Chapter 10 Chapter Ten: Big Flying Tigers

In the third battle of Changsha, the Kumamoto division could hardly escape without the group cover of aircraft. Unlike the embarrassment of the ground battlefield at that time, the Japanese air force has gradually become the absolute dominator in the air battlefield. The fundamental turning point in the outcome came from the latest model launched by the Japanese Naval Air Force, which is the famous Zero fighter.Its speed, flexibility, firepower, and even its ability to sustain air in the air far surpassed the Type 96 fighter jets, and it was even more unmatched by Soviet aircraft. In September 1940, the Chinese Air Force experienced the most painful battle since the Anti-Japanese War, namely the Chongqing Air Battle (also known as the Bishan Air Battle).When the "Zero Type" appeared, the "Yellow Oriole" and "Swallow" were immediately beaten to the ground like fallen leaves. The final result was 24 to 1, that is, 24 Chinese planes lost, and the Zero Type was only lost after returning home. Damaged one.At the beginning of the Japanese Zero fighter, it was almost impossible to find an opponent in the air

Realizing that the problem first came from the model, the Soviet Union urgently provided an upgraded product of the "Yellow Oriole" at the request of China. However, it was still not the opponent of the "Zero" in terms of performance, and the joint air force of China and the Soviet Union gradually fell behind. Where is the head coach behind the scenes, we need you. second rate and first rate After the "International Flying Squadron" ended in vain, Chennault trained a group of Chinese pilots in Kunming, but these pilots did not even accumulate the minimum combat experience, and they were either killed or injured in the air battle in Chongqing, which made the past All the efforts were in vain.

Chennault was very annoyed, extremely annoyed, but all he could do was to stand alone on the hillside and observe with a telescope, and then record the characteristics and formation tactics of the Zero fighters one by one, or work with the firefighters to shake the water pump Put out the burning city after the air raid. For the American, it seems that there is no problem in this world that can really test him, but facing the situation before him, he once again fell into a great depression and helplessness. In October 1940, Chiang Kai-shek urgently summoned Chennault. "Isn't it not a model? Go to the United States to buy it. Isn't there no pilot? Go to the United States to hire it. So as to form an 'American Fighter Wing'."

After listening to Chennault, he was even more pessimistic than when he was asked to piece together the "International Flying Squadron". Whether the pilot can be hired or not is put aside for the time being, let's just talk about buying an airplane. As far as I know, the first-class aircraft made in the United States, except for their own use, have long been snapped up by European countries, and the rest are all second-rate aircraft that are not slippery. In order to explain what a "second-rate aircraft" is, Chennault had to add a little tip to the other party. "Before and after the Battle of Songhu, the fighter jets China imported from the United States were mainly Eagle aircraft, modeled as P-36. The second-rate aircraft I mentioned was an upgraded product of P-36, namely P-40, nicknamed 'Tomahawk'." The characteristics of the Tomahawk are low price, fast delivery, and large quantity. Only five other models have been produced, and it has produced 500, so we have more of this kind of aircraft in the United States."

Chiang Kai-shek was thoughtful, and interjected: "Is the battle ax enough to be a zero type?" Chennault said frankly: "Solid is not as good as solid. Type Zero is light, while Tomahawk is heavy. Type Zero is flexible, while Tomahawk..." From his expert perspective, Chennault talked a lot.In fact, Chiang Kai-shek didn't listen to a few words. What he really understood was the previous sentence "low price, fast delivery, and large quantity". A first-class aircraft is nice, but I have to afford the money. I might as well buy this Tomahawk.As for whether you can beat the zero style after you buy it, you can only try it. The so-called car must have a road before the mountain, and there must be a tomahawk style if there is a road, that's it.

Chiang Kai-shek ended the conversation involuntarily, and took a picture of the board, "Make a plan, tell me how much money you need in total, and then you can go back to the United States to get things done." Chennault was "ordered" to return to the United States, but it was still first-class aircraft that he was trying to get at first. The thinking between the East and the West is so different. We often talk about materialism on the one hand, but on the other hand, we emphasize that the spirit can become matter, or the spirit can overcome matter. Westerners are the other way around. They may stubbornly believe in the existence of God at ordinary times, but after going to battle, they will never be superstitious enough to think that God is really by his side to take care of them affectionately.

According to Chennault's vision, either don't do it, or do it with the best equipment: buy first-class aircraft and hire first-class pilots, only in this way can the Zero be defeated. Chennault has even calculated the data. As long as the two sides fight first-class against first-class, at the beginning of the exchange of fire, they can reach five to one, that is, the "American first-class" loses five, and the Japanese Type Zero loses one. The Japanese Air Force lost confidence. After that, the ratio can be raised even higher. The first-class aircraft in the United States was indeed ordered by the Europeans before, but isn't there still follow-up production?You can buy them.

But Chennault was soon disappointed. After the Dunkirk retreat, across the English Channel, Germany and Britain mainly engaged in air battles.The British's demand for the first-class aircraft in the United States has also reached a level of hunger and thirst. They are waiting outside the workshop, and when one comes off the production line, one is towed away immediately. At that time, the Chinese battlefield was far from attracting enough attention from the United States, and its weight could not be compared with the European battlefield. The bombing of London far touched the nerves of the American government and people far more than the bombing of Chongqing.

In this context, is it impossible for you to snatch the plane with the British? Since the competition for "first-class aircraft" failed, it can only compete for "first-class pilots". Chennault was a loner with a lot of personality, and he never liked dealing with bureaucrats in the military and government departments.But in order to obtain pilots, he also had to bite the bullet and launch "shuttle diplomacy" to sell lip service department by department. The U.S. has two major air forces, sea and land, but no air force is short of first-class pilots. When Ren Chennault talked dry, the military still gave a firm answer: "Even if one officer is taken away."

People who want to dig me, no way! If the United States did not have the constant movement of gods like the Song brothers and sisters and Hu Shi, Chennault, who is good at fighting but not good at socializing, would almost collapse. China's "lobby group" in the United States finally reached the sky and used the method of direct intervention by the president. Roosevelt was able to accept a point of view at the time that, like the Soviet Volunteer Air Force, the United States would benefit from China, the arena of the air war against Japan. Valuable combat experience. On April 15, 1941, a historic day, Roosevelt personally signed an unpublished order, allowing the outstanding pilots in the air force to retire and join the American Volunteer Aid Air Force as a civilian. The International Air Force was finally born.

"I want you to die with three axes" The preparations for the Volunteer Air Force have not yet been completed, but China's air defense has fallen into an unprecedented predicament. With the signing of the "neutrality treaty" between the Soviet Union and Japan and the withdrawal of the Soviet Volunteer Air Force, the Chinese Air Force lost the last bit of power to fight back. Chongqing has also become an essentially undefended city. Within one month, it was attacked by the Japanese Air Force. Fourteen bombings. The long and crazy bombing of Chongqing by Japanese planes caused huge losses to China In June 1941, amid continuous heavy bombing, the Jiaochangkou Tunnel Massacre occurred in Chongqing, killing and injuring more than a thousand people. In August, the Japanese Air Force carried out the "beheading operation", and Chiang Kai-shek's Huangshan mansion was raided. Although he himself survived, his bodyguards were killed and many people were injured. Frightened and furious, Chiang Kai-shek summoned Chennault urgently again in Chongqing and said, "You have seen everything here, so don't I need to say anything more?" What Chennault had to do was to rush to the training base in Donggua, Myanmar as soon as possible to build an air defense force in a short period of time. When Chennault just arrived in Donggua, he was greeted with a basin of cold water. Each of the five pilots handed Chennault a piece of paper. Chennault took a closer look, but it was a resignation report: "What the hell is this place, is it for people?" Chennault looked around, and he saw that the surroundings of the flight base were either swamps or jungles, and the air was filled with a disgusting sour smell. The pilots complained more than this, "It was a Burmese cook who cooked for us, the food he was messing with was really unpalatable..." Chennault smiled and said: "I'm an old military man, believe me, if an old man like me can live in this environment, you guys must be fine, so I can't agree with you to resign Put down the pick." Those things that pilots feel uncomfortable with can be overcome, Chennault is not worried about that. There are many mosquitoes at the base, and no mosquito nets were prepared at first. The American soldiers have rough skin and thick flesh, so it doesn’t matter if they are bitten twice, the most feared thing is that they will contract diseases. The Volunteer Air Force is a commercial organization to the outside world, and Chennault is no longer Song Meiling's personal aviation consultant. He is now an "American farmer" hired by Song Ziwen. Chennault asked Song Ziwen for help, and the latter immediately tried his best to prepare enough medicines and sent a medical team composed of American doctors to the air force. With the help of Boss Song, Chennault passed the first hurdle.This is the basic guarantee that no one from the Volunteer Air Force will quit due to illness, regardless of training or combat. The training was about to start, but Chennault's words almost caused all the pilots to fall off the bench: "The first lesson I will teach is how to fly an airplane." Except for a few boys in the aviation team who just graduated from aviation school, most of them are the best pilots in the U.S. Air Force. The oldest one has been flying for almost as long as Chennault. Are we mistaken, we can't fly a plane?Had the old man lost his mind in the rainforest? Chennault was sober and knew the actual level of the players. While in the United States, a pilot who was about to join the Air Force made a flying demonstration in front of Chennault.During the short five-minute performance, he was able to lean out of the overturned fuselage several times, which amazed Chennault himself, because he had never seen anyone before in a difficult flight. Do this frequently. Having first-class pilots is the most important condition for Chennault to be confident that he can defeat his opponents. However, he still wants to say: "I know you are great, but have you ever thought that the planes given to us are only second-rate, and first-rate pilots fly second-rate planes. Is it easy to defeat a first-rate aircraft piloted by a first-rate pilot? So what I want to teach you is not simply to fly an aircraft, but how to turn a second-rate aircraft into a first-rate one during the piloting process.” At first, the pilots half-believed the words of the "old old military leader" in front of them. However, as the training began, the boys slid from blind optimism to extreme pessimism, especially after meeting the Royal Air Force who was also on standby in Myanmar. The British Air Force is flying the legendary "first-class aircraft" - the Bull fighter jet. Chennault asked the team members how they felt, and replied: "Hell is already beckoning to the Americans who fly second-rate aircraft!" "We don't understand, how on earth can you make our aircraft first-class?" Chennault calmly said, "Of course there are. No matter first-rate or second-rate, each aircraft has its own advantages and disadvantages. The key is how to use your own advantages to attack the weaknesses of others. If you can do that, the second-rate aircraft in your hand will be destroyed. Become an invincible first-class aircraft. The weakness of the bull is lack of flexibility, and the advantage of the tomahawk is its speed, so why can't you flap your wings and quickly circle this fat bull?" No one believed it. Just talk about it, according to this, isn't someone first-rate equal to trash? "If you don't believe me, then give it a try." It happened that the British pilot was complacent and showed off again and again.Therefore, the two sides decided to open a contest. According to Chennault's instructions, the pilots of the volunteer team circled the bull, and the latter was really dizzy. For air combat, the most feared thing is getting dizzy, and at this time it can be easily done with just one shot. The experience of comparing the Bull directly made the Tomahawk double its worth in the eyes of the pilots, but the future opponent of the Tomahawk is not the Bull, but the Zero, which must be clarified. From the first day of the Type Zero's appearance, Chennault made countless observations and records just like he did with the Type 96. At that time, he was probably the non-Japanese air combat expert who had the deepest research on the Type Zero. What is the biggest advantage of zero type?It is extremely flexible and can turn in a small radius. If you are forced into a circle by it, you will die! The pilots listening to the lecture couldn't sit still. So what to do, we can turn around the bull, but we can't turn the zero. Teacher Chen laughed dumbly, "Why must it be better than turning around? The advantage of the tomahawk is its fast speed and strong firepower, so what we are going to adopt is the 'Three Axes That Kill You' - approach at full speed, fire quickly, and get rid of at full speed. Remember , The time you spend aiming at Type Zero must not exceed the time you stay in front of Type Zero.” Chennault, who loves to subvert theories, inadvertently subverts a theory again. In traditional air combat theory, this kind of hit-and-run campaign tactic is not only heresy, it will also be regarded as a cowardly act that shakes the morale of the army. Even the pilots of the Royal Air Force will be sent to the military after doing this. Trial in court. Chennault didn't care about this, practicality is truth. When an enemy plane is shot down, you will know that some so-called fixed "axioms" or rules are pure bullshit. Happy to win the world The Chinese Air Force exists in name only, and the Japanese Air Force is unscrupulous to the point of insanity. At Chengdu Airport, Japanese pilots could land the plane in a grand manner, then walk out of the cabin, light a fire calmly, and burn the trainer planes on the airport that were too late to evacuate. When the sky above the airport is empty and there is nothing to burn, these guys will pull up the root flag and bring it back to the cabin-you can't do anything about them, because there are other Japanese planes shooting at the ground above. A dead end. Under such circumstances, the Chinese have placed unlimited expectations on the volunteer air force training in Myanmar.Even though the funds were quite tight, the Chongqing government still issued a reward amount, stipulating that every time a pilot shot down a Japanese plane, he would reward the team members with 500 US dollars. However, the news from there did not seem to be good. Some people said that the discipline of the Volunteer Air Force was very bad. Where there is a well-trained air force, it is clearly a group of "disorganized and undisciplined mobs." What is intriguing is that it was none other than the US military delegation that went to Myanmar for inspection. Saying that the Volunteer Air Force is a "mob organization" comes from the delegation's personal experience. When they approached the flight base, they didn't see the welcome team standing at attention, but saw empty beer bottles strewn everywhere on the ground. As long as it is not during the training period, these American cowboys have no discipline at all, and playful pranks are full of every corner. There is even a pilot who was elected as the "East Melon King" by everyone. He was hit by a beer bottle and had to ask the doctor to give him stitches. The main members of the U.S. military delegation are also regular soldiers, and what they usually accept is nothing more than strict discipline, so they wrote a report after returning home, saying that even if the volunteer air force participated in the war, it would not be able to last for two years. Week. In fact, the management method implemented by Chennault, just like the current Microsoft and other enterprises, is a kind of happy management. Chennault and the foreign guys want to win the world with happiness Chennault understood that the tactics he formulated had extremely high requirements on the pilot's personal adaptability and psychological quality.Only by letting the boys be casual and happy in their lives will they not be nervous, and they will be able to give full play to their adventurous potential and wit. The deeds of a genius have never been comprehensible to ordinary people. Facing the controversy and incomprehension of the outside world, achievements are the best weapon to fight back. On December 20, 1941, the Volunteer Air Force encountered an incoming Japanese bomber group over Kunming. After the outbreak of the Pacific War, Japan's concentrated bombing campaign on Chongqing had ended, and its main target also shifted to Kunming, because it was the distribution center for the distribution of aid to China. At this time, the Japanese Naval Air Force had moved to Southeast Asia, and it became the Army Air Force, which swaggered over the Chinese mainland. It is worth noting that the army aviation bomber group that attacked Kunming did not have fighter jets for escort. Once a person is arrogant, the word "rules" often does not exist in his mind.During the Songhu air battle, the Naval Air Force concluded a rule at a heavy price, that is, bombers must be escorted by fighter jets.This rule was once regarded as the golden rule by the two air teams, but now it has long been thrown to Java. The reason is very simple. They can go to the opponent's airport to pull up the flag, and they can bomb wherever they want. What do you want fighter jets to do? ? However, a pure bomber fleet is not easy to deal with. After four years of combat experience in China, most of the Japanese bomber pilots are masters in aerial combat, especially the tactical discipline is very strict, and each aircraft in the bomber formation can achieve a high degree of coordination. Chennault's method of cracking the bomber fleet was also to hit its weak points. The Japanese elm heads have been trained to become rigid. They only know how to form a formation. As long as you try to disrupt the formation, they will stop functioning like a group of robots that have been unplugged. At this time, you want to Call names as you like. After the Volunteer Air Force rushed over, it was "three tricks to kill you": high-speed dive, instant shot, and high-speed escape. The Japanese had never seen such a strange tactic before, and they were stunned for a while. Exactly as Chennault expected, the disrupted bombers didn't know what to do, and they all stayed in their original positions as if they had lost their souls, almost at the mercy of others. For the "mob" who likes to laugh and slapstick on the ground, this chewing meal is not so much a fierce battle as enjoying a feast. One team member shot down two bombers in a row, and just about to continue, he pulled the trigger, but the machine gun jammed. He was so angry that he cursed the aircraft manufacturer as a bunch of profiteers, and even misunderstood people at this critical moment. However, after landing and checking, it was discovered that the machine gun was not faulty, but that he was too excited and kept pressing the trigger hand for a moment, and as a result, he emptied the bullets in a few minutes. The record of the day was that out of the ten Japanese bombers, nine were shot down, and only one of the Volunteer Air Force was slightly injured during the forced landing due to long-distance pursuit and exhausted fuel. Subsequently, Chennault moved the entire division of the Volunteer Air Force to Kunming, and was solely responsible for defending Kunming.Under their deterrence, the Japanese Air Force did not dare to attack Kunming far away for a long time. However, what made the Volunteer Air Force truly famous was not its debut in Kunming, but the air battle in Yangon. Mythology of Yangon Different from the air battle in Kunming, the air battle in Yangon was a direct hand-to-hand combat where the fighter pilots saw their bayonets. At that time, Yangon had become the only entrance for China to import military supplies, and its role was irreplaceable. The Japanese knew very well that as long as they could control Yangon's air supremacy, they could strangle China's throat. Relying on the airfield established in southern Thailand, the Japanese Army Air Force moved almost half of its belongings there. The number of aircraft dispatched each time was close to a hundred, and the bombers were escorted by fighter jets. Although the two Japanese air teams are in the same country, they belong to trains running on two lanes, and no one cares about the other.It stands to reason that, regardless of whether it is a fighter or a bomber, the Naval Air Force is better than the Army Air Force. The latter admits this in private. Not even touching. The Naval Air Force was sent to the Pacific battlefield to fight against the U.S. Army, and the Zero Type followed suit, but the Army Air Force also had its own ace aircraft—the Type 97 fighter jet. This model was not only similar in appearance to the Zero Type, but also It is also very flexible and can be called "quasi-zero".Under the control of an excellent pilot, the power of the "Quasi-Zero" can generally be close to that of the authentic Zero. The air power used by the Allies to protect Rangoon is mainly the Royal Air Force.The main force of the British Air Force is concentrated in the European battlefield, and the number of combat aircraft used in Burma is insufficient, so it appears to be very passive. Originally, the British looked down on Chennault, and waited until the Volunteer Air Force showed its prowess in the Kunming air battle, and then hurriedly reached out to ask for help. On December 25, 1941, a big fight took place over Rangoon. The Japanese aircraft formation was mighty, with a total of 60 bombers and 30 Type 97 fighters. It looked very majestic, but that was before the "Sharp Axe" appeared. Twelve fighter planes from the Volunteer Air Force broke into the Japanese formation.Twelve to ninety, it looked like a small boat rowed into the large fleet. People watching the battle on the ground opened their eyes wide, but they couldn't find where the American plane was. The sky was full of planes—Japanese planes, and then they began to fall one by one, and after a while, they fell on the ground in a pile. Not too many, there were fifteen bombers and nine fighters in total. They were just showing their teeth and claws, but in a blink of an eye they all became scrap metal. What "cuts" them down is naturally a "sharp axe". What Chennault focused on practicing in Donggua was how to play "zero form". Now that "zero form" has become "quasi-zero form", what else is particularly strenuous? It's still "killing you with three axes", after "cutting", the foreign guys summed it up in one sentence: it's as easy as hunting wild ducks. The Volunteer Air Force also lost two planes, but there were no casualties. The price was that the entire Japanese aircraft formation was beaten out of its soul. Chennault played 31 battles in Yangon, and the number of planes he could use each time was no more than 20, and at least five. However, he successfully developed the "Miracle of Kunming" into a "Myth of Yangon": In a period of one month, 217 Japanese aircraft were destroyed successively. The Volunteer Air Force itself lost only 14 aircraft and four pilots were killed in battle. The winning ratio of 1:15 made everyone dumbfounded. The British Air Force, which also participated in the air battle in Yangon, performed at a super level, but it could barely achieve a one-to-three winning rate. It should be pointed out that the British Royal Air Force pilots have all undergone rigorous training, and they are not ordinary people. Luftwaffe. As the creator of the myth of Yangon, the American Volunteer Air Force is not only famous, but also famous. The Flying Tigers logo is actually a "shark head" In their spare time, the team members love to "tattoo" the aircraft. They once saw the pattern of shark teeth painted on the British aircraft in the pictorial. They thought it was very exciting, so they painted it on the nose. Big logo, but no one remembers who the creator was. What made Chennault even more baffled was that, somehow, "Sharkhead" had evolved into "Flying Tigers", and people were commenting on the Flying Tigers and the Flying Tigers everywhere. The American Disney Company later produced a team emblem specially for the Flying Tigers, on which is a winged tiger jumping over the capital letter "V" that symbolizes victory.