afterglow

Chapter 618 Operation codename: Drink; Catastrophe! Counter-irradiation!

"Your Excellency, this is too risky. Why don't you stay here and take charge?"

"I don't like being in the back and giving orders remotely."

Yao Liangchuan tried to dissuade Zhou Changfeng from going to the front line, but was rejected without a doubt.

Although the Lu Xun was lost in the Battle of Oahu, the Ming Navy recognized the value of amphibious command ships and soon placed an order for two more.

Compared with the Lu Xun, which was converted from a cargo ship, the two new amphibious command ships, the Fa Zheng and the Cheng Yu, were both converted from Zezhou-class dock landing ships and have a better foundation.

Both have a standard displacement of 5600 tons and a full load displacement of 6900 tons. Their six diesel engines can output a maximum of 1.5 horsepower and a top speed of 19 knots. They are equipped with more powerful self-defense firepower than the dock landing ship itself, and key compartments are also armored to withstand US-made 500-pound bombs.

For landing operations, the dock landing ship can be said to be a revolutionary equipment. The dock inside it can carry more than a dozen landing craft and troops, greatly enhancing the efficiency of sea-to-land delivery, and can even easily repair damaged landing craft and torpedo boats.

Zhou has been vigorously promoting the development of dock landing ships very early on. If we objectively rank their importance, amphibious command ships and fire support ships are actually not as important as them.

The Ming Navy is at the forefront of the world in this regard - there are now 13 Zezhou-class dock landing ships in service, while the US military has only delivered 4 LSD dock landing ships.

【Picture】

Walking into the armored cabin, Zhou Changfeng looked around and said with satisfaction: "This ship looks stronger than the Lu Xun, and the layout is much more reasonable."

I saw that the areas here were clearly divided. In the picture, the working area, communication area, rest area, meeting area, etc. each occupied a corner and were separated by steel plates, so they did not interfere with each other and could minimize losses in the event of an attack.

At least half of the Fa Zheng's staff were the original crew of the Lu Xun, and Zhou Changfeng can still call out several of their names.

A pre-war meeting was immediately held, mainly to review the entire landing plan, identify and fill in the gaps, and emphasize backup plans in case of accidents at various stages.

"…The first echelon will face great difficulties. The firepower of the US troops on the hills on both sides can attack the beachhead from both sides. They must be prepared to pay a huge price. The casualties in the battle may be half, and there is a possibility of counterattack."

Zhou Changfeng glanced at the officers present one by one with sharp eyes, his tone particularly serious.

"Don't worry, Commander. I will definitely hold the beachhead steady." Chen Min promised with a fist salute.

"I am prepared to lose two or three destroyers to ensure artillery cover." Zou Pu said calmly.

Zhou Changfeng nodded and continued, "The fleet is mainly to guard against night attacks, and the artillery support during the day... It is more important to fire accurately than to fire more."

In fact, in terms of seniority and military rank, Zou Pu, who is 52 years old, is much higher than Zhou. This time, his mission is to fully cover the landing operation.

The two had the experience of working together two years ago. During the Battle of Tarawa, the landing force was escorted by the Third Fleet commanded by Zou Pu.

The Hangzhou Naval Armament Academy will divide students into groups in their second year, with some going to the screen ship direction of "small ship torpedo attack" and some going to the battleship direction of "large ship artillery attack".

Therefore, the ships they were assigned to serve in after graduation were completely different. Most of the former went to destroyer units, while the latter went to cruiser and battleship units.

The descendants of nobles would certainly not want to serve on destroyers with harsh conditions, so they would try every means to choose the battleship direction, which would undoubtedly take up places, and thus only the most outstanding children of civilians could be selected for the battleship profession.

Zou Pu is the top student ranked third among the 28th graduating class and has rich experience in destroyer tactics and operations in complex waters.

Zhou Changfeng took a deep puff of his cigarette, puffing out clouds of smoke, and said in a deep voice: "The enemy is well prepared and will definitely do their best. This is a tough battle, and all soldiers must perform their duties conscientiously, do 70% well, and strive for 90% well."

"As ordered!"

In terms of topographical conditions, Maui is very large, with an area of ​​1886 km, which is larger than Oahu. The entire island is gourd-shaped.

On the left side of the gourd are continuous mountains, which later became the famous scenic spot Io Valley.

Half of the lower part of the gourd on the right is occupied by mountains. The famous Haleakala volcano is located here, where you can enjoy the colorful dormant crater.

The only plain is at the waist of the gourd, or the bottleneck. This area is trapezoidal, about 15 km in the north, about 20 km in the south, and about 12 km from north to south. In other words, the narrowest part of the bottleneck is about 12 km wide.

【Picture】

Needless to say, the first priority is to capture the bottleneck and separate the two halves of the gourd so that they cannot take care of each other and can be defeated one by one.

According to the combat plan, the first echelon set off first on four dock landing ships and seven tank landing ships. They included the Second Regiment of the First Marine Brigade, the 4th Independent Floating Tank Battalion of the Navy, and the 7st Independent Special Service Battalion of the Navy.

Different from the past, this time the Ming Navy carried out a clearer division of tasks for the first time, and the fleet was divided more finely, so that everyone could perform their duties with confidence.

Class A Minesweeping Team: 11 minesweepers and 2 minesweepers.

B8 Bombardment Squadron: 2 landing fire support ships and destroyers.

B9 Bombardment Squadron: 1 destroyers, 2 heavy cruiser Taihangshan, and old battleships Yuanshou and Yuanding.

Support Team C1: 2 amphibious command ship Fa Zheng, 3 hospital ships, and frigates.

The above detachments are specifically responsible for covering the landing troops.

The detachment responsible for the escort mission was led by Zou Pu himself, ready to engage any US surface ship force that attempted to harass them at any time.

统共有16艘驱逐舰、2艘超级驱逐舰、2艘轻型巡洋舰、3艘防空巡洋舰、2艘特务战列舰成化号和正德号。

Shore-based aviation forces on Kauai, Oahu and Lanai will provide full support.

The naval aviation and the air force were still at odds, so they simply clarified their respective responsibilities and did not interfere with each other. The naval aviation was responsible for attacking US surface ships, and the air force was responsible for seizing air superiority over Maui, providing close support for the landing troops, and attacking exposed enemy targets on Maui.

Operation codename: Drink.

The Ming army took appropriate and complete measures, and so did the US army.

The General Headquarters (GHQ) issued several revised field regulations and several condensed manuals of combat guidelines, requiring officers and sergeants at all levels to study them carefully.

Lieutenant General Simon Buckner graduated from the Virginia Military Institute and studied at the Army General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth. He is a typical academic general in the US military.

His practical experience may only be described as bland and scarce, but his theoretical level cannot be underestimated.

Under his personal deployment, the US military on Maui established layers of defensive positions with scientific and reasonable firepower distribution.

① Beachhead: Establish a beachhead in shallow depth at the place where the Ming army is most likely to land, and attack the Ming army halfway across the river when they are most vulnerable to landing, giving full play to the firepower advantage and inflicting maximum damage.

② Main position: Establish a strong main position two or three miles away from the beach, which is composed of horseshoe-shaped positions of multiple infantry battalions connected to each other; establish reinforced circular positions at individual key tactical locations.

③ Reserve positions: Reserve positions should be established behind the main resistance positions, which can be divided into artillery positions, air defense positions, reserve departure positions, etc. When the situation permits, the armored units should bravely carry out tactical counterattacks.

④ Fortified mountain positions: positions built on hills and mountains, with bunkers and company-level small circular positions as the main components, controlling various highlands and passes and guarding the artillery positions behind the mountains. Under the command of Lieutenant General Simon Buckner, the US military on Maui established a complex defense system consisting of permanent fortifications, caves, and trenches.

通过两期工程建设，美军修筑了1355个钢筋混凝土碉堡、64个坚固支撑点、71个大型掩蔽部、25个物资储存站，总共囤积各种物资39万吨。作为对比，历史上持续八十多天的冲绳岛战役美军消耗了大约20万吨弹药。

The U.S. military's intention was simple and direct - to fight a protracted war with the invading enemy, give full play to its firepower advantage of waiting for the enemy to tire, and delay, delay, and kill the landing Ming army.

On the evening of April 4, the Ming army's preliminary operations began.

The 23st Special Operations Battalion of the Navy boarded 11 reconnaissance boats and they, together with the 2 minesweepers and minesweepers of the A- Minesweeper Team, set off first at great risk.

Braving the constant artillery shells and bullets from the U.S. military on Maui, they worked hard to blast coral reefs and artificial obstacles, while minesweepers cleared the mines laid by the U.S. military to open up a path for the subsequent large force.

The U.S. military was not stingy with ammunition and was unwilling to miss any opportunity to kill the Ming army.

At night, the US military also sent night fighters to attack the Ming army's minesweeping ships that were working all night.

19：30，在这个只有微弱星光的无月之夜，隶属于第6夜间战斗机中队的12架使用全黑涂装的P-70浩劫如同鬼魅一般飞行在夜空中。

The onboard radar captured the target on the sea surface, and more than a dozen aircraft began to descend.

The pilot lowered the flaps and half-retracted the throttle, and the completely black Havoc swooped down on its prey like a crow.

The radar of the Xinyu destroyer had detected the UFO long ago, but the lookout said that the night sky was too dark to see anything, so the captain then ordered the firing of flares.

"Boom! Boom!"

Two artillery-fired flares suddenly appeared in the night sky, lighting up everything around.

"Enemy plane!"

The sailors finally identified the invading enemy; it was a group of black twin-engine planes!

When the Ming destroyer's gunfire came, the captain in charge of the lead plane shouted, "Counter-irradiation! Let's get started!"

The high-power searchlight on the nose of the lead plane was turned on, and a one-ton battery in the cabin was used to power it. The dazzling beam of light instantly enveloped the Xinyu destroyer.

American pilots put on anti-glare goggles and dived to strafe and drop bombs!

【Picture】

Because the Havoc only has 6 12.7mm aviation machine guns and can carry a few 250-pound light bombs at most, it can only bully minesweepers.

Suddenly, the dark and deep sea was torn apart by countless rays of light, some thick and some thin. Tracer bullets of different calibers were flying all over the sky, and the flames of the explosion were reflected on the sparkling sea surface.

The battle, which was loud but little action, lasted for about a quarter of an hour. Twelve Havocs sank two minesweepers, lost two of their own, and another lost control and crashed into a mountain on its return voyage, killing all on board.

The preliminary operation lasted until the second half of the night. The Ming Navy lost 4 reconnaissance boats, 8 minesweepers, and 1 minesweeper. In addition, the Taigu destroyer was sunk by a US aircraft during the day...

At the same time, a smaller landing operation had begun.

A dozen kilometers south of Maui is a smaller island called Kahoolawe, which protects Maui like a flanker.

If the fleet headed straight for Maalaea Bay on Maui, it would be under fire from Kahoolawe Island the entire way.

美军没有部署重兵，只有一个团级战斗队和两个海防炮兵营，总计有6门75㎜榴弹炮、12门105㎜榴弹炮、12门155㎜加农炮，此外在东部的卡纳波湾修建有一个水上飞机基地和一个码头。

After consideration, Zhou Changfeng assigned the 23rd Infantry Division of the Army and the Nagoya Volunteer Regiment to capture the island.

The landing and island capture here is independent of the main storyline and can be regarded as an independent but important side operation.

At 4:2 on April 4, the landing fleet bypassed the waters south of Lanai and arrived off the southern coast of Maui on time.

Looking to the south at this time, everyone could see the black smoke rising into the sky. It was obvious that a fierce battle was going on on Kahoolawe Island.

Seeing this scene, the officers and soldiers involved in the battle couldn't help but feel uneasy.

"It's time to hand out candy! It's time to hand out candy!"

Several years of war had taught the Ming army many lessons and experiences. Now the military regulations stipulated that a hearty battle meal should be prepared twelve hours in advance to ensure that the soldiers would go into battle on an empty stomach. Before the battle, they would only be given hard candies or chocolates to replenish their energy. There was no such rule before the war.

The reason for doing this is that a survey by the Military Medical Department showed that eating a full meal will cause the body to prioritize blood supply to the gastrointestinal tract, while the pancreas secretes insulin, leading to drowsiness, lethargy, and dullness, which will have an adverse effect on the reaction speed of officers and soldiers.

In addition, fasting can also help improve the survival rate after abdominal injury and reduce the risk of infection. It is also more convenient for military doctors to clean the wound. Otherwise, having a stomach full of undigested food would be really troublesome.

"No fuss! Take them one by one."

These hard candies and chocolates tasted great, much better than the chocolates in the captured American military rations.

Everyone tried hard to calm their anxious and excited mood, preparing to face the unknown fate that was about to come.

"Boom-boom-boom-"

At 4:45, the Yuanshou and Yuanding, the two oldest battleships in service in the Ming Navy, were still in good shape. Together with the Taihangshan heavy cruiser, three battleships and several destroyers began to fire fiercely at the waters of the southern beach of Maui.

The sound of artillery fire shook the heavens and the earth, and the scene of five landing fire support ships firing in unison was spectacular. In just a dozen seconds, more than 800 rockets swarmed out!

Looking from the center of the fleet, half the sky seemed to be obscured by rocket smoke.

During this period, some US coastal defense artillery fired sporadically, which was obviously a mistake.

Several Ming destroyers immediately turned their guns to bombard the exposed American firepower points, even opening fire at a close range of one kilometer.

At 5:30, the fleet's artillery fire on the opposite shore began to extend from the beach water edge to the shallow depths.

At the same time, according to Zhou's order, the Taihangshan heavy cruiser and all fire support ships switched to firing white phosphorus incendiary bombs.

At this time, Zhou Changfeng, who was in the Fa Zheng, was listening to the report on the effectiveness of the artillery preparation.

"The seaplane reported that the A1 beach could not be identified for the time being, but the attack on the A2 beach was effective, A..."

"Wait a minute, let me interrupt you." A major staff officer walked over quickly, raised his hand to signal, and calmly reported: "Commander-in-chief, a large number of enemy planes are attacking."

(End of this chapter)