GBP Chapter 472 Peach Pickers Are Coming
Chapter 472 Peach Pickers Are Coming
Zhang Chi's special train 'Army No. 1' is running smoothly on the railway from southern Bago to Yangon.
However, far away in Myitkyina, at the People's Security Army Headquarters, the atmosphere became delicate due to a phone call from the Allied Southeast Asia Theater Command.
The remaining chief of staff, Lieutenant General Tan Zhijie, sat behind a desk piled with combat maps and documents, frowning slightly as he listened to the White Eagle-style Angsa language coming from the microphone, which was obviously anxious.
The person on the other end of the line was Stevenson, commander of the Southeast Asia Theater:
"...General Tan, this is the situation. The straight-line distance from Piyadaba Air Base in Kolkata to the Palembang oil fields is over 1000 miles (over 1600 kilometers), which means a round trip of over 2000 miles.
Although the B-29 had sufficient range, its effective bomb load was pitifully compressed after it was fully fueled. Each "Superfortress" could only carry less than 3 tons of bombs.
This amount of ammunition is simply a drop in the bucket for a large oil refining complex like Palembang."
Tan Zhijie listened patiently, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the table, his expression impassive. "General Stevenson, I understand the impact of range on bombing efficiency. But I'm not quite sure what your specific purpose is in calling."
"I mean, is it possible for you to build us a new airfield... or at least provide us with a large existing airfield at Rangoon, or even closer to Sumatra, on the Malay Peninsula, specifically for the B-29 fleet of the 20th Air Force?
Rest assured, General, the Pentagon will pay for all expenses, including construction costs, expansion projects, and all expenses after the fleet is stationed, including fuel, maintenance, ground crew food and lodging, and even airport security.
We, the United States, are the most trustworthy and will never default on our payments!"
As he said this, Stevenson felt his face turn red.
Not long ago, he and Zhang Chi had agreed on a plan to have the Anmin Army's air force carry out the mission of bombing the oil fields, and attempt an amphibious landing at the appropriate time to completely occupy the oil fields on Sumatra Island.
Now, the promise is still fresh in our minds, and the people who pick peaches have come.
The root of all this lies in the restless heart of General Henry Harry Arnold, commander-in-chief of the White Eagle Army Air Force.
Naturally, he was not satisfied with the prefix "Army Air Force". He and his group of ambitious air force generals were obsessed with establishing an independent military branch - the Air Force - that was on par with the Army and Navy, or even could surpass the Navy.
An independent air force without any prefix that can compete with the two big brothers!
And the Marines? What were they? Some sort of fully automated bipedal vehicle? Arnold didn't even think of them.
The B-29 "Superfortress", which had been in service for a short time, was an "air giant" with a long range, large payload, and represented the pinnacle of aviation technology. It was the "hammer" that helped Arnold realize his ambitions.
Arnold, the commander-in-chief of the Army Air Force, was like a blacksmith with a hammer, and everyone looked like a nail to him.
In the Pacific, he instructed LeMay to use the B-29 fleet to carry out bombing on the Japanese homeland.
In Southeast Asia, he ordered the newly formed 20th Air Force and three groups of the 58th Bomb Wing, totaling more than 150 B-29s, to be stationed in Sindhu to prepare for the bombing mission against Sumatra.
The 20th Air Force was of a high rank and reported directly to the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS). The deployment of the B-29s and the strategic bombing targets were entirely decided by the DC District. Even Stevenson, the commander of the Southeast Asia Theater, had no right to interfere.
Arnold felt that Calcutta was too far away and requested to move to the airport on the PNA territory which was closer. Stevenson could only help with the coordination. One can imagine how frustrated he felt.
Fortunately, Stevenson will soon return to his country for a promotion.
"Sorry, please wait a moment." After saying that, Tan Zhijie covered the microphone and called over the major of the Second Operations Intelligence Bureau.
"Check the status of the 20th Air Force and Arnold, as well as the B-29 deployment intentions, quickly."
The major took the order and left quickly.
Just a few minutes later, a concise intelligence summary was placed on Tan Zhijie's desk.
He scanned it quickly and soon figured out the cause and effect.
After thinking for a moment, he knew that he couldn't refuse directly, so he said into the microphone:
"First of all, please allow me, on behalf of Commander-in-Chief Zhang Chi and all the officers and soldiers of the Anmin Army, to express our full support to our brother Allied forces!
In principle, we very much welcome the 20th Air Force's B-29s to station at our bases and fight alongside us against the Japanese invaders. "Coordinated operations double our effectiveness."
"But actually I think it's a little difficult. I've heard of the B-29, which is a super-large aircraft with a wingspan of more than 43 meters and a maximum take-off weight of more than 60 tons, right?
The few airports we have now are probably completely unable to accommodate them.
The hangar needs to be expanded and the runway needs to be extended. This isn't a field airport for fighter jets to take off and land. We can just make do with perforated steel plates, you know?"
"There are also thousands of pilots (a standard B-29 crew consists of 11 people, and the ground crew to air ratio is 5:1), thousands of ground crew, and nearly 10,000 friendly troops stationed there. General, this is not a small number.
Their barracks, canteens, hospitals, recreational facilities...even laundries. Our existing base facilities may not be able to keep up.
With so many people stationed there, logistics, security, and discipline management...are all huge challenges!"
"What do you mean?" Tan Zhijie's series of "reasonable" long and difficult sentences bombarded Stevenson like a machine gun. Now it was Stevenson's turn to be confused.
Tan Zhijie said simply, "I mean, we can move in, but it may take several months of advance preparation for us to build a new airport, expand the barracks and dormitories, and improve the supporting facilities."
On the other end of the phone, Stevenson's frown relaxed.
He posed such a difficult problem to the Anmin Army. Tan Zhijie, who represented Zhang Chi, not only did not refuse, but also took the initiative to help improve it.
Especially since he broke his promise first and the White Eagle soldiers caused trouble.
Thinking of this, he felt a huge surge of emotion and guilt in his heart.
Look, look at the Anmin Army!
Not only did they not directly refuse or complain, but they put themselves in their shoes, took the initiative to propose solutions to the problem (although it took time), and warmly welcomed it.
This broad mind, this magnanimity, isn’t this the most sincere and reliable friendship among allies?
In comparison, the aggressive attitude of those bureaucrats in DC who are only concerned with vying for power and Air Force Commander Arnold is simply disgusting!
So he took the initiative and said:
“That’s great, General Tan. Thank you very much for your understanding and support.
Don't worry, I will convey your attitude and demands to General Arnold and the Pentagon in full, emphasizing the difficulties.
As I promised before, you can record all expenses in detail, from every shovel of earth and every steel bar at the airport to every gallon of aviation fuel and every steak after the subsequent fleet arrives.
I, Stevenson, guarantee on my personal reputation that I will help you submit the bill to the Pentagon clearly and in full.
The United States values credibility above all else and will absolutely, absolutely not owe its allies a single cent."
Stevenson was so moved that he almost said something honest like, "Please add a few more zeros to the bill, so that I can feel better..."