afterglow

Chapter 535: Falling apart; the admiral’s departure
“This is a really nice place, with a commanding view and unobstructed views.”

"It's really a great advantage to beat the low."

In the morning, a routine supply rotorcraft arrived on Highland 585. The aircraft turned off its engine, slowly descended, and stopped steadily on the top of the mountain.

Due to the pitifully small load of the prototype Type 585 rotorcraft, only ten rounds of artillery shells could be transported at a time. In order to keep the two 80mm mountain guns firing at Highland , supply operations continued during the day.

Standing high and seeing far, the tactical advantage of being condescending is considerable.

Some people were holding optical rangefinders, while others were sitting behind artillery mirrors, carefully observing the US military positions in the distance and selecting suitable targets for attack.

"Pick that one to fight, it looks okay."

"Listen to the order! Enemy highway checkpoint, 6,940 meters, explosive bombs, instant fire, school fire!"

"boom!"

"Oh, it's quite accurate. Good job."

The last hope of the US military on Oahu, the Kipapa defense line, was broken through in many places two hours after the Ming army's general attack. Reserve teams braved artillery fire and rushed to reinforce.

The combat casualties counted by the Second Marine Regiment are enough to apply for 500 Qi Li Medals. However, there are so many medals that the military officials don't care about them, and the grassroots officers don't take them seriously either.

The soldiers of the Ming army who attacked in a sparse formation faced a large number of landmines, deer villages, Czech hedgehogs, bellows-shaped barbed wire, and dense bullets fired from the US military positions.

The Medal of Qi Li is equivalent to the American Purple Heart Medal and the German War Medal. The name "Qi Li" comes from the "14th year of Zhengtong" during the Orthodox period. Merit medals were made to reward merit, including extraordinary merit, first merit, and Qi Li. The person who was injured even though the score was in vain, and the Qi Li card..." are examples.

A flash of light appeared!
The armored reconnaissance vehicle No. 1-3 ran over the mine and was immediately blown over by the violent shock wave. The left front wheel quickly burned, and the rubber caught fire and emitted thick black smoke.

The Ming Dynasty officers and soldiers attacking here must first cross the stream, and then seize a series of highlands on the west bank of the Wickler Creek. However, these four hills are like fire hedgehogs with horns for each other. Attacking one of them will be met by at least another, or even two. A single fire strike, and side fire is extremely deadly.

They worked hard to follow a pre-planned retreat plan that was divided into two parts - the 501st Airborne Regiment and the 296th Independent Infantry Regiment withdrew to the Kapolei area in the southwest; the remainder of the 7th and 9th Divisions withdrew to the southeastern Honolulu city.

With planes strafing and bombing in the sky, and artillery fire on the mountains behind them, it became very difficult for the U.S. military to assemble reserves in the second-line positions.

With every step forward, someone was shot and fell. Medics and paramedics crawled and rolled through the hail of bullets, running towards the place where the call for help came from, rescuing their wounded comrades and sending them back to the rear from the front line.

At 8:3 on August 12, all participating troops had completed their preparations.

The tanks and armored vehicles covering the infantry attack were firing desperately, trying their best to eliminate any exposed enemies. Piles of shell casings had accumulated under the directional machine guns and coaxial machine guns inside the tanks, and hot, smoking shell casings were constantly falling down. .

The crew members now only hated that their car only had one cannon. They suddenly felt that a multi-turret tank seemed to be quite useful.

The Ming army was fully aware of the current predicament of the US military, and all departments were spontaneously pursuing and fighting.

"Hurry up, hurry up, don't let go of the accelerator, go to the side..."

Because he had won honors in the Battle of Demaji, Zhou also had a bronze Qi Li Medal.

The single-cylinder diesel engine version of the power trolley makes a unique popping sound. When mixed with the roar of the tank engine, it plays the role of one plus one greater than two. From a distance, it sounds like the movement of a cluster of tanks.

It was still late at night, and the surroundings were dark. The two dizzy members pushed open the hatch cover and crawled out, then pulled the driver who had injured his legs out of it.

"How's it going? Is something wrong?"

However, these U.S. paratroopers took advantage of the terrain. They built fortifications based on Wickler Creek, set four connected hills as strong support points, and laid out all the mines and barbed wire they could collect.

"Boom-boom-boom-"

Although the fierce shelling and air strikes have blown the US military positions in the main attack direction to pieces, there is still a big threat in the remaining parts.

This kind of medal will be awarded bronze if you are injured once, silver if you are injured three times or you are moderately disabled, and gold if you are injured five times or you are severely disabled or infertile due to injuries.

Following Zhou Changfeng's order, the U.S. military's forward positions and main positions were quickly swallowed up by the sweeping artillery fire. Thick smoke and dust filled the air, and almost only gunpowder smoke and dust could be seen in the artillery team's mirrors.

Due to the untimely counterattack, the position was quickly stabilized and became a stepping stone for the Ming army to expand its results.

At 8:4 in the morning on August 2, as the Kipapa defense line collapsed, Major General Charles White had to order a retreat, and the U.S. troops on the entire front began to retreat hastily.

It is the 501st Airborne Regiment of the US Army that defends the area. This unit can be said to be the most powerful unit among the US military on Oahu. However, after a series of previous battles, it has lost nearly half of its personnel and has also lost many heavy machine guns and Mortar.

Side-by-side assault and pincer assault are slightly different. Pincer assault is aimed at the same target deep in the enemy's depth, and the offensive shape is like a pincer; side-by-side assault is forward in parallel, like two awls thrusting straight in.

Compared with the artillery shells with invisible trajectory, the rockets flying overhead followed the conspicuous fireworks trajectory and hit the enemy, causing the ground troops to cheer and cheer.

The 1st Marine Regiment successfully captured a company-level position in the Kipapa defense line in just two attacks, tearing a hole about 400 meters wide and 300 meters deep.

【Finally learned how to illustrate between paragraphs! 】

Two mountain cannons fired several times, and a US military checkpoint six kilometers away was submerged in the smoke and dust raised by the shells. More than a dozen enemy soldiers there fled in panic, and the wheels of a Dodge SUV rolled out dozens of meters.

Because the two vehicles were acting together, vehicles 1 to 4 behind them immediately slowed down and stopped when they saw this, and the vehicle commander Yuan Shuhua immediately stuck his head out to ask.

The 5th Battalion of the 2nd Marine Regiment was later reinforced by the 6th Battalion. Ming Army aircraft taking off from the Mokapu area also performed 60 sorties of ground support, but the 2nd Marine Regiment still made a huge effort to capture this area. price.

It didn't take long for Brigadier General Charles White...Major General to use up all the fire brigade, and the defense line was crumbling.

The Type 40 wheeled armored reconnaissance vehicle belonging to the reconnaissance unit has become the best thing to use in the current situation. Many armored vehicles are galloping in the wilderness and broken roads, driving the desperate US troops into a desperate situation.

The sun was exceptionally bright at noon. After lunch, the 1st Marine Regiment and the 2nd Marine Regiment adjusted their deployment and carried out a side-by-side assault on both wings of the captured position.

The fierce battle lasted until midnight, and the stubborn resistance of the U.S. paratroopers was crushed. Lieutenant Colonel Robert Schenke led his remnant of only a few hundred men to withdraw from the battle to the southwest and retreated into the continuous Waianae Ridge.

The front line was crying out in pain, urging the reserve team to rush for reinforcements, but there were air strikes and artillery bombardments, and the soldiers of all kinds were unable to avoid them. They could not successfully complete the assembly and rush to the front line.

"Fire four rounds in a row, prepare! Fire!"

"boom!"

The only place where the Ming army failed was in the west. The Fifth Battalion of the Second Marine Regiment launched an attack on the US forward positions in this area. The battle was particularly fierce. Great progress was made in other directions, but the attack here had little effect.

"It's okay, you don't care if you chase me. Damn it, there are mines planted on the road, it's so sinister!"

The commander retracted and took a first aid kit, then threw it over, "Take care!"

The Type 8 armored vehicle uses a V103 air-cooled gasoline engine with a maximum output of 310 horsepower and Nm. However, this is actually the result of being "sealed".

The Ming army is accustomed to using air-cooled engines. Although air-cooling is easier to maintain, the heat dissipation effect is inferior to liquid cooling.

Taking into account the hot climate in Nanyang, in order to prevent the engine from overheating, the maximum speed of the engine, including several tanks, has been artificially limited. For example, the Type 8 armored vehicle's Type 120C V engine can actually produce horsepower after the restrictions are lifted.

Cars No. 1-4 left the road and pursued deep into the Kapolei area in the wilderness, quickly disappearing into the darkness. An hour before dawn, they slowly drove up a hill. Yuan Shuhua observed that in the small village ahead, there were many figures building fortifications coming and going, as well as a few flickering light spots.

He retreated into the car and discussed with the other two people. The three of them agreed that if the follow-up troops catch up, these enemies will probably run away, or they may build a good position. It is better to rush over and fight the guy now. Say it again.

"The enemy is just a frightened bird now. He has no intention of defending. If he is suddenly beaten, he will definitely become a mess."

"How about we drive down the slope, go around to the back of the village, and then rush out along the road? This way we can catch him off guard."

"Sure, let's do it."

The armored vehicle drove down the mound from the slightly slower side, quietly bypassed the village at a low speed, and came to the west road.

After confirming that the cannon was correct, Yuan Shuhua shouted, and Car No. 1-4 immediately accelerated towards the small village.

A half-track armored vehicle and three trucks were parked on the road behind the village, and a dozen U.S. infantrymen were unloading the trucks.

"Deng deng deng-"

The muzzle of the machine gun spit out a flame more than one meter long, tearing apart the dark night!

A total of ten rounds of 20.8mm anti-explosive bombs and armor-piercing tracer bullets flew out from one magazine, setting the M2A1 half-track vehicle on fire in the blink of an eye.

Yuan Shuhua, who leaned out of the turret, controlled the 7.36mm tank machine gun on the top to fire at the frightened U.S. troops nearby. Four or five people lay dead on the roadside.

Three trucks nearby were also hit and soon burst into flames.

Cars 1-4 drove into this unknown small village at a constant speed without stopping.

A platoon of U.S. troops at the entrance of the village was digging foxholes, stacking sandbags, and deploying heavy machine guns. Everyone was exhausted, but suddenly they heard intensive gunfire from behind?

The American soldiers who were stunned by this sudden attack were at a loss. The sound of gunfire and shouts of killing came one after another. It was not yet dawn, and they had no idea how many enemies were attacking.

I don't know who took the lead. More and more people began to shoot randomly into the deep darkness ahead. Several rounds of flares were also fired into the sky, but there was nothing anywhere as far as the eye could see.

"Where are they?"

"I can't see them!"

"What are you doing? Ceasefire!"

At this moment, vehicles No. 1-4 drove out of the village along the road and fired continuously at the back of the American soldiers at the entrance of the village. The American soldiers who were caught off guard fled into the wild or nearby houses.

During the melee, vehicles No. 1-4 were hit several times by an M2 heavy machine gun. The gunner was injured and the radio was damaged.

Yuan Shuhua did not dare to stop, fearing that the enemy would see through the fact that there was only one armored vehicle here, so the lonely vehicles No. 1-4 circled back and forth in this small village, sometimes stopping to shoot, sometimes accelerating and hitting the accelerator, bluffing.

At dawn, when the follow-up troops arrived, they thought they were going to fight here. Unexpectedly, the U.S. military here had collapsed, and forty prisoners were taken out of the houses in the village.

Meanwhile, on the road between Pearl Harbor and Honolulu...

Unkempt, ragged, and dull-eyed American officers and soldiers rode in trucks and jeeps, or dragged their feet, retreating toward Honolulu in a steady stream.

The outline of the large clock on the upper part of Aloha Tower is already visible to the naked eye, which shows that it is not far from the city.

All bulky weapons and equipment have been discarded, not a single howitzer remains, and even the lightest mortars only have a few remaining. Most troops now only have rifles and a small number of heavy machine guns.

The military police company of the 7th Infantry Division that maintained order turned a blind eye to this. Seeing this, Colonel Colvin, the chief of staff who came to inspect, finally couldn't help but get angry.

He took out his pistol, jumped on the front hood of the Dodge SUV, raised his right hand and fired five shots into the sky, yelling angrily: "Stop! Regroup, now!"

No one paid attention to him, and the retreating team continued to move toward the city.

Three Ming army aircraft with dark blue fuselage and white belly were flying from the north - they looked like the livery of the Ming Navy's aviation force.

The Ming army planes strafed and dropped bombs along the road at low altitudes unscrupulously, making the already chaotic situation here even more chaotic.

Honolulu has long been under martial law, but there are still some reporters who are not afraid of air raids and crowd around checkpoints or checkpoints, standing on tiptoes and craning their necks to stare into the distance, hoping to be the first to take photos.

The Guardian reported: "The soldiers who retreated from the front line into downtown Honolulu looked haggard and exhausted, as if they were being chased by demons."

The Times reported: "We could see the fires at Pearl Harbor, black smoke filling the sky. The roads were lined with burning trucks and discarded weapons, and even the most optimistic men in the military had lost faith."

The Washington Post reported: "We have failed! United States troops are fleeing in droves... Oahu is about to fall."

As of noon on August 8, U.S. troops on Oahu no longer posed a threat.

To the west, the U.S. military, with a total of only a thousand troops, retreated towards the Kapolei area, and there was still a certain degree of resistance.

To the east, thousands of remnants of the two divisions retreated to downtown Honolulu in an attempt to fight to the end.

In fact, there is also the 24st Regiment of the 21th Division near Honolulu, which can be considered fully equipped. However, this regiment has been preparing for the Ming Army to cross the captured Nuuanupali Pass from the Mokapu area, so it has been contained. With.

The Fourth Marine Brigade in the Mokapu area did not want to be inactive. They had carried out many surprise attacks in accordance with Zhou Changfeng's requirements in the past few days. However, the US military was waiting for work and was well-prepared. The three surprise attacks and one attack launched by the Fourth Marine Brigade all failed. .

At this time, the submarine Sculpin (SS-193) slowly docked at a dock in Honolulu.

In order to prevent being discovered and attacked by Ming army aircraft, she dived again and hit the bottom ten minutes later.

At 16:38, two half-track armored vehicles, three jeeps, and two trucks passed the checkpoint and finally parked slowly beside the dock.

Admiral Chester Nimitz, commander of the Pacific Fleet, and Rear Admiral Charles White, commander of ground forces on Oahu, stepped off one of the half-track armored vehicles.

"Charles, you are a rational commander, stay calm and if possible, please hold on as long as possible."

"I'll try to do my best."

"Hopefully we can meet here again in the future."

"One day, Commander, it will be an honor to work with you."

With a "crash", the Sculpin floated to the surface.

The two looked at each other and stood at attention, saluting.

Seven minutes later, the Sculpin submarine left the dock in reverse, then turned its course and headed towards the endless sea.

(End of this chapter)