afterglow

Chapter 576 Chapter : Shirking and fighting; only muddle through?

The reconnaissance plane hovered over Molokai for a full half hour. The two suddenly discovered that dozens of green fighter jets and twin-engine bombers were approaching from the south, preparing to routinely bomb the Ming army on the island.

These are A-20 Havoc attack aircraft and P-43 Lancer fighter jets taking off from Lanai Island - both are the most cutting-edge aircraft of the US military.

Apparently, a US military pilot noticed the Ming army reconnaissance plane that was spying on the battle situation, so the two fighter jets broke away from the formation and sped towards it.

"They are coming! Commander Zhou, sit still!"

The pilot received an order not to be placed in a dangerous situation under any circumstances, and to flee immediately if the situation went bad. He could not listen to Zhou's request.

The Type 38 heavy fighter then turned sideways sharply, turning while descending to accelerate, exchanging potential energy for kinetic energy.

Then, the pilot pushed the throttle all the way and flew towards Oahu, quickly getting rid of the US fighter jets trying to pursue...

The current situation on Molokai seems to be a stalemate, but in fact it is in full decline.

The 14th Division is now in a dilemma. Tens of thousands of tons of steel and explosives are dropped on their heads every day, making containment, rest, and dispatch extremely difficult. Many combat units are in a chaotic state of loss of contact.

During the Battle of Guadalcanal in the original plane, the Japanese army, which had lost air supremacy, was unable to transport supplies and had to use the inefficient "iron barrel transportation" method.

However, even a landing craft can carry several tons of supplies. Unloading the cargo by manpower alone takes several hours, which is inefficient. In the process, it is extremely vulnerable to attacks and suffers heavy losses.

In the evening of that day, a high-speed reconnaissance boat braved artillery fire and passed through the blockade area, departing from the bombed-out pier at the northern landing site of Molokai Island, bringing important first-hand intelligence to Pearl Harbor.

If such a point-taking operation is carried out, it is estimated that each unit eliminated will cost five casualties. All the front-line units of the 14th Division must be exhausted before they can be eliminated. This does not take into account the US artillery fire and possible counterattacks.

Jiang Xuan explained that because of his great contribution in the Battle of Oahu, he has now been promoted to Air Force Brigadier General.

"How is the situation of the aviation force?" Zhou Changfeng looked at Jiang Xuan.

The water near the beach is shallow and cargo ships cannot approach, so landing craft can only be used for relay transportation.

A major difficulty in shipping supplies is actually unloading them. It is easy to transport them, but it is very troublesome to send them ashore.

Xue Can couldn't help but gasped, with a look of irritation on his face, "The most troublesome thing is that these ghosts are in a tricky position, and they are like horns to each other. The cannons can't hit them, they can only pile up people to eat them one by one."

All the officers looked at the photos with stern expressions. They were all taken on-site at the fire points that had been removed. They saw these reinforced concrete bunkers in twos and threes, which were horns with each other. They were extremely thick and had been cratered by shelling, with roots exposed in the craters. Twisted steel bars.

"Another big problem is that the enemy can receive a steady stream of reinforcements. The east side of Molokai and Maui are only about twenty miles apart. They are so close and there are ready-made docks. The reconnaissance results show that they are transporting ammunition every night. and soldiers.”

Zhu Lizhuo clicked his tongue in surprise, "My dear, this looks like it's two feet thick. Even a five-inch heavy cannon may not be able to blow it up with one shot. There shouldn't be many such bunkers. Could it be possible that they are really all over the island?" ?”

The visitors included a major staff officer from the 14th Division Headquarters and three American officers and soldiers who were captured alive, as well as a large number of photos taken at the scene.

This kind of hollow floating tank is welded with steel plates and has multiple internal partitions to enhance its sinking resistance. It is quite cheap. The US military has prepared a total of two hundred of them. If a few are blown up by Ming army aircraft, they can be replaced immediately. superior.

The latter shook his head slightly and explained clearly: "The enemy has a total of seven main airports and two alternate airports on Lanai, Maui, and Big Island. We are equivalent to them, and the enemy has slightly more sorties. For our side, there is no winner in this tug-of-war, and our air force has done its best.”

The Japanese are so embarrassed, but the Americans are not.

【Picture】

Zhao Hanfeng nodded first and then shook his head, "That's right. Enemy soldiers who were captured alive testified that there are hundreds of bunkers of this level in the entire eastern mountainous fortification area."

This method is to put food, medicine, ammunition and other materials into clean iron oil drums and seal them, but only half of them are filled so that the iron drums retain enough buoyancy. These iron drums are tied to the deck of the destroyer with ropes, etc. After dark, rely on the speed advantage of the destroyer to approach Guadalcanal and throw all these iron barrels into the sea, so that ground troops can recover these iron barrels on the beach when the tide rises.

However, this method is full of uncertainties and full of ideals. In fact, only a small part of the iron barrels can be found. The rest either drift away without a trace or are discovered and sunk by patrolling US torpedo boats.

Now, in order to ensure that the U.S. military on Molokai can obtain supplies stably, the U.S. military has prepared a large number of strip pontoons, which are spliced ​​together one by one from front to back and left and right to serve as temporary docks. They are wide enough to pass two trucks side by side. The cargo ship can dock once it gets close to the coastline. Quickly unload next to these pontoons.

"You can't tell the winner in the short term, so what about the long term?"

"Both the enemy and we have organized raids on each other's airports, a total of five times this month. It can be determined that the enemy's repair speed is faster, and it can usually resume operations in two to three hours. Therefore, in the long run, we will fall behind Downwind."

"Wait a minute, we can use the transfer method to continuously replenish aircraft, but the US military cannot." Zhou Changfeng asked: "What about reducing attrition like we did a few months ago? Is it feasible?"

"Zhou Daizhao, you should have heard of the enemy's method, which is to use aircraft carriers as sea transfer airports. According to the confessions of captured enemy pilots, they can replenish about thirty aircraft at a time." Jiang Xuan rejected this idea. "So if you don't consume them all, it won't work."

Zhou Changfeng nodded thoughtfully and said, "Okay, I understand."

从11月17日截止如今11月22日，大明空军及海军航空兵总计击落或击毁美军飞机139架，自身在空战中损失102架、在地面被击毁45架。

During the Battle of Hawaii, the Ming army used raids and wars of attrition to seize the air superiority by overwhelming the available aircraft of the US military aviation force in Hawaii.

In order to avoid repeating the same mistake, the US military not only has several fleets plying the ocean, but also has an aircraft carrier that serves as a maritime transit airport on standby in the midpoint between Hawaii and the West Coast, ready to urgently replenish aircraft.

Pilots can take off from the West Coast, refuel via an aircraft carrier, and then transfer directly to the Big Island of Hawaii.

"There's no point in fighting, let's withdraw." Zhou Changfeng threw two colored pencils on the table.

The officers present were all regretful and seemed unwilling to do so.

Deng Siquan, commander of the 38th Division, hesitated: "Aren't you going to hold on for a few more days? Maybe the enemy's preparations are not that complete..."

Everyone looked at Zhou Changfeng, who was looking at the map with his hands on his hips.

The latter said calmly: "It is very dangerous to throw away your illusions and not give up. There is nothing to regret. It is not uncommon for decisions to make mistakes. When it is time to break, it is broken."

"Yes."

Zhou Changfeng drafted an assessment of the current situation and a request for withdrawal, and the telegram was quickly sent out.

Short-wave electromagnetic waves are reflected through the ionosphere, cross the ocean, and reach the mainland thousands of miles away.

At 11:23 in the morning on November 7, an emergency meeting was held in the Metropolitan Governor's Mansion, the highest military command institution located in Yingtianfu, the capital of the Ming Dynasty, to study the dilemma faced by Molokai Island.

The top leaders of the Staff Office, Logistics Office, Army Office, Navy Office, and Air Force Office were all present, and some Ministry of War officials also hurried to attend the meeting.

A lieutenant colonel senior counselor first said the word "retreat", and then completely recounted what Zhou said in the telegram.

The scene was silent. Some people closed their eyes and thought, some people frowned and hesitated to speak, and some people clenched their fists and looked solemnly.

Suddenly, a voice broke the quiet but anxious atmosphere.

"This retreat is too hasty. Won't thousands of soldiers be lost in vain?" Army Major General Dong Zeduan, the commander of the Army Department of the governor's office, shook his head and said in a deep voice: "The air force increases its efforts, not to overwhelm the enemy's momentum, but only to If we can protect the Fourteenth Division and add more troops to the island, we may not be able to defeat it." Ren Changkai, a doctor in the Army Department of the Ministry of War, also said loudly: "Indeed, how can we give up lightly when the war has begun? , Zhou Kexing really went there with the intention of saving the situation? "

Some people suggest that you should conduct a war game before making a decision, and you should not simply believe one side of the story.

Most of the attendees remained silent and noncommittal, while a few of the most emotional people insisted on conducting the deduction live.

"Then let's do it. Come and prepare for the deduction. Let's go downstairs together." Cheng Han agreed calmly.

An hour and a half later.

Everyone's eyes were fixed on the large map board. The wooden putter pushed the red and blue wooden blocks back and forth, making a crisp sound.

The result of the deduction was unparalleled, and it was just a live demonstration in front of everyone of the consequences stated in the telegram sent by someone from Zhou.

If we can't win most of the sea and air control, this battle will be unwinnable. If it were a field battle, there might still be a chance of winning, but now we are defending the enemy and attacking, and we are still facing the fortified mountains carefully constructed by the US military!
I don’t know who started it. After a few complaints and complaints, a fierce scolding war broke out in the huge hall.

"Grandma! I told you not to fight, don't fight, but I have to fight! Two hundred and five purebreds!"

"If you have the guts, don't act like a turtle now, because you will be screaming happily then."

"It's all our fault, right? At that time, those people in the Air Force claimed that there would be no problem in gaining air supremacy, and they vowed to do so. But what happened?!"

"Fuck you! I said we guarantee three days, and you also said that the whole island will be wiped out within three days!"

"There is also the Navy. After two days of dog days, you will get scared and run away at will."

You and I argue endlessly, blaming each other for the situation, and it even turns into pushing and fighting.

At this time, a voice stopped the chaos.

"The Duke of Wei has arrived."

Wu Weihuan, who was dressed in military uniform, walked steadily into the hall holding his sword and glanced at the disheveled and red-faced generals and officials in front of him.

He scolded him coldly: "It's irresponsible, disrespectful, and embarrassing!"

Everyone was silent.

Finally, an emergency meeting passed the decision to give up the capture of Molokai Island an hour later and prepare for evacuation operations to minimize losses.

It was noon that day.

Zhu Lingjing was used to dining alone in the west room of Zhaoren Hall. Once the screen was placed, she could enjoy her meals alone behind the table without worrying too much about whether the food looked good or not.

When Emperor Daxing passed away, he had to observe mourning for at least twenty-seven days even if he replaced the sun with the moon. For such a long time, he could only wear plain clothes that were white from top to bottom.

In fact, she had already learned about Zhou's telegram requesting to retreat, and she felt confident about it. After lunch, the Minister of National Defense and the Governor's Staff Office met together to report on the situation and review the situation.

"So we are preparing to retreat now?" she asked.

"Yes, Your Majesty, overall, the hope of victory is slim. Only retreat can stop the losses in time." Lin Xi replied.

"Is it mainly because we can't guarantee air superiority?" she asked.

"This is the general reason." Lin Xi nodded.

"Why can't we seize air superiority?"

"Your Majesty, the distance is too far and the space on the island is limited. We can only maintain a fleet of four to five hundred aircraft at most."

"As far as I know, Oahu has the most plains among the many islands in Hawaii. Our army controls a total of ten airports on Kauai and Oahu, while the enemy only has seven. The result is that they are evenly matched."

"This... Your Majesty, the enemy's dispatching skills are more efficient, and there are electronic detectors that can predict the movements of our aircraft in advance."

Zhu Lingjing said "hmm", stared at him and said calmly: "The enemy's strength is unexpected? Or maybe someone underestimated the enemy."

this problem……

Lin Xi could only answer vaguely: "Both."

With an expressionless face, Zhu Lingjing asked coldly: "Who is in charge?"

"..." Lin Xi was speechless for a moment, sweating on his forehead.

Zhu Lingjing turned to look at Cheng Han beside him, "Arrogant soldiers will be defeated, it seems that it is about to come true."

The latter quickly bowed and handed over his hand, "I am in charge of the General Staff Office of the governor's office. I have no control over it. I failed to curb the arrogance and indulgence. I am unworthy of the trust of Emperor Daxing and have resigned."

"What's the difference between resigning at this juncture and escaping? First try to evacuate the soldiers of that division."

"Understood, I obey your order."

I thought that was the end of it, but unexpectedly, Zhu Lingjing glanced sideways at Lin Xi again and said calmly: "It is said that some people think that the telegram sent back from the front line is deliberately exaggerating the crisis, and threaten to continue the attack? This is very bad, very bad , If the general is not exempted from his orders, why should the people in the capital interfere? "

"What your Majesty said is absolutely true, 'If you don't know that the army can't do it and then say it's advancing, it's called an army.' This is a big taboo, and I will deal with such rumors severely."

"So be it."

The burden of the evacuation operation obviously still falls on the Ming Navy.

Before the battle began, the Navy made many efforts to send the 14th Infantry Division to Molokai with limited force.

In order to cover their operations, the landing fleet persisted for two days under continuous harassment by U.S. military aircraft. Most of the battleships were covered with bruises and were forced to return to Pearl Harbor to rest.

But it had only been a few days, and we had to try our best to get them back.

The navy is undoubtedly very frustrated and annoyed. The only good news is that the imperial court does not require weapons and equipment to be taken away together. If more than 10,000 people can be brought back into an organic system, it will be considered a success.

"The enemy fleet in Hawaii is 30% stronger than our army. It's difficult to deal with." Captain Ma Renfang of the Yonghui sighed while looking at the map, and then took a deep breath of cigarette.

Zhou Changfeng also picked up a lighter and a cigarette, "It will be difficult if we are discovered. We have to find a way to get through."

(End of this chapter)