At the end of the meeting, the two sides finally reached an agreement, with the United States providing weapons and equipment, the British providing food and military supplies, and the Chinese side still contributing personnel to form a third batch of expeditionary forces to counterattack Burma and Malaysia.
Unlike the previous first expedition and the subsequent Western Yunnan Expeditionary Force and the Indian Army, this Burmese Expeditionary Force has not received official certification at all. It can be said that it is completely the product of secret decisions made by several people in private.
Since the matter is so important, neither side has made much publicity. In name, they are only strengthening the defense of northern Myanmar.
At least until now, Chongqing is not clear about the specific situation, but if the last layer of fig leaf is torn away, then some people will be charged with treason and abandonment of the master.
After the meeting, Liao Mingyu stayed in India for a few more days, and he didn't stop until just before all the aid supplies were arriving and loaded on the truck.
No wonder he was so worried, the main reason was that the assistance provided by Stilwell this time was so tempting that no one would dare to do it.
In terms of light weapons, there are more than 35,000 Garand rifles and M3 submachine guns, as well as 1,500 12.7-caliber M2 heavy machine guns, 300,000 grenades, hundreds of tons of ammunition of various calibers, and a considerable number of flamethrowers and blasting tubes. , rocket launcher, etc...
Just transporting this batch of weapons and ammunition to the front line required a lot of effort. This was because Liao Mingyu refused the old-fashioned Springfield rifles, otherwise the number would be even greater.
But for the Americans, this is just a normal ratio of individual weapons for an army, and only they can have such a big deal.
That’s not all, the heavy weapons are even more dazzling. There are 24 m114 155mm howitzers, 60 m101 105mm howitzers, and countless mortars of various calibers and corresponding large amounts of ammunition that have arrived. What an American heavy firepower division.
The armored forces also gave 15 early-model short-barreled Shermans. They still used the old 75mm tank guns. In terms of performance, they were far behind the a3e8 models that Liao Mingyu exchanged from the system. However, they were not effective against the Japanese. More than enough.
Stilwell spent a lot of money. In addition to tanks, there were also some armored personnel carriers and some equipment consultants to teach Chinese soldiers the use and maintenance of American weapons.
Originally, a large part of these weapons were prepared by Roosevelt to support the Chinese battlefield, but for some ulterior reasons, they were "secretly operated" by Stilwell, the munitions allocation officer, to change the transportation direction. The documents he gave to his superiors were also reasonable. , most people can’t find any problems.
Anyway, it’s all for the Chinese people, so who is it not for? Perhaps the President will do the same thing after seeing his achievements in Myanmar.
But when that "peanut" in Chongqing reacts, he may be jumping on his feet and cursing Niang Xipi again. Haha... Stilwell couldn't help but laugh loudly when he thought of this. Isn't it happier to be able to set up a fight for the opponent than to win the battle?
…
"So...my friend, goodbye, maybe this will be the last time we meet."
At Ramgarh Airport, Smith smiled and waved goodbye to Liao Mingyu who was about to board the plane.
"Huh? Are you ready to return to China?" Liao Mingyu asked.
"Yes, my mission is basically completed, and it's time to retire. I've been in this rainforest for two years. If I don't leave, my knees will become useless."
Smith shrugged and joked, taking off his hat to reveal a gray head. He is almost 60 this year and has long been tired of war life. It is time to return to China and enjoy his old age.
However, Smith was secretly glad in his heart. Fortunately, he had made the right investment and bet on the right treasure. Otherwise, he would not have been able to return to China so quickly. The young Chinese commander in front of him really brought him a lot of surprises.
"Congratulations to you, old man, and thank you for your help during this time. It's a pity that there is no champagne here, otherwise I really want to have a drink with you." Gu Li
Liao Mingyu said with heartfelt blessings. Although this old guy has always been a purposeful businessman, he was still conscientious in the transportation of materials in the past.
Then again, no matter what the purpose is, at least they helped you when you were in trouble, and you should say thank you no matter what.
"Haha, maybe there will be a chance in the future, um... I hope you can use that batch of equipment to teach those Japanese monkeys a lesson."
Shrugging indifferently, Smith looked around, quietly approached and whispered: "Actually, I know your ambition. You will not be willing to obey someone's orders all the time. In fact, this time it is considered Your chance…isn’t it?”
Liao Mingyu was obviously stunned for a moment, but then he covered it up with a smile and answered the question: "Maybe we really still have a chance to meet."
Without waiting for the other party to speak again, he waved his hand and boarded the plane without looking back.
The two engines of the C47 transport aircraft made a huge noise, holding the heavy fuselage and sliding forward. After a certain distance of acceleration, the aircraft finally left the ground and faced the air.
"Jun seat, it's cold on the plane, why don't you put a blanket on it?"
Hao Zhigang thoughtfully handed over a military blanket, while Liao Mingyu, who was sitting on the seat, just nodded slightly and stared out the window in silence for a long time.
It seems that they have to be more careful in the future. These Americans have guessed their intentions to some extent, and maybe they will make some fuss out of it.
However, they never thought of their ultimate goal. They might just think of them as ambitious warlords who support their troops and respect themselves. After all, there are too many such people in China today.
After returning, the reorganization of the army will have to be accelerated. It is uncomfortable to feel stuck, even if it is just something that may happen.
…
Currently, the 88th Army has the 3rd Honorary Division, the 200th Division and the New 50th Division as its organic units. If the Air Force, the Nanyang Self-Rescue Army and the supplementary regiments are added to the mix, the number of the entire army has exceeded 50,000. In order to provide better command and control, it is imperative to reorganize the troops.
As the commander of the army, Fan Shaozeng has not been idle these days. Together with Meng Fanglia, he is writing documents and making plans. He also has to select suitable officers based on the existing positions in each army. He is so busy that he is so busy. Stick to the back.
But now that there are weapons and equipment from the Yankees as assistance, the difficulty of the reorganization work will be greatly eased.
The weapon ratio of the troops is generally in accordance with the original standards, with only slight adjustments. It is still a three-by-three system, with an infantry squad of 12 people and four combat groups, seven Garand rifles, two M3 submachine guns, one mg3 general machine gun, a shotgun and the squad leader's M1 carbine.
The infantry platoon consists of three squads, with an additional three-person demolition team equipped with a bazooka rocket launcher and two m3 submachine guns.
The company level is composed of three infantry platoons, with an additional mortar platoon and a heavy machine gun platoon, equipped with three M1-type 60mm small steel cannons, three M2-type 12.7mm heavy machine guns, in addition to A sniper team specializes in selecting soldiers with good marksmanship. Each of them has a kar98 equipped with a 4x scope, so that they can wait for opportunities in battle. Including cooking classes and medical classes...the number of people is about 180.
The battalion level is composed of three infantry companies, and the support weapons have been strengthened. An additional heavy machine gun company, an artillery artillery company and a combat defense artillery company are added. It is equipped with 12 M2 heavy machine guns, 12 81mm medium mortars and There are 6 pak40-type 75mm combat anti-cannons and a transport platoon responsible for the transportation of heavy weapons, with a total number of about 700 people.
As the largest independent combat unit, the regiment-level firepower has also been strengthened a lot. There are three infantry battalions. In addition to the original 12 Bofors 75 mountain guns, the regimental artillery battalion has also added 6 105mm M101 howitzers. There are troops directly under the regiment headquarters such as the engineering company, communications company, transportation company, etc., totaling about 2,000 people...
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