I am Jiang Weiguo in World War II

Page 547

In addition to the "Asian Fleet" deployed to the Philippines, the U.S. Navy can still fight in the Pacific at this time is the 8th Task Force. In fact, the fleet is very strong, and its overall strength accounts for more than half of the overall strength of the Pacific Fleet.

Admiral Kimmel's final order to Lieutenant General Halsey was: go to the Philippines night and day.

For now, Halsey is prepared to disobey the orders of his superiors.

In the command room of the heavy aircraft carrier USS Lexington, the flagship of the 8th Task Force, Halsey's eyes were red, and his whole person looked like an angry lion.

"Fuck!" Halsey cursed, "Damn Japs! Damn yellow monkeys! Despicable! Shameless!"

Not long after the Japanese carrier-based aircraft dropped the first bomb on Pearl Harbor, the 8th Task Force received this bad news that was no less than a thunderbolt from the clear sky: "The Japanese carrier-based aircraft group is attacking Pearl Harbor! Pearl Harbor is unprepared , suffered heavy losses!" For a while, the chief officers of the 8th Task Force were shocked by this sudden, almost unbelievable news, and after barely recovering, Halsey immediately ordered: "Return Pearl Harbor! Enter the war! Fight back against the Japanese!"

Halsey has a violent and resolute temper, a brave and tenacious character, but he is very easy-going with people.

The surprise attack on Hawaii by the Japanese army meant that the war had already begun. For people like Halsey, since the war had already begun, how could they not charge forward?What's more, Hawaii is the general base of the Pacific Fleet. It is very important, very crucial, and very crucial. Halsey was furious, full of grief and indignation, and he wished he could All the warships put on their wings and flew directly to Hawaii to participate in the battle, but Fletcher, the deputy commander of the fleet, and Spruance, the chief of staff, stopped Halsey's almost impulsive will in time. Although the two were as shocked as Halsey, Grief and anxiety, but they all remained calm and rational.

"The enemy's situation is unknown, so we can't act rashly!" Fletcher said, "The Pacific Fleet was obviously caught by surprise. According to common sense, the warships anchored at Pearl Harbor are probably in danger. Then, our fleet is The last main force of the Pacific Fleet bears the heavy responsibility of counterattacking the enemy and restoring the situation, and cannot take risks.

At this time, hundreds of Japanese planes were bombing indiscriminately over Pearl Harbor, and we went back like this, it was like throwing ourselves into a trap!"

"We also have carrier-based aircraft!" Halsey clenched his fists tightly, "I want to make those Japanese devils come and go!"

"We must first figure out the strength of the enemy army!" Spruance said, "Fortunately, Hawaii is our base. Although it is being attacked by the Japanese army, there are our people there. We can use them to know the most accurate information. , The latest information!"

Under the dispatch of Spruance, the fleet continued to sail away from Hawaii, and at the same time ejected six seaplanes back to Hawaii, contacted the Fleet Commander-in-Chief, and asked the Fleet Commander-in-Chief to continuously send the Japanese troops to the 8th Task Force by telegram. Intelligence, as for the use of seaplanes as a communication tool, it is to keep the 8th Task Force in radio silence and prevent the fleet's position from being exposed.

The steady stream of intelligence was quickly sent to the 8th Task Force by the Pacific Fleet Commander-in-Chief.

That night, Spruance and others determined the strength of the Japanese army. Undoubtedly, the strength of the Japanese army was much stronger than that of the U.S. 8th Task Force.

日军有10艘航母，第8舰队是5艘，日军有6艘战列舰，第8舰队是5艘。

"Turn around and fight back? Or continue to drive away?" Halsey, Fletcher, and Spruance were lost in thought and dispute.

"Wouldn't it be too cheap for those Japanese bastards if we didn't kill a few of their capital ships?" Halsey was furious, and he gritted his teeth angrily, "Don't fight, we are too incompetent! We were attacked by the Japanese. Sneak attack, the Pacific Fleet suffered heavy losses, countless casualties, Hawaii was also occupied by the Japanese, such a disgrace, should we run away with our heads in our arms? I can't do it!"

Fletcher said: "Yes, the Japanese ground troops have also landed and occupied Hawaii. With the strength of our fleet, it is impossible to defeat the Japanese army and take back Hawaii. We must continue to leave to avenge the future. To preserve the precious remaining strength of the Pacific Fleet, or take advantage of the cover of night, kill a carbine, severely injure the Japanese, and then leave!" He paused, "I personally support continuing to leave.

Yes, the Japanese undeclared war on us and caused us such a terrible loss and shame, I am also extremely sad and angry, but the more we are at this time, the more we must restrain our emotional impulses and not be impulsive!"

Halsey said angrily: "Then we just run away like this? Yes, the Japanese are stronger than us, but we are not incapable of competing with them! Our war with the Japanese has officially begun today, and we cannot Losing in a mess! Even if we can’t turn defeat into victory, at least we must fight hard and play a counterattack! Let the Japanese know that we are definitely not easy to bully!”

The two disagreed with each other, insisted on their own opinions, and couldn't stop arguing.

Spruance, who did not participate in the dispute, has been thinking calmly. Finally, he said: "We really want to protect the last capital ship of the Pacific Fleet in our hands, but running away like this is not the best strategy. .

Our number of aircraft carriers is less than that of the Japanese, and the number of battleships is not much different from that of the Japanese. During the day, the sea is when the aircraft carriers rule the roost, but at night, when the carrier-based aircraft cannot be dispatched, the battleships can flex their muscles.

I think we can take advantage of this night to fight back! "

Halsey exclaimed excitedly: "Yes! We should be like this! Give those Japanese bastards a little color!"

Although Fletcher advocated continuing to leave, after listening to Spruance's analysis, he no longer objected.

That night, the U.S. 8th Task Force launched a night counterattack against the Japanese.

Chapter 631 Rich Harvest (1)

The "Japan-U.S.-Hawaii Naval Battle" that broke out on the night of March 1942, 3 was undoubtedly very large in scale. There were as many as 29 battleships and more than 11 cruisers participating in the battle. Due to natural conditions, it did not maximize its role, but this battle was the first official aircraft carrier battle in the history of human warfare. A total of 40 aircraft carriers from Japan and the United States participated in this battle.

All of a sudden, the vicinity of the Hawaiian Islands was raging like a shuttle.

In fact, this Hawaii naval battle is not a one-on-one confrontation between Japan and the United States in the strict sense, because there is still a "third-party fleet" in the battle area, that is, the Chinese Navy's 2nd Fleet.

It stands to reason that the fleet of the Chinese Navy is with the Japanese, but for reasons that need not be stated, the Chinese military neither wanted to really help the Japanese nor really want to fight the Americans in the Japan-US war, so they adopted In fact, the Chinese military has not been truly regarded as an enemy army by the US government and the US military at this time, and it is in a very subtle state of "neither enemy nor friend" with the US. When the fleet fought, the 2nd Fleet of the Chinese Navy just carefully stayed out of the matter and stayed on the sidelines to act as "onlookers". Fortunately, the size of the Chinese Navy's fleet is only a fraction of the Japanese fleet. The Chinese navy stood by. As for the U.S. military, the U.S. military was too busy attacking the Japanese battleships and aircraft carriers. They would not take the Chinese navy's light cruisers and destroyers as targets. In addition, the Chinese navy fleet "sneaked away and hid far away", so The Chinese fleet did not take part in the battle, and no fighting broke out between the Chinese and American fleets.

When the battle broke out, the Japanese and American armies tensed up and down, while the Chinese soldiers were extremely leisurely.

The island of Oahu has been taken, and the Chinese army and navy officers and soldiers who have landed on the island are orderly controlling the entire island and the Americans on the island. The [-] officers and soldiers who landed on the island are obviously not enough for many affairs, and the officers and soldiers are exhausted. They have been bumping on the boat for half a month, and after an afternoon of fierce fighting, their physical strength is very exhausted. After the battle, many officers and soldiers have found a Fall asleep in a safe place.

Bao Changyi ordered the troops to work in two shifts, with half of the officers and soldiers resting first and taking the time to sleep, while the other half of the officers and soldiers insisted on continuing to finish the war after the war, and then changed shifts after three hours. Thereby supplementing the shortage of labor force.

This matter went very smoothly. Faced with the polite request of the Nanjing Army, most of the American captives and many young and middle-aged residents on the island expressed their willingness. There were tens of thousands of people who followed the arrangement of the Nanjing Army. The officers and soldiers of the Nanjing Army were generally amazed at this, and did not understand "Why are these Yankees so docile? They have no backbone" and "Everyone is a good citizen."

In fact, the reason why the American captives and island residents cooperated with the Nanjing Army is also very easy to explain: First, the Americans have always advocated "human rights first", so they "cherish life very much" and will not fight like mad dogs like the Japanese. , as long as there is a chance of survival, the Americans will firmly grasp it; secondly, the Nanjing Army has proved through preliminary practical actions that they are a civilized army, making the American captives and local residents convinced that "as long as you don't resist, you won't fight." Injured", so they are willing to cooperate with the Nanjing Army, so as to get more lenient and generous treatment from the Nanjing Army. On the contrary, if the Nanjing Army treats the American captives and local residents as cruelly as the Japanese army, naturally, for the American captives and local residents They are all dead, it is better to riot and resist; third, after the American captives and local residents are reduced to prison, in addition to resisting and cooperating, there is a third way, which is to escape. However, the situation of Oahu Island is special. This is an island, there is no way to escape, and it is difficult to fly. The island itself is a natural prison, so the only choice for American prisoners and local residents is to cooperate with the Nanjing Army.

According to Bao Changyi's order, half of the officers and soldiers could go to rest. Immediately, the officers and soldiers who could rest cheered, and then dragged their exhausted bodies to find a comfortable place.

Some officers and soldiers ran into the barracks of the U.S. military, first went to the bathroom that originally belonged to the U.S. military to take a shower, then took off the military uniforms that were covered in gunpowder smoke, soaked in sweat, splashed with blood, and soaked in sea water, and put on flowered shirts and beach clothes that originally belonged to the U.S. military. Pants, flip-flops, and finally lying on the spring bed that belonged to the US military, blowing on the electric fan that originally belonged to the US military, listening to the radio that originally belonged to the US military, and then opened the refrigerator that originally belonged to the US military, and took out the American beer inside. Drink to your heart's content.

"It's so comfortable! The cold beer is delicious! It's refreshing!"

"I said, brethren, are we here for war or for vacation?"

"Damn! American soldiers really enjoy it! It's so comfortable!"

"It's no wonder the Yankee's combat effectiveness is so poor, the combat effectiveness has been softened by the feasting!"

The officers and soldiers were very comfortable, drinking, chatting, chatting and laughing happily, enjoying the rare comfort and leisure. As for the original owners of these things they enjoyed, they were busy working and doing things with mournful faces, making this scene simply like "a magpie's nest and a dove occupying it". ".

Some officers and soldiers ran to the nearby beach. The beach in Hawaii is a world-renowned resort. The coconut groves are scattered, the beach is as white as snow, the waves are crystal clear, and the sea breeze is as cool as a bath. It is refreshing and refreshing. The officers and soldiers were all intoxicated and confused by it, and then enjoyed the place that already belonged to them.

Some officers and soldiers ran into the waves with joy, some officers and soldiers collapsed on the beach, stretched their limbs, and stretched comfortably, and some officers and soldiers asked US prisoners to carry beach chairs that belonged to the US military. Lying on it, drinking coconut juice while admiring the Hawaiian night.

"It's such a good place!" The officers and soldiers sighed with emotion.

Although tired and sleepy, many officers and soldiers were so excited that they couldn't sleep because of the novel environment and the beautiful scenery of foreign countries. On the beach, some officers and soldiers were drunk and drunk, and some officers and soldiers hung their shoulders together laughingly. , let the American captives take pictures of them with a camera that are extremely commemorative. Some officers and soldiers are sitting on the beach, looking at the sea and the stars and the moon, writing letters to their parents, wives and children while missing their hometown, and some officers and soldiers After playing tired and making enough noise, he fell to the ground and snored like thunder.

Bao Changyi, Fang Xianjue, Sheng Wen and other senior military officers stood on a reef by the beach and watched with interest the officers and soldiers who were having fun, the sea and night sky in the distance, and the nearby Oahu Island and Honolulu City.

After this day that is destined to be recorded forever in history, the situation on Oahu Island has been turned upside down, from US territory to an area occupied by the Chinese army. Heavy oil storage bases and other military facilities were attacked by Japanese and Chinese troops. The demilitarized zone such as the Honolulu urban area has not suffered much setbacks. The power plant and water plant are still operating normally, and the social order is basically intact. The current Honolulu Lulu City is still full of lights, but there is no traffic, because teams of Nanjing Army soldiers with live ammunition are patrolling the city. The city is already under military control during wartime. A curfew is imposed after nightfall, and all residents are not allowed to go out casually.

"This place has some connections with our China!" Bao Changyi looked at Honolulu, "This city also has a Chinese name called Honolulu. Back then, Mr. Sun Yat-sen carried out revolutionary activities here and established the Xingzhonghui!" He said Feeling very emotional, then turned to look at Sheng Wen, "Have the battle damage and results been calculated?"

Sheng Wen took out a stack of documents: "The battle results have not been counted yet, after all, there are too many and too complicated, and the battle damage is almost the same, mainly casualties.

Our personnel participating in this battle include three categories, one is the crew and sailors, the other is the marines, and the third is the army. First, from Qingdao to the four northern islands of Japan, and then to Hawaii, a total of 18 people died on the way. Diseases, accidents, falling into the sea due to bad weather and other reasons, in fact, a total of 15 people were confirmed dead, and 3 people were missing. However, if they disappeared in the vast sea, unless there was a miracle, they must have died; during today's day In the battle, the crew and sailors suffered 11 casualties, all were injured, no one was killed, and all were injured in accidents, and no one was injured in the battle; the Marine Corps suffered 543 casualties, of which 135 were killed and 7 were missing. The army suffered 963 casualties, of which 420 were dead, 29 were missing, and the rest were wounded. However, dozens of officers and soldiers were seriously injured. It is estimated that it will be difficult to survive, so the death toll will increase a little.

Oh, the casualties of the army were not small, but more than half of the casualties were caused by the US naval guns during the attack on Pearl Harbor, not the land battle; as for the missing officers and soldiers, they probably lost their way in the mountains and forests, and it was dark, so they have not been able to return to the team for the time being. , Oahu is not small!"

Fang Xianjue said: "In other words, the cumulative casualties of our army during the day are about 500, which is not bad, not too many.

By the way, how many US troops are there on Oahu? "

Sheng Wen replied: "Twenty-three or four thousand, the navy has more than 5000 personnel, and the army has more than 8000 personnel. After all, they have a fleet that left early, taking away at least tens of thousands of people!"

Bao Changyi praised: "The casualties were [-], and the enemy army was defeated by [-]. This record is still a pass!"

Sheng Wen said with a smile: "It's not surprising that the army won so easily.

First of all, the number of U.S. troops is already a little smaller than ours, and two-thirds of the U.S. military is the navy, most of which are sailors and sailors who drive ships, which further reduces the number of U.S. combat personnel; secondly, the U.S. military does not have air and sea control. After the indiscriminate bombing by the Japanese, the morale was low, the morale of the army was turbulent, and the command was paralyzed and the order was chaotic; in addition, the combat effectiveness of the US military was far inferior to that of our army, so it is only natural that our army succeeded quickly!" He was talking, and in the distance A beam of light suddenly shone between the dark sea and sky, and after more than ten seconds, there was a loud rumbling sound.

"What's going on?" Everyone was taken aback, and the officers and soldiers on the beach were also alarmed. Many officers and soldiers jumped up, loaded their bullets like a reflex, and stood ready.

"Junzuo!" A communications officer rushed over panting, "The Japanese have sent a telegram! An American fleet has just appeared in the waters southwestern of Hawaii, trying to sneak attack the Japanese army, and the Japanese fleet is launching a counterattack!"

"The five battleships and five aircraft carriers of the U.S. military?" Bao Changyi immediately came to his senses, "Are you back to the carbine?" He immediately shouted, "Order the troops, don't go to sleep, don't play around, and get into combat readiness immediately!"

"No need!" Fang Xianjue grabbed Bao Changyi, "It's okay, we won't fight!"

"Oh?" Bao Changyi's heart skipped a beat.

Fang Xianjue said with a smile: "This US fleet is a mixed fleet of aircraft carriers and battleships. It only has sea combat capability and does not have amphibious landing capability, because there are no marine troops in the fleet! I'm sure this US fleet is just Fight back against the Japanese in the dark and run away instead of amphibious landings trying to retake the Hawaiian Islands!"

Bao Changyi thought for a while, then nodded with a smile: "You're right, I'm a little nervous, let the brothers continue to rest!"

"Watching a big drama at the same time!" Fang Xianjue raised his binoculars with a happy face, "Let's sit and watch the Japanese and the Americans fight!"

On the sea near Hawaii, a "war drama" is in full swing. The Chinese soldiers on Oahu must not be able to see the whole picture of the battle. They can only see lightning and thunder in different places between the sea and the sky in the distance.

Objectively speaking, this battle was the result of the "impulse" of the US military. The Japanese army has been wary of the missing US 8th Fleet, and the US military also knows that the Japanese army is aware of and is on guard against the 8th Fleet, so the US military is not a surprise attack on the Japanese army. It is undoubtedly unwise to take the initiative to attack when the enemy is strong and we are weak. However, the US military is very excited. From the commander of the fleet to the ordinary sailors, they all strongly want to fight the Japanese army to the death. Even if the Japanese army cannot be wiped out, they must Injured the Japanese army severely, and vented some anger in his chest.

According to the battle plan formulated by Spruance, the battleships and aircraft carriers in the U.S. fleet were divided into two groups. The battleships returned to Hawaii, while the aircraft carriers changed course, concealed their positions, and prepared to protect the battleships and wait for an opportunity to attack after dawn.

On the other hand, the Japanese army has a mixed fleet of battleships and aircraft carriers, as does the U.S. military. This battle between the two sides is a confrontation between a mixed fleet of aircraft carriers and battleships. After entering the war arena, the first battle was the confrontation between the Japanese army and the British Far East Fleet. The naval battle was a pure battle between aircraft carriers and battleships. The second battle was the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Therefore, the Japanese army did not fight a mixed battleship of aircraft carriers and battleships. Joint operations, the same is true for the U.S. military), coupled with nervousness, so both sides were in a hurry in this battle.

At 10:40 p.m., a destroyer of the Japanese army spotted an approaching formation of US battleships within [-] nautical miles southeast of Hawaii. Observing the enemy's situation basically depends on sight, so when the Japanese destroyer found the US battleship, it was already within the range of the opponent's naval gun).

Nagumo Chuichi and Ozawa Jisaburo quickly received the report, and they were both surprised and happy. The surprise was that the missing US fleet suddenly came, and the joy was that the Japanese army's first goal in this battle was to "completely wipe out the US Pacific Fleet" and let them go. The 5 battleships and 5 aircraft carriers undoubtedly greatly reduced the results of the Japanese army. Since the opponent came to the door at this time, it happened to be able to catch them all in one go. disagreement.

Ozawa believes that the Japanese Navy’s night combat capability is very strong (the Japanese Navy’s night combat capability has indeed greatly surpassed that of the U.S. military due to hard training), and the Japanese Navy has the most powerful torpedoes in the world, making the Japanese Navy in night combat and fleet battles It is even more powerful, not only that, the Japanese army has 6 battleships at this time, and the US military has only 5 ships. The Japanese army is superior in strength, so the Japanese army has nothing to worry about.

Ozawa believed that the Japanese battleships would go to battle first to meet the U.S. forces and destroy the U.S. fleet. After daybreak, the Japanese aircraft carrier fleet would join the battle immediately, and the combined battle fleets would wipe out the U.S. fleet together. The damaged U.S. battleships, as long as they are still floating at sea, will all be sent to the bottom of the sea by the Japanese aircraft carrier fleet.

Ozawa's "head-to-head confrontation" was strongly opposed by Nagumo. Nanyun felt that the Japanese army's six battleships were against the US's five battleships. Although the Japanese army was superior in strength, the advantage was not great. There must have been serious losses. As the saying goes, "If you kill 6 enemies, you will lose thousands." If the Japanese army paid the price of sinking one or two or two or three of its own battleships in order to sink five US battleships, that would be unacceptable.

Nanyun believes that whether it is the Malay naval battle or the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, the facts have proved that in the daytime, aircraft carriers can slaughter battleships as much as they want, annihilate the opponent and only pay a small loss themselves. Therefore, since the aircraft carrier is used to deal with the opponent's battleship The battle damage can be minimized, so why use battleships to go head-to-head with the opponent's battleships?Therefore, Nagumo's tactic was: the Japanese battleship fleet tried not to confront the US military head-on, just entangled and tracked the opponent, and kept a "safe distance" from the opponent. After dawn, the Japanese aircraft carrier fleet would easily deal with it.

Obviously, Ozawa's tactics are aggressive, while Nagumo's tactics are very conservative.

The reason why Nagumo is like this is based on these three considerations: first, when Japan and the United States go to war, the United States is rich in business and wealth, while Japan does not have such strong national power and capital as the United States, so the Japanese army cannot afford too much It is better not to take any risks, but before the Second World War, Minister Nagano Shoushen repeatedly told Nagumo to "try not to lose the capital ships, and bring back all the capital ships intact", so Nagumo did not dare to take risks; Second, the Japanese fleet used to be in the waters near the Japanese mainland. If the warship was injured, even if it was seriously injured, it could be towed to the shipyard for repairs in time. However, the Japanese fleet is now in Hawaii, which is more than [-] kilometers away from the Japanese mainland. The warship suffered serious injuries, and I am afraid it will be difficult to tow it back to Japan for repairs. Otherwise, it will sink halfway, which will increase unnecessary losses. Third, although the US battleship fleet has appeared, the US aircraft carrier fleet is still unknown. The five US aircraft carriers and hundreds of carrier-based aircraft are undoubtedly a very powerful attack force. Once the Japanese army makes a mistake, the US aircraft carrier may deal a fatal blow to the Japanese army, so the Japanese army cannot take risks.

It is precisely because of this that Nagumo is so "cowardly and fearful of fighting".

The two quarreled for a long time, and finally had to adopt a compromise strategy: the Japanese battleship went to launch a "limited confrontation". If there was a chance to severely damage the US military, they would attack decisively; The U.S. battleship fleet, ensure that the U.S. battleship fleet is always in the sight of the Japanese army, and it will be resolved by the Japanese aircraft carrier aircraft after dawn.

As a result, the following scene appeared in the battle area: the U.S. battleships were aggressive and murderous, while the Japanese battleships were cautiously cruising outside the range of the U.S. naval guns, neither going forward to fight nor retreating, "The enemy advances and we retreat, The enemy retreats and we advance", just staring at the US fleet from a distance.

Regarding Nanyun's order, the officers and soldiers of the Japanese battleship fleet generally felt "aggrieved", and the logic was ready-made: the enemy is close at hand, right in front of us, why don't our own side go head-on and fight with it?Our side has just achieved an unprecedented victory in the "surprise attack on Pearl Harbor", which is a time when morale is high and fighting spirit is strong, but now, they are afraid to fight because they see the US fleet showing off their might in front of them?Where is the face of the Imperial Japanese Navy?What's more, the Imperial Japanese Army has always advocated "offensive, offensive, and then offensive." The Imperial Japanese Army is on the battlefield, even if the enemy is strong and we are weak, they are also the active offensive side. Laughed to death by them?The army must have made strange remarks, saying that the navy "can only sneak attack and dare not fight the enemy head-on". In addition, "fleet decisive battle" is originally a tradition of the Japanese navy. How can a fleet lose the tradition equal to "military soul"?

Although Nagumo ordered to "try not to fight", the fleet was full of enthusiasm, and the captains demanded "to start a decisive battle with the US military" and "defeat the US military with dignity", especially the captains of the six battleships. Their insult," they said indignantly, "Thanks to His Majesty's kindness, they became the captains of His Majesty's battleships. They should have fought to the death, devoted their allegiance to the Emperor, and served the empire. How could they retreat and fear the enemy like tigers?" "If The empire's battleships dare not fight when they encounter enemy battleships, so why should the empire spend huge sums of money on building battleships?" Nan Yun was under great pressure.

The deputy commander of the fleet, Mikawa Junichi, proposed: In order to protect the battleship, the battleship can be temporarily "avoided", but at the same time, cruisers and destroyers can be dispatched to attack the US battleship with torpedoes (the cruiser and destroyer must have no way to launch naval guns with the battleship. Yes, that's death), after wounding him, the Japanese battleship stepped forward and opened fire to completely wipe out the opponent.

Under the pressure of his subordinates seeking to fight, Nanyun agreed with Sanchuan's suggestion.