African Entrepreneurship Records 2

Chapter 949 Defeat
Port of Manila.

The Philippine Navy had been basically wiped out, which left the Spanish Philippine colonial government with only the hope of delaying the U.S. military's attack on land.

The coastal defense artillery of Manila Port still wanted to resist stubbornly, but was easily destroyed by the US military. This was because the main artillery of the Philippines was deployed at the mouth of Manila Bay, leaving the rear relatively empty. After the naval ships were completely wiped out, Manila Port could only passively withstand the attack.

Compared with the Philippine Navy, the performance of the Spanish Army can be described as "a mess", which made the East African Military Advisory Group, which had previously conducted short-term special training for Spain, cover its face.

"The Spanish Philippine army has lost all their dignity. I clearly didn't teach them this before. Now they are fighting like a piece of shit. The weapons in their hands are probably not even as good as firewood sticks..."

"Okay, Peter, this is not our fault. It's all because the Spanish defenders of the Philippine colony have no will to fight. In this situation, even if the gods came down to earth, they would not be able to win."

Members of the East African Military Advisory Group were very dissatisfied with the performance of the Spanish soldiers, but the US troops on the opposite side did not think so.

After landing, the U.S. troops and the Spanish colonial defenders engaged in a firefight. The two sides were just weaklings fighting each other. The Spanish performed poorly and the Americans were not much stronger, especially when the Spanish rifles had the advantage.

This also made the commander of the US Asiatic Fleet, Dewey, very angry, and he had to order the landing troops to withdraw to the dock area and hold on.

He led his fleet to launch a devastating attack on the defense system along the coast of Manila Bay, and then successfully completed the blockade of Manila Bay.

In this situation, the Spanish colonial garrison was completely trapped in Manila Bay by the Americans. As time went on, the Spanish soldiers would eventually surrender unless Spain could provide support to the Philippines.

This was obviously impossible. At this time, Spain's energy had been completely concentrated in the Atlantic region by the Americans. The main forces of the US and Spanish navy and army had already begun a confrontation in the Cuban region.

Compared to Manila Bay, the Cuban Port of Santiago was "impregnable" after being deployed by the Spanish army. The density of mines alone was far greater than that of Manila Bay. If the mines of Santiago Port were deployed in Manila Bay, the local Spanish defenders might have achieved greater results.

On June 1898, 6, the Battle of Cuba officially started. The U.S. Navy, regardless of all costs, launched an attack on the Port of Santiago for a day and a night. After paying the price of hundreds of lives, the U.S. military officially landed successfully in Guantanamo Bay.

From the very beginning, the Battle of Cuba was not as important as the Battle of Manila in the Philippines. Although Spain also failed in the Battle of Manila, it dealt a huge blow to the US Asian Fleet. Two US warships were sunk and nearly half of the US warships were damaged.

After the successful landing of the US military in Cuba, the war between the United States and Spain shifted from the coastline to the inland, and the two sides engaged in fierce battles in the jungle. History repeated itself, and the performance of the Spanish defenders in Cuba was also inferior to that of the Philippine defenders.

On the one hand, the local people in Cuba are welcoming to the United States at this time, so there are many guides. On the other hand, Cuba's depth is not as good as that of the Philippines. Finally, Cuba is too close to the U.S. mainland, and the United States can mobilize more troops and can continuously provide support to the U.S. troops in Cuba.

Throughout June, the U.S. military continued to gain victories and used its advantages to continuously squeeze the living space of the Spanish defenders. Under such circumstances, the Spanish Navy had to take the initiative and engage in a decisive battle with the U.S. Navy.

1898 7 Month 4 Day.

The Spanish Navy in Santiago engaged the United States in a fierce battle in Santiago Bay, attempting to break out of the U.S. Navy's blockade.

The Spanish Navy flagship Maria Teresa led three cruisers and two torpedo destroyers out of the port, shelling the American ships outside the port while evacuating. The artillery batteries on both sides of the port also opened fire on the American ships at the same time.

Less than three hours into the battle, the U.S. Navy sent all Spanish warships into the sea. After the Battle of Santiago, it was officially declared that Spain's naval forces in the Philippines and the Caribbean were completely destroyed.

At this time, the main battlefield of the war had completely shifted to land. After the destruction of the Spanish navy, the Spanish colonial defenders continued to resist stubbornly. The two sides fought from July to early August. The Philippine defenders held out until mid-August, and had to surrender to the US military after running out of ammunition and food.

...Port of Manila.

"Who are you and why are you leaving the port?"

At this time, in the port of Manila, East African military personnel were stopped and interrogated by American soldiers. After all, the war in the Philippines was basically over, and it was impossible for the members of the East African Military Advisory Group to stay.

"We are Germans, this is our identity."

In fact, without proof of identity, the Americans have no way to deal with the East African Military Advisory Group. Of course, they still have to maintain a low profile.

After the Spanish army in the Philippines was defeated, the East African Military Advisory Group destroyed all signs and items with East African traces.

The reason why they were stopped by American soldiers was mainly because they exuded the aura of "the same kind".

"You are not businessmen!" said the American soldier, staring at the calluses on the hands of the East African Military Advisory Group. He even stretched out his hand to compare with his own. It was obvious that the other party was also a military man.

"You have a good eye. We are indeed not businessmen, but East African diplomats in the Philippines."

“So what is your purpose in coming to the Philippines?”

"No comment, this is not something you can just ask around!"

The American soldiers had no way to deal with the arrogance of the members of the East African Military Advisory Group. After all, they were diplomats in the Philippines, and they were officials, not people they could afford to offend.

Of course, out of dissatisfaction with their attitude, American soldiers increased their inspections of the personal belongings of members of the East African Military Advisory Group, but it was obvious that they did not gain anything.

"In that case, we have to leave this troubled place. Goodbye, young man!" joked the East African Military Advisory Group.

At this time, shipping had resumed in Manila Bay, so merchant ships from East Africa had already been waiting in Manila Port.

After providing services to the Spanish for more than three months, the East African Military Advisory Group has all returned safely to East Africa. As for future work in the Philippines, it will still be handled by overseas intelligence agencies such as the East African National Defense Security Bureau.

Although it is certain that the Philippines has fallen into the hands of the Americans, local intelligence work will not be cut off. After all, the geographical location of the Philippines is extremely important.

Three weeks after the East African Military Advisory Group left, the Spanish colonial army in the Philippines formally surrendered to the United States. The surrender of the Philippine colonial army also officially meant the end of the war between Spain and the United States.

Compared to Cuba, the Philippine colonial army could be tougher this time than in the past. After all, Cuba was supported by mainland Spain, while the Philippines received almost no support except for a small amount of aid before the war. In addition, its record was more impressive than that of the Cuban defenders, especially against the Asian Fleet.

Although the Philippine Navy was also completely wiped out, the Philippine Navy was the weakest in the Spanish Navy. It only had three ironclad ships, two of which were almost scrapped before the war, and even one was far behind the American warships. The rest were all wooden-hulled ships.

Compared with the pre-war situation of the Philippine Navy, the Cuban Navy was stronger. In addition to the higher quality and quantity of its warships, it could also receive support from its own navy during the war. However, its losses were also greater, and its main attacks on the U.S. military were basically carried out in land combat, so its naval record was unremarkable.

(End of this chapter)