"Before the war begins, don't tell your soldiers that you can go home for Christmas!" The person next to him repeated this sentence, with a confused look on his face.

"He should be talking about Napoleon! When Napoleon attacked Russia, he told the soldiers that the war would end before winter so that the soldiers could go home for Christmas."

"I thought he was talking about William II back then. I remember that in the European war more than 20 years ago, the German soldiers transporting train had a slogan of 'Going Home for Christmas'. In the end, the soldiers who saw these slogans basically died in Verdun."

"In fact, after the landing of Normandy, our Allied generals also said similar things. At that time, we were optimistic that the German army would surrender soon and that the war in Europe would end within the year. However, we did not expect that the Germans would resist to the death even though they knew the situation was hopeless."

There was no shortage of people who knew the history of Western wars at the scene. Chen Qiang's words immediately aroused everyone's association. However, everyone did not know that the next victim was MacArthur who was surrounded by stars and moons!

On the future Korean battlefield, MacArthur arrogantly made a bold statement to let the soldiers go home for Christmas. As a result, when MacArthur was removed from office and returned to the United States in shame, and then spent the first Christmas, the American soldiers were still on the front line.

MacArthur did not take this "going home for Christmas" fg in his heart. He just thought it was Chen Qiang who told a joke to activate the atmosphere. He soon put this matter behind his mind.

Several years later, when MacArthur was removed from his post as "United** Commander-in-Chief", today's Patton memorial service suddenly sounded, and remembered what a young man from China once said: Before the war begins, don't tell your soldiers that you can go home for Christmas!

...

The memorial service continued, and Chen Qiang also met an old acquaintance, that is John Kennedy.

A few years ago, Chen Qiang met Kennedy in Los Angeles. At that time, Kennedy also introduced Chen Qiang to participate in a British cultural relics auction, which led Chen Qiang to recycle lost cultural relics in China.

Today, a few years later, when Chen Qiang met Kennedy again, he found that he was obviously much more mature than he had been a few years ago. He no longer had the smell of a playboy, but instead had the aura of a steady and old man.

Perhaps it was because the Kennedy family was killed in Europe by their high-profile eldest son, and the second son of the family, John Kennedy, was forced to take on the responsibility of maintaining the family's political status; or perhaps it was because of the baptism of war that Kennedy had truly grown up. In short, Kennedy has now lost the cynical attitude of three years ago and has grown into a real man.

During World War II, Kennedy served in the US Navy and was sent to the Pacific battlefield. The warships he commanded were sunk by the Japanese army. Kennedy led ten subordinates to drift for many days and was finally rescued. Therefore, he was promoted to become a "combat hero" and received a silver medal.

In March 1945, Kennedy retired from the US Navy on the grounds of injury. At that time, his rank was a lieutenant of the Navy. However, anyone who knows the inside knows that it was Kennedy who realized that the war was about to end, so he asked his son to retire early and go into politics as soon as possible.

Through the relationship between Kennedy, Kennedy served as a special correspondent in a newspaper under media tycoon Hurst after retirement, and reported on important events such as the Potsdam Conference, thus accumulating some reputation. Now Kennedy has plans to enter Congress and participate in the House of Representatives elections.

In the upcoming midterm elections in the 1946 US Congress, Kennedy also became a member of Congress as he wished. Among the members of the same period, there was another future US president, that is, Richard Nixon.

At this time, Kennedy was talking to a young man in a wheelchair. The man was wearing a military uniform and looked like a US military captain. However, Chen Qiang knew that today's occasion was not something that ordinary captains could attend. This US military captain in a wheelchair must have a deep background.

"Chen, the one next to me is Raun Udel, he is the fighting hero of the US military!" When Kennedy introduced, he said the word "Udel" a little heavier.

Kennedy's introduction made Chen Qiang realize that the young captain in the wheelchair should have come from the Udel family.

The history of the Udel family is longer than that of the United States. This family can be traced back to the first generation of people who moved to the United States. At that time, the United States had not yet been founded. This family experienced the American War of Independence and the Civil War. Family members once entered politics in multiple states. At the height of the family, three members served as members of Congress at the same time.

Compared with an old political family like Udel, the Kennedy family can only be regarded as a newcomer in the political circles in the United States. Now Kennedy works with this wheelchair-Lawn Udel, in order to get some political resources from the Udel family.

"You are Mr. Chen, the chairman of the American Professional Basketball League? I have watched the video of your All-Star Weekend game, it's really wonderful." Udel said.

Chen Qiang was slightly stunned. He had many identities, such as the former Olympic champion, the US Open champion, the Nike company boss, etc., but Udel just mentioned the identity of the chairman of the American Professional Basketball League, which shows that Udel should be a basketball enthusiast.

"It seems that Mr. Udel likes basketball very much." Chen Qiang responded with a smile.

"I like basketball very much. When I was in school, I was also a basketball player in the school. If it weren't for war, maybe I would join a certain team now!" Udel said this, his expression became much dim, and he continued: "It's a pity that I can never play basketball anymore. I lost one leg. If I didn't have a wheelchair, I wouldn't be able to go anywhere now."

Kennedy explained from the side: "Lauen was originally a fighter pilot. He shot down several German planes in the Battle of Sicily, and his plane was also shot. Although Laun successfully parachutes, he was still injured by stray bullets after landing and was unable to save his leg."

"So that's the case, it's so admirable." Chen Qiang changed his voice and continued: "But Mr. Udel doesn't have to regret not being able to play basketball. Even if he is in a wheelchair, he can still play basketball."

"Can you play basketball even when you sit in a wheelchair?" Udel asked in surprise.

"Of course, there is a kind of wheelchair basketball sport..." Chen Qiang said.

"Wheelchair basketball? Please forgive me for being ignorant. I really haven't heard of it." Udel responded.

"It seems that it was made by the British. A British doctor has improved the wheelchair to make the wheelchair more flexible. Patients can play basketball in a wheelchair. In addition to jumping, all other technical movements can be completed in the wheelchair." Chen Qiang paused and continued: "If Mr. Udel is interested, I can find someone to make you a wheelchair for basketball, which should not be too complicated."

"Really? That's great! Mr. Chen, can you give me your contact information?" Udel was immediately excited.

"No problem." Chen Qiang exchanged contact information with Udel.

Ludwig Gutman, the inventor of wheelchair basketball, was a German-born Jew, a MD and an expert in neurosurgery. He was once known as the best neurosurgeon in Germany. Later, when German Jews were persecuted, Ludwig Gutman fled to the UK. Since Ludwig Gutman was an authoritative expert in neurosurgery, the British Ministry of the Interior provided him with funds and accommodation to continue his research on spinal injury. Later, the war broke out and many soldiers were disabled. The British government paid Ludwig Gutman to establish the British National Spine Injury Rehabilitation Center to specialize in the rehabilitation of spinal injury.

Ludwig Gutman is also one of the founders of the Paralympic Games. Basically all wheelchair sports, such as wheelchair basketball, wheelchair tennis, etc., are derived from Ludwig Gutman's advocacy. Therefore, Ludwig Gutman also won the Olympic Excellence Award. At the same time, the British Disabled Sports Association was founded by Ludwig Gutman.

In 1944, Ludwig Gutman improved the wheelchair, making the wheelchair more flexible and more stable, and since then, wheelchair sports appeared. The first one at that time was not wheelchair basketball, but wheelchair tennis. After all, tennis was still more popular in the UK.

Wheelchair basketball is a trend brought about by Americans. The American basketball culture is far more popular than other countries. During World War II, there were a large number of disabled soldiers in the United States, so wheelchair basketball quickly spread among disabled soldiers. By 1947, this sport was already well-known to most people, and there were small-scale wheelchair basketball games.

There were two major outbreaks of wheelchair basketball in American history. The first was after the end of World War II, and the second was after the end of Vietnam. These two wars resulted in many American soldiers being disabled, so wheelchair basketball was able to develop rapidly after the war.

During World War II and Vietnam, most Americans who had physical disabilities had short legs and short legs. This was not because the Americans did not get to know each other, but because the way of war was determined.

In the war in the era of guns and cannons, the army and infantry must have the highest disability rate. Because of the existence of mines, the most vulnerable place for infantry soldiers is their legs and feet. Landmines can be said to be the nemesis of infantry. The key is that many landmines are not to kill the enemy, but to kill the enemy and cause combat reduction as their main target. Therefore, most landmines are not fatal, but can blow up one of the soldiers' legs. Therefore, whenever the war is over, a large number of American soldiers will be in wheelchairs.

In some countries in the future, people with good physical fitness can also participate in wheelchair basketball, such as Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom, allowing non-disabled athletes to participate in wheelchair basketball, but they need to sit in wheelchairs like disabled athletes.

Now that it has just entered 1946, wheelchair sports are still in its infancy. It will take a few months before wheelchair basketball will appear in the United States, and then it will gradually become popular among disabled soldiers.

...

Chen Qiang promised Udel to make him a sports wheelchair, but naturally he would not go back on his word. After he returned to New York, he bought a wheelchair and planned to modify it.

The biggest difference between a sports wheelchair and an ordinary wheelchair is the main wheels on both sides. The main wheels of an ordinary wheelchair are upright on the ground, while the main theory of a sports wheelchair is inclined, so Chen Qiang directly welded a wheel axle on both sides of an ordinary wheelchair to make the main theory on both sides inclined.

But then Chen Qiang found that this simply didn't work. The sports wheelchairs that were improved on the basis of ordinary wheelchairs were still too clumsy.

The load-bearing structures of ordinary wheelchairs and sports wheelchairs are different. The structure of ordinary wheelchairs is more like an ordinary chair with two wheels on the left and right sides, without a load-bearing shaft; while the load-bearing structure of sports wheelchairs is more like a car and has a load-bearing shaft.

Moreover, ordinary wheelchairs are designed with comfort in mind. Some wheelchairs are like sitting on sofas, with wide seats and soft cushions. What a sports wheelchair requires is not comfort, but safety, so that athletes can get stuck in the seat, so that even if they fall accidentally, they will not be easily injured with the protection of the wheelchair.

The most important point is the weight, and ordinary wheelchairs are too heavy.

Americans are not short of steel, and the ones used to make wheelchairs are also good steel, which greatly increases the weight of wheelchairs. You can think about the old-fashioned 28 bicycles. Although they are strong enough and there is no problem in attracting people and carrying goods, the weight is not light, at least much heavier than current bicycles.

The wheelchair at that time was like that, very strong, durable, and heavy. Although an adult can operate it, it is only daily walking. If you want to sit in a wheelchair and exercise quickly, or even play basketball, you must have a pair of Kirin arms.

Moreover, when Chen Qiang was modifying, an additional wheel axle was welded on both sides, which made the wheelchair more weight and made it more inconvenient to move.

"No, you can't use steel as material, it's too heavy. Moreover, a sports wheelchair also needs a load bearing shaft. If you use steel, it will be even heavier! To reduce the weight, you have to ensure that it is strong enough. You can only use aluminum alloy." Chen Qiang said in his heart.

The Americans invented the 1050 aluminum alloy as early as 1908, which was mainly used in high-voltage transmission networks. By 1933, the 2024 aluminum alloy and 6061 aluminum alloy were invented, and since then, aluminum alloys have been used in aircraft equipment.

The 7075 aluminum alloy invented in 1943 gave aluminum alloy higher strength, thus creating a new era of aluminum alloy. This aluminum alloy was used in large quantities in aircraft manufacturing. The b29 bomber that dropped two atomic bombs in Japan used this aluminum alloy.

Since aluminum alloys can make aviation parts, during World War II, aluminum alloys were subject to extremely strict controls. Except for military-industrial enterprises related to aircraft manufacturing, other enterprises could not obtain quotas for aluminum alloys. Now that the war has ended, the quota for aluminum alloys has been completely relaxed. Chen Qiang can buy aluminum alloys from the market, but the price of aluminum alloys is much more expensive than steel, so the cost of making sports wheelchairs has also been greatly increased.

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Chapter completed!