At Taiyuan Airport, Chief Yan's special plane has been quietly parked on the runway.
This is a DC-3 civil airliner, a masterpiece of the American Douglas Aircraft Company. It can be said to be the first truly civil airliner. At that time, including the Republic of China, most countries in the world used civil aviation companies.
A total of more than 13,000 DC-3 passenger aircraft were produced of this aircraft, which is unprecedented in the history of civil aviation.
The military version of the DC-3 is the famous C-47, which was the main transport aircraft of the US military in the early days of World War II.
As a military history enthusiast, Yue Weihan is well aware of the main aircraft types of various countries during World War II.
Before the truck could stop, Chu Zhongtian had already jumped out of the truck with 30 special operations elites like dumplings, and immediately surrounded the special plane parked on the runway. As an aide-de-camp, Chu Zhongtian was most concerned about
It is always Yue Weihan's safety. Before Yue Weihan boards the plane, he must conduct a comprehensive inspection of the plane, and no hidden corners can be missed.
Yue Weihan did not stop Chu Zhongtian's inspection. Due to the pressure from the US government, Chairman Chiang may not dare to do anything to Yue Weihan, but Boss Dai couldn't say. What if the military leader had a whim and sent someone to the corner of the special plane?
If you place a time bomb, then Yue Weihan will wait for it to disintegrate at high altitude.
The inspection lasted for a full hour before it was over.
Only then did Chu Zhongtian allow Yue Weihan to board the plane, and asked people to load the 20 rocket launchers and 50 boxes of rockets he brought with him onto the plane. These rocket launchers were of course prepared for the Japanese tanks on the battlefield in Myanmar.
In the jungles of Myanmar, individual rocket launchers were enough to deal a fatal blow to the Japanese army's thin-skinned tanks.
Soon, the aircraft engine made a loud roar.
Immediately, the plane began to taxi. After taxiing for a certain distance on the runway, the DC-3 passenger plane carrying Yue Weihan suddenly jumped up and plunged into the pitch-black night sky.
Yunnan, Kunming Flight Base.
It was past six o'clock in the morning, but the lights were still brightly lit in the Flying Tigers' dormitory building.
Through the bright windows, you can clearly see that on the dance floor of the hall on the second floor, there are more than a dozen American soldiers hugging and dancing graceful women in cheongsam. In the dim corner where the lights cannot shine
, many American soldiers have become entangled with the promiscuous women in their arms.
These are the American pilots of the Flying Tigers. It is difficult to measure them using simple standards of right and wrong.
They receive a high salary of US$600 per month, and a bonus of US$500 for every enemy plane they shoot down. They are undisciplined, have no sense of discipline, and have a serious excess of energy. They often go to the streets to harass young girls and wives in Kunming.
, Chennault had no choice but to hire dozens of prostitutes at high wages to provide for the pleasure of these American soldiers.
However, we must admit that these American pilots were very heroic in air combat.
Americans admire ***, extremely worship individual heroism, and are very adventurous. Therefore, these young people from the United States have unimaginable enthusiasm for air combat. Every time a Japanese plane comes to bomb Kunming, every time Chennault's early warning
Once the system makes a discovery, these Flying Tigers will rush to the airport screaming and take off their planes.
Of course, the flying experience and air combat skills of these "thornheads" are far inferior to those of the Japanese pilots.
The Flying Tiger's P-40 fighter was also weaker than the Japanese Zero fighter in terms of performance. However, Chennault summed up a set of air combat tactics that were called "ahead of its time" at the time - the wolf pack tactic in the air!
At that time, aerial combat in the world was basically a one-on-one combat mode, with few exceptions.
The so-called one-on-one combat means that when fighter jets from both sides encounter each other in the air, the pilots of both sides will invariably choose an enemy aircraft to fight. Unless the number of fighter jets from both sides participating in the air battle is very different, there will never be a group of several aircraft.
A scene of beating up an airplane.
However, Chennault broke through this mindset.
Chennault's air combat concept is that no matter how many enemy aircraft come, the enemy must ensure that three to five aircraft attack a certain enemy aircraft. After shooting down the enemy aircraft, they can continue to look for the next target.
In this way, the Flying Tigers formed a firepower advantage in the air, which greatly made up for the lack of aircraft performance and flying experience.
On the other hand, the Army Air Forces of the People's Republic of China, due to their rigid tactics, could never turn this corner. As a result, they suffered heavy losses from the Flying Tigers in World War II. Historically, only the Flying Tigers (later renamed the Fourteenth Air Force of the United States Air Force)
team) shot down more than 2,600 Japanese aircraft, but their own combat losses were minimal.
Of course, the Flying Tigers at this time were still a volunteer force, with less than 200 personnel, including ground support, and only three squadrons of fighter jets, with less than 100 P-40 fighter jets. Nearly half of the fighter jets were due to mechanical failure or
There is a shortage of spare parts and it is impossible to take off into the air for combat.
Among the three squadrons, two are stationed at Kunming Airport and one is stationed at Baoshan Airport.
It was only after six o'clock in the morning, and the sky in Kunming was still dark. However, without warning, a shrill assembly call sounded in the Kunming Flight Base. The American soldiers who were having sex or sleeping soundly on the second floor hurriedly left.
The woman jumped out of bed or rushed to the battlefield for an emergency assembly.
Chennault, who was carrying the rank of colonel, was already standing upright on the battlefield.
Before coming to China, Chennault was very unsatisfactory in the U.S. Air Force because he spoke freely and criticized his superiors at any time and in any situation. He served for more than 20 years and only reached the rank of captain. At the same time, he entered the Air Force service unit.
Many comrades have already been promoted to colonels, major generals and even lieutenant generals.
However, after arriving in China, things changed for Chennault.
Chairman Chiang immediately promoted Chennault to the rank of colonel. A few days ago, General Stilwell, Chief of Staff of the Allied China Theater, and the Allied General Headquarters sent him telegrams asking for his opinion and preparing to fly the aircraft.
The Tigers were reorganized into the Fourteenth Air Force of the United States Air Force, and Chennault would also be promoted to major general, officially joining the ranks of American generals.
About five minutes later, more than a hundred disheveled Flying Tigers formed a crooked formation on the field.
Chennault's brows couldn't help but frown. These bastards were used to being unorganized. How could they still look like soldiers? If they really wanted to join the regular army of the US Air Force, how could Stilwell, the Puritan, stand it? If nothing else, just...
The more than fifty prostitutes employed in the dormitory building are enough to make this old man furious, right?
"Boss, it's only after six o'clock, why did you wake us up so early?"
"God, you're not going to let us get up and have an early morning sex, are you?"
"F***? God, please spare me."
The Flying Tigers began to mumble and tease.
"Shut your mouths," Chennault said angrily, "Let's go to the airport immediately. All the planes that can take off will take off. Today we have to escort the plane of a big shot. This is an order issued by the Military Commission.
This is my order, if you don’t want to be fired, just shut up and work hard!”
The Flying Tigers quickly boarded the jeep like obedient rabbits.
Chennault's threat hit their mark. This group of "cowboys" have become accustomed to the current adventurous life of debauchery. Once they are fired by the National Government and lose their high-paying job with a monthly salary of 600 US dollars, even if they are asked to return
It is unacceptable to serve in the U.S. Air Force and receive a monthly salary of US$150.
Yunnan, Baoshan Airport.
Half an hour ago, Yue Weihan's plane had landed at Baoshan Airport.
After a long-distance flight of more than 2,000 kilometers, the range of the DC-3 passenger plane has almost reached its limit. If it does not replenish fuel, it will probably crash before reaching Myanmar. Previously, Yue Weihan announced that he would rest at Kunming Airport, but
In the end, he played a little trick and landed at Baoshan Airport instead. This was of course for safety reasons.
At 8 o'clock in the morning, two escort squadrons departing from Kunming Airport arrived over Baoshan. Immediately, Yue Weihan's plane took off from Baoshan Airport. After completing the formation in the air, it roared away towards the Hukang Valley in northern Myanmar.
Northern Myanmar, Hukham Valley.
Seven divisions of the Chinese Expeditionary Force have spread out along the river valley and are building fortifications.
It must be said that the tactical command ability of the senior generals of the Communist Party of China is really lacking. The positions of the seven divisions are still laid out in a straight line. There is no depth of defense and no reserves left. If the Japanese army comes to attack, they only need to break through any of them.
A division's defense line, the entire defense line will collapse in an instant, and the artillery positions behind the defense line will be completely exposed, open to human exploitation.
The more than 80 T-26 tanks and more than 100 armored vehicles of the tank regiment were not used together, but were evenly distributed in the forward positions. Obviously, the senior generals of the expeditionary force regarded these tanks and armored vehicles as fixed firepower points.
Concentrating them means using them as an assault force.
Although Stilwell questioned this, no one paid any attention to him.
At this point, Stilwell also recognized the reality. He, the chief of general staff of the Chinese theater, was nothing but a decoration. Except for Sun Liren's new 36th Division, no one else looked down upon him at all. Stilwell also had no illusions that Yue Weihan could obey his command.
He just hoped that Yue Weihan wouldn't be stubborn and stupid and blindly follow "Peanuts"'s instructions.
"Look, planes! There are so many planes!" Several Japanese soldiers suddenly shouted.
When Stilwell heard the sound, he looked up and saw a large group of black planes approaching from the northeast. Immediately, there was a huge roar of planes from the horizon. The Japanese officers and soldiers who were building fortifications quickly put down their engineering shovels and used the last force.
Quickly, they set up a bunch of Maxim heavy machine guns and prepared to fire into the air.
"Flying Tigers, that's the Flying Tigers!" Suddenly a sharp-eyed soldier shouted.
The fleet of planes approached quickly. Stilwell put his hand on the awning and looked closely. Sure enough, he saw that most of the planes had shark patterns painted on their noses. From a distance, these shark patterns looked like big tigers with exposed fangs.
, those Kunming people who had never seen a shark misunderstood it as a big tiger, so the name Flying Tigers came into being.
At a glance, Stilwell saw the DC-3 passenger plane protected by dozens of P-40 fighter jets.
Suddenly, Stilwell's mind moved. It seemed that the new commander of the Chinese Expeditionary Force, Yue Weihan, had arrived. This guy really kept his promise and actually arrived in Burma before noon. However, Myitkyina had already been lost. Hu Kang
There is no military airport in the river valley, so how can the plane land? Is it possible...to parachute?
After the fleet circled twice over the Hukang Valley, the DC-3 passenger plane under the protection of the Flying Tigers suddenly began to lower its flight altitude and landed straight towards the open rice fields at the mouth of the valley. Stilwell suddenly
I exclaimed, God, this guy is actually planning to make an emergency landing. This is very dangerous! If you are not careful, the plane will be destroyed and everyone will be killed!
In the air, the Flying Tigers' call channel was blown up.
When they first set off from Kunming Airport, the members of the Flying Tigers were full of complaints. I don’t know how many times they cursed Yue Weihan, the so-called "big man" who disturbed their dreams. However, after completing the formation flight over Baoshan Airport, these American cowboys
His perception of Yue Weihan immediately changed.
Because the Flying Tigers discovered that the person piloting the plane was actually Yue Weihan himself!
For Yue Weihan, what does a propeller plane mean? He has flown even more complex jet fighters!
Yue Weihan only performed a few simple flying stunts and spoke fluent English, and immediately won the recognition of the Flying Tigers. Yue Weihan half-jokingly and half-seriously promised that if he captured a beautiful Japanese female prisoner of war in Burma,
It must be sent to the flight base in Kunming first, and it immediately won the great favor of these American soldiers.
Of course, Yue Weihan didn't intend to give it away for free. When the time came, he would have to let these American soldiers shed some blood.
These American soldiers received a high salary of 600 US dollars per month, and a bonus of 500 US dollars for shooting down a Japanese plane. They were rich people in Kunming. You must know that US dollars were quite valuable at that time. A purely handmade Rolls-Royce
It only costs US$20,000 each, and a brand-new Warhawk fighter jet or a Sherman tank just out of the factory only costs US$50,000.
Moreover, 1 U.S. dollar is equivalent to 4 Chinese silver dollars. At that time, the price of pork in Kunming was only 1.5 cents per catty. If all was converted into pork, these American soldiers could buy 16,000 catties with a month's salary, enough for 5,000
People have been eating for half a month! The American soldiers are so rich, who are they going to kill if you don’t kill them?
Let’s talk about the Flying Tigers. When they saw Yue Weihan preparing to make an emergency landing, they immediately exploded. This group of American soldiers fully expected Yue Weihan to win a few big victories in Burma, and then give them a few Japanese female prisoners of war to have sex with.
As for sex, they don't want to see Yue Weihan destroyed because of a mistake in his operation.
However, the worries of the Flying Tigers were completely unnecessary.
A few minutes later, the DC-3 passenger plane piloted by Yue Weihan landed steadily in the rice field.