nagurakan became more and more enthusiastic. He used the idle time on the ship to hold a seminar on mecha tactics. He also invited Yamashita Fengfumi to teach and asked him to talk. Talk about your understanding of German mecha tactics and humbly ask various questions.

"I heard that the Germans suggested that we equip 1-2 regiments of British tanks, such as Matilda, Churchill, Crusader tanks, etc. What is the reason for this? With all due respect, although these tanks are good, they can accompany the infantry It has more advantages in combat, but the ideas of infantry tanks and cruise tanks are out of touch with the times. I’m afraid it’s impossible to implement mecha assault tactics with these bulky equipment, right?”

"Of course you are right to think so, but I think this suggestion is very suitable for the 4th Tank Division." Yamashita Fengfumi smiled, "To be honest, I don't even understand armored assault tactics. Those of us who really understand it probably Not all German generals understand it. At least it takes a real armored division commander or armored group army commander to fully understand it. I went to Germany a few years ago and focused on inspecting the French campaign. There was a situation that shocked me at that time. Very shocked."

Everyone listened curiously to the commander's words.

"Don't look at the powerful and good performance of German tanks now. In fact, the Panzer 3 tank commonly equipped by Germany during the French Campaign was not as good as the French in performance, and even worse in quantity than the combined British and French forces. But why did it achieve such brilliant results? Some people say that the British and French have no fighting will, which is certainly true, but it is not comprehensive." Yamashita Fengfumi patiently explained, "The German army far surpasses the British and French in tactical application, while our ideological pattern still remains on the use of tanks to support infantry operations. When the frontline positions were attacked and breached, the German army had adopted armored assault tactics and a large-scale and deep outflanking pattern. The same tank played different roles in the hands of the Germans and the French. The Germans were more mobile and flexible, but the French were more mobile. Dogma or rigidity, let’s think about it, who wins in the end?”

Everyone suddenly realized.

"Now German tanks not only have an advantage in quality, but also increase in quantity very quickly, so they can often achieve devastating victories. The Russians made us suffer enough in the Battle of Nomonhan, but such a group army was defeated by the Germans in Dozens were wiped out on the battlefield, so don’t listen to the Kwantung Army’s excuse that it had fewer people at the beginning... It is generally accepted that the German troops were smaller than the Russians on the Eastern Front, right? The German troops were smaller than the British during the Ceylon Landing Battle, right? ? If we don’t know ourselves and the enemy, we will never win the battle. We were too proud at the beginning. We thought that will can make up for the disadvantages of equipment and firepower, but it was useless when we went to the battlefield. This lesson was very profound. He also did not forget to criticize Hideki Tojo, "A certain former prime minister is still obsessed with it. No wonder he is called a superior soldier - he is like a living fossil that still stays in the Russo-Japanese War. Not to mention a general, he is a The captains all praised him."

Everyone nodded, not feeling dissatisfied at all.

"This proposal to equip 1-2 regiments of British tanks was proposed by Special Envoy Cole, the adjutant of the President of the United States. In addition to military reasons, there are also political considerations. He believes that this will be more damaging to the morale of the British people." Yamashita Fengfumi He smiled and said, "Imagine that when the British can only use Crusaders and Stuart tanks to fight, we use Matilda and Churchill tanks to fight. Oh, we can also use a few Tigers. The enemy on the opposite side sees it. What do you think?"

"They will be so angry that they will collapse..."

Just as the Indian dispatched troops were happily holding a mecha tactics training class and drifting to the island of Ceylon, Deputy Minister of Military Command Koga Mineichi was visiting the hospitalized Commander-in-Chief of Military Command, Prince Fushimi Miyahiro, in the naval hospital. The hospitalization of Fushimi Palace also alarmed Emperor Hirohito. Not only did he send an imperial doctor to see the doctor, he also came to visit him personally the next day. Although the doctor diagnosed the problem and thought it was not a big problem and it was mainly caused by a temporary trauma in a panic, Fushimi Miya was almost 70 years old after all, and it was very slow to recover.

Hirohito had learned about Yamamoto and Horikichi's joint attack on the Air Force Headquarters through other channels, but he could not express his opinion. In addition, Horikichi had won consecutive battles and was really reluctant to replace the commander who could win the battle, so he tactfully reminded Fu I wonder if the palace will consider changing his position and handing over the post of chief of the general department to other trusted confidants. Fushimi Palace naturally understood the hint, but for a while he couldn't find a suitable candidate, so he gritted his teeth and refused to let go. The two parties only exchanged a few words and ended the visit.

Although Koga Hoichi respected Fushimiyama very much, in the latter's opinion, he was not courageous enough and could not restrain Horikichi despite even trying to help him up. But he didn't understand at all that Koga Mineichi had actually thought through it a long time ago: he didn't want to be the frustrated commander at all, and he didn't even want to take over Horikichi's squad as commander-in-chief of the Combined Fleet. He stayed there until the end of the war, so he became a good gentleman.

"How's the fight on the front line going? Is it going well?"

"An excellent fight!" Koga Mineichi beamed when he said this. "The combined fleet and the German army took only four days to fully occupy the island of Ceylon. They lost only a few hundred people and captured 40,000 British and Indian troops and a large number of soldiers." supplies and equipment, and also captured a light aircraft carrier, which is to be towed back to serve as a training ship. The transport fleet is currently preparing to unload the cargo on Ceylon Island. After the Army India dispatched troops arrive, the main force of the fleet can return home... Even the army generals at the base camp said It’s an unprecedented victory.”

The more he talked, the happier he became. He didn't notice that Fushimi Miya's face became longer and longer, and his expression became very ugly.

"His Majesty was very pleased after hearing this and prepared to make an exception and promote Horikichi to the Marshal's Mansion..."

"Okay, I understand... I'm a little tired. Thank you for coming to see me. I'll be entrusting you with the recent work of the Military Command..." Prince Fushimi Miyahiro Kyo waved his hand, and suddenly issued an expulsion order with a cold expression.

"Yes, Your Highness, please have a good rest and don't worry about official duties."

After leaving the hospital, Koga Hoichi was still recalling the scene just now. The more he thought about it, the more he felt that something was wrong and the more he thought about it, the more uncomfortable he felt. On the way back, he gave himself a big slap on the ear and cursed: "I made you talk so much." "

Both the adjutant and the driver saw this unusual scene, but no one dared to say anything.