Volume 23 Springboard to Progress Section 32 The Supreme Purpose

Shao Feng came to Limon City on the night of the 28th, and he did not know that he and Huang Xiaotian would discuss with him about revising the landing battle plan, but he only came to meet the First Fleet and prepare for the social activities. As a result, when he was about to go to rest, Tan Renhao and Huang Xiaotian took the initiative to find the door, so that he had to put on his coat again and talk with the two fleet generals by candlelight.

When he saw Han Shaofeng again, Tan Renhao was surprised to find that Han Shaofeng was already a second-class general in the Marine Corps. Previously, Tan Renhao had heard many times that Han Shaofeng would become General Yan Guozhong's successor. Now that Yan Guozhong has become the commander of the Imperial Marine Corps, and Yan Guozhong is already in his sixties, after the end of the war, Yan Guozhong will definitely retire soon, and a new Marine Corps commander will be needed at that time. There is no doubt that Han Shaofeng is the best candidate to succeed him, especially when his biggest rival Yuan Ye was left in charge of restoring order on the Australian mainland and forming the Australian Provisional Government, there was no one to compete with Han Shaofeng. It can also be seen from Han Shaofeng's promotion speed, now he is a young general trained by the Imperial Marine Corps, maybe he will not wait for the end of the war, Han Shaofeng will become the commander of the Marine Corps!

"Xiaotian, it looks like we're all lagging behind!"

"yes, we're already behind!" Huang Xiaotian knew that Tan Renhao was joking, so naturally he would not miss the opportunity to play tricks on Han Shaofeng. In the past few months, Huang Xiaotian has not only met this outstanding general of the Marine Corps. And he also established a deep friendship with Han Shaofeng, and the two even called each other brothers in private!

"Two generals, don't be sarcastic about me. It's so late, you can't just say a few boring gossip, do you? Han Shaofeng said as he brought two bottles of beer, there was no boiling water and tea in the place where he lived, and some were just beers that could be found everywhere in the navy.

"If it's just a joke, of course. Then we'll come to you tomorrow. Tan Renhao took the beer bottle, but he didn't feel thirsty. Xiaotian and I came to you at this time to discuss something with you. ”

"Yes, we've already discussed it with several other task force commanders, and we think we have to consult with you before we can settle it."

"The fleet does the battlefield business? It doesn't have much to do with the Marines, does it? And what is there that is important for you to come to me in the middle of the night? Han Shaofeng also sat down with a bottle of beer. Panama in the tropics. In addition, due to the influence of the two oceans, the weather is very hot, and beer is not only the best drink, but also the most popular drink.

"Actually, this matter is not very serious, the main thing is that it is a little troublesome." Tan Renhao and Huang Xiaotian had already discussed, and both of them felt that it was not good to say it directly, and they should make a few more detours, so Tan Renhao was quite careful in terms of wording. "Old Han, I'm going to ask you a question first. What was the purpose of the Marine Corps' attack on the Greater Andrés Islands this time? ”

"For what purpose?" Han Shaofeng didn't understand it for a moment. Just asked directly.

"The highest purpose, i.e., why are we attacking the Greater Andrés Islands?" Huang Xiaotian explained emphatically.

"Do you need to ask?" Han Shaofeng looked at the two of them even more puzzled. "By taking down the Greater Andrés Islands, we will be able to approach the continental United States. Threatens the East Coast region of the United States. When the time comes, we will need to occupy the Greater Andrés Islands, whether it is the landing of Marines in the eastern part of the United States or the deployment of heavy bombers to strategically bomb America's industrial areas and large populated cities. ”

"You have to take the entire archipelago?" Tan Renhao immediately followed up and asked.

"Of course not, even if we want to prepare for landing on the US mainland, we only need to occupy a few important islands at most, and it doesn't matter if the other islands are fought or not. That's what we're doing in the Pacific, and we've proven that this tactic doesn't just reduce our investment and losses. Speed up the course of the war, and at the same time be able to effectively deal with the enemy. There is simply no need for us to occupy the entire Greater Andrés Islands. ”

"So. Is it possible to determine which islands must be occupied? ”

"This ......" Han Shaofeng hesitated for a moment, then laughed, "What, you two want to test my ability?" ”

"Of course not, actually, we just want to determine the Marine Corps' battle plan." Tan Renhao rushed ahead of Huang Xiaotian and said, "In this way, we can arrange the combat operation of the fleet, after all, this battle operation is carried out by the fleet and the marines." ”

Huang Xiaotian secretly laughed, he should have said the purpose directly at this time, but Tan Renhao went around the corner again.

"Well...... Han Shaofeng took two sips of beer, then took out a cigarette, and then said, "I don't think there is any island that must be captured, but at the same time, we must capture several islands, especially those that are as close as possible to the mainland of the United States." In this way, it will be more beneficial for us to deploy both the Marine Corps and the Strategic Strike Force in the future. When determining the specific target for attack, we need to consider many factors, such as the delivery distance, the difficulty of the landing operation, and the strategic value of the island itself. ”

"So, Cuba is one of the most worthwhile islands to attack?" At this time, Tan Renhao asked a key question.

"Cuba?" Han Shaofeng hesitated for a moment, and then he thought of Tan Renhao and Huang Xiaotian's purpose of looking for him. After suspecting that Tan Renhao was trapping him, Han Shaofeng changed his words. "General, do you mean that the island of Cuba is not worth attacking, or is there other island that is more worthy of our attack?"

"In terms of landing operations, I can only be a layman among laymen, so naturally I don't dare to get an axe in front of Lao Han. But let's at least be clear, as you said at the beginning, that no matter which island we capture, we're actually trying to defeat the United States, right? ”

Faced with Tan Renhao's rhetorical question, Han Shaofeng had to nod, at this time he had roughly understood Tan Renhao's purpose.

"If that's what Cuba is the island we have to attack?" Tan Renhao leaned against the table next to him, "In my opinion, there is no need for this at all. First, Cuba is the core of the U.S. defense circle in the Caribbean and the general base from which the U.S. has controlled the Caribbean for decades. Since the United States acquired the occupation of Cuba from Spain, they have spent decades building up their military in Cuba

.▊|. As far as we can now, the U.S. military has 10,000 troops stationed in Cuba, and most of them are the main forces of the U.S. Army. In addition, the Cuban government army, which is backed by the United States, has at least 500,000 troops, and even if the combat effectiveness of these forces is quite limited, the number can still cause us a lot of problems. In addition to military strength, the United States has a well-established network of military bases in Cuba and has the support of some important figures in Cuba. Also, the terrain of Cuba is quite complex, two-thirds of the area is mountainous, is the Marine Corps well suited to mountain combat? At that time, even if we can occupy Cuba or fight to Cuba, how much time will it take us to sweep away the American troops and other resistance elements in Cuba, and how much strength will we need to devote to dealing with the enemy in the mountains? Also, how much does it mean for us to occupy all of Cuba? If we follow the previous analysis, we really only need to occupy part of Cuba, but will the US military live in peace with us in Cuba? The answers to these questions are all very unfavorable to us, so why is it necessary to occupy Cuba? ”

Han Shaofeng smoked a cigarette and drank wine, and did not answer Tan Renhao's last question.

"Actually, that's the main problem we suspect. Just as General Tan analyzed, if there is not enough necessity, why should we storm this island that is the most heavily defended by the US military, instead of finding another way to arrange an attack? Huang Xiaotian euphemistically expressed his meaning. No more pressure was put on Han Shaofeng.

"But the problem is that if we can't solve the threat of Cuba," Han Shaofeng raised his head, "then, even if we occupy all the surrounding islands, we will not be able to force the US military to leave Cuba, and at the same time, our bases on other islands will also be threatened by the US Air Force, eventually." We still have to attack Cuba. ”

"We admit this, but the real threat is not the US ground forces in Cuba, but the US military air forces." Tan Renhao immediately replied. "It is only a matter of time before the US air forces on the island of Cuba are destroyed, and when the time comes, the fleet will be deployed in full force. As long as we have established an airfield on the captured islands. With the shore-based forces of the Navy in charge of ensuring air supremacy, and with the support of the fleet, it will not be very difficult to destroy the US air force in Cuba. And the only way to force U.S. troops out of Cuba is to attack. As long as we seize air supremacy and the fleet seizes sea supremacy, we will be able to blockade Cuba, and at that time, the United States will naturally take the initiative to withdraw from Cuba in consideration of the threat to its homeland, and we will be able to solve the Cuban threat without sending a single marine. ”

"But here's the problem. How did the fleet seize sea supremacy, and when will the fleet be able to seize sea supremacy. ”

Tan Renhao glanced at Huang Xiaotian. Then he laughed, this was exactly the question they needed Han Shaofeng to ask.

"That's why we're coming to you." This time it was Huang Xiaotian answering Han Shaofeng's question. "After several times of repeated consideration, we all felt that if the battlefield was limited to the Caribbean Sea, it would be difficult to have a chance to annihilate the US Atlantic Fleet. And the best way to seize sea supremacy is to take out the enemy's ground fleet. If we can create an opportunity to take out the US Atlantic Fleet, then seizing sea supremacy will not be a problem. ”

"That is, the need for the Marine Corps to assist the fleet in the battle first?"

"Old Han, it's not a question of who assists whom, whether it's the fleet or the marines. Our ultimate goal is the same, and whoever can achieve it faster. And for less, that's the best way to go, isn't it? ”

Han Shaofeng smiled and nodded. "Talking about the general, don't do ideological work for me, I still know this truth. And it's not like I haven't worked with you before, so what do the Marines need to do according to your plan? ”

Facing the rapid change in Han Shaofeng's attitude, Tan Renhao and Huang Xiaotian were also a little surprised.

"In fact, the main thing is to revise the landing operation plan." Huang Xiaotian rummaged on the table, and when Han Shaofeng saw this, he immediately went to get a map of the Caribbean. Huang Xiaotian pointed to the Bahamas on the map and said: "After consulting with General Tan and several other task force commanders, they all believe that attacking Cuba is of little value, and it will not allow the fleet to carry out operations and create opportunities to annihilate the enemy. Therefore, we believe that the landing site should be transferred to the Bahamas, focusing on the seizure of New Providence, as well as several large nearby islands, and then use it as a base to attack the United States. In this way, the fleet can leave the Caribbean Sea and enter the vast expanses of the Atlantic Ocean to fight, which increases the flexibility of the Marine Corps, but it will increase the operational difficulty of the Marine Corps. ”

Han Shaofeng nodded slightly. "That's for sure, if nothing else, the safety of logistics routes is a serious problem. If our convoy had to pass through the Greater Andrés Islands, it would be vulnerable to interception by US air forces on the islands along the way, and the consequences would be unimaginable. ”

"We have also taken this into account, as long as we take out the US Atlantic Fleet and seize sea supremacy, we will first suppress the US airfields on the nearby islands and open up a passage for the Marine Corps."

"But what if the fleet can't achieve the purpose of this campaign?"

Tan Renhao hesitated for a moment, this may definitely exist. He and Huang Xiaotian both thought about it, but they didn't know how to answer.

"Two, I'm not saying that your plan is bad, but the premise is that the Atlantic Fleet must be defeated first. As General Tan said, as long as the Atlantic Fleet is eliminated, the future is bright, but if the situation is completely reversed, the difficulty of attacking the Bahamas will be very great, if not completely impossible. Han Shaofeng was a little proud this time, "I'm not against your opinion, but we must be fully prepared for possible situations, rather than launching a desperate attack, right?" ”

"So, let's prepare two plans." Huang Xiaotian proposed a compromise solution, "The Marine Corps will continue to retain the plan of attacking Jamaica and Cuba, and at the same time prepare for the campaign of attacking the Bahamas. ”

Han Shaofeng and Tan Renhao did not object, this was also the only feasible way at that time! Sea Soul Volume 23 Springboard for Progress Section 32 The Supreme Purpose