Chapter 580 Old Driver
"Onboard! Onboard!"
Just when the German army was having a headache due to the endless refugee problem, the first batch of Japanese Indian dispatched troops led by Yamashita Tombumi finally successfully landed on the island of Ceylon with the support of the combined fleet. This group of officers and soldiers, who had been in the Philippines for less than half a year and had been bumpy at sea for half a month, couldn't wait to make deafening screams as soon as they got off the ship, as if they were afraid that others would not know that they had arrived in Ceylon.
After the successful landing, the middle and lower-level officers and soldiers of the Japanese army found a place to camp and settle down according to the overall arrangements of the navy. The senior officers and headquarters staff were all very interested. They used white paper and boxes to simulate the armor on the ship for more than half a month. Tactics, I almost went crazy thinking about tanks.
Once ashore, they couldn't wait to rest and couldn't wait to drag the naval personnel who came to greet them to observe the equipment shipped back from Germany by the combined fleet. The naval staff officer in charge of the reception, Lieutenant Commander Takahashi, also understood this urgent mood and immediately took them away. Go to where supplies and equipment are concentrated.
As he walked, he explained sheepishly: "Sir, I was originally going to greet you in person, but there was an emergency military situation and I was in a meeting to study and discuss countermeasures, so I was appointed. I'm very sorry..."
Although there is a long-standing estrangement between the navy and the army, they must at least be able to live up to their reputation. Yamashita is an army general and has the title of commander of the Army's Indian Expeditionary Force. Logically speaking, it is indeed a bit disrespectful to treat him like this. However, Yamashita himself is not dissatisfied at all. He smiled and said: "Actually, the navy has already come to greet us. Wouldn't General Tsunoda bring the fleet to pick us up on the way? Don't take it to heart about the little things that come with us."
If Horikichi sent a major general to formally welcome him, then he might be deliberately neglecting the army. Now there is only one lieutenant colonel. The only explanation is that something big has indeed happened - this is something the army's top brass understands.
When they saw the dazzling array of tanks, artillery, aircraft, trucks and other heavy equipment neatly lined up in the warehouse near the port, everyone opened their mouths with joy. The list I saw before coming was shocking enough, but the visual impact was even greater after seeing the real thing. Everyone, including Yamashita Tomofumi, had their eyes opened straight.
"Is this all for us?" Looking at the Indian coolies who were still unloading the goods from the ship, Yamashita Fengwen pointed to the transport ship and asked casually.
"Yes!" Lieutenant Colonel Takahashi did not dare to neglect, "There are a total of 4 ships here, all of which are army equipment. They will be emptied after they are all unloaded. There are about 13 other ships that are also allocated to your department. The commander-in-chief believes that there is no need to unload. It will save time to land directly at the southern port in India and then unload it.”
"There are so many more?" Lieutenant General Suzuki Sosaku was puzzled, "And they are all big ships. How many supplies are there on board?"
"These are large-scale ships donated by Germany. Each ship has a carrying capacity ranging from 6,000 to 12,000 tons. There are nearly 100,000 tons of supplies waiting to be unloaded. The commander has ordered them to be used by the first batch of troops entering India."
Yamashita Fengfumi quickly figured out what Horikichi meant: Ceylon Island will be a material storage and training base in the future. The army from China will first go to Ceylon Island for adaptive training, and then go to India to fight.
"Thank you so much for being so considerate. Now take us to the headquarters. Can I take a few cars with me? I left in a hurry this time and didn't bring any vehicles or heavy equipment. I always take navy cars. Sorry."
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, it's too late because I'm a humble official." Lieutenant Colonel Takahashi led everyone to the designated warehouse area, pointing to the dark space inside with hundreds of cars, and said, "These are all for your department. "The chief said that each officer above Lieutenant Colonel can arrange a special vehicle, and the rest are for the army."
"What?" Katakura Kan's eyes almost popped out of his head. In the past, only major generals in ordinary infantry divisions had special cars. The powerful commanders of tank divisions could also have special cars. The cars of other junior officers were all shared by the army. Whoever's turn it is to do the work gets to use it. Now the Lieutenant Colonel can be assigned a special car. Is this going to change the world?
Takahashi did not notice everyone's surprise, but instead introduced them to everyone: "This is a Volkswagen bucket truck made in Germany. In the German army, it is usually a company-level officer's vehicle. We recommend it for the lieutenant colonel. This is a US military jeep. It is a material seized by the navy, and the commander suggested that it should be used by the colonel; behind it is a Mercedes-Benz Caesar series car, which should be used by senior generals above the rank of major general. "
Everyone's eyes were shining, and they flocked to see the car corresponding to their own level. Everyone couldn't put it down and couldn't even move their feet.
"Sir, your special car is in another warehouse." Takahashi reminded in a low voice.
Everyone gathered around Yamashita Fengwen to see his own car.
Takahashi pointed to a powerful car and said: "This is a German-made Mercedes 1500 command vehicle, which is bulletproof. The car next to it is a half-track SDK.251 command armored vehicle."
"They're all for me?" Yamashita Fengwen looked surprised, "Can I give it a try?"
"Of course, sirs, you can drive away your own cars in a while. The rest will go through the handover procedures and they can all be taken away tomorrow." Takahashi was about to call the driver behind him to serve Yamashita Fengwen, but he saw that the other party had already fumbled to open it. The door of the command car also allowed Suzuki Sosaku and Katakura Kan to sit in and experience it. Relying on his good German language skills and driving skills, he didn't need the driver's guidance. He took the key and started the engine familiarly. .
Everyone expressed admiration: "Sir, have you ever driven before?"
"I have never driven this model, but I have driven a lot of other German cars." Yamashita Fengfumi looked at the facilities inside and became familiar with the dashboard. He also boasted proudly to everyone, "When I was a military attaché in Austria. "There is no car in the embassy that I don't know how to drive. I have been exposed to German cars the most, so I can be considered an experienced driver."
Everyone laughed.
"Can I open and watch?"
Takahashi said quickly: "Of course, of course, this car is yours now, just pay attention to safety."
Yamashita carefully drove the car out of the warehouse. The more he drove, the more skillful and confident he became. After driving for a while, he repeatedly sighed: "Good car! Good car! The chassis is very solid and the power is strong. It is not the kind in China." It’s a makeshift product that might fall apart if it bumps around, I like it very much!” Everyone looked at it with envy.
Before leaving, he did not forget to say: "Help drive that armored vehicle to the headquarters of the dispatched army later. I will have a good time tonight."
Half an hour later, he saw Horikichi and others coming to greet him at the headquarters. Although the two of them were generals of the same rank, he still bowed respectfully first - after all, the base camp was clearly led by Horikichi. On the front line, he is the highest officer. Besides, the Navy has given the Army such a big favor, and he is very grateful.
"Have you seen cars and tanks? Do you still like them?" Horikichi smiled and introduced all the senior officers present. "I wanted to send a ministerial-level Mercedes-Benz bulletproof vehicle to the army, but the quantity brought back was not enough. "Yes, I still have to go to Tokyo for business, so I can only wrong you."
"No, no, sir, you're so polite. Thank you so much." Yamashita Tomofumi knew that Horikichi had to take a car to Tokyo to "offer sacrifices". Besides, it was unreasonable for him, a commander of the dispatched army, to ride in a ministerial-level bulletproof vehicle. Let the Army What did the ministers and chiefs of staff think when they heard this?
"The material preparation and transportation arrangements are almost like this. I plan to unload one-third of the materials on Ceylon Island, and then let the Army get familiar with the new equipment as soon as possible. The rest of the materials will be transported back to the country by the fleet. If the Army has any modifications to the defense plan , please propose adjustments as soon as possible to facilitate the next operation." Horikichi asked the staff officer to hand over the predetermined complete plan of material distribution, station division, defense system, etc. to Yamashita Fengfumi.
The latter nodded repeatedly: "That's great, thank you very much! The battleship shells and other warship repair parts transferred from the mainland have also arrived at the dock, and the Navy is sending people to receive them."
Horikichi smiled and said, "Yamashita-kun, it's been a hard journey!"
Seeing that Yamashita Fengfumi had served as a military attaché in Austria and could speak fluent German, and that communication with the German side was no problem at all, Scheer and others breathed a sigh of relief - this would be of great benefit to subsequent operations.
After a few pleasantries, Yamashita Fengwen turned to the topic: "I heard there is an emergency military situation? I wonder what happened?"
"Indeed, there is something I must discuss with you first. I initially plan to lead the main force of the fleet to leave Ceylon tomorrow afternoon to fight. I am not worried about other defenses on the island. There may be some problems with air defense. Currently, only one batch of ships on the island has been transferred from Singapore. The number of naval land-based aviation units coming to the field is not large, and we hope that the adaptation and preparation time of the army aviation units will be shortened as much as possible.”
"So fast?" Yamashita Fengfumi was very surprised. "Sir, is the situation serious? If the enemy counterattacks, we can also participate in the war. Even though we have just disembarked, our physical strength and fighting spirit are completely fine."
"It's not Ceylon, it's the Gilbert Islands further away." Horikichi handed him the emergency telegram. "The US military seized the opportunity and began to attack. Yesterday, they suddenly appeared and occupied Makin Island. They will start attacking the tower soon." Rawa Atoll is currently undergoing heavy bombing and artillery attacks. The island has the only airport. The few aircraft have been overwhelmed by enemy carrier-based aircraft. If lost, the entire Gilbert Islands will be lost. "
"What should we do if we need the army?" Yamashita Fengfumi did not ignore the Gilbert Islands at all because he was an Indian dispatched force.
Kusaka Renyi shook his head: "Tarawa is a small area and cannot station too many troops. The commander believes that the main US fleet may be concentrated there, and plans to use the main force of the combined fleet to fight - a naval battle."
Yamashita nodded: "As for those who want to land in India, don't worry beforehand. We'll wait until the fleet is finished."
"Without any delay, I plan to ask Mikawa and Tsunoda to cooperate with you in executing the landing plan and ensure that your landing is successful before leaving. In addition, General Scheer also believes that the army has just arrived. This landing will still be dominated by German troops, with you as a supplement. What do you think about this? How about next?”