It's just a pity that in the face of Onishi Takijiro, the thorn in the navy, Lieutenant General Yoshimoto Teiichi's hard work was obviously a secret, and what he released may be good intentions, or a threat, to the arrogant Onishi Takijiro. The major general just pretended that he didn't hear it at all. Maybe he heard it but didn't take it into his heart at all.
Just as he finished speaking, before Umezu Yoshijiro could speak, a very unsociable and rude voice appeared among everyone present: "Your Excellency, Commander Umezu, and Chief of Staff Yoshimoto, This joint combat operation is commanded by Lieutenant General Tokugawa, which is somewhat inappropriate."
"Although this combat plan was formulated by the Kwantung Army, since the Navy is also the main force participating in the war, it is also qualified to make suggestions for the selection of this commander. The Kwantung Army cannot cover up the sky just because the plan was formulated by itself. Everything is decided in advance.”
"Our navy will be responsible for half of this bombing mission. The most difficult combat task of seizing air supremacy is also completely undertaken by the naval aviation team. In other words, in this mission, our navy is responsible for the main combat mission. I think it is absolutely unacceptable for the Navy to allow other personnel to take command under such circumstances."
"Navy officers with a glorious tradition will never accept the command of a man who has fought against the inferior Chinese people and suffered repeated defeats. There are losers and no winners. If the Kwantung Army Headquarters insists on doing this, it will be extremely serious. If it greatly affects the morale of the naval officers and soldiers participating in the war, it will have an extremely serious impact on the naval officers and soldiers participating in the war."
"As a naval representative attending this joint operations meeting, I must consider the acceptance capabilities of my subordinates and the explanations that must be given to the Navy Ministry and the Naval Command. I believe that this joint operations mission will be commanded by naval personnel. It’s quite appropriate.”
"Another point is that since the performance of the Army's fighter jets has lagged behind, it would be better for the Navy's bomber escort missions to be completed by our own fighter groups, lest the Navy's extremely valuable aircraft and pilots suffer damage due to the incompetence of some people. A heavy loss."
"The Army's Type 97 fighter jets are no match for those Chinese aircraft. They do not represent our Navy's Type 96 fighter jets, nor are they rivals. Your Army is afraid of war, but since our Navy Emperor Meiji created the new Navy, no matter what we face, Against any strong enemy, you don't know what it means to retreat."
"It is precisely because of this spirit that the empire has defeated opponents stronger than itself in previous wars. Whether it was the Manchu fleet or the Russian fleet, the imperial navy has never been afraid. Now it is facing these anti-union forces. , our navy will not be afraid."
"Everyone, what the Imperial Army has always paid attention to is not the advanced level of equipment, but whether the combatants have the spirit to fight to the death for His Majesty the Emperor. Since your Army Air Force lacks this spirit of fighting to the death in the face of a powerful enemy, then the Navy still has It’s better to undertake the escort yourself.”
"Of course, if the Kwantung Army insists on the original plan and acts so arbitrarily, the Navy can think that the Kwantung Army intends to embarrass the Navy and use the Navy as a scapegoat. If this is the case, then the Navy has the right to withdraw from this joint operation. We As a representative of the Navy, I will also directly reflect my views and opinions to the Minister of the Navy and the Naval Command."
The person who said these words not only stole the talk from Umezu Yoshijiro, but also mocked his Army colleagues. It was the person who had not said a word since entering the conference room and only glanced at the Army colleagues around him with contemptuous eyes. Major General Onishi Takijiro, and what he said was really hard for people to accept.
In Wuhan, Lieutenant General Tokugawa was pushed out from the position of commander of the bombing of Chongqing. The crowded Army Air Force had no choice but to give up the honor of bombing Chongqing, the capital of the Chinese government, and could only switch to bombing other cities. This was obviously against the Rear Admiral. This arrangement of the Kwantung Army was quite unpalatable, especially when they heard that Hainan Airlines was the main force in this battle, but he could only command a group of fighter jets. His face was quite ugly.
As for Lieutenant General Yoshimoto Teiichi's threats or good intentions, he didn't listen at all. For him, how to defend the honor of the navy on the territory of the army, or simply defend his own honor? is the first priority. As for the emperor, naturally the Prime Minister of the Navy and the Chief of Naval Command are responsible for dealing with it, and it is not his turn as a small naval officer to take on the responsibility.
At the moment, the most important thing is that the Navy must not let the Army take command. He, Major General Onishi Takijiro, let alone those idiots in the Army. What an international joke. This dispatch is mainly based on the Navy, and the task of seizing air supremacy is also The navy is responsible, so why let the navy take command?
Although the Kwantung Army Aviation Group did lose more than it won when facing the Allied Air Force, it was before the arrival of Lieutenant General Tokugawa Yoshitoshi, and the reason why the Army Aviation lost so miserably was not the Army Aviation. If the quality is not good, it is not a problem of command.
In fact, the performance of combat aircraft is too different from that of anti-Japanese fighter planes. The gap between the combat aircraft of the two sides is like a duel between a person holding a pistol and a person holding a machine gun. In this situation, Next, even if it were your navy, the result would be the same.
Besides, if you bring it up now, you are suspected of opening up an old score. On the other hand, aren't you trying to slap the face of General Yoshijiro Umezu, who has the highest position and highest military rank here? It seems that the Kwantung Army faced the Confrontation last year. The great rout of the battle was commanded by none other than General Umezu Yoshijiro in front of him.
Sure enough, after he finished speaking, the face of General Umezu Yoshijiro, who was sitting at the head of the table, instantly turned livid. Although he barely suppressed the anger in his heart and had not yet exploded on the spot, General Umezu clenched the handle of his saber. The bulging veins in his creaking hands clearly expressed the anger in his heart at this moment.
Does this guy know what he is saying, and what he means by these words? Does he mean that he cannot accept the command of Lieutenant General Yoshitoshi Tokugawa, or that he cannot accept the command of the Kwantung Army, that is, General Yoshijiro Umezu? If you want this command position, you still want to abandon the Guandong Army and let their navy act alone in this battle.
As for General Umezu Yoshijiro's livid face and anger, this man acted as if he hadn't seen it. After saying what he said, he sat down on his own, picked up the tea in front of him, and took a few sips. He drank it all, as if he had expended a lot of energy in saying these infuriating words.
Compared to General Umezu and Lieutenant General Yoshimoto Sadichi, who were trying their best to suppress their anger after hearing what he said, the current Commander of the Kwantung Army Aviation Force, Yomama, had worked with this guy in Wuhan for a period of time, and it was a cooperation that they would never forget. Lieutenant General Tokugawa Totoshi was not as calm as them.
When two people commanded the long-range air force of the Japanese army and navy in Wuhan to jointly carry out air raids on Chongqing and Dakou on the Chinese battlefield, they had a big quarrel for three days and a small quarrel almost every day because of the competition for dominance and command. They were so unstoppable that even the base camp was alarmed in the end.
Especially because this guy is so domineering. Not only does the Army have no way to intervene in the Navy's air raid plan, but even when the Army formulates its own air raid plan, this guy always makes irresponsible remarks. Lieutenant General Tokugawa was during the joint operation in Wuhan. , I couldn’t be less affected by this guy’s cowardice.
How can Lieutenant General Tokugawa Yoshitoshi, who has had enough in Wuhan and the anger of this arrogant guy, still be able to keep his composure? If Umezu Yoshijiro can still keep his composure because of his status, then Tokugawa Lieutenant General Chuan Haotoshi almost always looked at this guy with eyes that could kill someone.
If he were not in front of a group of senior Kwantung Army commanders, he would not only have to maintain the dignity of a warrior, but also maintain the demeanor of a general. He had been silently thinking in his heart not to be as familiar with this guy who was just here to disrupt the situation, and forcibly suppressed the anger in his heart. Tokugawa Yoshitoshi could not wait to throw all the tea in his hand at that hateful guy. He even pulled out his saber and wanted to fight this guy in a duel.
Is this guy here to attend the joint operations meeting, or is he just here to stir up trouble? If you want to compete for command, you can raise it openly. This matter is not non-negotiable, but why should your premise be based on trampling on Why should others trample on other people's dignity under their feet?
In the early stage of the air raid on Chongqing, when there were no new fighter jets to escort the naval aviation, were the losses even smaller than those of the army? In the early days of the war, when the naval aviation carried out the air raid on China, the losses seemed to be very high. If you hadn’t developed A new type of fighter jet with an ultra-long range has been released, and it’s hard to tell who is going to laugh at who.
Indeed, when conducting air raids on China's rear areas such as Chongqing, the Army's losses were much greater than those of the Navy due to aircraft performance reasons, especially the lack of fighter jets capable of long-range escort. Even last year, the Army completely switched to the Navy leading.
But this problem is not just about command. It is more about the fact that the performance of the army's aircraft is not as good as that of the navy. Also, for the army, because it was originally believed that the main task of the army aviation was ground support, rather than long-distance raids on the enemy's rear, so for long-range Training in bombing was somewhat inadequate.
The combat aircraft deployed by the Army in the Guanci Civil War are mainly tactical aircraft. Among the heavy bombers with the best performance and longest range, the Type 97 heavy bombers, which can carry out long-range bombing on the rear areas of China, are insufficient in number. The bombers deployed in the Kwantung Army suffered heavy losses in the First World War last year, including a large number of Type 97 heavy bombers.
As for the imported Italian bombers, they were pure crap. Not only did they suffer heavy losses, but their quality was also extremely poor. Most of the aircraft were dispatched once or twice before their engines were basically scrapped, and their attendance rate was not as good as that of the old Type 92. The lack of combat power of bombers has also greatly affected the attendance rate of army aircraft.
The Army's performance in the air strikes against the Chinese government's rear areas was indeed not very good, especially the bombing of Chongqing, which was not as outstanding as the Navy's performance. However, the Army Aviation's performance in the air strikes against the Chinese government's rear areas was not as good either. When it comes to evaluation by your navy, everyone is at best equal to half a pound to half a pound, and no one performs much better than anyone else.
In the early days of the war, the captain who committed seppuku due to heavy losses came from your navy. Those four kings of the navy who were almost praised by you all died within half a year. Now you see It seems that it has an advantage over the army, but it is just that your navy has the advantage in aircraft performance.