Agents of the Republic of China

Hearing that the officer in front of him turned out to be Chennault, now it was Lin Xiaotang's turn to be surprised.This Chennault is well-known on the Chinese battlefield and in the military. He is a retired officer of the U.S. Air Force.As early as the 25th year of the Republic of China, he served as a flight instructor at Hangzhou Central Aviation School at the invitation of Mao Bangchu, then Colonel of the Chinese Air Force.Afterwards, he was appointed as an air force adviser, dedicated to helping the national government establish an air force.After the outbreak of the Anti-Japanese War, Chennault led the air force to participate in the Songhu Battle, Wuhan Battle and Nanjing Defense Battle, and joined the Soviet Air Force Commander in the battle against Japan, making great achievements.

After many battles, the Chinese Air Force was completely lost, and the air superiority was captured by the Japanese army.Afterwards, Chennault moved to Zhijiang, Hunan, established an aviation school, and concurrently served as the flight instructor of Kunming Aviation School, training a group of excellent pilots for the Communist Party of China.But at this time, China was still independently fighting against the Japanese invaders, and had not yet received a large amount of aid. The so-called air force only had a very small number of trainer planes and old-fashioned fighter jets, so it was impossible to talk about the possibility of confronting the Japanese air force.

The turning point was at the end of last year when the Pacific War broke out. With the joint efforts of China and the United States, the American Volunteer Air Force of the Chinese Air Force was formally established, with Chennault serving as the colonel and captain. 68 fighter planes and a group of pilots, as well as ground and mechanical personnel joined the Chinese battlefield.The United States promised to continue to send aircraft and personnel to support China's war of resistance.Thus, the powerful "Flying Tigers" officially appeared on the stage of history, and Chennault also got the nickname of "General Flying Tigers".

Thinking of this, Lin Xiaotang couldn't help sweating a little on his forehead. Just now he commented on the pros and cons of the P-40c and the Zero fighter, and talked about it in front of Chennault, isn't it the same as playing tricks?

Lin Xiaotang apologized to Chennault with an apologetic face, asking him to forgive him for pointing fingers just now.Chen Ande gave a free and easy smile, squeezed over and sat next to Lin Xiaotang, and said in a low voice, "Lin, you don't need to apologize for this, these boys of mine have just joined the Chinese battlefield, and they haven't been exposed to real air combat yet. , I don’t have an intuitive understanding of the Japanese and their planes, I was thinking about how to make them face up to their enemies, but unexpectedly, you helped me complete this lesson brilliantly!”

Chennault helped Lin Xiaotang out of the siege without a trace, and asked Lin Xiaotang's purpose of this trip. Hearing that Lin Xiaotang and others were going to Changde, he immediately frowned.Chennault looked at Lin Xiaotang, and saw that he was only in his 20s, but he was already a senior officer in the Ninth War Zone, but this time he was sent to Changde, the most dangerous battlefield. According to Chennault's understanding of the Nationalist Government over the years, this The young man must have offended some powerful person, otherwise how could he accept such a dangerous task.

Chennault thought for a while, "Lin, our air force base in Zhijiang has also received the same combat order. At that time, we will dispatch to provide air cover for the troops participating in the defense of Changde. However, the air force has not been established for a long time. At present The planes are still scattered in various military airports in Kunming and Hunan, and I am afraid they will not be able to play a big role at that time. I hope you can explain this clearly to the frontline commanders."

When he was in Chongqing before, Lin Xiaotang already had a very clear understanding of the Hunan battlefield through all kinds of intelligence. He knew very well that what Chennault said was indeed the current actual situation. Compared with the Japanese army in terms of numbers, they are not inferior to the Japanese army. What they lack are only heavy weapons like tanks, and the control of air supremacy.But these are not the main reasons. The key point is that the current attitudes of the major factions in the Communist Party, including the central government of the Nationalist Government, directly or indirectly affect the balance of victory and defeat on the battlefield.

In recent years, the Sichuan Army, Guangxi Army, Northwest Army and the Central Army have fought together, but the treatment and conditions of each army are very different.The national government's policy is to use the local faction's army as cannon fodder, and it will be wiped out. Even after the war, even the designation will be cancelled, let alone the military salary and supplies. The local faction's army can only get some Leftovers.This does not include factional struggles within the Central Army.

This has also caused a strange situation on the current battlefield. The army clearly has the advantage in terms of numbers and the situation of the battle, but they often inexplicably suffer heavy losses. A good situation can be ruined.

Thinking of this, Lin Xiaotang instantly cast a shadow over the upcoming battle of Changde.

At this time, a pilot came from the cockpit, walked up to Chennault, and shouted loudly in his ear, with an uncontrollable smile on his face. Lin Xiaotang wanted to go over to listen, but the noise in the cabin It's really too loud to hear anything.

After Chennault listened hard, his face showed joy, and he stretched out his hand to signal to the people in the cabin, and they came to him. Chennault couldn't restrain the joy in his heart, and said loudly: "Gentlemen, I have some good news for you, Germany. War has been declared against Russia. Not long ago, Germany launched a surprise attack on Russia with 190 divisions, [-] tanks, [-] artillery pieces, and [-] aircraft. At present, Russia’s eastern defense line has completely collapsed, and the Russian government has not yet There was no declaration of war, so I guess they were fooled, haha, Russia, a behemoth, has also been dragged into the war!"

It turned out that after Germany occupied a large area of ​​Europe, it was helpless to face the tenacious resistance of the British Isles. After all, the United Kingdom still has the best air force and navy in the world. It is necessary to win the United Kingdom in one go. Pay a heavy price.After Japan ignited the war in the Pacific Ocean, Germany was inspired by its allies' "brilliant record", and because Japan dragged the main force of the US Navy to Asia, they began to turn their attention to the West, blatantly tearing up the previous "Soviet-German Non-Aggression Treaty", The goal is directed at Moscow, intending to force Britain to surrender after defeating Soviet Russia.As a result, the "Barbarossa" plan came into being. Germany once again used the blitzkrieg as a template to attack the largest country on land, hoping to occupy the Soviet Union's Baku oil field area as soon as possible. spheres of influence are connected.

The whole world is currently caught in the flames of war ignited by the Axis powers of Germany, Japan, and Italy.

Lin Xiaotang was a little worried, now that Germany and Japan are attacking so rapidly, how will the war situation develop in the future? Will the difficult situation on the Sino-Japanese battlefield continue?

Seeing Lin Xiaotang's worry, Chennault put his arms around Lin Xiaotang's shoulders, "Hey, Lin, don't be so worried. This is a good thing for the Sino-Japanese war. The Russian polar bear will surely keep the Germans firmly Believe me, their strength is very strong. Although they must suffer some hardships at first, once the counterattack starts, the Germans will definitely be unable to withstand it. Do you still remember Napoleon at the time? The severe cold in Russia has not yet arrived Woolen cloth!"

Lin Xiaotang nodded understandingly. For this old guy, he seemed to be always optimistic about the direction and grasp of the battle situation, which also affected the people around him. This seemed good, at least his subordinates could maintain a high fighting spirit.

The plane landed slowly at Hengyang's military airport. Since Changsha's airport was seriously damaged in the recent bombing, the plane had to divert to Hengyang for landing.

There were already several military jeeps waiting here at the airport, and Chennault would continue to fly to Zhijiang Airport to meet up with his subordinates.

When parting, Chennault and Lin Xiaotang shook hands, "Lin, after the battle starts, we will do our best to support the defenders of Changde. In the next two days, a batch of planes will come from the Nanyang base to join the battle. You will see us then." The demeanor of those lunatic pilots, are they all experienced pilots, it will definitely surprise you and your comrades in arms. In addition, if you need anything, you can directly contact Zhijiang Air Force Base through the radio, and you too One of Changde's commanders has this power."

Lin Xiaotang thanked him gratefully, and then parted from Chennault.

The jeep was sent by the commander's headquarters of the Ninth War Zone, and it was specially waiting for Chai Yixin, Lin Xiaotang and others here.According to Chai Yixin, Hengyang is still about [-] kilometers away from Changde. Originally, Changde Petroleum was a small airport, but since the front line of Changde has been put on alert, Japanese aircraft have also started bombing military targets. For the sake of safety For the sake of safety, I did not land at Changde Airport to avoid being intercepted by Japanese fighter planes halfway.

At this time, the roads in Hunan had already become dilapidated due to the continuous fighting, and the road surface was in terrible condition. Although a large number of civilians had been organized to start repairing, the speed was far behind the frequency of Japanese army destruction.Along the way, Lin Xiaotang and others not only had to avoid the bombing and strafing of Japanese aircraft, but also had to deal with the road full of bomb craters.

The closer it is to Changde, the more intense the atmosphere before the war. The road is full of refugees retreating to the southwest with their families. The road is so crowded that the jeep convoy has to stop again and again. Chai Yixin's subordinates came to direct the traffic, and the speed of travel was greatly slowed down.It was also bombed by the Japanese army at night. It is estimated that the flames lit by the refugees attracted the attention of the Japanese pilots.

According to the news from the refugees, Changde City was already in a state of turmoil. It was rumored that the Japanese army was only a hundred kilometers away from Changde City. Of course, these were all hearsay, and the current situation in Changde City was still unknown.

This made Lin Xiaotang, Chai Yixin and the others anxious, but for the safety of the convoy and personnel, they also had to be patient. By the time they saw the majestic walls of Changde City, it was already the early morning of the third day.