afterglow

Chapter 538: There are many difficulties; the biggest obstacle is... the intense heat

It was quite troublesome to clear the numerous forts at the southern foot of the Waianae Ridge. The attack could only be launched through mountain trails, without the ability to invest superior forces, and it was difficult for the artillery to provide direct fire support.

Fortunately, the Koreans were strengthened by a batch of Type 40 recoilless rifles, which greatly facilitated the infantry's attack points.

However, this did not significantly change the fact that the 21st Regiment of the Korean Army was making slow progress. Every time it encountered a bunker, it took several hours or even half a day to solve it.

Their inefficiency and procrastination made the officers and soldiers of the Ming Dynasty who were supervising the battle very unhappy and not neat at all.

There were bursts of gunfire from the front line, and wounded soldiers were constantly being carried out on stretchers; the Ming army soldiers on the second line were smoking cigarettes and playing cards in groups, chatting and betting on how long it would take these Koreans to Only then can we solve the next bunker.

At this moment, the city...

The mayor's office in the Honolulu City Hall has now become the temporary official residence of the commander-in-chief of the Ming Dynasty's occupying forces. Zhou Changfeng naturally moved in without any ceremony, which was a great pleasure.

Teak floors, Manila carpets, brass-trimmed telephones...the decoration here is not as luxurious as the British and Dutch colonial authorities, but it can be called elegant.

Zhao Hanfeng held several colored pencils in his left hand and pointed at the map hanging on the wall with his right hand, reporting the latest progress, "Highland 224 has been taken, with more than 40 prisoners killed, and we will soon deal with that Williston." It's a fort, and it's expected to encounter strong resistance."

The Governor's Office and the Ministry of War were worried to find that the actual loss of various materials since the war began was much greater than the figures estimated before the war, ranging from twice to twice as much - the actual situation was bound to have more troubles and variables than what was discussed on paper. .

As the saying goes, plans cannot keep up with changes, and this is indeed the case.

It will take a long time to restore the operation of the naval base at Pearl Harbor. First, the damaged machinery and equipment must be cleared away, and other necessities must be manufactured and shipped from the country.

The Ming army still adhered to the past practice - airdropped leaflets in advance warned that they were not allowed to destroy military supplies before surrender, and they would be executed if found out afterwards.

Considering that tactical maneuvers are indispensable in actual combat, two additional refuelings are often required during a battle, which is about 22 tons, not counting the aviation gasoline required for hundreds of carrier-based aircraft.

Zhou Changfeng reached out and took it, "These things must be used as soon as possible. There is only so much transportation capacity. Next, we need to repair Pearl Harbor. Save as much as you can."

The Longshuo-class battleship needs to be filled with 6200 tons of heavy oil, the Yongle-class battleship needs to be filled with 6600 tons of heavy oil, and the Ziweiyuan-class armored aircraft carrier needs to be filled with 6100 tons of heavy oil... A single attack by the A-11 spy fleet requires about tons of heavy oil.

At this time, there was a knock on the door, and Yao Liangchuan, who was dressed in straight regular clothes, slowly walked in and added nonchalantly: "It is normal for a strong wall to clear the field, and it would be the same for us. But the rules are the rules, and they are all dead."

"This thick smoke is billowing, and it feels like the entire city has been dyed black."

In addition, there are a large amount of food, medicine, clothing, tents, fuel, cables, explosives and other military supplies. Although they have been consumed and destroyed, about 6.7 tons are still intact and available. In fact, Before joining the US military, the supplies hoarded on Oahu amounted to 54 tons (excluding fuel).

The biggest headache for the Ming Dynasty's navy now is how to replenish the fuel at Pearl Harbor. Although the large oil storage tanks are huge, they are not difficult to build. The problem is how to transport the huge amount of fuel.

The 3rd Naval Service Detachment on Kauai sent an inspection team. Their assessment was that it would take at least two months for Pearl Harbor to be initially repaired, and it would only be able to provide simple and basic maintenance work. A more complete repair might be possible. It takes more than half a year.

This rule was advocated by Pang Lingqi, the Marquis of Nan'an. This rule was followed when seizing the Borneo Oilfield and Old Port Oilfield in the Nanyang region last year.

As an important strategic node, there are countless warehouses across Oahu. Although the US military blew up and burned the remaining military supplies as much as possible on the eve of their defeat, a considerable part of them still fell into the hands of the Ming army.

Zhou Changfeng, who was pouring tea, said "hmm" and asked: "How is the fire in the port area? Are there any signs of subsidence?"

That's all. At the same time, it has to meet the needs of garrisons in Sumatra, Java, Australia, and many islands in the Pacific. Such a huge demand for transportation capacity makes the Ming Navy stretched.

As he spoke, Yao Liangchuan handed over a detailed list, "Everything seized has been counted. The Americans have been operating here for many years, and they have accumulated a lot of wealth."

It is necessary to transport not only troops, supplies, but also port equipment...

据统计可用或可修复的武器装备统共有步枪7450支、轻重机枪881挺、各种子弹266万发、大小火炮32门、各种炮弹1.3万发、各种汽车530辆、装甲车和坦克24辆。因为此前的战斗中美军大肆挥霍，导致炮弹所剩无几。

"It's much smaller. I think the burning will subside in a day or two."

"Hey, four million metric tons of oil were burned up in just one fire." Zhao Hanfeng sighed with great regret.

August 8, afternoon.

Zhang Xi, the right minister of the Ministry of War, arrived at the airport in central Oahu as a court commissioner. In addition to his plane, there was also a passenger plane carrying more than a dozen extremely happy reporters.

Before the plane even landed, many people kept taking pictures through the square windows. The fire at Pearl Harbor had greatly diminished, but the black and gray smoke was still rising straight into the sky.

You can clearly see a patch of ground with different colors on the airport runway. These are craters that were filled not long ago.

In the middle of the two intersecting runways stood a simple tower built of felled logs. The original hangar and tower here had long been devoured by the war. The ruins have not yet been cleared, and groups of American prisoners of war are carrying the collapsed twisted steel frames, corrugated board fragments, and cement fragments bit by bit.

There were more than a dozen off-road vehicles and trucks parked nearby. Zhou Changfeng and a group of generals came specifically to welcome the arrival of the court commissioners.

"Thank you for your hard work, you came all the way here."

"Hey, what I said is that no matter what, I can't compare to those of you who are fighting on the front line."

After the polite exchanges, Zhang Xi insisted on taking a walk around Pearl Harbor first.

He also wanted to inspect the shipyard and dock, but he had to give up this idea due to the lingering fire.

There was an unpleasant smell in the air, similar to the smell of asphalt on a hot summer day. Smell too much and it would be a little nauseating.

Zhou Changfeng tilted his head and asked, "How is the domestic situation? Mr. Zhang."

"I don't know about other places, but the whole capital is very happy, with lanterns and colorful decorations and cheers." Zhang Xi replied. "Then how do the public battle reports describe it?"

"It's much more exaggerated than last year. The front page of the Sun and Moon Society's victory report is full of praise and eulogy, and the losses in this battle are only mentioned in a few words."

Zhou Changfeng was silent for several seconds, "Success makes people feel elated."

Zhang Xi nodded sympathetically, "It is reasonable for the people to celebrate without knowing the truth, but many people in the court were overjoyed and very arrogant."

"What are the military's next plans? Maui, Lanai, and the Big Island are right under your nose. It's not a problem to stay."

"The Navy is currently running out of resources. The fleet needs to be overhauled. We don't know if Yongle's No. 3 engine can be repaired. If it can't be repaired, the hull will have to be cut open and replaced. It won't be possible in a year."

"So troublesome? Where are the other ships?"

"Try to assemble a fast fleet by the end of the year. Two aircraft carriers and two battlecruisers to eradicate the enemy and drive them away from Hawaii."

"It seems a little short, I'm afraid it's not enough." Zhou Changfeng thought for a moment and then said: "The basic needs here are to make up for the missing tanks and soldiers before the end of the year, and also need 100,000 metric tons of supplies."

"I'm afraid there's nothing I can do." Zhang Xi, who looked embarrassed, said with a wry smile: "The various equipment in the military port will occupy the vast majority of the transportation capacity, so the supplies can be reduced, and there are a lot of things confiscated, so you can use them first. First, just send people and ammunition. Five thousand soldiers and ten thousand ammunition. Do you think it's feasible?"

The total weight of the battle standard ammunition that can be used by an infantry division to fight at moderate intensity for one month is 3550 tons; the remaining materials matched with it are called standard grain supplies, with a total weight of 3100 tons.

Considering that the large amount of materials seized can be used by me, it can also reduce the logistical burden in disguise.

The convoy did not return to Honolulu until sunset.

That night, Zhou Changfeng received the order to return to Beijing.

He came to the roof of the city hall building and looked around, only to see darkness all around - in order to prevent the lights on the ground from being used as a reference by US military night flights, Honolulu was implementing strict light control.

This does not mean that lights are completely banned, but that lights are not allowed to be exposed. Curtains on residential windows must be thickened, and neon lights in dance halls are forced to be removed.

Snow-white searchlight beams pierced the deep starry sky. Rich banquets were still being held in each ministry's station. The celebration banquet that lasted for several days was not over yet, and tonight was the last day.

This is because Zhou only agreed to have at most a quarter of the officers and soldiers at each time with the banquet, so it lasted four nights.

After stopping for a long time, he said to himself: "I might have to work here for a year and a half."

The next day, when he left by plane, the offensive in the South Asian subcontinent was also ending hastily.

Starting last autumn, the Ming Army and the Southern Army launched two offensives in succession, driving the British Commonwealth troops to the west of the Brahmaputra River.

Both battles were fought with great reluctance, and the logistical difficulties were so unimaginable that the troops who had taken a rest were called a beggar's army by war reporters in surprise.

The terrain at the border between India and Myanmar is rugged and full of jungles, and the traffic conditions are extremely poor. The only "road" is only a meter wide and is a dirt road paved with gravel. When it rains, it is completely covered with mud, making it impassable for cars and humans and animals. In such conditions only a few kilometers can be traveled in a day.

Front-line troops often have to rely on air-dropped supplies. Whenever our own transport planes fly overhead, everyone looks up and expects to drop more supplies this time.

The British opponents were not much better. Some people used British humor to describe this as a modern war in a Stone Age environment.

After the Battle of Malaya, more than 80,000 of the more than 100,000 Commonwealth Army prisoners of war were transported to Siam to undertake the earthwork task of building the railway from Siam to Burma.

The Metropolitan Governor's Office and the Ministry of War believed that they were full of foresight - in this way, if they wanted to attack Indu in the future, the railway would undoubtedly greatly reduce the logistical burden.

In the end, the Ming army, seeking convenience, directly followed the draft railway construction plan surveyed and planned by the British many years ago. The Siam-Burma Railway was designed to be a one-way railway with a meter gauge (1000㎜). In theory, it could carry three military trains back and forth every day. , each train has fifty wagons, with a maximum single-day transport capacity of up to 3000 tons.

However, the ideal is rich and the reality is bare bones. The Siam-Burma Railway has to pass through high mountains and rugged jungles. The survey team of the Ming Dynasty National Railway Company said that it would take 26 months to complete and open to traffic starting from the starting point and the end point at the same time.

Although the Ming army continued to dispatch more construction machinery and allocate more labor, it would still take another year anyway.

Therefore, the Ming Army and the South Army continued to attack in the virgin forest without stable logistical support. It can be said that they opened roads in the mountains and built bridges in the rain, and the British-Burmese Army and the British-Indian Army were defeated and defeated.

These two offensives resulted in the annihilation of 5.5 British Commonwealth troops, the loss of 108 tanks and armored vehicles, 1229 vehicles, and 275 artillery pieces. However, the speed of their escape was extraordinary. Most of the troops abandoned their heavy weapons and became organized to escape.

The price paid by the Ming and Southern armies was also considerable, with a total of 3.6 casualties and 6.8 non-combat casualties. Many officers and soldiers are repeatedly infected with malaria, and the malaria infection rate is as high as 370%! Sufficient supply of quinine greatly reduced the case fatality rate, but rampant malaria still significantly weakened the combat effectiveness of the troops.

Despite the huge losses, the victory was ultimately won by the Ming army, and Prime Minister Winston was extremely annoyed by this.

"The enemy also fought under difficult and bad conditions, but they defeated us, which proves that they are more resourceful than us, or that our commanders are stupid."

However, during this period, the Americans and Australians also suffered consecutive defeats, losing the Philippines, Cairns and Townsville. They were defeated in the Torres Strait and Tarawa Sea battles. This actually highlighted the strength of their opponents and made the British Not that embarrassing.

At present, the Ming army's offensive against the Assam region has come to an end. The operation is codenamed "Heartbeat". The goal is to smash the Ganges-Brahmaputra defense line claimed by Archibald Wavell to be unbreakable and capture Calcutta.

The Ming Army invested 4 infantry divisions, 1 tank brigade, and 2 field heavy artillery brigades, and the Southern Army invested 3 infantry divisions, with a total strength of about 15. And because Chittagong was captured in the last battle, the Ming army prepared a large amount of supplies through sea transportation.

However, this battle can be said to be lackluster. Since the attack was launched on June 6, it took more than half a month to break through the British defense lines. As of July 28, the northern front troops had driven the British army to the west of the Ganges. The southern front troops were progressing even more slowly. Although they captured Khulna, they were still 7 kilometers away from the target of Calcutta.

What seriously troubled the Ming army was not the strong defense line clamored by Archibald Wavell, but the intense summer heat in the Indu region.

The high temperature, which often exceeds 30 degrees and sometimes exceeds 40 degrees, caused the Ming army to complain incessantly. Not only were humans and animals intolerable, but tanks, cars, and armored vehicles with air-cooled engines were almost completely paralyzed. They only had two hours from sunset to sunrise every day. It was barely usable before.

(End of this chapter)