I am Jiang Weiguo in World War II

Page 557

For MacArthur, the second bad news that made things worse came immediately, and the 17th Division of the Nanjing Army also landed.

Chapter 642 Attacking the Philippines (6)

When the 74th Division of the Nanjing Army was chasing and killing the American and Philippine troops five times their number on the beach of Lingayen Bay, the 17th Division of the Nanjing Army was heading to Luzon Island on a Japanese transport ship. Cutting through the waves, in the fleet, the four Japanese battleships and the four heavy cruisers were impressively lined up. What is quite eye-catching is that there are large groups of soot and black spots on the hulls of three of the battleships. There was a big fire, but the three capital ships obviously did not have any substantial damage.

On the battleship King Kong, Zhang Yunzheng, commander of the 17th Brigade of the 18th Division, and Narumi Inoue, commander of the Japanese 4th Fleet, stood on the bow deck of the ship, looking at the sea and sky in the distance together.

"Inoue!" Zhang Yun looked at Narumi Inoue and said with complacency, "How is it? Thank you Feng Shizuo and Zeng Junzuo? If it weren't for their clever calculations, your fleet must have suffered heavy losses!"

After listening to the translated Chinese, Inoue Chengmei nodded with a smile: "Yes, I really want to thank them, otherwise, the US submarine group will catch us by surprise.

Your Fang Shizuo is really resourceful and resourceful, which makes people have to admire! "He looked at the three "dirty" capital ships in the fleet, feeling very emotional.

In the evening of the day before yesterday, Feng Shengfa and Zeng Yiding reminded Inoue Narumi that "the US submarine group is very likely to attack your fleet at night." Inoue Narumi was very surprised. Expressed his duty, and asked Inoue Narumi to make "some special preparations". Inoue Narumi was at a loss, but he complied. In the middle of the night, the U.S. submarine group raided the Japanese fleet. In the Japanese fleet, the battleships Hiei, Haruna, The heavy cruiser Aoba successively detonated more than a dozen large gunpowder barrels suspended by ropes at the horizontal line outside the ship. The gunpowder barrels were filled with black powder mixed with a large amount of magnesium powder. Black powder is not yellow explosive. Although there is a lot of movement after the explosion, it will not cause substantial damage to the warship made of steel. In addition, the magnesium powder burns violently, shining brightly, and the sparks are like torches, which makes it look like three people at night. It seemed that the two battleships were hit by torpedoes and a big explosion occurred. At the same time, the Japanese sailors on the three ships ignited a large amount of gasoline-doped garbage that had been piled on the ships in advance. Suddenly, the fire was raging and black smoke billowed. After the three ships were hit by torpedoes, there was a big explosion and a fire.

When the U.S. submarine group launched this night attack, two submarines did not participate in the battle, but were semi-submerged in the outer waters of Lingayen Bay, watching the battle through the periscope, observing the Japanese fleet, and saw that there were three capital ships in the Japanese fleet After the violent explosion and fire, the two submarines were convinced that "three Japanese capital ships were hit by multiple torpedoes launched by our submarines. Although they did not sink, they must have been seriously injured." After sending the battle results report, Weeks immediately reported it to Hart, and Hart reported it to Sutherland. Finally, Sutherland sent the battle results report to MacArthur, which made MacArthur very happy. He believed that "after paying a heavy price for our own submarine group, Successfully and severely hit the Japanese fleet, forcing the Japanese fleet to withdraw from the war in the Philippines".

In fact, in the night attack of the U.S. submarine group, the Japanese army suffered little loss. Because the U.S. submarine soldiers who participated in the battle knew that they were carrying out a mission that was likely to be dangerous, they were in a gloomy mood, depressed fighting spirit, and low morale. Lack of experience, so that the torpedo hit rate is not high. After a torpedo attack like a blind cat killed a mouse, a Japanese heavy cruiser was slightly injured, a light cruiser was seriously injured, a transport ship and a destroyer were sunk. It is not that MacArthur believed that "three capital ships were seriously injured, many warships sank, and more than a dozen other warships were injured" (the reason why MacArthur misjudged the loss of the Japanese army is another important reason, that is, the U.S. submarine soldiers "lied about military information" .

The U.S. submarine soldiers knew that they were performing a very dangerous mission, so they were unwilling to participate in the war. After participating in the war, they wanted to end it as soon as possible. The order they received was "just sink a Japanese capital ship." So they saw many ships After the large Japanese warship exploded and caught fire, they felt that "the task can be handed over", "the task has been completed, and the retreat can be done", and then intentionally or unintentionally exaggerated the results of the battle, so that the battle could be justified and ended.

).

After being "heavily hit" by the U.S. submarine group, Narumi Inoue left Lingayen Bay with the Japanese fleet, but instead of avoiding the war, she escorted the 17th Division of the Nanjing Army in Lulingayen Bay according to the requirements of Feng Shengfa and Zeng Yiding. Song Dao launched the second round of main force landing, and supported the 17th Division to land successfully.

MacArthur believed that his submarine group severely damaged the Japanese fleet and forced the Japanese fleet to withdraw from the Philippine war. In fact, the "forced withdrawal" of the Japanese fleet was a play jointly performed by Feng Shengfa, Zeng Yiding and Inoue Narumi. Feng Shengfa's move was on the one hand It is to paralyze the U.S. military and make the U.S. military mistakenly think that their chance to annihilate the Chinese army that landed in Lingayen Gulf has arrived. On the other hand, it is to launch a second-stage strike against the U.S. military.

"Brigade seat, Luzon Island is here!" Wu Junyi, the deputy brigade commander beside Zhang Yun, pointed to the front.

Zhang Yun took a look, and sure enough, a winding black line appeared on the horizon in the distance, gradually revealing the outlines of land and mountains.

"Notify brothers, prepare to land!" Zhang Yun ordered Wu Junyi, and then patted Inoue Narumi on the shoulder, "Since you want to thank us, you can't just talk about it, wait a minute and let your fleet bombard the land more. Shells!"

Narumi Inoue laughed dumbfounded: "Definitely, definitely!" Narumi Inoue belongs to the "pro-China faction" in the Japanese military circles, so when Yamamoto 56 appointed him to command the 4th Fleet to assist the Chinese army in capturing the Philippines, he did it sincerely and diligently. tasks, and did not engage in any tricks such as cutting corners and bargaining with the Chinese army.

The place where the 17th Division of the Nanjing Army landed on Luzon Island was Olongapo.

Lingayen Bay is located in the north of the west coast of Luzon Island, and Olongapo is located in the middle of the west coast of Luzon Island. This place is not suitable for landing. After landing, there are mountains and dense forests, and Olongapo is not a seaport. It's just a small town by the sea. Feng Shengfa ordered the 17th Division to land in Olongapo, because the place happened to be stuck at a key point. More than 130 kilometers north of Olongapo is Lingayen Bay. At this time, one-third of the US military The two capitals fought against the 74th Division in the area of ​​Lingayen Bay. As long as the 17th Division captured Olongapo and advanced to the hinterland, it would be able to lock the way for the US troops to escape south on the Lingayen Bay battlefield. Where is Awa to the south?It is the core area of ​​Luzon Island and even the entire Philippines: Manila, Manila Bay, Bataan Peninsula, and Cavite. The four places are very important. Manila is the capital of the Philippines, and Manila Bay is the largest sea outlet of Luzon Island. Bataan The peninsula is the "last line of defense", "final resistance base", and "super military base" of the US military on Luzon Island. This peninsula with an area of ​​only 1370 square kilometers has been built by the US military into a "super-large fortress full of serial fortresses." According to reliable information, MacArthur intends to withdraw all his troops into the Bataan Peninsula at the last moment and carry out a long-term stubborn resistance. As for Cavite, it is the general base of the US Asian Fleet, Manila, Manila Bay, Bataan Peninsula, In Cavite, the geographical relationship between these four places is as follows: if Manila is Beijing, then Manila Bay is the Bohai Bay, Bataan Peninsula is the Liaodong Peninsula, and Cavite is the Shandong Peninsula. They are very close and closely related to each other.

The west of Manila Bay faces the sea, the north, south, and east sides are land, the Bataan Peninsula is the north of the bay, Cavite is the south of the bay, and Manila is on the east coast of the bay.

Feng Shengfa knew very well that although the Philippines was fought by the Chinese army, the Philippines was not fought for China. This place will be handed over to the Japanese after it is conquered, so Chinese soldiers can't shed too much blood on the Philippine battlefield, shed blood for the Japanese I'm afraid it's the least worthwhile thing for Chinese people.

Based on this idea, Feng Shengfa made up his mind not to let the U.S. troops escape into the Bataan Peninsula. If in the later period of the war, the remnants of the U.S. troops fled into the Bataan Peninsula to fight against the trapped beasts by relying on the fortifications they painstakingly managed in the local area, the Chinese army would completely destroy them. It will definitely take a lot of blood to eliminate and win the Bataan Peninsula (in the original history, it took five months for the Japanese army to capture the Philippines, the first month captured other places in the Philippines including Manila, and the remaining four months were spent on to take the Bataan peninsula).

Therefore, Feng Shengfa ordered the 17th Division to land in Olongapo, more than 30 kilometers north of the Bataan Peninsula. The road on the peninsula (Feng Shengfa did not order the 17th Division to land directly on the Bataan Peninsula, because landing there would be equivalent to a fortified battle, and the casualties would be heavy. Although there are not many US troops there at this time, the fortifications are solid and complete, and it is unwise to land directly), The second is to cooperate with the 74th Division to attack the U.S. military from north to south. The third is to capture Manila, which is more than 70 kilometers east of Olongapo. There are two purposes for taking this place. The political symbol of the Philippines, the second is to better block the way for the US military to escape to the south. In fact, the value and significance of the second purpose greatly exceed the first.

Feng Shengfa is a soldier, and what he cares about in war is military value, not political value. If it weren't for the fact that Manila is located at the bee waist in the south-central part of Luzon Island, he would not let the 17th Division split up to occupy that city with little military value, although That city is the capital of the Philippines.

Feng Shengfa's deployment is very correct. The only trouble is Olongapo itself. This seaside town is not a suitable place for landing. Two or three kilometers after landing, there are high mountains and dense forests. Lin crossed the river, but the 17th Division was not afraid.

"Difficulties are to be overcome, not used as an excuse", this is the tenet of the 17th Division.

On the sea to the west of Olongapo, giant warships flying the flag of the sun lined up calmly, and then, the fleet launched an overwhelming bombardment towards the land.

For a while, the local Filipinos were dumbfounded, stunned, and paralyzed by the scene of the war. The large-caliber naval gun shells were amazingly powerful. After climbing the mountain, the whole mountain was shaking violently. The dense forest the size of a football field was blown up and turned into scorched earth in the explosion. The air waves were like a hurricane composed of raging fire. It will collapse at any time, and people will lose their hearing due to the huge explosion.

"Enough! Enough!" Zhang Yun contacted Ue Inoue Narumi, "Stop firing the cannon! If you fire it again, we will burn our feet when we go ashore!"

Narumi Inoue laughed: "Aren't I following what you said and expressing my gratitude to you with practical actions?"

Since the U.S. and Philippine troops hardly deployed troops here, the 17th Division landed very easily and smoothly. By nightfall, all the more than [-] officers and soldiers of the whole division went ashore, and the fleet was also unloading mountains of supplies by the sea.

Since several division-level officers of the 17th Division were on board the Zhongzheng heavy cruiser in Lingayen Bay, Ji Hongru, commander of the 17th Brigade of the 17th Division, temporarily assumed command of the division commander.

On the beach, the three brigade commanders got together and began to assign tasks.

"My brigade is here to build a defense line, lock the entrance of the Bataan Peninsula, and block the way for the US military to flee south; Brigadier Zhang, your brigade is best at fighting in mountains and jungles and long-distance raids, so your brigade immediately advances westward and goes to Take Manila, then control the local area and build a stronghold in that city, and cooperate with our brigade to block the road for the US troops to flee south; Brigadier Liu, your brigade will advance westward with Brigadier Zhang, and will be responsible for defending our brigade and The area between Brigadier Zhang is also responsible for reinforcing our brigade or Brigadier Zhang's troops at any time!" Ji Hongru pointed to the map.

Zhang Yun, commander of the 18th Brigade, and Liu Yuzhang, commander of the 19th Brigade, nodded together: "No problem!"

Ji Hongru smiled and said: "The 74th Division has received good news. They have severely damaged the US military. We cannot fall behind. As long as our division can complete the task, the war in the Philippines can be over within half a month or a week. , by then, Taiwan will be able to return to China!"

After a short rest and a full meal, Zhang Yun immediately set off with the 18th Brigade. The chief of staff said to Lemen, "Brothers haven't rested yet! Let's start now? Are you in a hurry?"

Zhang Yun scolded: "I came here by boat all the way, and I didn't come here by running. Why are you tired? Soldiers are precious and fast, do you understand? The US military still has a division in Manila! Manila builds a defensive line, how can we take Manila?" He looked at the troops, "Do we have any means of transportation?"

Chao Lemen said: "The troops go directly to the west and enter the mountains. Cars are definitely useless, and tanks must be reserved for brother troops. Bicycles are also useless. Only horses and pack animals can be used as transportation in the mountains!"

Zhang Yun waved his hand: "All officers are not allowed to ride horses. They walk with soldiers. All horses and pack animals are used to transport supplies. Okay, let's go!" He was the first to stride towards the lofty mountains ahead.

Although the officers and soldiers of the 18th Brigade hoped to have a good rest, Zhang Yun gave the order and Zhang Yun set an example and walked forward.

The mountain range that the 18th brigade crossed is called the Zambales Mountains. It is a volcanic mountain range in the central and western parts of Luzon Island. It starts from Lingayen Bay in the north and ends in Manila Bay in the south. The peak is more than 100 meters above sea level, with lush vegetation and dense forests.

The Zambales Mountains later got a new name: "Bayonet Ridge".

While the 18th Brigade was crossing the Zambales Mountains from west to east, the 1st Marine Division of the U.S. Navy was crossing the mountain range from east to west. The two forces fought almost face to face without knowing each other. into.

The reason why Zhang Yun asked the troops to set off without waiting for a good rest was because he was worried that the 18st Marine Division of the US Army in the Manila area would retreat into the city of Manila and seize the time to build fortifications. At that time, it would be very difficult for the 18th Brigade to launch a siege, because The [-]th Brigade arrived in Manila after crossing mountains and mountains. It could not carry heavy weapons, tanks, or large-caliber artillery. The only heavy firepower relied on was Japanese bombers, but Zhang Yun would not pin his hopes on the success of the troops. On the Japanese, "It is indeed tiring to travel so exhausted and sweat a lot, but it is worth it. The more sweat you sweat now, the less blood you will bleed when we attack Manila," Zhang Yun said. The subordinate said so.

In fact, Zhang Yun was wrong in his judgment, because MacArthur would rather not have Manila or Bataan Peninsula.

How to fight the battle to defend the Philippines, MacArthur formulated a combat plan code-named "Orange" a long time ago. In this plan, the last line of defense and the base of persistent resistance of the US-Philippines is the Bataan Peninsula, not Manila. , MacArthur never intended to fight a city defense battle in Manila, he had already decided that if the enemy army came to Manila, he would persuade Philippine President Manuel Luis Quezon to declare Manila an "undefended city" , allowing the enemy to occupy peacefully so as to prevent the city of Manila and the residents of Manila from being poisoned by the flames of war. As for the last troops of the US-Philippines, they will retreat to the Bataan Peninsula, which is easy to defend and difficult to attack, for a last stand.

Before the war, the U.S.-Philippines built a lot of construction on the Bataan Peninsula, built a large number of bunkers, fortresses, and fortifications, dug a large number of tunnels, trenches, and traps, and stored a large amount of weapons and ammunition, supplies, food and medicine. Food is enough to feed more than 5 people for half a year.

When MacArthur inspected the Bataan Peninsula, he claimed that "as long as there are 30 American soldiers on the peninsula, even if they are isolated and helpless, they can withstand the attack of more than [-] enemy troops for a year or more" (MacArthur's words are not bragging, because In the original history, the Japanese army did take a long time and paid a lot of money to win the Bataan Peninsula).

However, because the Bataan Peninsula was designated as the final line of defense, MacArthur never considered building fortifications in Manila. The U.S. military spent time, manpower, and materials on the operation of the Bataan Peninsula, so that Manila was very empty at this time. There are no trenches and no fortifications. If the U.S. and Philippine troops really resist in Manila, after the battle breaks out, the two warring parties will directly fight in the streets.

After the Lingayen Bay battle ended, MacArthur suffered an unprecedented mental blow. He was always in good spirits, radiant, calm and unhurried, full of a high degree of confidence and firm belief from the inside out. , because he is really convinced that his troops can last for a long time on the Philippine battlefield, and the assistance from the American mainland will come soon. In the self-hypnotic optimism, he was awakened like a slapstick. He was enlightened, like waking up from a dream. For the first time, he discovered that his optimism was actually blind. It was once discovered that the Philippine army is so vulnerable, and the US military is equally low in combat effectiveness. As for the enemy, both strength and combat effectiveness have an overwhelming advantage.

After understanding these cold but undeniable facts, MacArthur fell into a quagmire of pain, remorse, and fear, and his whole person suddenly became taciturn, gloomy, haggard, and haggard. However, this fountain-like Negativity didn't break him down.

Although MacArthur has many shortcomings, such as arrogance, arrogance, and vanity, his advantages are also obvious, such as perseverance.

MacArthur is a man with a strong will, he will not admit defeat easily, even though the Nanjing Army has dealt a major blow to his strength and spirit, but he has not recovered from a setback. After stabilizing his mind, he is seriously and actively planning the next battle , according to his original plan: the U.S.-Philippines first persisted in resisting for three months in the vast area of ​​Luzon Island, consuming a large amount of the enemy's active force. It was really a last resort. The whole army retreated to the Bataan Peninsula and persisted for more than half a year. , A full nine months before and after, enough to wait for reinforcements and assistance from the United States, but the reality is: the US-Philippines was wiped out by the Chinese army in just a few days after more than half of its strength. The fight may continue, so the Bataan Peninsula is the last line of defense of the US-Philippines and MacArthur's last hope.

Because of this, after learning that another unit of the Nanjing Army had landed in Olongapo, MacArthur, who was taken aback, quickly issued a decisive order. He ordered the [-]st Marine Division in Manila to "go to the Bataan Peninsula immediately, and the whole division Both go".

Vandergrift, the commander of the First Marine Division, asked MacArthur in surprise: "Three of the four divisions of our army (U.S. military) have already participated in the battle in Lingayen Bay. Only the First Marine Division is left here in Manila. All the [-]st Zhan Division is going to Bataan Peninsula, what about Manila? After the [-]st Marine Division left, there are only two divisions of the Philippine Army here in Manila, which cannot stop the attack of even one Chinese regiment!"

"Give up on Manila!" MacArthur said very bluntly, "The Bataan Peninsula is our foundation!" He knew in his heart that if the First Marine Division was used to guard Manila, Manila would undoubtedly be lost, and the First Marine Division would also be given to Manila. However, if the [-]st Marine Division went to the Bataan Peninsula, the situation would be very different. The [-]st Marine Division could use the fortifications and materials in the Bataan Peninsula to hold on for a long time and play a greater role.

Between Manila and the Bataan Peninsula, MacArthur chose the latter without hesitation.

Vandergrift hurriedly left Manila with the [-]st Marine Division in a hurry, all the way west, across the mountains to the Bataan Peninsula.

MacArthur's order to Vandergrift is: more than [-] Chinese troops have landed in the Olongapo area, blocking the passage for the US military to enter the Bataan Peninsula. The [-]st Marine Division does not need to fight with the enemy. It is necessary to break through a section of the enemy's defense line, and then "drill into" the Bataan Peninsula through the gap in the enemy's defense line.

At about one o'clock in the morning on April 4, a dense forest in the middle of the Zambales Mountains.

A reconnaissance squad of the 18th Brigade of the Nanjing Army is advancing cautiously in the dense forest. The main force is several kilometers behind them. This is one of the combat principles of the Nanjing Army. In the left front, right front, left and right sides and other directions, the shorter ones are a few kilometers away, and the longer ones are more than ten kilometers or even dozens of kilometers away. Firstly, to find the way for the troops, and secondly, to guard against the enemy's ambushes and sneak attacks.

This reconnaissance squad is naturally performing search and security missions, and they are only a small part of the hundreds of scouts sent by the 18th Brigade.

Although the scouts opened their eyes wide, their eyes are not as effective as ears and noses at this time, because this kind of dense mountain forest is completely invisible in the middle of the night. A vast fog reduced the already extremely low visibility to zero, and it was so dark that the eyes could not see a single thing in front of them.

The scouts had given up searching the surrounding environment with their eyes. They listened and smelled breathlessly. They did not turn on the flashlights, because even if they were turned on, the beams of light could not penetrate the thick fog, and turning on the lights in the darkness was equal to their own Exposing himself, the leader of the reconnaissance squad was holding a German Shepherd in his hand.

The Nanjing Army learned from a practice of the Japanese Army during the comprehensive modernization construction, and vigorously cultivated and used military dogs. It happened that Germany could provide enough purebred German Shepherd Dogs. Facts have proved that the practical value of military dogs is great. , such as allocating military dogs to scouts, can detect enemy situations faster and earlier in reconnaissance activities.

"Woo..." The military dog ​​in the squad leader's hand suddenly bent down and fell on the ground, while humming.

The scouts were all moved, knowing that this was a warning from military dogs when they found the enemy.

The squad leader immediately got down on the ground, put his ears on the ground, and listened attentively to the sound waves coming from the soil.

After listening for more than ten seconds, the squad leader raised his head. The scouts couldn't see his expression, but heard his voice trembling slightly: "People! Many people! They are coming to us! Not far away , and it's getting closer and closer!" He picked up the compass while talking, put it in his clothes and turned on the flashlight to check the direction.

"Local residents? Filipinos? Are there villages and towns in the mountains ahead?"

"Absolutely not a local resident! The footsteps are steady and powerful, dense and orderly, and they are soldiers carrying heavy loads!"

"Filipino Army? American Army?"

"There is no way to figure it out. After we go up, we have to stick our noses to each other's noses to see the opponent's company clearly, but we will not even have a chance to run! Quick! Go back and report to the officer immediately!" The squad leader said in a hurry .

The emergency report like a Pegasus meteor was quickly sent to Zhang Yun. There were a large number of enemy personnel directly in front of the team, and there were also a large number of enemy personnel on both sides of the team.

The more than 18 officers and soldiers of the [-]th Brigade must not have lined up in a long line. The three regiments went hand in hand, and the other side did the same. , the rugged mountains, and the boundless dense fog make both parties blind and blind when they are in it. After recovering, they find that they and the other party are already "I am in you, and you are in me", forming a criss-cross relationship. Potential.

The 18th Brigade was mixed with the [-]st Marine Division, and both sides were caught off guard.

Because of the cover of night and dense fog, neither side saw each other at all, and neither side heard each other. Crossing mountains and ridges was very exhausting, so officers and soldiers on both sides did not talk, laugh, or sing. The footsteps were covered by the sound of breathing.

When the two parties found each other, they were already close at hand.

Soon, there were bursts of screams in Chinese and English, followed by the sound of firing and shooting, coming from different directions in the dense fog of the night, and the atmosphere was almost weird.

In the 18th Brigade, the 170th Regiment of the brigade was the first to exchange fire with the U.S. troops. The regiment was hurrying along collectively. It was the echo caused by the valley, until the officers and soldiers walking in front collided directly with the people walking from the opposite side.

"Blind? You are going in the opposite direction!" Those officers and soldiers thought that the people coming from the opposite side were brother troops who had lost their way and went in the opposite direction.

"Fuck!" The other party screamed in English like a ghost.

The officers and soldiers of the Nanjing Army who collided with each other were stunned for a moment, and then shouted like an electric shock: "U.S. military!"

The two sides were caught off guard by the surprise and hurriedly loaded the bullets, and then started shooting. The screams and blood splashed together. The two sides started shooting at a very close distance. They could not see each other and had no shelter. The crowd was like cutting wheat. Piece by piece it fell down.