ebookland Chapter 243 Armored Forces
Chapter 243 Armored Forces
"I said, are you awake?"
Li Shaoyi patted the guy's shoulder. For the past ten minutes or so, this guy had been busy, jumping up and down, looking at the entire tank. Now he was standing in front of the tank again, and he looked like he was in a dream.
Du Congrong was really a little dazed, mainly because he didn't believe that anyone in this era could form an armored regiment. Originally, the Northeast Army had about 200 light tanks. Later, the Fifth Army of the Central Army also formed an armored unit, but most of them were just for show and had never participated in actual combat.
Looking at Li Shaoyi's row of tanks, there must be at least dozens of them. If one wants to form an armored regiment, tanks alone are not enough. Various logistical supports must also keep up, otherwise this armored regiment will just be a mere showpiece.
"Brigade Commander, I suggest we start small. We should first have a tank battalion and then gradually expand. After all, we have no experience with armored forces. If we form an armored regiment right away, there may be many shortcomings. It is better to take a steady approach."
Du Congrong dreams of becoming the commander of an armored regiment, but the problem is that the current environment is not suitable. Even if you have a lot of tanks and armored vehicles, where can you find so many people?
"Give your opinion."
Li Shaoyi really didn't know much about the armored forces. They would be his trump card in the future, so relying on enthusiasm alone wouldn't be enough. Now that he had found them, he had to give them a chance to speak.
"According to the current European and American organization, each armored company has approximately nine to twelve tanks, and a tank battalion has approximately three armored companies. We do have enough tanks, but the problem is that the logistics can't keep up. Each tank requires at least one or two trucks, and three tanks require one fuel tanker. Furthermore, the tank battalion also needs to be equipped with reconnaissance units, infantry defense units, and air defense units..."
Du Congrong was indeed an expert in this field, and he quickly listed the organization of the tank battalion to Li Shaoyi. Therefore, Li Shaoyi also felt that an armored regiment was a bit too big a step and it was easy to get into trouble.
After talking for about twenty minutes, Du Congrong realized that Li Shaoyi really wanted to form an armored force, otherwise a brigadier general would not have so much time to talk to him here.
"My previous thoughts were indeed too simple. I can give you twenty-five to thirty-five instructors. These people are very capable in driving and repairing tanks, including some maintenance and so on. You can use them as a foundation to build our armored forces. Let's start with a tank battalion as you said."
Li Shaoyi was finally persuaded by this guy. The most important thing was that this guy said in the middle that our armored forces must take one step at a time. If the tank battalion is suitable, the soldiers in the tank battalion can be promoted to officers in an instant. It is not difficult to form an armored regiment. The most difficult part is the beginning.
"Please rest assured, sir. It will only take me two months to make our tank battalion combat-ready. Of course, this combat capability is only partially realized. If it takes three to four months, there will be absolutely no problem."
Du Congrong patted his chest and said that he also knew that the situation on the northern front was tense. If systematic training was to be carried out, it would probably take half a year to a year, but he could shorten some of the steps in the middle, thus speeding up the time.
"You're asking for a short amount of time, so I should agree. However, the situation on the battlefield is unpredictable. You know I'll have to face the 12th Division alone. If the war gets intense, no matter how well trained you are, you'll have to be deployed to the battlefield. This might be a bit difficult for you, but you know the situation in the north, so try to use a more practical training method. I'll have an unlimited supply of fuel and ammunition."
Li Shaoyi sighed. He knew that it was difficult to force someone to do something, but now he was under pressure from tens of thousands of people in the 12th Division. With this armored unit, his chances of winning might be greater.
"I understand. From now on, I will select personnel from the entire army. Sir, don't worry, those who can drive will be my first choice."
Du Congrong hesitated for a moment, and finally nodded affirmatively. The situation on the battlefield was not optimistic, and we had to speed up. We couldn't look for people in society, so we had to find some people who could drive first, at least they had no problem with their sense of direction.
"I'm giving you an order. Anyone you pick within the 72nd Brigade's combat range will immediately become a member of your tank battalion."
Li Shaoyi also knew how much help the armored forces could provide on the battlefield after training, so other forces had to make some sacrifices at this time.
That evening, Du Congrong had already written the plan.
The armored battalion is composed of one infantry company directly under the battalion, three tank companies as the core, one armored vehicle company, and one logistics support company.
There are a total of 36 M24 tanks.
Twelve light armored vehicles.
Twelve heavy armored vehicles.
There are 40 jeeps equipped with 12.7mm heavy machine guns, 12 of which are equipped with one-ton trailers.
Twenty three-wheeled sidecars equipped with 7.62mm machine guns.
Twenty single-person motorcycles.
Forty trucks, each equipped with a one-and-a-half-ton trailer.
Sixteen two-and-a-half-ton tank trucks.
Twenty war horses.
Li Shaoyi originally thought that the armored battalion was just tanks, but he didn't expect it to be so complicated.
It seems that I was a bit superficial before, but fortunately I have people like Du Congrong under my command.
"I will get everything to you as soon as possible. Everyone should be here by noon tomorrow at the latest. Tomorrow afternoon, I want to hear you start training."
Du Congrong felt that he was an impatient person, but he didn't expect that Li Shaoyi was even more anxious than him.
There was nothing that could be done about it. Natasha had already reported to Li Shaoyi that in addition to the 3,800-man infantry regiment that had arrived earlier, the Japanese had another infantry regiment that was also about to enter Rehe.
The remaining people can block the enemy by blowing up the railway, but these two fully-strength infantry regiments set out early.
There is also another piece of news that two troop transport ships have docked in Tianjin, and the number of people on board is currently unknown.
According to the ship's carrying capacity, there must be at least three thousand people.
Of course, these people couldn't get ashore at the moment. The Nationalist government had already informed the Zizhulin Concession Municipal Council in Tianjin that as long as the Japanese didn't disembark, the Nationalist government would mediate and ensure the safety of the Zizhulin Concession. If the Japanese disembarked and entered the concession, the Nationalist government would be powerless to stop Li Shaoyi's series of actions...