Volume 2: War breaks out Chapter 3 Task Force (Part 1)
When we arrived at Naha Port, it was already dark.
This heavy transport aircraft flew for nearly ten hours without stopping for refueling.
When the three young men got off the plane, they were all starving and their eyes were full of stars.
"I said, the three of them definitely won't bring any dry food!"
Ji Xiaobin and his attendants had been waiting at Kadena Airport for half an hour.
"Colonel!"
Tan Renhao found that Ji Xiaobin had not changed much and was basically the same as he was a year and a half ago.
"That's right, Major Tan Renhao. It seems that your time spent in the past year and a half has not been in vain!"
Ji Xiaobin patted Tan Renhao's shoulder vigorously, and then greeted the other two.
"Come on in the car. I brought you lunch boxes . Fill your stomachs first. Otherwise, if you see Commander Liao faint, I won't be able to take the responsibility."
The three of them laughed. After the jeep drove onto the road next to the airport, they immediately opened their lunch boxes and began to eat voraciously.
At this time, Tan Renhao also noticed that there were many more planes parked at Kadena Airport than a year and a half ago, including many heavy bombers of the Army Aviation.
Originally, Kadena Airport was an aviation base of the Army Air Force, and it was one of the largest airports closest to the Japanese mainland. The Army Air Force's heavy bombers could take off from here and bomb almost every city on the Japanese mainland.
After the situation became tense, the Army Air Force must have urgently dispatched bombers to pose a threat to Japan.
"You all know about Japan's ultimatum to North Korea, right?"
Tan Renhao nodded, but he didn't say anything with food in his mouth.
"We received the news last night. Marshal Sagittin has put us on combat readiness. The fleet will leave the port tonight."
Ji Xiaobin took out the cigarette and said, "The Southwest Combined Fleet of Japan stationed in Nagasaki, the Home Fleet of Japan stationed in Yokohama, and the fleet stationed in Truk Base all left the port yesterday afternoon.
In order to respond to the threat posed by the Japanese Navy, we will carry out combat readiness patrol missions in the East China Sea and the Yellow Sea.
In addition, the First Fleet will arrive in Naha in five days to strengthen the maritime threat to Japan's southern flank, and the Second Fleet will arrive in Manila within ten days to provide us with flank cover. "
"Colonel, are we really going to fight this time?"
Hao Dongjue eats the fastest.
Tan Renhao also looked at Colonel Ji Xiaobin.
During the one and a half years that they were studying, there were several frictions between Japan and the Empire, each of which could have directly led to the outbreak of war. However, each time Japan made concessions and the war did not break out.
At this point, I'm afraid many people believe that once the situation becomes tense, as long as the empire exerts strong military pressure, Japan will make concessions again and the threat of war will be lifted.
"I don't know, but this time the noise is the biggest."
Ji Xiaobin passed the cigarettes to the three officers and said, "Anyway, we just do what we should do and stay alert. If we don't fight, that would be the best. But if we do, we will become the sharpest blade of the sword of the Imperial Navy and cut some meat off the Japanese!"
Even the service staff laughed. Ji Xiaobin's attitude represented the thoughts of almost all the officers and soldiers of the Imperial Navy.
In the eyes of the imperial soldiers, Japan was a country that had not been beaten enough.
"This is something you must familiarize yourself with as soon as possible."
Ji Xiaobin handed a folder to Tan Renhao and said, "In the one and a half years since you left the fleet, some changes have taken place in the fleet.
Of course, these are all good changes. Now not only Marshal Sagittin fully supports our development, but even Prime Minister Xue Xiyue has increased his attention to us.
The demands put forward by General Liao Hanxiang were basically met.
Of course, your position has also been improved.”
Tan Renhao immediately wiped his mouth with a tissue.
There were three copies of the document, and he gave one to Hao Dongjue and one to Chang Jianxin.
Then, all three of them started to look.
This document is a brief report on the significant changes and events that have taken place in the Fifth Fleet over the past year and a half.
During the first six months after Tan Renhao and his men left the fleet, General Liao Hanxiang personally presided over the confrontation exercises between the Fifth Fleet and several other major fleets.
As a result, each exercise ended with the Fifth Fleet's victory.
Especially in the last confrontation exercise with the Second Fleet, the Fifth Air Wing, which was equipped with "Kingfisher" and "Osprey" bombers and was completely under the command of the Fifth Fleet, dealt a devastating "blow" to the Second Fleet. This fact once again proved the powerful strike capability of the Fifth Fleet. Marshal Sagittin also made a fuss about the results of these exercises, suppressed the extremely conservative elements in the navy, and increased investment in the Fifth Fleet.
Half a year ago, the Fifth Fleet was reorganized into the Fifth Task Force.
This is not just a change in name, but a change in essence.
At the same time as the reorganization, the Fifth Fleet acquired twelve heavy escort warships, including the large cruiser "Li Jing" which had just entered service.
All escort warships in the fleet have strengthened their anti-aircraft firepower.
At the same time, the three aircraft carriers returned to the shipyard for a three-month modification.
The main content of the modification is to remove the ineffective 130mm dual-purpose anti-aircraft gun, replace it with 12 double-mounted 120mm anti-aircraft guns, and add 24 20mm anti-aircraft machine guns.
Another focus of the improvement is the use of a closed bow and the extension of the hangar to the bow, which increases the hangar area and the hangar capacity to 69 aircraft.
With the increase in the area of the flight deck, the maximum number of aircraft carried during wartime increased to 90.
After being reorganized into a task force, the Fifth Fleet was divided into two ship groups: one was the aircraft carrier strike group, which included three aircraft carriers and six anti-submarine destroyers; the other was the escort group, which included twelve large escort warships and six anti-submarine destroyers.
The two fleet groups are independent only in administrative management and are still under the unified command of General Liao Hanxiang.
Wu Xianyu still served as the fleet chief of staff, and Ji Xiaobin, while continuing to serve as the operations staff officer, also served as the aviation operations chief of staff.
Now, Liao Hanxiang is already a lieutenant admiral in the navy, a promotion he received half a year ago.
Wu Xianyu will certainly soon become the fleet chief of staff with the rank of rear admiral, which is an important personnel promotion to enhance the status of the Fifth Fleet, as the chiefs of staff of the other fleets are all rear admirals.
There is no doubt that Colonel Ji Xiaobin will soon become a brigadier general, because according to the new personnel arrangements, the equivalent rank of the Chief of Aviation Operations Staff is brigadier general.
These are all good news.
