Age of Rebirth

Across the Pacific Ocean for many years, with more than [-] aircraft carriers and nearly a thousand warships, the United Fleet of the Imperial Japanese Navy, which wiped out the US Navy's Pacific Fleet twice, left the Banda Sea just like this. Trauma, ran back to northern Australia to lick the wound.

In the three-day air battle in the Southwest Pacific battlefield, the combined fleet of the Japanese Navy and the Southern Flying Group of the Air Force of the Independent Division were considered a tie.

After reading the fleet loss report submitted by Fleet Chief of Staff Vice Admiral Matsuda, Admiral Yamamoto became more and more speechless and depressed. In addition to the loss of some warships of Takasu Shiro's First Fleet and Kondo Nobutake's Second Fleet, On the whole, the loss of the surface ships of the United Fleet is not huge, but the loss of the carrier-based aircraft of the aircraft carrier is a bit shocking.

In the three-day air battle, the carrier-based aircraft of the United Fleet lost nearly a quarter, and more than [-] fighters and bombers remained in the Southwest Pacific Theater forever. For a fleet with an aircraft carrier, the carrier-based Aircraft is an important symbol of its force value. From this aspect, the strength of the combined fleet has been greatly damaged, and it will take a long time to recover.

General Yamamoto was silent. He calmed down and concluded that it was unwise for the combined fleet to fight the land-based aviation of the China Independent Division in the inland sea surrounded by islands. From the very beginning, the decision to destroy the land-based aviation of the China Independent Division, Just wrong.

But General Yamamoto, who has a strong self-esteem, will not mention his faults to anyone, and can only chew the bitter fruit secretly.Lesson learned.

Yamamoto 56 is summing up the experience and lessons, Major General Le Yiqin, commander of the Southern Aviation Group of the Independent Division Aviation.Also summing up experience and lessons, three days of big air battles.The loss of the Southern Air Group was not small. More than 300 fighter jets were shot down and damaged, and more than [-] bombers were lost.

Similarly, from Le Yiqin's point of view, a tie with the Japanese Navy's United Fleet is a loss. For Le Yiqin, who has the home court advantage and has a back-up preparation, such a result.Obviously, he was not satisfied. Through this battle, he also realized that the strength of the combined fleet of the Japanese Navy and the combat capability of the Japanese carrier-based aircraft pilots were, to be fair, a head higher than that of the Japanese Army Air Force.

Le Yiqin was ruthless, and issued such an order to all combat troops of the Southern Flying Group. "From now on, the various combat units of the Southern Flying Group will focus on sea and ship attacks as the main training subjects. The headquarters will coordinate with the Navy's Southern Fleet. Some ships will be sent to conduct confrontational training with us."

Le Yiqin is a person who does what he says, and acts vigorously and resolutely.He immediately contacted Tang Qiuquan, the commander of the fleet, to clarify his intentions.In a word, be your fleet opponent.

Naturally, Tang Qiuquan couldn't refuse.Coincidentally, he also intends to use this training to lay the foundation for the fleet's ability to fight at sea and attack on land for a decisive battle with the Japanese Navy's combined fleet in the future.

The two commanders of the sea and air forces with the same goal hit it off immediately, and the confrontation training was in full swing immediately. Le Yiqin couldn't stay idle. He ran back to the Gulf of Thailand to check the training effect of the troops in a hurry. He was very busy. When the handover was due, the teacher pointed to a telegram calling him to Trusan, Sumatra, where the teacher pointed to.

After defeating the combined fleet of the Japanese Navy, the skies over the Southwest Pacific Theater are absolutely safe. Le Yiqin is still single-handedly flying directly to Truusan.

This time, Tang Qiuli didn't teach him to act recklessly, to the point of disregarding his own safety, and asked him directly when they met, "Le Yiqin, isn't the army's loss not small?"

Le Yiqin's eyeballs wandered around for a few times, with a bitter expression on his face, he said: "Master, I'm too embarrassed to say, but the loss is huge, more than one third, it's useless, a few years of family wealth Son, the fight is almost over, it's all because of my improper command, and I ask the teacher to punish me!"

"I've also thought about it, even if you don't call me, Commander, I still have to come to see you. This time I challenged the combined fleet of the little devils. The Southern Flying Group has suffered such a huge loss, and it has already hurt its vitality. I have to supplement the pilot's Combat aircraft!"

Tang Qiuli looked at him playfully, without saying a word, Le Yiqin felt hairy in his heart when he saw the teacher's eyes, and bit his head, "Master, what I said is the truth If you don’t believe me, you send people to the army to investigate! If there is a false statement, you shoot me!”

"The loss of the army has really reached more than one-third?" Tang Qiuli turned the cup in his hand and said in a neutral voice, then he raised his voice suddenly and shouted: "Le Yiqin, you You are so daring, you learned to lie, you lost more than one-third of your troops, that is, more than [-] combat planes were shot down by the Japanese army!"

"When did you play a piano and learned to demean yourself, hum, don't think I don't know what's going on, isn't it just to open your mouth to benefit!"

"Hey hey!" Le Yiqin grinned in fright, rubbed her head in embarrassment, and said, "Master, you are so insightful, you can't hide anything from you!"

"Stop flattering!" Tang Qiuli was also happy, and said: "There must be some losses in the army. I have already said hello. The pilots who graduated from Dingbian Military Academy and Guangzhou Military Academy this year will be assigned to you. The Southern Aviation Group, in addition, replenished all the lost combat aircraft, and added equipment for five fighter regiments and three bomber regiments, that’s why I asked you to come to Truusan!”

"Stop playing sloppy with me in the future. By the way, I think the confrontation training you have with the fleet is very good. In the future decisive battle in Australia, you will still play the leading role. While there is no major war during this period, do your best to grasp this matter." Let's do it!"

"Yes! The teacher is wise and understands the situation!" When he heard that he not only replenished the lost combat aircraft, but also gave him hundreds of pilots who graduated this year, and also gave the combat aircraft of eight regiments, Le Yiqin Forgot everything, jumped up and agreed, and didn't forget to put a high hat on the teacher!

"Okay, don't put a high hat on me. If there is a mess in your place, I won't let you eat. It seems that you don't have the same intention!" Tang Qiuli said, holding back a smile.

Le Yiqin hurriedly saluted, and said: "Master, then I'll hurry back!" When she turned around, she subconsciously muttered, "Who wants to eat with you? I feel uncomfortable!"

"What are you muttering about? Stop and speak clearly!" Tang Qiuli shouted with sharp ears.

"It's nothing, it's nothing!" Le Yiqin rushed out with sweat on her brow, and disappeared in the blink of an eye.

"Hahaha!" Tang Qiu left his arms and laughed.

Chief of Staff Zhao Yuhe looked at Le Yiqin's fast back, and said with appreciation: "Master, Commander Le's three-day air battle has played a very important role in driving the combined fleet of the Japanese Navy to the northern part of Australia. In the near future, our logistics supply line in the East Indian Ocean is safe!"

"Well, even I didn't expect such a result. This Le Yiqin can always surprise people!" Tang Qiuli said with emotion: "Yuhe, directly under the brigades of the Corps, now Have they all landed in southern Australia?"

"Most of them have landed, and now only No.15 and No.16 brigades, as well as two artillery brigades, are still at sea. In three days, they will reach southern Australia!" Zhao Yuhe replied precisely.

"Very good!" Tang Qiuli is very satisfied with the work of the logistics department. The long-distance transportation of tens of thousands of people and equipment by sea is not an easy task, "Yuhe, send a telegram to Deputy Commander Tang, directly under the Corps , assigned to the sequence of the Australian combat force, and based on this, launch a large-scale offensive to northern Australia!"

Zhao Yuhe was thinking about another issue. He said, "Master, after we increase our offensive strength, it will inevitably force the Japanese base camp to speed up the pace of troop deployment from the North American battlefield. If the Japanese army wants to keep Australia, they will not have nearly 200 Ten thousand troops are not enough!"

"The Japanese army has more than 160 million troops in the North American battlefield. If one million people are transferred back, plus the hundreds of thousands of Japanese troops who retreated to northern Australia and from various islands in the Southwest Pacific, the total force will reach 100 million. From the above, our current strength on the Australian battlefield is still weak, my opinion, should we wait for the other corps to arrive in southern Australia before launching a full-scale attack?"

"It's time to come, it will come!" Tang Qiuli shook his head and said, "It is a foregone conclusion that the Japanese army will transfer troops from the North American battlefield. This requires a large number of warships to escort, and the United Fleet is the best choice. This Yamamoto 56 staying in the northern part of Australia is always a huge threat to our sea supply line in the East Indian Ocean!"

"Give Yamamoto 56's Combined Fleet, find some work, and then ignore the East Indian Ocean. It just gives us a large-scale mobilization of troops to southern Australia, which has won time. Our troops on the Southwest Pacific battlefield are more than 90.00% , will be transferred to the Australian battlefield, which is a large-scale and long-term transportation process, and the Japanese combined fleet will escort it, so I can feel more at ease!"

Zhao Yuhe nodded. This was the division commander's choice, and he was somewhat helpless. If there was no such factor as the Japanese Navy Combined Fleet, it would be possible to slowly manage the Australian battlefield and gradually form an absolute advantage. Finally, a fatal blow would come. , Before the Japanese mobilized troops from the North American battlefield, they could take the entire Australian continent. Now it seems that it will not work!

"Yuhe, order all the corps, except for the necessary garrison troops, the main force of each corps must be ready to go to the Australian battlefield!" Tang Qiuli said to Zhao Yuhe.

Zhao Yuhe agreed, and was about to leave when suddenly, a strange thought popped into his head, he turned around and said, "Master, I have an idea that seems impossible, but it may happen, and I want to ask you !"

"Speak directly!" Tang Qiuli looked at him in surprise and said.

(to be continued) (to be continued...)