afterglow

Chapter 677 Chapter Concept of Marching into the Persian Gulf; Eternal War History
Before the outbreak of the war, the Ming court's intended goal was to seize the South Pacific territories to the south, attack India and support puppets to the west, occupy the Marshall Islands to the east, and finally use Midway Island as the midpoint to demarcate the boundary with the United States.

At that time, the Ming Dynasty's emperor and his ministers did not even consider taking over Australia, mainly because they were not sure how much it was worth.

After all, it is rather troublesome to completely solve the problem of a country with a population of more than 7 million. A large number of immigrants will be needed later, which will consume a lot of manpower, material resources and financial resources.

It is precisely because the expected goals have been exceeded that some people are worried that warmongers will eventually perish, and that it is time to end this endless war in a timely manner.

Zhou Changfeng believes that it is no longer meaningful to continue fighting with the United States in the Pacific. Even if the sphere of influence retreats to the Marshall Islands, the strategic depth is still thousands of miles away.

The profits in the Pacific are more than enough. Instead of continuing to fight here, it is better to focus on the Middle East.

Today, the rich oil resources in the Persian Gulf region have not yet been fully explored. People only roughly estimate that there should be oil fields there, but they know nothing about the terrifyingly large reserves.

The annual output of the oil fields there is often tens of millions or even hundreds of millions of tons, and the reserves are as high as billions of tons. In comparison, the annual output of several million tons of the Old Port and Balikpapan oil fields seems dwarfed.

Taking into account the post-war economic construction, sufficient oil resources are indispensable. Zhou Changfeng is certain that relying on local and South China Sea oil fields will definitely not be able to meet the huge demand, and advancing into the Middle East has important practical significance.

The British Empire is a thing of the past. After losing its shining gem, or important colony India, British power will inevitably retreat across the board. It is entirely feasible for the Ming Dynasty to take advantage of the situation and extend its hand to the Persian Gulf, controlling Oman, Qatar, Kuwait and other places.

After the generals finished talking, the military intelligence officer reported: "Commen, the prisoners we interrogated earlier did reveal the details of the follow-up reinforcements. The enemy's fleet has had many troop transports arriving at the island in recent days, and they have brought two entire divisions."

Zhou Changfeng asked, "Which prisoners made the confession?"

"One second lieutenant of the enemy's 4th Marine Division, one sergeant of the enemy's 767th Tank Battalion, and one lieutenant pilot of the enemy's 116th Pursuit Squadron."

"Are the two new divisions American troops?"

"It is said that neither is true. Several people have different opinions. Some say it is from Mexico, and some say it is from Peru."

"That's a very smart plan. The first echelon of our own troops will open up a landing site, and then the hard work of breaking through the defense line will be left to the vassal army." Zhu Lishu praised.

"More cannon fodder is coming. Let's test their quality and kill them until the ground is covered with corpses!" Xie Wancheng's eyes lit up and he couldn't wait to see it.

"This is a token of our loyalty." Yao Liangchuan said calmly, "Since these countries have received assistance, they must fight for their lives. After declaring war, of course they must contribute. There must be bloodshed."

Zhou Changfeng did not comment on this, but instructed Chen Jie beside him: "The 65th Regiment will move and join the main defense line in the northern area. I will send you another 200 reinforcements."

The 65th Regiment of the 22nd Division has been stationed at Cape Makabu, a major transportation route in the southeast. It has now been transferred to the front line to participate in the war, and the 750th Ocean-going Mixed Regiment under the First Landing Army will take over the defense.

In his initial battle plan, Zhou Changfeng had never thought of deploying too many troops in the area east of Koala Ridge. The 22nd Division and a small number of independent units were all he planned to do in order to avoid wasting his own manpower.

Originally, he estimated that the main line of defense could only hold out for 5 to 6 days under the strong attack of the US military with fleet artillery support, and only 4000 to 5000 people would be killed or injured.

But it turned out that his estimate at that time was too conservative, so he decided to deploy more troops now.

On February 2, the Navy Department of the Ministry of War sent the latest report that several warships that were still under repair would be repaired soon, and several newly commissioned destroyers, anti-aircraft cruisers, and aircraft carriers were still in intensive training and were expected to be completed in the second half of the month. The fleet would be assembled no later than March 1.

Soon, the U.S. Army's reinforcement troops arrived one after another, basically consistent with the prisoners' confessions.

两个新的师级作战单位是墨西哥陆军第4步兵师和秘鲁陆军第1步兵师，此外还有6艘登陆舰、3艘护航驱逐舰、2艘扫雷舰以及大约1200名新兵用来补充损失颇大的登陆舰队和地面部队。

The Ming Air Force, which was in the process of reorganizing, only sent out a very small number of aircraft to harass the enemy and did not launch any large-scale attacks. The U.S. reinforcements safely landed in the central part of the Mokap Peninsula.

The year before last, Peru waged the Peruvian-Ecuadorian War, a war of bullying the weak. Peru and its neighboring country Ecuador have not had a clear demarcation of the border. Coincidentally, oil was discovered in the disputed area, and the Peruvian upper echelons immediately decided to resolve the issue with force. President Prado, who was a banker, was unwilling to provoke a military conflict, but he still gave in to the threat from the military.

The war was not large in scale. The Peruvian army defeated Ecuador, which had backward weapons and equipment. The two countries then accepted the mediation of the United States, and the disputed area was ceded to Peru. The Peruvian authorities then handed over the local oil resources to American oil companies for development.

With this experience, the cooperative relationship between the United States and Peru advanced rapidly.

According to the agreement signed by the two countries, the United States would help Peru with industrial construction, and the latter should send at least one infantry division to participate in the war.

Capitol Hill agreed to provide three loans in succession - a $1.5 million metallurgical and chemical industry construction loan, a $4000 million monetary stabilization fund loan, and a $2500 million infrastructure loan.

The Peruvian authorities immediately dispatched an infantry division to the United States to replace its equipment with American weapons, and subsequently sent thousands of new recruits as reserve troops.

As for Mexico, although the previous 151st and 152nd Infantry Divisions of the US Army were mostly composed of Mexican volunteers, they were still under the US Army sequence. However, the 4th Infantry Division sent by Mexico now is a formal Mexican Army.

The first phase of the landing battle to open up the landing site greatly consumed the manpower of the US troops participating in the battle. The shells carried by the warships and ammunition supply ships were almost exhausted. Therefore, while transporting the vassal troops ashore, the US military was also doing its best to replenish ammunition for the fleet.

The United States has been promoting the counterattack on Oahu in public opinion, while also emphasizing that friendly forces from the democratic allies have also arrived at the battlefield and will definitely play an important role.

Last year, Lieutenant General Simon Buckner was nominated for a four-star general because he led his troops to prevent the Ming army from capturing Maui, but it has not been approved.

The Senate did not approve the nomination until the U.S. military had gained a firm foothold on Oahu.

The promotion message arrived first, and the brand new military uniform arrived two days late. It was transported from San Francisco to the Big Island by a special plane, and then loaded into a seaplane and sent to the US military headquarters on the Mokap Peninsula.

"Congratulations, Commander. Now you are a real army general." The adjutant and officers in the headquarters saluted with a smile.

Looking at the big suitcase containing the new military uniform, Simon Buckner smiled bitterly and said meaningfully: "I am very happy. My grandfather would be proud of me, but personal glory and family glory are useless now. Those people in Congress are trying to make me a so-called war hero, but this is the damn Pacific Ocean!"

On February 2, the regrouped U.S. military launched another offensive. The fleet on the sea and the planes in the sky bombarded the Ming army's main defense line endlessly. The Mexican 3th Infantry Division and the Peruvian 4st Infantry Division launched a strong attack together. At 1:10 that day, with a deafening roar, the oldest battleship in the battle sequence, the New York, suddenly suffered a serious explosion. Dozens of sailors inside were killed on the spot, and the A turret of the twin 37mm main gun was engulfed in thick smoke.

When the smoke cleared, the gun barrel on the left was missing, and pools of blood, broken limbs and bloody corpses were all over the floor of the turret.

The accident seemed to cast a bad shadow on the upcoming offensive.

The Mexican 1st Infantry Division completed its tactical deployment in the direction of Kaneohe, and then launched a fierce attack on the Ming army positions under the cover of 22 Shermans and 7 Spitfire Shermans.

Facing them was the 64th Regiment of the 22nd Division. Under the tenacious resistance of the Ming army, the Mexican troops made little progress for two consecutive days.

Neither the Ming army nor the American army could praise their technical and tactical levels. The coordination between infantry and tanks was poor, which led to the Ming army's anti-tank artillery positions attacking tanks unscrupulously on many occasions.

Major General Suarez, commander of the Mexican 1st Division, was seriously injured in the battle. The Chief of Staff continued to command the battle as acting division commander. They reported 866 casualties and claimed to have killed about 600 Chinese soldiers.

However, the data recorded in the combat log of the 342th Regiment showed that there were 1000 casualties and more than enemies killed.

The 1st Infantry Division of Peru in the southeast was not much better. The 1st and 2nd Infantry Regiments attacked southward from both sides of the airport respectively, which ended up being a big joke.

The Peruvians mistook the Ming army's guard position as the main line of defense. After easily breaking through it, they reported their victory to the headquarters, which made Simon Buckner extremely confused - if it was really that simple, wouldn't it make the US military look like trash?
But the Peruvians were soon no longer happy. The Ming army's resistance increased almost instantly, and the advance stopped immediately.

秘鲁第2步兵团的两个连队在无防备的情况下遭受炮火急袭，几乎被全歼。截止2月5日，秘鲁第1师伤亡达到了1010人之多。

Finding that a frontal assault had little effect, Simon Buckner decided to change his strategy from a full-scale attack to a focused attack, choosing the junction between the positions of the 64th and 65th Regiments of the Ming Army as the breakthrough point.

The Mexican 4th Division received direct support from four field artillery groups of the US Army. Several warships were also ordered to carry out uninterrupted interception fire at the target depth. 127mm, 203mm, and 406mm high-explosive bombs created craters of varying sizes.

On the battlefield filled with smoke and the smell of burning, a large number of Mexican soldiers shouted and rushed towards the Ming army positions like a wave, and then retreated like a tide amid the sound of gunfire and shouts of killing.

"Isn't this just a matter of slashing them a few times? Let them get what they want!"

"Asking for kindness, you get what you want. Beat him hard!"

Three consecutive attacks were all repelled, with countless corpses left on the battlefield. Such a strong attack caused two battalions of Mexican troops to lose their combat effectiveness in one morning. The Americans then transferred Peruvian troops to continue the attack.

Due to the extremely fierce blocking artillery fire, the Ming army reinforcements found it difficult to pass through the interval area that was bombed into a sea of ​​fire, and the junction positions were shattered under the endless repeated attacks.

During this period, the Ming army provided strong support from several 128mm heavy mortar positions deployed on the Koala Ridge Mountain. In fact, 300 to 400 casualties among the Mexican and Peruvian troops were attributed to these mortars.

Seeing that there were only a few Ming troops left at the junction, Simon Buckner knew that the opportunity could not be missed, and decisively deployed fresh troops - the 12th Marine Regiment and the newly arrived 825th Heavy Tank Battalion.

Nearly a thousand artillery shells of different calibers fell on the dilapidated battlefield, leaving broken steel bars, concrete, internal organs and body parts everywhere. The ground had long been soft from the continuous bombardment, and one step down would reach up to the ankle.

"It is time to die for the country. Our army will win. Kill!"

When the US tanks and marines approached, dozens of remaining officers and soldiers jumped out of their positions and fought with them...

Chen Jie was unwilling to give up. He decided to launch a counterattack at night to retake the key junction to prevent the US military from expanding its victory the next day.

Zhou Changfeng was not optimistic about such a night attack because the US military must have been prepared in advance, and the 22nd Division had suffered heavy losses after these days of fierce fighting.

After final discussion, it was planned to send six reserve teams to carry out night attacks on the US salients that had broken into the main defense line from the north and south directions. During this period, the Air Force also agreed to send a small number of night-flying aircraft to harass the US fleet, thereby hindering the artillery fire from the other side.

Although the US fleet in Kaneohe Bay and Kailua Bay was thrown into chaos by those special torpedoes with cunning movements, eliminating a major threat, the battle that night was still extremely fierce.

Flares were fired one after another, and under the pale light, there were swaying figures everywhere. The sight of the rocket launchers firing in unison was incomparably spectacular, like a sunset glow that illuminated half the sky red.

The Marines fired desperately with carbines and automatic rifles in the trenches, as if there were endless Ming army infantry repeatedly charging into the hail of bullets. The anti-infantry directional mines often knocked down a group of people, but the gaps were soon filled again.

The shouts of killing in two languages ​​mixed together in a chaotic manner and were difficult to distinguish. The sharp and piercing whistle seemed to pierce into the heart, making people terrified.

The rest of the armored units assigned to the 22nd Division also participated in the battle. More than a dozen Clouded Leopards and Tiger (P) tanks slowly approached from the northwest and opened fire fiercely.

More than 30 Johnston heavy tanks arrived to fight, and the two sides immediately opened fire on each other, resulting in both sides suffering heavy casualties.

In the melee, Lieutenant Colonel Patrick, commander of the 12th Marine Regiment, was killed by a rocket; Major Leopold, commander of the 825th Heavy Tank Battalion, was hit by a bullet when he leaned out his upper body to observe and died of his injuries.

At 1:15 in the middle of the night, the U.S. Army was forced to retreat. However, Simon Buckner strictly prohibited the abandonment of the hard-earned victory, so the 12th Marine Regiment had to turn around and counterattack...

This was the last large-scale battle. After this battle, the first batch of American and puppet troops that landed on the island paid a heavy price, with obvious shortages of troops and equipment.

The 73nd Infantry Division of the Ming Army also suffered heavy losses. The three infantry regiments lost an average of 5220% of their combatants, and the field replacement battalion was completely used up. The total casualties of the entire division reached 4, reaching the level where it had to be disbanded and rebuilt. In addition, independent units such as anti-aircraft artillery and tanks also lost hundreds of people, and only Tiger (P) tanks were left.

Overlooking the devastated battlefield with black smoke rising up, Zhou Changfeng issued an order for a full retreat. The remnants of the 22nd Division were divided into three routes and retreated over the mountains and ridges from the north-south transportation arteries and the Nuuanu Pali Wind Pass, and all retreated to the west of the Ko'olau Ridge.

Looking at Chen Jie, whose face was covered in dust, Zhou Changfeng said with emotion: "You defeated an enemy twice as many as yourself with only one person. That's quite impressive. The defensive battle during this period will go down in history. I will commend your 22nd Division for its achievements!"

(End of this chapter)