Chapter 1652 Air Force Training
Time flew by and it was May 1937.
At this time, the shadow of war had already enveloped the entire Eurasian continent, and in Europe, the smoke of the Spanish Civil War still lingered.
Germany's preparations for war are progressing much faster than in the previous life; even Ernst is unsure when or which country Adolf will choose to attack.
Even if Germany were to suddenly launch a war at this time, Ernst would not be surprised.
However, Ernst was very clear about one thing: Germany's chosen ally, Italy, was absolutely not prepared for war.
Italy, therefore, may not want a sudden outbreak of war, and instead has become an important political force promoting temporary peace in Europe.
The reason is simple: Italy, which had not yet completed its military preparations, was worried that Germany's progress after the start of the war would be too fast, preventing it from realizing its ambition to dominate the Mediterranean.
This can be seen in his previous life. Just days before Germany invaded Poland, Benito proposed at the last minute to convene an international conference to resolve the crisis in the Danzig Corridor and try to avoid war.
This was certainly not because Benito "loved peace," but because Italy was completely unprepared for war, and if it performed poorly in the war, there was a high probability that he would not be able to obtain the "fruits" he envisioned after the war.
After all, as the saying goes, "What you can't get on the battlefield, you can't get at the negotiating table."
In this timeline, the Italian government's confidence in the current Italian military is even more uncertain.
Because the unification of Italy was delayed, Italy's preparations for war were much slower than in the previous life.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the continent, a new round of war between the Far Eastern Empire and Japan was already inevitable.
At the end of last year, history repeated itself. The president of the Nanjing government could no longer suppress the anger of his subordinates and suffered a major setback in Guanzhong.
On this point, most of the forces within the Far Eastern Empire have reached a consensus to fully prepare for the upcoming full-scale war of resistance.
On the other side of the mainland, also in 1936, albeit at the beginning of the year, Japan experienced a coup that determined the future of the country. Following this event, the Control Faction completely seized control of the military, accelerating the establishment of Japan's militaristic system.
Japan is completely locked onto the path of militarism.
Southern Military District of East Africa, Bulawayo.
Having left the capital city of Rhine, Emperor Ernst was now in Bulawayo, an important military industrial town in East Africa, inspecting the progress of war preparations in East Africa.
"The world situation is becoming increasingly turbulent. The major powers in Eurasia are all gearing up for war, and war could break out at any time."
"If I'm not mistaken, the first shot of this war, which could potentially engulf the entire Eurasian continent and even the whole world, will be fired in the Far East!"
Ernst spoke to the local defense forces’ senior officials at the Southern Military District Logistics Command in Bulawayo.
"Although the Empire is unlikely to be drawn into the war, it should still be prepared, especially in places like Bulawayo where the military industry is concentrated."
"All tasks must be carried out steadily, including personnel training, military equipment replacement, and maintenance of the logistics system, etc."
Since the implementation of the Eighth Five-Year Plan, East Africa has officially begun a secret military expansion, quietly preparing for future wars.
This is most evident in the East African Defence Forces, particularly the Army and Air Force, since the East African Navy's every move is more easily observed by other countries.
Therefore, the East African Navy's operations are more cautious and secretive, and they are also more constrained.
Lieutenant General Hilde, Commander-in-Chief of the Southern Command of the East African Air Force, said: "Your Majesty, our military work has been progressing steadily over the past two years."
"However, there are also some problems. At the air force level, the Empire has always maintained its position in the world's first tier, with new fighter jets constantly being developed to maintain its leading position."
"However, the sudden expansion of the military has put great pressure on our production lines and pilot training programs."
The training of air force pilots is very complex because it places higher demands on soldiers' physical fitness, psychological qualities, and knowledge reserves.
This is also the main obstacle to the expansion of the East African Air Force.
Ernst expressed his understanding, saying, "The Air Force selects the best of the best and has high requirements for pilots in all aspects, after all, the environment of air combat is significantly different from that on land."
"We can't be careless either. A qualified pilot obviously plays a greater role and has a higher survival rate than a pilot who only knows how to fly."
"Therefore, the selection of personnel should also adopt advanced technologies and scientific training models as much as possible. This means that in war, when confronting the air forces of other countries, we can minimize personnel losses."
During World War II, the gap between ace pilots and ordinary or hastily trained pilots from various countries was so vast that it was "like an insurmountable chasm."
Germany even produced a number of ace pilots who achieved the feat of "single-handedly shooting down 100 aircraft," and it would not be an exaggeration to say that these ace pilots were "one-man armies."
For example, in Germany, the top ten pilots in terms of the number of enemy aircraft shot down must have at least two hundred kills.
Erich Alfred Hartmann, who ranked first, shot down 352 aircraft. Keep in mind that shooting down five aircraft is considered an "ace pilot." By this standard, the ace pilots of Germany in the previous life were not much different from "Aryan supermen."
Let alone destroying more than 300 aircraft, it would be extremely difficult for even a single army soldier to destroy 300 enemy soldiers.
On one side are seasoned veterans with hundreds or even thousands of flight hours and expertise in air combat tactics, and on the other side are novices with less than a hundred flight hours and no knowledge of air combat.
This huge gap in quality means that experienced ace pilots can almost completely dominate novice pilots, as if they were being "defeated by a lower dimension".
Therefore, in terms of air force training, powerful countries like those in East Africa must also choose an elite route, where the value of a top-tier elite pilot may even exceed that of a hundred ordinary pilots.
Lieutenant General Hilde strongly agreed: "We maintain the highest standards and invest the most in the selection and training of our pilots."
"Fortunately, East Africa has many advantages in this field. First, in terms of industry, its strong industrial system and R&D capabilities allow us to design and build the world's most advanced military aircraft."
"Secondly, the Empire has a huge population. Among the world's major industrial powers, the Empire's population is far larger than that of other countries. Even compared to the Soviet Union, we have tens of millions more."
"The advantages of a large population are obvious, which gives our air force a wider selection pool of outstanding personnel compared to other countries."
East Africa has a population of over 200 million, making it the only industrialized country in the world with a population exceeding 200 million. The tens of millions more people in East Africa compared to other countries also mean that East Africa is not as strained in terms of manpower.
In this way, the East African Air Force can maintain an advantage over other countries in terms of the number and physical fitness of its pilots.
Lieutenant General Hilde continued, "Then there's the fact that the Empire has the world's largest compulsory education system, and its citizens have the highest level of education in the world. This is also a huge advantage for the selection of air force personnel."
As a technical branch of the armed forces, the Air Force has higher requirements for knowledge reserves, which means stronger learning and adaptability, as well as responsiveness.
For pilots, the higher their knowledge base, the stronger their learning and adaptability, which significantly enhances their combat effectiveness.
"Next is the Empire's mature aviation industry, which is more conducive to us being able to reserve more professional talents in peacetime."
"Although pilots trained in the civil aviation market may not perform as well as professionally trained combat pilots in war, their extensive flight experience can still play a significant role in the reserve of air force talent."
For decades since the late 19th century, East Africa has been the country that has attached the most importance to the development of the aviation industry in the world. Whether it is the size of the aviation industry or the scale of the civil aviation industry, East Africa is the undisputed number one in the world.
Only then will it be the turn of the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, and other countries.
East Africa has established the world's largest aviation network, covering all continents except Antarctica. Its domestic aviation network is already in place and is being accelerated, expanded, and more routes are being built and upgraded.
In overseas markets, East Africa's civil aviation industry is also expanding rapidly. First of all, there are the many overseas colonies in East Africa. Although the area of East Africa's overseas colonies is not large, the number of them is not small, especially in the Pacific and Indian Oceans where there are many islands.
Then there's the development of routes to other countries or continents. Of course, flights from East Africa to other continents all require transit.
The only continent that East African commercial airliners can fly directly to is Asia, meaning they fly from the northeast of East Africa to the Middle East, South Asia, and other regions.
If military aircraft are included, East Africa has direct access to two continents from its mainland: Europe and Asia.
This is mainly due to the limitations of current aircraft technology. However, East Africa is already ahead of the world in terms of aircraft range. What East Africa cannot do, other countries are basically unable to do either.
In the previous life, civilian shipping routes that directly crossed the ocean did not mature until after World War II.
Now, flights from East Africa to other continents must choose their transit points carefully. For example, flights to South America must first arrive in the Togoland colony in East Africa and then travel through Sierra Leone to Brazil.
"The development of the civil aviation industry is of great significance to the air force, especially in some non-combat missions. They can play a significant role during wartime, such as troop deployment and material transportation."
"Finally, there is the mature personnel training system that our country has established. Our Air Force's pilot training and support work are at the forefront of the world."
"The only weakness of the East African Air Force may be the lack of real combat experience. In this area, European countries, especially Germany, have a natural advantage."
The East African Air Force lacks combat experience, a problem that is difficult to solve in peacetime. Even in peacetime, the East African Air Force has fewer opportunities to encounter such situations than European countries.
After all, East Africa is the only powerful country on the African continent, and it has no competitors in the entire region.
Europe was different. Countries like Germany, Britain, the Soviet Union, and France were very competitive in the development of their air forces, and occasionally there were aerial skirmishes that gave pilots from both sides the opportunity to engage in aerial combat and show off their skills.
Not to mention that they had already accumulated a lot of war experience during World War I, and now the air forces of Germany, Italy and the Soviet Union have been deeply involved in the Spanish Civil War.
Ernst said, "There's nothing we can do about the lack of real combat opportunities. In this regard, we can only strengthen air drills. Since there are no enemies, we can let our own people play the roles, just like at the Juba training ground, simulating a confrontation between the red and blue armies."
Lieutenant General Hilde echoed this sentiment: "His Majesty is right, and that's exactly what we're doing now. In Bulawayo, we sometimes organize various exercises in the western airspace."
“In addition to simulating real battlefield conditions, we also sent people to Europe for study and exchange, and organized personnel to conduct in-depth research on air combat in Spain.”
The Spanish Civil War was an important testing ground for aerial warfare in the world. Both sides were among the world's top-level fighters, with Germany excelling in both aircraft manufacturing technology and pilot quality.
However, the volunteer pilots sent to Spain by the Soviet Union were the elite of the Soviet Union, and the Soviet Union was also among the world's top tier in the aviation industry.
The Soviet Union's aviation manufacturing industry was not far behind that of other countries. After all, this industry was an emerging industry, and the Soviet Union and other countries were not far apart from the starting line from the beginning.
Secondly, the Soviet government attached great importance to the development of the aviation industry and had its own unique characteristics and advantages in design.
The development of the Soviet aviation industry was constrained by other industries and technologies. For example, in terms of materials, the Soviet Union was obviously at a disadvantage compared with East African countries and Germany. Secondly, the Soviet Union's engine technology was also relatively backward at that time.
However, the Soviet Union could make up for these disadvantages through design. Of course, obvious shortcomings such as lagging behind in materials and engine technology would take time to resolve.
Moreover, in this timeline, the Soviet aviation manufacturing industry escaped the impact of the large-scale political movements of the previous life, which allowed the talent in the Soviet aviation manufacturing industry to be given fuller play.
For example, Tupolev, a top talent in this field in the former Soviet Union, was arrested and imprisoned, and could only work in the "Prison Design Bureau." Many other top designers and engineers were executed or imprisoned.
In this timeline, due to the real threat from Germany, the Soviet government is significantly more harmonious than in the previous era, especially in highly sensitive defense industries such as aviation manufacturing, where personnel receive better protection and preferential treatment.
Lieutenant General Hilde said, "During the Spanish Civil War, both German and Soviet aircraft performed very well. Overall, Germany had the advantage, but the Soviet Union was not completely suppressed."
"The only regrettable thing is that the number of Soviet aircraft and pilots participating in the Spanish Civil War was limited, resulting in relatively few research materials."
In this timeline, Soviet aid to the Spanish Republican government was severely limited, not to mention the German Air Force being able to directly participate in the war.
This prevented the Soviet Union from probing more about the strength of the German Air Force, which was somewhat regrettable.
Otherwise, the East African Air Force could have discovered more weaknesses in the German Air Force and thus developed targeted contingency plans.
Although relations between East Africa and Germany have not broken down, this does not prevent the East African air force from regarding the German air force as a potential adversary. After all, the German air force is considered one of the most powerful air forces in the world, along with the US air force.
(End of this chapter)
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