noffsinger Chapter 252 Yellow River Bridge
Chapter 252 Yellow River Bridge
Dussel ordered the 23rd Flying Squadron to move to Kunming Airport and then wait quietly for the independent column to arrive.
"Humph, don't they have goods to transit through Kunming every month? Then we will seize his goods and see how he responds!"
In Pingshun, Chennault's Flying Tigers had divided the 120 pilots into four parts according to the wishes of the Flying Tigers.
Twenty pilots chose to teach at the Aviation College of the National Defense University and train new students using trainer aircraft.
Sixty pilots continued to fly fighter planes.
The remaining forty pilots chose the B-19 heavy bomber.
"General Chennault, why didn't any of them choose a transport plane?"
Chennault spread his hands.
"Fighter planes are a man's game, full of the passion for battle. Heavy bombers are strategic weapons that can severely strike the Japanese invaders."
Chennault then rubbed his fingers together.
"The most important thing is that fighter planes and air fortresses can shoot down the Japanese planes. One Japanese plane is worth $500!"
Wang Meng nodded. People die for money and birds die for food. That’s all.
In order to ensure the bloodline of the Flying Tigers and facilitate management, the name of the Flying Tigers is still retained, and the following divisions are set up:
The 30st Fighter Squadron and the 6nd Fighter Squadron each had FF Hellcat fighters.
The 17st Bomber Squadron consisted of B- Flying Fortress bombers.
When the pilots of the Flying Tigers saw the powerful performance of the F6F Hellcat at Pingshun Airport, they immediately conducted ground theoretical training and trainer aircraft training to compete for the $500 bonus.
At this time, the latest batch of Chinese pilots who graduated from the Aviation Academy were also preparing to start training on trainer aircraft.
After the training is completed, it will prepare to receive 40 B-17 Flying Fortress bombers and 40 C-54 Skyking transport aircraft delivered by Country M.
Except for the 20 B-17s handed over to the Flying Tigers' Bomber Squadron , the remaining aircraft were assigned to the Bomber Squadron and the Transport Squadron .
After Wang Meng made all the arrangements for the Flying Tigers, he immediately got on a car with Li Yunlong and Zhao Gang to go to Yongji.
Along the way, Wang Meng watched the construction team building the road and felt full of pride.
He wanted to build a high-standard highway in China in the 19s! In times of crisis, it could even be used as a temporary runway for all kinds of aircraft to take off and land.
"Mengzi, your idea is the best. These refugees will have work to do, earn money, and fill their stomachs. Moreover, once the road is repaired, it will be much more convenient for us to mobilize troops and for ordinary people to go out."
Zhao Gang also came over.
"Yes, when people have money, they build houses and buy things. The economy of southern Shanxi has been revitalized!"
This was Wang Meng’s original intention. Blood transfusion-style relief can only provide temporary relief. The most important thing is to let the people have money in their hands and dare to spend it.
As long as the economy gets going, everyone will have food to eat.
"Lao Li, Lao Zhao, once the Yongji Yellow River Bridge is completed, it will be like opening up the door between us and Shaanxi, Gansu and Ningxia. By then, economic exchanges will probably become closer and closer, development will be faster and faster, and our lives will get better and better!"
After several hours of driving, the truck finally reached the westernmost part of Shanxi, the Yongji Yellow River Bridge.
The Yongji Yellow River Bridge starts from Xiaofan Village in Yongji County in the east and ends at Nanlian Village in Shanxi Province in the west. It is more than 1500 meters long and consists of two parts: the main bridge and the approach bridge. The main bridge has 15 piers and 16 spans.
Yongji Yellow River Bridge is divided into two levels.
The upper level is a highway bridge, 10 meters wide, with two lanes in both directions and a designed speed of 100 kilometers per hour.
The lower level is a railway bridge, 5 meters wide, with a single-track railway designed to run at a speed of 120 kilometers per hour.
The highway bridge is already open to traffic, but the railway bridge has not yet been laid with tracks. The track laying will be carried out after the railway standards are determined with the Pingshun Transportation Planning Committee.
Li Yunlong and his companions looked at the magnificent Yongji Yellow River Bridge, and a sense of pride arose spontaneously.
"In the past, we really had no idea what to do when we saw the Yellow River. We could only sigh. Now, we can actually build a bridge over it. It's like a dream. Mengzi, you must protect this bridge!"
"Don't worry. I have asked the Third Infantry Division to form a special Yongji Bridge guard battalion equipped with thirty anti-aircraft guns to prevent bombing by Japanese planes. In addition, there are four infantry companies to protect the bridge like an iron barrel!"
Zhao Gang nodded, and seeing some figures one kilometer downstream of the bridge, he asked curiously.
"Mengzi, are those people below also workers building the bridge?"
"Oh, no, no. That's the Ship Research Institute under the Pingshun Academy of Sciences, which specializes in ship design and experiments. Even though we can't use it now, we will be able to use it sooner or later!"
Wang Meng's obsession with 10,000-ton destroyers and aircraft carriers will not disappear because of the time travel.
He will never forget the frustration of his motherland being threatened and blackmailed by the aircraft carrier of Country M.
According to Wang Meng's idea, once the independent column takes over the sea outlet, they will immediately start researching aircraft carriers.
"Mengzi, what are you thinking about?"
Li Yunlong looked at Wang Meng in a daze and poked him with his hand.
"No, I didn't think anything! Let's go and see Mr. Mao Yisheng!"
At this moment, Mao Yisheng was surrounded by Chinese and foreign reporters, and he introduced to them in detail the various parameters of the Yongji Yellow River Bridge, as well as a series of design difficulties.
After dealing with the reporters, Li Yunlong and the other two came over.
"Commander Li, Political Commissar Zhao, Chief of Staff Wang, you didn't come to help me just now. I was almost eaten by reporters!"
Mao Yisheng wiped his sweat. This civil engineer genius was also embarrassed when dealing with reporters.
"Haha, you were able to build a high-standard Yellow River Bridge in a short period of time. It's really worth promoting it."
"This is not just my achievement. Without the high-standard steel provided by the steel plant and the cement provided by the cement plant, our bridge would not have been built so quickly."
Although Mao Yisheng was being modest, he was speaking the truth.
A country's comprehensive national strength is directly reflected in its infrastructure capabilities.
From geological exploration to bridge design, from materials to construction, all reflect a country's industrial strength and technological reserves.
"Mr. Mao, with the experience gained from this bridge construction, we will be able to do things much more smoothly in the future. Next, you need to continue to find a second suitable location for bridge construction on the Yellow River and start construction as soon as possible!"
The reason why Wang Meng asked Mao Yisheng to build a second Yellow River Bridge was, firstly, that one Yellow River Bridge might not meet the needs, and secondly, to serve as a backup to prevent unexpected situations.
"Okay, we will build bridges and train talents at the same time. One day, we will turn all the natural barriers in the country into thoroughfares!"
"Okay! Let's start cutting the ribbon!"
After Li Yunlong and others cut the ribbon, transport vehicles from the Qingyang Petrochemical Base began to cross the bridge, continuously transporting gasoline and various petrochemical materials to Yuncheng, Changzhi, Pingshun and Jincheng.
The economic ties between southern Shanxi and Shaanxi, Gansu and Ningxia have reached a new level.