Age of Rebirth

After a violent shaking, the underground headquarters of the West Coast Defense Command of the United States stabilized, but the dense artillery sound could still be faintly heard. It is conceivable how fierce the battle on the beachhead outside Los Angeles was.

After completing all the countermeasures that should be done, Lieutenant General Penrak did not feel at ease. His eyes were still fixed on the military map, and he seemed to vaguely feel that he had overlooked something important?

More than two hours later, the Japanese army's attack on the three landing sites of Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Eureka was still going on tragically. On the beach and in the sea, there were bloody corpses of Japanese soldiers everywhere. Stepping on these corpses, The Japanese soldiers in the back bravely braved the intensive firepower of the U.S. Army and rushed to the beach. Machine gun bullets tore their bodies, and the shells fell into the pile of Japanese soldiers, blowing up blood mist all over the sky.

The defending American soldiers were not much better, with bombs raining down from Japanese bombers above their heads, artillery shells on the sea surface, and the ground fortifications had been razed to the ground. The American soldiers relied on semi-underground and underground fortifications, And a piece of ruins, shooting at the swarming Japanese soldiers, the soldiers on both sides were red-eyed!

Perhaps it was stimulated by the news that the troops commanded by General Yamamoto had successfully landed in the direction of Portland. Lieutenant General Hirano's eyes were red and he became more and more crazy. The casualties of the landing troops had been ignored by him. The order issued by the division is just two sentences, "Attack! Continuous attack!"

Unable to attack for a long time, Lieutenant General Hirano's heart felt as uncomfortable as a fire.He held up the binoculars to observe the situation on the battlefield, and then.Said to Chief of Staff Shindo: "Order the guys in the navy to drive the warships to the closest place to the US military positions, and use large-caliber naval guns to destroy the US military's underground fortifications!"

Before the offensive began, Admiral Yamamoto issued a strict order to the other three escort fleet commanders of the United Fleet, "After the landing begins. You must obey the command of Lieutenant Admiral Hirano, and you must not find any excuses to delay. If I hear you Which one. You yourself know the consequences of refusing to carry out the orders of the army commander!"

Therefore, Lieutenant General Hirano's order was issued after the escort fleet.Although these naval commanders.There was a hundred reluctance in my heart, and I didn't dare not to carry out the order. Fortunately, the coastal defense artillery of the US military was completely destroyed, and the combat aircraft could not be seen at all. It was very safe to approach the beach for shelling!

One after another of the Japanese warships, their thick muzzles were raised.Immediately, there was a loud noise like thunder.A round of large-caliber artillery shells roared across the sea, and smashed hard on the US military positions. Its power even surpassed that of aerial bombs, causing great casualties to the US soldiers in the underground fortifications, even if they were not directly hit. , The huge shock wave is enough to kill them.

The firepower of the U.S. military showed signs of stagnation and slowing down. Taking advantage of this opportunity, the Japanese soldiers who were firmly suppressed on the beach quickly advanced in depth. Some light artillery had been pushed to the coast, and artillery positions were quickly set up , to provide fire support for the charging Japanese infantry.

Lieutenant General Hirano's tense face finally loosened a bit, and he was envious of the navy's wealth and wealth. However, he knew in his heart that although the landing troops had already landed, they had not yet gained a foothold, established a landing site, and built a solid defense Moreover, the beachhead landing battle took several hours. When the reinforcements of the US military came up, the troops that had already landed on the coast would definitely be beaten back.

Now, we need to rush to the outskirts of Los Angeles before the arrival of US reinforcements. Everything will be easy. "The strength of the landing force is still not strong enough! Only two divisions are far from enough!" Lieutenant General Hirano sighed For the sake of thinking.

On the Portland sea, in the command cabin of Admiral Yamamoto's flagship, it seemed very quiet. The sound of gunfire on the shore was still intense. The staff members performed their duties. A phone rang suddenly, and a staff officer answered the phone, and then, Turning back to General Yamamoto, he reported: "Commander, after receiving a report from the fleet's reconnaissance plane, a large number of U.S. troops were found on the second line of the U.S. military's deep defense, and they are sending reinforcements to Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Eureka!"

"Aren't there any reinforcements from the U.S. troops in the direction of Portland?" General Yamamoto asked strangely. It has been a few hours since the battle for Portland started, and the news of Portland's fall has not been known to the U.S. command. Is this too abnormal?

"Report to the commander, the reconnaissance plane is in the direction of Portland, and there is no sign of US troops!"

"It's unbelievable, and it's not normal!" General Yamamoto thought hard and couldn't understand it. Then, he got rid of his doubts and said to the communications officer: "Send a telegram to Chief of Staff Nanye, the US defense force on the second line is reinforcing the front line, land-based The air team waited to take off, severely damaged the U.S. reinforcements on the way, and reported the situation discovered by the reconnaissance plane to Chief of Staff Nanye at the same time!"

After issuing a series of orders, General Yamamoto stroked the stubble on his chin. He was still full of doubts about the fact that the second-line U.S. troops did not reinforce Portland. He could not guess the reason.

According to normal circumstances, the landing battle has been going on for several hours. The news of Portland's attack must not be concealed. The only thing is that Portland is not reinforced. Could it be that there is some conspiracy in it?

After thinking hard for a long time, General Yamamoto made up his mind, "No matter what conspiracies or tricks you Americans have in the direction of Portland, the second batch of Army Air Forces who have not moved have been waiting for this moment, and they will definitely give the Americans A big surprise, as long as the landing troops hold on to Portland until tomorrow, the second batch of landing troops will arrive, and by then, the overall situation will be settled!"

The tragic landing battle lasted for more than a day in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Eureka. In the evening, dusk shrouded the west coast of the United States. Finally, at the landing site, they gained a firm foothold and defended a few small landing sites. The follow-up troops of the Japanese army continued to land on the west coast of the United States.

However, continuing to advance in depth to the U.S. defense, encountered great resistance. The U.S. defense troops deployed on the west coast were several times stronger than the first batch of Japanese troops who landed on the west coast, and their firepower was not bad. , I am afraid that this landing battle, with 10,000+ Japanese troops, will be the end of the blood-stained beach and floating corpses.

Lieutenant General Hirano Yoshiki, the commander of the Japanese landing force, finally breathed a sigh of relief after receiving the report from the three-way landing force, and ordered: "Immediately send a telegram to Commander Yamamoto. My landing forces are in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Yuri. Kasan land, get the landing field, and the rest of the troops have all landed!"

"However, due to the tenacious resistance of the U.S. military, the troops suffered huge casualties, and they are no longer able to continue to attack the U.S. defense in depth. It was originally planned to build a solid bridgehead in the above three places, approaching the urban area, and it is difficult to complete. Now, I have ordered the landing troops to hurry up. Fortifications, turn to defense on the spot, and prepare to meet the counterattack of the US military!"

"Because the situation on the battlefield is complicated, the department has adjusted the offensive deployment and changed the original plan. It is too late to ask your Excellency the Commander. Please tell the Commander clearly whether the above arrangements are correct!"

Lieutenant General Hirano's heart is bleeding. The casualties of the troops in the other two directions are still being counted, but the casualties of the two divisions under his command have reached more than 1 people. , that is his direct lineage!

Lieutenant General Hirano also knew that this night would be the most difficult. The second batch of landing troops would arrive at ** o'clock tomorrow morning at the earliest. In more than ten hours, the Americans would not let He stayed on the landing site safely, and this night, Lieutenant General Hirano was already mentally prepared to meet the US military's counterattack all night.

After receiving the telegram from Lieutenant General Hirano, General Yamamoto also admired the brave general of the army, especially in Los Angeles and San Francisco, which are the key defense areas of the US military. It is not easy to successfully land and gain a firm foothold. It is a victory bought with the lives of soldiers of the Imperial Japanese Army!

General Yamamoto personally wrote a reply to Lieutenant General Hirano, "Mr. Hirano, I am very pleased to hear all the calls. Your decision is very correct. Our army has been fighting for a long time, the soldiers are extremely exhausted, and our troops are limited. Therefore, it is not suitable to continue the offensive. The US military's defense is in-depth, and the priority is to stick to the spot and ensure the landing field!"

"Tonight is very important. The U.S. counterattack is bound to be ferocious and fierce. The countermeasures should be mainly naval guns and carrier-based aircraft, supplemented by landing force artillery, forming a powerful firepower, and giving the counterattack U.S. troops a major boost." Killing comes first!"

General Yamamoto is a Lieutenant General Hirano. He is worried that this guy who is used to commanding army operations will have several aircraft carriers in the air, and the powerful firepower of more than 20 warships will not be used.

After the Japanese army occupied the beachhead, they did not continue to attack, which gave the U.S. military a chance to breathe. After fighting for more than a day, the U.S. military suffered heavy casualties. Most of the casualties were caused by Japanese combat aircraft and naval guns. of.

At night, in downtown Los Angeles, fires are burning everywhere. Thick smoke and flames redden half of the sky, and the air is filled with a dignified smell of burnt and gunpowder smoke. , in the flames of war, almost in ruins.

In the underground headquarters of the U.S. West Coast Defense Command, the commander, Lieutenant General Penrack, and the chief of staff, Rear Admiral Woolsey, are gathering in front of the military map to study countermeasures.

Both of them knew in their hearts that the Japanese army did not continue to attack, but turned to defense on the spot. The only reason was to defend the current landing field, which meant that a large number of Japanese follow-up troops were coming!

(to be continued) (to be continued...)