If it was Li Yunlong who asked to speak, Zhao Gang would definitely refuse to give in, but when he saw it was Wang Xuexin...
Zhao Gang knew that Wang Xuexin was sensible and knew a lot, so he nodded in agreement, but still said: "Be polite, we are guests from afar!"
"Yes!" Wang Xuexin responded, then turned to Major Doug and said: "First of all, Major, I think I should remind you that I have stated in the plan that our military's conditions are limited and the airport can do what it can.
And submitted the plan to your army. General Doolittle agreed to reinforce our fighter planes after reading the plan and knowing that the airport would be in this situation. So..."
There is no need for Wang Xuexin to say what follows.
General Doug complained that these were useless and he had no authority to cancel the plan and take back the fighter planes.
Li Yunlong said "Hey" and said proudly: "That's the right thing to say. If you want to complain, send it back to your country and show your face to us. Who are you trying to scare?"
As he spoke, he crossed his legs with a look of disdain.
Li Yunlong's words were really bragging. Major Doug may have participated in the war, but he didn't realize that all of the people in front of him crawled out of the mountains of corpses and seas of blood. They had seen all kinds of battles, and of course they would not be fooled.
His few words and pretentious manner were intimidating.
Wang Xuexin added: "If Major Doug feels dissatisfied or unable to cooperate with our army, do I need to contact General Doolittle to ask him to replace him?"
At this time, Major Doug was no longer calm.
In fact, at Major Doug's age and being injured and unable to participate in air combat, his development prospects in the country have come to an end, and there are almost no opportunities for promotion other than retiring and enjoying his old age.
He came to China as a coach this time just because he didn't want to retire like this. He hoped to do something else instead of just sitting idly by.
But if... as the soldier in front of me said, contact Doolittle for someone else, then there is no doubt that he will have no choice but to retire after returning to China.
So Major Doug cleared his throat and said, "It's the airfield conditions I'm complaining about, gentlemen! You don't understand that we can't fight under these conditions, and they..."
Major Doug raised his hand to the Chinese pilots sitting at the back of the conference room: "What if we teach them to fly?"
Li Yueying added: "Comrade, we must at least have the equipment to transport ammunition and gasoline, otherwise how can we get the aircraft ready quickly? Air combat is all about speed. Any delay on our part may have dire consequences, and even the whole country."
The army was destroyed!"
"We know!" Wang Xuexin replied: "So we are prepared for this, and we have written it in the document!"
Li Yueying opened the document and looked at it, then looked shocked and said: "You... plan to use wheelbarrows and bamboo baskets to refuel fighter planes?"
Wang Xuexin nodded.
There is nothing we can do about it, the Eighth Route Army has this condition.
This is not to say that the Eighth Route Army does not have cars. At this time, the cars of the Eighth Route Army are enough for the airport.
But using a car will cause a series of problems.
For example, there is the issue of airport space. The airport will have to accommodate dozens of fighter planes, and the runway will be left for planes to take off. Will it be too crowded with cars?
Another example is the problem of being bombed by the enemy. If cars are crowded into cars, will they be connected together when bombed by the Japanese and then connected to the plane?
In addition, there are command and dispatch issues, etc. These are not trivial matters.
Therefore, after considering many aspects, Wang Xuexin believes that the best solution is manpower. The simpler it is, the less likely it is to cause trouble: the bullet boxes are carried on the backs of bamboo baskets, and the gasoline is pushed on wheelbarrows. They are prepared in the underground air raid shelters, and the planes rush up as soon as they arrive.
(Note: This method was also used by the ground staff of the stubborn army airport during World War II, but it was when China’s external highway was blocked and resources were scarce. This can also be called a spectacle on the Chinese battlefield, with advanced fighters and the most backward
Combined with ground handling methods)
Li Yueying took the information and explained it to Major Doug in English. Major Doug looked at Wang Xuexin and others in disbelief, and just said: "This is crazy, this is a fighter plane..."
It is difficult for Major Doug to imagine this kind of scene, or he feels that it is a bit inconsistent.
But after thinking about it, I felt that this method is also feasible. After all, Hawker 81 does not need to be loaded with bombs, otherwise it would be too dangerous to transport it in a wheelbarrow.
Wang Xuexin asked again: "Major Doug, is there any problem now?"
Major Doug thought for a while and then said: "But you should know that the wooden house is not suitable for the buildings here!"
"Of course!" Wang Xuexin replied: "So these are just our temporary buildings. The main body of the airport is actually underground and in tunnels in the mountains!"
Wang Xuexin has considered this aspect from the beginning.
As soon as the news of Yingjiang's reinforcements to the Eighth Route Army spreads, the sensitive nerves of the Japanese will be touched immediately.
The Japanese will never allow the Eighth Route Army to make a comeback in air supremacy.
The reason is very simple. The Eighth Route Army is located in its rear area. Once the Eighth Route Army has air supremacy, it means that the Eighth Route Army can use its air supremacy to bomb the Japanese roads and railways at will.
Many strategic materials of the Japanese are produced in the Northeast and then transported through Shanxi to the frontal battlefield facing the stubborn army in the south.
It is conceivable that once the air superiority in the rear is lost, it will cause a fatal blow to the Japanese.
This is even more troublesome than the "Flying Tigers" established by the stubborn army.
For this reason, Wang Xuexin believed that the Japanese would definitely want to nip the Eighth Route Army's aviation force in the bud.
Taking into account the lack of anti-aircraft guns in the Eighth Route Army and the lack of combat effectiveness in the early stages of the formation of the aviation force, it is almost inevitable that the airport will be bombed... It is impossible to say that from the beginning, before all the Yingjiang fighter planes arrived and the pilots were not fully trained, the airport would be able to
Keep the enemy out of the country.
Therefore, most of the airport facilities installed by Wang Xuexin are underground.
Command headquarters, ammunition depot, fuel depot, and even safe passages.
In addition, in order to ensure the safety of the aircraft, an aircraft fort was dug on the side of the surrounding mountains... This aircraft fort is a practical aircraft fort. It is actually a tunnel dug for the aircraft, and the aircraft is usually parked in the tunnel.
, then tow the aircraft to the nearest runway when needed.
This is also due to the small size of the fighters of this era. If they were as big as modern fighters, it would be a big project to complete these aircraft forts.
This is safer than Yingjiang's airplane castle or open-air parking.
The only issue to consider is that the tunnel is relatively humid and aircraft parts may rust inside.