Chapter 2499 The Horn of War 3

? The Japanese respect the British Army, which has fought hard on the European continent for more than two years, although they feel that the British tactics will inevitably prolong the war, and the Japanese are very sensitive to a long-term war of attrition. However, Oshima Yoshimasa finally decided to partially adopt the opponent's opinions and moved some relatively light and short-range artillery to a relatively rear position. At the same time, slight adjustments were made to the strength of several lines of defense. It's a compromise.

In addition to the problems in deploying firepower, another thing that dissatisfied the British is that the Japanese defense system is somewhat isolated, and the connection between different defensive positions is somewhat poor. To put it bluntly, there are very few transportation trenches repaired, and Passability is relatively poor.

"If you let the Japanese deploy defensive positions, then they can build a machine gun nest to be very concealed and integrated with the surrounding terrain and vegetation. They can build the gun nest to be stronger and use concrete to form an internal defense system. Then support was added, and then the outside was covered with a lot of rammed earth and coral debris.”

“However, they often ignore the connections between the various support points, and they set up the defense lines very rigidly. Once a certain defense line is attacked, it will be very difficult for troops from other directions to support or withdraw from a certain defense line. The Europeans will not be like this, because they know that the breach of the defense line is only the beginning of the defensive battle. We will continue to fight the enemy in trenches, bunkers and various living facilities. The Japanese defense system is very isolated and the troops want to support them. It’s not easy.” A British officer who participated in the defense of New Ireland said this about the Japanese defense system.

However, the arrival of the British still brought some changes to this defense system. In the last few months before the war, with the strong insistence of the British, the Japanese finally dug several lines that could be used to transport medium-caliber rapid-fire artillery or The channels for transporting heavy howitzer accessories were dismantled, and the infantry channels within the defense system were improved. Although it was not possible to connect all defensive positions as a whole, the effect was much better than before.

After the war, the British and German armies had the same evaluation of the American and Japanese armies, that is, two half-learned guys fought a second-rate land battle. Of course, although the level was lower than that of the European battlefield, the level of bloodshed was not low at all. The nine-month-long Battle of New Ireland Island became the first meat grinder on the Pacific battlefield! It has become something that neither the U.S. and Japanese armies are willing to mention!

At this time, under the command of Shigetaro Yoshimatsu, the main force of the Japanese Combined Fleet had also set off from Guinea Island to New Britain Island, where the Japanese Combined Fleet's most important base was located. Although if you just look at the straight-line distance, it is not far from New Ireland, but considering that New Ireland is a long and narrow island that runs 350 kilometers from east to west, neither the Japanese nor the Americans are within a short distance of each other. close. In the last period before the war, the senior leaders of the Japanese Combined Fleet were discussing how to fight the first battle after the war!

"According to previous analysis, the most likely place for the US troops to land should be in the eastern part of New Ireland Island. There are some coastal alluvial fan plains here, which are suitable for troops to land. If it is to the west,

Most of them are cliffs and difficult to land on. The Americans brought a large number of destroyers and submarines, and they were likely to lay cordons or even minefields on the east side of the island and in the part of the channel between New Ireland and New Britain. Even the main fleet will be deployed here, because this is our closest route to the landing site. " Vice Adm. Kato Sadayoshi, chief of staff of the Combined Fleet, said.

"However, it is obvious that it is impossible to enter the landing site from here. We are very likely to run into the US fleet that is waiting for us. Therefore, when necessary, we must stay close and seek the far side, bypassing the entire New Ireland Island and launching an attack from the east. Lieutenant General Kato Sadayoshi said after drawing an arc on the map with the putter in his hand.

"The entire New Ireland Island is 350 kilometers long from east to west. If we want to go around from the west and then enter the landing site, then the sailing distance may increase by 400 kilometers, which is about 220 nautical miles. If the fleet sails, even the highest The speed is probably about 9 hours, and we all know that it is impossible for the navy's fleet to maintain a speed of more than 8 hours and 25 knots, and there is simply not enough time at night." said a Japanese officer.

"I've thought about this problem. In fact, before night falls, we can set the departure position of the fleet here." At this time, Betty got up and came to the huge chart, and then drew a line in the north of New Ireland Island. A line later said: "This is about 250 kilometers away from the US Navy's landing point. We can go around the island in a solid line to reach this location, and then launch an attack at night."

"Are you kidding? This place may already be within the aviation reconnaissance range of the US Navy. A twin-engine seaplane or a single-engine carrier-based aircraft carrying an auxiliary fuel tank can completely achieve such a long range." Next to him, the commander of the United Fleet Air Force Staff officer Takijiro Onishi said.

"Yes, it is possible to achieve this range. Therefore, the first thing we need to do is to use our land-based aviation power to kill a large number of the opponent's aircraft before the fleet sets off, so that their aviation power will shrink quickly. Secondly, we can Take the initiative when the weather is bad. Don’t worry, if it’s just a thunderstorm instead of a tropical storm, our people can safely bring the fleet to the combat sea area and catch the Americans by surprise." Betty said with a smile: " According to the analysis of our meteorologists, a tropical cyclone will pass around the island in the next week. During that time, the entire New Ireland Island will be stormy and windy, which is very suitable for us to fish in troubled waters!

"Is this information accurate?" an officer asked. At least no obvious signs were found at Japanese weather observation stations.

"We can wait and see." Betty said without hesitation: "The Germans and we can find brief periods of fine weather in the bad North Sea for action, then we can naturally determine the time of bad weather in the Pacific, maybe There will be a deviation in time, but what is coming will definitely come back!”

"So, this will be the first opening battle of the combined fleet in this war?" asked Navy Chief of Staff Hayao Shimamura.

"Yes, if there is bad weather for a few days, then we can indeed take the opportunity to attack. The opponent cannot know our position, and we have the speed advantage, so we have the initiative in the battle." Kato Sadayoshi said.

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