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Text Chapter 967 Wake Island (2)

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    February 11, 1941, the sixteenth day of the first lunar month, Guam.

    The Pearl of Mariana has restored its hub function.  The Agana Airport and the four field airports scattered across the islands are filled with all kinds of aircraft, including more than 300 bombers of various types alone.  The Port of Apra has also been restored to service. The dock is full of warships and cargo ships, and waterway dredging and harbor reconstruction projects are under intense construction.  There are a total of five divisions of the Army and Marine Corps, spread throughout the Mariana and Palau Islands outside Saipan, making this truly the most important military base radiating throughout the Southwest Pacific.

    In the center of the bay, two newly commissioned Liaoning-class aircraft carriers are sailing out of the waterway, followed by several cruisers and destroyers.  Their departure also means that the Spring Festival holiday is over and a new offensive is about to begin.

    Agana was the area where the two sides competed most fiercely. More than 400 Marines died here alone.  "This was the bunker used by the Japanese army at that time." In a cement bunker that could only be entered and exited by bending down and squatting, Dai Anlan introduced the war situation to Yang Qiu, who came to Guam to condolences the soldiers.  Yue Peng, who has resigned and is currently serving as a military adviser to the General Staff, casually pinched the protruding cement. With a little force, the cement block collapsed.  "All fortifications and bunkers have no steel bars and are all made of low-grade ordinary cement. Look here, judging from the size of the shooting window, only 105 mm shore guns can be deployed at most." Dai Anlan and other officers scorned the Japanese army's fortification construction capabilities.  .  In such an important place, even though it was occupied for more than half a year, no decent reinforced concrete fortifications could be found. This shows the extent of Japan's domestic material shortage after its aggressive militarization.  Of course, this is also related to the rapid attack, because intelligence said that Saipan, which has been operating for a long time, has many fortifications, and Ryukyu and Rabaul have large fortresses.

    Yue Peng shook his head slightly and said with emotion: "Either Japan is not ready yet, or it is simply not qualified to fight a modern war."

    ¡°I think it¡¯s mostly the latter.¡± Shen Honglie, who came from China to report the situation, was also quite impressed.

    Yang Qiu smiled: "It's better not to underestimate the enemy. Ryukyu, Rabaul and Truk are different from Guam. They have been operated for decades. The mountain terrain is better than here. Even the defense of the Marshall Islands is better.  Better than here.¡±

    "What the president said is true, so our following actions are based on the defense strength of our country's Taiwan Island, and we design the firepower preparations in Ryukyu and Truk and other places." Shen Honglie and the officers quickly put away their contempt and nodded.  He said he would not underestimate the enemy.  After walking out of the bunker, the sea breeze blowing against my face was refreshing, and I looked at the fleet that was leaving.  Yang Qiucai returned to the Japanese combined fleet's attack: "Can you remind Yamamoto Isoroku? Tell him the news that Halsey has received support?"

    "It's too late." Shen Honglie said: "I received news before I came out. After the combined fleet made a false shot in the Ryukyu waters, two Nagato-class battleships and four heavy cruisers continued to move south to prepare for a decisive battle with us. Tsukasa  However, Hara 243 and Nagumo Chuichi secretly turned around and entered the Chiba Islands, avoiding American submarines in the Ogasawara Islands and Marshall Islands and other places. They also took many aircraft from Truk and stationed them in Eniweto, north of Palikir.  Truk Atoll. This is the closest place in Japan to Wake Island, about 900 kilometers, and it is on the edge of the maximum combat radius of the Zero fighter. The Eighth Fleet stationed in Truk has also come to us, probably  Be prepared for our sneak attacks. There are at least twelve submarines that have set off half a month in advance.

    In addition, we also received news that Kimmel of the U.S. Pacific Fleet has personally led the USS Maryland and USS Tennessee battleships in San Diego to set sail, saying that they are to strengthen Pearl Harbor, but we thinkthe destination should also be the United States.  Halsey's fleet on Croton Island!  "

    "Is it the g7 battleship selected by Europe and the United States?"

    "Well. The Maryland belongs to the Colorado class of the U.S. Navy. Together with the Japanese Nagato class and the British Nelson class, it is one of the seven most powerful battleships in the world before the end of the Navy's holiday."

    "Haha, this is a good show. It's a pity. We can't remind Japan." Even the Maryland, one of the G7's, was dispatched. Dai Anlan stomped her feet again and again. It's a pity: "If we can remind you, I'm afraid we can not only capture Wake  Island. It can also sink four aircraft carriers in one fell swoop, ending the war with Japan at least half a year early." Yue Peng shook his head: "It's better not to remind you. This kind of war will be liquidated after the war. If the United States finds out, it won't have any impact.  Okay. Since there are four aircraft carriers and even the Yamato is dispatched, it means that when Yamamoto Isoroku was making plans, he took Pearl Harbor and us into consideration."

    Yang Qiu remembered that the Japanese fleet that attacked Pearl Harbor seemed to have also attacked from the Chiba Islands. He thought that this route should be very secretive and could achieve the effect of a surprise attack.  But since there is no way to remind them, whether they can capture Wake Island depends on luck.  So he focused on the new offensive: "Are you all ready for the next offensive?"

    Shen Honglie said: "Commander BingThe two Beihai-class aircraft carriers and the Shandong battleship have been ordered to move southward. At the same time, the two newly repaired Anhai-class and two Dunkirk-class battleships have also rushed to Penghu, giving the illusion of intercepting the Japanese navy.  The two Liaoning-class aircraft carriers leaving now will feint to attack Manado four days later, giving Yamamoto reassurance.  When the results of Wake Island come out, all five aircraft carriers and six battleships will be concentrated on Palau.  If Japan wins, then we will attack Wake Island first and close the United States' door to the Southwest Pacific.  If the United States wins, it will attack Truk, open up the passage to the Marshall Islands, and seize the flank channel that threatens Pearl Harbor and Wake Island  "

    "Haha, your ambitions are not small. Isn't Marshall a little far away? There are more than 40,000 Japanese troops stationed there." Yue Peng chuckled.  He has retired. Although his prestige is still there, he does not want to cause the impact on others of leaving his post without leaving his post. This is not conducive to the performance of young people, so he deliberately uses a joking tone to warn of the dangers of the expedition.

    How could Shen Honglie not understand the meaning of the words? He nodded and said: "Marshal, don't worry, we will not take risks with our fleet and soldiers. Although there are many Japanese troops in the Marshall Islands, submarine reconnaissance found that some atolls have very few troops. We  The best way is to seize these islands with few garrison troops, then build airports, and use bombers to steadily clear other islands and encroach on them one by one."

    "Well, don't be impatient. We can slowly close the door on the United States. Everything is focused on the safety of the fleet. Our main attack is Ryukyu and Malacca."

    "Yes, judging from the hydrological conditions, March to July is the best time to attack Ryukyu and Singapore. We are already preparing ammunition, and the training of the landing force is almost completed. A total of twenty divisions are expected to arrive in April.  The Army will send Ryukyu, Singapore and Andaman Islands. If everything goes well, the First Fleet will cooperate with the xn21 battle group to attack the Ogasawara Islands, and the Army will also land on Sakhalin Island after the weather gets better. As long as these goals can be completed before August,  It is equivalent to completely encircling Japan, no matter who it is, don¡¯t even think about interfering in Japan, lest some countries have their own wild ideas!¡±

    Everyone knew who the country he was talking about was laughing.  With laughter, the war of 1941 began in the Pacific.  On February 10, news spread like wildfire that the Japanese Navy's four aircraft carriers, seven battleships, and twelve heavy cruisers were heading south. Such a powerful fleet made the southeastern coast feel uneasy.  The drone of reconnaissance planes is almost non-stop.  In order to stop the enemy, the Chinese navy also deployed its best troops. In addition to the battleship Nanjing, which was injured and docked during the Mariana naval battle, six battleships including the Shandong, two Beihai-class ships, and the aircraft carrier Liaoning, which had just returned to China for vacation, all  Gathering in Penghu.  Even the injured aircraft carrier Guizhou was launched ahead of schedule.  Hundreds of warships were stationed along the coast to prevent sneak attacks by the Japanese navy and to assume a decisive battle posture.  At the same time, Guam¡¯s xn21 battle group also resumed its attack after four months.  On the 16th, they bombed the islands of Manado and Mindanao in Sulawesi, bringing the flames of war to Indonesia and the Philippines for the first time.

    On February 17, two heavy cruisers of the Chinese Navy¡¯s First Fleet suddenly appeared off the coast of Vuchon-ri, Siam.  A two-hour bombardment was launched against the Japanese and Siamese troops here.  Subsequently, more than 300 bombers were dispatched from Conlun Island, Natuna and Anambas bases at the same time. For the first time, they carried out major bombings on Singapore, Riau Islands, Lingga Islands and Palembang, and dropped more than 50 bombs in the Lingga anchorage.  A magnetic mine forced several warships of the Japanese Third Fleet stationed here to evacuate.  On the same day, fifty Tianquan and sixty H-10 attack aircraft departed from Saigon, transited through Natuna and arrived in Riau Province, Sumatra.  As a result, the Air Force has a total of more than 400 anti-aircraft guns and more than 300 fighter aircraft of various types in the Minas Oil Field Base, as well as three infantry divisions, and more than 50 heavy artillery pieces above 210 mm.

    This obvious deployment made countries around the world subconsciously believe that a battle between Singapore and the Strait of Malacca is about to break out.

    Just when the smoke of gunfire in the Southwest Pacific returned, 570 nautical miles west of Wake Island, a total of forty-three warships raised the rising sun flag that once illuminated the entire Southwest Pacific, crashed through the waves, and galloped southward.  Under the setting sun, the aircraft carriers Shokaku, Zuikaku, Soryu, and Hiryu formed a single-wing formation and headed south under the protection of six heavy cruisers, four light cruisers, and thirteen destroyers.  Fifty nautical miles behind it was a battleship formation composed of the battleship Yamato, four Kongo-class battleships, two Tone-class heavy cruisers, nine destroyers and eleven troop transports.  In the middle of the two formations, there are several inconspicuous ships. If you don't look carefully, you might think that these are two aircraft carriers, because they all have long "through decks"!

    But if you can get closer, you will find that the four destroyers are protecting not aircraft carriers, but two very peculiar warships.  What is so strange about it?  Because the deck seen from a high altitude is just a layer of canvas painted with deck color. The canvas covers the entire battleship from beginning to end, and is secured by very thick hemp ropes.Make a circle and tie it to the hull.  There are many steel pipe supports under the canvas to keep the canvas "deck" flat and not torn apart by wind and waves. At the same time, iron pipe supports are also used to build something that looks like a ship island on the starboard side, and the "aircraft" on the "deck"  "It is also a model made of wood, and the bottom is welded to the hull with steel pipes.  The entire warship, including the mast, was flattened, and even the chimney was temporarily installed with a curved ventilation duct, which looks like the downward-curving horizontal chimney of the Shokaku aircraft carrier

    The fleet silently broke through the waves at a speed of twenty knots.  On the mast, the rising sun flag that once crossed the Pacific Ocean shone brightly in the setting sun.  It wasn't until a suppressed report sounded that the silence was broken.  "General, the China Navy is dispatched!" In the aircraft carrier Shokaku, the new flagship of the First Air Fleet, Takeo Shibata quickly walked into the conference room. Under the gaze of many officers, he handed the telegram to Tsukahara Ni in front of the war chess sand table.  four three.

    "Gentlemen! The China-Guam fleet has begun to attack Manado and Mindanao, and the domestic fleet has also been attracted by Admiral Yamamoto to Taiwan and the Bashi Strait" Tsukahara 243's voice was very soft, but after hearing the temptation  The enemy succeeded, and the officers present finally had a smile on their faces.  But the smile hadn't spread yet, and it quickly solidified due to the next words.  "Reporting from Mr. Inoue of the Third Fleet. Singapore, Lingga and Palembang were bombed, and at least a hundred Chinese aircraft were stationed at the oil field base in Riau, Sumatra within two days"

    The conference room suddenly exploded, and some officers began to worry about the south. Some people said that this was an illusion and believed that the Guam fleet would not attack the Philippines while Rabaul and Truk still existed. Some even thought that it would attack the Philippines and expose its flanks and rear.  Plans should be cancelled.

    "Could it be that the Chinese guy was using a false shot?"

    ¡°There are two Beijing-class battleships in Guam, why is there no information?¡±

    "The Third Fleet should be allowed to attack, Kondo's Fifth Fleet should return to Rabaul, and the Fourth Fleet should go to Dili. This can ensure the safety of the Maluku Strait and the Sulawesi Sea."

    "But Mr. Inoue and Mr. Kondo need to protect the South China Sea and Malacca. The China South Sea Fleet operating here also has two aircraft carriers (Liaoning and Guizhou under repair), three heavy cruisers and three light cruisers  There is also great strength.¡±

    ¡­ There was a lot of discussion in the conference room, and no one even noticed that Nagumo Chuichi and Yamaguchi Tawen came in.  "What are you doing?!" Nanyun was a little angry. How could he be so undisciplined in the face of a powerful enemy?  After the conference room became quiet, Tsukahara Er4san, who had been looking at the sand table, raised his head and handed the telegram to the two of them.  Although the news in the second half of the telegram was a bit heavy, the first part was clearly told to the two of them.  Yamamoto Isoroku has already diverted the main force of the Chinese navy. Even if they realize their mistake and turn around now, it will be too late.

    "Nagumo-dono" Tsukahara waved his hand, leaving several aviation experts such as Yamaguchi Tawen and Shibata Takeo behind.  After letting the other officers leave, several groups of ship models were placed on the sand table in front of Nanyun.  "The attack will start at ten o'clock tomorrow morning! This is the attack method we are going to take after studying it. You see, there are many American planes on Wake Island. They should also know that this is a place we must capture, so they will definitely strengthen it.  Search in three directions: north, southeast. So I will speed up the movement to the southwest tonightTomorrow morning, two aircraft carriers disguised as seaplane carriers will go south directly from the north to give the illusion of a frontal attack.  I will leave eight Zero Fighters hovering over them on standby. After the Eniwetok Atoll Aviation Group launches the first wave of attacks, it will lure the Japanese aircraft over when retreating, deliberately tempting the Japanese aircraft to attack them.  Attack Shokaku and Zuikaku will be deployed to the west, Soryu and Hiryu to the east, and you are behind, all separated by forty nautical miles" He quickly said  Get into formation and explain in detail.  But if Pan Duheng were here, he would definitely slap Tsukahara in the face, because this tactic is exactly the same as the one he used to distance himself in the Mariana naval battle. The only difference is that Japan was unwilling to use battleships as bait, so they specially modified two battleships.  The seaplane carrier, covered with canvas, pretended to be an aircraft carrier to attract American aircraft.

    Since aerial reconnaissance cannot see both sides of the waterline of the hull, and often only a thin line can be seen from a high altitude, the pilot must rely on the deck shape to analyze the type.  Historically, during the Battle of the Coral Sea, U.S. military pilots mistook an oil tanker for a Japanese aircraft carrier and launched an attack. It can be seen that if the deck is flat, it will be difficult to distinguish the type of target.  Therefore, after the mast is flattened and covered with canvas, it looks very similar to the flight deck.  Of course, there is nothing we can do about it. The Japanese navy is really scared. In the two battles between Ryukyu and Mariana, how many battleships were sunk!  Therefore, the idea of ????defending the ship was quickly generated. Even Tsukahara, the most active aircraft carrier offensive faction, could not convince him to use aircraft carriers or battleships as bait.

    "I believe that the United States also knows the importance of Wake Island, and there is a lack of good harbors here, so their fleet will never stay in place. Moreover, the attraction of Admiral Yamamoto will definitely make them alert, so ourThe operators are likely to be two to three aircraft carriers, four to five battleships, and eight heavy cruisers and light cruisers!  Therefore, we must be alert and vigilant!  "At the end of the sentence, Tsukahara 243 even explained his retreat: "Nagumo-dono, the U.S. Navy is very strong, but they have a huge weakness!  It¡¯s just that the speed of the battleship is too slow, so if I can win by chance, then Mizuo¡¯s battleship will definitely retreat to Pearl Harbor in the east at all costs. At that time, I will ask you to pursue it with speed. For the future of the Empire of Japan, please  You must sink as many Mizu battleships as possible!  The more they sink, the more time they need to recover!  But if we failthen please send a destroyer immediately to save the pilot's life, withdraw from the battle, and protect the ship back to the country no matter what!  "

    At the end of his speech, Tsukahara bowed deeply, which showed how unsure he was.

    "Tsukahara-kun, please rest assured, I will do my best" Nayun glanced at him and suddenly asked: "But I have a question, how can we defend Wake Island for a long time?"

    "I don't know." Tsukahara shook his head very simply.

    ¡°If we don¡¯t fight, we may have to face a pincer attack from Wake Island and Guam.  If the battle is won, the United States will have no forward base and must retreat, and then use the last breath of strength of the Imperial Navy to find a way to deal with major changes in the international situation.  Of course, if they lose again these people will be loyal to the emperor!

    So, this is a dead end

    (To be continued)
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