The return of the Si Xing Regiment to North China is the largest long-distance transfer of soldiers in the history of the Chinese military.
The transportation plan was personally formulated and implemented by Stilwell, Chief of General Staff of the Chinese Theater.
The fourth delegation will fly directly to Yuncheng on 90 large transport aircraft of the 9th Bomb Group and the 1st and 2nd Transportation Groups of the United States stationed in China.
The Chinese side dispatched 3 squadrons of 36 fighter jets from the 4th Flying Group to escort, the Flying Tigers dispatched 2 squadrons of 22 fighter jets to escort, and the United States dispatched a squadron of 10 fighter jets to escort.
The number of fighter aircraft of various types escorting this huge transport aircraft formation will reach an astonishing 68!
Each formation of escort fighter jets took off from airports in Yunnan and Guangxi provinces, and then arrived at Guilin Airport, where the largest concentration of transport aircraft was located, hovering and waiting, waiting for the transport aircraft to take off before flying to the mountain city.
It’s not because the Four Troops are arriving at the mountain city, but because some retired soldiers due to disability are returning to their hometowns in Sichuan Province, and the escort fighter planes have to refill aviation fuel after a long flight of 700 kilometers. After all, there are still more than a thousand kilometers ahead.
long distance.
Ye Chenghuan and Leng Feng had fully solicited their opinions on whether those soldiers who had retired due to disability should go home.
If you don't want to go home, you can follow the army back to the Dakouzidong Town station. More than a dozen factories have been built there and they also need manpower. Even if you don't want to work, the Invalids Institute has been built in the Taihang Mountains. All the sources of funding for the Invalids Institute are
It's guaranteed, and it will be no problem to keep them worry-free for the rest of their lives.
For those who want to go home, the Sichuan branch managed by Miss Laura will provide sufficient bonuses, war participation allowances, and disability allowances, at least 500 oceans per person, which is enough for them to live in their hometown. If they encounter anything else in life,
The problem is, the Tang family is in Sichuan Province, and there are many disabled veterans there who can ask them for help.
Sichuan people love their families, and of course they don’t want to add to the burden on the regiment. Seventy percent of the disabled retired soldiers chose to go home. Tang Dao, who was still on the hospital bed, found General Stilwell. The largest flying team in the history of the Chinese military wanted to
This group of less than 300 wounded soldiers actually chose to land at the airport closest to Tang Dao's hometown.
Since when did Americans become so talkative? The top Chinese commander at the airport who received the transfer mission was confused. At its peak, their airport only had 10 large aircraft taking off and landing, and now there are 90.
It really put them in a hurry.
"These Chinese people deserve what we do. They should be the most admirable soldiers I have ever transported in my life. I think my brother will bless them and me."
This was a sentence written by Second Lieutenant Robert Shawn, then a pilot of the 9th U.S. Bomb Group in China, in a letter home. His brother was Robert Shawn, China’s first foreign pilot who died in the sky over Songhu during the 1932 Songhu War.
Schott.
Twelve years ago, Robert Short, who was an instructor at the China Aviation School, died in a battle over Songhu while being outnumbered. Twelve years later, his youngest brother also came to China to fight against the Japanese army and expressed his sympathy in a letter home.
Respect from soldiers of China's allies.
It was on that day that he suddenly understood why his brother chose to sacrifice his life for this ancient Eastern country that had nothing to do with them.
Because here, there are his comrades.
Those Chinese comrades with black hair, black eyes, and yellow skin are the most admirable soldiers in the world.
Second Lieutenant Robert did not describe in detail in his letters home the shocking scene he saw when he entered the airport and opened the tail door of the plane, but this scene remained in his mind forever.
So 7 years later, when he had been promoted to Lieutenant Commander of the Navy, he heard that he was about to be drafted to the ice field battlefield to carry out ground bombing missions. The Major refused his boss without hesitation. His reason was simple: I refused to submit to the commander I respected.
The comrades in arms shot, even if they were former!
Of course, Major Robert had a more important reason that he did not say. He believed that the arrogant five-star general commander could not lead him to defeat the seemingly poorly equipped army, and the infantry regiment that had shocked him so much.
I heard it's in the ice field.
It was mid-November 1944, already late autumn!
Soldiers from the Fourth Regiment had already arrived at the airport and were waiting in line 150 meters outside the runway to board the plane.
The huge bomber slowly walked across the runway. Second Lieutenant Robert, who was sitting in the cab, instinctively looked at the 'passengers' waiting to board the plane.
To be honest, before arriving at this airport, Robert Sean complained bitterly to General Stilwell, who issued the transportation order: Damn it, the army's 90 large aircraft were used just to transport Chinese people.
, how much benefit does this receive from the Chinese?
Outside the porthole, the Chinese soldiers were still wearing summer military uniforms, which looked a bit thin. Fortunately, Guangxi Province is in the subtropical zone, so it is not cold, but it is a bit shabby.
Many soldiers' uniforms were starched and turned white, indicating that this was the only military uniform they could wear, but they were still very clean.
Is this their so-called ace infantry regiment? China is really too poor, the American Air Force second lieutenant sighed slightly in his heart!
But soon, Lieutenant Robert discovered what was different about this army.
Each soldier carries a rifle or submachine gun on his back, and some soldiers also carry a machine gun or mortar barrel on their back. There is no other heavy equipment, and it is completely the standard of a light infantry regiment.
This is not the focus of the observation of the second lieutenant of the US Air Force. The lack of heavy equipment in the Chinese army has long been a consensus between the enemy and ourselves. The light infantry regiment may have become an ace infantry regiment due to its ultra-high mobility.
But what does it mean that every soldier has a big wooden box hanging on his chest?
Second Lieutenant Robert's eyes swept over every officer and soldier of the Fourth Army Regiment he passed, and he was surprised to find that whether it was an army colonel with three three-pointed stars on his collar badge, he still had only one arm, or even an empty trouser leg and was leaning on a cane.
Severely disabled soldiers who needed special care had a large wooden box hanging on their chests that looked like it weighed at least 30 kilograms.
Could it be that this big wooden box contained their equipment? Second Lieutenant Robert was puzzled. According to his knowledge of various types of firearms, no firearms needed to be stored in wooden boxes.
Of course, there is no need to wrap the wooden box with red cloth. It is really a strange Chinese thing. Is there some magic weapon inside? The second lieutenant of the American Air Force turned around in his mind some things he heard from his grandmother.
ancient European magical legends.
After the plane stabilized, an army colonel with a large wooden box hanging around his neck strode out of the queue, looked at the soldiers lined up in front of him, and shouted: "Get on the plane!"
A row of soldiers at the front hung boxes to form six square formations, with 40 people in each square, and walked to the six aircraft that were ready.
"Let's go and help those poor guys, I see some of them even have no legs." Lieutenant Robert watched a soldier on crutches follow the queue with difficulty but determination, but his heart was fierce.
One move.
The Battle of Hengyang is famous all over the world. Those soldiers who survived that hellish battlefield are considered warriors in their own right.
No one dares to look down on brave people, even if their clothes and equipment look extremely shabby.
Standing at the tailgate of the aircraft cabin that slowly opened, looking at the Chinese officers and soldiers filing in, the second lieutenant of the U.S. Air Force took the initiative to reach out to the severely disabled soldier who was slowly walking along the ramp with the help of his comrades, and spoke with his hands.
Express your greetings in some broken Chinese: "Young men, welcome to this flight. I am the captain of this flight, Second Lieutenant Robert Sean."
The soldier shook his head and rejected Lieutenant Robert's kindness. But obviously, it was not that he was being pretentious, but that he was protecting the wooden box in front of him with one hand and holding a crutch with the other hand. There was no third hand to come.
Accept the kindness of a second lieutenant in the United States Air Force.
Second Lieutenant Robert did not give up, but directly held the wounded soldier's arm and took him to the front of the cabin: "There will be airflow in the air, and the bumps at the tail will be bigger. You need to be more stable when you sit here.
Some."
"Thank you!" The soldier, who should be close to 30 years old and had three golden beans on his collar badge with a blue bar but three more >>> lines next to it, glanced at the enthusiastic American Air Force second lieutenant, very polite but distant.
Thank you gratefully.
"What's your military rank? I haven't seen you in your army before?" The American Air Force second lieutenant wanted to know the secret in the box and wanted to open up a breakthrough for chatting.
According to Second Lieutenant Robert's knowledge, in the Chinese army, the person with a blue bar and three golden beans is a sergeant. He is the most senior soldier in the infantry class. He is only one level behind him as a second lieutenant. This shows that this veteran is very good on the battlefield.
It has been a few years, but judging from his current condition, it would be difficult for him to stay in the military any longer.
"Level 3 Sergeant!" the disabled soldier lowered his eyelids and replied to the enthusiastic U.S. Air Force second lieutenant.
Obviously, if Second Lieutenant Robert had not been the pilot of this plane, this wounded soldier with a stern and slightly weathered face would not pay much attention to him.
After all, this guy can control the lives of dozens of colleagues in the cabin, and he is still a veteran who is flying on a plane for the first time.
"Oh! I bought it! So you are the king of soldiers." Second Lieutenant Robert's blue eyes were full of surprise.
The sergeant major occupies a very important position in the military ranks of the US Army at this time. There are a total of five levels from the highest-ranking army chief sergeant to the lowest third-level sergeant major, not to mention the highest-level army chief sergeant.
After all, only the President is qualified to appoint him. Even the third-level sergeant major is considered to be the top rank among soldiers.
The Chinese veteran who has lost a leg in front of him has three >>> patterns, which means that level three is higher than level one, and he is definitely the top among infantrymen.
"You are the king of soldiers, you just have to live longer!" was praised by an officer from the United States, but there was no joy on the face of the Chinese soldier. Instead, there was a hint of vicissitudes in his eyes.
"Can I ask you one more question, you are all carrying a wooden box like this, and what is in it is your special equipment?" Second Lieutenant Robert finally turned on his curious baby mode.
This ancient oriental country is indeed too mysterious. The Japanese fought against the Empire in Southeast Asia until the sun never sets and the Gallic roosters scurry away. Their strength is beyond doubt, but they never thought that this poor and almost primitive country would actually fight with them for seven years, and
Winning the final victory in the defense battle of Hengyang, which was completely at a disadvantage, is simply incredible.
"Inside..." The veteran gently touched the wooden box wrapped with a military flag on one knee with his hand, his eyes filled with sadness.
The Chinese soldiers who had all entered the plane and were seated suddenly fell silent!
"Sorry everyone, don't blame me for being too curious, but for the safety of this flight, explosives are not allowed to be brought into the cabin. After all, this is a long-distance flight with a distance of 1,400 kilometers. I don't want us to become
A ball of fire." Second Lieutenant Robert, who felt something strange in the air, quickly explained.
"Mr. Second Lieutenant, I can assure you that we did not bring any explosives on board. Even every bullet was carefully checked and inserted into the belt to secure it." A second lieutenant officer stood up and solemnly said to Robert
said the second lieutenant.
For the sake of flight safety, and because the Fourth Army Regiment is returning to its base to rest and recuperate, and there is no combat mission, the regiment headquarters issued an order three days ago that each person only needs to carry firearms, sabers and a certain amount of bullets, and other items such as grenades.
, explosive packets, artillery shells and other dangerous explosives are left for friendly forces.
However, it was not the 10th Army that reaped the benefits this time, but the 26th Division of the 43rd Army that rushed to Hengyang and escorted them to Guilin. After all, the Sixings Regiment was originally directly under the 43rd Army Headquarters, and they came to escort their
Old comrade-in-arms, there is nothing wrong with that!
The Fourth Army Regiment not only left behind all the ammunition reserves except bullets, but also sent all the few 82-mm heavy machine guns and 12.7 mm heavy machine guns. It only carried 60-mm guns and the "Storm" rocket launchers that were unwrapped and wrapped in rainproof cloth.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! Today, 8,908 people from the 26th Division also came collectively to see off the Si Xing Group.
There was silence inside the cabin, but a loud roar was heard outside the porthole: "Send me my comrade, stand at attention and salute!"
"Send me my comrade, stand at attention, and salute!" The waves came and went one after another.
Through the porthole, Lieutenant Robert's eyes suddenly opened wide. About 400 meters away from the airport runway, a square formation of soldiers wearing dark blue military uniforms stood at attention, raising their right hands in a military salute. Looking from a distance, it looked like waves surging.
, magnificent!
That's far more than one infantry division, with at least 30,000 to 40,000 people!
Could it be that all the Chinese defenders in Guilin have arrived? Damn it, such a huge battle, what should I do if the Japanese intelligence agency finds out? Robert broke out in a cold sweat on his back.
Little did they know that this possibility had long been predicted by the Chinese Theater Staff Headquarters. Even if the Japanese did not come, as long as the Japanese dared to come, the largest air battle in the Chinese theater would be born.
In addition to the 68 fighter planes from 6 squadrons that will escort this huge fleet, the Chinese 3rd Aviation Group and the 2nd Aviation Group have sent a total of 48 fighters to cruise in the hundreds of miles of airspace at the junction of Hunan Province and Sichuan Province. The Flying Tigers will be dispatched.
Thirty-six fighter jets from three squadrons will clear a path 30 kilometers ahead of the fleet until they reach Shancheng airspace. The U.S. Air Force formation in China will also send two squadrons of 24 fighter jets to follow the formation 20 kilometers behind until it reaches North China.
The mobilization of these 108 fighter planes is absolutely confidential. Even among the top brass of the Chinese Air Force and the U.S. Air Force, no more than five people know about it.
China and the United States deployed nearly 200 fighter planes for the largest infantry delivery in Chinese military history over thousands of kilometers.
When Tang Dao, the only insider of the Si Xing Regiment, had a heart-to-heart talk with his father and son on the eve of joining the army in Tangshanhe, he talked about the mood of that day in his exact words.
courage, so what if he and the Four Elements Group completely fell?
The China Dispatch Force Headquarters, which had lost hundreds of fighter planes over Hengyang, had actually lost this capability long ago. Okamura Koji was also cautious enough that even if he regarded the Four Troops as a thorn in his side, he did not dispatch a single fighter plane after all.
Attack this huge fleet.
The newly appointed supreme commander of the Japan-China Expeditionary Force chose to endure in the face of absolute strength!
And the shock of Lieutenant Robert, who was still in the cabin at this time, continued...
"Old squad leader, did you hear that? They are all sending you home. I am taking you home!" The veteran pressed his face against the wooden box and murmured softly.
Second Lieutenant Robert was suddenly stunned!
In this wooden box, could it be...
Looking up, the soldiers and officers who were still neatly lined up on one side of the runway had wooden boxes wrapped in red cloth hanging on their chests. The American Air Force second lieutenant's scalp went numb. There were at least thousands of them.
Is that all?
Yes, he guessed it right this time.
The officers and soldiers of the Four Lines Regiment, regardless of their military rank, regardless of gender, except for the few hundred people with severe physical disabilities and the artillerymen responsible for transporting the "Storm" rocket launchers, even the regiment commander Tang Dao who was on the stretcher, there were others in his arms.
In a wooden box, 3,587 people were about to board the plane, carrying the coffins of 2,609 officers and soldiers who died in Hengyang back to Taihang Mountain. This also included 809 people who were selected by the Four Lines Regiment in the Battle of Hengyang to supplement the Four Lines Regiment's sequence of operations.
part of the new recruits.
During their visit to Guilin this time, the Si Xing Regiment found more than 500 family members of the recruits through newspapers and radio. After negotiating with them, most of them requested that their relatives be buried back in Hengyang or Guilin where they currently live. No family members or family members were found.
Those who agreed to bury their relatives in the Sixings Regiment Martyrs Cemetery were all held in the arms of the soldiers and put on the transport plane.
"They actually carried the skeletons of thousands of soldiers!" Second Lieutenant Robert sat on the driver's seat with a shocked expression and started the aircraft engine.
Amidst the huge roar, the plane taxied slowly on the runway, but it still failed to wake up the American Air Force second lieutenant from the shock.
He still didn't understand why these Chinese people were carrying soldiers who had died in battle.
"Brothers, we will take you home!" In the cabin, the second lieutenant officer looked out the window at the rows of soldiers standing at attention and saluting. With a sad face, he shouted in the cabin with a Sichuan accent.
go home!
It turned out that they were taking them home. The second lieutenant of the American Air Force felt as if he had been struck by lightning. He stood on the spot and almost forgot to apply the gas.
He thought of his brother who was buried in Hongqiao Cemetery. He died in the war, but no one took him home, but these Chinese soldiers never forgot.
No matter where they died in battle, they believed that their comrades would take them home. How could such a group of people be afraid of death?
No wonder they were able to defeat the powerful Japanese 11th Army in the small city of Hengyang. Second Lieutenant Robert suddenly understood.
The aircraft engine roared heart-breakingly and shot straight into the sky!
However, 26 years old seems like 30 years old. Yang Shoucheng, who had never cried after his left leg was blown off, finally burst into tears.
He has always refused to be an officer and has become a soldier. He just wants to protect his squad leader and his brothers in the infantry squad.
But in the battle at Hengyang, the squad leader was gone, and less than half of the infantry squad brothers were left.
Fortunately, he can take the monitor home.
There, if he had time, he could roll dice in front of his grave.
That is, no one is opening the market anymore.
PS: Because this is the end, Fengyue is always hesitant to write. Sometimes updates are not timely, sorry for that!
In addition, we also need to consider the side stories. Readers who want to see those side stories of the characters in "Eight Hundred" can also leave a message in advance and Fengyue can come up with it in advance.
