Starting on the 21st, the People's Guard made a big move. Xiang Xiaoqiang transferred the two armored divisions of the left army group to the eastern theater, and then transferred the three mechanized divisions of the right army group to the western theater. In this way,
A situation formed: all five armored divisions were concentrated in the eastern theater, and all five mechanized divisions were concentrated in the western theater. The armor strength of the Ming army in the eastern battlefield was greatly enhanced, while the armor strength of the Ming army in the western battlefield was greatly weakened.
The mobilization along three highways began in the early morning of the 21st, and was completed by noon on the 22nd. Such a large mechanized mobilization certainly did not escape the eyes of the Beiqing. All five armored divisions of the Ming Army gathered on the eastern battlefield, and 1,000 vehicles were concentrated
of medium and heavy
Large-scale tanks were eyeing them, and there were tank battalions scattered among dozens of Army Motorized Infantry Divisions... These all frightened the Qing Army Headquarters, which had experienced the power of armored clusters in the previous stage. The Northern Qing Headquarters also believed more firmly that Ming Dynasty
The army is about to launch an offensive in the east.
For three days from the 21st to the 25th, Guangwu issued strict orders to speed up the deployment of troops from northern Zhili to Shandong and the Central Plains at all costs.
After many days of troop mobilization, almost all the carriages of the North Qing Dynasty were concentrated on the North China Railway network. Not only the carriages of passenger cars and container cars, but also the carriages of gondolas were packed with soldiers. When the train was speeding,
They were exposed to the biting cold wind, huddled together to keep each other warm.
In late October, the weather in the north is getting colder and colder, but there is a serious shortage of coal in most areas of Beiqing. Ordinary people cannot buy coal at all, and even some wealthy officials and businessmen have to find ways to get some coal through their connections.——
This time in previous years was the peak of coal transportation from Shanxi. But now, all the railways and all the trains are used to transport troops, tanks, and artillery. There is no excess for transporting coal.
In order to ensure the safety of the North China railway network and prevent the destruction of the Nanming underground organization, Guangwu specially removed two second-rate divisions and nearly 30,000 infantry, so that they did not have to do anything else but watch every inch of the railway. These 30,000 soldiers, according to
With an average density of one soldier every 100 meters, the railways in North China are completely airtight. Under the railway embankment, there is a soldier carrying a rifle every 100 meters on guard, and they can all see each other.
.This really makes it impossible for saboteurs to start.
Facts have also proved that after adopting the "human sea tactic" to guard the railway, there was no more railway sabotage incident.
…
On the morning of the 22nd, an aircraft carrier squadron of the Ming Army left the Dongjiang Fleet and sailed into the Bohai Sea.
This squadron consisted of two aircraft carriers and 20 destroyers, with minesweepers clearing the way. They swaggered, completely ignoring the continuous fire from Qing artillery batteries 20,000 meters away on both sides, and once again openly broke into Beiqing's own front yard: Bohai Sea.
.
This time the composition of the Ming army's fleet is very "simple". In addition to minesweepers, it is composed of aircraft carriers and destroyers. The purpose is obviously very simple, it is an air mission. Moreover, the Ming army's aircraft carriers are equipped with a very strong escort force - two aircraft carriers and 20 destroyers.
.On average, each aircraft carrier is protected by 10 destroyers. This is completely not intended to allow the Qing army's torpedo boats to get close.
At sea, the relationship between destroyers and torpedo boats is exactly like that of hunting dogs and rabbits. Destroyers originally appeared as the nemesis of torpedo boats. The word "destroy" in destroyers means to drive away enemy torpedo boats from the front of one's own fleet. In the early days, it was
To "destroy" torpedo boats, of course, later on there was also the task of "driving" submarines.
…
As soon as the Ming Army's aircraft carrier fleet entered the Bohai Strait, they began to release aircraft. This time they were all loaded with fighter jets. The two aircraft carriers carried a total of 164 fighter jets. This time, 120 aircraft were released at a time, heading southwest - Dongying, Shandong
Kill in the direction.
The news that the Ming fleet entered the Bohai Strait immediately reached Beijing. The Beiqing Air Force had a big head and immediately knew where the Ming army was going to bomb again this time. It was probably a prelude to landing in Shandong. They knew that the Ming army must be bombing this time.
The old trick is repeated, first using an aircraft carrier to carry short-range fighter jets close to the target, and then taking off long-range bombers from the Changshan Islands. The fighter jets and bombers form a formation at a designated location, and then fly to bomb the designated target.
The Air Force reported to Guangwu, and Guangwu immediately sent the order, and fighter jets from Dongying Airport and Tangshan Airport took off to fight.
When Guangwu delivered the order, he was sweating all over his back. He knew that there were only two possibilities: one was the prelude to the Ming army's landing in Shandong. The other was that the Nanming Air Force planned to seek a decisive battle with the Qing Air Force through several such proactive attacks.
, exhausting the air power of the Qing Dynasty, and then clearing the sky for the subsequent Northern Expedition.
No matter which one it was, it was extremely scary for Guangwu to think about it. But he had no other choice but to bite the bullet and order the Qing Dynasty's precious fighter groups to take off to fight.
But this time he did not intend to be led away by the Ming army again. He ordered the Dongying Aviation Regiment to directly confront the Ming Army fighter group, and then asked the Tangshan Aviation Regiment to take off and ambush on the side, waiting for the Ming Army's follow-up bombers from the Changshan Islands.
group.
Guangwu planned that even if the Qing Air Force suffered heavy losses this time, the Ming bombers would have to be the backers. In short, he would have to show the Ming army how powerful it was and let them taste the blood.
The Dongying aircraft group first engaged the Ming army aircraft group 100 kilometers off the coast of Dongying. The Dongying Combat Aviation Group of the Qing Air Force has three groups, one group Haidongqing and two groups Zhebie, with a total of 126 fighter jets. Now in addition to 28 Zhebie
Due to various reasons no
After taking off from France, the remaining 98 aircraft came in full force. However, in the Liaohai air battle on the 19th, the Dongying Combat Aviation Regiment lost 13 Haidongqing, leaving 29 Haidongqing. In other words, these 98 fighter jets
Among them, 69 are old-fashioned double-wing Zhebie aircraft.
Such an old fleet was at an obvious disadvantage against the Ming army's 120 all-Kingfisher fleet. Within ten minutes of the start of the battle, 26 Zhebie and 5 Haidongqing were shot down, while the Ming army only lost
9 Kingfishers.
The Qing army's fighter leader was fighting hard while looking forward to reinforcements from friendly forces at Tangshan Airport. The two combat aviation regiments added together would have more than 200 fighter jets. No matter how many Haidongqing there were, such a large number could always
Forming a counterweight to the Ming army. But he watched the Zhebies in the sky falling one by one, and Hai Dongqing also fell from time to time. The earphones were filled with the curses of the brothers, but the reinforcements from Tangshan
Just won't come.
While fighting, he roared and asked the base when the reinforcements from Tangshan would arrive. Finally, he waited for an answer: Tangshan Combat Aviation Regiment had other tasks and could not come for reinforcements for the time being, and asked Dongying Aviation Regiment to hold on.
Hold on? You can't hold on anymore.
Cold water poured down on the Qing army, and the morale of the Qing army's aircraft fleet was reduced to nothing. Then, the brothers in the regiment began to report "fuel shortage" one after another, and then without waiting for approval, they left the battlefield one by one and returned to "refuel".
.
The Ming army fleet suddenly discovered that more and more of the opponent's aircraft were leaving the battlefield, and their own advantage immediately increased at a geometric speed. Within ten minutes, another 20 Zhebie and 8 Haidongqing were shot down. At this time, in addition to leaving the battlefield,
There are 39 fighter jets, and there are no Qing fighter jets in the sky over the Bohai Sea.
The Ming army was also shot down 23 aircraft at this time, and now there are 97 aircraft left. These 97 Kingfishers took advantage of the victory and pursued the 39 escaping Qing aircraft. When they flew over Dongying Airport, the 39
A Qing aircraft was either landing or refueling. 97 Kingfishers swooped down from high altitude and directly strafed the Qing aircraft on the runway. The airport suddenly became panic and chaos.
Dongying Airport is a regiment-level airport, and the anti-aircraft artillery position is still very strong. Amidst the shrill sirens, the anti-aircraft gun groups fired intensively, and the sky was filled with black clouds. During the strafing, not a single Qing aircraft on the airport flew.
, but since the Ming army's aircraft fleet is all fighter jets, they can only straf aircraft with large and fragile targets. For anti-aircraft guns protected by sandbags, it is difficult to suppress them by strafing alone.
During the strafing, more than a dozen Qing aircraft on the airport were engulfed in flames. The fuel and cloth burned fiercely, leaving only the skeleton collapsed in the fire. However, the Kingfisher of the Ming army was also hit by artillery fire one after another and fell to the ground.
.At this time, the exchange ratio between the two sides tends to be even.
The leader of the Ming army felt that the gain was not worth the loss, so he ordered to return.
The remaining 85 Kingfishers, carrying almost exhausted fuel, raised the formation again and flew in the direction of the aircraft carrier at sea.
…
On its way back, the Kingfisher fleet encountered a group flying from Cangzhou and a squadron flying from Texas. A total of 50 Qing fighter jets intercepted them. However, these 50 were all old-fashioned Zhebie aircraft and there was no Haidongqing. They had to fly in peacetime.
, this is definitely a good opportunity to "shoot ducks". But
The leader of the Ming army considered that after the two battles just now, the formation had little fuel and could no longer fight with the fresh force of the Qing army. So he called for reinforcements from the fleet and ordered the fleet to increase the throttle.
The speed of the monoplane outran the Qing biplanes.
This worked very well. The Qing army's Zhebie fleet didn't want to fight with the 85 Kingfishers, but this suited their purpose. They pretended to increase the throttle and chased for a while, but they couldn't catch up, so they reported to the base: the target was lost.
The 85 Kingfishers of the Ming Army flew to the sea and encountered 40 Kingfishers that had taken off from the aircraft carrier and came to meet them. The 40 Kingfishers protected the 85 aircraft that were almost out of fuel and returned to the aircraft carrier. They lined up one by one.
When the plane lands, be vigilant in all directions.
At 10:30 in the morning, all 85 aircraft landed on the aircraft carrier. 40 Kingfishers with sufficient fuel dispersed for reconnaissance and alert.
The first phase of the Ming aircraft carrier fleet's mission was completed. A total of 21 Qing Haidongqing fighter jets and 56 Zhebie fighter jets were annihilated. It lost 28 Kingfisher fighter jets.
…
The Tangshan Combat Aviation Regiment of the Qing Army had been lying in wait on the path that the Ming Army bombers were expected to pass. They hovered in the sky for almost an hour, but they still did not wait for the legendary Ming Army bombers. Tangshan is 200 kilometers away from here. Returning home
It also takes 200 kilometers, and the round trip alone will cost 400
kilometers of fuel. The maximum range of the Qing army's fighter jets is similar to that of the Ming army's Kingfisher, which is about 650-700 kilometers. They have been hovering in the sky for almost an hour, and two-thirds of the fuel has been consumed. If they stay any longer,
, even the fuel for the return trip was not enough, and it had to be lost in the sea.
The leader of the Tangshan Combat Aviation Regiment couldn't care less. He looked at the fuel table and simply told the base, "We must return," and then led the entire regiment to turn around and withdraw to the west.
In the afternoon, the Ming Army's aircraft carrier fleet also turned around and returned, swaggering through the Bohai Strait once again and returning to the Dongjiang Fleet. From beginning to end, not a single bomber got involved.
In this mission, in addition to shooting down 77 Qing fighter jets, it also sank 6 Qing torpedo boats.
…
After listening to the entire report, Guangwu was furious. Instead of catching the Ming bomber formation, he lost 77 fighter jets and 6 torpedo boats.
The Ming Army always used fighter jets, and not a single bomber appeared. It seems that this was an air decisive battle that was actively pursued. Obviously, this kind of decisive battle was very beneficial to the Ming Army. Not only was the Nanming Air Force higher in quantity and quality than the Qing Air Force, but its aircraft
The output and the number of reserve pilots are also higher than those of the Qing Air Force. What's more terrible is that every time such "air battle" occurs, Nanming can always achieve a very good exchange ratio.
If this "air battle" continues, the Qing Air Force will be exhausted very quickly. And after it is exhausted, it will be difficult to recover.
Guangwu thought about the recent battle situation.
In the past ten days, after the land battlefield has fallen silent, the sea and air battlefield has become extremely lively. And each time it was Nan Ming's initiative. Nan Ming's Army Air Force and Hainan Air Force frequently launched attacks to harass the Qing's rear, as if they were looking for a fight.
opportunities. However, once the Qing army's aircraft took off to fight, they always suffered heavy losses and lost to the Ming army in a large exchange ratio.
This is what the Ming army hopes and seeks!
Guangwu looked at the map, gritted his teeth, and tapped his fingers on the table. He knew the strategy of the Ming army. The reason why the Ming army stopped for so long and did not take advantage of the victory after the Battle of Jianghuai and move north was because of its excessive belief in air power.
For ground support, they relied too much on air power. They planned to eliminate most of the Qing Dynasty air force between the two battles, and then continue to attack under the protection of absolute air supremacy.
Guangwu originally disapproved of things like "air supremacy", at least he didn't think much of it. He felt that aviation provided support for ground combat, but it was not as good as artillery. This was also the general attitude of the military circles of various countries in this era.
However, the war had only started for more than 20 days, and Guangwu's concept changed greatly. The cruel facts taught him a lesson. Countless battlefield reports showed the same pattern: Ming bombers bombed head-on and face-to-face
, the Qing army was almost dispersed. Before they could reorganize, the Ming army tanks had already rushed to the front. Then, naturally, there was a general surrender.
The aircraft has only appeared for a short period of time, only about thirty years ago. It has only been used in wars for more than twenty years (it is said to be more than twenty years, but it was only used for a few years in the world war, and the next ten years were completely blank.
). It is really difficult for the world to react. No matter how outstanding a military strategist is, at this time, he does not know how to look at this new thing and how much expectations he should place on this new thing.
Guangwu is no exception. From the original disapproval to the current extreme fear, the time is too short, only ten days. What should we do next? How to use aircraft better? How to use aircraft to protect ourselves and attack the enemy
?
I am completely confused. I have no experience or theory before. There is no experience or theory in the whole world. Everything has to be explored.
Use my plane and the blood of my pilots to explore bit by bit.
Guang Wu was furious when he thought of this, gritted his teeth and said fiercely:
"...Why didn't Nan Ming have to explore at all? Why did they use it so well as soon as they came up?... They all know when and how to use it!... It's like they have been fighting with airplanes for decades!"
After careful consideration, Guangwu made two decisions:
First, before the Ming army's next major offensive, this kind of aerial decisive battle must be absolutely avoided. Existing aircraft should be evacuated to various airports as much as possible. If Ming army aircraft come to provoke, unless a large number of bombers arrive, otherwise they should try to avoid fighting.
The second is to immediately start diplomacy, actively negotiate with Japan, and strive to get Japan to sell a large number of fighter jets to itself. At the same time, it will have a positive influence on Moscow and tell Stalin how terrible the Southern Ming is. The Qing Dynasty is really in danger of subjugating the country.
The Soviet Union is dying...
Guangwu also knew that Stalin was cunning and cunning. At this stage, there was no way to get him to sell the advanced fighter jets to the Qing Dynasty with mercy. The most he could do was buy some tattered antiques at a high price.
However, if it really comes to that point in the future - that is, the Qing Dynasty loses the Battle of the Central Plains, the Nanming takes Shandong and Henan, and advances towards the Yellow River - then Stalin will also see the danger of the Qing Dynasty. At this point, he will
I must understand that the danger of the Qing Dynasty is also the danger of the Soviet Union... At that time, I hoped to buy a large number of advanced fighter jets from the Soviet Union in time to turn the situation around.
…
At dawn on the 23rd, the second day of the Dongying Air Battle, the second phase of the Ming Army's Dongjiang Fleet mission began.
The same aircraft carrier formation once again sailed into the Bohai Sea in the morning and released another 120 fighter jets.
But this time the Qing Air Force received an order from Guangwu and stopped taking off to fight. The planes at several major airports were also evacuated and parked at small airports in various places. They either hid in hangars or used airplanes.
Cover it with camouflage net and disguise it as a bush. Anyway, you are not afraid of strafing the airport.
The Ming fighter jet group circled around and found no approaching Qing fighter planes, so they sent back a radio signal. Ten minutes later, a group of dive bombers came out from the northeast and joined 120 fighter jets in a mighty flight.
After passing Dongying, we flew all the way through Guangrao, Zibo, Zouping, Zhangqiu, and headed straight to Jinan.
An air defense siren sounded loudly over Jinan City, and the whole city panicked. Soon, the sky over Jinan was filled with black clouds of anti-aircraft guns.
While running on the Yellow River Bridge in Jinan, the large Qing army entering Shandong looked up at the sky and were dumbfounded. There were congested troops and military vehicles in front and behind, and with the roaring Yellow River on both sides, there was no place to hide.
The Ming army aircraft group was obviously heading for the Jinan Yellow River Bridge. 36 dive bombers took turns pounced on it, and after a burst of strafing fire, they dropped bombs on the bridge.
In Beiqing in 1936, there were only two fixed bridges on the Yellow River. One was in Jinan and the other was in Zhengzhou. Both were railway and highway bridges. One was built by the Japanese and the other was built by the Germans. On the Yellow River
In other sections of the river, there are some permanent pontoons, similar to
Those permanent pontoon bridges on the Yellow River in China in later generations. However, these pontoon bridges have limited capacity, and every early spring, during the "Long Flood Season" when the Yellow River thaws, many of them have to be temporarily demolished to prevent the river banks from breaching. Those that can truly form strategic transportation capacity all year round can
The trains can be crossed over these two bridges.
Now, on both sides of the Yellow River Bridge in Jinan, bombs are falling like dumplings, and columns of muddy yellow water are rising one after another. In some places, the mud has formed a shoal, and the water is very shallow. The bombs explode directly. The water column and the smoke column explode, which is earth-shattering.
.
The crowded Qing troops on the bridge fell into a panic, trampling on each other and squeezing to both ends of the bridge, and their discipline was completely out of control.
Ming fighter planes rushed down recklessly and repeatedly fired at the bridge. The bridge was narrow and crowded, and the Qing soldiers had nowhere to hide. Blood flowed into a river, and the bridge was covered with corpses. The surviving Qing soldiers threw away their equipment, climbed over the railings and jumped into the Yellow River. Some of them jumped directly into the Yellow River.
Some were swept away by the raging river, and some fell onto the shoal and were seriously injured. A few lucky ones clung to the bridge piers, shivering with cold in the water.
An urgent telegram from Jinan was sent to Beijing. Guangwu was so angry that he secretly cursed that this was too much pressure.
However, if the Yellow River Bridge was blown up, the loss would not be just a few planes, but the whole of Shandong. He had no choice but to order the evacuated fighter jets to take off again and assemble to rush to Jinan for rescue.
The Ming army fleet finally ushered in the Qing army fleet. Half of the fighter jets escorted the bombers back, while the other half stayed to fight in a melee.
It was another big battle. The Qing army lost more than thirty fighter jets, and the Ming army's fighter jets and bombers combined also lost more than twenty. Therefore, the Ming army's aircraft took the initiative to leave the battlefield and return home.
Most of the Qing aircraft were flying double-winged planes, unable to catch up, and unwilling to catch up and increase losses. Therefore, the two sides broke away from contact and the air battle came to an end.
At the same time, Guangwu received another urgent call from Zhengzhou:
The Zhengzhou Yellow River Bridge was also bombed by the Ming army!
Guangwu reacted sensitively: This is not as simple as the Ming army seeking an air battle!
The Ming army actually bombed two Yellow River bridges in Zhengzhou and Jinan at the same time. What did they want to do?...Do they really not want to cross the Yellow River? Maybe Nan Ming's ambitions stopped at the Yellow River?