476 Weakening of the Philippine Campaign

When the time entered February 44, the light aircraft carrier Liberty Dragon of the Haitang Army joined the Allied fleet again.

So is it that the strength of the Tang Navy in the Indian Ocean has reached an extremely weak point.

No. Although the strength is weak, it is not in a very dangerous state. You must know that the Essex-class aircraft carrier delivered by the United States to the Haitang Army has arrived in Ceylon. After some deployment, although the combat effectiveness is weak, it is enough to save face and deter the Japanese army.

When the United States delivered the aircraft carrier of the Haitang Army, out of a certain cautious eye, it gave the Haitang Army the last flat-deck aircraft carrier in the Essex-class aircraft carrier manufactured by the United States. After that, the U.S. Essex-class aircraft carriers will all use a sliding take-off deck and a landing inclined deck.

However, because of this, this aircraft carrier adopts the standard configuration of the Essex-class aircraft carrier of the US military, and almost all the new radars are available. Because, this was originally rationed to the US Pacific Fleet.

During this period, in just three months, the aircraft carriers of the Haitang Army changed from two to four, and the crew was able to solve the problem. The pilots of carrier-based aircraft, who had been a little more comfortable, were nervous again.

Aircraft carrier pilots of any country are more well-trained than the army. Therefore, the pilots of these four aircraft carriers are almost 60 percent of the elite of the Haitang Army's army aviation and strategic air force.

Since the Strategic Air Force has recently begun to accept the transport tasks of the US military on the Hump route in Burma, more than 90 transport planes occupy nearly 200 flights. In fact, it is difficult to draw too many people.

Under these circumstances, in addition, Li Guang transferred some PBY torpedo bombers used by the army air force, so the combat effectiveness of the army air force was seriously weakened, and the army air force had to withdraw from India to Ceylon and strengthen training on the mainland, and I am afraid that it will not be able to go to the battlefield for three to five months.

Of course. If, by the standards of Soviet and German pilots, a few hours of flying experience were enough to go into battle, the army aviation would still be all elite. However, the war lasted for four or four years, and it was already a brutal tug-of-war and war of attrition, and the average life of German pilots was only two battles, and Soviet pilots could hardly even be averaged twice.

There was a huge shortage of pilots in the Haitang Army, and Li Guang was absolutely reluctant to let these soldiers go to the battlefield to consume them. Like that kind of pilot, a pilot only has the lifespan of going to the battlefield twice, and such rapid attrition cannot be withstood by the Haitang Army. Even the Haitang Kingdom could not bear it. Pilots were one of the most culturally advanced groups in Haitang, and after the war, these people were the pillars of national construction.

In order to appease Tu Yuanchao, the captain of the Army Aviation Group, Li Guang made a promise that there are more than 300 flight cadets. Let the Army Aviation select two hundred people.

Even the three air forces of the Haitang Army are almost scrapped. The Haitang Army only had enough for less than 400 carrier-based aircraft pilots. It is still less than three times the number of pilots of the US military, with a reserve of less than fifty pilots. However, this is already the best period for the Haitang Army, and Li Guang is still quite pleased.

Four aircraft carriers were installed, and the Haitang Army also made adjustments to the four captains.

Shao Fuxuan, the former captain of the Indian Ocean aircraft carrier, was promoted to lieutenant colonel and served as the captain of the USS Arctic Ocean aircraft carrier (the newly delivered Essex-class aircraft carrier of the United States). He also served as the deputy commander of the Second Task Force of the Haitang Army. Air Captain Cheng Kaijia (former trained pilots for the U.S. Army)

The commander is Ji Keliang, commander of the submarine fleet of the Haitang Army. It is worth mentioning that Shao Fu Xuannai is the first real pilot captain of the Haitang Army. Of course, Li Guang knows that no matter whether it is the aircraft carrier of the US military in this era or the aircraft carrier captains of all countries in the 21 st century, there are all regulations -- they must have a pilot's license. However, it is easier said than done. Cultivating people is an extremely long process, and it was only at this time that the Haitang Army could be worthy of a real pilot captain.

Huang Zhonghua, the former captain of the aircraft carrier Liberty Dragon, took over as the captain of the aircraft carrier Pacific, with the rank of colonel. This is a captain of the Haitang Army who can barely be regarded as a pilot, Huang Zhonghua can fly fighters, and his flight experience is not less, but in essence, he is still a captain from a seafaring background. However, from the Liberty Dragon, which has been sunk in battle, to the current Liberty Dragon captain's resume, he can be called the first senior captain of the Haitang Army aircraft carrier.

Zhang Qianwen, the former captain of the USS PJP seaplane carrier, took over as the captain of the aircraft carrier Liberty Dragon. Rank colonel. For Zhang Qianwen, an old navy, this appointment is not a promotion on the surface, but it is a real promotion. Because, the Haitang Army has always treated the officers who were poached from Chairman Chiang with the original military ranks. And this time, Zhang Qianwen was promoted to the captain of the main aircraft carrier, which is a veritable rank of colonel. Liu Gensheng, the flight captain on the Liberty Dragon, continued to stay in office, not because Li Guang didn't want to promote his original guard, but because this kid likes to fly, likes to fight, and is not willing to be the captain.

The captain of the USS Indian Ocean is still a colonel. The flight captain is Lieutenant Colonel Qi Chang. After more than half a year as a pilot instructor in the US Navy, this elite pilot of the Haitang Army is extremely familiar with the tactics of the US military. He ranked first in the number of Japanese fighters shot down by the Haitang Army, and he had rich combat experience, so he deserved this position. In fact, if you add to this the results won by misleading the Japanese aircraft group in the last air raid on Tokyo by the Haitang Army, he may be the ace pilot in the world

There is a very high seat in the front.

The USS PJP seaplane carrier was captained by Lieutenant Colonel Yuan Chaozu. There was an officer on this ship who was more special, it was Yuan Chaozu's Japanese junior brother, and his former captive -- Nishimura Sanglong, who held the important position of chief navigator. This kid changed his Chinese name and called Longsang Village. Recently, this guy has been trying to fight the Japanese Sixth Division on Bougainville Island, and has come up with a lot of vicious tricks unique to Little Japan.

This is the main force of the Haitang Navy that Li Guang has done his best to build. Aircraft carriers alone, there are four regular aircraft carriers and one seaplane carrier.

Although the displacement of the fleet is not strong, in terms of combat effectiveness, the Haitang Navy ranks fourth in the world, which is not an exaggeration. After seven years, Li Guang was really proud to be able to build such a fleet in troubled times.

Having such a fleet would be more effective in the distribution of benefits after the war than in a million-strong army. This is precisely the reason why Li Guang spared no effort to build a navy at a cost of more than two-thirds of the military expenditure of the Haitang State.

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February 4th. Li Guang stepped onto the deck of the aircraft carrier Indian Ocean.

Preparations for the US landing operation are in full swing. As commander of the U.S. Seventh Fleet, Kincaid coordinated the landing fleet, transport ships, and logistics forces. It is obviously more suitable than Li Guang to do these jobs.

In the course of the previous stage of the battle, the Allied fleet fought extremely easily. After more than ten battles, the losses were slight and the achievements were impressive. However, the targets of the Allied attacks were all islands that were not important to the Japanese army, and the little devil has always been a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle. Although the successive strikes consumed a lot of the Japanese army's air power, such results were still not enough for the upcoming Philippine campaign.

In a landing battle, the US military will be exposed to the enemy on its back and belly, and this is a risk that the US military absolutely cannot bear.

Therefore, it is very necessary to further weaken the naval and air forces of the Japanese army in this large sea area. To achieve such an objective, the offensive must be targeted in several strategic locations, and the risk will immediately increase dramatically. Therefore, when Kincaid could not get out, it was logical for Li Guang to serve as the supreme commander of the battlefield.

Li Guang did not make major adjustments to the command and combat mode of the Allied fleet. In his opinion, what the Allied fleet lacked was not new tactics, but still run-in. To deal with the Japanese army, the large circular battle formation he proposed was sufficient.

Therefore, during this period, the actual command of the Allied fleet was almost all in charge of Zheng Xuechang, commander of the First Task Force of the Naval Resistance Army. Li Guang is just a name, or a guide at some key points.

As time passed, Li Guang became more and more aware that in the later war periods, he was afraid that he would never have the opportunity to go to the battlefield in person. He must intensify the training of Zheng Xuechang, who is currently the only one in the Haitang Army who can serve as the commander of the naval fleet.

Although the founding ceremony of the Haitang Kingdom has not yet been held, it is just a ceremony. In fact, in the latest parliamentary election, Li Guang was already the rightful president of the Haitang State in his absence - the interim president. However, during the war, this result was not hyped to the outside world.

Originally, Li Guang planned to postpone the election, after all, neither the constitution nor the election law had yet been formulated. However, after being officially recognized by China, the Soviet Union, the United States, and the United Kingdom, Haitang was already a normal country. More and more international affairs, domestic affairs, require that Haitang must have a legitimate national legal person, that is, a president. The previous grass-stage power structure must be changed. In fact, it's a little late to change. The internal and military aspects are not yet obvious, but in many international affairs, there are no state legal persons, and the name is not justified, and the loss of points is serious.

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On 14 February, the Allied fleet raided Rabaul. First there was an air raid by bombers, an ambush by fighters, and finally a shelling of the port of Rabaul by a formation of battleships. The Japanese naval and air forces in Rabaul were almost completely wiped out.

This is not at the same level as the previous battle. The Japanese Army and Navy were shaken.

February 19. The Allied fleet once again raided the base of Truk, the most central fortress of the Japanese army. In this battle, more than 150 Japanese fighters and more than 30 warships were destroyed.

February 23. The Allied fleet sneaks up on Palau. The biggest gain was that Koga Mine, commander of the Japanese Combined Fleet, was shot down a plane. The commander of the Japanese Combined Fleet had just been replaced, and within a few months, he had to be replaced again.

The Allied fleet won all three battles, and its prestige was unmatched for a while. Li Guang's reputation became even more prominent because of this. (To be continued......)