"To the southeast of our army, a large group of planes has appeared!"

At the same time that the front line was full of war, at this time, the airports in Xuzhou, Xiaoxian and other places were jumping with chickens and dogs.

"There is no need to confirm it, it is the Northwest Air Force, who came to help in the war, this is a telegram from Commander Li's side, ordering the airport to make all preparations and prepare to replenish fuel for the aircraft of the Northwest Air Force." At the same time as the ground command of Xuzhou Airport was in a panic, a black car drove directly into the airport, and the officers who came down broke in directly with an order.

"What? Northwest Air Force, these dogs *mothers* raised, won't they be notified in advance? Commander Zhao was so angry that he hung up the phone back.

"How to order from above, you can do it, the name of the Northwest Air Force, you must have heard of it. In the battle of Taierzhuang, the role of the Northwest Air Force was very important, and we must not wait for half a minute. Otherwise, Commander Li will blame him, and no one will be able to bear the blame. Later, the commander of the Northwest Air Force will come over and temporarily take over the command, and your side will be responsible for full cooperation. ”

Hearing Commander Zhao's scolding, the officer said with a dark face. Li Zongren, the commander of the Fifth Theater, Tang Enbo relied on his military merits and status, and he could not beat Li Zongren. Li Zongren had no choice but to telegraph Chairman Jiang and ask Jiang to give an order. But some people at Xuzhou Airport can't stand Li Zongren's handling.

Not long after the officer finished speaking, the sound of neat footsteps outside the airport came, and a group of officers and soldiers entered the airport, obviously to prevent accidents at the airport, and also to warn Zhao to command these people not to disobey the law. The Northwest Army had already developed its own combat style, and at least when sending such an elite unit as the 3rd Mechanized Brigade out, it was impossible to put the troops directly under the bombardment of the Japanese army. So Jiang Li said hello to Li Zongren again. The Fifth Theater of Operations has been suffering from Japanese bombing. Even if Li Zongren applied to Chairman Chiang for an additional air force, there were too many battlefields for which the central government in Wuhan needed to be responsible at this time. Chiang was responsible for the defense of Wuhan, and the planes transferred to Xuzhou were very limited, and until now, the number of take-offs and operations on the Xuzhou side was only two. One time was when Li Zongren had high hopes for Tang Enbo's 20th Army Corps and sent more than a dozen bombers to help in the battle. As a result, the pigeons were released by Townenburg. The second time was when nine fighters took off a few days ago to cover the 31st Army fighting the Japanese army in the sky over Taierzhuang. So that the situation in Taierzhuang has not deteriorated sharply to the point that it is difficult to control.

The entire Central Air Force has only about 30 planes that can be used at various airports in the direction of Xuzhou. Regarding Jiang Li's request to send planes over to help in the war, Li Zongren was naturally overjoyed. The ground support requirements for the Northwest Air Force have also been given the green light all the way, including the security work of the airport, fuel, and the replenishment of aerial bombs, which have also been strengthened to a certain extent, and of course, some of them have been transported from Henan.

Commander Zhao naturally did not know that the northwest side did not trust the intelligence agencies of the Central Army very much, and he was worried that his plane would attract the encirclement and suppression of Japanese planes not long after it entered the airport, because it was only some time before landing that he sent someone to inform the airport side to make urgent preparations. There were not many planes of the Central Air Force stationed in the Xuzhou battlefield. There is still plenty of space at the airport. Enough for the aircraft of this sortie in the northwest to make a transfer.

"No wonder it was to replenish fuel and clean up the airfield before, it turned out to be a preparation for the Northwest Air Force." Commander Zhao was still a little indignant in his heart.

airplanes

Looking up at the sky, the tiny black dots gradually enlarged. More than a dozen small black dots, the pattern on the plane is the sign of the blue sky and white sun. But the smooth lines, the vigorous heroic. The impact on all ground crews and pilots at the airport is unparalleled. Not for anything else, but for the fact that since the beginning of the war, the Northwest Air Force has single-handedly picked up the burden of the northern air, and since the beginning of the war, the Northwest Air Force has shot down more than 300 Japanese planes. This is almost as large as the total number of aircraft that the Central Air Force can actually participate in before the full-scale war.

Commander-in-Chief Zhao was still scolding before, but when the plane of the Northwest Air Force arrived, he couldn't help but be silent.

As one plane after another landed on the airport. The airfield, which was originally home to only a dozen or so Hawk fighters of the Central Air Force, began to fill up.

There are still a dozen planes hovering in the air.

"Immediately refuel our plane, no need to say more polite words, the plane I brought here, to keep the best condition at all times." Zhang Niansco got off one of the planes, looked at Zhang Nianspoon and said, "It seems that I have been borrowing your army's command room for a while, and Commander Zhao should have received an order." ”

"Received, I will assist General Yang in commanding the air force in the future." Commander Zhao's face was green, but at this time, he could only suppress the unhappiness in his heart, and there was no way. At present, the Northwest Air Force has as many as two squadrons of planes landing at the airport alone, and there are also as many as one squadron of planes hovering in the air. And because of the previous record of the Northwest Air Force. Even if the number is equal, let alone Li Zongren, even Commander Zhao, he doesn't have much confidence in these **** styles.

"Okay, without further ado, let's get started." Zhang Nianscoo walked into Commander Zhao's command room against the wind. Glancing at an old acquaintance from afar. It's just that time is pressed now, and there is not so much effort to make friends.

Jiang Xingcheng looked at Zhang Niansco into the command room with a complicated expression, they were all veterans when the young marshal formed the Air Force. Experienced the tragic air battle in Mukden together. Later, in the northwest, Jiang Xingcheng was co-opted by Nanjing and took two acquaintances to Nanjing. At this time, Jiang Xingcheng was the battlefield of Xuzhou, and the air force was second only to the air colonel commanded by Zhao. But when I saw the shining gravel on the other party's shoulder. Jiang Xingzhen couldn't help but feel a little uncomfortable in his heart.

Just like the Army, with the same military rank, the gold content of the Northwest Army is always much higher, and the Northwest Army is an army that is almost as good as a group army of the Central Army. The same is true in the Air Force. At present, Zhang Nianscoo is already a major general of the Air Force in the northwest, and he can be responsible for air combat in one direction alone. The number of planes commanded by him also far exceeded him. thought that at that time, he was also one of the few figures in the Northwest Air Force, and later accepted the recruitment of Nanjing and left the northwest. I thought that I could have a broader space for development in Nanjing, but time has passed, but I didn't expect that the situation between the two sides has been reversed.

The Central Air Force was thrown away by the Northwest Air Force for 108,000 miles. Although the Northwest Air Force was still in the north and was still suppressed by the Japanese army, until now, the Japanese air force has not been able to completely seize air supremacy in the north, and the Northwest Air Force is still resolutely resisting. A large number of kills were inflicted on Japanese aircraft. On the other hand, in the south, the entire sky above the Central Army has become a racetrack for the Japanese air force. The resistance of the Central Air Force was extremely weak.

What made Jiang Xingcheng even more shocked was that in just a few years, the Northwest had the ability to manufacture aircraft in batches, and now the main types of aircraft in the Northwest fighting against the Japanese army were all produced by the Northwest itself. Compared with the main force of the United States on the central side, there are still some purchased from the Soviet Union, and all aspects must be controlled by others. This kind of huge psychological gap, even if Jiang Xingcheng thinks about it, he doesn't feel good in his heart, and Zhang Nianlao in front of him can be regarded as an old acquaintance, and he doesn't say hello when he sees him. Going straight to the command room, Jiang Xingcheng seemed to be unable to do anything except sigh. It's a pity that there is no regret medicine in the world, if he didn't come to the Central Air Force, at this time in the northwest, he would at least be a major general of the Air Force. Now, it can only hold the limited aircraft on the central side, and it is struggling to support it under the encirclement and suppression of the Japanese air force.

In fact, Jiang Xingcheng was a little wronged by Zhang Nianscoo, although since Jiang Xingcheng decided to accept Nanjing's recruitment, the two sides have almost no contact, but the friendship that they fought side by side together before is still there after all. Zhang Niansco didn't have the time to give Jiang Xingcheng a look. At present, it is the right thing to familiarize yourself with the operation of Taierzhuang as soon as possible, and to command the air force to fight. The Northwest sent sixty planes over, but they didn't come to play. If he didn't achieve the corresponding results, he would lose too much, and he would not have the face to explain to Gao Zhihang when he went back.

Whoosh

Among the 60 planes that came this time, only 16 Zephyr 2 bombers, and all the others were Wyverns or Eagle series fighters. After all, the Xuzhou battlefield is not the home of the Northwest Air Force, and Zhang Niansco is still carrying out a relatively defensive battle. However, if it is counted as more than 30 planes of the Central Air Force here in Xuzhou, it is not small in number. At least, on the front line of Xuzhou, not to mention completely suppressing the Japanese air force, at least, it is impossible for the Japanese aircraft to take off fighters as unscrupulously as before.

At this time, the main point of contention between China and Japan was in Taierzhuang, and after the Taierzhuang dispatch army learned that the main force of the Seya detachment was coming to the south, with the strong support of the air force, it used dozens of armored vehicles and tanks to expand outward with all its might, and in the evening of the same day, before the air force withdrew, the front was advanced to the north bank of the Nantou Canal in Taierzhuang. Against the backdrop of fierce artillery fire, Sun Lianzhong sent a regiment of the 30th Division to Taierzhuang to reinforce it, and the 31st Division held the Xizhuang position hard, using the flesh and blood of the soldiers to open the way, and a large number of soldiers rushed directly to the opponent's tanks and armored vehicles with cluster grenades. Coupled with the thousands of people of the 31st Division who had been killed before, as well as a large number of Japanese troops, Taierzhuang was already full of corpses at this time. Although the temperature in the north is not high at this time, by the end of March, the temperature in Xuzhou has warmed up partially, and when the sun is shining, the whole street is mixed with the smell of blood and the rancid smell of corpses.

But in such a harsh environment, both sides fought with all their might. Stepping on the decaying corpses and the undried bloodstains, the soldiers of the National * Army used their lives to resist the advance of the Japanese army.

Guan Lin's vanguard of the 52nd Army advanced overnight. Reach the vicinity of Ganlu and then attack the Japanese army east of Zhangshan. Linkland City Store, Sanfo Building and other places. After noon, the cavalry regiment, which was on guard east of Mukijo, engaged in a battle with the vanguard of the Japanese Sakamoto detachment. The 89th Division went to reinforcements and was repulsed by the main forces of the Sakamoto detachment. Towneburgh hurriedly dispatched the 4th Division to block the attack.

At this time, around Taierzhuang, the armies of both sides were interspersed everywhere, and Tang Enbo, according to the situation at this time, was worried about being attacked on his back and back, so as to avoid entanglement with the Japanese army and not risk the reason for a decisive battle. He actually gave up the attack on the Japanese army on the east side of Zhangshan Mountain. Under the cover of the 4th Division, it temporarily left the battlefield overnight and withdrew to the area east of Hongshan Town.

As a result of Tang Enbo's actions, the Japanese Sakamoto detachment fought fiercely with Guan Linzheng's 52nd Army and repelled the main force of the 52nd Army. That night, Sakamoto's detachment left a force to continue to block Guan Lin's expedition. However, the main force of Sakamoto's detachment rushed to the east of Taierzhuang from the gap that Tang Enbo had conceded.

At this time, Taierzhuang was under the onslaught of the Seya detachment, the main force of the Taierzhuang Dispatch Army. The situation is already critical. After Li Zongren and Chairman Jiang inspected the actions of the Sakamoto detachment, Bai Chongxi, who stayed in Xuzhou to assist in the command, was so angry that he scolded his mother.

However, fortunately, the troops in the Xuzhou area were abundant, and the 139th Division, which was originally transferred to prepare to besiege Taierzhuang, just blocked the gap in the east of Taierzhuang. The top brass of the Fifth War Zone breathed a sigh of relief, and the situation finally did not get out of control.

Sakamoto's detachment successfully rushed to the east of Taierzhuang and made contact with the 10th Wing of the Japanese Army. However, at this time, all units of the Fifth Theater also came, the 75th Army and its 6th Division, 13th Division, and one division and one brigade after another transferred from Linyi. Li Zongren was directly assigned to Tang Enbo's 20th Army Corps for command.

At this time, with Taierzhuang as the center, a large encirclement has been formed, and the encirclement is the Japanese army Seya, Sakamoto two detachments, as well as Taierzhuang dispatch army of more than 20,000 Japanese troops, after several hard battles, the Japanese army also suffered a lot of losses, and the strength dropped to about 18,000. This unit has more than 50 tanks of various types, more than 50 armored vehicles, more than a dozen heavy artillery pieces, and more than 70 mountain artillery pieces of various types. Such a force, for the central army near Taierzhuang, can be said to be armed to the teeth, and there is more fire support in the air, even if the central army of tens of thousands is on the periphery, the inside is surrounded and fighting, the war between the two sides is scorching, and the positions have changed hands. Enough breakthroughs have not been made.

"Send the battle report on the front line of Taierzhuang to the Central Plains Field Corps, and ask over there, where are the previous reinforcements? Didn't you send a mechanized brigade over, why didn't you come at this juncture? ”

Li Zongren walked around the headquarters with some uneasiness, muttering in his mouth. He wanted to be tougher and eat the Japanese troops near Taierzhuang in one go, but the previous layout was a little too big, and due to many changes on the battlefield, there were too many Japanese troops in his pocket. Originally, although Li Zongren prepared the idea of breaking the net, but now the 20,000 or so Japanese troops in the encirclement, with the combat strength of the Japanese army, it will be difficult to gnaw down for a while. At this time, the Japanese troops in the south also went crazy and rushed to cross the Huai River. Obviously, he knew that Taierzhuang had reached an extremely critical period, and if it wasn't good, the bamboo basket would be empty. The fish were not caught, but the nets that were cast out were about to be made by the Japanese army.

"Even the plane is coming, and it must be almost there." Bai Chongxi leaned back and said, "Besides, without Butcher Zhang, did you really eat a hairy pig?" With the participation of those aircraft of the Northwest Army in the battle, it was enough to solve a considerable part of the problem. (To be continued.) )