Also stationed here is the 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division of the US Army, codenamed "Howling Eagle".

The unit was newly formed and more or less experimental in nature. Most of the soldiers were young men born after the First World War, some were farmers, some were workers, and some were students. Before coming to the UK, they were concentrated in the Tocoa camp on their home soil for four months of training, and beyond that, there was nothing.

The 506th Regiment is an experimental unit, and unlike other paratroopers, this paratrooper used to be infantry. Not to mention ordinary soldiers, even many officers have not skipped the actual training.

This point, compared with the 336 Brigade led by Huang Zheng, is too far away.

The officers and men of the 336 Brigade have rich experience in parachuting, and before they were formed into a helicopter unit, this unit had already made a surprise attack for thousands of miles and launched parachute operations.

More importantly, this unit has participated in hundreds of actual battles, and it is no exaggeration to say that an ordinary soldier in this unit has experienced more battles than the officers of the 506th Regiment of the US Army.

An army that comes out of blood and fire is fundamentally different from those that are made up of raw melons and eggs.

However, this does not mean that the 506 regiment is not good.

In war, in many cases, weapons and equipment occupy a large proportion, courage accounts for a part, experience accounts for a part, and luck also occupies a large place.

There is no doubt that the lads of the 506 regiment were not inferior in weapons and courage.

Of course, this does not mean that the Chinese army does not need to replenish anything, on the contrary, there is still a lot of supplemental things that they need to learn.

In helicopter assault operations, they not only need to be proficient in the use of weapons in their hands, but also need to learn the use of German weapons, as well as radio operation, various sign languages, and especially to pass the language barrier.

The study of these things has enabled the officers and men to make their daily schedules full.

In addition to the training grounds, dormitories, and canteens, the officers and men go to the military service club and the bar next to it the most.

Around the camp there were two servicemen's service agencies, one for the 336 Brigade and the other for the 506 Regiment of the US Army. Because of the wartime, the supplies in the service were rationed: 7 packs of cigarettes, 3 lumps of candy, 1 pack of chewing gum, 1 bar of soap, 1 box of matches, and 1 pack of razor blades per person per week.

These are already enough for officers and soldiers from the country, and even they did not expect it to be so good.

But for those American GIs with sufficient logistical support, it seems to be a little less. As a result, American GIs would often exchange privately with the officers and soldiers of the 326th Brigade to buy cigarettes, chewing gum and other items.

These things were originally carried out in private, and they would not affect anything, so they were always carried out in accordance with the order of each other. This kind of customary rule agreed by the two parties in private, there is no special price and exchange method, sometimes it is barter, sometimes it is money for goods, and the quantity and number are also very different.

The planting of this hidden danger finally led to an outbreak.

One day on the weekend, a Chinese soldier had a dispute with an American soldier who came to exchange cigarettes because of poor communication between the two sides.

The Chinese soldiers were all rolled out of the pile of dead people, and their tempers were as big as the sky, so they couldn't hold back, and they fought back immediately.

When the two soldiers scuffled together, they happened to be seen by other officers and soldiers, and after these young men saw it, they quickly joined the battle formation.

Within a dozen minutes, dozens of people joined the melee. Both sides are young and vigorous, and both are physically strong, so they naturally don't give in to each other when they fight.

The fight continued for a long time, and it was not until the highest-ranking officers on either side stepped forward that the fight was stopped.

After the incident, there were personnel on both sides who were injured to varying degrees, but they were all minor injuries, after all, they were all fists and kicks, and it was difficult to hit serious injuries without using weapons.

However, it had a very bad impact, and it soon spread throughout other camps, saying that the officers and soldiers of the Chinese and American armies fought over a pack of cigarettes, which almost caused some diplomatic incident.

Fortunately, after the meeting between the high-ranking military officers of China and the United States, they felt that this trivial matter should not be exaggerated, and the two sides decided to punish their own troublemakers and soldiers, and the matter was put to an end.

Huang Zheng was criticized by his father Huang Ke because of this, he first said, "I don't criticize the young men who fight, if the soldiers are not bloody, then how can they fight?" But that doesn't mean I'm for it. What does it look like to fight an ally in the UK? The main responsibility for this matter lies with you, how did you lead the troops? ”

After being scolded by his father's bloody head, Huang Zheng was a little depressed. But in the end, it is a small matter, and he doesn't plan to continue to pursue it, but how can he prevent this kind of thing from happening in the future?

After thinking about it, Zhu Jingxing felt that the problem was the communication between Chinese and American soldiers, so he proposed to Huang Zheng whether he could communicate with the officers of the US army, and the two sides could jointly manage this kind of private business. Once this kind of behavior is put an end to it, the soldiers of China and the United States will not be able to communicate, and there will be no unpleasant incidents.

Huang Zheng took his advice and approached Colonel Robert Zink, commander of the 506th Regiment of the U.S. Airborne Division.

Colonel Sink is a guy who is good at talking, and after listening to Huang Zheng's explanation, he said bluntly: "General, don't worry about what happened last time, it's normal for young men to get drunk and fight." I don't think this kind of trading behavior needs to be managed. ”

Huang Zheng frowned, and Colonel Sink laughed: "To be honest, I sometimes arrange for my orderlies to go to your side to exchange for something." Because it's a time of war, it's understandable that there is a shortage of supplies, but we will find ways to meet some basic needs, for example, if you can't get used to chewing gum, we may not be able to do without these things, so we are willing to pay, and you stay and feel that it is useless, why not exchange? Anyway, it didn't go to the Germans? ”

Although Huang Zheng found it difficult to accept his concept for a while, the complete logistics system and sufficient material supply of the US military are indeed enviable, and of course, this has also developed a lot of habits for American GIs to enjoy.

"Well, Colonel Zink, I respect your opinion. However, these actions are not allowed in the Chinese army, and we need to unilaterally manage our officers and soldiers. Huang Zheng said to him.

After hearing this, Zink hugged his shoulders and pinched his chin and thought for a while, and then said, "Mr. General, it is your freedom to manage your troops, but I have some ideas that I want to propose. ”

"Please." Huang Zhengdao.

Colonel Sink crossed his hands on his hips, pursed his lips and said, "Look, Mr. General, we are all the same team, the difference is that many of you have experienced war, and you know what war is. But most of my troops are a group of young men who have never seen much of the world, most of them come for the thrill and special allowance of paratroopers, I have also experienced war, since war is so cruel? Why not give them a little optimistic hope? ”

This statement made Huang Zheng feel novel, and he looked at the man from Texas standing opposite him. Dressed in a khaki Airborne Training Uniform, with a soft epaulette of the rank of colonel on his shoulders, a small silver wing badge pinned to his chest, and a small mustache on the corner of his mouth, he looked a little different from the Texas cowboy feel, more like a tavernkeeper.

Huang Zheng smiled, "Well, our young man has fought a lot of battles, but this has nothing to do with combat experience, and he can't be proud of his achievements." At all times, military discipline is something we must grasp. ”

"I didn't mean that." Colonel Zinke shrugged, "I've seen all of your examples. It's really remarkable that Japanese monkeys are beaten up in both Myanmar and China. But we're dealing with the Germans this time, so you'll have to change your mind. ”

Huang Zheng didn't speak, and Zhu Jingxing, who was beside him, smiled slightly and replied in English: "The Germans are no different from the Japanese, and a shot is a hole." ”

Hearing Zhu Jingxing's words, Colonel Xinke's face became grim, and he said seriously: "Do you know? One battalion of the Japanese army set a world record of 72 hours on foot and 100 miles on foot in the Malay Peninsula, which is enough to show the tenacity of this group of Japanese monkeys. It's admirable that you can beat them up and them out. But so can my people! ”

"Of course, I also believe that this should not be a difficult task in your troops. What I want to say is, if your lads are so good, why can't we give them a little more freedom? Colonel Zinke continued: "I have no intention of offending, and I have no other meaning. But I want to tell you the truth, your army's subsidies to officers and soldiers are indeed somewhat small. In the 506th regiment, 50 dollars a month for soldiers and 100 dollars a month for officers, so a lot of lads came to us for this money. If they are willing to exchange their money for cigarettes, chewing gum, etc., why should we stop it? ”

"......" Huang Zheng didn't know what to say, this guy's thinking was a little strange.

Xinke patted Huang Zheng on the shoulder and said, "What the boys are willing to do, we don't want to stop it." Their usual training is too hard, and the next war they face is also very cruel, so they are willing to drink and talk to girls, and I have no objection to these. Of course, the premise is that you can't do something out of the ordinary. I plead with the general not to stop our interactions. ”

Huang Zheng understood what he meant, since he made such a request, it would be a little unsatisfactory for Huang Zheng to refuse again. He smiled and said, "Well, okay then, but we need to strengthen the management of both sides, and we can't let them have the same unpleasantness as last time." ”

Zink laughed, "Of course. In a few days, Prime Minister Churchill and General Eisenhower will come to inspect it, and we will do an operation together in the next few days, so that these young lads who have nowhere to vent their energy can be consumed. ”