To Hu Weidong's surprise, Chiang Kai-shek, who had always been very careful about his designation, was very generous this time and immediately approved the unique designation of "National Revolutionary Army Armored Cavalry Division", which satisfied both Ma Zhongying and Hu Weidong.
It turns out that Chiang Kai-shek always believed that the Red Party's army lacked technical arms and relied entirely on captured heavy equipment. Even if it was given a designation, it would be difficult to expand it quickly. Unlike the light-armed army, as long as it has a designation, it can expand as many troops as it wants.
team. To put it bluntly, Chiang Kai-shek never believed that the Chinese could build their own tanks and aircraft so quickly...
What has a greater impact than the establishment of the "Armored Cavalry Division" is Hu Weidong's proposal to form an independent air force. Due to the previous seizure of a large number of Japanese aircraft, the 15th Army Flying Group now has more than 160 training aircraft.
This aircraft is almost equivalent to an aviation division, but Hu Weidong's suggestion to separate the 15th Army, or even the entire Army, into an independent service made almost all central leadership comrades, including Taizu, deeply concerned.
I am surprised. After all, no country in the world has an independent air force organization. Air power only exists in the form of land aviation or naval aviation. China, a backward country with weak air power, has to take a different path from those world aviation powers.
, it’s hard to understand no matter how you look at it.
At first, the great man thought that Hu Weidong was worried about being "outstanding" and reducing his military power, so he immediately offered words of comfort. However, Hu Weidong's subsequent words soon made him understand that he had misunderstood, and he couldn't help but feel that Hu Weidong could take the overall situation seriously at such a young age.
I am deeply pleased with the importance.
In fact, Hu Weidong proposed the establishment of an independent air force for two main reasons. One is to better cooperate with the army in operations. After all, the strength of the 15th Army Flying Group is no longer what it used to be. Not only can it sneak attack the enemy, but in many cases it can even
It can compete with the Japanese army aviation for local air supremacy and provide air support to our frontline troops. It is not only the 15th Army that needs this help, but also the Eighth Route Army, which is now experiencing a surge in strength. If these aircraft are still placed in the 15th Army
In the establishment, when the Eighth Route Army needs their support, it must first request the commander of the Fifteenth Army. This is an unnecessary step, and naturally it is not so smooth and fast. In addition, the Eighth Route Army has a higher level than the Fifteenth Army, but it must often ask for help.
The Fifteenth Army asked for help, and if things continue like this, sooner or later it will affect the relationship between the two armies, and Hu Weidong is even more worried that it will further encourage the increasingly obvious pride and complacency in the Fifteenth Army...
The more important reason is the arrival of the Soviet-aided Anti-Japanese Air Force. You must know that aircraft must be used intensively to achieve the best results, and the number of Chinese aircraft is still very limited, so it is naturally very important to use them together with the Soviet-aided Air Force.
Necessary. But the Soviet Union came to support the entire China's war of resistance. Even the part that came to Luoyang supported all Red Party armed forces. It was obviously inappropriate to place them under the establishment of the 15th Army. That's why Hu Weidong proposed to
The two aviation units were restructured into independent units, reporting directly to the Military Commission.
In addition, it is the general trend for the Air Force to become independent. China's foundation is not good, so it needs to stand higher than the big powers. In this way, whether it is cultivating talents or starting to develop aircraft models, it will be easier to find the right direction. But if Hu Weidong's words are not
Based on previous successes, I'm afraid not many people would believe it...
The great man submitted Hu Weidong's proposal to the central committee for discussion and it was approved, and his suggestion for the top leader of the Air Force "does not have to be a professional, but must be politically reliable, flexible in mind, humble and studious, and have qualifications that are enough to convince the public."
In the end, the central government appointed Liu Yalou, the 28-year-old education director of the Anti-Japanese Military and Political University, as the commander of the newly formed "Border Area Anti-Japanese Air Force" (directly called the "People's Air Force" or simply "Air Force" within the party). The political commissar was
Xiao Hua, who became famous at a young age...
After the formation of the Air Force was completed, there were a total of two pilot divisions under its jurisdiction. The first division was the original 15th Army Flying Group. Li Guidan, who was promoted to deputy division commander, acted as division commander, and Chang Qiankun, who was promoted to Air Force Chief of Staff, also served as the division political commissar; and the original flying group's
Because of his superb flying skills and proficiency in Russian, the regiment leader Gao Zhihang was not only appointed as the commander of the First Division, he was also unexpectedly appointed as the Soviet-aided Anti-Japanese Air Force, that is, the acting commander of the Second Air Force Division. Those young Soviet pilots
They were not convinced by the Chinese commander at first, but Gao Zhihang's superb flying skills soon convinced them. After all, they may have become better ace pilots than Gao Zhihang in history, but for now, these young
We are all just rookies and new recruits...
The Soviet aid air force assigned to the Red Party was far less valued by Stalin and the Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union than the one assigned to the Communist Party. Not only were the number of people and the number of aircraft much smaller (a total of 300 people, 150 aircraft, and **
On the other hand, it received thousands of aircraft, and this was only the first batch. Since the Soviet Union's national power was stronger than at the same time in history, the performance of the Chinese Army was also better, and Stalin's assistance to the government was much greater.), and he did not send anything.
When senior cadres came over, there were no candidates in the Soviet aid aviation team who were qualified to be division commanders, not to mention division commanders. For this reason, Hu Weidong had to temporarily transfer Gao Zhihang to the position of acting division commander, and through inspection of training performance
The Soviet aid air force, which has determined the candidates for the squadron-level cadres, will temporarily participate in the battle as a squadron unit, and then select the group-level mid-level officers based on combat performance. As long as the Soviet aid air force can participate in the subsequent battles,
When candidates who are enough to convince the public emerge, Gao Zhihang will return to the First Division as the division commander, and the position of division commander of the Second Division will be returned to these Soviets. At the same time, the Red Party also stated that the selection will only be based on ability and military merit (having left his hometown and came to
China supports the Anti-Japanese War, and there is basically no need to worry about its political reliability.), regardless of age and seniority, this further mobilizes the enthusiasm of these young people...
While the Eighth Route Army and the Fifteenth Army under the leadership of the Red Party were preparing their troops, the Japanese army was increasingly failing on the frontal battlefield. The first was the Central China Front. Because Chairman Chiang refused to lay mines in the Yangtze River, the Japanese
Naval ships and supply fleets were able to sail upstream without any hindrance, relying on the convenience of the golden waterway in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River to effectively support the army's offensive. Even though compared with the same period in history, the strength of the Japanese Central China Front was much weaker, and*
The Japanese side is much stronger, but the front is still slowly and steadily pushed westward by the Japanese. In the direction of Jinpu Road, the situation is far more severe than at the same time in history...