PS: Thank you Macau, Fujian, Shanghai, thank you for the coffee 1234567, thank you fylmgxx520 for the tip.

On the aircraft carrier Indian Ocean, Li Guang had mixed feelings and worries.

The good news is that the pilots on the aircraft carrier have gone through two low-intensity battles, and each pilot has a smile on his face, and the rookies seem to have grown up in just one day. There is a big difference between training and combat, in one day, the pilot's skills cannot improve by leaps and bounds, but a day of combat has made a great change in the pilot's psychology.

And Zheng Xuechang, the commander of the task force, also commanded at a considerable level in these two battles. It's an almost winnable battle, and it seems simple, but it also requires considerable organizational skills. A group of rookies can not have an accident in such a battle, which is enough to show that Zheng Xuechang's preparation is sufficient. During the battle, there was an exchange of fire between the fighters of the Naval Resistance Army and the Japanese fighters, and Zheng Xuechang's performance was also quite qualified, and he did not send fighters to pursue, but to complete the task for the purpose.

Knowing the trade-offs is a big step forward for Zheng Xuechang.

You must know that Zheng Xuechang in the Battle of Ceylon, because of greed, caused damage to the battleship Atlantic, although the battle was outstanding, but for the naval resistance army, for several months without a capital ship, it was a very dangerous consequence.

Li Guang's worries came from the reconnaissance planes of the Naval Resistance Army, whose on-board radar failed during the battle, and the Japanese fighters were not detected in advance. Although after the reconnaissance plane landed, the technicians immediately found the problem and solved it. But with the newly equipped radar, no one can predict whether there will be other problems. You must know that the battleships of the Atlantic cannot converge in time, and the aircraft carrier has no self-defense capability, once the radar fails. Or if the reconnaissance plane makes a mistake and is approached by a Japanese aircraft group or a battleship, it will immediately fall into a crisis.

And this crisis is not only a crisis for the Navy, but also a huge challenge for the Army.

At the beginning of the planning of this military operation, Li Guang did not take into account the absence of the battleship Atlantic. In his opinion, at most, the United States delayed the delivery of the light aircraft carrier Liberty Dragon, and the battleship Atlantic had no reason to be absent at all. And in fact, the battleship Atlantic did not have any unfavorable news until the naval resistance army sent troops.

The Maritime Resistance Force has always had a professional amphibious force, and the research on amphibious landings cannot be regarded as small. If the target is a large island, the Naval Resistance Force can also take advantage of the surprise to land in a corner where the enemy has neglected. However, the target of the Naval Resistance Force this time was Wake Island. This coral island is only 6.5 square kilometers. Standing on a small watchtower, you can see the island clearly.

In August, Britain played a landing battle in Europe, vainly trying to surprise without artillery preparations, and the result was a miserable gamble. It's almost annihilated. At that time, Li Guang also ridiculed the British army. Think that the British army is somewhat whimsical.

And now. Without the support of naval artillery, the Naval Resistance Army wanted to capture Wake Island, which was heavily guarded by the Japanese army, and almost went to the same road as the British army.

The staff officers were busy formulating tactics according to the current situation, and Li Guang went to the deck to breathe, but this season in the central Pacific, tropical storms came and went. At this time, it was rainy and misty, and I couldn't find a cool feeling at all. Weather conditions are also not favorable for the combat equipment of the naval resistance forces, with aircraft carriers as the main striking force.

Li Guang didn't want to laugh.

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American.

Li Guang's sales of mortars also came with tactical explanations, a good sense of service, and took the initiative to solve problems for customers. The customer is satisfied. Admiral MacArthur was satisfied.

After a small half-year war, both the US Army and the US Marine Corps have found a way to deal with the Japanese devils - firepower.

In terms of tactical flexibility, these recruits of the US military cannot be compared with the Japanese army, which has fought for many years. However, it is a basic principle of military affairs to give full play to one's own advantages. The Americans were not stupid and quickly found their superiority, aircraft artillery.

Originally, in mountain warfare, it was really difficult to transfer artillery in the mountains and jungles, and the American GIs could not find "too much" advantages. The arrival of these hundreds of heavy mortars of the Naval Resistance Army immediately reversed the firepower deficit of the US Army. (In fact, there are no heavy mortars, and the firepower of the American army is much stronger than that of the Japanese army.) ）

Li Guang knew that the US military was very luxurious, but in his opinion, 10,000 tons of mortar shells was enough for the US military for half a year. After all, a war mortar is not the main artillery fire.

However, just after New Year's Day, MacArthur squandered seven or eight thousand tons of mortar shells. The US officers and men discovered that mortars were really effective in mountain warfare, and that the US troops in New Guinea had not only blocked the Japanese attack, but now they had the flavor of defending as an offensive.

Admiral MacArthur was not stingy either, and with a wave of his hand, the order for 20,000 tons of mortar shells and a thousand heavy mortars was placed again. And it is also an order from Haitang Kingdom.

MacArthur's domineering is well known in the U.S. military: to hell with all the rules, I want victory.

He did not take into account the usual arms rules of the United States at all, he only placed an order, and the US Government paid for the goods, and he was not worried at all. In fact, many people were dissatisfied with MacArthur, but no one dared to complain about MacArthur's unauthorized ordering.

There's no way, if you lose the battle, who is responsible? No one can afford it.

In terms of the right to speak, MacArthur is stronger than a member of Congress, but he is an actor.

Therefore, Hai Tangguo was not only able to get back the payment smoothly, but Li Guang originally thought that it was a one-shot business, but he actually did it twice.

Is there a next time? Perhaps?

As soon as the war was fought, MacArthur became even more arrogant and began to ask President Roosevelt for planes, which amounted to 1,800 planes. He began to ask Roosevelt for aircraft carriers, and asked Vice Admiral Halsey to put the task force under his command. Finally, he was asked to add ten more divisions to his troops.

MacArthur's qualifications were indeed old enough and his prestige was high enough.

What does it mean to be the principal of West Point? Most of the officers in the US Army were his students.

He served as Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army. He is even older than the current Chief of Staff of the US Army, Marshall. MacArthur sat in this position in 1930.

Admiral Marshall is the bigwig of the US Army, and he has no problem with Eisenhower, commander of the US Atlantic Theater. But for MacArthur, it can't really be treated like a junior officer.

MacArthur already had a lot of fighters in his hands, and he even needed 1,800 fighters. Admiral Marshall did not dare to refuse, saying that he would consult with President Roosevelt. As for the addition of ten divisions, MacArthur now has nearly 600,000 troops, which is 600,000 (part of Australia, part of New Guinea). ）。 In the face of 100,000 Japanese troops, they were embarrassed to increase their troops, but this unreasonable request was directly rejected by Admiral Marshall.

MacArthur wanted to command Vice Admiral Halsey's task force, but Nimitz, the commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, did not open his mouth at all. Admiral King, the big man of the US Navy, refused in one bite.

Are you kidding. If the Tubaozi Army wants to command the fleet of the Navy, don't even think about it. Admiral Marshall also had to take care of MacArthur's face. Admiral King was a big sailor, and MacArthur's arrogance was not at all easy to do with Admiral Kim. Besides, in the Battle of Kuah, the Japanese Navy suffered heavy losses. The U.S. Navy is also uncomfortable. The U.S. Navy did not have battleships to sink, but there were four aircraft carriers in total. Two ships were sunk. One ship was injured. Now Nimitz has only one aircraft carrier in his hands to fight, and the situation is not so optimistic.

There are also contradictions between the U.S. Navy and the U.S. Army over resources, but not as serious as the Japanese army. Nimitz, the commander of the Pacific Fleet, once wanted to borrow five divisions of land from MacArthur, but MacArthur refused.

MacArthur is now pondering how to get a fleet commander.

As for the commander of the US Pacific Fleet, Admiral Nimitz. The battle for Kuah Island continues to be a headache. The fighting in New Guinea was led by the U.S. Army, and the Navy was at best to help escort the transports.

But the battle on Kuah Island, whether on land or at sea, was undertaken by the US Navy. Thanks. The U.S. Navy has an elite 1st Marine Division. However, at this stage of the war, it seems that the war situation is favorable to the US military, but the US military on land is exhausted. At sea, the U.S. Navy suffered heavy losses, and it also had a bit of a strong crossbow flavor.

Although Nimitz has a headache in the war situation, what Nimitz is most anxious about at the moment is to fight for resources at home. He was asking Roosevelt for more carriers, more warships, more troops. In short, anything.

It is true that the current situation of the US Pacific Fleet is not good, but is it really that dangerous relative to the power of the Japanese Navy?

There is only one aircraft carrier to fight, and it seems that the force is thin. But in fact, if Nimitz wants an aircraft carrier, the United States can provide it at any time.

You must know that the first Essex-class aircraft carrier of the United States has been installed and is undergoing sea trials. It won't take much time to be able to pack up continuously, like dumplings to form an army.

In addition to one for Haitang, the United States' Independence-class light aircraft carrier will be able to install two in January alone. Within half a year, seven or eight ships will be fully installed.

And if the U.S. Navy is willing to lower its body and use escort aircraft carriers, it can mobilize eight of the ten ships at any time. The United States has refitted twenty or thirty ships of this kind of thing in a year, and there is no shortage of them at all.

Why are you in such a hurry, and you have to have a regular aircraft carrier, in addition to the usual luxury of the US military. The main reason is the competition for resources.

U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt's strategy of Europe first and then Asia, that is, supplies and equipment will be inclined to the European battlefield.

Nimitz feared that if he didn't show eagerness and the aircraft carrier squeaked and ran to the Atlantic, he would be blind. It may even fall into the hands of MacArthur's army bun, you know, MacArthur is not a fuel-efficient lamp, acting is his specialty. In that case, Nimitz would have been dumbfounded.

The ass decides the head. Whether Nimitz agreed with Roosevelt's Asia-first-Europe strategy or not, he would do everything in his power to secure more resources for the Pacific Fleet.

In short, neither Nimitz nor MacArthur knew anything about the military operations of the Naval Resistance Army. The two of them spent more time on the battlefield, and to be honest, they didn't spend as much time on asking for resources from home.

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Japanese Army.

Because Admiral Yamamoto 56 judged: the actions of the US Army (Naval Resistance Army) were only to attract the attention of the Japanese Navy. Although the U.S. military was quite favorable in the battle situation, it did not have the real ability to divide troops, and he did not expect that it was the Naval Resistance Army that was preparing to capture Wake Island. Therefore, his former staff officer, Kuroshima Kameo, only notified some Japanese troops on Wake Island as usual to strengthen the defense.

Wake Island was the forward position of the Japanese army in the Central Pacific. Just look at the map to see how important Wake Island is.

A horizontal line runs west from Wake Island. More than 2,300 kilometers away is the Mariana Islands. A vertical line runs south from Wake Island, 1,300 kilometres away to the Marshall Islands, and another 700 kilometres to the Gilbert Islands.

In the area formed by these two lines, which is almost 90 degrees, there are large and small bases of the Japanese army.

What's even more important is the distance between Wake Island and these Japanese bases.

The Mariana Islands, including Guam and Saipan, are within 2,500 kilometers.

It is less than 1,700 kilometers away from Truk, the most core base of the Japanese army.

From the above data, it can be seen that Wake Island is the intersection of the two lines of defense of the Japanese army, east and west, north and south. Its importance is self-evident.

Once this place is recaptured by the American army, then the Japanese defense line will be compressed. Whether it's Guam or Saipan. Or Kwajalein Atoll, and the Gibraltar-Truk base in the Pacific Ocean, which the Japanese army claims to be, will all be within the range of US bombers.

So why not seize such an important island, and why didn't the U.S. military seize it?

It's not that the U.S. military doesn't see the importance of this place. What can be understood by any student who graduated from a military academy, can't so many generals in the United States see it?

No.

The angle formed by the two lines of defense of the Japanese army, the east-west and the north-south. Wake Island is an arrowhead, and the arrow is pointing straight at Midway. But the distance between Wake Island and Midway Island is 1950 kilometers.

It was this distance that stumped the US military.

Japanese offensive in the Pacific. Generally to the islands that have been occupied. Draw a circle with a radius of 700 km, then occupy the islands in the area, then draw the circle. Kuah Island is a special case, I don't know why, the circle is drawn a little bigger, and a circle of 900 kilometers is drawn. Outcome. It's the current situation, it's tragic.

The fundamental reason lies in the fact that the combat radius of the Japanese Zero fighters is 700 kilometers. Attacking at this range, the Japanese army could provide air protection at any time.

At this point. The U.S. military is inferior to the Japanese army. The combat radius of the US fighter jets is four or five hundred kilometers. Therefore, to attack Wake Island, aircraft carriers must be used. And with the luxury of the US military, naturally it is not enough to have one or two aircraft carriers, but "many aircraft carriers".

"A lot of aircraft carriers", Nimitz could not take out, so, there was no such offensive plan at all.

Here is a closer look at why the U.S. military has historically not attacked Wake Island, but waited for Japan to surrender before taking it back. There are many reasons for this, including military, political, and power struggles between the branches of the armed forces.

In the struggle for power between the services, MacArthur as an actor outsmarted Nimitz as a doer. MacArthur has always been obsessed with the humiliation of the Philippines and is bent on returning to the Philippines. So the offensive route was to advance westward on the islands of Kuah and New Guinea. Instead of attacking from the middle of the Pacific Ocean, as the US Navy expects, that is, to occupy Wake Island first.

Militarily, when the US military soared in strength in the second half of the fourth or third year, it had already occupied the Solomon Islands and a series of islands, and had initially formed an encirclement of the Japanese base in Rabaul. Everyone knows that taking advantage of the favorable situation, no one wants to open a new course and find a new entry point. Therefore, the attack from the Central Pacific is not taken seriously by anyone except Nimitztiti.

Politically, it is said that in the 44th US election, actor General MacArthur promised Roosevelt not to participate in the election, and the actor's influence was terrifying, so Roosevelt agreed to MacArthur's proposal to attack the Philippines.

All in all, now the US military does not have the slightest idea of capturing Wake Island. Therefore, the Japanese troops on Wake Island were visited by American bombers every once in a while, and they were not threatened by anything else. Major General Toshiichi Sato, the commander of the Japanese forces on Wake Island, did not have a comfortable life, but it was not a difficult one.

When Rear Admiral Toshiichi Sato received an order from the Combined Fleet, he was bored and helpless. The U.S. military is really a coward, it only dares to send "a few" planes to harass it, and it does not dare to have a bloody battle with the Imperial Army of the Great Japanese Empire. Note that Toshiichi Sato thinks it's several. There was no reason, no one misled him, and the message sent by Kuroshima Kametoshi was clear: there were American aircraft carriers. But Major General Toshiichi Sato, he really thinks so - a couple of planes.

Helplessly, he really didn't have any tricks to fight back. In previous months, Japan also deployed more than a dozen aircraft on Wake Island. Of course, those planes could only be used for reconnaissance and alert, and they could not attack the US air on Midway, and the Japanese bombers were seriously lacking, and there were no bombers deployed on Wake Island at all.

American ghost animals, if you have nothing to do, you love three or five bombers to harass Wake Island. Sometimes the Japanese army can also detect it in advance, and the fighters will respond to the battle. However, after a long time, there will always be a miss.

In this way, the Japanese army always lost three or two fighters, and at first the Japanese army continued to replenish the fighters, and gradually the Japanese army could not bear this kind of loss. There was a serious shortage of fighters on other battlefields, and seeing that there would be no major battle on Wake Island for a while, most of the planes were transferred, leaving only one reconnaissance plane just in case.

For the bombers of the American ghost animals, Toshiichi Sato is actually not very worried. The bombing level of the US ghost animals is extremely poor, and they do not dare to bomb at low altitudes at all, and always squander bombs indiscriminately at high altitudes. Although each bombing inevitably caused some casualties to the Japanese army, on the whole, it could only be regarded as harassment of the Japanese troops defending the island.

Major General Toshiichi Sato has been troubled by another thing recently, there is nothing lacking on the island, weapons, ammunition, comfort women, rice, sake, fishing rods, everything. ---- is only short of coal.

In the last month or so, the Japanese army has carried out two resupply trips to Wake Island. But the first replenishment was two hundred kilometers from Wake Island, and it was sunk by the submarine of the "American ghost animal". What is even more infuriating is that the second time, the Japanese supply ship was already less than two kilometers from Wake Island and was sunk again.

When the devils on Wake Island opened fire one after another, they did not hit the US submarine, but instead killed many Japanese sailors on the supply ship.

As a result, Major General Toshiichi Sato has no coal to use, so he has been cutting down the coconut trees on Wake Island, which are already scarce, for firewood. It's too much water, it's too hard to cook, and every day the island is a miasma of black smoke, and the little devils are smoked like black Americans.

With more than 4,000 troops, the consumption of firewood for cooking is not a small amount, and it has only been more than a month, and Wake Island, which is already small, is already bare. If there is less firewood, you have to save it, and the rice is half-cooked, and a lot of devils begin to have diarrhea. Diarrhea is not a serious disease, generally speaking, it can't kill people, but it can pull people to the point where it is difficult to get out of bed. I can't get out of bed, and I'm having a fart fight.

Therefore, Major General Toshiichi Sato received the order, and he did not take the air raid of the American ghost animals to heart, but looked at a bunch of sick ghosts and worried. He also urged the Navy to send a shipload of coal over again.

The Great War is about to break out, but the Japanese army is worried about coal. (To be continued......)