Chapter 11 The New Independent Service - Air Force

During the war in Europe, a large number of 70-mm infantry guns were eliminated, because the range of this type of gun was too close, and it was difficult to penetrate the armor of German tanks head-on when dealing with tanks, not to mention that it did not have an advantage in range.

During Fang Jianxiong's southward journey, the Hefei Tractor Factory, which claimed to produce bulldozers, developed and produced a tracked 75-caliber anti-tank gun in accordance with the requirements of the General Logistics Department, which was internally called the Hongqi Type 1. After many target tests, this type of anti-tank gun can easily destroy the frontal armor of the currently equipped Great Wall III tank at a distance of 1,000 to 800 meters. Considering that the Great Wall III tank has 60 mm of frontal armor, this weapon should last a long time.

At the same time as the reorganization of the army, the air force command was quietly and formally established, and at present, no country has established a separate air force. The role of the aircraft had been tested in the First World War, and before a certain guy named Duhei had begun to write a book, the Civil Council issued an order for the establishment of an air force command. At the same time, the command of naval aviation was created.

There is not much controversy about the choice of the commander of the Air Force, and Feng Hua, who has made great achievements in battle, is in charge. However, this commander of the Air Force is only a major general, and he is not as good as an ordinary commander of a military region. The First World War proved the great role of the bomber, and the aircraft as a new weapon, other roles were not paid much attention, and only the Republic of China made such great efforts.

Fang Jianxiong was very face-saving and personally attended the inauguration ceremony of the Air Force Command. The location is in the aviation school in Nanyuan, the new three-story building, hang a sign of the Air Force Headquarters, and put a firecracker, which is considered to be alive.

Leng Qing is a little lonely, but he finally has his own territory, and Feng Hua is still very satisfied with this. As Feng Hua's colleague, Mu En, commander-in-chief of naval aviation, also made great achievements. This fat man, who didn't look tall, shot down fifty-five German planes over the European theater of war, and deservedly became the first person in the aviation of the expeditionary force.

Transferred to the naval aviation as the commander-in-chief, with the rank of major general, Mu En was still very unhappy. However, the military order is like a mountain, and it is not something he can stay if he wants to.

After the brief ceremony, Fang Jianxiong and Chief of General Staff Jiang Fangzhen met in a conference room on the third floor of the newly established Air Force Command. The opening is still an old habit, Jiang Fangzhen spoke first: "Some people have been complaining recently. What kind of air force is set up, isn't the plane just a job to reconnoiter and drop some bombs? What are you doing with such a big scene? It is the ground forces that will really solve the battle, and no one will be able to come. ”

Speaking of which. Jiang Fangzhen paused deliberately, and a group of officers of the Air Force were really unhappy, and they all showed disgruntle.

"I don't care what others say, everyone here must understand the importance of establishing an air force. Scientifically speaking, future wars will not have air supremacy, and they will inevitably lose the initiative on the battlefield. This was the judgment of the chairman of the committee and the consensus of all members of the Military Council. The Central Military Commission and the Ministry of National Defense will not waver in their determination to increase investment in the Air Force. How the Air Force will develop in the future will depend on the positions present. ……。 ”

Jiang Fangzhen talked about the importance of the air force in the future war for half an hour without stumbling before it ended, and then Fang Jianxiong coughed, attracting everyone's attention before he said slowly: "Establish a separate air force." Lao Tzu is under a lot of pressure. Navy and Army bastards, it's good to take a dime from me. Duan Feng, the person in charge of the general assembly of the General Logistics Department, carries the rank of major general and has to face the noise of a group of generals and lieutenant generals every day. It was a hard day. A few days ago, when the wind came to Lao Tzu, I complained, saying that I couldn't do the work. I get up earlier than the chickens every day, sleep later than the dogs, and I am tired like a cow, and I have to complain if the benefits do not fall. Last week, the commander of the Navy, Sa Lao, sat in Duan Feng's office and squatted for a day, just for ten new torpedo boats. Admirals, how many are there in the Republic of China? A slap in the face! Now the country is engaged in construction and economy everywhere, and money is needed everywhere, and Finance Minister Xiong Xiling goes to work every day through the back door, which is called a miserable one. I don't want to complain to you, because it's useless to tell you this, but I just want you to know how difficult it is to set up this air force. The Air Force's funding for this year is 50 million yuan, and the Wuchang Aviation Manufacturing Group will provide you with free test flights of every new model that comes out. I hope that this money will not be wasted, and that you have fifteen to twenty years to work hard to build a world-class air power. That's all, it's time to go back. ”

Fang Jianxiong patted his ass unhurriedly and left, leaving a room full of frozen atmosphere. At present, the newly established air force has less than 5,000 people up and down, and less than 2,000 people are actually flying on the front line. For such a new army, the investment of 50 million was definitely a day number. Fang Jianxiong left, and the pressure was left to the people present.

"Fuguo, you are so biased, the army's annual military expenditure is only 300 million, which is 1.5 million troops. The navy invests only 100 million yuan a year, which is also the scale of 150,000 people, and the air force is less than 5,000 people, and you give 50 million. Jiang Fangzhen's heart is not calm, but he has a good one, as long as it is Fang Jianxiong's decision, he will resolutely support it. Cai Ye and Zhang Xiaohuai are also the same. The rest of Sa Zhenbing and Huang Xing couldn't make any waves in the Military Commission.

"Brother Baili, I won't talk about the big truth, today's investment, I dare to say that you will definitely feel that it is worth it in the future. The rapid development of science and technology in the future is not something that ordinary people can imagine. Since the Second Industrial Revolution, mankind has entered a new era. Since the Qingdao War, our army has been able to continuously win victories because of the application of military thinking and new equipment. The creation of the Air Force was also born from this idea. In the future development of the air force, with the progress of science and technology, new aircraft will continue to emerge, and it is an inevitable trend for the air force to become the protagonist of the war. Let's put it this way, smash the pot and sell iron, and I will also run the Air Force well. ”

After Fang Jianxiong's words, Jiang Fangzhen was speechless, this determination was beyond his imagination.

The success or failure of the Air Force depends on two factors, one is the performance of the people, and the other is the performance of the aircraft. Feng Hua couldn't build an airplane, so he could only work on people. Fang Dashuai left with his front foot, and Feng Hua's face on his back foot was not hideous, and he roared sharply: "Everyone has seen it, and they have heard it." In the eyes of others, our Air Force is raised by a little lady, and if it weren't for the commander's care, we would have to be bullied to death. ”

In a word, the air force team in the work, whether Chinese or foreigners, has a fierce anger on their faces, and they all have bitterness and hatred.

"Now I announce the order, the Air Force Command Jiazi-1 order ......." The content of the order is very simple, first of all, to open an aviation school, and all the existing personnel can be dispatched, and to recruit graduates from various middle schools. The second is to cooperate with Wuhan Airlines Group to cooperate on the existing aircraft performance problems. Finally, there is the task, which is to strive to build an air force with 10 fighter wings and 10 bomber wings within three years.

In the large hall of the General Staff Guest House, Zhu Daizhen and a group of others finally received a notice to hold a meeting after staying in Beijing for a week. The meeting time was set at nine o'clock in the morning, Zhu Daizhen and Gu Pinzhen lived in a room, and got up early according to the rules of the army. They will not be able to inspect the troops, so they can only operate in the courtyard on their own.

After breakfast, it was already eight o'clock, I went back to my room to tidy up my appearance, went out at half past eight, and appeared at the venue with the best attitude. At this time, the whole hall was full of people, acquaintances, brothers who had crawled back from the European dead pile. Looking at the military ranks of these people, the worst are colonels, thirty or forty major generals.

After some lively greetings, Zhu Daizhen found a seat with his own famous brand at the venue, sat down quietly and waited. At this time, you can see clearly that the banner above the rostrum opposite reads the words "Expeditionary Force Celebration Conference".

Soldiers are soldiers, and after sitting down, the venue quickly quieted down, and at 8:55, the whole venue suddenly erupted in warm applause. A group of people came out of the rostrum, led by Fang Jianxiong, chairman of the National Defense Military Commission, followed by Huang Xing, Jiang Fangzhen, Sa Zhenbing, Duan Qirui, Feng Guozhang, Cai Yi, Zhang Xiaohuai, and Xu Shaojiao. This is the entire membership of the National Defense Military Council, which is larger than before, with a total of nine members. This committee, which overrides the Ministry of Defence, symbolizes the supreme command body of the national army.

According to the constitution of the Republic of China, foreign wars must be ordered by the president, and the military council is still under the leadership of the president. Of course, this is just a formality, but this form must go. Many things that are not suitable now are maintained in a form until the national quality is greatly improved in the future. According to Fang Jianxiong's plan, there is a 20-year compulsory compulsory education, and it is inevitable that quantitative changes will cause qualitative changes.

The meeting was presided over by Huang Xing, and the first item was for everyone to stand up and play the national anthem "March of the Republic".

"Rise up, China that has been humiliated for a hundred years, build a new Great Wall with our flesh and blood, and the Chinese nation will ...... when it is time to hold its head high." The participants sang the national anthem in unison with the performance of the band, and after the end, they gave an order and sat down neatly.

The first item of the meeting was not a summary, nor was it a long report, but it was directly to announce the list of meritorious personnel of the expeditionary force and award medals according to their achievements. Among the crowd of awards, Xu Shuzheng, who was not an expeditionary force, unexpectedly appeared, although he was the last to appear, but he won the highest honor of the special national defense hero Gold Star Medal, and was promoted to a one-star general. There are five ranks of Wehrmacht generals, with the apex being the marshal, and there is currently only one marshal and a five-star general, Sa Zhenbing.

The reason why Xu Shuzheng received the special medal was very simple, to recapture Mongolia and march into Irkutsk. From lieutenant general to one-star general, no one can find fault with it.

Zhu Daizhen was awarded the Silver Star Medal of the First Class National Defense Defender and promoted to major general. The reason was that they played an excellent role in the blocking battle, commanding the troops to harass and defend layer by layer, and the casualties of the troops were not large.