As for the real reason why the Japanese mobilized heavy troops to these three places to rapidly increase the strength of the Southern Army in Vietnam, which is currently entrenched in Vietnam, which is close to the western colonies in Southeast Asia, Yang Zhen naturally knows it very well, and the Americans, whose nose sensitivity is not too bad, Presumably at this time, the feeling of a storm about to come was born.
There has never been love without reason in this world, let alone hatred without reason. For the Japanese who are in an ongoing war, each division has its own decisive reason for mobilizing, and they have always been careful in using their troops. The Japanese army, regardless of the tense situation in the Northeast, increased the strength of the Southern Army so quickly. They would not do this without purpose.
The Japanese army is so aggressive in mobilizing forces to its newly formed Southern Army, which is now deployed in Vietnam, and some of its troops have even entered Thailand. The current strength of the Southern Army is several times higher than when it first entered Vietnam. The Japanese Even a fool in the United States knows what this action is doing.
Just maintaining public security in Vietnam does not require so many aircraft, tanks and serious field divisions. In any case, there are tens of thousands of French troops dispatched to Indochina in Vietnam. If it is just suppression as they say, As for the resistance in Vietnam, there was no need for the Japanese to go to war.
Especially when the Japanese army only fought on the South China battlefield where the war situation was the least tense, and never participated in any large-scale battles. Before being transferred to China, the Guards Division, which had always defended Tokyo, was also transferred to Vietnam. Now, The newly formed Southern Army, which is still a military-level organization for the time being, is second only to the Eleventh Army on the Chinese battlefield in terms of strength and size. Its strength and equipment are the champion of other Japanese military-level organizations.
The current Southern Army does not include the garrisons in Taiwan and Hainan Island, which are also part of the Southern Army. It has three divisions in Vietnam alone. The most important thing is that the Japanese army is still organizing newly formed troops at home and on the battlefield in Guanhan. Divisions are still being concentrated in Vietnam and the Philippines.
Whether it is Vietnam or Taiwan, they are too close to the Philippines, the U.S. military's Far East colony. Not only can Japanese bombers cover half of the Philippines from Taiwan, but they also take off from Saigon Airport in Vietnam. They can also cover most of Southeast Asia, including Myanmar. Within its combat range, the Japanese army, the newly formed Southern Army, has become a sharp sword that can fall at any time in the American, British and Dutch colonies in Southeast Asia.
Faced with such military pressure, Yang Zhen knew very well that the United States needed to attract and disperse the Japanese forces in the north to reduce pressure on the Philippines and resource-rich Southeast Asia. This arms embargo would not last long. Maybe this time the battle won't be over, and we won't need to go looking for them ourselves, and the Americans will take the initiative to look for us.
Especially Major Pearson, who currently serves as the U.S. Military Observer Corps in the Anti-Japanese War and leads the more than 30 American officers and technicians who have come over. They are dedicated and do not even take vacations. They are observing the progress of the war at the Harbin Anti-Japanese War Headquarters every day. , Oh, he has been promoted to lieutenant colonel, and he just barely moved his bedroll to the Anti-League Headquarters to compete with the security regiment for a berth.
Yang Zhen estimated that by the end of this year, or at the latest by the beginning of next year, the first batch of weapons and equipment aided by the Americans would arrive at the Anti-Japanese War. On the list of weapons needed that had been drawn up long ago, Yang Zhen spoke directly and rudely. That is, one hundred and fifty B-25 bombers, three hundred M-3 light tanks, and one hundred M-3 medium tanks.
In addition to 200 37mm anti-tank guns, 200 M II half-track armored vehicles and 500 M III half-track armored vehicles, there are also a large number of diesel engines, aircraft engines, and large amounts of metal used by tanks and armored vehicles. Cutting equipment, as well as alloy armor steel, nickel-chromium alloy steel, and some other raw materials. As for combat aircraft, the more the better.
Of course, Yang Zhen also knew that the British, who were being beaten to a pulp by the Desert Fox on the battlefield in North Africa, suffered serious equipment losses, and whose self-produced equipment could not meet the quantity, would definitely find a way to stop them. For those who have always been selfish, For the British, who always put their own interests first, they would not grab food from the Soviets because they needed the Soviets to help share the pressure on the Germans.
But for the Chinese who they have always looked down upon, they will never be too irritated. No matter how urgent the Chinese are for these equipment, they will still grab it without fail, and the United States will first go to Europe and then Asia. The policy also destined that its assistance and supply of foreign weapons and equipment would first be tilted towards the United Kingdom and the Soviet Union.
At present, their own lifeline is stuck. The amount of weapons and equipment lost can scare people to death. The Soviets, who have almost gone crazy with their demand for heavy equipment, will definitely use their brains on American aid equipment. Therefore, in Yang Zhen's view, even if the Americans agree to give themselves The equipment assistance is also difficult to meet the needs of my own weapons list.
The British side was too far away for Yang Zhen to control, but Yang Zhen could still do some tricks on the Soviet side. After Wang Guangyu looted the Soviet army warehouse in Outer Mongolia, the Soviets promised to give the Soviet Union unlimited benefits when they came to visit. Recoil rifles and rocket launchers and corresponding ammunition, anti-aircraft weapons, and some communication equipment.
Although the warehouse already had enough stock of the recoilless rifles that the Soviet army urgently needed, if Yang Zhen wanted to, they could all be delivered within a month. However, although the production speed of anti-aircraft guns and anti-aircraft machine guns was slow, But it won't be a problem to complete the delivery before October.
However, in order to ensure the safety of his transportation lines, Yang Zhen secretly issued an order, using the excuse that the production speed was slow and the Anti-Japanese Alliance, which was fighting fiercely with the main force of the Kwantung Army, was in urgent need. The monthly delivery volume was not allowed to exceed fifty, rocket launchers and recoilless rifles. The ammunition was not allowed to exceed 600 rounds, and the scheduled delivery date was changed from August to October.
At the same time, Yang Zhen had clearly told Kovalev that in view of the current severe situation and the fact that the United States has stopped exporting military raw materials, and the Soviet Union can no longer provide the required steel to the Anti-Japanese Alliance, the delivery of anti-aircraft weapons can only wait until the end of this battle. Delivery can only begin after the anti-union.
Yang Zhen's actions are somewhat suspected of violating the original agreement, but this is also Yang Zhen's last resort to deal with the Soviet Union. He must ensure the safety and smooth flow of his lifeline to the United States. This is the bottom line that he absolutely cannot tolerate and touch. Cat If all the skills are given to the tiger, then all that is waiting for it will be nothing but human flesh.
It is equivalent to taking precautions against the Soviet Union. On the contrary, Yang Zhen is not too worried about whether the assistance from the United States will reach his own amount. Although the Americans will definitely not be able to satisfy such a large amount of equipment at once, there is still a saying that the price is sky-high. , repay the money on the spot?
Even if he opens his mouth, the Americans will definitely bargain. Even if it cannot meet his appetite, it is better to get as much as he can. However, Yang Zhen does not urgently need the quantity of bombers and other equipment, but he has booked Yang Zhen attached great importance to expanding the number of tanks and half-track armored vehicles needed in the armored division, especially the urgently needed M-2 and M-3 half-track armored vehicles. Yang Zhen was very urgent.
And now it's not just the Americans who are making demands of themselves. Facing the aggressive Japanese army, the pressure is even greater. The British, who had previously ignored the Anti-Alliance, even extended an olive branch. Not only last month, The number of military observers stationed in the Anti-Japanese Alliance was expanded from two to twenty.
Moreover, the representative was directly changed from a lieutenant who could not do anything and was just shaking his head to an air force colonel. His rank was even higher than that of the Americans whose highest military rank was only a lieutenant colonel. This British air force colonel was in After taking office, I have hoped to visit Yang Zhen many times.
It was even suggested that although the UK could not provide its own weapons and equipment to the Anti-Japanese Alliance at the moment, it could provide a low-interest loan to the Anti-Japanese Alliance. If the Anti-Japanese Alliance needed it, it could also provide a batch of Italian heavy weapons captured by the British in North Africa. Although The quantity is not large, but it can solve certain difficulties faced by the Anti-League.
As of February this year, the British army had seized more than a thousand artillery pieces, more than 300 tanks and thousands of cars during Operation Compass on the North African battlefield. The British believed that some of these weapons were made in Italy. The performance of tanks and artillery is still good.
At present, the British have captured a certain number of CV 33 ultra-light tanks, M 11 medium tanks and M 13 tanks, as well as 1913 65mm mountain guns, 105mm field guns, etc. Artillery, Type 1911 75mm field gun, Type 1934 75mm mountain gun, and a small number of 150mm howitzers.
The British proposed that if the Anti-Japanese Alliance needed this batch of Italian goods captured by the British army in the North and East African campaigns, the British could provide all of them to the Anti-Japanese Alliance. These equipment together with the freight did not require the Anti-Japanese Alliance to pay one pound in cash, and they would all be paid according to actual conditions. One-third of the price was deducted from the loan given by the British to the Anti-Japanese War.
It's just that Yang Zhen, who still has a deep memory of the British's previous arrogance, and who doesn't like the Italian garbage they provided, temporarily rejected the British, and also used the rush of the war as an excuse to only I met these guys once before the battle started, and during the rest of the time, I stayed away from these arrogant, old-fashioned, and mean guys.
It's not that Yang Zhen has to be tit-for-tat, but in addition to hating these British people, he also thinks that it is more important to win assistance from Americans than to the British who are unable to protect themselves, and those second-hand Italians provided by the British In his eyes, the goods are simply a pile of rubbish.
There are also so-called low-interest loans provided by the British, with interest rates as high as 8%, and they must be deposited in British banks. All arrangements must be reviewed by the British government. Not only are the conditions for this loan harsh, but the interest rates are also very low. It's almost the same as loan sharking.
The British are willing to provide loans, which is acceptable to Yang Zhen. However, this loan not only has high interest rates and harsh conditions, but also needs to be topped up with the Italian garbage they seized. This is simply unacceptable to Yang Zhen. In their eyes, it was like the British were using their hands empty-handed.
When the time comes, Yang Zhen will speak, but now, he thinks that he does not need to tangle too much with the British. He should treat each other with courtesy, but keep a respectful distance. This is the order Yang Zhen gave to those who receive the British. If it were not for the current situation of the United States and Britain All in all, Yang Zhen had the intention to drive these guys away, but Yang Zhen still focused on seeking assistance on the Americans, rather than on the British who wanted to take advantage.
Of course, these are still top-secret matters, but Yang Zhen cannot easily reveal them to his subordinates. At least it is absolutely impossible now. In the general environment of war, even if some things are done, strict scrutiny must be carried out. Keep it confidential. When you shouldn't say anything, never reveal anything.