Like Saigon, the Lion City is also known as the spy capital of the Far East.
There is no way. Almost all European colonies in the Far East are too complicated. Every important city has the possibility of becoming a spy capital. The more prosperous the city, the more white people will settle there. And the white people in the Far East have no nationality. They come here.
He came to the Far East to escape the war that was breaking out in Europe and to become a master. He didn't even want his own country, so naturally he didn't care who he was loyal to.
Based on southern Africa's interests in the Far East, the Far East has naturally become the focus of Bullard's office. Bai Cui Hannan's behavior has long been known to Bullard's office, but it has not been told to the British.
This is really not meant to be a British joke.
Intelligence work is very complicated. The Japanese intelligence department paid a huge price to instigate the rebellion against Bai Cui Hannan. Bai Cui Hannan's confidentiality level is very high. If the situation of Bai Cui Hannan is reported to the British, then it will be a big mistake.
The German Office's intelligence network in Japan is in danger of being exposed, and Bullard's Office will not help the Military Intelligence Service.
Things are different now than before.
In the past, British Malaya refused to involve the southern African army, and there was no possibility of cooperation between the two armies. Even if Bai Cui Hannan leaked the British army's intelligence to the Japanese, it would not pose much threat to southern Africa.
Now that the Southern African Army and the British Army have begun to cooperate, retaining Bai Cui Hannan may cause serious losses to the operations of the Southern African Army, so this nail must be removed.
Bai Cui Hannan was not the only one in the British army who was bribed by the Japanese. At the same time, more than ten people were arrested.
This is certainly not the whole story. There are probably still fish that have slipped through the cracks. Intelligence work has a long way to go, and Bullard's office must continue to work hard.
While the Lion City and Changi Naval Base were operating jointly, the defeat of the British troops on the front line continued.
Penang Island, located in the northwest of British Malaya, has been bombed by the Japanese Air Force every day since December 8.
The British air force deployed in Malaya was completely wiped out within the first week of the war, and Penang was forced to abandon its defense on December 17.
The British were extremely embarrassed when they retreated. They did not even have time to secure the wall and clear the country, leaving a large amount of weapons, ammunition and strategic materials to the Japanese, including a usable radio station.
This situation is extremely serious. The radio station does not matter. The key is the code book. From the results of the Battle of Britain, we can see how important the code is. If the Japanese army cracks the Allied code, then the Allied actions will have no secrets for the Japanese army.
.
Although this situation has not been confirmed, An Qi immediately ordered the password change, leaving no chance for the Japanese.
In terms of building strong walls and clearing the country, the gap between the British and the Russians is huge.
When the Russians retreated, they resolutely carried out a thorough clearing of the country and did not leave any usable supplies for the Germans.
As early as the beginning of the Malay War, Angel reminded Percival that in the war against Japan, strict measures must be taken to clear the country and not leave the Japanese an opportunity to support war with war.
Percival did exactly this and ordered the British troops to destroy as much as possible all weapons and equipment that could not be taken away when retreating.
But when it came time to execute it, the British army didn't even care when it was defeated. The officers and soldiers were busy running for their lives and had no time to cause damage.
On December 18, Parcival ordered the Indian 11th Infantry Division to organize a defense line in Bataan to prevent the Japanese attack.
This Bataan is a small town in Bataan in the Malay Peninsula, not the Bataan Peninsula in the Philippines.
The commander of the 11th Division, David Lyon, was ordered to do so at the critical moment, but the 11th Infantry Division was unable to shoulder such a heavy task.
The Japanese forward arrived at Bataan on the 20th and immediately launched an attack on the 11th Division's position.
The Indian soldiers of the 11th Division had no will to resist. The battle ended in just half an hour. Only 27 Japanese soldiers were injured and none were killed. The 11th Division lost 177 people, but more than 7,000 soldiers were put down.
Arms surrender.
This result is simply disappointing.
In order to save face, Admiral Tom Phillips, commander of Fleet Z, who had just arrived in the Far East less than half a month ago, proposed a combat plan, hoping that the Indian Ocean Fleet and Fleet Z would launch a joint operation to attack Kota Bharu and cut off
Japanese military sea transportation lines.
At this time, Japan's main fleet had just completed its surprise attack on Pearl Harbor and had not yet moved south. Tom Phillips hoped to make a time lag to prove the strength of the Royal Navy.
When the war broke out, the British Far East Fleet only had a few old broken ships and had been reduced to an existing fleet.
After the war broke out, Britain deployed warships from the Home Fleet and the Mediterranean Fleet for reinforcements. This fleet was named "Fleet Z", and Tom Phillips was appointed commander of the fleet.
While serving as the captain of the Royal Navy aircraft carrier "Elizabeth", Thumbs had a lot of dealings with the Southern African Navy. During the "Madagascar"'s maiden voyage to the UK, Tom Phillips participated in the reception and had a deep understanding of the strength of the Southern African Navy.
A clear understanding.
The strength of Fleet Z is still good, consisting of the aircraft carrier "Indomitable", the battleship HMS Prince of Wales, the battlecruiser HMS Repulse, and four other destroyers.
However, the aircraft carrier "Indomitable" ran aground in the West Indies in November and has not yet been repaired. It cannot join the Z Fleet, so the Z Fleet lacks the most critical air power.
On December 8th, Fleet Z arrived in the Far East. At this time, the war had broken out. Phillips did not even have time to rest. The situation was very serious.
"Japan has signed a friendship agreement with Thailand to form a military alliance, so cutting off the Japanese military's sea transportation lines will not change the direction of the war." An Qi directly refused. It was not a good idea to take the initiative. An Qi hoped to use the smallest possible means to
Defeat the Japanese combined fleet at a cost.
The main force of the combined fleet is not in Kota Bharu. Even if Kota Bharu is destroyed, the Japanese troops landing on the Malay Peninsula can still be supplied by land. This action is meaningless.
After severely damaging the Pacific Fleet, the Combined Fleet has strong morale and will definitely move its target to Changi Naval Base. Angel is concentrating on preparing for a decisive battle with the Combined Fleet and putting everything else aside.
"An, the Royal Navy did not give Changi Naval Base to southern Africa so that you can watch the show when the war comes." Thumbs up was very angry. In his opinion, Angel was clearly trying to escape the war.
"General, it's not a gift, it's a sale!" Angie was not angry. The Royal Navy has been obsessed with Changi Naval Base over the years.
Of course, Brother Thumb has a reason to be angry.
The Indian Ocean theater was powerful, with the troops that Ang Qi could command, and the total strength of the East India servant army exceeding one million, but the Japanese army was allowed to advance wildly on the Malay Peninsula without any action. Any British person would be very angry.
However, being angry does not change the fact that the British army suffered a complete defeat on the front line.
Therefore, if you want to gain the respect of others, you must first strengthen yourself. This applies to national relations as well as interpersonal interactions.
"Okay, I will prove to you that the Royal Navy can still defeat the Japanese even without your assistance." Thumbs up was confident, but unfortunately he ignored the relationship between the whole and the parts.
The overall strength of the British Royal Navy is indeed stronger than the Japanese Combined Fleet.
In terms of naval construction, Japan was once a student of the British. Without the help of the British, Japan would probably not be able to win the Battle of Tsushima or even the Sino-Japanese War of Sino-Japanese War.
Youdao is that one is better than one who has learned before. The former student now has strong wings and begins to challenge his teacher. The tragedy of the U.S. Pacific Fleet did not make Big Thumbs vigilant.
The U.S. Navy was once a student of the British in this regard.
Therefore, if a student defeats another student, it does not prove that the student has the strength to challenge the teacher.
At least that's what Tom Phillips thinks.
"General, I have to remind you that without the cover of aviation, it is very dangerous to take risks." Angel also did not want the British army to suffer unnecessary losses. After all, they were allies.
Although the paper data of the Z fleet is not bad, if you look closely, the problem is actually very serious.
Tom Phillips's flagship battleship "Prince of Wales" once participated in the encirclement and annihilation of the "Bismarck", which was the first stop of the "Prince of Wales".
When encircling and annihilating the "Bismarck", the "Prince of Wales" performed poorly, and the "Hood" was also sunk in that naval battle.
The "Prince of Wales" is at least a cutting-edge warship built just last year.
The battlecruiser "Repulse" was built in 1915. Although it has undergone two large-scale modernization modifications, its performance is still far behind the times.
The "Counterattack" also participated in the encirclement and annihilation of the "Bismarck", but unfortunately it did not even get the chance to participate in the war.
Angel's attitude is also very obvious.
If the Z fleet insists on attacking, then don't expect to be protected by the Southern African aviation force.
Now the Japanese Navy has begun to replace the "Zero" on a large scale.
The Zero-37 was developed in 2017 and lasted four years. It was finalized last year and started mass production. This is a fighter with quite good performance. Under limited conditions, Japanese designers have brought the Japanese perseverance to the extreme. For
For Japan, this fighter is perfect.
Certainly not for southern Africa.
Japan lacks aviation fuel. In order to pursue performance, it can only significantly reduce the weight of the fuselage, at the expense of the Zero's survivability. In order to reduce weight, it does not even install self-sealing fuel tanks and automatic fire extinguishing devices. The pilots do not have armor protection, and the fuselage
A surface shot may cause the aircraft to catch fire.
In view of the performance shortcomings of the Zero, the Southern African Air Force has many ways to deal with the Zero.
Engineers at the aircraft manufacturing plants in Southern Africa are not idle either. The Goshawk II, which the Navy just started equipping last year, is enough to form an overwhelming advantage over the Zero's performance.
Relatively speaking, the UK attaches little importance to its air force.
Especially here is the Far East. Even if Britain has fighter jets with relatively advanced performance, it will first change its equipment for the local air force. If the Far East Air Force wants to change its equipment, it should wait in line slowly. God knows how long it will take.
"Even without air protection, the Royal Navy still has the ability to destroy the Japanese transport lines." Thumbs up is very confident. If you don't have it, you won't have it. Who are you trying to scare?
Brother Thumb's confidence lies in the fact that the main force of the combined fleet is not in Kota Bharu.
Otherwise, if you give Brother Thumb a courage, Brother Thumb will not make such a mistake.
"Okay, I will report today's conversation record to Pretoria in its entirety." Angel has nothing to do with Tom Phillips, and the report is not a complaint, but a routine briefing.
"You'd better report it in a few days. Then you can add the information that the Japanese transport line has been destroyed." Tom Phillips is not afraid to complain, and Pretoria has no control over Fleet Z. If Angel goes
London complained, maybe Tom Phillips would be a little more scrupulous.
If you're not afraid, then don't be afraid. If you are willing to die, I will also be willing to bury you.
Tom Phillips was indeed eager to fight. The next day he ordered Fleet Z to set fire and anchor, and left the Lion City and headed straight for Kota Bharu.
This is true, after all, soldiers are valuable and quick.
An Qi kept her word and said she would not send aviation to assist, let alone send warships to cooperate.
Of course Angel didn't forget to send a telegram to Pretoria.
After the Moscow Conference, the Allied forces established the Allied General Headquarters in London to provide unified command of operations.
At this time, the focus of the Allies' attention was still on Russia, and the status of the Far East battlefield was not as good as that of North Africa.
After receiving Angel's telegram, Pretoria immediately forwarded it to the Allied Command in London.
Even if it is immediate, telegram forwarding always takes time, and necessary procedures must be followed.
So by the time the British War Department learned that Tom Phillips had taken the initiative to attack without aviation protection, Fleet Z had already arrived in Kota Bharu.
The British intelligence department is still very powerful at certain times. The main force of the combined fleet is indeed not in Kota Bharu. There is no field airport in Kota Bharu, so naturally no fighter planes can be stationed there.
The crux of the matter is that Japan has an airport in Saigon.
Not long after Fleet Z left the port, it was discovered by a Japanese reconnaissance plane.
At 11 a.m. on the 22nd, the "Prince of Wales" first bombarded Kota Bharu.
At 11:15, nine Japanese aircraft appeared over Fleet Z, and the first wave of attacks were all concentrated on the "Counterattack".
The "Repulse" escaped most of the bombs, but one bomb still penetrated the ejection deck of the carrier-based aircraft and exploded in the hangar below the deck.
The second wave of attacks was composed of torpedo planes. The "Counterattack" resisted tenaciously. After shooting down 4 Japanese torpedo planes, it was hit by 13 torpedoes and sank at 14:03.
The "Prince of Wales" failed to escape its fate. It was besieged by dozens of Japanese torpedo planes. First, the tail was hit by a torpedo, the propeller was blown off, and it lost the ability to move. Then the "Prince of Wales" became a Japanese bomber and torpedo.
A living target for the machine.
The last telegram sent by Tom Phillips was to Angel, hoping that Angel could send a warship to drag the "Prince of Wales" back to the Lion City.
The Japanese army did not give the "Prince of Wales" a chance to escape. After being hit by the sixth torpedo, Tom Phillips finally ordered all crew members to blow up their life jackets.
At 2:20 p.m., the "Prince of Wales" sank, and Admiral Tom Phillips and Captain Ritchie of the "Prince of Wales" were killed along with the ship.
