Age of Rebirth

The combat losses were counted, and Lieutenant General Wagner, the chief of staff of the British and Australian forces, felt very comforted. Hundreds of Japanese naval carrier-based aircraft hovered over the troop carrier formation for two or three hours. Not far away, there was another Then the naval fleet stared at it, and its losses were so low.

According to statistics, three troop carriers were sunk, 600 were damaged, more than 900 soldiers were killed or wounded, and less than [-] died. Jumping into the sea resulted in more soldiers being drowned than being bombed by Japanese planes.

All of this depends on the air escort of the Air Force of the Independent Division. Without Chinese pilots, to repel the Japanese carrier-based aircraft, I am afraid that the current surface of the Coral Sea will be filled with hundreds of sunken ships and the corpses of [-] soldiers. In my heart, I still have some kind of resistance to the Chinese, or a sense of alertness. Chief of Staff Wagner, I still sincerely thank those Chinese pilots who fought bravely.

At the same time, while admiring the combat effectiveness, superb air combat capabilities, and the number of aircraft owned by the aviation unit of the Independent Division, I can't help being secretly surprised and jealous. Once upon a time, China was still a poor and weak East Asian sick man. The target of the Western powers, but today, the strength of the troops of Tang Qiuli, the great warlord who has risen in the heart of China, is incomparable to the British Empire, which is being attacked by the Germans.

Taking a step back, the strength of the British Empire in the southwest Pacific region cannot be matched. Perhaps, the future Pacific battlefield will be dominated by the Chinese and the Japanese, and as the national strength weakens.The British Empire Law avoided reducing its influence in Asia. As a professional soldier who has been striving unswervingly for the expansion of the British Empire's overseas territories, Lieutenant General Wagner at this moment is full of melancholy and loss. [

Then the situation of the task force reported by the staff officer stabbed Lieutenant General Wagner's melancholy and lost heart, "Your Excellency Chief of Staff, we have just resumed contact with the task force, and the situation is very bad On the way to escort us, the task force was intercepted by the Fourth Fleet of the Japanese Navy. The commander of the fleet, Rear Admiral Fursheed, was killed. The fleet lost 27 warships of their respective types, and more than [-] sailors were killed or injured. people."

Lieutenant General Wagner.He and Rear Admiral Forsheed are not close friends.But also an old acquaintance.In the military circles of the British Empire, there is no dispute between the army and the navy. Lieutenant General Wagner, who has a good impression of this slightly arrogant rear admiral, is making a living in the troops stationed in Australia.They looked down and saw each other, and there was no conflict of interest or dirtyness between them. Unexpectedly, he was killed in battle.This is the loss of the British Empire Navy.

Lieutenant General Wagner's face was dark, and his heart was shrouded in an indescribable sadness. However, what he felt best was that the loss of the troop carrier formation without the slightest force was so slight. Although there was no aircraft carrier, it was still armed to the teeth How could the loss of the task force be so huge?

It shouldn't be. Could it be that there is something hidden in it? Chief of Staff Wagner asked: "So, the Chinese fighter group did not provide air escort for the direction of the task force?"

The staff officer hesitated for a moment, and replied: "According to the content of the call from the fleet, the Chinese fighter group is in the airspace where they are, engaging in jle battles with the Japanese Navy's carrier-based aircraft. Moreover, the number of Chinese fighter jets is comparable to ours. The direction is roughly the same, the loss of the task force was mainly caused by the attack of the Japanese navy warship!"

Lieutenant General Wagner shook his head in doubt, puzzled, a light flashed in his mind, seemed to catch a trace of doubt, and then suddenly drifted away, unable to be sure. At least, the performance of the Chinese was picky, and he spoke heavily Said: "Immediately call Commander-in-Chief Fernandez. In two hours, the troop carrier formation is about to dock. Please, Commander-in-Chief, arrange for troops to respond. In addition, report the death of Major General Fernandez and the loss of the task force. , Report it truthfully!"

After receiving a telegram from Chief of Staff Wagner, General Fernandez, the commander-in-chief of the British and Australian forces, was ecstatic and sad at the same time. His mentality was similar to that of Lieutenant General Wagner.

The 30 troops returned to Australia in good condition, which is undoubtedly a great news for Commander-in-Chief Fernandez, who is short of troops. Building several lines of defense can temporarily block the Japanese army's offensive momentum, give yourself time to take a breath, readjust your deployment, and use the vast land space of the Australian mainland to deal with [-] Japanese troops.

Therefore, for Admiral Fernandez, what he needs most is time, and he cannot be quickly defeated by the Japanese in a short period of time. This is the second time he has reported the current dangerous situation facing the Australian mainland to the British wartime cabinet. , The most core one is to ensure that Australia cannot fall into the hands of the Japanese, and to do this, the only way to do this is to increase the military hands of the British Empire in Australia. At the very least, it must be able to compete with the Japanese army.

As for how to increase the number of troops in Australia, Admiral Fernandez is still not confused. It is wishful thinking to expect to transfer troops from the mainland that was beaten by the Germans. Do this so-called effort.

He put forward a thoughtful suggestion. In the West Indies controlled by the British Empire, recruit soldiers extensively. At least ten legions with a size of more than 50 troops must be formed. After short-term training, they will go to the Australian battlefield. , to be able to persist in Australia for a long time.

Now, what Admiral Fernandez needs to do is not to be killed by the Japanese before the reinforcements from West India arrive. Therefore, for him, [-] well-trained soldiers are different from life-saving elixir. Confidence in being able to deal with the fiercely attacking Japanese troops on the Australian mainland until reinforcements arrived, but the loss of the task force that was almost wiped out cast a shadow on his confidence.

Admiral Fernandez has never personally experienced the thrilling air battle and naval battle in the Coral Sea and the skies above it, and there is no doubt in the mind of Chief of Staff Wagner, although the loss to the task force far exceeds that of the unarmed The troop carrier formation, incomprehensible, but didn't think too much about it.

Admiral Fernandez sent Tang Qiuli an enthusiastic thank you telegram by himself. The words of praise and beauty were often seen between the lines, and he was so grateful that he burst into tears. Of course, he also casually notified the troop carrier. Formation and task force losses.

At the same time, in the waters near the Solomon Islands, Lieutenant Admiral Shirakawa Yoshitetsu, commander of the Second Fleet of the Japanese Navy, and Lieutenant General Masao Okamura, commander of the Fourth Fleet, who retreated here, were worried and worried.

This afternoon, the third echelon fighter group and the fourth echelon mixed aircraft group of the Southern Aviation Group of the Independent Division Aviation Group attacked the two fleets of the Japanese army and did not cause them much damage. Yiqin ordered that no further pursuit should be carried out, and the main purpose was to repel the Japanese naval fleet. On the other hand, the anti-aircraft firepower of the two Japanese fleets was very fierce, and the carrier-based aircraft did not lose to the extent that they could not fight again.

Therefore, after sinking several Japanese destroyers and injuring several cruisers, the commanders of the two echelons made up their minds and accepted it as soon as they were good. With almost no loss, the Japanese fleet was repelled, and the safety of the British-Australian troop carrier formation was ensured, and the mission was completed satisfactorily.

Lieutenant Admiral Shirakawa Yoshitetsu and Lieutenant Admiral Okamura Masao were not worried about the loss of their own fleets, but the results of the battle. If judged from the results of the battle, the British task force was severely damaged, while the British and Australian troop transport fleet was almost It was unscathed, such a result, no matter how you say it, is not a victory.

What's more, the main task of the fleet is to wipe out the [-] British and Australian soldiers who retreated from Luzon in the Coral Sea. From this point of view, the failure of the mission is arguable. Of course, there are reasons for all of this. Such an embarrassing result would not have happened if it hadn't been for the sudden appearance of the damned China fighter group. [

Lieutenant General Yoshitsushi Shirakawa and Lieutenant General Masao Okamura are worried about how to report this matter to the Ministry of the Navy and the Commander-in-Chief of the Imperial Southwest Pacific Dispatched Forces General Ito Yanzaburo. Both of them know that this mission is from the Navy. The boss, shamelessly, just took it out of the army's mouth. The navy was also full of confidence in annihilating 150 British and Australian soldiers, and dispatched two main fleets, six aircraft carriers, and more than [-] warships.

It can be said that they went all out, but the result was disappointing. One hundred thousand British and Australian soldiers ran away, and they lost several warships and more than 100 carrier-based aircraft. They reported China to the Ministry of the Navy truthfully. Those who were extremely disappointed Brothers, don’t eat two people. This is no longer a question of whether to complete the task, but a question of the combat effectiveness and dignity of the navy. Even if you don’t eat guns, you will probably have to eat in the military correctional center for the rest of your life. I'm in jail!

Report to Yan Saburo Ito, for the laughing stock was sent to the army, the results of the Battle of the Coral Sea will immediately become a favorable weapon for the army guys to attack and laugh at the navy. Those navy who lost face and became angry Big brothers, I still can't spare myself, the ending is yyng, they are all dismissed from the military, thrown into the cold palace, and when they come out forever, maybe their family members will be implicated.

Sorrow, how can the word "sorrow" be so great, Shirakawa Yoshitetsu and Okamura Masao, the two dignified Japanese Imperial Navy Vice Admiral Commanders, were so worried that they almost jumped into the sea.

(To be continued) (To be continued.)