Chapter 1755 British and American looking for help
Chapter 1755 Britain and the United States are looking for help
At 8:30 in the morning, a group of aircraft flying from the direction of the Philippines appeared over the South China Sea.
Two fighter groups of the South China Air Force, which were already on standby in the air, flew over head-on and soon met up with the US Army's escort air force. One after another, they protected the guests and flew towards Xinjing.
At nine o'clock sharp, forty-five fighter planes from three squadrons serving as guidance aircraft successfully arrived above the Xinjing Airport. All A28 fighter planes, with their bulky fuselages all painted with new silver-gray paint, stood out from the crowd in a neat ladder formation.
It passed overhead at low altitude, and at the same time, a long line of colorful smoke was pulled out from the tail of the aircraft, which was extremely dazzling.
The deafening roar of the engine suddenly made the atmosphere at the scene boil, and a burst of warm cheers broke out.
The officers and soldiers of the military band played even harder, and the song "My Heart Will Go On" quickly brought the atmosphere of the scene to a climax. Reporters from South China and European and American countries took wonderful photos and video materials in a timely manner.
At five past nine in the morning, the guests' planes landed on the runway one after another.
After a squadron of P40 fighter jets and two DC-3 passenger planes from the U.S. Army Air Force landed, three more squadrons of A27 fighter jets flew in from the distant sky, trailing eye-catching colored smoke.
Forty-five A27 fighter jets, grouped into squadrons, continuously performed thrilling actions such as diving, pulling up, flipping, turning, etc., which triggered bursts of exclamation and cheers.
The plane was still gliding slowly. U.S. Secretary of State Hull, who was sitting in the cabin, asked the commander of the U.S. Army Air Force next to him: "General Arnold, I saw that you were standing in front of the porthole for a long time just now, observing the escorting Nanhua fighter jets. You
How do you think their aircraft performs?”
“Very surprising!”
Major General Arnold said with bright eyes: "Obviously, these two fighters are significantly better than the P37 and P40 fighters we equip our troops. Especially the group of aircraft in the front that are used as guides. Although they look extremely heavy, their firepower is super strong. I
After careful observation, it turned out to be equipped with eight aviation machine guns, so the threat to enemy fighter planes can be imagined."
"Where's the model at the back?" Hull asked with interest.
“It’s also very good!”
Arnold said without any doubt: "Obviously, it is a fighter jet that is very suitable for air dogfights. It has a slim fuselage, a cantilevered low-wing layout, and the length of the fuselage is increased to improve the longitudinal stability of the aircraft. I
I think if it is applied to our carrier-based aircraft, we won’t have to be too afraid of Japan’s new naval fighter jets!”
"yes!"
Former Chief of Naval Staff Admiral William Seeley came over with interest and said:
"According to information from the intelligence department, because this year is the year 2600 of the *** era, the new carrier-based fighter jet launched by the Japanese Navy was named the Zero Fighter. This fighter performed extremely well in the Maldives naval battle in March.
Excellent, later in the Western Indian Ocean naval battle, it once again defeated the Royal Navy's escorting carrier-based fighter jets, forcing the British to retreat to South Africa and rely on land-based fighter jets to protect the safety of the fleet.
"Currently, our navy is equipped with the F2A carrier-based fighter, but this carrier-based fighter cannot compete with the Army's P37. The P37 is produced using the technology of the Nanhua A25 fighter. I heard that the A25 is used to deal with the Japanese Air Force's Falcon.
It was very difficult to fight a fighter jet, but the Zero Fighter was much more advanced than the Falcon Fighter!
"Peace has lasted too long. Our aircraft manufacturers urgently need experience in designing advanced fighters and engines to quickly close the gap between us and the Japanese navy. Nanhua is a good candidate worth learning from!"
General McNair, dean of the Staff College, nodded: "Not only fighter planes and engines, but also many aspects need to communicate. Our army has not fought wars for a long time, and until now, we still don't know what will happen under the new technical conditions.
How should the troops be organized? How should we use tanks, how should aviation cooperate with ground troops, etc.
"Our opponent is most likely the Japanese army, and the one who has the most contact with the Japanese army in the world is the Anjia Army. This is an army with a very feudal character, but its founder is now the Republic of South China
leaders, so it is necessary for us to put down everything and gain successful experience from them!”
Hull's topic attracted the attention of many military and political officials. As the plane taxied slowly on the runway, Deputy Secretary of the Treasury Harry White came over and said with great concern:
"I'm a little worried that the other party will open its mouth too much to satisfy its greedy appetite. Look, we have aided the Nanjing government for 50 million US dollars, but they continue to ask us for more aid. Unlike Nanhua's national debt,
What they need is free assistance!
"According to the information we have, the current ongoing trade between the Nanjing government and Nanhua, the Chiang Kai-shek regime is not short of money now. I have reason to suspect that they have spent the money elsewhere!"
"Gentlemen, under the current situation, we are not afraid of spending money!"
Hull shook his head disapprovingly: "I'm afraid that China and South China will completely fall to the Axis powers! At present, the European continent has almost been occupied by Germany and Italy of the Axis group, and half of Asia is occupied by Japan. If at this time,
Germany mediates and conditions the withdrawal of Japan from mainland China. As a result, South China and China will form an alliance with Germany, Japan, and Italy. Then Eurasia will be completely lost, and the Axis powers will have the upper hand in terms of population and resources.
"Even if the total industrial output of the United States now ranks first in the world, if the other side does not give us the time and opportunity to transform, or simply fights with us and uses the advantages of the mainland to fight us and fight to the end, it will be of no use to the United States of America.
Rather than a terrible disaster, the end of the war will be far away, and in the end the war will be lost due to depletion of manpower, which no one wants to see!"
Milton, director of the Far East Division of the State Department, suddenly said: "You think, if we explained the terms of Hitler's peace with Britain to the leader who was a warlord, what would he choose? There are also *** people, if we get something like this
Will this report turn against Germany?"
"Judging from the reaction of the Germans, this possibility is very small!"
Assistant Secretary of State Searle said: "No one would believe that the dignified deputy head of state of a country and the successor to the Third Reich would be hot-headed and personally go to a hostile country to act as a negotiator. The German *** can bite back and say
This is our conspiracy to divide and alienate people. The German letter was typed out on a typewriter. We don’t have any evidence. This is not Hess’s private behavior.”
Seeing the plane slowly stopping, Hull took his wife's hand and said, "My dear, we have arrived at our destination! The climate here is very hot, and the sunscreen you bought in New York can come in handy."
Mrs. Hull smiled: "It's not as serious as you said! There are millions of Jews, one million French, hundreds of thousands of White Russians, and more than 100,000 Australian expatriates living in this land. They are not
Are you living a good life? I have seen the two wives of South China President An Yi in newspapers and magazines. They have delicate skin and beautiful faces. It is hard to believe that they are already mothers of several children!"
"Dear, don't you know? Nanhua's perfumes and cosmetics are very good. The 'Dream' series I bought for you is a product of Nanhua. It is said that this cosmetic is commonly used by An Yi's wives."
After Hull finished speaking, he stood up and said to a group of military and political officials: "Everyone, please prepare, we are about to officially launch a state visit to South China! Our British friends will definitely try their best to inform South China of the peace terms proposed by the Germans.
*** Government, as for what consequences it can achieve, don’t have too much hope, after all, in the game at the national level, everything is based on interests! "
The dignitaries and generals stopped discussing and talking and looked out the portholes.
Seeing the sight of colorful flags flying and crowds gathering on the wide concrete ground outside the tarmac, everyone had happy smiles on their faces. Nanhua received the delegation with such high-standard treatment. It seems that Nanhua’s senior officials were very satisfied with this visit.
Also full of expectations.
People stood up one after another, followed Mrs. Hull and walked towards the hatch of the plane. MacArthur fell behind, holding Eisenhower's hand, and asked quietly: "What is the domestic attitude towards South China?"
It can be said that Eisenhower was single-handedly promoted by MacArthur. Ten years ago, he graduated from the Army War College. When his future was uncertain, MacArthur, who valued him highly, was transferred to the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army. Later, he became the assistant to MacArthur, who served as the Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army.
He was promoted to lieutenant colonel. After MacArthur's term as chief of army staff expired and he was transferred to the military adviser to President Quezon of the Philippine government, Eisenhower also went to the Philippines to serve as MacArthur's senior assistant. As the U.S. Army expanded its military force, Eisenhower strongly requested to return to the United States, and MacArthur
Seeing that he couldn't keep him, he found Eisenhower the position of logistics planning officer.
In his heart, Eisenhower actually complained about MacArthur forcing him to leave him in the Philippines for several years. Although he could be reimbursed for his double salary and all expenses, and his life was very comfortable, it also delayed his way to promotion. However, for MacArthur, a member of the US military,
He still respected the heroic figure and quietly told the bottom line of this trip:
"We will try our best to meet the requirements made by Nanhua. Judging from the current situation, the other party obviously does not like Japan. Although there is quite a dispute with Germany, they do not trust each other and are more interested in exchanges.
Therefore, we can give them what they want and try to let them consume as many troops as possible, so that the United States will gain enough peaceful environment to arm its navy and army."
MacArthur nodded thoughtfully and said nothing.
...
As the cabin door opened, the gun salute began to sound, and then traditional Chinese folk music also started playing. The airport was very lively with dragon dances, lion dances, and gongs and drums.
There is no doubt that the welcome ceremony was grand, lively, and full of Chinese colors.
An Yi wore a festive red round-neck brocade buttoned Tang suit top and black silk pants. Ou Chuer and Feng Jieyun also wore custom-made palace attire, looking gorgeous.
The welcome ceremony was orderly. After the cordial meeting between the two parties, two young scouts, one male and one female, presented flowers to Hull and his wife, welcomed the guests to Nanhua, and then brought red scarves to the guests.
Nanhua's red scarf has a special meaning. It is the corner of the military flag, which represents sacrifice and loyalty. Only qualified little scouts can wear it.
Later, An Yi accompanied Hull to the reviewing stand. Amidst the roaring salutes, the military band played the national anthems of the two countries, and the national flags representing the two countries were slowly raised on the flagpole facing the reviewing stand.
After the gun salute, An Yi accompanied Hull to review the honor guard of the three armed forces.
Finally, Hull gave a passionate speech in front of the reporters' cameras, camera lenses, and radio broadcast equipment's microphones.
"Gentlemen, ladies, distinguished guests, today, I am in a very happy mood and very excited. I am very honored to receive such a warm welcome in Nanhua Xinjing, thousands of miles away from home. Today's grand event is Nanhua
The most direct manifestation of friendship with the United States, this visit means that the friendship between the United States and South China has entered a new stage..."
Hull's speech lasted for a quarter of an hour, neither long nor short, just right. It ended at the right time just as people were applauding for the breakthrough progress in relations between the United States and South China.
Hull shook hands with the diplomats and trade representatives from various countries at the scene one by one, and then left the airport under the strict protection of the South China Army and police forces. He rode in the same limousine with the Secretary of State's wife, and other delegation members sat in other
Vehicle and go to the State Guesthouse to rest.
At noon, An Yi will host a banquet in Xiaonanhai and entertain the guests warmly.
In the afternoon and evening, An Yi will also accompany the guests to visit Xinjing Heavy Machinery Factory, Xinjing Military Airport and Xinjing University, dine at a restaurant on the streets of Xinjing, and visit a night market near Hoan Kiem Lake
, allowing guests to truly feel everything about Nanhua.
Tomorrow morning, Prime Minister Xu Ziliang of the Government Affairs Council will hold another welcoming ceremony in the square in front of the Government Affairs Council. At that time, Secretary-General of the Central Government Jiang Yunshan, Minister of Foreign Affairs Ngo Dinh Diem, Minister of Finance Zhou Chongan, Deputy Chief of General Staff Yang Fei, Minister of General Logistics Department Chang Baofang and others will all
Attendance will be followed by consultations on specific matters.
...
Just as South China warmly welcomed the visit of US Secretary of State Hull, the Germans set off a new storm in Europe.
In the first ten days of this month, the Kingdom of Hungary, the Kingdom of Romania and the Kingdom of Bulgaria were all allowed to join the Axis Powers. Germany stationed heavy troops on the border of Yugoslavia and exerted diplomatic pressure in an attempt to win without a fight and force Yugoslavia to join the Axis Treaty.
Prince Paul, the regent of Yugoslavia, surrendered in the early morning of September 12th in the face of a German attack that could be launched at any time. However, this action was deeply unpopular with the Serbian people and military who opposed joining the Axis powers.
In one day, Serbian officers who opposed joining the Axis powers launched a military coup. King Peter II replaced Prince Paul and took charge of government affairs himself.
On September 13, the German government issued an ultimatum to Yugoslavia, demanding that the agreement signed by Prince Paul and Germany be respected, but it was rejected by the Yugoslav military government.
The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was established with the support of the British after the last war in Europe. Most of the weapons and supplies equipped by its army were the heritage of the Austro-Hungarian Empire and were antiques from the last century. The artillery was already outdated and was still pulled by horses.
, lacked anti-tank guns and anti-aircraft guns, the infantry did not have enough automatic weapons, there were no motorized units, and there were only two tank battalions with a total of 110 Renault FT-17 tanks.
In addition, the Yugoslav Air Force has a total of 416 homemade IK-3s and biplanes made in Germany, Italy, France, and the United Kingdom, only half of which can pose a threat to the advanced fighters of the German Air Force.
After full mobilization, the Yugoslav army had a total of twenty-eight infantry divisions, three cavalry divisions and thirty-two independent brigades that could fight. When the German army launched an offensive, its troops were still undergoing motorization construction with the support of the United Kingdom. Currently, they were the only ones that could rely on them.
What's more, the Yugoslav army has a total of 1.2 million troops that can be used to deal with the German invasion. In addition, it is fighting on the mainland, so it will not be defeated too quickly.
With the help of British advisers, the Yugoslav army was organized into three armies and a coast guard force. The third army included the third army and the fifth army to defend the Albanian border. The second army included the first army, the second army and the sixth army.
Defending the area from the Danube Gorge to the Drava River, the First Army includes the Fourth Army and the Seventh Army, including many Croatian soldiers, defending the Croatian area.
At seven o'clock in the morning on September 14, the German Air Force, which had already secretly transferred westward, began to attack Yugoslavia.
First, a saturation bombing was carried out on Belgrade, the capital of Yugoslavia. More than 600 aircraft took off from airports in Austria and Romania. A quarter of them were JU 87 Stuka dive bombers attacking under the escort of fighter jets. The dive bombers isolated Yugoslavia's air defense.
The medium bombers mainly include Dornier DO 17 bombers and JU 88 bombers, which focus on bombing urban areas.
The JU91 "Avenger" bomber and its matching BF111 "Destroyer" fighter jet did not join the Balkan operations and remained in France and Belgium to undertake bombing missions against the UK, forcing the British government to have no time to distract itself from other concerns.
The first round of three waves of bombing had a quarter-hour break each time, and the last wave lasted twenty minutes. Therefore, the entire city was bombed in nearly an hour and a half, and the Germans concentrated on bombing government buildings in the city center.
The medium bomber battle group continued bombing throughout the day, while the dive bombers turned to bomb the airfield.
The bombing destroyed the communication system between Yugoslavia's top leaders and the army. Although some senior generals avoided the first round of bombing in time, coordination and control between the armies could no longer be achieved.
After destroying the enemy's nerve center, the Luftwaffe turned to attack other targets, such as enemy airfields, communication systems, and troop concentrations, and provided air support for army operations.
When the German Army began to set foot on the soil of Yugoslavia, the main force of the Yugoslav Air Force, including anti-aircraft firepower and fighter jets, had been destroyed by the Luftwaffe. However, it still possessed sixty-four German-made DO-17 bombers, which were used by Yugoslavia during the German-French War.
Produced on its own production lines, this sole bombing force belongs to the 3rd Bombardment Aviation Regiment and includes two bombing groups - the 63rd Bombing Group stationed at Petrovac Airport near Skopje and the 64th Bomb Group.
Bombing Group, stationed at Mileshevo near Pristina.
During the battle, three more bombers of this type were rushed to production at the Kraljevo aircraft factory. Two of them were handed over to the Air Force on the 15th, and one was also delivered on the 16th.
In continuous operations, the German Air Force once again eliminated 26 aircraft of this type. On September 16th and 17th, the seven surviving DO-17 bombers flew to Nikask Airport and destroyed Yugoslavia.
King Peter II and government officials all evacuated to Greece, and the country's gold reserves were also transported to Greece on these seven planes.
The German troops rushed towards Belgrade, the capital of Yugoslavia, from three directions. On the morning of September 14, the First Armored Group commanded by von Kleist set out from the northwest of Sofia in western Bulgaria and broke through the defense line near Pirot.
Among them, the 14th Armored Corps was led by the 11th Armored Division, followed by the German 5th Armored Division, the German 294th Infantry Division and the German 4th Mountain Division and moved towards the northwest city of Nis. Although there were many road obstacles
Despite the tenacious resistance of the Yugoslav Fifth Army, the 11th Armored Division still broke through the enemy's defense line on the first day of the war with the support of powerful artillery fire and air force.
The Yugoslav army headquarters was shocked by the success of the German operation and quickly ordered the troops in Moravia to retreat. However, the retreat could not be carried out on time before September 15th. The German tanks drove into the city of Nis and immediately
The drive to Belgrade, northwest of Nis, was very advantageous to the Germans because the armored forces could advance along the Moravia Valley toward the Yugoslav capital.
The Yugoslav Fifth Army south of Parachin and southwest of Kragujevac tried to stop the German attack, but was quickly defeated and more than 5,000 men were captured.
On September 16, the 54th Armored Corps passed through the Morar River Valley to pursue the enemy troops retreating towards Belgrade. The next day, the German attack was suddenly directed at the southern flank of the retreating Sixth Army of Yugoslavia. On September 10,
On the evening of the 7th, the tanks of the First Armored Group arrived less than 65 kilometers southeast of Belgrade. Due to a misunderstanding, the two Yugoslav regiments did not try to cut off the 200 kilometers of German supply lines from the border to here.
The northern route army commanded by Guderian broke through the border area of Yugoslavia from southern Hungary and penetrated directly into Belgrade. Manstein's western route army set out from Timisoara in Romania and attacked Yugoslavia by the shortest route.
capital.
The Yugoslav army was extremely shocked by the marching speed of the German *** troops. On September 20, military and political officials in Belgrade, in order to avoid unnecessary casualties, announced an unconditional surrender. Subsequently, von Kleist's First Armored Group
Entering Belgrade from the south, the Grossdeutschland Motorized Brigade entered Belgrade from the north, and the 11th Armored Division entered the capital city at six o'clock the next morning.
At this point, the race to seize Belgrade ended with the rendezvous of three attacking forces. After that, the German army quickly moved south to pursue and completely destroy the Yugoslav army.
The German losses during the offensive operations were very slight. During the eight-day operation, there were less than 600 casualties, including 151 killed, 392 wounded and 15 missing. The Germans captured between 250,000 and 350,000 prisoners.
Yugoslavs, including a certain number of Serbs, Croats, Hungarians and Macedonians, and the Italian side also captured more than 30,000 people.
The Balkan Campaign was another brilliant victory achieved by the German army after the French Campaign, which greatly promoted the efforts of the troubled Britain and the United States to compromise with China, the Soviet Union, South China and other countries.
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***: It’s the Chinese New Year, and guests at home come one after another, and we are so caught up in trivial matters that I have no feeling at all when writing! If you are not satisfied with anything, please understand!
In the next few chapters, the time progress will be accelerated and the battle will begin as soon as possible.