bookrandom Chapter 313 Establishing Prestige
Chapter 313 Establishing Prestige
The colonel's name was James. He took Yang Hong to the temporary office where an Air Force lieutenant general and several major generals were waiting to meet Yang Hong. With James' introduction, Yang Hong quickly got to know his colleagues. They were almost all American soldiers, with only one British colonel. There was no Chinese, except himself.
Yang Hong thought to himself, this is just how the world works. Even though they're allies, the emergence of a new branch of the military still prioritizes national interests. If Pu Zhengsong hadn't proposed and led the development of armed helicopters, if he hadn't been the first to participate in actual combat and propose leapfrog strategies and tactics, I'm sure the soldiers of the Flower Planting Family wouldn't even be able to touch the battlefield.
Yang Hong was unfazed. Since he was the one leading the mission, and he had personally trained the first unit, he naturally wouldn't show any leniency towards those beautiful Chinese. With a serious expression, he unhesitatingly gave the order to Major General Ronald, the Chief of Staff:
"General Ronald, you must immediately dispatch outstanding staff officers and training instructors from the 5th Army Group. For details, please contact Major General Ma Xiaochuan, Deputy Commander of the 112th Army. He will serve as your deputy and assume the position of Deputy Chief of Staff."
Yang Hong completely ignored Major General James's look of astonishment and simply waved his hand, signaling him to proceed immediately. He then turned to Air Force Lieutenant General Warnersky and said firmly, "Mr. Lieutenant General, your position as Deputy Commander is not in vain. I expect you to submit a detailed plan for aviation training by tomorrow morning. If you cannot find a suitable method, please contact Mr. Pu Zhengsong and General Douglas immediately. They are currently the technical and tactical leaders of the 1st Aviation Brigade. I believe they will be able to assist you."
Then, Yang Hong glanced at the other major generals and continued, "The Army Aviation Command isn't a place to keep idle people. I'm still short of the following key positions: a director in charge of logistics support, an aircrew commander, a communications commander, and an operations commander. If you're interested, please submit your intentions and plans to Colonel James. By the way, Colonel James will temporarily serve as my adjutant, and I will reassign his position as operations director."
"General, I'm afraid this isn't appropriate. We've been ordered here by the High Command, and your arrangement seems to go against their will." A major general's face darkened. He had been ordered to serve as the Chief of Training for the Army Aviation Corps. According to the High Command's plan, after completing his training mission, he would be appointed the Army Aviation Corps' frontline commander, directly responsible for directing operations.
Yang Hong certainly knew him—Major General Mayukoje, one of General Eisenhower's closest confidants. However, he lacked any real talent. Back in 1943, during the North African campaign, he was a Brigadier General commanding the US 15th Cavalry Brigade. In a single encounter with Rommel's 15th Light Armored Division, the 11th Cavalry Brigade lost half its tanks and fled in defeat, nearly annihilating the British 4th Division on its flank. This infuriated British commander Montgomery, a fact that contributed to his promotion to Major General for years.
Eisenhower likely wanted to give him a chance this time, allowing him to advance with the expansion of the Army Aviation Corps. While the Army Aviation Corps will undoubtedly be the mainstay of the US Army in the future, the US Army of the alternate time and space possessed the earliest and most sophisticated Army Aviation Corps. At its peak, it boasted thousands of helicopters of all types. Each brigade-level US Army unit possessed at least a battalion-level Army Aviation Corps. It could be argued that, aside from the infantry, the Army Aviation Corps is the most numerous branch of the US Army, surpassing even armor and artillery.
Yang Hong didn't care. Since he was tasked with establishing the Army Aviation Headquarters, it wasn't a US Army Air Force headquarters, but an Allied headquarters. He absolutely didn't want any mediocre personnel to be included, lest they bring heavy losses to the troops in future battles. At this moment, Yang Hong's mindset had already changed. He knew that as the commander of the Army Aviation Headquarters, its achievements would ultimately become his greatest achievement in this world. Perhaps, thanks to the Army Aviation Headquarters, he would become a world-renowned and outstanding general.
Thinking of this, he refused without hesitation: "Sir, if you think the High Command has appointed you to this position, you can go directly to the High Command. But this is the Army Aviation Headquarters, and I am the commander. I must be responsible for the entire unit. If any general takes office without even understanding the nature of the Army Aviation Unit, then what use is there for me as the commander?"
Then, he glanced at the other generals and said coldly, "Gentlemen, the same goes for you. If you have made up your mind, go to Colonel James. If you don't want to, you can go back to the headquarters and recommend to them that I be removed from my position as commander."
After having James escort these men out of his office, he sat at his desk, thought it over, then picked up the phone and called General Weimad. He outlined his thoughts to the general without reservation, concluding, "General, I need to redesign the Army Aviation Command. I'll have it ready for you tomorrow morning. I hope you'll give me your support."
Wei Made's hearty laughter came from the other end of the phone, and his tone remained the same: "Little guy, these are your business, I don't care. I only give you three days. After three days, I want a detailed report. This is your territory, and it's up to you to mess around. If you fail to complete the task, I will not be polite to you!"
After hanging up the phone, Weimad's smile slowly faded, his face darkening. He summoned his adjutant and ordered him to rush to the General Staff Headquarters. According to the Allied High Command's responsibilities, the General Staff Headquarters had no authority to transfer senior officers without the signature of his Chief of Staff. While a major general wasn't considered a high-ranking officer, the Army Aviation Headquarters was currently just a training and planning department, directly under the General Staff. As the Chief of Staff, he had made arrangements for the headquarters' personnel without even knowing what he was doing. This was clearly a disgrace to Weimad.
After making all these arrangements, Weimad didn't hesitate to pick up the phone and call General Eisenhower. Their offices were only a few meters apart, and Weimad didn't bother to see the commander-in-chief for this matter.
The phone rang. Eisenhower was sitting with his aide, General Matthews, the Chief of National Defence, at that moment. Apparently, word of Yang Hong's actions had reached them. Eisenhower didn't answer the phone immediately. Instead, he said to Matthews with a hint of blame, "Look, the old man is angry. You're doing something wrong. Let's go over there and explain things to him."