afterglow

Chapter 519: The outcome of Operation Platypus; assault on land!
The loss of air superiority resulted in the activity range of US military aircraft being compressed to the east of Oahu, roughly an oval area centered on Maui.

The SBD Dreadnaught and TBD Devastator, which had a shorter range, were unable to attack the Ming Army's transportation lines through long distances. The US military tried many times to use B-17 bombers to perform missions. However, the efficiency was low and not many results were achieved.

The only Ming army transport ship that was sunk was achieved by two B-17 crews who ventured down to an altitude of meters and conducted low-altitude bombing.

The aviation force cannot be counted on for the time being, and the US military can only rely on the submarine force to attack the Ming army's logistics supply.

On July 7, the sea 11 kilometers west of Kauai Island rolled up waves, dark clouds, lightning and thunder.

The submarine Squid (SS-191) performed a hat trick and successfully ambushed a Ming army transport fleet. This was the third time the submarine had achieved results in a month and a half since it went to sea.

The freighter Jiyun transporting the Army's First Assault Tank Battalion was hit by two torpedoes and capsized a quarter of an hour later.

Dozens of tanks, tractors, off-road vehicles, and trucks from the battalion headquarters, support team, and third heavy battle convoy sank together.

The destroyer Laoting was also caught off guard and failed to escape its fate. A torpedo hit the stern of the ship, and the violent explosion caused a tragic explosion of depth charges.

In an instant, the destroyer erupted with a series of earth-shaking loud noises, flames rose into the sky, and the fragments generated by the explosion swept in all directions like shrapnel!
The rear section of the Leting was almost blown to pieces. The steel plates made of B-type structural steel were torn apart like iron sheets, and smoke was coming from every gap.

The Ming army sailors on the deck suffered heavy casualties. Bodies, broken limbs, and broken uniforms could be seen everywhere. Blood was spread all over the deck and splashed everywhere.

The military doctors and medical soldiers who came to rescue could not help but be stunned. Some had broken legs, some had lost their arms, some had their stomachs disemboweled...

The screams and moans were mixed with panic and calls for help, and the wounded yelled in pain: "Give me a shot, give me a shot!"

This disaster resulted in 82 people killed, 29 missing, and 112 injured. The Laoting suffered bloody losses and was simply staggeringly miserable from the outside.

The captain also fell down due to the violent vibration just now, and his head hit the rudder and helm, and his head was bleeding. After learning that the engine had stopped and the power was cut off, he immediately ordered to abandon the ship.

However, what is surprising is that the Laoting, whose stern was completely submerged, miraculously did not sink. She was still floating on the sea tenaciously more than an hour later.

The Ming army later towed it to the nearby island of Kauai. Due to lack of repair conditions, the destroyer was temporarily anchored in Hanalei Bay in the north to serve as an air defense platform.

At noon on July 7, it was another sunny day.

The transport fleet arrived at Naweliweli Bay and docked at the dock one after another. The remaining officers and soldiers of the 4th Marine Brigade set foot on the land of Kauai carrying rifles and light machine guns; on the cargo ship transporting heavy weapons, a crane lifted a The howitzers were hoisted down.

Above everyone's heads, two two-plane formations soared in the sky, guarding against possible enemy air attacks.

Half of the assault tank battalion was lost without a fight, which made many people in the Kaweikini Mountain Command extremely regretful.

"Blame? What's there to blame? It's normal to have losses." Zhou Changfeng didn't take it seriously. This level of loss was lower than he expected.

Because the results of US submarines surged during this period, he expected to lose a quarter of the technical equipment during shipping.

The remaining two teams still have 28 Type heavy tanks, but after all, the battalion headquarters and logistics support team have been lost, and the combat efficiency will definitely be greatly reduced.

"The Thirty-eighth Division is already in place, and the First Marine Brigade is almost rested and will be dispatched soon," a communications staff officer said, cupping his fists.

The chief of staff of the Third Marine Brigade next to him sighed: "I stayed in that ghost place on Guadalcanal for several months, and I suffered a lot."

"Based on the reports from the front, the United States and Australia have not given up and are still thinking about Guadalcanal."

"It's not a big problem. The main U.S. fleet is currently being pinned down, and the Guadalcanal Airport is also controlled by our army. It won't help if the enemy sends some reinforcements." Zhou Changfeng said casually while eating an orange can.

"What Zhou Daizhao said is true. The poisonous insects, poisonous snakes and miasma in this jungle can kill them."

After the Battle of Guadalcanal ended, the remnants of the 5th U.S. Marine Regiment and the 39th Regimental Combat Team retreated into the dense jungle southeast of Guadalcanal.

Considering that the terrain was complex and easy to be ambushed, and the defeated soldiers would not pose a threat, the 1st Marine Brigade did not take the initiative to clear out the troops and only stayed stationed around the airport.

This situation is somewhat similar to a security war. The U.S. military constantly sends small groups of troops to harass and fire cold shots, but the 1st Marine Brigade has always stood firm and refused to attack.

The Americans and Australians did not abandon these troops. PBY Catalinas and B-17s flying from New Caledonia have been airdropping supplies to them. Otherwise, these stragglers would have been swallowed up by the hell-like cannibal jungle.

More than a month ago, under the planning of Douglas MacArthur, the US-Australia coalition assembled 600 aircraft and five divisions of troops to launch the largest counterattack to date against the Ming army at the 20th parallel of south latitude. "Platypus" is the code name.

The fierce fighting between the two sides did not end until late June and lasted for a total of twenty-two days.

At first, the 8th and th Divisions were suddenly attacked in a large scale. The th Division misjudged the number of invading enemies and was flanked by the Australian th Infantry Division and the US st Red Division. It was not until one day after the battle started that they Clarify the situation.

During the transfer of positions, the headquarters of the 10th Division was bombed by the Royal Australian Air Force. Division Commander Zou Chengsong was hit in the torso by multiple fragments and died of his injuries two days later.

The outnumbered 10th Division quickly retreated during the night, abandoning a large number of heavy weapons along the way. The 12th Division on the adjacent front was also forced to retreat due to its exposed flanks.

The two troops retreated 40 kilometers before setting up a defensive line, and then waited for reinforcements from the Fourth Division to re-stabilize the situation.

Afterwards, the 38th Division, which had originally planned to go to Guadalcanal, had to temporarily cancel its trip, hurriedly landed in Townsville, rushed to the front line for reinforcements, and finally completely curbed the offensive of the US-Australia coalition forces.

历时大半个月的战斗中，美澳联军阵亡1329人、负伤6221人、非战斗减员5250人；技术装备的损失也较大，共有坦克107辆、各型火炮143门、各种汽车562辆、火车18列、各型飞机262架。

In contrast, although the Ming army, as the defender, was pushed back dozens of kilometers in the early stages of the battle, because air supremacy never fell to the US-Australia coalition, the actual battle losses of the Ming army were even smaller, with a total casualty of 5808 people. , non-combat casualties were 4242; in addition, 66 tanks, 135 artillery pieces, 680 cars, 25 trains, and 204 aircraft were lost.

It is difficult to judge who wins and who loses in this battle. Both sides verbally claim victory. Marshal Mai even held a large-scale press conference in Melbourne and released heroic words to promote the glorious victory.

However, from a purely military perspective, the glorious victory that Marshal Mai boasted is actually very dry.

Most of the strength accumulated by the US-Australia coalition forces for several months was squandered. The participating troops fired a total of 59.3 artillery shells and dropped 1.3 tons of aerial bombs. However, the final result was only to recover an open field 34 miles deep. What do you think? There is a lack of substantial progress. Zhou Changfeng felt that it was a pity that he had lost a veteran. Zou Chengsong was a typical old-school officer. He was strict with himself and others, and his popularity was not very good. If it hadn't been for the expansion of the army during the war, he would have been idle in the provincial capital until he retired. Become an official.

Now that the battle has come to an end, the two sides have entered a dull confrontation period again.

The 38th Infantry Division took a short rest and prepared to continue its previous mission-to go to Guadalcanal to replace the 1st Marine Brigade stationed there.

In the evening of July 7, Kawaikini Mountain Command Headquarters, Kauai.

It will take a long time for the troops to unload and go ashore, but this does not prevent the holding of a meeting of all officers.

The exhaust fan was whirring, and several light bulbs illuminated the place brightly.

"Are you all here?" Zhou Changfeng glanced around at everyone present, "Okay, without further ado, let's take a look at the landing strategy."

He pointed with a slender wooden stick and said: "It is well known that a frontal landing at Pearl Harbor is unrealistic. Multiple large-caliber coastal defense guns in permanent fortifications block the circle south of Oahu."

Williston Battery, Crossen Battery, Hatch Battery, etc. are all built extremely solidly. Some of the forts are built directly into the cliff, with reinforced concrete as thick as ten feet (three meters) as the main protection, and there are A layer of soil several meters thick.

These turrets use 305mm, 356mm, and 406mm coastal defense guns, which come from the surplus battleship main guns of the year. For example, after the Lexington-class battlecruiser was converted into an aircraft carrier, the idle main guns were used to use the waste heat.

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"The goal at this stage is to seize the Mokapu Peninsula, expand the landing site, and establish a firm foothold. The ideal thing is to completely control the area east of the Koolau Ridge. With this mountain range as a cover, the enemy cannot counterattack."

"According to the results of aerial photography and the information given by prisoners, there are not many defenders in the Mokapu area. The core is two battalions of the army, more than a thousand people, and the rest are airport guards and service troops, so the threat is not great."

"This landing is different from the past. It needs to be fast, as fast as possible. The fleet will only make a small amount of firepower preparations. The landing troops will land in a surprise attack early in the morning. There may be aircraft support, but they mainly have to rely on themselves."

"A regiment from the third brigade landed at Kailua Bay and captured the town; one section of the fourth brigade landed in the northern part of the peninsula and was responsible for seizing the airport; another section of the fourth brigade landed at Kaneohe Bay and captured Kaneohe. town."

"There is another key point. Four kilometers south of the town of Kaneohe is the Nuuanupali Pass. This is a good and steep place. It is easy to defend and difficult to attack. If it can be captured, it will be equivalent to blocking the chokepoint and killing one man. Guan Wanfu can’t open it.”

Everyone listened attentively and imagined the whole process in their minds.

Pan Mingbiao, commander of the 4th Marine Brigade, pondered for a moment and asked: "General Soldier, are we going to send a partial division to attack directly from this mountain pass? Do you have any arrangements?"

Zhou Changfeng took a sip from the kettle and replied: "The enemy's defense here is not very tight. Your reconnaissance battalion should be able to do the job. Organize a reinforcement team and go straight there when we get ashore."

"clear."

"Just another reminder, how many anti-aircraft machine guns you ask them to bring, and how many bullets they can carry."

The meeting continued for another hour, mainly to assign tasks and formulate detailed plans together with the air force and naval ship units.

Along with the transport fleet came a group of landing craft. These expendable items were easily destroyed for various reasons. Dozens of them were lost during the attack on Kauai in May.

The newly arrived officers and soldiers of the 4th Marine Brigade are undoubtedly in mixed moods, both depressed and excited.

What was depressing was that after being on the ship for so long and traveling on the sea for months, we were about to go into battle not long after landing; what was exciting was that we would be the first to land on Oahu.

One day and two nights later, on the afternoon of July 7, various units planning to participate in the war began to board the ship.

Although the Ming army had already seized control of the air, the early warning and coordination of air conditions in this era were very backward, and the risk of a sudden attack by US aviation could not be ruled out. Therefore, Zhou Changfeng's plan strictly followed the principle of quickness and rapidity.

Three landing ships will be responsible for transporting heavy weapons and technical equipment, while the remaining troops will be loaded by destroyers.

A total of ten destroyers were ordered to perform delivery tasks, unloading depth charges and torpedoes to reduce their load. Each destroyer could carry two infantry teams and a small amount of supplies.

By sunset, the participating units had completed boarding, and the destroyers slowly sailed away from Naweliweli Bay.

为登陆部队护航的海军力量包括12艘驱逐舰、2艘超级驱逐舰、3艘扫雷舰、1艘轻型巡洋舰、1艘重型巡洋舰昆仑山号。

After the fleet left the port, it completed its battle formation, then gradually increased its speed, and finally sailed through the waves at a speed of 27 knots.

They sped through the busy night, heading northeast, then turned southeast in the waters north of Oahu.

As for the three landing ships transporting heavy weapons, because their top speed could only reach 12 knots, they did not follow the action. Instead, they followed behind as the second wave together with five merchant ships and several destroyers.

For the U.S. military on the Mokapu Peninsula, what they witnessed was too bizarre - why did a large number of incoming enemy ships appear on the sea overnight?
The first wave of landing troops suddenly appeared in Kaneohe Bay like a ghost fleet, and the Pacific Fleet headquarters was shocked.

At 7:15 on July 5, more than a dozen Ming warships began to violently bombard the beachhead and shallow depth of the Mokapu Peninsula.

The U.S. troops on the shore were blown away by the rain of artillery shells. The hangar of the Kaneohe Bay Naval Air Station was blown to pieces by a 208mm anti-kill bomb, and corrugated iron sheets flew into the sky.

Ten destroyers arrived at the beaches they were responsible for. The Marine officers and soldiers above lowered the landing craft and rope nets on both sides amidst the rumble of gunfire, and began to climb down into the landing craft one after another.

Because the minesweeper's speed was too slow, it fell behind early. It was expected to take another two and a half hours to arrive, and it was impossible to wait for them for the time being.

However, Zhou Changfeng and other generals are optimistic that the US military has not deployed mines here because it is responsible for the take-off and landing of seaplanes. The US military has also carefully blasted the coral reefs and dredged the waterway.

On the platform outside the bridge of the Kunlun Mountain, Zhou Changfeng held a telescope and ordered: "Concentrate firepower to suppress the area between 1,000 and 3,000 meters, and let the landing craft gather their formation and rush along this road."

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(End of this chapter)