Canteen System Assistance Notes

Seeing the enemy's altitude advantage reasserted, Chennault was too concerned to worry. He glanced around. Since the battle began, the two fighters had already fought to the northern edge of the Guanzhong Plain. The ravines and dirt fields of the Loess Plateau were now in sight. Chennault quickly chose a relatively wide ravine, lowered his altitude, and slipped into it.

"Come and chase me, boy!" He roared, not caring whether the other party could hear him or not.

The winter wheat, still ungreened, swept rapidly across the valley. A village came into view. Chennault had an idea and fired a few rounds aimlessly at the ground, hoping to provoke his opponent. He had to make them play at his own pace!

Sure enough, the effeminate Communist plane, knowing he was tempting it to slow down, followed him anyway. Chennault swerved, employing a roll to evade the initial attack and begin a powerful turn. The enemy aircraft was faster, and he had to find a way to draw it into a continuous turn. Chennault struggled to think. The high G-forces starved his brain of blood, causing him to black out, but his solid fundamentals allowed him to complete the basic maneuvers.

The ground below was receding, and the wildcat finally caught up—it drew an upward arc, as if using the altitude to store the high speed brought by the dive. The situation that Chennault had expected, "rushing over the head in one breath and becoming a target," did not occur.

He could only lower the flaps and continue turning to avoid the enemy's projectiles shot down at a higher angle.

The two sides immediately began to enter into round after round of continuous and discontinuous maneuvers - or in other words, they entered into a competition of skills, willpower and endurance.

In the valleys of southern Shaanxi, bright aluminum and desert gray engaged in a dance of conflict, each chasing the other on a giant roller, surrounded by an untouchable sea of ​​fire and swords.

Originally, the Hawk 75M could have outperformed the faster, less dogfighting F4F with its superior turning radius at low speeds. However, this "woman-raised redhead" clearly understood the fighter's capabilities and limitations. He repeatedly used altitude and speed shifts to maintain a threat to Chennault and deny him a comfortable shooting window.

One round, two rounds...

The Wildcat, which was even less agile in turning, seemed to have finally revealed a flaw. At the beginning of the third round of turning, Chennault could clearly feel that the opponent's speed was decreasing and its movements were slowing down. It was very likely that the opponent would rush in front of him in this round of turning and be exposed to the firing range of the Browning machine gun.

"I won't lose! I won't lose! Haha! Son of a bitch!"

However, his face flushed, exhausted by the constant dizziness and heavy maneuvers, it was impossible for him to be as clear-headed and precise as his colleagues on Anton Star - as the speed of both sides continued to decrease and energy continued to be consumed, the Hawk 75M with fixed landing gear had become increasingly sluggish in responding to the pilot, and it had become a roast duck crawling at low altitude.

He didn't care at all that the village, which had made people afraid to attack, had long been left behind by the fighter planes.

At that moment, a second Wildcat swooped down from a still greater altitude, appearing as if from the sun.

Chapter 579: Strange Political Understanding

The fledgling "Rookie 02" had already scored the first kill of an American before even engaging the Japanese. Honestly, this dive attack even saved Chennault's life.

If Chennault, now a reckless man, had forced the stick to change direction, sapping the aircraft's speed, he would have likely plunged into an inextricable spin at less than a kilometer, leading to a loss of control and a crash. The higher tracer percentage in the training belt finally snapped him to his senses, forcing him to control the battered aircraft and force a forced landing. Finally, the Hawke 75M, its rear end a sieve, finally landed in a wheat field.

The sturdy fixed landing gear was quite useful at this time, successfully preventing Chennault from being killed by the top of the plane. But his unfortunate journey was not over yet.

As a liberated area that had been reformed for nearly two years, when the villagers saw this "devil plane" opening fire and strafing the fields and being shot down by the heroic Eighth Route Army Air Force, they quickly ran over under the leadership of the basic militia, carrying door panels, ropes, hoes, rakes and rifles, vowing to catch this "Japanese devil" who was harming the people.

Then, Chennault, wearing a "foreigner coming to China to help the war" uniform, shouted "You bunch of dirty yellow monkeys", and was beaten up by the villagers. Then, he was tied to the door with a rope and carried back.

So, it's a good thing we arrived just in time, otherwise Mr. Chennault might have perished at the hands of the angry mob. Wu Shouquan, the receptionist, looked with regret at Chennault, wrapped like a zongzi in the window of the hut, hanging from the wall by a traction rope, and said slowly, "It's truly such a pity."

"Yeah, really, it's a shame."

Military Attaché John Magruder glanced at Chennault, who had lost one hand (hit by a hoe handle) and both legs (broken in the forced landing), and made the sign of the cross on his chest.

"So, regarding the follow-up of this matter..."

Because he had been vaccinated long ago, Wu Shouquan knew the "temper" of the US Army.

Although the border areas were bound to follow the rules of the border areas, the US military naturally enjoyed a certain degree of privilege in China at that time. Wu Shouquan himself was prepared to face the military officer's "protecting Huizi" and "playing rogue". In less than a day, he had prepared a lot of "ammunition", both civil and military, and was waiting for the other side to attack.

The document, including footage from our fighter planes, photos taken by village cadres on the ground, and testimony from villagers at the time, fully demonstrates that Chennault secretly flew his plane into the border air defense zone, disobeyed orders, and attacked our troops. He subsequently strafed civilian homes, killing an ox and damaging a utility pole.

The worst-case scenario was to reject the exchange and have both sides part ways. Based on analysis of certain unusual channels and intercepted communications, the Central Committee was well aware of the current thinking of the US Navy, Army, and White House. In early 1942, when the Allies were completely silent and had achieved virtually no direct results, the opportunity to control the area from which to launch bombing raids on the Japanese mainland was an absolute temptation they could not pass up.

Simply put, the Eighth Route Army was not only right, but also in control. After all, it was the Americans themselves who were eager to use bombing to boost morale and spread propaganda, and the crucial airports were in the hands of the Eighth Route Army, so they were not afraid of a hard-line attack.

-------one

"Regarding this matter, Mr. Wu..."

Brigadier General John Magruder touched his chin and said, "First of all, I personally have no opinion. The whole story of this incident is clear, the evidence is conclusive, and there is nothing to criticize." "In addition, from the embassy's point of view, I think,"

He spoke in a businesslike tone, "Since Mr. Chennault is employed by the Nationalist Government and has violated the law in the area under Chinese jurisdiction, this is an internal political issue of China and should be handled by the local government at its discretion. Detention and trial

We will maintain due regard for American citizens and have no intention of interfering with judicial justice."

The military attaché emphasized his words: "We hope that during the subsequent public trial, you will strictly abide by local laws and ensure the legal rights and safety of American citizens." "Hmm? Why aren't these Americans making any excessive demands?" Wu Shouquan's brain froze for a few seconds, like he'd gotten into a boxing ring and punched nothing. "For example, Mr. Chennault, it's clearly not appropriate to stand trial now."

Military Attaché Magruder seemed to be afraid that Wu Shouquan would misunderstand him, so he continued to explain, "He was injured. As an American citizen, although employed by the Nationalist government, he should receive standard medical treatment until his injuries are completely and thoroughly recovered. This will take at least three or four months. As for the related expenses, the embassy believes that they should be borne by his employer in China according to common sense."

"And after he recovered, we felt that Mr. Chennault, after all, was an American citizen and should have a lawyer to provide him with a reasonable defense at the trial."

The military attaché continued, "Considering that Chinese lawyers may not be familiar with the relevant circumstances of American civilians, we believe that the lawyer should be selected in the United States and then dispatched to China. The Embassy in China can arrange this after Mr. Chennault recovers. As for the relevant expenses, the Embassy also believes that they should be borne by Mr. Chennault's employer in accordance with common practice."

?

"So, can you postpone the trial while ensuring all procedures are in place and in compliance?" He gestured towards the small courtyard that served as both a hospital ward and a prison cell, and said sincerely, "I believe that pre-trial detention should be held in a safe, reasonably protected location. This place, for example, is perfectly suitable. Any expenses incurred during the postponement should, as is standard practice, be borne by Mr. Chen's employer."

"Finally, as the United States Army Attaché, I am authorized to state:"

Military Attaché John Magruder said solemnly, "There is no record of Mr. Chennault among the active-duty personnel of the Army—he is not a member of the U.S. Army. The violation of the law by individual Chinese civilians in China does not represent the will of the U.S. Army, the State Department, or the White House. We do not believe this matter will affect our cooperation with you."

? ? ?

The Eighth Route Army had thought this incident would cause some disturbance, but it was settled in an inexplicable and reasonable way.

The US Army, who was expected to be furious and protect their troops, suddenly changed from potential opponents and troublemakers to audiences who bought popcorn and sat in the theater to watch the movie.

They quickly separated themselves from the identity of film actors and cited

He also asked the Eighth Route Army if they wanted some popcorn and Coke.

You must treat him well. Once he's cured, tell us. We'll then send a lawyer all the way from the United States to defend him. Finally, we must conduct a thorough and serious trial, preferably dragging it out for a year or two!

It seems that the hated Chennault not only angered the Chinese people, but even the US Army Air Force looked down on him.

In the original history, because the Chiang Kai-shek government and Chennault stood on the same front, they took advantage of the fact that the US military was eager to regain its position in the war against Japan, but had to pursue the policy of "Europe first, Asia later" and could not invest too many resources west of the Pacific, so they maintained a tough attitude.

Finally, Laughlin Currie, the head of the American delegation to China and the White House special envoy, weighed the pros and cons and finally accepted the opinions of the Chiang Kai-shek government and Chennault, persuading the War Department to compromise and allow the US military to award Chennault the rank of brigadier general, and allowed Guosu to resell and embezzle the lend-lease materials exported to China in order to promote the bombing of Japan.

Now, the Flying Tigers and the Nationalist government, which originally seemed to be very valuable, are far inferior to the Eighth Route Army in the north in terms of their achievements in fighting against Japan, their actual combat level, and their efficiency in utilizing materials. Why should they force themselves to eat "hairy pigs"?

As expected, after leaving behind Chennault, the burden, Brigadier General John Magruder ignored the extremely angry Guo Si who was cursing in newspapers and on the radio, and quickly held preliminary negotiations with the Eighth Route Army. He explained that the Army Aviation wanted to use the North China airport to launch bombing attacks on Japan, and left a series of delegation members and observers in the border area to discuss the subsequent details.

He soon boarded a plane back to the mountain city to meet with Laughlin Currie: as a key figure who could report directly to the War Department, the White House and the President, John Magruder needed his support.

The military attaché elaborated on his initial observations and achievements during this visit:

In principle, the Eighth Route Army was willing to allow the Army Air Force to use its airport to enter North China and bomb the Japanese mainland, but the specific location arrangements and personnel management needed to be subject to their management and arrangements; the Eighth Route Army agreed to establish a common command organization to coordinate relevant command issues of the bombing: because there were no more strategic bombers and long-range escort combat aircraft

The Eighth Route Army was willing to respect the US military's right to command during the bombing of the Japanese mainland.

However, regarding the bombing of the Japanese-occupied areas in China, the Eighth Route Army demanded that the US military must obey their command and respect their opinions;

The Eighth Route Army possesses basic aviation, fuel, and military industries, capable of providing fair-cost support to the Army Air Force's bombers, improving the effectiveness of their strategic air strikes against Japan and reducing logistics costs. However, expanding their production capacity requires the support and assistance of American-made industrial equipment...

"In short, I saw the resilience of an agricultural society in the mountain city, but in the north I saw the thriving development of a newly industrialized country."

Brigadier General John Magruder concluded: "It is necessary to make certain concessions and cooperate with the Eighth Route Army. I also believe that they can make better use of the Lend-Lease materials and help us eliminate more Japanese." "Indeed, if we can successfully form the North China Air Task Force with the Eighth Route Army, the need to reintegrate the Flying Tigers into the Army Air Force will no longer be so urgent.

"But I think that if Chiang in the South is willing to continue to pay, maintaining the Flying Tigers would also help demonstrate our willingness to cooperate with our Chinese allies."

Laughlin Currie nodded in agreement. "As for whether or not to continue cooperating with the Republic of China Air Force, I think we can wait until matters concerning the China-India-Burma theater are finalized before discussing it. The War Department will be sending a new commander soon, and you can inform him of my opinion then, and ask him to coordinate the communication."

"I will also report the results of your investigation to Mr. President and Secretary Stimson, Brigadier General John." "Thank you for your generosity."

"But as for Chennault," Laughlin Currie hesitated slightly, "John, do you know how the Eighth Route Army in the north will judge him?"

As far as I know, the Eighth Route Army would first treat his wounds, then take him to a grain drying yard with hundreds of farmers gathered. His crimes and sentence would be read out in public, and the lawyers for both the prosecution and the defense would debate each other. Then, the judge in charge of the trial would pronounce his sentence in front of portraits of several Communist leaders.

John Magruder recounted what he had seen and heard. I consulted their people. Chen's shooting didn't injure anyone, but it damaged oxen and government property. He will probably be sentenced to a fixed-term imprisonment and forced labor, and sent to do hard labor on a construction site..."

"Oh... maybe he deserves it. By the way, John,"

Laughlin Curry suddenly thought of something, frowned, and asked, "Did you see the naval delegation in North China? According to the information I have, they should be arriving soon." "I'm sorry, I didn't see the naval delegation. It seems that we were the only ones in Fushi during the process of handling this accident and conducting negotiations..."

Military Attaché John Magruder quickly responded:

"Wait, you mean, the navy has arrived?"

Chapter 580: Taking advantage of the opportunity, without any moral ethics

"Ladies and gentlemen, I have only three things to say—"

Carlson straightened up in the cabin and held the handle on the bulkhead. "First of all, we need to relax. We are neither throwing ourselves into the arms of the Japanese-controlled area nor marching to a cannibal tribe." This sentence caused a burst of laughter from the people in the cabin, and the atmosphere became much more relaxed.

This time, they flew from the United States to Alaska, then "crossed the Japanese naval air blockade" from Alaska, entered the mysterious Soviet Union, and then crossed the desolate Mongolian Plateau to reach this mysterious communist world in the Far East. Many in the delegation had only previously known China through Pearl S. Buck's novels, so they were naturally a little nervous.

Now, they were sitting in the cockpit of a Lockheed L14 "Super Electra", preparing to take off from Camel City in the northern border area.

"Secondly, the places we go to are inhabited by many people. They have their own lives and their own property. As long as we treat them with equal respect and abide by the local laws and systems, they will be friendly to us. In short, it's like going on vacation to Miami."

Carlson held up three fingers. "Finally, don't worry about the living conditions over there. The Chinese have built very comfortable homes and a high standard of food. I believe if we're willing to pay in US dollars, we can even get Philadelphia-style lager. But—" he emphasized, "but—gentlemen,"

"There are no kick-dancing girls there, and there won't be any: let's just give up on this."

Just like the Army, the Navy also approached China through an intermediary.

However, compared with Chennault, a civilian employee who "objectively made certain contributions to the anti-Japanese cause", Evans Fordyce-Carlson can indeed be called a "good friend of the Chinese people".

After completing his inspection of the liberated areas and base areas in 137-1938, he returned to China and explained the pros and cons to the president and the navy, expressing his support for the progressive forces in China headed by the Communist Party of China, which had absolute advantages both morally and in terms of cost-effectiveness. He was not afraid to offend others and became a well-known thorn in the side of the navy.

In the original time and space, Carlson would be marginalized and put on ice until the Pacific War broke out.

In view of the active performance of the Eighth Route Army in the Anti-Japanese War, Carlson not only

He was activated and sent to the border area as a representative of the president and the navy, and was even promoted to lieutenant colonel.

With him, the US Navy's first visit to the Eighth Route Army went much more smoothly, especially compared to the original plan to use Chennault to make himself familiar, but it turned out to be a disaster.

The U.S. Army and Navy expedition teams were basically not delayed, and currently

It's very clear.

After landing in the border region, they first met with Vice Chairman Zhou, the Director of External Communications, to explain the US Navy's fundamental intentions and objectives and secure the Eighth Route Army's approval for their subsequent itinerary. Subsequently, the delegation left some personnel in Funai to tour relevant facilities arranged by the Eighth Route Army, while several key members quickly boarded one of the Eighth Route Army's regularly scheduled infiltration flights, departing from Tuocheng and heading east. In the darkness of the night, they flew towards the "Japanese-occupied zone" marked on US military maps, heading straight for their target area: Shandong Province.

The Lockheed L 14 flew in the dark night. To ensure navigation safety, the aircraft stopped at the Ji Zhong base, unloaded cargo and refueled, and continued to fly eastward to the Shandong base, and soon landed at the airport in Rizhao area.

The area boasts a 200-meter cement runway and a 1200-meter vertical backup runway, built by the Eighth Route Army over several months on the original Japanese rammed earth runway. Building materials and machinery, including local earth and cement and modified captured Japanese vehicles, were primarily supplied by the nearby Junan Dadian "Material Center (Headquarters)," enabling rapid construction.

However, the leader of the inspection team from the Super Electra, US Navy Rear Admiral John H. Towers, had no intention of paying attention to the construction level of this airport, which was considered very good even in the US military.

After the general of the Lu army shook hands cordially, he couldn't help but complain:

"Commander Luo, I have a very strange question - after we took off from Jizhong, just because there was still room on the plane, you used the plane to transport corn?"

John H. Towers, one of the founding fathers of the U.S. Navy and the sixth pilot of the U.S. Navy, is a "dirty corn man" who has witnessed the wartime pragmatism of the Eighth Route Army.

During the previous journey, there were many woven bags filled with corn placed beside and at the foot of his seat. As the plane bumped during landing, a few corn kernels popped into his hair - as if he himself had become a bag of corn.

"Yes, is there anything wrong with that?"

Luo Shenzhen, then secretary of the Shandong Military and Political Committee, was very puzzled. Why did this American ask such a question? He answered in fluent English: "To prevent food shortages, we are promoting American Golden Queen corn in the base area. Its yield is very good under proper field management and can feed more people."

"At the same time, we are also collecting corn with better traits for trial planting: these seeds shipped from central Hebei are like this." "Oh... so that's how it is. Well, that makes sense."

Near the airport, there were several annexes, and the 24-hour canteen for pilots was serving Shandong-style tortillas. Carlson, standing nearby, pulled out Guanghua coins (issued by the Bank of Beihai) and asked the guard to buy a few. They tasted like a Chinese version of a Mexican tortilla, the only difference being that the filling was inside. "Here," Carlson said familiarly, "try it! This is the stuffed version."

The tortillas, stuffed with pickled vegetables, shredded dried tofu, and some chili peppers, tasted delicious, Towers thought. He followed suit, preparing to pay for some for the delegation. But after searching his pockets, he found only a few fifty-cent coins—given the high value of the dollar at the time. Soon, both Carlson and Towers were holding bags of tortillas.

As they walked along the runway, the two listened to Luo Shenzhen introduce the situation of the Eighth Route Army in Rizhao area.

We successfully recaptured the Rizhao area in 1941. Afterward, our troops in other areas fought several successful annihilation battles, eliminating any possibility of a Japanese counterattack. Then, to assist our Air Force comrades in establishing a foothold in Shandong Province, we began construction of an airport—this was to become a backup airport in our "airport cluster" plan.

Luo Shenzhen, following a unified narrative, presented the story of the Eighth Route Army's construction of the airport: mobilizing the masses, utilizing enemy and puppet army supplies and the existing dirt runway airport, and gaining strong support from other bases... In any case, the enormous role played by a "materials center" was completely glossed over.

We now have Rushan, Yishui, and Rizhao airports within Shandong Province, with a backup airport in Guangrao and a runway-only alternate airport in Ruoqian under construction. Honestly, the machinery and equipment produced by your Caterpillar and John Deere companies have been of great help to us.

"Now, the construction here has been put on track, and the aviation team in the rear has also begun to move in here in batches."

Luo Shenzhen pointed to the Wildcat, Havoc, and Anson aircraft parked in a distant hangar. "They're responsible for air defense and security around the airport, ensuring a safe airfield for aircraft conducting reconnaissance and bombing raids on the Japanese mainland and the Korean Peninsula. Their contributions to our previous reconnaissance and bombing raids on Japan were in part due to their contributions."

"Commander Luo, I'm telling you the truth."

John H. Towers stamped his feet, and the cement paving the runway made a clattering sound. "You know what I originally imagined the scene would be like?

Vast wheat fields—at least I knew they were growing wheat—farmers wearing bamboo hats to protect themselves from the sun, and a dirt runway hidden among the hills. I was really skeptical at the time: could a four-engine bomber capable of bombing Tokyo really be operated in such a place?

But what did I see? Thousands of meters of concrete runway, anti-aircraft machine guns and fighter planes defending the airport, and you even have a weather forecast! It's not as good as Pearl Harbor, but it's much better than Johnston Island.

"Mr. Towers, I'm sorry to interrupt you. I'm very surprised by what you're saying," Luo Shenzhen replied in a strange tone. "I thought you might know about weather forecasts. We started meteorological cooperation with the Navy several years ago. We can already provide short-term weather forecasts and longer-term weather estimates."

"In addition, we regularly forwarded quarterly weather reports to you through Mr. Fairbank—Mr. Carlson can attest to this. Could it be that you were unaware of this?"

"Major General Towers, I can attest to that. I was responsible for escorting the 10,000 handheld wind vanes and anemometers donated by the Navy to the Eighth Route Army!" Carlson also asked in confusion, "The intelligence given to Mr. Fairbank should have been sent back to China through the Naval Attaché's office in Shancheng—probably to the intelligence department office on the top floor of the Navy Department building on Constitution Avenue."

No, I've never been to China before, but weather forecasts are crucial for shore-based aviation operations. If the Navy had received the data, I wouldn't have been unaware of it. Damn it, the intelligence agency must have made a mistake or thrown the information in the trash!

"Damn it! Ever since the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, they've never gotten through! The area I'm standing in right now is labeled 'Japanese-occupied area' on the map they gave me!"

Towers' temper flared, but he was a proper adult after all, and he quickly controlled his emotions. He looked at the slightly angry Carlson and the regretful Luo Shenzhen, said sorry, touched his nose, and began to think about the current situation.