Iron Cross

Ps: As mentioned above, Eritrea is still an Italian colony and is not included in the German East Africa concept. This has been changed, please pay attention.

While Germany and Italy were celebrating the upcoming victory, the Japanese fleet was also celebrating the extremely abundant supplies and ships. When the First Guerrilla Detachment rushed to the beach and saw the transport ships abandoned by the British and American troops on the beach, they were so happy that they couldn't close their mouths.

After clearing and driving away the British and American officers and soldiers on the shore with artillery fire, the fleet immediately put down the marines and sailors to receive those ships-for this Indian Ocean strategy, the combined fleet brought a total of 2 regiments of marines, but they did not take dedicated transport ships but were dispersed on various warships. The First Guerrilla Detachment had more than a battalion of troops in total.

Rescuing a stranded ship is a technical job, but the Japanese Navy, which has been dealing with ships and the ocean for many years, has plenty of ways to do it. The Marines and sailors climbed onto the transport ship swiftly, first clearing the bodies on the deck, and then dumped the bodies of the British and American soldiers on the beach without hesitation. As for the expected possible exchange of fire, it basically did not happen - the slightly injured British and American officers and soldiers had already been helped away by their companions, and the seriously injured officers and soldiers were basically finished after such a long afternoon of tossing. Even if a few seriously injured soldiers struggled to survive, they died one by one without suspense in the face of the overwhelming force of the Japanese army.

The second step was for experienced enginemen and officers to assess the degree of grounding. The transport ship ran aground at low tide in the afternoon, and ran aground far from the coast. If it ran aground at high tide, it would be very difficult to rescue it. It would be much easier to rescue it at low tide. The enginemen estimated that the water depth would increase by about 2.5-3 meters when the tide reached its highest point, and ships with shallow drafts could completely free themselves by buoyancy. In particular, several transport ships that mainly transported personnel had greatly reduced their drafts because the loads had disappeared, and they could even be rescued without waiting for the tide to reach its highest point. Therefore, this batch was included in the first rescue targets. As for those ships that ran aground more deeply and could not completely withdraw by their own power at high tide, it would be more troublesome, and they had to consider towing by other ships. After evaluation, the navigators of each ship believed that at least 80% of the ships needed to be towed. Just as they were about to report which ships were relatively easy to tow, Takeo Takagi had already issued an order impatiently: "Don't worry about anything else, you must get those two giant tankers out for me. Tankers that can accompany this fleet to move quickly are good things." The navigator rolled his eyes and said helplessly: "Sir, I was just about to report this to you. These two tankers are very heavy and have a deep draft. Destroyers or cruisers may not be able to tow them." The two tankers that Takeo Takagi was obsessed with were both Cimarron-class ships of the United States. One was called Salamonie (AO-26) and the other was called Chemung (AO-30). They were of the same class as the Neosho (AO-23) sunk by the Japanese in the Battle of the Coral Sea. When fully loaded with fuel, they had a displacement of up to 25,000 tons and a draft of more than 9 meters. "How much oil is left?"

"The gasoline, diesel, and aviation gasoline tanks for tanks, planes, and vehicles are all full, and the heavy oil tanks are nearly half full, which is close to two-thirds full overall."

"If they can't do it, let the Kongo class come." Takagi Takeo waved his hand proudly, "It's settled. We have four Kongo classes, just two to tow one tanker. Hurry up and arrange them. Move quickly."

As soon as these words came out, not only the navigator but also a group of staff were stunned: towing ships is a miscellaneous job that has always been done by errand ships. Normally, not to mention battleships, even cruisers will not be involved. Today, for these two tankers, the commander is actually going to use the Kongo class. It seems that he is going all out.

"But sir, what if..."

The chief of staff also reminded him: "Should we ask for instructions from Chief Hori Teikichi first?"

"There are not so many buts, and there is no need to ask for instructions. If there is a problem, I will just commit seppuku." Takagi Takeo is a bachelor. Of course, he knows the risks of towing: the warship must first venture into the shallow water area. If the timing is not good, he will get stuck if he is not careful. Moreover, the large amount of stress and load generated during towing can easily damage the towing ship - considering that the Kongo class is a 30-year-old ship, this risk is even greater.

The normal way to rescue a stranded tanker is much more complicated than direct towing: first send a shallow water barge to approach the tanker, then use a pipeline to drain the fuel inside, reduce the weight and draft of the tanker, and then tow it. If this is not safe, it is necessary to add additional buoyancy to it - this series of actions can be considered efficient if it can be completed within a week. Takagi Takeo actually planned to get the tanker out tonight, which is extremely difficult.

But since it has come to this, the people below can only bite the bullet and carry out the order. The navigator saluted and quickly prepared to make arrangements.

"Wait..." Takagi Takeo called him again.

The navigator looked at him in confusion. He thought Takagi was going to change his mind, but he didn't expect that he would say: "Except for rescuing ships that can escape on their own during high tide, all other work will be suspended. Focus on dealing with tankers. First refuel cruisers and destroyers. After refueling, open the valves to release oil into the sea to reduce the weight."

"How much?"

Takagi Takeo thought about it carefully, and said with a painful face: "Prepare to reduce 2,000 tons of heavy oil each." After all the calculations, heavy oil is the least valuable.

After the supply pipeline was set up, first the destroyers, then the light and heavy cruisers also rushed to supply. All the way from the Indian Ocean, the destroyers had long run out of oil. They relied entirely on the oil from the battleships and cruisers to survive. The expenses of the previous two days plus today's high-speed sprint without regard for losses, the fuel consumption was extremely high, so Takagi Takeo saw the tanker as a treasure.

After the ships used up about 3,000 tons of heavy oil, a large amount of black heavy oil was directly discharged into the sea. The draft and weight of the tanker began to decrease. They will continue to discharge until the towing is successful.

Thick steel cables were set up, and each tanker had two, one end connected to the tanker and the other end connected to several Kongo-class ships. There was an angle of about 15 degrees between the two ships - this was carefully calculated, which could fully exert the power of towing without easily causing collisions. Everyone was in a state of high tension. It was the first time to use a battleship to carry out a towing mission. Not to mention that the newly enlisted sailors in recent years had never seen such a rare scene, even the senior officers who had been in the navy for more than 20 years had rarely seen it. After careful calculation, the navigators chose 3:47 a.m., the highest point of the tide, to carry out the operation.

As time passed, the sea water slowly began to rise. One after another, ships escaped from the stranding with their own power, but the eyes of the entire guerrilla detachment were all focused on the tanker. Batches of flares illuminated the coast like daylight. Although Takagi Takeo seemed to be sitting calmly in his usual seat in the command tower, his pale face and clenched fists had already betrayed his inner tension and anxiety.

In order to minimize the weight, only the minimum number of personnel was left on the tanker, and all the uncommon accessories were thrown into the sea by the sailors. As time got closer to the critical moment, the main engine of the tanker started running, making a low and surging sound. The hull was slightly shaken by the waves, but it seemed that this alone was not enough to get out of the shallows.

"Countdown, 10, 9, 8..."

"Time is up!"

"Two cars back one!"

"Yes! Two cars back one!" The sailor pushed the car clock to the designated position skillfully, and the engine room immediately executed the car command and drove the main engine back one.

At the same time, the horsepower of the Kongo class had already been adjusted to the maximum, making a huge roar and pulling the thick steel cable straight.

With the buoyancy of the rising tide, the power of the tanker itself, and the pulling power of the two Kongo-class tugboats with a horsepower of up to 270,000 main engines, the huge body of the tanker finally began to move slowly amid the cheers of officers and soldiers on a circle of cruisers and destroyers in the distance, and then slowly moved towards the deep sea, gradually retreating from the beach and regaining freedom.

"It's a success!"

"Quick, turn off the drain valve."

"Sir, it's done." The chief of staff, who was watching the whole process on the deck, was swept into the command tower like the wind.

Takeo Takagi walked out of the command tower with his sweaty body and forced a smile to everyone: "You guys did a good job, now hurry up and refuel the warship."

"Yes, sir."

Everyone looked at Takeo Takagi with admiration. The courageous commander Hori Teikichi was too far away and could only look up at him. Commander Takagi was also very courageous!

With their desperate spirit, the First Guerrilla Detachment managed to rescue nine transport ships, including the oil tanker, overnight. However, these ships accounted for one seventh of the total number of stranded ships, and many ships were still stranded on the shoal, especially those transport ships filled with tanks, armored vehicles, trucks, howitzers and other supplies. The Marines were so shocked that they couldn't even move their feet - these mighty tanks were much stronger than the bean tanks. Not only the army needs tanks, but the Marines also need them!

Looking at the numerous transport ships, Takeo Takagi said with emotion: "We have to call the commander to send more ships and soldiers, otherwise we will not have enough time."

"Commander, the First Guerrilla Detachment sent a telegram." Kusaka Renji excitedly reported to Hori Teikichi, "After a night of hard work, they rescued 9 ships, including 2 oil tankers, with a total of at least 25,000 tons of various types of oil. The detachment is now resupplying oil. If there is no special instruction today, they will continue to rescue the remaining stranded ships and request the mobile fleet to send aircraft to cover to prevent possible damage by the British army. At the same time, they request to send more ships to strengthen the rescue force."

"Got two fast and large oil tankers?" Hori Teikichi patted the armrest and stood up. He was even happier than Kusaka Renji. He took the telegram and read it carefully three times, with a satisfied smile on his face, "Well done! Takagi should be awarded the first-class merit! The next battle plan... I already have it."