afterglow

Chapter 520: Go forward bravely; you must die on the mountain pass!
The three Ming armies carried out assault landings on three landing points at the same time, but the situation was not so ideal.

The one that landed directly on the Mokapu Peninsula in the middle was the 1st Battalion of the 7th Regiment of the 4th Marine Brigade. Officers and soldiers climbed into the landing craft along the rope nets from the sides of the three destroyers, and more than 20 landing craft rushed straight to the beach in two columns.

Usually, when carrying out beach grabbing, they will not concentrate on one point, but disperse and elongate the entire landing front to prevent a certain area from being blocked by enemy fire and being completely suppressed.

However, they didn't care about that much at this time. The landing troops could only concentrate into slender columns and rush to the beach along the seaplane channel opened by the US military, otherwise they might be hit hard by mines.

At 7:15 on July 6, a huge noise came from Kaneohe Bay in the distance.

Zhou Changfeng, who was on the Kunlun Mountain, immediately looked over and saw a large group of waves bursting out from the sea, which could be seen from such a distance.

A few seconds later, the shattered wreckage of the landing craft sparsely fell to the sea, followed by the Marine infantry on board.

There were four destroyers on the west route responsible for transporting troops, carrying about 900 people in total, including the second battalion of the seventh regiment of the fourth marine brigade and the first team of the brigade's reconnaissance and search battalion. They encountered a large number of mines deployed by the US military in Kaneohe Bay.

Some landing craft tried to take a detour, but there were many coral reefs in the bay, which made it difficult to navigate, and the beach grabbing operation was therefore hampered.

There are also three destroyers on the east route responsible for delivering landing troops. Their target is Kailua Bay. The Third Battalion of the Sixth Regiment of the Third Marine Brigade is responsible for stabilizing the landing site and capturing the town of Kailua.

The division was adapted from the local garrison in Hawaii. It was formed only four months ago. A month ago, most of the troops were stationed in Oahu, Lanai, and Maui. It was only now that they were hastily deployed back to concentrate on guarding Oahu. .

For these second-line personnel at the Naval Air Station who lacked infantry training, nothing could be worse than the current situation.

The landing on the front of the Mokapu Peninsula went particularly smoothly, and the battle in the east was also pretty good.

After procrastinating for a full twenty-five minutes, the regiment commander, Colonel Bazel, instructed four infantry companies to launch a counterattack against the enemy who came ashore.

The officers and soldiers of the 4th Marine Brigade in the impact swept across the airport runway like a surge. In the process, more than ten people were knocked down by bullets and fragments, but more people were killed in an overwhelming manner.

The muzzle velocity of rocket-propelled grenades is very low, and the black shadow of the grenade flying through the air is visible to the naked eye.

The water was just up to the calves, and the soldiers waded forward quickly.

This airport is now under our own control. A rough estimate of the 1st Battalion of the 7th Regiment killed and wounded more than 140 enemy soldiers, and captured more than 300 prisoners, while its own losses were only about 60 people.

The Marine Corps, which was fighting with its back against the water, naturally had a higher enthusiasm for attack than the ordinary army. Seeing that the enemy had no effective defense measures at all, the soldiers were even more excited.

"Bang! Phew——"

Zhou Changfeng and others had previously estimated based on intelligence that there were only about two battalions here, but this was incorrect. In fact, three thousand of the 19th Infantry Regiment were around the town of Kailua.

The 128mm explosive bombs fired by the destroyer passed over everyone's heads and hit the airport runway, tower, and hangar hundreds of meters away.

Several American soldiers in the heavy machine gun team fell to the ground or lay down, shouting for help, but unfortunately no one else around them had time to care.

"Let's be the first!"

"Want to escape? Chase!"

The Third Battalion of the Sixth Marine Regiment, which did not have combat anti-aircraft artillery, could only use infantry anti-tank weapons to attack those armored vehicles, because the distance was far and the rocket launchers with a range of only 100 meters could not reach them.

"Come here! Come here!" a captain yelled at the top of his voice, pointing at the broken tower not far away and ordered: "Where is the flag? Put it up there!"

The U.S. military has no decent field fortifications here. Apart from foxholes, there are some rough simple bunkers made of sandbags. These things obviously cannot withstand the naval fleet's shelling from the other side. There are tattered bags and pools of sand scattered everywhere. .

The U.S. military put up very little resistance. It was first subjected to rapid and violent artillery fire, and then a group of enemies rushed over with shouts. It was really caught off guard.

The explosion flames flickered, the smoke spread instantly, and a Browning air-cooled heavy machine gun and its tripod were overturned by the shock wave.

The attacking troops dispersed into sparse formations looked densely packed, but in fact there were only two infantry teams with a total of more than 300 people.

The morning light from the rising sun illuminates the earth and ocean, and the blued bayonet shines brightly.

Under the cover of six M2A1 half-track armored vehicles, a large number of U.S. infantry rushed to the beach from multiple directions in an attempt to drive the unsteady Ming army into the sea.

At 6:20, in the northern part of the Mokapu Peninsula, the first landing craft washed up on the beach.

At 8:05, the th Regiment of the th Marine Brigade successfully completed the assault on land, defeating and clearing the U.S. military at the Kaneohe Bay Marine Terminal.

"Send the order! Place the machine guns, everyone fix their bayonets, and kill them all in one go!"

The U.S. military security unit stationed at the Naval Air Station opened fire sparsely, with several Browning heavy machine guns and automatic rifles firing. Rifle grenades fired from Springfield rifles fell to the ground and rolled several times before exploding.

The Ming army's assault team was approaching, and the roars and shouts of killing could be clearly heard.

"boom!"

"The Third Brigade fought well, and we have to keep up the good work, do you hear me?"

The 24rd Battalion, 19th Regiment, rd Marine Brigade successfully landed in Kailua Bay and completed tactical deployment. They were facing one of the few U.S. Army units in the area - the th Infantry Regiment of the th Infantry Division.

"Wan Sheng——"

At 7:12, Zhou Changfeng saw a big red pennant on the twisted and crooked airport tower through the telescope.

"Move quickly! Don't delay!"

Those who won the honor of "first to board" were the 1st Battalion, 3rd Team and 1st Platoon of the 7th Regiment of the 4th Marine Brigade. The hatch in front of the bow of the boat was opened and the photos were taken, creating a circle of water splashes.

Compared with the situation on the west route, the east route was much better. In fact, the soldiers did not find any mines on the sea at all, so it was smooth sailing.

The sound of bayonets clicking was heard one after another, and red flares trailed smoke into the blue sky. Blue-gray figures holding rifles and submachine guns launched an unstoppable attack on the enemy in front of them.

Rumbling explosions came from the front, and the soldiers' eyes flashed with the flash of shells collapsing.

The US military's response was slightly slow. They first used 75mm howitzers and 81mm mortars to bombard the beachhead, but they were slow to make up their mind to launch a counterattack.

Several rounds of artillery smoke bombs exploded in the sky above the hangar. The scattered white phosphorus immediately burned when it came into contact with oxygen, emitting thick gray-white smoke.

"It's very beautiful, crisp and neat." Zhou Changfeng commented.

Although the only recoilless gun destroyed two armored vehicles in a row, the huge dust and flames when fired were extremely conspicuous. The gun crew members were quickly hit by the double blow of US mortars and machine gun fire and suffered all casualties. .

The officers and soldiers of the Ming Dynasty could only rely on a few combat guns to resist, and the battle situation was precarious.

Fortunately, several destroyers on the sea surface of Kailua Bay provided timely support. Captain Wu of the Tranquility-class super destroyer No. 5 approached and opened fire fiercely at a close range of less than 900 meters.

The single 144mm naval gun spit out muzzle flames several meters long, and the 46.3kg armor-piercing blasting projectile flew out of the muzzle, hit the sand and exploded!

A half-track vehicle was firing wildly one second, and the next second it was overturned by a shell that landed just a few meters away.

The track fell off, the steel plate deformed and became warped. A moment later, the gasoline leaking from it was ignited, and a fire broke out in an instant.

The power of artillery shells fired from the sea is extraordinary. Naval guns of the same caliber are often larger than those used by army artillery. For example, the Mk12 203mm naval gun high-explosive shell weighs 118kg, while the high-explosive shells used by howitzers of the same caliber The bullet weight is 90kg.

Several Ming destroyers near Kailua Bay fired 213 artillery shells within ten minutes, disrupting the counterattack of the 19th Infantry Regiment. The momentum of the US military stagnated and soon came to nothing.

The Third Battalion of the Sixth Marine Regiment was able to gain a foothold, but due to the US artillery bombardment and the recent counterattack, the total casualties quickly increased to more than 200 people. The losses were considerable and it was obviously unable to capture the town of Kailua.

"Report! The minesweeper is here and has gone to the west to clean up. Also, the Air Force said that the plane will arrive in about a quarter of an hour."

On the platform outside the bridge of the Kunlun Mountain, someone brought good news.

Zhou Changfeng was very worried that after the US military came to their senses, they would take the lead in strengthening the defensive forces at Nuuanupali Pass. In that case, it would be difficult.

"Tell Pan Mingbiao to let the reconnaissance team go first, follow the minesweeper, and get ashore as soon as possible. The mountain pass must be captured no matter what!"

"Yes! The reconnaissance and search battalion detachment of the fourth brigade took priority in the boat landing and went straight to the mountain pass!" The communications staff member repeated the story quickly, then turned around and left.

Three minesweepers with limited speed arrived belatedly and have now begun clearing mines in Kaneohe Bay.

Contact minesweepers directly cut off the anchor chain attached to the mine, and then use an anti-aircraft machine gun to fire it to detonate it, or use a mine capture net to trap the mine and drag it to a safe distant sea area.

The First Team of the 4th Marine Brigade Reconnaissance and Search Battalion was strengthened in preparation for the war and equipped with three additional rocket launchers and two anti-aircraft machine guns. They were ordered to perform the important task of seizing the Nuuanupali Pass.

This mission was so important that Zhou believed that the officers and soldiers participating in the battle deserved to be remembered by all, and he also promised to erect a stone monument at the mountain pass to commemorate the battle.

Four landing craft followed the minesweeper and slowly advanced. Everyone was anxious.

Two hours have passed since the battle started, so much later than expected. God knows if the enemy has sent reinforcements to the mountain pass to strengthen the defense.

At 8:52, the minesweeper initially completed the sweep of the waters at the entrance to Kaneohe Bay.

However, they said that time was short and there might still be residual mines that had been omitted.

However, a group of officers, Xiao Wenquan, could not wait any longer, and four landing craft immediately went straight to the beach.

The landing craft rushed onto the land, and the bow hatch of the boat was photographed. The officers and soldiers who filed out encountered no resistance, not even a gunshot.

They then quickly completed their formation and stormed into the town of Kaneohe.

There are no pedestrians in the town. There are newspapers, sundries, garbage, and several cars and trucks left on the ground. The windows and doors of many houses are open, and the residents inside are missing.

"I guess he escaped after hearing the sound of cannons in the morning."

The soldiers found the Oahu tourist map from a conspicuous location at the newsstand and immediately handed it to Xiao Wenquan.

The team deputy came over and asked curiously: "Is this map in feet or meters?"

"Feet, naturally."

Four cars and a bus parked on the street were immediately requisitioned, but it was obvious that they could not accommodate everyone.

“Are these cars still usable?”

"Go, go, start the car!"

Xiao Wenquan made a quick decision and waved his hand: "Zhao Cheng, get your people in the car!"

A platoon of officers and soldiers all boarded the vehicle and acted as the vanguard of the detachment. They went into battle lightly and rushed to Nuuanupali Pass as quickly as possible.

This pass can be said to be the best viewing point in Oahu. Standing at Nuuanupali Pass, you can look around at the beautiful scenery around you, including the mountains of Koolau Ridge, the beaches of the Mokapu Peninsula, and downtown Honolulu.

From a military point of view, the Koolau Ridge divides the plains in the northeastern part of Oahu. Except for this mountain pass, the only way to reach the northeast is by taking a long way along the coastline.

As long as this is controlled, the Ming army's foothold on Oahu will be as stable as Mount Tai.

Historically, King Kamehameha defeated his enemies here and finally succeeded in unifying Oahu.

The general traffic in Ming Dynasty is also left-hand drive. American-made cars and buses have no additional difficulty. Driving a car is a basic skill for the elite brigade investigation units.

Several cars speeded down the street, passing through several blocks like lightning, and soon left the small town.

At the junction of the city and the suburbs, a checkpoint came into view. A Ford police car parked on the side of the road. Several small-town policemen wearing wide-brimmed hats waved to slow down.

"Hey! Why are you so slow? Those Chinese will be here soon!"

A sergeant who knew English shouted the classic phrase "not soon, right here" at the top of his lungs.

Instead of slowing down, several cars accelerated and rushed towards the traffic jam, kicking up dust and whizzing away. Several small town policemen were stunned.

The bumpy country road shook the soldiers, and soon turned uphill as it approached the mountains.

The car was okay because it could only seat four people, but the bus was filled with heavily armed officers and soldiers. The driver was afraid of stalling, so he only dared to move forward slowly in first gear.

The leader of the platoon, Zhao Cheng, simply ordered the vehicle to be abandoned. The map showed that we were less than one mile away from the target mountain pass, which was about three miles away.

"Load your gun and be vigilant!"

"go!"

"Move quickly, run!"

Dozens of people, carrying weapons and equipment weighing up to 80 kilograms, were striding along the winding mountain road, with the green and stretching Keolao Mountains just around the corner.

Five minutes later, someone suddenly saw a figure at the corner not far away, and the next second the other party fired directly.

"There are enemies!"

"Spread out! Spread out!"

Everyone soon discovered that there were not many enemies in front of them, so they immediately adjusted their formation, and the two teams immediately rushed forward, one behind the other.

Two enemies were shot and killed while fleeing, and several others slipped away. They could tell by their attire that they were not the Army, but probably the National Guard or the militia.

Zhao Cheng knew that he must be decisive at this moment, and any hesitation might lead to defeat, so he led his troops to pursue resolutely.

There has only been a small number of National Guards stationed at Nu'uanu Pali Pass. After a brief exchange of fire between the outer sentries and the attacking Ming army, the thirty or so soldiers here suddenly panicked. The sentries who escaped back were also confused about the specific situation and exaggerated, claiming that hundreds of enemies were chasing them.

A fierce battle broke out between the two sides three minutes later, and the advantage of being on top was not insignificant in actual combat. Three Browning automatic rifles suppressed the pursuing Ming Dynasty officers and soldiers until they could not move. The soldiers who were hit by bullets fell to the ground and rolled down.

"Damn it!" someone shouted eagerly, "I can't stand it, boss, retreat first, we can't charge forward without artillery!"

"Fart! I'm going to die on this mountain!" Zhao Cheng changed a magazine for his submachine gun, lay on the ground and shouted: "Rifle grenades, rifle grenades, smoke, the second squad is ready to leap forward!"

【Picture】

(End of this chapter)