Chapter 11: The Air Force, a new independent service

The 70mm infantry cannon that was heavily equipped during the European war was cancelled. The reason was that the range of this type of artillery was too short. When dealing with tanks, it was difficult to penetrate the armor of German tanks head-on. It also had no advantage in range.

When Fang Jianxiong went south, Hefei Tractor Factory, which announced that it produced 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 shooting tests, this type of anti-tank gun was used in At a distance of one thousand to eight hundred meters, it can easily destroy the frontal armor of the Great Wall Type III tank currently equipped in China. Considering that the frontal armor of the Great Wall Type III tank is 60 mm, this weapon should be able to be used for a long time.

At the same time as the army was being reorganized, the Air Force Command was quietly formally established. Currently, no country has established a separate air force. The role of aircraft was tested in World War I. Before a guy named Duhei started writing a book, the Military Commission of the Republic of China was established. Order establishing the Air Force Command. At the same time, the Naval Aviation Command was established.

There is not much controversy in the selection of the Air Force Commander, and Feng Hua, who has great military achievements, does his part. However, this Air Force Commander is just a major general, inferior to ordinary military commanders. World War I proved the huge role of bombers. As a new weapon, aircraft Other functions have not received much attention, and only the Republic of China put such great effort into it.

Fang Jianxiong was very dignified and attended the establishment ceremony of the Air Force Command in person. It was located at the aviation school in Nanyuan, a newly built three-story building. A sign with the name of the Air Force Command and a set of firecrackers were hung. This was considered a success.

It's a little deserted, but at least he has his own territory, and Feng Hua is still very satisfied with it. As Feng Hua's colleague, the commander-in-chief of the naval aviation, Mu En, also has great achievements in combat. This fat man who looks not tall, in Europe Over the battlefield, he shot down fifty-five German aircraft, and was undoubtedly the first person in the aviation force of the expeditionary force.

Mu En was not happy to be transferred to the position of commander-in-chief of the Naval Air Force and given the rank of major general. However, the military orders were overwhelming. He could not stay if he wanted to.

After a simple ceremony, Fang Jianxiong and Chief of General Staff Jiang Fangzhen held a meeting in the conference room on the third floor of the newly established Air Force Headquarters. The opening was still the old habit. Jiang Fangzhen spoke first: "Some people have been complaining recently. What kind of air force was established? Aren't the planes just for reconnaissance?" , do you want to drop some bombs? Why create such a big scene? The real solution to the battle is the ground troops. No one can do it."

At this point, Jiang Fangzhen paused deliberately. As expected, a group of air force officers were upset, and all of them showed dissatisfaction.

"I don't care what others say. Everyone here must understand the importance of establishing an air force. Scientifically speaking, without air supremacy in future wars, the initiative on the battlefield will be lost. This is the judgment of the chairman of the committee and the consensus of all members of the Military Committee. .The 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 develops in the future depends on who is sitting here..."

Jiang Fangzhen talked about the importance of the air force in future wars for half an hour without any hesitation. Then Fang Jianxiong coughed. After attracting everyone's attention, he slowly said: "I am under great pressure to establish a separate air force. Ah. Those bastards from the navy and army are good at taking even a dime from me. Duan Feng, the person in charge of the General Logistics Assembly, holds a rank of major general and has to face the noise of a bunch of generals and lieutenant generals every day. , those days were really hard. A few days ago, Duan Feng came to me and I complained, saying that I couldn’t do any more work. I got up earlier than a chicken every day, went to bed later than a dog, and was as tired as an ox. If I don’t get the benefits, I still have to suffer. Complain. Take last week, Navy Commander Sal Lao sat in Duan Feng’s office and stayed for a whole day, just for ten new torpedo boats. Admiral, how many people did the Republic of China have? A slap! Now the country is engaged in construction and economy everywhere. Money is needed everywhere. Finance Minister Xiong Xiling goes through the back door to work every day. It’s miserable. I don’t want to complain to you, because it’s useless to tell you this. I just want you to know how difficult it is to establish this air force. The Air Force this year The funding is 50 million yuan. The Wuchang Aviation Manufacturing Group will provide you with free test flights of every new aircraft model. I hope the money will not be wasted. You still have fifteen to twenty years to work hard. To create the world's number one air force power. That's all. It's time to go back."

Fang Jianxiong walked away without haste, leaving behind a solid atmosphere in the room. The newly established Air Force currently has less than 5,000 people in total, and less than 2,000 people are actually flying on the front line. For such an army

The investment for the new unit was 50 million, which was an astronomical amount. Fang Jianxiong left, leaving the pressure on everyone present.

"Fuguo, you are so biased. The army's annual military investment is only 300 million, which is an army of 1.5 million. The navy's annual investment is only 100 million, which is also a scale of 150,000 people. The air force is less than 500,000.

Thousands of people, you gave 50 million.

"Jiang Fangzhen's heart is not calm, but he has a good skill. As long as it is Fang Jianxiong's decision, he will firmly support it. Cai E and Zhang Xiaohuai are also the same. The remaining Sa Zhenbing and Huang Xing, in the Military Commission

There were no waves splashing inside.

"Brother Baili, I won't talk about the truth. I dare say that you will find it worthwhile for your investment today. The rapid development of science and technology in the future is beyond the imagination of ordinary people. Since the second industrial revolution, mankind has entered

A new era began. Since the Qingdao War, our army has been able to continuously win

Profits depend on the use of military ideas and new equipment. The establishment of the Air Force also originated from this idea. In the future development of the Air Force, with the advancement 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 wars.

.Let’s put it this way, I will run the Air Force well even if I try to sell it.”

After what Fang Jianxiong said, Jiang Fangzhen was speechless. This determination was beyond his imagination.

There are two factors that determine the success or failure of the Air Force, one is its people, and the other is the performance of its aircraft. Feng Hua could not build an aircraft, so he could only work on his people. Marshal Fang left with his front foot, and Feng Hua's face became dissatisfied and ferocious, and he shouted sternly: "

Everyone has seen it and heard it. In the eyes of others, our Air Force is like a little mother-in-law. If it weren’t for Fu Shuai’s care, we would have been bullied to death."

In a word, the faces of the air force team members, whether they are Chinese or foreigners, are full of hostility, and all of them are bitter and hateful.

"Now I am announcing an order, Air Force Command Jiazi Order No. 1..." The content of the order is very simple. The first is to open an aviation school, and all available personnel will be dispatched to recruit graduates from various middle schools. The second is to cooperate with Wuhan

Cooperate with aviation groups to solve problems existing in the performance of existing aircraft. The final task is to strive to build an air force team with ten fighter wings and ten bomber wings within three years.

In the auditorium of the General Staff Guest House, after Zhu Daizhen and a group of people stayed in Beijing for a week, they finally received a notice for a meeting. The meeting time was set at nine o'clock in the morning. Zhu Daizhen and Gu Pinzhen lived in the same room. According to the rules of the army, they got up early.

.I will not be able to inspect the troops at this time, and I can only move around in the yard by myself.

It was already eight o'clock after breakfast. I went back to my room to tidy up my appearance. I went out at eight-thirty and showed up at the venue in my best appearance. At this time, the entire venue was full of people, all of whom were acquaintances. They had all crawled back together from the pile of dead people in Europe.

Brothers. Looking at the military ranks of these people, the worst are colonels and thirty or forty major generals.

After some lively greetings, Zhu Daizhen found a seat with his own nameplate in the venue, sat down quietly and waited. At this time, he could see the words "Expeditionary Force Celebration Meeting" written on the banner above the rostrum opposite.

Soldiers are soldiers. After sitting down, the venue quickly became quiet. At 8:55, the entire venue suddenly burst into warm applause. A group of people walked out of the rostrum. The leader was Fang Jianxiong, Chairman of the National Defense Military Commission, followed by:

Huang Xing, Jiang Fangzhen, Sa Zhenbing, Duan Qirui, Feng Guozhang, Cai E, Zhang Xiaohuai, Xu Shaojie. These are all members of the National Defense Military Commission. This lineup is larger than before, with a total of nine committee members. This committee overrides the national defense

Above the Ministry, it symbolizes the highest command structure of the national army.

According to the Constitution of the Republic of China, foreign wars must be ordered by the President, and the Military Commission is still under the leadership of the President. Of course, this is just a formality, but this formality must be followed. Many things that are inappropriate now should remain in a formal form.

In the future, when the overall quality of the nation is greatly improved, according to Fang Jianxiong's plan, there will be twenty years of compulsory education. It is inevitable that quantitative changes will lead to qualitative changes.

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

"Rise up, China, which has been humiliated for hundreds of years, build a new Great Wall with our flesh and blood. It is time for the Chinese nation to hold its head high..." The participants sang the national anthem in unison following the performance of the band. After the end, an order was given, and everyone sat down neatly.

.

The first item of the meeting was neither a summary nor a long report. It was a direct announcement of the list of meritorious personnel of the expeditionary force, who were awarded medals based on their achievements. Among the people conferring medals, Xu Shuzheng, who was not from the expeditionary force, unexpectedly appeared, although he was the last one to appear.

, but he received the highest honor, the Special Class Defense Hero Gold Star Medal, and was promoted to a one-star general. There are five levels of generals in the National Defense Forces, with the apex being marshal. Currently, there is only one marshal and one five-star general, Sa Zhenbing.

The reason why Xu Shuzheng received the special medal is very simple. He recaptured Mongolia and marched into Irkutsk. He was promoted from lieutenant general to one-star general. No one can find fault with him.
Chapter completed!