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Volume 1 On the Songhua River Chapter 1608 A Series of Japanese Offensives

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    On the battlefield of Luzon Island, the overwhelmingly superior Japanese army refused to attack and allowed the Americans to toss around. In this cat-and-mouse game, whether it was MacArthur, Stilwell who died in Chutian's plot, or even those who understood everything  Tang Qiuli's judgments about the development trend of the war situation were all wrong.  

    To be able to dig such a big hole for the Americans, the leader should have allowed General Ito Genzaburo, the commander-in-chief of the Japanese South Pacific Expeditionary Force, but he was wrong. The current confrontation on the Luzon battlefield is not what General Ito wanted.  have witnessed.

    It is obvious that it can effortlessly tear more than 300,000 American troops into pieces and drive the cunning MacArthur across the Pacific. Moreover, General Ito personally takes command on the Luzon Island battlefield. He believes that this battle is to encircle and annihilate the main force of MacArthur's American troops.  , it will definitely be a very beautiful fight, and it can even become a classic battle example.

    However, things went against expectations. Just when Commander-in-Chief Ito had almost all the troops defending Singapore and strengthened them to the Luzon battlefield, rolling up his sleeves and preparing for a big fight, an order from the base camp hit General Ito head-on.  A bucket of cold water, this order is a trap designed by Japan's top decision-makers for the Americans.

    Its fundamental purpose is to use the US troops under MacArthur as bait to attract continuous reinforcements from the US military and achieve the purpose of consuming the strength of the US military. In other words, the fundamental intention of the Japanese is to attract the British and Australian troops from Australia to the Luzon battlefield.  , creating favorable conditions for the next step to conquer Australia.

    However, General Ito Genzaburo scorned this so-called strategic plan. In his opinion, this plan, which anyone with a little military knowledge could see through at a glance, was not only absurd but also puzzling. It was a waste of time. Is it possible?  Achieving the objectives of the campaign is still unknown.  Ito didn¡¯t believe that Americans would be fooled.

    "If General Ito's plan is followed and the South Pacific islands are captured, all US military forces in the area will have been wiped out.  With the strength of the South Pacific Expeditionary Force.  Taking advantage of the power of victory, they used the currently occupied islands as the starting point to attack Australia from several directions at the same time.  As far as the British military strength in Australia is concerned, it is vulnerable.

    There is another meaning, which is General Ito's own idea, that is, it is a matter of face, as the commander-in-chief of the dispatched army.  Serving as the commander of a strategic main offensive direction is unreasonable in itself. The only reason why Ito made this decision despite the criticism of his colleagues was that Manila, where the regional headquarters of the US military is located, is of extraordinary significance.

    Based on Ito¡¯s idea, the Battle of Luzon Island.  It should be finished first. With the entire Fourteenth Army, plus the troops from three divisions and two brigades transferred from Singapore, the Black Tigers will dig deep and attack MacArthur's lair.  Destroying the command structure of the US military would not be a waste of self-degradation. As a commander for one time, he could attack the imperial troops in other directions.  The campaign mission has been completed and it is now time to rest and recuperate.

    The battlefield of Luzon Island.  However, the situation was like this, and this unknown order came from the base camp. It was no less than a slap in the face to Commander-in-Chief Ito. If nothing else, he was deprived of command authority and pushed to the front line.  , Lieutenant General Yoshihiko Haruta, the commander of the Fourteenth Army who was unconvinced, would laugh out loud.

    Therefore, after receiving this order from the base camp, the first thing Commander-in-Chief Ito said to the chief of staff, Major General Kawashima, was, "Kawashima-kun, have you ever seen such a ridiculous and unreasonable order? Those at the base camp  Guys, they only work behind closed doors and look at the map to direct the war. If they do this, they will lose the best fighter opportunity. No, I have to send a telegram to the base camp and argue with reason! If the order is not changed, I will directly write to His Majesty the Emperor!  "

    Major General Kawashima, who has followed Ito for many years, certainly knows why Commander-in-Chief Ito reacted so strongly and resisted the orders from the base camp. From his point of view, the base camp's plan definitely has merit. Look at Lu  The actions of the U.S. military on Song Island are clearly showing a posture of defending Manila. It can be said that the plan of the base camp is already half successful!

    To put it bluntly, Commander-in-Chief Ito was just trying to save his face. Of course, he could not say this clearly. Kawashima said hurriedly: "Your Majesty, Commander-in-Chief, please think twice. As a front-line commander, of course you have the right and obligation to report to the Supreme Commander.  Ministry, reflect your own opinions, but General, you should understand that the headquarters can issue such an order, it must have been finalized after many discussions, and it must have been approved by His Majesty the Emperor. "

    "Sending your telegram is equivalent to denying the collective wisdom of the base camp. To put it more deeply, it is denying the wisdom of His Majesty the Emperor. Can you bear the consequences of this?"

    Like a deflated rubber ball, Ito fell back on his chair with a look of frustration. The answer was obvious. He couldn't bear it. If any big boss in the base camp made a small stumble, he would be confused.?It's uncomfortable, not to mention the thunderous wrath coming from His Majesty the Emperor. The throne under his butt is immediately replaced, just by His Majesty the Emperor's words!

    But General Ito was unwilling to accept it. He was just a spectator on the battlefield, watching MacArthur's old fox tossing around in Manila, while he had nothing to do. He looked at Kawashima and said unwillingly:  "Kawashima-kun, you should also see the actual situation on the battlefield. Doing this in the base camp is tantamount to wasting the best fighter planes. Waiting for the Americans to operate in Manila before attacking, how many casualties will be added and how much delay will it cause?  time?"

    Kawashima smiled strangely, handed a base camp war situation report to General Ito, and said: "Commander-in-Chief, this is the war situation report just received from the base camp general staff. After reading it, you may  I will have a new understanding of the orders from the base camp and I won¡¯t be so angry!¡±

    The war situation report of the General Staff Headquarters of the Japanese Army Base Camp is as of June 15th, all the war situations in the Pacific Theater. Since the Japanese Navy Task Force completely wiped out the U.S. Navy Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor and Midway Island, the Japanese army  After the Seventh Army attacked the Hawaiian Islands, it organized seven first-class divisions into the East Pacific Front. With the cooperation of the Japanese Navy's First and Second Fleets, it launched multiple offensives in the East Pacific waters.

    As of the evening of June 15th, the Japanese army launched a multi-pronged assault, and the offensive was like a tidal wave. They succeeded one after another and had captured Midway Island, Johnston Island, the Northern Mariana Islands, and the Marshall Islands. Between the Japanese mainland and the Hawaiian Islands,  A springboard composed of islands has been set up to connect the battlefields of Japan and the Hawaiian Islands. Whether it is transporting supplies or soldiers, there is no need to worry about the obstruction of the vast sea!

    Furthermore, the combat radius of the land-based fighters and bombers of the Japanese Army Air Force can penetrate deep into the east coast of the United States and cover the entire eastern Pacific. The battle situation is absolutely beneficial to the Japanese!

    After reading the war report, Ito Yanzaburo fell silent, his eyes rolled around, and he said to Kawashima: "Kawashima-kun, in other words, the strategic intention of the base camp is to cut off the South Pacific islands, Australia, and the United States.  With regard to local connections, if MacArthur wants to defend Manila, he can only mobilize troops from Australia. This is the only way to go. The ultimate operational goal of the base camp in the Southwest Pacific is to capture Australia! "

    Kawashima clapped his hands and praised, "Your Excellency, Commander-in-Chief, the Ministry of Staff sincerely admires your strategic vision and judgment. The Ministry of Staff also makes the same judgment. However, it was only after a long period of thinking that we came to the conclusion. No.  Like you, Commander-in-Chief, after reading the war report, you immediately came to a conclusion, which is beyond the reach of the Ministry of Commerce!"

    General Ito Yanzaburo's gloomy face showed a slight smile. Upon closer inspection, there was still a trace of pride. Obviously, he was very satisfied with Major General Kawashima's flattery. After his mood improved, Ito further analyzed Luzon.  The battle situation on the island.

    Ito pretended to be profound and said: "Kawashima-kun, based on the current situation of the battle on Luzon Island, we can see the good intentions of the base camp. If the imperial army's attack is very fierce, once MacArthur feels that Manila cannot hold on, Luzon Island  More than 300,000 US troops will all withdraw south to Australia, adding a lot of difficulties to the Australian campaign! "

    Major General Kawashima professed his kindness, and countless words that were very useful to General Ito came out. But in his heart, he secretly breathed a sigh of relief, "I am exhausted. I finally got the general to change his temper. Otherwise, I will have to stab the general."  Lou Zi can¡¯t! Wouldn¡¯t he be implicated too?¡±

    On the morning of June 16, in the temporary office of Tang Qiuli at the Guangzhou Garrison District Headquarters, Chief of Staff Zhao Yuhe came in with a telegram, "Commander, I have just received a report from the Intelligence Analysis Center of the Intelligence Division about the Pacific Ocean.  Please take a look at the latest analysis results of the battlefield!¡±

    Tang Qiuli took the telegram, read it quickly, shook his head with a smile, and said to Zhao Yuhe: "What do you think of the series of offensives launched by the Japanese army in the Eastern Pacific region?" His eyes flashed slightly.  With a cunning look.

    Zhao Yuhe smiled and thought to himself: "The division commander is testing my ability to judge and analyze strategic situations again, so let's go ahead and say it. Anyway, if I say it wrong, the division commander won't laugh at me!"

    Zhao Yuhe walked to the map, pointed to the location of the Eastern Pacific, and said: "Based on the series of offensives launched by the Japanese army in this area, the Japanese army's strategic intention is to cut off the connection between the mainland United States, the islands in the Southwest Pacific, and Australia.  , causing MacArthur to keep the bridgehead for future counterattacks and defend Manila, the only way to go is to mobilize troops from Australia. The next target of the Japanese army is Australia! "

    Tang Qiuli smiled and continued to ask: "Then how to explain the reason why the Japanese army was unable to attack the Hawaiian Islands for a long time and fell into a bitter battle?"
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