Chapter 401: Expensive Fighter Aircraft

Twenty‑four P‑40 "War Axe" fighter aircraft lined up neatly, their olive‑green paint glinting coldly in the morning sun; eight C‑47 "Air Train" transport aircraft were parked on the east apron, doors wide open, ground crew loading boxes of Compressed Biscuit, medicine and blankets into the fuselage.

This was Jiang Anguo's final "generous gift" to Chongqing before his departure: 24 P‑40 fighter aircraft and 8 C‑47 transport aircraft, all handed over free of charge to the National Government and incorporated into the Tertiary War Zone air‑defense system.

It can be considered a gift Jiang Anguo gave to the Principal.

Not many, yet not few.

In terms of pure value, it exceeds 1,500,000 US Dollars.

A P40 Fighter Aircraft costs 30,000 US Dollars each.

However, Jiang Anguo's flying squadron is equipped with P‑38 Lightning fighter aircraft, whose price is even higher; a single P‑38 costs over 110,000 US Dollars.

Consequently, this creates a limitation for the P‑38 fighter aircraft, which is indeed an extremely excellent aircraft.

Extreme bombing range, massive payload, and very high defensive capability.

For a nation, cost‑performance is more important; for example, the price of a P‑38 could fully fund three P40 fighter aircraft.

Three to one, even if the P‑38 is stronger, it's of little use.

Even if too many are given, there aren't that many pilots to fly them; the students at the Kunming flight school may not be able to master these aircraft.

All of Jiang Anguo's men are in Lashu; Chongqing also sent a Telegram hoping to keep all the pilots who were transporting the aircraft in Chongqing.

Heh!

Unfortunately, Jiang Anguo could only have the Commander Jack, who was in charge of this Chongqing operation, stay in Chongqing, becoming an instructor as well as a pilot.

By 'pilot' it means that if there is a flight mission, they also need to be dispatched to carry it out.

The Chongqing side assumed these pilots were all Americans, so they were not treated lightly but were given generous courtesy.

At the same time, what astonished Jiang Anguo was that Jack and his men received a hefty salary.

Dangyang, or rather Jianghan, also needs fighter aircraft for defense.

It is worth noting that he did not leave a single bomber at Dangyang Airport.

"Air superiority and delivery are the immediate priority," he explained to Yan Xing. "Bombing Tokyo is a surprise attack; such a brazen plan can only happen once, and thereafter the Japanese Army's defense of Tokyo will surely be strengthened. For now we only need to hold the Jianghan area and maintain our current operational scope. Let Nick command these two squadrons and protect our sky."

Thus, under Jiang Anguo, the st Division's Ghost Battalion, with Major Nick, was ordered to station the Ghost Battalion at Dangyang Airport, tasked with air patrol and transport escort.

Two P‑38 Lightning fighter squadrons, each squadron consisting of 12 P‑38 Lightning aircraft, left Dangyang with 48 fighter pilots on round‑the‑clock duty.

Moreover, a radar system was installed at Dangyang; once the radar post detected Japanese aircraft, fighters would immediately scramble to intercept. From then on, no Japanese Reconnaissance Plane dared to low‑fly over the Yangtze corridor from Yichang to Yueyang.

It also fully linked the Fifth War Zone under Li Zongren and the th War Zone under Xue Yue, merging the two zones together, while also connecting the Senary War Zone, i. e., the Chongqing side.

William and the other pilots had already flown ahead to Lashu to assemble and rest.

The fighter and bomber aircraft reserved at Dangyang were directly entered into the WarSystem by Jiang Anguo, making things even more convenient.

After Dangyang Airport was cleared, the "R Plan" operated even more efficiently; Dangyang Airport then had only C‑47 transport aircraft and a few P‑38 Lightnings.

Initially, all civilians heading to Lashu boarded at Dangyang and flew directly to Lashu, Myanmar.

Fifty flights per day was already the limit; first, there weren't that many people to transfer, and second, civilians were quite fearful, requiring psychological counseling before boarding.

As for aerial threats, only mechanical accidents could pose a danger.

The enemy, the Little Devil's forces north and south of the Yangtze, essentially had no aircraft capable of taking off; even if there were, sorry, Nick's flight squadron would immediately take off to intercept.

Nick is currently busiest intercepting Japanese Reconnaissance Planes, but their flight altitude is somewhat high; often by the time his fighter takes off, the Little Devil's reconnaissance planes have already vanished.

Chief of Staff Yan Xing keenly sensed the risk and decisively proposed a diversion plan.

"Commander," he said at the operations meeting, pointing at the map, "although Changde Airport is small, after multiple expansions by my Engineer Battalion it can now handle C‑47 takeoffs and landings. Let's split the civilians into two routes: the young and able, technicians and students go to Dangyang; the elderly, women, children and wounded go to Changde. A dual‑track advance both speeds up the process and disperses risk."

Jiang Anguo immediately gave the order: "Do it!"

Within three days, the R Plan was fully upgraded:

Dangyang line: thirty flights per day, prioritizing transport of those capable of labor; upon arrival at Lashu they are directly assigned to farms or armament factories.

Changde line: fifty flights per day, exclusively transporting vulnerable groups, escorted by troops from the 11th Division to the airport to ensure safety en route.

Transport efficiency jumped from an average of 50 flights per day to 80, with daily evacuations exceeding 2,400 people.

Even better, as pressure on Dangyang Airport suddenly eased, the Runway could be rotated for maintenance, fuel depot stocks remained stable, and ground crew could focus on supporting Nick's fighter fleet.

The mission at Dangyang Airport remains primarily to defend the air safety over the Jianghan area.

If an operational airport devotes too much transport capacity to executing a population relocation plan, the risk becomes excessively large.

"This is not merely a retreat," Yan Xing wrote in his diary, "it is an organized strategic population transfer. Every batch of civilians flying to Lashu is a seed of future Myanmar, or perhaps the future of all Nanyang!"

Over at Lashu, Deputy Regiment Commander Lin Yi had already built a reception camp.

The medical station attended patients day and night.

The temporary school began teaching We need to output lines: English.

The reclamation zone cultivated a thousand mu of wasteland, planting rice and cassava.

The armaments factory recruited skilled workers to re‑equip 7.92 mm ammunition.

The key is that everyone has something to do; as for the lazy ones who think of slipping in by wading through the water…

Sorry, there are several newly opened mines in Lashu that are severely short of workers.

Inside there are not only those lazy men, but also over a thousand Little Devil prisoners, each dragging heavy shackles and performing endless labor.

A "seed corridor" from Jianghan to Northern Myanmar is quietly taking shape amid the war.

At this moment, Jiang Anguo stood at the control tower in Lashu, watching a C‑47 take off toward Dangyang.

Below the wing, on the runway, lay a group of civilians just transported to Lashu by a C‑47.

He gave no reply, merely turning to Lin Yi and saying, "Hold this sky. As long as the planes can fly, hope never ceases. We need more civilians."

Lin Yi voiced his concern, "Commander, with so many people, Lashu can't accommodate them!"

Jiang Anguo replied, "It's fine; we can also use Taunggyi. If Taunggyi is still insufficient, we'll push out to Mandalay, Tonggu, Yangon; all can house the population. Lashu is merely a starting point!"

The R Plan is, with astonishing efficiency, turning despair into seeds of hope.