Chapter five hundred and sixty-eight reflections of Yamamoto fifty-six
The main Japanese garrison fortifications are located at the commanding heights of Harlem Mountain, which is more than 30 kilometers away from Harlem Airport. It is a small mountain composed entirely of hills and cliffs. From the top of Harlem Mountain, you can see most of the island, including small areas.
Airport on the south side of the island. There are more than 500 limestone caves on the Harlem Mountain, and there are passages connecting each other. Most of these caves were mines, and were later used by the Japanese army and built into fortifications. Engineers installed sliding armored iron doors at the entrances of the caves.
, used to erect artillery and machine guns. At the same time, the Japanese army also installed 81 mm and 150 mm mortars, 20 mm twin machine guns, and anti-tank and anti-aircraft guns at other fortifications on the mountain.
Detachment. In order to defend against flamethrowers and grenades, the entrance passages of the caves where the Japanese troops were stationed all went up the slope. These caves and fortresses formed a huge defense system that covered the entire central area of the Harlem Mountains, which was very beneficial to the Japanese army.
Tactical retreat and reoccupation of these areas, and well consolidated Japanese defense lines.
In order to occupy Harlem Mountain, the 3rd Marine Brigade has paid a price of more than a thousand people. More than a week of continuous attacks has made the soldiers of the 3rd Marine Brigade exhausted physically and mentally. Today they finally received their first batch of reinforcements.
When Liu Jun, commander of the third marine brigade, and several advisers under his command greeted the reinforcements that had just arrived, Colonel Ren Ran, commander of the second marine brigade who had just arrived, saw faces that were darkened by gunpowder smoke and faces that had just arrived.
The tired eyes of the officers and soldiers beside him all showed.
"Pa!" Ren Ran saluted his colleagues who had been fighting bloody battles here for a week and said, "Brothers, you have worked hard!"
Liu Junqiang supported his tired body and said to Ren Ran: "Old battalion commander (Liu Jun was Ren Ran's battalion commander when he served in the 10th Infantry Division), I leave this place to you. The Japanese on the opposite side have been beaten crazy.
In addition, the Japanese have come with reinforcements now, so be careful!"
Ren Ran patted his old companion on the shoulder and said solemnly: "Good brother, please rest assured. Our three Marine Corps brigades are here this time. Brigadier Zhou and the others have already rushed to Harlem Airport. I will
If you don’t believe it, you won’t be able to crack this hard piece of Harlem Mountain.”
Just as Ren Ran was speaking, the soldiers of the 1st Marine Brigade who had arrived at Harlem Airport, led by brigade commander Zhou Zhen, and Wang Xiaoguo's 8th Company launched a new round of attack on Harlem Airport.
However, this attack would not be the same as in previous days. The determined Guan Zhenglin this time assembled more than thirty "Dreadnought" dive bombers to bombard the defenders at the airport indiscriminately. The flames of the explosion destroyed the Japanese troops.
The position was carefully sifted several times.
Under this indiscriminate bombing and the desperate onslaught of the Marine Brigade, at three o'clock in the afternoon, Harlem Airport was finally captured.
"Jianming, good news! Just now Guan Linzheng sent to report that Harlem Airport was occupied by us!" Bai Chongxixing hurriedly broke into Su Tong's office and handed him the telegram just sent by the Pacific Fleet.
"Finally captured!" After reading the telegram, Su Tong's heart, which had been hanging for days, was relieved.
Su Tong sat on the sofa and drank the tea. Then he smiled bitterly at Bai Chongxi and shook his head, "Brother Jiansheng,
I didn’t expect that the battle for Sakhalin would be so brutal. It was completely different from the Japanese troops we had fought against at home in the past. The Japanese themselves learned well this time and knew how to use all favorable means to resist our attacks.
Already."
"Yes, we are all making progress, and [Japan] himself is not the same." Bai Chongxi also said with some emotion: "Now our equipment is getting more and more advanced, but [Japan] himself is not idle either, [Japan]
Since our army was driven out of the mainland by us, it has strengthened its tactical drills and formulated relevant tactics and tactics against us. If it hadn't been for the Battle of Sakhalin Island, we wouldn't have known that the Japanese themselves would actually use tunnels to fight.
Come to delay our attack."
"Okay!" Su Tong waved his hand, "At least we have captured the Harlem Airport, so that our air force and heavy bombers can be put to use. Didn't Japan himself add another division of reinforcements?
?Then let’s show them what “carpet bombing” means!
Yes, Su Tong is determined to use "carpet bombing", a bombing method invented by later generations of Americans, to make the Japanese have a hard time!
In layman's terms, "carpet bombing" refers to using a large number of unguided bombs to cover and bomb a certain area like spreading a carpet on the floor, killing, wounding, and destroying personnel and equipment in the area.
This kind of bombing consumes an astonishing amount of ammunition, so Su Tong only dared to carry it out after occupying the airport and having a platform for heavy transport planes and bombers to take off and land.
On November 27, after occupying Harlem Airport, the Chinese army dispatched a battalion of engineers and nearly 3,000 Marine Corps officers and soldiers to quickly begin repairs to the airport. By 10 a.m. the next day, there were more than 20
A giant transport plane landed on this newly repaired runway, and a large amount of fuel, ammunition, and [medicine] urgently needed by the army were loaded from the plane. After unloading the ammunition and supplies, the plane flew back. Before leaving, they
A large number of wounded were also transported away.
On November 28, 60 Stuka bombers and 70 P-47 fighters transferred from Vladivostok officially settled at the airport.
On November 29, with the joint efforts of more than 3,000 Marines from the Industrial Battalion and the Navy, Harlem Airport was completely repaired, and 36 B-17 heavy bombers also stationed at Harlem Airport.
At the same time, the Fifth Division and the 41st Division of the Chinese Army were also transported to Sakhalin Island on Giant transport aircraft.
After the air routes were opened, the Chinese Pacific Fleet was finally free to deal with Japan's task force.
On November 30, the Pacific Fleet, which had already made up its carrier-based aircraft, dispatched 200 carrier-based aircraft to engage in a battle with the Japanese task force that was still lingering outside Sakhalin Island. This battle in the Pacific
The fleet shot down Japan at the cost of losing 76 carrier-based aircraft. Eighty-seven fighter planes of Japan's task force sank the battleship "Haruna" and more than 20 destroyers and two cruisers, severely damaging Japan.
〗The "Kaga" aircraft carrier and the "Yamato" battleship.
This heavy blow forced Lieutenant General Masaru Nakamura to order the task force to retreat towards the Hokkaido beacon. This also meant that the Japanese Navy was temporarily unable to support Sakhalin at this time.
The evening sun shone on the Cambridge aircraft carrier "Chicheng". Lieutenant General Masaru Nakamura had a lifeless look on his face as he watched the sailors on the ship driving rescue boats to search for the fallen sailors and the only ones not far away.
With the "Haruna" battleship exposed, Nakamura Masami had to painfully admit that his mission to support Sakhalin had failed. The task force that suffered heavy losses could no longer attack Sakhalin.
The Japanese troops on board are carrying out reinforcements. If the task force does not retreat, it is expected that its entire army will be annihilated.
"Your Excellency, Commander, we received a call from Tokyo Base Camp asking us about the results of this air battle. How should we respond?" A young combat advisor walked up to Nakamura Masami and asked in a low voice.
"How to answer?" Nakamura Masami smiled bitterly: "Your truthful answer is that the task force suffered heavy losses this time. If the base camp wants to be held responsible, let me bear the responsibility alone! Tomimitsu-kun, order the fleet to report immediately in half an hour.
Retreat in the direction of Hokkaido, we must take advantage of the cover of night to evacuate the battlefield as soon as possible, otherwise we will not be able to leave!"
"Hai!"
Soon, after rescuing the fallen soldiers, the task force began to withdraw from the ice in the southwest direction.
〖Japan〗 To the southwest of the Five Islands in the Main Sea is a fleet of four aircraft carriers and five battleships.
The huge fleet of twelve cruisers, fifty-three destroyers and more than thirty other ships is the main fleet of the Japanese-Japanese combined fleet commanded by the commander of the Japanese Navy, Admiral Yamamoto.
Yamamoto Isoroku was currently discussing the current war situation with a group of advisers in the war room of the "Hosho" aircraft carrier.
"Your Excellency, Commander, this is the battle report just sent by Commander Nakamura!" A communications consultant pushed the door open and handed a telegram to Yamamoto Isoroku.
After Yamamoto read the telegram, he remained silent and handed the telegram to the chief of staff, Lieutenant General Yu Heng. After everyone circulated the document, Lieutenant General Yu Heng asked softly: "Your Excellency, Commander, Nakamura
You have been defeated, should we continue to fight against China's East China Sea Fleet?"
Yamamoto Isoroku shook his head bitterly: "Since Nakamura-kun has been defeated, we no longer need to entangle with the Chinese. The Chinese's East China Sea Fleet is obviously trying to hold us back. Now their mission has been completed.
, naturally there is no need to persist with us, just watch, the Chinese people will retreat soon without any hint from us."
There was silence in the war room. From the telegram sent by Lieutenant General Masaru Nakamura, everyone knew that China's Pacific Fleet now has considerable strength, and they are capable of competing with the main force of the Japanese combined fleet.
〖Japan〗 It was a mistake for Japan's base camp to send a task force to support Sakhalin. In order to send the 58th Division to Sakhalin, one battleship, more than ten destroyers, cruisers and more than one hundred were lost.
The tragic loss of a carrier-based aircraft, the price is too heavy.
Yu Hengtang said painfully: "Your Excellency, Commander, we can no longer be entangled with the Chinese people. If this continues, our Japanese empire will be disintegrated! From the army to the navy, we have already suffered from the Chinese people.
They have suffered too much. Why do some people in the empire continue to provoke them again and again?"
Yamamoto Isoroku was speechless when he heard the words. He couldn't say anything to refute Yu Hengtang's words for a moment. That's right! Since when did the people of Huafu become "Japan"?