Republic of China game

Page 558

Meng Hailong stared at the chart for a while and continued: "Judging from the heading, they seem to want to go to the Maldives Islands, where there are many British airfields, and it is also possible that the British have already deployed a large number of shore-based aircraft there, and are planning to go there. Fight us."

"It's possible." Zhao Zheng stood by the chart platform, quietly looking at the chart, his eyes flickering.The 350 ships of the British are definitely not the opponents of themselves and the 650 ships of the Western Fleet, so they can only avoid the battle.But what if there are hundreds of shore-based aircraft in the Maldives Islands?In the past few days, whether it was Ceylon Island or the land battle in East India, it seems that few British planes have been seen!

And the battle in the Maldives seems to be the only chance for Cunningham to come back. Fleeing back to Mumbai...or simply fleeing to the Suez Canal and going back to Europe, then Australia will be lost!Most likely, even the Middle East and India cannot be kept.What's the difference between that and losing the fleet?

Cunningham is not Li Hongzhang!

Therefore, Cunningham will definitely try to lure himself and Chen Si to the vicinity of the Maldives Islands, where he will have a decisive battle with himself!Although it is risky, there is still a chance of victory.

"Here." Zhao Zheng stretched out his finger and clicked on the map. "150 nautical miles southeast of Male, let Chen Hualong's Western Fleet wait there, and we will join him there!"

"Near the Maldives Islands?"

"Yes, at three o'clock in the morning tomorrow we will dispatch carrier-based planes to attack the airport in Male. At the same time, we will send shore-based planes from Trincomalee Airport to bomb Colombo Airport." Zhao Zhengzhong took a photo of the map table again, and said with a sneer: "I After blowing up these two airports, Cunningham's plan fell through, and his six aircraft carriers had to continue to escape. Humph, but where did he escape to? The Middle East? The Mediterranean? Or Africa? I don't believe in chasing Not to him!"

"If he still wants to run, he should go to Cape Town, which is a British colony, and he can get enough fuel." Meng Hailong clicked South Africa on the map and muttered: "We don't have that much fuel. Chase all the way, and there is still a mission to send troops to Australia on May 5."

"Then what should we do?" Zhao Zheng raised his eyebrows.

"Don't move Male and Colombo, give Cunningham a little hope. He will fight us if he has hope. Our 650 carrier-based aircraft, plus 2 squadrons Bf-109 and 2 squadrons at Trincomalee Airport Ju87, the total number is almost 700. How many can Cunningham have? At most, there are more than 600, and his tube-nose swallow and F2 Buffalo are not our opponents. There are dozens of Hurricane available at most. Are we afraid that more than 200 Fw190Cs and 30 Bf-109s will not be able to deal with dozens of hurricanes? So we still have more chances of winning.”

Zhao Zheng stared at the Maldives Islands on the sea chart and pondered for a moment, then finally nodded heavily and said, "Okay! Let's do this, don't bomb Male and Colombo, and give Cunningham some hope!"

……

At this time, the Communist International Army had broken through the defense of the British and Indian troops and captured the city of Jaleswall, the fortress leading to Calcutta.The communist army that opened the gate to Calcutta did not delay even a minute before marching northward.On several main roads in East India near the Bay of Bengal, there are brigades of blue-gray troops, infantry, heavy soldiers, 1mm mountain guns pulled by requisitioned mules and horses, and 75mm howitzers pulled by the most common old scalpers in India. There are also some carts driven by black-skinned, flat-nosed low-caste poor and middle peasants mobilized by the Indian Communist Party accompanying the army, all the way forward.

In the middle of the mighty marching team, there were also a few Chinese-made jeeps bumping forward, and one of them had the flag of a sickle and ax and the flag of a general of the National Defense Forces.That was the car in which Comrade Ye Ting, Commander-in-Chief of the Southern Army of the Communist International, was traveling.Although Comrade Ye Ting has participated in the revolution for more than ten years, he still has a bit of the style of the old army in him, and he is somewhat divorced from the masses. Soldiers are walking and marching together!

It was a fast horse galloping forward suddenly, and finally stopped beside the jeep where Ye Ting was riding. A communist army orderly in his early 20s jumped off the horse and stuffed an envelope into the window of the jeep. .

Ye Jianying, chief of staff of the South Asian Army of the Comintern who shared a car with Ye Ting, quickly took the envelope, opened it, and laughed loudly:

"Okay! Okay! Kharagpur has been captured by the 3rd Division. Lao Ji fought a beautiful battle this time! The troops guarding there are the 3st British and Indian Army who fought with us in Jaleswar the day before yesterday. The first part of the 3rd Army has long been a frightened bird, and fled after only guarding for [-] hours."

Hearing Ye Jianying's words, Ye Ting's face became a bit more solemn. He was silent for a while, and then said to Ye Jianying: "Give Ji Zhentong an order to stop his advance temporarily and set up defenses at Kharagpur, waiting for the follow-up troops to arrive."

"Xi Yi," Ye Jianying was stunned for a moment, then turned to look at Ye Ting with a dignified face, "Are you worried that the British will..."

Ye Ting glanced at the mighty army that could not be seen from the car window, the corners of his mouth slightly curled up, and said with a light smile: "British imperialism will not be willing to step out of the stage of history, and the feudal landlords and bourgeoisie in India will definitely struggle to the death. I estimate that the british defense at Jerryswar was to gather enough troops to deploy to Calcutta to take time for the war. According to intelligence, the number of Anglo-Indian troops should be between 100 million and 120 million, although they are scattered in India All over the country, but India has relatively complete transportation facilities, and it should be able to gather quickly by using railways and roads. I estimate that the British must have assembled a heavy army group in Calcutta, and set up defenses along the Hooghly River, waiting for us to hit it! At the same time They will also draw troops from Central India to attack Balasore Bay and cut off our retreat."

"Then what should we do?" Ye Jianying took a breath and frowned.

"We'll be waiting for them in Kharagpur!"

"Wait!?"

Ye Ting smiled, "Yes! Let's wait. Now that the KMT's aircraft carrier has left the Bay of Bengal to fight the British fleet, if I were the commander of the British army, I would not dare to expect the outcome of the naval battle to be so favorable. I will concentrate on the battle between the two navies. The troops will start a decisive battle on land. I think the British commander will have the same idea, so we don't need to attack Calcutta, but just wait in Garden Ridge, and at the same time send reconnaissance troops to search the area of ​​Badan Berhar, Once we find the British-Indian army group, we will immediately turn around and go south to fight them!"

Chapter 0851 of the sunset of the old empire ([-]) Who was fooled?

New Delhi, Victoria Palace.

In the conference room, around the huge sand table, senior generals of the British and Indian armies - including Lieutenant General Alexander who came from Calcutta, gathered together.The first to speak was Major General William Joseph Slim. As the chief of staff of the Indian theater, Major General Slim is now somewhat complacent.Because this time the "Mughal Plan" of sea and land linkage is actually his handwriting.

The original decisive battle plan proposed by the Eastern Fleet was to concentrate the Eastern Fleet and the Australian Grand Fleet to launch a decisive battle with China's "Western Fleet" in the Indian Ocean south of Ceylon Island.However, Rear Admiral Slim relied on his keen sense of the battlefield to find another excellent fighter in the plan proposed by the Eastern Fleet.Taking advantage of the gap between the Chinese fleet going south and fighting the British fleet, concentrate the superior forces of the two armies, and start a decisive battle with the Chinese army that landed in Balasore!Strive to annihilate or severely damage it.This is the core of the "Mughal Plan". As the first-hand planner of the plan, he is of course full of confidence in this battle. He is also confident that the British navy commanded by Admiral Cunningham will win the upcoming decisive battle at sea. With confidence.

The progress of the war can be said to be clear at a glance on the sand table.Chinese naval fleets in the Bay of Bengal and near the island of Ceylon have departed.There is about 1 corps of Chinese National Defense Forces on Ceylon Island, and they are now firmly stationed around Trincomalee, and should be waiting for follow-up troops to land.On the west coast of Odisha, East India, another Chinese army landed from Balasore. Except for about 1 division of troops who went south to seize the port of Paradip, the remaining 2 armies came from Balasore. Er killed all the way to Calcutta, and has advanced to the Kragpur area of ​​West Bengal.The Hooghly River, west of Calcutta, is just a day's journey away.

Along the banks of the Hooghly River, the 15 troops of the First Army of the British and Indian Army under the command of Lieutenant General Alexander were ready to attack the invading enemy at any time.And another third army of the British Indian Army commanded by Lieutenant General Nelson is also taking a train from Madhya Pradesh to Odisha. This army has now reached Jamshed, which is less than 100 kilometers away from Kragpur. Boolean.As long as the Chinese army in Kharagpur launches an attack on the Hooghly River, the Third Army will attack their rear, and it can also attack the Chinese army with the First Army.Although Major General Slim cannot guarantee that the 30 British and Indian troops with unreliable combat power will definitely defeat the 10 lightly armed Chinese army, but as the chief of staff of the Indian theater, he has indeed proposed the most correct and feasible decisive battle plan .As for how the final war will be fought, it depends on the abilities of Lieutenant General Alexander and Lieutenant General Nelson.

After Major General Slim finished his explanation, the serious expression on the face of Admiral Dill, the commander of the Indian theater, finally eased a little. He stood by the sand table with his hands behind his back, stared for a while, and asked lightly, "Where is Admiral Cunningham?" Is there any news?"

"Your Excellency, Admiral, the Indian Grand Fleet (the new designation after the merger of the two British armies) has reported that they have been spotted by the Chinese navy, and now there are two seaplanes watching them from afar. Admiral Cunningham would like to The Chinese are lured to the coast of Africa to buy us enough time."

"Louis," Admiral Dill asked Louis Mountbatten beside him, "How many days do you think Admiral Cunningham can buy us?"

Mountbatten was now sent to New Delhi as a liaison officer by Admiral Somerville, commander of the Eastern Fleet.Hearing Admiral Deal's question, he calculated carefully in his heart and replied: "Admiral Cunningham retreated all the way to Africa. It is about 5000 nautical miles to Cape Town, which is estimated to be a 10-day voyage. However, China People don’t just keep chasing after them. I expect them to turn around in 3 to 5 days, and at most 7 Chinese aircraft carriers will arrive in the Bay of Bengal in 9 days.”

"Harold, did you hear me? We have 7 days to annihilate this Chinese army in Kharagpur." Admiral Dill looked at Alexander and said, "After 7 days, more than 9 ships on 600 Chinese aircraft carriers The carrier plane is coming to help."

"Assist in the battle? I'm afraid not necessarily?" Lieutenant General Alexander hooked his mouth, showing a hint of sarcasm. "Your Excellency, General, according to reports from the front, the Chinese army that landed in Balasore is not the Chinese National Defense Force, but the Chinese Red Army that believes in communism, or the border guards."

"So what?" Admiral Dill glanced at Alexander, smiled coldly, and said, "Do you want to use the contradictions among the Chinese to let them defeat themselves? Harold, if you are in the Soviet Union It is normal for you to have such thoughts before the demise, because at that time the two parties in China were fighting for the right to rule the country...Even if the enemy hits their own land, they will not forget the internal struggle. But now , at least in the eyes of the Kuomintang, the CCP has no chance to compete with them for the right to rule the country. Moreover, the CCP’s willingness to send troops to India is just a gesture to reassure the Kuomintang. In this case, the Chinese Kuomintang is We will not kill them all, because they think they are the winners, and they have to show some grace."

"So, Harold, after the meeting is over, you can go back to Calcutta to arrange a decisive battle. If the Chinese army does not move within 48 hours in Kharagpur, the British Indian Army's First Army and Third Army will take the initiative to attack! Two ways Flanker, use 30 to defeat 5! Remember, you only have [-] days."

At this time, in the Oriental Bureau Building of the Communist International in Baotou, Suiyuan, China, Mao Zedong, the leader of the Communist Party of China, was also wearing a coat, looking at the sand table for a long time, and muttering to himself: "Speed, speed is the key! Now the three parties are in a race against time...it depends on who can run and win."

……

"Report, Nanyang Fleet report, the British fleet did not stay in the waters near the Maldives, but continued to flee southwest!"

"what!"

Hearing this news, Luo Yaoguo, who was studying the war with Bai Chongxi, Long Tenghui and others, immediately stood up, took a look at the telegram, and his eyebrows were already frowned.

"Fuwen, is this Cunningham going to Cape Town?" Bai Chongxi also asked in surprise.

Luo Yaoguo shook his head, did not answer, but walked to the chart and stared at it for a while, then said with a serious face: "It's a bit surprising that Cunningham didn't dare to fight decisively, he has 6 motherships. Tired and Colombo can also deploy more than 300 fighters, and our 9 motherships with 650 ships should be able to fight... But he kept fleeing to South Africa. Could it be that he really doesn't want India or Australia? gone?"

"I think this Cunningham has self-knowledge, knowing that their Swallow is no match for our Fw-190, and the Swordfish is not as good as the A-4 Thunderhawk, so he wants to use the fleet as bait to lure away our nine motherships." "The Minister of the Navy, Long Tenghui, also frowned, and began to analyze the opponent's intentions.

In fact, they, Zhao Zheng of the Nanyang Fleet, and Chen Si of the Western Fleet did not expect that Cunningham does not have 6 motherships at all, and his Ark Royal and Indomitable were both encountered in the "Battle of Truk" It was seriously damaged, and it is still undergoing major repairs in Sydney.Therefore, Cunningham, who has only 4 motherships, does not dare to fight a decisive battle with the 9 motherships of the Chinese Navy, and it is his true intention to lure the opponent away from the vicinity of India.

"I think... that's the only way to explain it. Cunningham simply wanted to lure Zhao Zheng and Chen Si away from India, and the purpose was to create conditions for India's land decisive battle." Luo Yaoguo nodded and agreed with Long Tenghui's proposal view.

"Then shall we order Zhao Zheng and Chen Si to transfer the fleet back to the Bay of Bengal and ignore Cunningham?" Bai Chongxi suggested. "Now the CCP's troops have advanced to Kharagpur, which is only a day away from Calcutta. It is estimated that they will start attacking Calcutta in the next two days."

Spare Cunningham?

After Luo Yaoguo thought for a while, he immediately waved his hand and rejected this suggestion.The distance between the British fleet and the Nanyang and Western fleets is only about 500 nautical miles. As long as they try their best to catch up, there is still a chance to catch up.If you let them go now, it will definitely be a disaster in the future.Thinking of this, Luo Yaoguo gritted his teeth, and was about to give an order to continue the pursuit, but the Nanyang and Western Fleets sent a telegram calling for battle.

"Report, Urgent Telegram from USS Taiwan. Commander Zhao suggested that the Nanyang and Western Fleets should be divided up. The pursuit fleet would consist of the USS Taiwan aircraft carrier, the heavy cruiser Nanjing, and four 1936-type destroyers, and pursue the British fleet at a speed of more than 30 knots. Delay the British fleet and create conditions for the main force to wipe out the enemy."

"Zhao Hanyu wants to go all out?"

Looking at the dignified Luo Yaoguo, Navy Minister Long Tenghui took a deep breath, "Adjutant Commander, Taiwan is our best aircraft carrier, with 27000 tons, 100 carrier-based aircraft, and a speed of 34.5 knots. It's just too..."

"Then can Taiwan catch up with the British fleet?" Luo Yaoguo asked.

"This...should be able to! The current speed of the British fleet will not exceed 25 knots, and their boilers will burn out anytime soon. Taiwan is our latest and best aircraft carrier, and it can maintain at least 30 knots. This can shorten an hour. 5 nautical miles, 36 nautical miles in 180 hours, then the A4 Thunderhawk will be able to attack." Long Tenghui pointed to a certain sea area in the northeast of Madagascar and said: "It should be possible to fight in this area, there are 65 Thunderhawks on the Taiwan , if you are lucky, as long as you can severely damage an aircraft carrier, the British fleet will not be able to escape. It’s just that Taiwan itself may be sunk by the British fleet. They have 350 ships on board, while Taiwan only has 100.”

"If Cunningham wants to attack Taiwan, how much time will it delay?" Luo Yaoguo asked again.

"If the distance between the two sides is 320 nautical miles, which is 592 kilometers, the range of the British Swordfish may not be enough, and the top speed of the Swordfish is only 222 kilometers per hour. If Cunningham wants to fight back, he has to turn the fleet around , sail in the direction of the Taiwan for an hour or two, then deploy the Swordfish, and fly for two hours to attack."

"This British plane...hehe, no wonder Cunningham wants to run away and dare not fight decisively." Luo Yaoguo smiled, "I agree with this plan, let Zhao Hanyu let it go, and Cunningham must not be let go!"