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Red Alert: The Republic of China Text Chapter 648 The Road to the United States (Part 2)

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    The landing plan for the Marshall Islands was fully researched before the attack on the Gilbert Islands.

    In fact, in mid-October, Qian Sihai officially issued a combat preparation plan, requiring simultaneous landings on Maloerap and Wotje Atolls, as well as Kwajalein Atoll.

    The first two atolls are the two closest Allied bases in the Marshall Islands to the Philippines. The latter atoll is located in the center of the Marshall Islands and is the location of the Allied Forces Division.

    In view of the fact that the attack on Tarawa was not smooth enough, the landing operations headquarters believed that if the above three places were attacked at the same time, both ground troops and support forces would be insufficient.  It is recommended that the war plan for the Marshall Islands be re-examined.

    The headquarters staff generally agreed with the above opinions and proposed that the landing operation be carried out in two steps.  First, the two atolls of Maloerap and Waterje were captured in order to build bases to support the subsequent landing operations on Kwajalein Island.  However, what shocked them was that Qian Sihai advocated bypassing the two atolls of Maguelap and Watje and directly carrying out landing operations on Kwajalein Atoll.

    Many people strongly oppose Qian Sihai¡¯s opinion.  They believe that once the Kwajalein Atoll is occupied by the Chinese army, the atoll will become an assault target for the Allied shore-based aviation in Maloelapu, Waterje, Mili and Jaluit.

    ¡°Moreover, the Allied forces can also rely on these bases to destroy the communication lines between Kwajalein and the Philippines or Gilbert. In addition, the air supply lines from Hawaii via Eniwetok to the above-mentioned Allied bases have not been cut off.

    Since Qian Sihai insisted on bypassing several Allied bases east of Kwajalein, there were staff suggestions.  First capture the undefended Majuro Atoll in the eastern Marshall Islands.

    Qian Sihai agrees with this suggestion.  Seizing Majuro Atoll before seizing Kwajalein would provide the fleet with a base in the operational waters.

    Shore-based aviation at Majuro Atoll can also protect sea lines of communication between Kwajalein and Gilbert.  Although the finalized battle plan tentatively considers capturing Eniwetok as a possible plan, the time of its implementation and the number of troops used will depend on the results and speed of the Kwajalein battle.

    This decision to directly take the central island of the Marshall Islands not only shocked Qian Sihai's commanders, but also completely exceeded the expectations of the Allies.

    The basic judgment of the Allied base camp at that time was that the next offensive of the Chinese army would either be directed from the Gilbert Islands to Mili and Jaluit, or from the Philippines to Waterje or Maloerap.  therefore.  to these outer atolls.  Priority will be given to the human and material resources required to resist the invasion.

    Qian Sihai¡¯s judgment was correct, Kwajalein¡¯s defense was relatively weak.  The situation here is very different from what the Chinese Marine Corps encountered on Betio Island.  Although the Allied forces in Kwajalein Atoll have more than 18,000 troops, they have less than 12,200 trained combat troops.

    The rest are engineering technicians, engineering soldiers, laborers (mostly Koreans), aviation ground crews, and various miscellaneous personnel affiliated with the headquarters, etc.

    Hard to say.  How effective can these non-combatants be in garrison duty?  All allies.  It is said that they are all equipped with weapons of one kind or another.  Most of them were ashamed of being captured and would rather die than surrender.

    The aviation firepower preparation for the Marshall Islands is shore-based aviation, from the newly constructed airfields in the Ellis Islands and Gilbert Islands.  On November 29, the task force (a fast aircraft carrier task force reinforced by part of the Pacific Fleet) arrived in the Marshall Sea carrying 750 combat aircraft.

    While the fleet's aircraft carried out air strikes on the two atolls of Jaluit and Mili to suppress the Allied forces, one aircraft carrier task group attacked the Maloerap Atoll, and another aircraft carrier task group attacked the Watje Ring.  Reef, the remaining two aircraft carrier task groups conducted air raids on Kwajalein Atoll.  This air strike alone destroyed all Allied aircraft on these atolls.

    On the night of the 29th, the artillery support group of Task Force 8 also bombarded the Allied airfield on Eniwetok Atoll in order to prevent Allied aircraft here from coming for support.

    At dawn on the 30th, another aircraft carrier task force was sent to attack Eniwetok and destroyed all Japanese aircraft gathered there.

    On the same day, two aircraft carrier task groups attacked the defense facilities of Kwajalein Atoll, and another aircraft carrier task group attacked Maloerap Atoll and Watje Atoll.

    After these several air strikes, the Allied aviation forces in the Kwajalein area have been completely wiped out, and the coastal defense facilities in the Marshall Islands have also been destroyed.

    During this period, the landing assault force of the amphibious warfare force was on its way.  About 200 ships transported 53,000 assault troops (half of which were Army and Marine Corps) and 31,000 infantry.  When this huge fleet approached the Marshall Islands, the logistics supply ship formation then entered the Majuro Lagoon, preparing to accompany the naval forces.??Provide required logistical support.

    Therefore, this fleet has a temporary forward base and does not need to rely directly on the Philippines.  This kind of forward base gradually moves forward, and the support range continues to extend forward and expand to the eastern Pacific.

    On the 30th, the northern assault formation and the southern assault formation arrived at Kwajalein Atoll respectively.  Following three days of intensive aviation firepower preparations carried out by fast aircraft carrier-based aircraft, naval guns and escorting aircraft carrier-based aircraft were used for the assault.

    The Chinese Navy has carefully learned the lessons learned from the Tarawa landing operation and achieved good results in this operation.  The first targets to attack are Roy Island and Namu Island.  These two small islands are located at the northern end of the Kwajalein Lagoon and are connected by a dike.

    Kwajalein Island is to the south of these two islands, 44 nautical miles apart.  In terms of weight, the bombs and artillery shells dropped by the Chinese army on Kwajalein Island were three times more than those used on Betio Island.

    The aircraft carried out precise bombing of selected targets.  The artillery support ship group corrected the firing direction and distance according to actual needs, and switched to armor-piercing bombs and air-dropped penetrating bombs.

    On December 1, the landing force captured several small islands near Roy-Namu Island and Duojialin Island.  Later, amphibious warfare ships and close fire support groups.  Sail into the relatively calm lagoon from the narrow channel and deploy artillery on the newly occupied islands to cover the main landing site.

    During the day and night that day, an underwater demolition team composed of swimmers who were good at swimming conducted reconnaissance on the approach route to the landing site under the cover of naval guns.  They found out that there were no mines or other obstacles near the beach, and the reefs and waves posing no great threat.

    That night, the destroyer force repeatedly bombarded the Allies to harass the Allies and weaken their resistance.

    As soon as it dawned on the 2nd, direct fire preparations before the assault on land began.  then.  The aviation firepower preparations and naval gunfire preparations that lasted two days finally reached their climax.  And this time there is the support of two famous general-class battleships, and the firepower is greatly enhanced.

    The naval guns fired fiercely at Roy-Namu and Kwajalein Islands from close range, and the shore guns on neighboring islands fired longitudinally.  And in the sky above the artillery trajectory.  There are also Djinn bombers from the Gilbert Islands in the future.  Five hundred kilograms and one ton bombs were dropped on Kwajalein Island.

    When the naval gunfire is suspended, the aircraft carrier's carrier-based aircraft will conduct dive bombing and machine gun fire.  The commander of the amphibious operations force, the commander of the landing force and the division commanders and their staffs exercise unified command on the coordinated actions related to fire preparation and assault landing on a newly built amphibious operations command ship.

    At this time.  The tracked landing vehicles are still not enough to send all the land troops to the beach through the reef.  However, the tracked landing vehicles used in this operation were all equipped with armor and machine guns.  In addition, the Southern Assault Force also uses the Army's amphibious combat utility vehicle to make up for the lack of tracked landing vehicles.  The tracked landing vehicle was transported by the tank landing ship to the sea area near the departure line, and then slowly advanced to the landing site under its own power.

    When approaching the beach of Roy Island, several collisions occurred with the crawler landing vehicle.  However, the two battalions of landing troops were still able to land in an orderly manner.  When arriving ashore, the Allied island defenders fired several shells in the direction of the landing craft, but none hit.  As soon as the landing troops landed, they came under heavy fire from the machine gun on the left.  At the same time, there were also many Japanese soldiers holding bayonets and shouting "Long Live" and fiercely rushed towards the Chinese army landing troops on the beach. This kind of recklessness was of no avail.

    The Marine Corps advanced in depth without stopping, moving quickly and violently.  Roy Island is almost entirely occupied by the airport. There is no open space to build houses and other facilities. The troops defending the island can find no shelter to hide themselves and fight against the enemy.  Before nightfall, Roy Island had been occupied by the Chinese army.

    However, it was not all smooth sailing for the Chinese landing troops. When the first wave of landing troops attacked Namu Island, only part of the assault troops reached the starting line.  Therefore, the landing operation on this small island with numerous buildings appeared to be disorderly and the use of troops was scattered.

    Fortunately, the Marine Corps encountered no resistance or other obstacles on the waterfront beach.  However, once entering the island, the situation is completely different.  There are obstacles such as piles of rubble, coconut trees and logs everywhere, making it difficult for the tanks and landing troops of the Chinese army to move, but on the contrary, the Allied snipers have a place to hide.

    In order to buy time and pass through this area as quickly as possible, the assault troops had to leave many strong anti-landing positions to follow-up troops to destroy them with explosives and flamethrowers.

    During the battle on the island, ammunition stored by the Allied forces exploded, causing serious casualties.  Later, the Marine Corps mistook the bunker filled with torpedo heads for the Allied combat command post and attacked it, causing an even bigger explosion.  When the bunker exploded, the entire island was immediately shrouded in pungent smoke, followed by manyPieces of suspicious soil and metal fragments flew towards both the offensive and defensive forces.

    That night, the assault force could not be calm all night long. There were harassment from the Allied forces in front and random shooting from friendly forces behind.  After dawn, the Chinese army annihilated the nearby Allied forces and quickly attacked the north bank.

    Soon after noon on the 3rd, the Chinese army announced that it had occupied Namu Island.

    The Chinese army suffered a total of 346 casualties on the northern islands of Kwajalein Atoll, including 96 killed and 250 wounded.  All 1,345 Allied soldiers on the island were killed; among the 3,200 other personnel, except for 40 Korean laborers and 51 Allied soldiers who were taken prisoner, the rest were killed during the preparation of firepower.

    The battle plan for the landing operation on Kwajalein Island is basically the same as the above-mentioned tactics of the 4th Marine Division.  As with the landings in the northern part of the lagoon, in the southern part two RCTs captured the main objective, and a third RCT occupied several nearby islands.

    But the topography of Kwajalein Island is different from Roy-Namu Island.  If the landing was carried out on the lagoon side of Kwajalein Island, the landing troops would be exposed to flanking fire from the Allied forces on the shore.  Therefore, you cannot log in from here.  It is not advisable to land on the side of the ocean because the waves there are too big and the Allied defenses are tighter.

    Only the narrow west side is suitable for landing, but the several battalions of the two regiment combat teams landing here cannot advance at the same time, and can only land one battalion and one camp in sequence.

    The landing battle on Kwajalein Island did not have the chaos on Roy Island and Namu Island, and it was fought very beautifully.  The landing on Kwajalein Island went relatively smoothly. This was certainly due to the calm sea area, but the main reason was that Collett learned the lessons of the landing on Attu Island and repeatedly conducted rigorous training for his troops thereafter.  .

    The tank landing ships assembled on the west side of the departure line released the tracked landing vehicles loaded with boarding troops.  The dock landing ship launched a mechanized landing craft carrying the King Tiger main battle tank as well as amphibious armored vehicles and tanks directly launched into the water.

    These landing craft are before the transport ship lowers the vehicle and personnel landing craft.  Arrange in columns according to the waves of the boat and make a circular motion.  Three infantry landing craft took the lead in sailing towards the enemy shore, using 40mm machine guns and rocket launchers to shoot at the landing site.

    9 o'clock.  The control ship located on the flank of the departure line sent the signal to the first wave to attack from the departure line as planned.  The first wave consisted of 16 crawler landing vehicles.  16 amphibious armored vehicles and 2 control boats.

    The formation is neat when attacking.  then.  The remaining three waves attack one after another at 4-minute intervals.  Each landing craft impacted the beach at a speed of 5 knots.  As the landing craft approached the beach, the distant battleships and cruisers stopped firing on the shore and shifted their firepower deeper.

    Then the four nearby destroyers continued to fire on the landing beach.  It did not stop until the landing troops reached the shore.  The first wave was still 180 meters away from the beach.  The infantry landing craft stood ready to fire on the flanks of the formation.

    At 9:30, the first wave landed on time as planned.  After the crawler landing vehicle is unloaded, when it returns to pick up the landing troops on the landing craft separated by the reef, the amphibious armored vehicle continues to move forward after landing to cover the landing site.

    Within 12 minutes, 1,200 landing troops came ashore, then organized their teams and prepared to continue the attack.  Although the Allied forces defending the island resisted with light weapons, there were no casualties among the landing troops.  This landing, like all previous successful landings, was extremely satisfying.

    As of sunset on February 2, approximately 11,000 troops had landed on Kwajalein Island.  However, the progress of the battle on the shore was much slower than that of the Marines attacking Roy Island and Namu Island.

    There are three reasons for this: first, the stronger Allied island-defending troops must be eliminated;

    Second, the chosen landing area forced them to attack the entire island in sequence. The island was thin and long, and the front of the attack was very narrow. The defenders could use fewer troops to resist and delay the actions of the landing troops;

    Third, in order to reduce unnecessary casualties, the infantry tactics of positional combat during World War I were used.  Under the cover of artillery and aircraft, they advanced for three days with typical steady and steady tactics, pressing the remaining hundreds of Allied troops to the northern part of Kwajalein Island, and began the final encirclement and annihilation.  By noon on the 4th, all effective Allied resistance ended.

    A total of 177 people were injured by the Chinese army on Kwajalein Island and its nearby islands, of which 37 were killed and 140 were injured.  The Allied garrison consisted of approximately 2,200 ground troops and 3,200 other personnel.  Among them, except for 125 Korean workers and 49 Allied soldiers who were captured, the rest were all killed.

    During these four days of combat, the fleet remained on the nearby sea, ready to provide support at any time.  Except for a few shells hit by Allied shore artillery, the Chinese army ships suffered no other damage.

    Next, the landing command believed that it was no longer necessary to use tens of thousands of military reserves for the battle on Kwajalein Island, so they decided to seize the Eniwetok Atoll without losing any opportunity.

    Planning to stay here again?A logistics base to provide support for cross-island operations that continue eastward.

    However, Eniwetok Atoll is the largest atoll in the western part of the Marshall Islands and its location is relatively exposed.  It is only over 1,000 nautical miles away from Midway Island, less than 700 nautical miles away from Majuro Island, and less than 600 nautical miles away from Pohnpei Atoll.

    In order to prevent the Allied forces from preventing the Chinese army from attacking Eniwetok Atoll, the above-mentioned Allied bases must be blocked.  Some people may think that it is impossible and very risky to attack Eniwetok Atoll before the battle on Kwajalein Atoll is completely over.

    However, Qian Sihai agreed without hesitation.  And ordered relevant parties to provide all necessary support for the implementation of this new offensive.

    When the Allied base camp had to admit that the Marshall Islands could no longer be defended, it retreated significantly to a line starting from the Mariana Islands in the south, passing through the Phoenix Islands in the east to the western Line Islands.

    In order to gain time and rebuild their depleted aviation forces, the Allies gave the garrison forces on the islands east of this new line of defense a suicidal mission, that is, to weaken the Chinese army and delay its actions.

    After the fall of Kwajalein Atoll, Majuro Island was completely exposed to the offensive of the Chinese army. MacArthur carefully withdrew most of the navy to the Line Islands, leaving only 2 light cruisers and 8 ships in the Majuro area.  destroyer.  To protect local naval forces and base cargo ships.

    During this period.  The United States is stepping up its efforts to train pilots at home.  Once the pilots of the shore-based aircraft mastered the flying skills, they flew west along the new defense line and stationed at Majuro and other forward bases in the Caroline Islands.

    The United States attempts to use this method to build a military force along this new line of defense that can defeat any invading enemy.

    By mid-December.  There are 1,365 aircraft deployed on Majuro Island.  There are also 200 aircraft ready to fly from the Allies to the Mariana Islands.

    The above is the situation before the Chinese army attacked Eniwetok.  in this case.  Task Force 8, the landing force, departed from Majuro and Kwajalein.  Heading towards Eniwetok.

    The aircraft carrier task force dispatched one task force to perform support tasks in the landing area, while the other three aircraft carrier task groups sailed southwest, pointing directly at Majuro Island.

    At this time, the bombers of the Army's 7th Air Force had already moved 900 nautical miles away from Tarawa to carry out fierce air strikes one after another to paralyze the Allied forces in Pohnpei.

    Surrounded by coral reefs, Majuro Island is one of the best bases in the world.  During the Japanese mandate, it was considered an impregnable fortress, either known as the "Japanese Philippines" or the "Gibraltar of the Pacific."

    Task Force 8 of the Attack Fleet not only debunked the myth of Majuro's impregnability, but also proved that aircraft carrier forces can paralyze such Allied bases without the support of shore-based aviation.

    On December 17, when carrier-based aircraft of Task Force 8 carried out repeated air attacks on Majuro, the 75,000-ton battleships Wei Qing and Huo Qubing, two cruisers and four destroyers were operating in the waters near Majuro.  In order to sink the Allied warships trying to escape from the waterway between the reefs.

    In order to prevent the Japanese ships from slipping away from the attacks of the Eighth Task Force's carrier-based aircraft and battleship guns, Qian Sihai contacted Di Lang and sent 10 submarines to patrol the waters around Majuro in advance.

    On the night of December 17th to 18th, aircraft carrier-based aircraft, guided by airborne radar, bombed allied ships in Majuro Lagoon.

    At dawn the next day, the aircraft carrier, which had already begun to evacuate, launched its final air attack with all its strength.  During the two-day air raid, approximately 1,200 Allied aircraft were destroyed and more than 170 were damaged. 15 Allied ships were sunk, including 2 cruisers, 4 destroyers, 59 cargo ships and 25 oil tankers.  The ship was also sunk.

    The Chinese army lost 25 aircraft, and the Qiantang River aircraft carrier (modified aircraft carrier) was severely damaged.  The aircraft carrier was hit by an Allied torpedo plane at night. This was the only Allied counterattack during this battle.

    Facts have proved that the so-called "indestructible Majuro" is nothing more than a myth.  During Japan's 20-year trusteeship, its naval investment was not used to build the "Maginot Line" on the ocean, as many people imagined, but to build its fleet.

    Task Force 8 annihilated Majuro's Allied aviation force, which could both isolate the entire island group and paralyze the entire Marshall Islands.

    On December 18, the aircraft of the Micronesian Air Force of the Chinese Army did not detect a single Allied aircraft over the Marshall Islands.

    After successfully attacking Majuro, Qian Sihai sent two task forces of the 8th Task Force to attack the Phoenix Group.??.

    On the afternoon of December 22, the Chinese army's rapid march south achieved brilliant results and disrupted the enemy's defensive deployment.  Lieutenant General Kakuji Tsunoda, commander of the Allied shore-based aviation forces in the Phoenix Islands, had just transferred 550 torpedo planes and bombers from the United States ahead of the fighter squadrons.

    On the morning of the 23rd, carrier-based aircraft of the 8th Task Force launched an air attack on the Phoenix Islands.  Before the arrival of the Allied fighter squadron, the Allied torpedo planes and bombers were wiped out in one fell swoop.

    For the Chinese army, as important as the annihilation of the Allied aviation in the Phoenix Islands was the aerial photography of the Allied airfields and beaches suitable for landing.

    While the task force moved to attack the distant Allied base, the landing force used tactics similar to those used to attack Kwajalein to capture Eniwetok Atoll.

    However, the strength ratio between the Chinese army's landing force and the Allied garrison at Kwajalein was about 6:1, while the strength ratio at Eniwetok was less than 3:1.

    Therefore, only one of the three islands in Eniwetok Atoll can be captured at a time.  The landing task was carried out by the 4th Marine Division and the two battalions of the 27th Infantry Battalion that participated in the Makin landing operation.

    Although it is impossible to capture the last resistance force in the Marshall Islands at once, the Allied forces that have lost all support will only end up being gradually eliminated.  Everything is just a matter of time.

    As of this time, the Chinese army, relying on Roy Island, Namu Island and Kwajalein Island, has cleared all the Allied forces on the islands around the Kwajalein Lagoon.  Then the Chinese army bypassed the heavily fortified atolls of Wotje, Maloelapu, Mili and Jaluit, and stationed on other islands in the Marshall Islands, and frequently attacked the bypassed Allied bases.  Conduct air strikes, continually weaken and blockade them.

    Except for the fact that submarines can still access these Allied bases, there is no other way to provide supplies and reinforcements. Therefore, they can no longer pose any threat to the rear of the Chinese army's offensive forces.  On the contrary, these islands are of great use to the Chinese army, which can use them as actual combat targets for training new pilots.

    When Christmas comes in the West, the entire Marshall Islands will completely fall into the hands of China.

    ??The next place to face China directly, apart from the island groups east of Australia in the southern hemisphere, is the last gateway of the United States, Hawaii.  (To be continued)
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