afterglow

Chapter 534 Chapter Ruofei crossing the sky; the first flag

"By the time the message was sent out, all members of the 1st Marine Brigade had landed ashore. Except for the artillery pieces that were lost while being transported by sea, they were generally intact. Your Majesty, Oahu will be captured soon."

"hope so."

Nanjing is so unbearably hot in the summer that every time Zhu Lingjing can't help but think about the various ways to escape the heat in ancient times when there was no air conditioning.

The success or failure of Oahu is directly related to the direction of the war. The battle surrounding Oahu has lasted for more than two months. It is of great importance and any progress will be directly reported to the imperial court.

"The governor reported that after the enemy's crazy counterattack on the island failed, they were just remnants of defeated troops. The morale of the army must have been weakened." Su Yiyi looked out the window with a relaxed expression and said with confidence: "There is an elite brigade that has been ordered to join the battle. Defeating the enemy is just around the corner.”

"Yes." Zhu Lingjing smiled calmly and said leisurely: "'Zhou Taizhao's 1st Marine Brigade' has arrived, there is no suspense anymore."

After getting along for so long, Su Yiyi quickly reacted, "Your Majesty, uh..."

"It's nothing, it's just that after so many consecutive victories, he, Zhou, is almost tied to the 1st Marine Brigade." Zhu Lingjing shook her head gently, "I don't care, but some people do."

For her, how to arrange the hot potato next for Zhou is a big trouble and a real headache.

"Going thousands of miles to join the army, you can fly across the ocean!"

"Order!"

"Hahahaha, this is a good change. Since the war started, we have traveled half of the Pacific Ocean by boat."

The officers went their separate ways in off-road vehicles or motorcycles with sidecars, rushing to their units.

The thunderous sound of artillery spread throughout the Haleiwa area. The depth of the Ming army's position flashed with light spots one after another. Hundreds of artillery shells were poured onto the US military position.

But the problem is that many times the evaluation criteria based on merit are not applicable. A mature and complete political field cannot tolerate such special cases. If you are not careful, you will make people hate you and be rejected by everyone.

"Pacific Ocean, I hope it will be peaceful in the future."

Therefore, continuing to stay on the remote front line is asking for trouble. It is obviously better to let Zhou return to his hometown to make suggestions, sum up experience, and guide troop training.

Zhou Changfeng raised his left hand and glanced at his watch, and said calmly: "There is still half an hour left in the countdown to the general attack. Everyone should take their positions."

Such a distressing emergency situation occurred in the rear, but the Ming army on the front line would not wait any longer.

The U.S. officers and soldiers couldn't figure out how the Ming army brought the barreled artillery to the cliff. Maybe the mortar could be carried up by manpower, but it was a barreled artillery, and it had the lightest parts. Dozens of kilograms.

The main generals of the 1st Marine Brigade gathered together to hold a pre-war meeting. Although they were all on Guadalcanal before, Zhou was not there, so of course it cannot be called a "gathering".

The specific fire preparation plan still followed Zhou Changfeng's habit - the total time was short, but as fierce as possible.

Considering that after the capture of Oahu, both the Ming and US armies will inevitably have to reorganize their forces, which can take as little as half a year or as much as a year. There will be no big waves in the Pacific.

At 8:3 pm on August 13, artillery preparations before the general attack began.

First, he was young. He was only thirty years old now, barely in his thirties. Then, he was young. He was promoted from an unknown major to the fourth rank to the current major general in just four years. And according to the "merit-only" evaluation standard, such a promotion Again totally reasonable.

Several Ming warships anchored in Kenaka Bay were also firing. The battleships Zhenguan and Yonghui made a special trip to replace the Longshuo that had been damaged and needed to be repaired.

The bad thing is that it is now difficult to counter the Ming army's artillery stronghold on the top of the Koolao Ridge - even if the artillery shell misses the target by a hair, it will either fly over the top or hit the mountainside and explode.

There were bursts of melodious artillery sounds from the distance. It was the two mountain cannons on Highland 585 that were bombarding any exposed US military targets from a high position.

Zhu Shiyan would be able to do the same thing much more easily. What he meant was that after the Battle of Oahu, he would be transferred from the front line and return to Beijing to take up a position in the General Staff Office of the Metropolitan Governor's Mansion. This would be considered a disguised form. Hidden in the snow for a period of time.

The two battleships used their three triple-mounted 3mm main guns to fire alternately semi-volleys at the measured US military positions. The smoke and dust raised by the large-caliber anti-personnel explosive bombs were extremely large. The smoke and dust were mixed with surging flames, which looked particularly special. Horrible.

The earth is shaking!

The Haleiwa defense line deployed by the US military was crumbling under such a powerful bombardment. At this time, the Ming Dynasty Air Force also joined in. Dozens of dive bombers and twin-engine light bombers flew to their destinations under the escort of a large number of fighter jets.

The fleet of aircraft covered the sky, and one of the Type 36 light bombers carried a special guest-a war reporter who came all the way from the mainland.

Aerial bombs fell out of the bomb bay under the belly of the aircraft one after another, and slowly fell to the land two thousand meters below.

After a while, looking down, one could see that a large area of ​​land below was covered in clouds of dust. Because of the interference from the roar of the aircraft engine, the dull explosion sound became a little distorted and strange.

The scenes of bombers dropping bombs in formation and a large number of aerial bomb explosions were recorded by cameras and engraved in small films.

【Picture】

At 14:00, two red signal bombs shot into the sky on time.

The trumpeter checked the reed of the suona, and then blew the trumpet signal to initiate the attack.

In an instant, the sharp sounds of suonas and whistles were mixed together, and soon mixed with the shouts of soldiers. The US defense line seemed to have been overwhelmed by the indomitable momentum at this moment.

In addition to the 14 Type 3A medium tanks of the st Marine Brigade Combat Team, the remaining Type A heavy tanks of the st Battalion of Attack Vehicles also participated in the attack.

The 1st Battalion of Attack Tanks lost its maintenance unit during the sea transportation, and continued to suffer losses in a series of battles after landing on the island. Each of the precious and delicate heavy tanks broke down and could not be used.

At present, the remaining units of the battalion have a total of 11 heavy tanks to be repaired - which shows that the number of completely destroyed tanks is not actually very large, mainly because the negative impact of the lack of effective support has aggravated the losses.

Xue Can's style seems to be frivolous and out-of-the-box, but it is actually rough and detailed. He does not believe the reconnaissance reports provided by the 17th Division and insists that "seeing is believing, and the results of one's own investigation are the most reliable."

Therefore, the 1st Marine Regiment conducted multiple penetration reconnaissance and fire reconnaissance from last night to this morning, and the results were very satisfactory. The defense line deployed by the US military in the Haleiwa area can be said to be golden and beautiful, but it is defeated outside.

Because too many troops and equipment were lost in the failed counterattack, the defense line was leaking everywhere - for example, a position was defended just fine by a fully-manned company, but now most companies have reduced their strength by half, how can it be possible to ensure a tight defense? Woolen cloth?
The troops are stretched thin, and it is difficult for a clever woman to make a living without rice. The US military commanders demolish the east wall to repair the west wall and can barely fill the most critical areas.

The officers and soldiers of the 1st Marine Regiment, who have been on the battlefield for a long time, are extremely experienced. They have successfully figured out the details of the enemy in front of them and found many weak joints.

Accurate intelligence, proper logistics, and high morale are the cornerstones of victory, and the 1st Marine Regiment undoubtedly achieved them all.

Less than half an hour into the battle, a huge gap was opened in Haleiwa's defense line.

The Ming army, well aware of the current predicament of the US military, marched forward with confidence and quickly marched southward, approaching the Wheeler Army Airport in central Oahu. 15:17, an hour and a quarter after the general offensive was launched, Haleiwa's defense line collapsed.

The remainder of the 7th Division and the 9th Division began to retreat. Some troops were separated and surrounded by the rolling Ming army. Although they resisted desperately, they were destined to not be rescued.

Brigadier General Charles White had long anticipated the possible bad situation, so he had made an organized retreat plan in advance. But the current southward retreat is still difficult, and air strikes by Ming army aircraft have greatly interfered with the retreat.

In addition to bombing logistics lines, the damage done by aircraft to personnel is far less than the impact on morale. Continuous air strikes can cause a heavy blow to the spirit and can significantly delay and disintegrate an army.

The sound of gunfire kept coming from behind the retreating team. It was the troops covering the rear exchanging fire with the pursuing Ming army.

What came into view on the road east of Wheeler Army Airport was a miserable scene - a large number of burning trucks and jeeps connected end to end, estimated to be in the hundreds, with many dead bodies interspersed among the damaged vehicles. , helmets, kettles, shovels and other equipment can be seen everywhere on the ground.

At 16:25, a rapid search team consisting of two Type wheeled armored reconnaissance vehicles and three off-road vehicles approached Wheeler Airport.

They detoured for hundreds of meters, passed through the outer defense line from the northwest, facing bullets fired from all directions, and rushed onto the airport runway.

I saw more than a dozen aircraft wreckage lined up at the end of the dilapidated and cratered airport. These were P-40 fighter jets and B-18 bombers that had been destroyed on the ground a few days ago.

"Hahahaha, this bullshit defense line is really leaking from all sides, Guizhou donkey is so weak!"

"Stop talking nonsense, take a walk to the east, and then leave quickly."

"Damn! Chariot! The enemy's chariot is at ten o'clock, ten o'clock... seven hundred meters away."

Two GMC trucks and an M2A4 light tank appeared meters away from the left front of the Ming army's search team. The white five-pointed star painted on the side of the tank turret was clearly visible.

Get started first!
Two Ming army reconnaissance vehicles immediately aimed and opened fire. The cannons roared "thumb, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump, thump."

These days' armored vehicles do not have a vertical stabilizer, so the hit rate of firing while moving can only be said to be random. However, the cannon that can fire continuously shows a unique advantage in such a firefight.

The commander of the No. 2 vehicle observed that at least three artillery shells hit, one ricocheted and the other two should have actually penetrated - the M4A20.8 light tank had weak armor and should not be able to withstand the mm armor-piercing tracer bullet.

The tank stopped after firing its second shot, and a plume of black smoke came out. A few seconds later, the hatch on the top of the turret was pushed open, and many US tank soldiers hurriedly abandoned their vehicles and fled.

Suddenly, a loud noise came from the distance on the right, a large ball of flames burst out and expanded to a height of tens of meters, and scorching air waves roared in!

This is because the US military engineers at Wheeler Airport were so nervous that they mistook the search team for an incoming Ming army force, so they hurriedly turned on the power and detonated the underground oil storage tank...

The U.S. military's resistance in this area was lackluster. It originally planned to delay the Ming army's offensive forces here for six hours. However, due to its unstable military morale and chaotic position, it was finally defeated in just two and a half hours.

The only place where there was a fierce battle and repeated attacks was on a highland at the eastern foot of the Waianae Ridge in the west with a map elevation of 207.

The 1st Marine Brigade Reconnaissance Battalion encountered this tough enemy after wiping out an infantry company of the US Army. About fifty enemy soldiers were stationed here, possessing multiple heavy machine guns and mortars, in an attempt to slow down the Ming army's advance.

The battle lasted until sunset that day. The officers and soldiers of the reconnaissance battalion had to pay a heavy price of 19 killed and 50 injured before they were able to remove this nail that was easy to defend but difficult to attack.

At the same time, the 7th Infantry Regiment of the 17th Infantry Division was cut off from its retreat by the rapidly advancing st Marine Regiment due to its slow movement, and soon fell into a tight siege.

At 17:30, the follow-up Second Marine Regiment then launched an attack, carrying out concentric assaults from the east, west and north.

The flares never stopped, and there were at least five dazzling spots floating in the sky at every moment, illuminating the area as if it were daytime.

The 17th Infantry Regiment of the US Army, which was isolated and had serious shortages, came to an end that night.

The tail flames of the rockets tore through the dark sky filled with sunset. The advancing Type 40 wheeled assault guns silenced any exposed machine gun fire points. A large number of Marine infantry shouted and launched an attack. Many American soldiers were killed by grenades scattered in the sky. In the military pit...

The battle lasted until midnight. The regiment leader, Lieutenant Colonel Hallett, was killed by a mortar while retreating with the regiment. The regiment was subsequently declared destroyed, and the regiment flag was found under an overturned jeep by Ming Dynasty officers and soldiers who were cleaning the battlefield.

This is the first time that the Ming army has captured a complete regimental flag since the war began. Previously, the 19th Regiment of the th Marine Brigade also captured the regimental flag of the th Infantry Regiment, but unfortunately it was in tatters.

The sound of gunfire gradually stopped in the second half of the night, but it took a lot of effort to capture the defeated American troops who were running all over the mountains and plains.

Zhou Changfeng slept extremely deeply that night. He had never been so mentally relaxed for more than half a month.

It was dawn, and when he woke up refreshed, it was already the morning of August 8rd.

"How is the situation of the army?" he asked while brushing his teeth.

Zhao Hanfeng put his hands on the table and stared at the sand table intently, "The enemy still has a defensive line north of Pearl Harbor. A group stopped in front of the enemy's position and gathered up the team. Now they are waiting for the reconnaissance team to withdraw to see how the enemy's position is deployed."

"It looks like we are about to encounter the 296th Regiment."

"Yes, the enemy of Oahu is the only fully-equipped unit, that's all."

Zhou Changfeng glanced at the sand table filled with red and blue flags, "Tell Xue Can to be more neat and call it a day. You don't need my teaching anymore, right?"

As of 8:3 on August 8, the U.S. military on Oahu had withdrawn to the Kipapa defense line, only three kilometers south of Pearl Harbor.

Brigadier General Charles White, the commander of the ground forces, was promoted to the front line according to instructions from Washington. The War Department described him in the promotion order as "brave, intelligent, and reasonable in command" and was promoted to Army Major General.

"Any substantial reinforcements are more useful than this piece of paper." Charles White complained.

He is now powerless. Oahu has become a mess. It is only a matter of time before it falls. The latest statistics show the current embarrassing situation of the US military——

第7步兵师仅余7个连队达到50%人员，炮兵单位还剩13门榴弹炮和2门反坦克炮；第9步兵师余部只有2个连队具备战斗力，全部身管火炮仅存8门榴弹炮。

Although the 501st Airborne Regiment is fully organized, it only has half its strength. At present, only the 296th Independent Infantry Regiment, which was composed of the garrisons withdrawn from Wake Island and Midway Island, is the most complete.

The most ridiculous thing is that because the Ming army's air raids and previous counterattacks were too wasteful, there was also a shortage of artillery shells in Oahu's inventory. Mortar shells and howitzer shells were basically exhausted. Coast defense artillery shells were extremely abundant, but They couldn't turn their guns to bombard the Ming army coming from the north.

The Pacific Fleet Headquarters building was riddled with holes by Ming army aircraft. At this moment, there were smoke and crowds among the piles of ruins and rubble. This was the Navy personnel who were burning tens of millions of pages of documents.

Not long after Brigadier General Charles White received his promotion order, Chester Nimitz also received instructions from Washington to evacuate Pearl Harbor on a submarine and continue his command at Hilo (the Big Island of Hawaii).

(End of this chapter)