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Robert? Lieutenant General Eckerberg and nearly 100,000 U.S. officers and men fighting on Kuah Island could not believe that the 64th Task Force that had come to their aid had been defeated.

And the defeat was so miserable that the four battleships and four cruisers under the jurisdiction of the formation, not even one remained, and all sank into the Iron Bottom Strait, making this place even more worthy of the name.

But the incomparably cruel reality was that after 3 p.m., the Japanese fleet began to cover a large area north of the central axis of Kuah Island.

Due to the previous victories of their own side, the 17th Army of Lieutenant General Hyakutake Haruyoshi suffered heavy losses and had long lost the ability to take the initiative to attack.

Therefore, the logistics of the US military is not prepared at all to withstand large-scale air raids or even be completely baptized by the enemy's naval guns.

More than half of the war materiel that was placed in the open air, uncamouflaged, close to the shore and beachhead, and had not been loaded and unloaded, was affected.

The officers and men of the army expressed surprise at the enemy's rapid rise in combat effectiveness in a short period of time, and the defeat from the front line was even more difficult for them to accept.

The comeback of the Japanese Navy made the US 1st Army suffer a catastrophe, and at the same time, it was difficult to make an effective counterattack, and even firepower could not be contained.

Beginning in Dama Bay, the artillery fleet led by the battleship "Hozumi" successively destroyed many US strongholds located on the north side of Kuah Island, such as Kokumpona, Cape Lunga, Tenaru, Cape Koli, and Tasinpok, which were located near the coast.

The scorching sand, the burning coconut palms, the smell of burnt paste in the air, and the whistling of cannonballs across the air make this tropical island covered in greenery look and feel not so good.

The US ground forces were completely unable to withstand this intensity of artillery bombardment, so they could only abandon a large number of positions close to the coast and retreat inland.

However, in the process of shrinking the defensive area, it was strangled by Japanese fighters and naval guns, and the casualties could be calculated in terms of infantry regiments.

“…… Your Excellency, before sunset, we can help clear the army of most of the enemy strongholds on the north coast! ”

Nishida Masao felt that he had almost hit the ground, and even if he didn't take care of it for the time being or left out, the U.S. troops there would not continue to hold out.

Even if the American soldiers can fight tenaciously, it is impossible to win by shooting at the battleship, and even the Japanese cannot do this kind of thing.

Looking at the fireballs rising in the distance and the soaring smoke, the young man put down his binoculars and said: "The pressure we put on the other side is not enough, and the US military still has no intention of surrendering!" Only by continuing to fight them and cutting off the supplies that are going here, as they have done before, can we achieve the final victory! ”

Relying only on naval artillery cannot make the US troops on Kuah Island submit, and it is necessary to advance by sea and land, and the infantry and artillery must be coordinated.

The sun was about to set, and it would be unwise to attack at night.

Therefore, the young man of the second cargo reported the situation to the front command of Rabaul, as well as to the commander of the 8th Front, General Jun Imamura.

The commander of the 17th Army, Lieutenant General Hyakutake Haruyoshi, ordered that the commander of the 2nd Division, Maruyama Masao, command the 4th, 16th, and 29th Infantry Wings and the 2nd Field Artillery Wing, including 200 "Leopard" tanks, to attack and advance eastward along the coastline tomorrow morning.

Although there are five powerful infantry divisions of the US Army on Kuah Island, Maruyama Masao can't wait to "regain lost ground".

After being equipped with the "Leopard" heavy tank (the standard of the Japanese army), coupled with the combat effectiveness of the Japanese infantry who were already brave and resolute and fearless of death.

Even the base camp believed that it was very certain that a large-scale infantry assault would be carried out under the premise of strong air support.

The original "pig rush" was just a death action for the infantry shouting onboard slogans, but now the attack power of the "armored wild boar" is extraordinary.

The young man also expounded his point of view when he sent a telegram to the young man, saying that the center of gravity of the US offensive was on the northern front of the island, that is, the area along the Tiedi Strait.

On the line from Dama Bay to Aura Bay, there are probably three fully equipped infantry divisions of the US army.

It is necessary to kill and injure a large number of the opponent's vital forces, constantly destroy their technical equipment, and continue to compress the US military's defense zone.

After the destruction of the main tactical targets by naval guns, the ground forces are responsible for a large-scale sweep, which can have a multiplier effect with half the effort.

In this way, it can not only break up the offensive of the American army on the northern front, break through the defensive line set by the opponent, but also inflict heavy damage on its main forces.

The most relevant thing for Wakatsuki Shin is to constantly create a large number of wounded for the other party and accelerate the consumption of logistics materials on the island.

Let's see how strong the local tyrant's version of the "Washington Express" is compared to the silk version of the "Tokyo Express???

“…… Let's withdraw and let the main guns of the battleships of the Japanese go to fight wild vegetables! ”

The commander of the 1st Marine Division, Alexander? Brigadier General Van der Grift decisively ordered all three infantry regiments under his command to withdraw from the defense area.

However, the 1st Infantry Regiment had already suffered thousands of casualties, and the 5th Infantry Regiment also suffered losses of nearly 600 men, but fortunately, the 7th Infantry Regiment was not in serious trouble.

Even so, it also made the brigadier general's heart very distressed, and the infantry unit was empowered by the enemy's battleship main guns on a large scale, and it was ten times more angry than the demotion and punishment of his superiors.

Vandergravet thought that the Japanese fleet would be able to run rampant for one night, and that by the time the other side returned tomorrow morning, his 1st Marine Division would be able to take back the territory.

Perhaps this is a trick of the Japanese, whose army combat strength has long been weakened, and has no intention of attacking eastward at all, just letting the naval warships make a false shot.

Even if the enemy has the upper hand for the time being and can win a naval battle by chance, it will not change the fait accompli that they are about to be driven away from Kuah Island.

If there is a strategic failure, then tactical success becomes meaningless, at least that's what Vander Grift thinks.

He will not let his soldiers shed blood and die in vain, although the defense area is lost, and his face is indeed a little embarrassing, but as long as the troops are still there, they will soon be able to recover the loss.

At the same time, the commander of the 1st Army, Robert? Lieutenant General Eichelberg had already sent 100,000 urgent telegrams to Nimitz and Washington.

The content is very simple, constantly whether it is a warship or an airplane, please rush to the front line of Kuah Island immediately!

Whatever you have, we want, even if it's boxes of chewing gum on the island!

Eckerberg, who has always been old-fashioned, is so anxious, which shows that the situation of the US military on Kuah Island is already precarious.

Both Director Luo and General Marshall, Chief of Staff of the Army, realized the seriousness of the problem and immediately convened a supreme operational meeting to discuss it.

The war has been fought for more than half a year, and the US military has lost seven aircraft carriers (including escort carriers), 10 battleships, 16 cruisers, more than three dozen destroyers, and more than 1,000 combat aircraft in the waters off the Solomon Islands......

Considering that Japan has also suffered heavy losses, and its national strength is far from its own, the United States must not admit defeat in this hellish battlefield!

"Gentlemen, I think it should be clear to you all that we are the United States of America, the most powerful country in the world! We will never bow to Japan, let alone give in to them! Pearl Harbor is still fresh in your mind, so there's only one thing you have to do, and that's to defeat them! Beat them! Beat them! Will we lose something, such as dignity! Take it back! ”

Director Luo's speech can always inspire morale and inspiration, and let everyone strengthen their faith and regain confidence when they have suffered repeated setbacks on the front line.

Because the temporary setback in the Pacific alone will not affect Washington's mood.

And the news from Europe, especially from the Soviet-German battlefield, was not so satisfactory.

Berlin officially announced that the Third Reich had entered a state of general mobilization.

This is not rhetoric, but the actual arming of a million ground combat troops, accurate information from Allied spies lurking on the continent.

The Soviet-German battlefield was a black hole that was constantly devouring the forces of both sides, and after the crushing defeat of his father, the Führer intended to make a comeback.

After years of bloody battles, the soldiers of the German mainland were close to exhaustion, but there were many idlers in the client states.

Therefore, at the order of the Führer, 60 infantry divisions were formed in the occupied areas, each with a strength of 16,000 men.

The Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Romania, Hungary, France and other countries were given five divisions.

The weapons were ready-made, all obsolete from the Germans, but they were well maintained and there was no need to reinvest in them.

In order to attract young men to join the army, the recruiting department offered super preferential conditions, with a salary of half that of German soldiers, and a one-time payment of 200 catties of food and 1,000 marks in cash to military dependents.

For the people at the bottom who live in poverty in various countries, this is not a huge amount of money, but it can solve the urgent needs of the moment.

After three months of closed-door training, these cannon fodder divisions were successively sent to the Russian front line to engage in a tug-of-war with the massive gray cattle troops on the opposite side.

In the future, the focus of the German army will be on the Panzer Division and the Panzergrenadier Division (Infantry Division), and by the end of April, Berlin had completed the refitting of 15 Panzer Divisions.

Each panzer division received 160 Panther tanks and 40 Gepard self-propelled anti-tank guns, which, together with the original No. 4 tank, could almost double its combat effectiveness.

The most frightening thing is that the monthly output of German tanks and tracked main battle vehicles (including assault guns, tank destroyers, and self-propelled guns) has soared from less than 340 last year to more than 1,500 this year.

Among them, the "Panther" medium tank can roll off the assembly line 300 units per month, and the "Tiger" heavy tank, which has complex technology and high cost, can also have about 100 finished products a month.

However, compared to the production of the Soviet Union, the monthly output of T-34/76 medium tanks alone is as high as more than 1,000 units.

However, the huge armored forces of the Soviet army did not fully exert their advantages, because the Luftwaffe was equipped with new fighters Ta-152 and Me-262!

Under the strategic idea of using the air to control the ground, Goering ordered a large number of Bf-109s to be converted into ground attack aircraft to destroy the vast Soviet tank clusters.

The Bf-109, which once surprised the skies over Europe, has been reduced to the role of soy sauce under the squeeze of new fighters.

Even the F-190 fighter, which has decent performance, can only be turned into a front-line support force and give a beating to the new protagonist.

The Pull and Yak fighters of the Soviet Air Force were no match for the Ta-152 at all, and the Me-262 was even more like no one.

Air supremacy in several major areas of the Soviet-German theater was almost recaptured by the Luftwaffe in a short time.

Moscow urged the Allies to carry out a more intense strategic bombardment of the German mainland in order to destroy the industrial base of the Third Reich.

However, under the joint attack of a large number of German 88-mm anti-aircraft guns and new fighters, the Allied "four-engine flying monster" also suffered heavy losses.

In the past April, the British Royal Air Force lost 649 strategic bombers, and the US Army Air Force lost 821 aircraft.

The total number of the two aircraft is as high as 1,470, setting a new monthly high in history!

Entering May, in the first week alone, Britain and the United States were shot down 432 bombers!

Because the Spitfire, P-51, and P-47 were not the unparalleled opponents of the Luftwaffe, they would be chased and attacked by enemy planes when they entered enemy airspace.

By the time the strategic bombers flew to the German mainland, there were few fighters left to escort them, and these big stupid birds could only wait for the fate of being shot down to fall on their heads.

The Minister of Armaments, Speer, ordered the construction of a large number of "zoo" anti-aircraft fortresses all over Germany, especially in industrial cities...... A dedicated entertainment venue for airplanes!

The RAF could afford to lose up to a thousand four-engine bombers per month, and the United States even more, but neither air force could accept the loss of a large number of experienced crew members in the bombing.

Both London and Washington are considering temporarily halting the strategic bombardment, which has become increasingly costly, and then resuming it at a later time after the large-scale deployment of the improved "Mustang" and "Spitfire" troops.

The allies were not in a hurry across the English Channel, but the Soviet Union, which was burning its eyebrows, could not wait.

The German-led Axis forces amassed nearly 2.8 million men, 5,000 tanks, 6,000 artillery pieces, and 2,000 combat aircraft on the periphery of the Kursk salient.

Prepare to eat the Soviet six fronts responsible for the defense of this place in one go, and then advance more than 100 kilometers to the east to re-approach Moscow.

Both Father and Zhukov knew very well that if the Soviets suffered another heavy defeat in the Kursk region after the loss of Kharkov, the situation would return to the bad conditions of last summer, and it could be worse.

Because the Soviet army in Kursk had gathered most of the battleable divisions in the central region, if the enemy was lucky enough to win, the result would be disastrous for the Soviet Union.

Moscow could not conjure up another million combat troops in a short period of time, so this is why Berlin dared to take a desperate gamble.

Originally, the Führer was going to implement the "fortress" battle plan in early May, but due to the late end of the rainy season this year and the fact that the cannon fodder units had not yet been reorganized, they had to be postponed to 1 June!

The Chief of the Army General Staff, General Zeitzler, believed that if it were postponed for another month, the Axis would be better prepared.

However, Marshal Manstein, commander of the Southern Cluster, felt that in that case, the defense system built by the Soviet army would also be more complete.

Considering that his side has achieved a double superiority in troops and technical equipment, in order to avoid long nights and dreams, the Führer decided to immediately implement the "fortress" plan!

"Your Excellency, a telegram has been sent from the base camp that our German allies have launched a large-scale attack on the Kursk region of the USSR!"

On the day the Soviet-German battle began, the battleship "Hequan" had already completed its shelling of the US forces on Kuah Island and entered the Tasman Sea between New Zealand and Australia with two "New Kongs."

Something that is burning in the rear and slowly sinking into the sea is the third ship of the "Sangamon" class escort aircraft carrier "Chenango"!

The aircraft carrier, which had a maximum speed of only 18 knots, was eventually caught up and sunk by the "Breaking Friendship Squad", along with the four destroyers that ran away.