GBP Chapter 128: Conversation on the Future War Situation (2)
Chapter 128: Conversation on the Future War Situation (2)
After hearing Kuang Zhengqi's words, Wedemeyer fell into a moment of deep thought. Chief of Staff Marshall had already called Wedemeyer on behalf of the President, announcing his appointment as Deputy Commander and Chief of Staff for the North African and Middle Eastern Theater, assisting Montgomery in the decisive battle against Rommel in North Africa. Wedemeyer knew exactly what kind of troops and commanders he would need to lead in this decisive battle. He unhesitatingly recommended the Chinese general Kuang Zhengqi to Marshall, striving to secure Chinese participation in the North African Theater.
Marshall, unsurprisingly, agreed to his request and informed him that the Allies would establish a joint Sino-American armored force, that the Allied First Army in the East Indies would be further expanded, and that troops would be deployed to the South Pacific and North African theaters. Wedemeyer's conversation with Kuang Zhengqi, Yang Hong, and others was, in fact, a directive from General Marshall to gauge the attitudes of these young Chinese elite generals toward world war and their understanding of the future.
Kuang's words did not disappoint Wei, but instead brought him great surprise. Wei was very eager for Kuang to continue to give him new surprises.
Thinking of this, Wedemeyer asked with concern: "General Kuang, what do you mean by high-mobility heavy firepower?"
Kuang Zhengqi smiled faintly, "Chief of Staff, why don't we learn from Rommel and use the rapid-fire capability of anti-aircraft guns to create a heavy anti-tank gun with a range of 88mm or even 100mm or more? If such a gun is installed on a new tank, it will deal a fatal blow to the German tanks!"
Wedemeyer nodded. "Washington has already developed the tank and weapons you described, but it's too heavy and slow to maneuver, making it a sitting duck for the Germans on the battlefield. Therefore, the tank is still undergoing testing and cannot be deployed."
"The Chief of Staff is probably talking about the tank with a huge cannon and heavy armor? Putting aside its firepower, I think the engine designed by the United States for tanks may not be able to drive it to work smoothly." Yang Hong interrupted at the right time to prevent his second brother from saying it out loud and leaving a bad impression on him in his subsequent exchanges with senior US military officials.
Wedemeyer hadn't thought of this, and with a hint of hesitation asked Yang Hong: "How did General Yang know?"
Yang Hong said calmly, "Through this comparison of the German Panther and the American M3 tanks, I've inadvertently discovered the technological differences between the US and German tank engines. Despite being of the same size, the horsepower difference between the two engines is quite significant. I think it's impossible for the US government, at such a critical juncture, not to use the most advanced engines in its tanks."
Wedemeyer was very surprised. What was going on in the minds of these Chinese? They actually found the source of such a secret thing in simple weapons.
Faced with Yang's question, Wei had to be frank. He sighed and said, "Indeed, the United States, Britain, and even the Soviet Union cannot match Germany in the field of engines. With the same horsepower, our engines are much larger and consume much more fuel. If we equip tanks with the same firepower and armor, we can only sacrifice size and speed. If we do so, we will obviously be making ourselves into living coffins and sending our heads to the enemy. Washington absolutely does not want to do this!"
Kuang Zhengqi nodded, stood up, and said to Wei, "If we don't have armor, like the German Weasel, can we reduce the weight so that it can maneuver at high speed like a tank and reload quickly like a rapid-fire gun?"
Wei was stunned. Stellan beside him did understand. He also stood up and said excitedly: "General Kuang, you mean to sacrifice defense to achieve high mobility and high rate of fire!"
Kuang nodded and continued, "The German army has demonstrated to us a completely new concept of tank warfare. Large-scale tank warfare is no longer a single tank battle, nor does it rely on tight protection and fierce artillery fire. Tank clusters not only need heavy armored firepower to directly confront the enemy, but also need mobile forces with a certain degree of protection to capture cities and territories. More importantly, they need fast-response support firepower to suppress and destroy the enemy's armored forces. Heavy tanks, medium tanks, light tanks, and highly mobile tank destroyers will form a new tank cluster. Only by cooperating with each other can we ultimately achieve victory!"
Stran said, "You mean a tank unit should be equipped with heavy, medium, and light tanks, as well as tank destroyers specifically designed to target enemy tanks, to achieve multi-faceted firepower, mobility, and protection, right?"
Kuang Zhengqi nodded and said softly, "That's right. I think the reason why Germany's blitzkrieg was successful was because of this characteristic. In North Africa and on the Soviet battlefield, the Allied tank losses were mainly caused by aircraft, tank destroyers, and tank destroyer artillery, rather than tank-to-tank bombardment. The reason why the Soviet army was defeated in every battle despite having an absolute majority of tank forces is the same principle. The same principle also applies to our victory over the Japanese Panther cluster in Yingluck. Future tank warfare must have the combination of tanks and supporting firepower to maximize its capabilities!"
Wedemeyer understood, stood up from his seat, walked over to Kuang, and gave him a warm hug. "General Kuang," he said, "you've got us a big surprise. I'd like to tell you that you, Stellan, and I will all be deployed to fight in North Africa soon. I will report your proposal to Washington as soon as possible. I believe the tank destroyers you mentioned will soon appear in North Africa, fighting under your command!"
Yang Hong also stepped forward, shook hands with Wedemeyer and Strand, and added, "I suggest that Washington also send in the less mobile tanks with enhanced protection. Although it's slow, its heavy armor and powerful artillery are an absolute threat to the enemy. Don't worry too much about it becoming a walking coffin. With the flexible and mobile tank destroyers and armored troops working together, it won't be that easy for the enemy to defeat it."
Wei had already understood Kuang's ideas. He nodded to Yang and said in a deep voice, "I will convey your opinions to Washington as soon as possible. In the meantime, I need you to quickly organize a group of Chinese soldiers to learn how to drive and use tanks."
Kuang and Yang nodded. They knew very well that the future expeditionary force would be a truly mechanized force. After this series of battles, the Chinese soldiers of the expeditionary force stationed in India and the Allied First Army have realized the importance of mechanized weapons from the bottom of their hearts. It is natural for them to learn to drive tanks and armored vehicles. A Chinese army with mechanization as its core will surely dominate various battlefields in the future!
Meanwhile, Mountbatten's conversations with Zheng Dongguo and Sun Liren were more formal. He informed them that, according to Allied Headquarters' plan, the Allies would formally establish the Far East Theater. Chiang would become Commander-in-Chief of the Far East Theater, General Stilwell would become Chief of Staff and Commander of the Southeast Asia Theater, and General Matthews would transfer to Chief of Staff of the Southeast Asia Theater. The new Southeast Asia Theater would not include India, and he would become the new Commander of the Indian Theater. The eastern Indian theater of engagement would be temporarily incorporated into the Southeast Asia Theater. Chiang would decide who would take over as Deputy Commander of the Southeast Asia Theater. Mountbatten understood that it would be between Zheng and Sun.