The Iron-Blooded Army of Beacon Fire

Chapter 447: Talk about airborne and full replenishment!
He Wei said that the troops suffered heavy losses, so naturally they wanted to ask for reinforcements.

After hearing He Wei's words, before Liu Fei could say anything, the Major General Huang understood what he meant and said with a smile, "Replenishment of troops is not a problem. If you need soldiers, there are many divisional management areas and replacement training centers near the temporary capital. We can replenish them at any time. Weapons and ammunition are not lacking either. There are plenty of weapons and ammunition in various warehouses. And I remember that your troops are a reinforced regiment-level combat organization, so replenishment should be quick."

"You are right, sir. We are strengthening the infantry regiment-level combat system. However, the organizational structure of the troops was originally based on the field combat conditions of the army. I have already read the information Colonel Chen sent me just now. We will definitely have to make some adjustments in the organizational structure and equipment when we go to the temporary capital to defend against the Japanese airborne troops. We cannot fight the Japanese airborne troops in the same way as we fight the army field troops."

When Liu Fei heard He Wei say this, he felt that He Wei seemed to have a plan to deal with the enemy, and his eyes immediately lit up: "Why don't you tell me your views on countering the Japanese airborne troops."

Well, He Wei originally wanted to go deeper into the topic of replenishing the troops and equipment for the assault corps, but he didn't expect Liu Fei to directly ask him to talk about how to counter the airborne troops. He Wei, who was thinking about how to seek benefits for the assault corps, was stunned.

Major General Lu, the director, smiled bitterly and interrupted helplessly, "Yes, He Wei, tell me your opinion first. Now that we know that the Japanese army may organize an airborne operation, our military headquarters is very busy with this matter. The military headquarters is in charge of operations, and the Military Commission is anxious to come up with a plan to deal with the enemy. Our department is also the department in charge of operations within the department, so the burden naturally falls on us."

"To be honest, most of the officers and staff in our department are completely clueless about airborne operations. Even if some of them have some understanding of airborne operations, they only know the basics. The military advisers sent by the Soviet Union don't understand this either. To be honest, the reason we arrested you this time is because you fought well in Tianjia Town and won a great victory. We think you can fight well, and your troops are here to garrison the capital. Based on the principle of brainstorming, we want to see what you think. Don't feel burdened. Haha, Director Huang and I both graduated from the fifth term of Whampoa Military Academy. We are your seniors, so we can tell you what you think."

Seeing Major General Lu's dark circles and wry smile, He Wei could also feel the torture he had endured recently because of the unreliable Japanese airborne operations. Asking a group of people who had no idea what airborne operations were to formulate an anti-airborne combat plan would definitely lead to a mess.

He Wei paused and said, "If we want to talk about anti-airborne operations, we must first study the methods and tactics of airborne operations. Currently, the airdrop vehicles used by airborne troops of various countries are paratroopers and gliders. According to the Ministry's speculation, if the Japanese army wants to carry out an airborne attack on our capital, the attack vehicles they use are nothing more than these two types."

"Paratroopers, needless to say, use airplanes to conduct airdrop operations. Simply put, it is to drop infantry or ammunition and supplies directly from airplanes using parachutes as airdrop tools, so it can also be called airdrop operations. This method of airdropping paratroopers or supplies by parachute is the most common combat method of airborne troops."

"But this airborne combat method also has many shortcomings. Using parachutes for airdrop operations requires high natural environmental conditions. Once there are strong winds, heavy rains or various unfavorable weather conditions, the airdrop of paratroopers and supplies will be greatly affected. In addition, it is impossible to drop too many heavy weapons and heavy equipment by parachute airdrop, such as artillery of various calibers. It is difficult for the Japanese army to airdrop them as a whole."

"In addition, after the paratroopers are dropped from the air, they are often scattered in the airdrop area. When the weather conditions are bad, the entire combat structure may be disrupted after the paratroopers land. After the airdrop, it takes a certain amount of time to assemble and reorganize the scattered airdropped troops in order to reorganize the combat structure. This is also a shortcoming of direct parachute and airdrop operations."

"So according to what you said, the Japanese paratroopers are only equipped with various light weapons such as light and heavy machine guns, and there is a risk of them dispersing after the airborne operation. Doesn't that mean that the Japanese paratroopers are not a big threat to us?"

Director Lu said.

He Wei shook his head and said, "A simple paratrooper landing does not pose such a big threat to the defense of our temporary capital. However, in addition to airdrop operations, the Japanese army may also use gliders for airdrop operations."

"Glider?"

Lieutenant General Liu Fei said softly with a puzzled look on his face. Obviously, he had no idea what He Wei was talking about.

"A glider is a type of aircraft, but it is a transport aircraft without power. When performing airdrop operations, a transport aircraft can use a steel cable to tow the glider. The glider itself has no power and relies entirely on the towing of the transport aircraft to fly. When it reaches the predetermined landing area, the transport aircraft towing the glider lowers its altitude and disconnects the towing rope. The glider that is left behind will then, under the control of the pilot, gradually land on the target area on its own."

"The interior of this glider can be loaded with combat troops and even heavy equipment such as light artillery. As soon as the glider lands and stops, the airborne troops loaded inside can directly get off the plane and quickly join the battle. They don't need to spend time packing up their parachutes and assembling troops after landing like airdropped paratroopers. Moreover, the airborne troops do not need to undergo parachute training, they only need to master infantry combat techniques."

"More importantly, this type of military glider is very cheap. It has no engine, only simple control equipment, and even the body is made of wood. It is low-cost and easy to operate. In addition, the landing and take-off distances of this type of aircraft are extremely short, and it can land on any flat ground of similar size."

"To put it simply, airdrop is to drop lightly armed paratroopers directly from an airplane, and airdrop is to land organized troops and heavy weapons in a glider in the target area."

After listening to He Wei's concise narration, Liu Fei nodded thoughtfully and said, "Then what do you think the Japanese army will do if they want to attack our temporary capital?"

He Wei shook his head and spread his hands: "Sir, it's really hard to say, but I think it's likely that both will be used. If only paratroopers are dropped, the Japanese troops dropped down will definitely not be able to bring decent heavy weapons. For the Japanese, this battle will be difficult."

Liu Fei said: "That makes sense. In your opinion, where is the possible location of the enemy's airborne operations?"

"If the enemy really wants to come, I estimate that they will choose the suburbs near the temporary capital as the airborne combat site. The enemy intends to attack the temporary capital with airborne troops. Its wolfish ambition is obvious. It must want to directly destroy and attack our country's wartime command center. Its primary target must be our major military and political institutions and the residences of important personnel. However, most of these places are in the urban area of ​​the temporary capital. According to my department, it is impossible for the Japanese army to drop paratroopers directly over the urban area. First, our air defense forces are not vegetarians. Second, paratroopers can't play any combat power if they are airdropped into the densely built urban area."

"So, if the Japs really want to take action, I think they will most likely choose an area suitable for airdrops near the suburbs of the temporary capital to facilitate the assembly of airdrops and airborne troops, and then attack the urban area after the assembly. As for the specific area, it is still unknown." Director Lu looked at Liu Fei, as if relieved, and turned to look at Liu Fei: "Director, from this perspective, the Japanese airborne troops will not directly threaten the important agencies in the urban area of ​​the temporary capital. There are several gendarmerie regiments stationed in the urban area, equipped with anti-aircraft machine guns, and a large number of civilians. The possibility of Japanese paratroopers landing directly in the urban area is indeed very low. If the enemy does not airdrop directly in the urban area, but airdrops near the suburbs of the temporary capital as Captain He speculated, then we will have a lot more time to react, and we will be able to respond in time."

Liu Fei also nodded slightly, looked at He Wei with satisfaction and said, "Then what do you think about how to counter the Japanese airborne operations?"

He Wei was not afraid of Liu Fei's continuous questioning. Although the things he said made Liu Fei and the other two very satisfied and even amazed, in later generations, they were things that any half-baked military fan would know.

So, He Wei continued to talk: "In my opinion, the first priority or the first principle of countering the enemy's airborne troops is to strive to annihilate the enemy when they are airborne or landing. We should use long-range forces, anti-aircraft firepower and air force fighters to concentrate fire on the Japanese airborne troops before they are airdropped or in the process of airdropping, killing a large number of enemy troops. At the same time, the ground forces should also rush to the Japanese airdrop area as quickly as possible to block, annihilate and defeat them in the airdrop area."

"Specifically speaking, according to the speculation of the department just now, the Japanese airborne troops will conduct airborne operations in the suburbs near the temporary capital in an area suitable for airborne operations. Our army should first determine the possible airborne locations of the Japanese army and deploy appropriate surveillance posts nearby, as well as anti-aircraft machine guns, anti-aircraft artillery and other air defense weapons. If conditions permit, our air force should also conduct regular reconnaissance over possible airborne areas."

"At the same time, the main force of the field force used to counter and annihilate the enemy's airborne troops will also be deployed in areas where the Japanese army may carry out airborne operations. In this way, once the Japanese army airborne in a predetermined area, the air defense firepower deployed in the corresponding area can first attack the Japanese airborne troops, and the main force of our army's field forces can also quickly maneuver to the corresponding area and strive to eliminate the Japanese airborne troops near the airborne area."

"So, as the commander of a field force, I think that the field forces used to counter the Japanese airborne troops should first be deployed in the areas where the Japanese are most likely to carry out airborne operations. It would be best to deploy a field force in every possible Japanese airborne area near the temporary capital to be responsible for the defense of the corresponding area."

"These field troops must not only have strong manpower, firepower, and equipment, but also have strong mobility to facilitate mobile reinforcement. Once the Japanese army launches an airborne operation in a certain area, the field troops deployed in other areas must be able to quickly reinforce other places. With faster reaction speed and combat effectiveness, we should strive to complete the assembly of the field troops deployed in different areas before the Japanese airborne troops have assembled or launched an attack, concentrate all their forces to launch a fierce attack, and annihilate them in a group!"

He Wei's endless speech of countermeasures, which included reciting, acting and fighting, immediately stunned Liu Fei and the other two. In fact, what He Wei said was just a relatively basic anti-airborne tactical theory in later generations, or a relatively empty tactical theory on paper.

However, for Liu Fei and the other two, what He Wei said was a complete dimensionality reduction attack.

For this group of officers who had never been involved in airborne operations and had no idea what they were doing, what He Wei said was not only extremely shocking to them, but also gave them a sense of awe.

After He Wei finished speaking, the conference room fell into extreme silence, and Liu Fei and the two directors all fell into deep thought.

Then, Liu Fei narrowed his eyes and looked at He Wei, and said slowly: "Very good, very good, you are really capable. What you said is very useful. Our military command department has been struggling for so long and has not come up with a decent solution. The tactics you mentioned are very good, and I also understand your tactics and methods, but there is a basic requirement of your tactics that is definitely impossible to achieve."

"The war is currently in a tight spot across the country. Almost all of our available field troops have been sent to the front. Even near the temporary capital, there are no decent troops. You've read the information Colonel Chen gave you. There is only one proper field force, the New 25th Division. So, what you said about deploying a field force to defend every possible Japanese airdrop area is definitely impossible. We are short of manpower, and it is difficult to mobilize troops in a short period of time, especially combat-capable troops."

Liu Fei paused, then took off his military cap and suddenly said in a loud voice: "I'm telling the truth. The task of defending against the Japanese airborne operations is too urgent. The only troops the Military Commission can control are your assault corps. Overall, the only field troops that can be used to defend against the Japanese airborne operations are your troops and the newly formed 25th Division of the Sichuan Army system."

"I've been to that division. It's not up to par in every aspect and can only be considered a third-rate unit. So, you have to shoulder the heavy responsibility. To put it bluntly, the field unit you just mentioned that can be used to defend against the Japanese airborne troops is the only one you have."

"Sir, isn't it a bit inadequate for a unit like ours to be responsible for the anti-airborne combat readiness mission outside the temporary capital?"

He Wei immediately stood up and looked at Liu Fei with an expression of shock and disbelief.

Of course, he was not at all shocked. This anti-airborne operation was impossible to happen anyway. So it didn't matter whether the assault corps independently undertook combat readiness missions. On the contrary, they could gain more benefits by independently undertaking combat readiness missions. However, on the surface, he still had to pretend to be shocked.

Liu Fei waved his hand and said in an unquestionable tone, as if he had grasped a life-saving straw: "It can be seen that you are good at fighting. This is the situation now. Your troops must independently undertake combat missions. We just talked about it. It can be seen that you are also good at airborne operations. You should work hard these days and organize what you just said into a proposal, and then formulate a combat plan based on the information Colonel Chen gave you. These things are urgently needed reference materials for our military headquarters to formulate the anti-airborne combat plan for the capital. You must formulate it as soon as possible."

"As for the replenishment of your troops' losses, don't worry. This time we are defending the temporary capital, and your troops are the only ones who can take on the responsibility. There is no doubt that the replenishment of various aspects will be guaranteed. The Military Commission will absolutely give 100% priority to supplying them. The replenishment of weapons and equipment and troops is not under the jurisdiction of our Military General Staff, but the responsibility of the Ministry of Military Affairs. But you can rest assured that the Military General Staff and I will do our best to ask the Military Commission for it, and I will also do my best to plan for you through my connections."

"I can't guarantee anything else, but in terms of recruiting officers and soldiers, I can guarantee that graduates from the Central Military Academy will be given priority in your unit, and at least one divisional command area, which is the military service agency originally used to recruit new soldiers for a field army on the front line, will be assigned to your assault corps, specifically responsible for ensuring the recruitment of soldiers and the required troops for the expansion of your unit!"

(End of this chapter)