Glorious Mission 1937

After Chen Feng's troops launched the Great Northeast Campaign, it caused a lot of repercussions internationally. Although judging from the current military forces invested by both sides, it is not a lot, and it is more than 20 at full count, but for the United States, Britain and other countries that are retreating steadily But it is a gospel.

On October 10, Roosevelt called Chen Feng, hoping that the Eighth War Zone could continue to intensify the attack on the Japanese army in the northeast and invest more troops. The US government was willing to increase assistance to the Chinese government.

Chen Feng was noncommittal about this. With the gradual improvement of the industrial construction of Northern Serbia, the heavy industry in the northern Serbian region has achieved gratifying results. Although the overall strength is still not comparable to that of the United States, Japan and other countries, but in terms of heavy industry, especially military industry, the Northern Serbia Province is not as good. Inferior to any force.Therefore, whether the United States is willing to support the Nationalist Government has nothing to do with Chen. Even without the assistance of the United States government, China will not perish.

On the contrary, the governments of the United States, Britain and the Netherlands have had a difficult time during this period, especially the Dutch government.Under the crazy and powerful attack of the Japanese army, Java was lost just like Singapore.But failure is failure. Although the United States, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and other countries are fighting each other and accusing each other, after this fiasco, the Americans, British, Dutch and Australians have achieved temporary unity.Now, there are only the last strongholds of resistance in the United States, Britain and other countries in the South Pacific-Bataan and Corregidor.

Bataan was also not calm. The Japanese army would not be soft on the US-Philippine troops who refused to surrender on the island. Although there was accurate information that the Philippine commander of the US military, General MacArthur, had fled to Australia, the Japanese army still did not stop attacking.They're going to take Bataan and Corregidor.

As long as these two places are captured in the South Pacific region, countries such as the United States and Britain will have no colonies. From North China to the South Pacific to the Indian Ocean and the Australian mainland, Japan will only have three government goals of Australia, Myanmar and the Nanyang Territory. It is only one step away from the strategic goals formulated by the Japanese government and military before the war.

With MacArthur's evacuation, the situation on Bataan became more and more severe.Food has become the biggest headache for the defenders, and the daily rations of the frontline troops are only one-third of the usual.The horses of the cavalry had not had any fodder for several days, and General Wainwright, the supreme commander of the defenders, had to order with tears in his eyes to kill all the horses and donkeys, including his own beloved horse, Joseph Conrad. Inside, he didn't want his beloved horse to become a tool for the Japanese army to massacre the Allies after he died or was captured.

more importantly.With the deterioration of the living environment and the depletion of supplies and medicines.More and more people fell ill in the U.S. and Philippine military, and Bataan is one of the most malaria-ridden areas in the world.Soldiers were weakened by starvation and dysentery, and more than 500 people were hospitalized with malaria in the first week of September alone.Doctors feared a malaria epidemic was imminent.At this time, the only medicine that can cure malaria, quinine, has almost lost its supply.

Although there was still talk of a "mile-long" convoy full of supplies and reinforcements coming.But both the Filipino and American troops recite a poem written by Frank Hewlett, a war correspondent who often went to the front: "We are the lone soldiers in Bataan, no father, no mother, no Uncle Sam, aunts, uncles, and cousins." There is no brother or sister. There is no medicine for disease, no aircraft and artillery for war, no one will take us seriously."

Several attempts by the Allied Forces to deliver supplies to Bataan and Corregidor through the Japanese sea blockade failed, and in the end the U.S. government decided to take the lead in Nanyang.

MacArthur came up with the idea. After seeing the helicopters equipped by Chen Feng, MacArthur was amazed that China, which was backward, would have such advanced fighters, and they could land anytime and anywhere without a special airport. MacArthur immediately realized the value of this advanced fighter on a large flat land, so MacArthur sent a report to the U.S. High Command, requesting the government to come forward and ask Chen Feng's department to send a helicopter transport unit to Bataan and Kolei. Gidor, delivering weapons, ammunition and supplies necessary for life to the defenders.

Chen Feng did not refuse this. Anyway, the supplies were from the U.S. Army, and he was just helping to transport them. Although it might be dangerous, because the Japanese army didn’t pay much attention to the development of radar, they haven’t equipped detection and early warning radars yet, so the helicopters went to Bataan and Corregidor was not very dangerous, so Chen Feng agreed to the request of the United States.

However, the Japanese were not vegetarians either. With the delivery of a large amount of supplies to Bataan and Corregidor, the combat effectiveness of the defenders on the island recovered. This abnormal situation quickly attracted the attention of the Japanese army.

After several days of close observation, the Japanese army learned the truth from the captured American and Philippine soldiers. On the one hand, the furious Japanese army stepped up its attack on the Bataan area, and at the same time sent aviation troops to intercept the helicopter group under Chen Feng's command.

However, since the warships that cooperate with the helicopter group are equipped with small radars, the Japanese army's interception effect is not very good. In addition, the Japanese army's Zero fighters cannot fly at night, so the two sides have been playing hide-and-seek for two weeks. They failed to prevent Chen Feng's troops from delivering supplies to the island.

The Japanese base camp was originally dissatisfied with the stalemate in Bataan, but it was even more unhappy after learning that MacArthur had escaped boldly.The base camp became suspicious of Honma Masharu's words that he was capable of winning quickly without reinforcements. Konoe Fumma sent his secretary Nishiura Susumu to the base camp to talk with General Umezu Yoshijiro and convey his dissatisfaction with the Bataan War.

General Yoshijiro Umezu was also very dissatisfied with Masaharu Honma's actions on Bataan Island, and immediately called some senior staff members of the General Staff Headquarters to discuss the matter.After research, the vast majority of officers in the General Staff Headquarters believed that Mount Shamat, which was considered the strongest in the Bataan defense system, was actually the weakest link. Thousands of steep cliffs of 920 feet.As long as the Imperial Japanese Army captures this mountain, the entire defense line of the US-Philippine army will be under control.

Therefore, these senior officers in the base camp believe that the imperial army should first focus on bombing and shelling a section of the two and a half mile-long position directly in front of Mount Shamat, open a gap, and launch a general attack with infantry from there, and even use it if necessary. Special ammunition.

Secondly, the reinforcement of the Chinese army, especially the delivery of large quantities of supplies, is also an important reason why the U.S.-Philippines army did not collapse. In addition, the Chinese army has already fought against the Imperial Kwantung Army in Manchuria, so the Imperial Japanese Army should immediately attack Chen Feng’s Nanyang territory in China. Launch an attack, and use the Nanyang Territory as a springboard to attack Australia.

As long as the Nanyang Territory and Australia are captured, the Empire of Japan basically wins the war. Even if the US and British troops counterattack in the future, the empire will be completely invincible.

However, General Umezu Yoshijiro listened to the results of the discussion at the General Staff Headquarters. Although he agreed to order Masaharu Honma to concentrate his forces to attack Mount Samat, he did not agree to launch a full-scale attack on the Nanyang Territory. As for the reason, it is very simple. The Empire of Japan is now attacking Burma The British and Burmese troops launched the most severe blow, while the Chinese government troops were massing in Yunnan on a large scale. According to reliable information, the Chinese government troops will not be less than 15 this time. This is not a small blow for the imperial army. Therefore, the base camp believed that it should concentrate its forces on fighting the British Burmese Army and the Chinese Government Army instead of launching an attack on Chen Feng's territory.

In addition, according to the information sent by the intelligence personnel who carried out latent sabotage on New Guinea Island, the Nanyang Lord Island, the armed forces under Chen Feng's command on the island are very strong. It is preliminarily estimated that the Imperial Army has invested at least five infantry divisions and two infantry divisions. Only a small fleet can compete with the Chinese army, and more troops are needed if an overall victory is to be achieved.

The southern army was busy taking over the new territory and resuming production in the newly occupied territory, so there was not much troops to attack Chen Feng's territory.Besides, for Chen Feng, Imperial High Tech already has a detailed plan, and it is currently in the process of being brewed, so there is no need to rush it.

A full-scale attack was out of the question, but Admiral Yoshijiro Umezu agreed to conduct sweeping raids on Chinese ships and warships near Bataan in order to prevent the Chinese army from delivering supplies and supplies to the American and Filipino troops in Bataan.

The order from the base camp quickly reached Masaharu Honma's headquarters. As soon as Honma saw the plan, he believed that this was a good solution to the problem that had plagued him for a long time, and immediately ordered the troops to start organizing this campaign.However, Masaharu Honma didn't know that at this moment, a huge disagreement occurred within the command of the US-Philippines.

After MacArthur's retreat, Wainwright established a new headquarters at Corregidor.The Army Department has promoted him to lieutenant general and appointed him commander-in-chief of all U.S. troops stationed in the Philippines.

But this matter was not discussed with MacArthur beforehand, because Washington knew MacArthur's character and knew that he would never agree to such a decision, because he wanted to command the overall situation of the Philippine Islands in Australia.Moreover, MacArthur privately believed that Wainwright was not qualified enough to be commander-in-chief.

Therefore, when the newly appointed commander-in-chief, Lieutenant General Wainwright, telegraphed Washington that some of the heavy weapons needed by the army, especially anti-aircraft weapons, must be delivered to Washington by October 10, otherwise his troops would suffer from heavy weapons and anti-aircraft weapons. The lack of weapons doubled the Japanese aircraft and artillery to pieces.

This telegram from Lieutenant General Wainwright elicited a strong reaction from MacArthur, who sent a brief telegram to Marshall: "The stamina of the resistance may of course have slackened after I left. Wainwright is incapable of serving as Commander in Chief of the Philippines. .”

In the eyes of Filipino soldiers in Bataan, MacArthur is still the greatest figure of his time, and his vow to return to the Philippines is nothing more than his own guarantee to save their country.

On September 9, at the same time that the mechanized army of the Eighth Theater in the Chinese battlefield launched an attack on the Japanese and puppet troops in the northeast, when night fell, 30 Japanese troops, including 5000 newly arrived from the mainland, had already Assemble and stand by, ready for a massive attack.Behind them, 350 cannons, howitzers and mortars, and many cannons brought in from Hong Kong, aimed their guns at the main US military position in Bataan, Mount Shamat - preparing for the most violent battle since the beginning of the campaign. shelling. (To be continued..)