mesbooks Chapter 381 Landing (1)
Chapter 381 Landing (1)
Although the Japanese Combined Fleet quickly occupied Singapore, a strategic city guarding the Strait of Malacca, within just a few months after the attack on Pearl Harbor in February 1942, the Combined Fleet's main battleships are still rarely seen in the port of Singapore.
The reason is very simple. Although this city has a superior geographical location, the people are unstable.
There are a considerable number of European expatriates left over from the colonial era - many of whom are quite disgusted with the Japanese concept of "Orientals ruling white people"; there are also hundreds of thousands of Chinese who are concerned about their motherland and have blood feuds with the Japanese.
In particular, the Anti-Japanese Volunteer Army and the Xinghua Volunteer Army in the overseas Chinese community had fought real battles with the Japanese Army and Marines, suffering heavy casualties, but they demonstrated the backbone of the Chinese nation.
The local overseas Chinese Anti-Japanese Volunteer Army and the Xinghua Volunteer Army fought the Japanese with real weapons. Although Governor John and the General Headquarters ordered the disbandment of the Xinghua Volunteer Army after the surrender, the stubborn Chinese did not really surrender, and many overseas Chinese were still secretly engaged in resistance activities.
Especially when the main force of the Combined Fleet was about to start a battle with the White Eagle Navy near Luzon Island, the Japanese Navy was even more worried about letting the main force of the Combined Fleet appear in the Lion City area and expose information.
This "strategic gap" turned out to be an excellent opportunity for the Anmin Army to deploy amphibious landings.
At 4:39 a.m. local time in Bago, at the Yangon Port Naval Base, the staff headquarters was brightly lit, and heat waves and sweat were intertwined between maps and telegrams.
A major staff officer quickly stepped into the combat command room, holding a secret telegram forwarded by the White Eagle military. He stood at attention and saluted:
"Report, General Stevenson forwarded a telegram from the White Eagle Navy Headquarters. Their submarines have once again broken through the blockade and infiltrated the Lion City naval harbor for reconnaissance. The telegram confirms that there are only two light cruisers and three destroyers in the harbor, which is exactly consistent with our aerial reconnaissance data from the day before."
"Great!" Zhang Chi stood up from his chair excitedly. In this long-planned amphibious landing battle, what he was most worried about was that the Japanese would suddenly dispatch the main fleet to the south for reinforcements and interfere.
The landing fleet's main escort was provided by two Brooklyn-class light cruisers (Helena) and several older destroyers from the Anmin Navy. While these destroyers had been modified with radar and fire control, giving them a significant advantage in night combat, they would still be in great danger if they encountered a heavy cruiser or large fleet, such as the Myoko-class or Takao-class.
At that time, we might have to rely on those torpedo boats to rush forward in the dark and carry out suicide torpedo attacks to force back the Japanese warships. Now it would be best if everything goes well. Zhang Chi finally felt relieved.
Soon, Navy Commander Zhang Guangjun also brought good news.
"The Japanese had only one destroyer patrolling the coast of Kuala Lumpur Harbor? And they were directly driven away?"
When Zhang Chi got the news, he was immediately overjoyed.
As a senior commander, Zhang Chi knew that victory and defeat were both common parts of war. But as a leader, he certainly hoped for victory and fewer sacrifices.
After all, although it is easy to say "love your soldiers like your own sons and use them like mud", three Marine Corps regiments participated in this operation, plus an entire mechanized brigade responsible for the subsequent assault on Lion City. That's tens of thousands of lives at stake.
After learning that everything went smoothly, he pulled Zhang Guangjun and walked around the headquarters anxiously, stroking his clothes and muttering, "May Mazu bless us! Will the first wave of troops land in half an hour?"
Zhang Guangjun nodded vigorously:
"That's right! The first wave is a Marine regiment. One battalion will go ashore directly in LVT-A1 amphibious tanks, and the remaining two battalions will take LCVPs (Landing Craft Personnel, the boat at the beginning of the movie 'Saving Private Ryan')."
"There were also several LCTs (Landing Craft Tanks), and a total of 12 M4 Shermans, all modified models with flamethrowers and bulldozers. To me, with over 200 Japanese defenders and a few broken bunkers, that many tanks is an overkill!"
Zhang Chi waved his hand: "No one knows what unexpected situations may arise, so it's better to be fully prepared."
In order to ensure the suddenness of the plan and avoid being discovered by the Japanese, the White Eagle Navy did not dare to send a large number of warships south to the South China Sea, but instead maintained a confrontation with the main force of the Combined Fleet off the coast of Luzon Island.
However, they provided a large number of various landing craft and mobile docks needed for landing operations, which gave the Anmin Army an amphibious delivery capability second only to the White Eagle and John countries. (The Japanese navy was strong, but had few dedicated landing equipment.)
"Okay, have your naval aviation planes taken off yet? Are they carrying torpedoes or bombs?"
"They have already flown away. Half of the F6Fs in the first wave are equipped with air-launched torpedoes and the other half are equipped with armor-piercing bombs. They will fly over Lion City at daybreak and try to paralyze the Japanese squadron in the Lion City naval port with the first wave." Zhang Guangjun took over the teaching stick and pointed to the location on the map.
This is the advantage of occupying Siam. The Malay Peninsula is just south of Siam. Whether it is a landing fleet or a naval aviation attack aircraft, they can all take off from the southern part of Siam.
Furthermore, radio towers built in major cities and provinces of Siam not only facilitated the Nan Hua Radio Station's propaganda efforts within Siam, but also facilitated radio positioning and navigation for the An Min Army's aircraft. (Radio triangulation)
Zhang Chi nodded in satisfaction and came to the map table again. On it was a small-scale beach map. According to the mature experience brought by the White Eagle staff, three beaches suitable for landing had been marked on the map as "Red Beach", "Green Beach" and "Blue Beach".
Three Marine battalions would land on three separate beaches and then charge directly into Kuala Lumpur Harbor. After daybreak, fighters and bombers taking off from airports near Bangkok would completely establish air superiority over the battlefield.
Once the facilities in the port are under control, the transport ship carrying the 11th Mechanized Brigade will dock and try to unload a regiment ashore before dawn the next day.
At the same time, when daybreak comes, the main front force led by Qi Quan will also launch a fierce attack on the Malay Peninsula, sticking to the 4 devils on the contact line to prevent them from retreating.
Zhang Chi rested his hands on the map table: "Everything is ready. All we need is the east wind!"
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At 5:12 a.m. local time in Bago, the sun had already risen over the Kuala Lumpur Port.
The two light cruisers of the landing fleet had already carried out artillery preparation for half an hour, and a total of 30 152mm naval guns poured countless shells on the Japanese's simple coastal defense fortifications.
Taking advantage of the high tide, countless amphibious tanks and landing craft rushed towards the beach at full speed!