Chapter Seventy-One: Melbourne Winter (I)

The deep night sky is dazzlingly decorated with a bright crescent moon and countless stars, and occasionally mixed with fleeting meteors, outlining a magnificent and vast night scene. Pen @ fun @ pavilion wWw. ｂｉｑUｇE。 infoThere was a thick layer of hoarfrost on the earth, and the cold night wind with ice chips whistled and raged in the starlight......

-- While summer is scorching in Eurasia in the northern hemisphere, Australia in the southern hemisphere is in the midst of a cold and windy winter.

Late at night, in southeastern Australia, outside Melbourne, the capital of Victoria, the Allied forward position, the town of Broadford

Melbourne, which has been rated as the "world's most inhabitable city for human habitation" by UN-Habitat for many years, has very good climatic conditions. Summers are not too hot, winters are not too cold, and even in July and August, when the temperature is at their lowest, there is almost no snow.

Still, in the middle of the night in August in winter, Melbourne's wilderness is chilly. Except for the sentries who had to stand guard and blow the cold wind, the rest of the Australian and American soldiers who were not on duty did not bother to wander outside, but retreated into their wooden barracks, wrapped in military coats, around the kerosene stove made in the United States to warm themselves while listening to the news on a rustling American radio.

“…… Today, the new commander of the Pacific Fleet, Aubrey . Vice Admiral Fitch arrived at Pearl Harbor because the Pacific Fleet General Headquarters building collapsed in the typhoon and has not yet been repaired, so Vice Admiral Fitch chose to hold the inauguration ceremony on the new flagship, the battleship USS Missouri, whose flagship aircraft carrier was badly damaged in the storm and is still undergoing repairs at San Diego Naval Harbor......

At the inauguration ceremony, Vice Admiral Fitch said that the withdrawal of the fleet from the Fiji, New Zealand and Australian theaters was a temporary measure of last resort. In the face of the current difficult war situation, he will do his best, and he also hopes that everyone in the army will fulfill their duties......"

“…… Gee! Listen to George, another bunch of cliché empty words! Dedication? Will this allow us to win the war and go home? ”

An American soldier nagged dissatisfiedly, "...... The fleet that had just reached New Caledonia was retracted, the Fiji Islands were probably abandoned, and the reinforcements scheduled to be transferred to Melbourne were nowhere to be found...... If this continues, there will be no hope of recovering Australia! ”

“…… What's the solution? Donnie, it's God's arrangement for the fleet to encounter a typhoon, and no one can do anything about it! In any case, the navy has been opening up transportation lines for a few months recently, and there are more free ships on the port side, and our supplies are finally a little more generous...... While you still have something to eat, hurry up and eat more! Otherwise, when you have to gnaw on the stinky kangaroo meat in the future, some of them will make you cry! ”

Another U.S. soldier known as George said this, succeeding in making the others look disgusted when they heard the word "kangaroo meat...... George himself, with a spoon on his handle, carefully stirred a small iron pot on the kerosene stove, in which the soup was boiling slightly, and the pasta was boiling in it. He quickly added dehydrated carrots, dehydrated potato chips, and canned tomato sauce to it, and then opened the can of Spam's luncheon meat, and sliced the meat into thin slices with a bayonet and sprinkled it into the pot.

Looking at these pink "slices of meat" that were added to the soup pot, the American soldiers in the wooden house all showed salivating expressions......

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For American GIs in other theaters, by the fifth year of the World War, Spam luncheon meat, an unfortunate canned food that seemed to never be finished, had become as fearful of the soldiers as the enemy's bullets and gonorrhea, and had become their common enemy.

Although the U.S. Army logistics department and contractors developed more than 60 kinds of canned military meat during World War II, including beef, lamb, pork, ham, chicken, duck, turkey, tuna, sardines, etc., and even canned rabbit meat, the cooking flavors are also diverse, including smoked, spicy red stew, creamy carrot stew, tomato stew, honey roast, black pepper roast, and so on. But what was delivered to the front-line soldiers was almost all Spam luncheon meat. Because in the eyes of the U.S. War Department, although luncheon meat contains almost no vitamins and minerals and is not very helpful for health, the calories it provides are essential to keep soldiers strong, and it is cheaper than other canned foods.

Well, although this conclusion is not wrong, it does not fully take into account the delicate taste buds of American GIs. Thus, in the eyes of American GIs who were tired of eating Spam luncheon meat, Spam luncheon meat was like enemy bullets and raging diseases, purely "objects that should be eliminated", and even gave it all kinds of sensational nicknames. For example, "suspected meat", "water meat" and "spirit meat......

But in Melbourne, where the enemy is alone, surrounded on three sides, and the logistics are intermittent, the Allied soldiers on the front line can get a few cans of Spam luncheon meat to fight their teeth, it is already a very happy thing: it can provide enough fat and calories anyway.

-- Because the US Pacific Fleet has been defeated again and again in all naval battles, and even completely annihilated twice...... Well, if you count the recent typhoon event known as the "Destroyer", then it has been wiped out three times in a row. Therefore, the Japanese Navy's Combined Fleet has held sea supremacy in the southwest Pacific most of the time, and the supply line from the US mainland to the Australian battlefield has always been full of risks.

The U.S. Liberty Ship fleet, whether it is taking the South Pacific route from Chile to Melbourne, or taking the South Indian Ocean route from South Africa to Melbourne, is equivalent to a thrilling adventure in enemy territory, and the probability of the convoy being sunk or captured is as high as more than 30%! After the Japanese army completely occupied Western Australia and deployed a patrol fleet in Perth Harbor, the supply line in the southern Indian Ocean direction was completely cut off, and the millions of Australian soldiers and civilians trapped in Melbourne and Tasmania were all barely holding on to the transport fleet on the New Zealand side.

However, even the supply lines in the direction of New Zealand are very unreliable. Because New Zealand itself has been attacked by the Japanese army many times, and even burned and slaughtered the city. It was difficult for supplies from the United States to reach Australia, and sometimes more goods were not transported to their destinations than were stolen by the Japanese army.

As a result, it is not uncommon for Melbourne, which is unfortunately located at the end of the entire supply line, not to see a single transport ship for several months in a row.

Under such circumstances, it is naturally impossible for the allies in Melbourne to have a good life, and lack of food, clothing, and medical treatment and myrrh are common daily routines.

As for the Australian civilians trapped in Melbourne, they are living a miserable life. With the nearby agricultural areas devastated by the fighting, a limited fleet of ships, and the need to prioritize the transportation of ammunition to sustain the war, Melbourne's civilian food supply has been extremely scarce for a long time.

Almost all of the remaining white citizens had to reclaim in small barren fields, eke out their livelihoods by growing taro and potatoes, or evacuate to the safer island of Tasmania. In recent years, the number of civilians who have died of malnutrition alone is as high as 200,000.

Coupled with the indiscriminate bombing and wanton release of poison gas by Japanese planes, countless people were killed by bombs every month, burned to charred by the flames, smoked by poison gas, and lying on hospital beds without treatment...... If the common people want to survive in this place, the vitality must be more tenacious than that of cockroaches.

Fortunately, for most of the previous six months, due to the huge impact of the Tokyo nuclear bombing on the Japanese army in Australia and the northward movement of the Japanese Navy's Combined Fleet, the military pressure on the Melbourne front was greatly reduced, and the naval blockade against the Allies also collapsed on its own. The Pentagon hastened to seize this short period of safety and organized an ocean-going convoy to rush a large number of food, clothing, clothing, clothing, ordnance and ammunition to Melbourne, and on the return journey, nearly a million wounded and refugees were transported away one after another...... Of course, the Pentagon also withdrew a considerable part of its troops from Melbourne and brought Marshal MacArthur to the Japanese battlefield......

In short, such a toss, coupled with the previous failed Canberra counterattack, reimbursed 130,000 Allied officers and soldiers in one go, and finally reduced the number of mouths for food by more than one million on the Melbourne side, and the logistics supply became much more abundant. At the very least, the Allied combat units on the front line can be fed and clothed for the time being, and they can even make a lunch of meat and pasta in the evening as a supper and tooth sacrifice......

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After another moment, after sprinkling pepper on the soup, a small pot of fragrant spaghetti with luncheon meat in black pepper tomato sauce was cooked on the kerosene stove. The mouth-watering smell of tomato and pepper is complemented by the fatty aroma of Spam luncheon meat. George, who was in charge of the cooking, asked everyone to take out their lunch boxes or teacups, and gave everyone a spoonful of noodles and a spoonful of thick soup as fairly as possible.

As soon as Downey got his share of pasta, he eagerly poked a piece of luncheon meat with his fork, dipped it in an open jar of chixican sauce next to him, and swallowed it in one gulp, then his mouth tightened, his eyes narrowed, and he enjoyed the greasy and spicy taste that permeated his mouth.

“…… What a taste...... That's the life we Americans should live. After a few slow chews, he swallowed the luncheon meat in his mouth," ...... It's a pity there was no turkey, corn pie and chocolate, and no brandy and whiskey......"

“…… Don't be whimsical, man! Think of the miserable days last spring when I pinched my nose and nibbled on kangaroo meat, and the ration bread was only 200 grams a day! Now it's time to thank God for having spaghetti to eat! Well, you should eat a little spicier in winter......"

After distributing the noodles to everyone, George, who was in charge of the cooking, first put a lot of pepper and hot sauce into his own portion of noodles, and then directly picked up the lunch box and drank it in a big gulp. While drinking the soup, he used a fork to pull the noodles and luncheon meat into his mouth.

Seeing this, the others also followed suit and poured a hot noodle soup with a large amount of chili, pepper and other spices into their stomachs, and a trace of sweat soon appeared on everyone's heads, and their stomachs, hands and feet, which were a little uncomfortable from the cold, began to feel hot.

With some warmth on the body, the chatterbox of the American GIs has also been opened, and you and I have started chatting one by one.

“…… Speaking of which, the climate in this part of Australia is really good, the summer is not too hot, the winter is not too cold, and there will not even be snow, which is much milder than my hometown of Maine, where there is a heavy snowfall every winter, and every house can be buried when a heavy snow falls! ”

“…… It's a pity that the supplies are too scarce, bread, canned food, butter, coffee, cigarettes, whiskey, Coca-Cola, everything! ”

“…… The girls are very welcoming, and a piece of chocolate will make them ...... However, we don't have much of our own inventory. ”

“…… And even tooth powder and toothpaste are often out of stock, and sometimes I feel that my mouth stinks so much that I am embarrassed to go out to soak girls......"

“…… There was a time when there was no soap to use in the shower, and the clothes were never clean. I only recently sent a few pieces of ......"

“…… And the mail in the rear is also intermittent, either missing halfway or with a terrible delay! Last month, I received a letter written three years ago! It was written by my wife, and I wanted to ask what to name my youngest son, who was born at that time...... Hell, with the dead heart of my German wife, because she never received a reply, maybe she really called my son 'noname' for three years! ”

“…… I couldn't get aspirin even if I had a cold, so the military doctor got some weeds and bark out of nowhere, and boiled them into a pot of black medicinal soup for me to drink, saying that it was an earthwork, like a witch's potion...... As a result, after I drank it, not only did I not catch a cold, but I also had a stomach that stretched for several days......"

“…… Hell, why are we here to fight in this hellish place? It was we unlucky poor people who fought to the death with the Japanese devils, but those high-ranking parliamentarians and generals gave orders in a safe place! Why should we use our death to earn merit and benefit for them? ”

“…… Yes, since the beginning of the war, the government has said that it wants us to defend our homeland and country, but the battlefield is almost always on the territory of other countries. Even the Philippines was already independent before the war...... The blood of the American lads will be drained by these uncompetitive allies! ”

“…… What's the solution? The White House and Capitol Hill are ambitious to be the savior, and they are not the ones who need to sacrifice their lives anyway......"

-- On the Australian battlefield with difficult conditions and lack of materials, those native-born Australian soldiers may still have the natural feeling of defending their homeland, as well as the ambition of revenge, no matter how bad the battle situation is, they can grit their teeth and work hard to support it.

However, after experiencing so many years of cruel and arduous war torture, the initial morale and fighting spirit of these American GIs who came to help the war have been exhausted, and there is only endless exhaustion and burnout in their hearts, as well as endless longing for their hometown and relatives.

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In fact, when the Australian battlefield was just opened, the spirit and fighting spirit of these American GIs were still very good, and they were full of the inherent contempt and arrogance of the white race towards people of color in the hundreds of years since the beginning of the Age of Discovery, as well as the shame and anger of being slapped by the "inferior people". However, in the years that followed, the harsh reality gave them a slap in the face - since the Japanese landed in Australia, the Allies had almost always been defeated, and it would have been a great success to be able to repel the Japanese attack in a defensive battle. As for the field counteroffensive launched by the Allies on their own initiative, it ended in a crushing defeat almost all. Even if there is a certain breakthrough at the beginning, it will certainly be followed by an even more catastrophic collapse.

In this way, the repeated defeats and all kinds of tragic situations in the war have caused the US officers and men at the grassroots level, who cannot see the dawn of victory, to rapidly cool down their enthusiasm for this war of "defending the white civilized world," their combat attitude has gradually become negative, their overall morale has become even lower and lower, and their enthusiasm and efficiency have deteriorated day by day. After the nuclear bombing in Tokyo, the Australian allies, who had been given a shot in the arm, once again dragged their tired bodies and launched the largest and final counteroffensive since the start of the war, but unfortunately it still ended in a fiasco...... Although they were also exhausted, the Australians were already riding tigers, and in the face of the greedy eastern invaders, they had no choice and no room to retreat, and the end of failure was to lose their homes forever like the American Indians. Putting aside the country's righteousness and national honor, even for their own lives, they can only persevere to the end like gamblers who lose red eyes.

However, the American soldiers, who had been thoroughly infiltrated by the bleak future and war-weariness, did not have such pain. In their eyes, they are fighting a war that belongs to someone else in a distant foreign land, and it is good if they can win and triumph, but if they can't win, it seems that there is no need to shed their last drop of blood just for the sake of illusory honor...... It's a pity that what they said didn't work.

So, the more people chatted, the more depressed they became, the more they talked, the more depressed they became, and finally the chatting gradually stopped, and they all lowered their heads and didn't say anything, just washed their lunch boxes, and then silently drank hot coffee or smoked cigarettes, while listening to the popular song "Lily. Marlene:

“…… In front of the barracks, in front of the gate, there was a lamp, which is still lit today. We're going to see you there again, and we're going to stand under that lamp. As before, Lily Marlene. As once upon a time, Lily Marlene;

The figures of the two of us seem to be one, they are like a couple, and it doesn't matter if they are seen. It is the same for all people to see, as long as we meet under that lamp. As before, Lily Marlene. As once upon a time, Lily Marlene;

The sentinels have begun to shout, and the late roll call has been blown, and if it is late, it will be closed for three days. I must return immediately, so I have to say goodbye here, but my heart still longs to walk with you. With you, Lily Marlene, with you, Lily Marlene......"

The soft and melodious singing voice was very effective in soothing the depressed mood of these tired soldiers and cheering them up a little. Some people took out small notebooks and pens and began to write in their diaries, while others scratched their hair and wrote letters to their families that they didn't know when they would receive them. Others simply slumped lazily in the corner of the hut, closing their eyes and recuperating, while softly humming to the tunes that came out of the radio, and whistling playfully from time to time.

However, a soldier who had been humming suddenly closed his mouth and reached out to cover the mouth of the other person.

“…… Boom! Boom! ”

A dazzling orange-red light suddenly pierced the night, and the floor of the barracks shook violently, and the dust on the roof and the radio on the wooden box "clicked" and fell, and it was instantly smashed to pieces. But at this time, no one cares about being distressed, or even has no heart to care about it at all.

“…… What's going on?! What's going on out there?! ”

“…… It's shelling! The Japanese called! ”

“…… Damn it! What are you yelling about! Lie down quickly—"

Thundered!!!

A terrifying explosion rang out right away, almost bursting everyone's eardrums. The orange-red light tore through the sky, and the humble wooden house collapsed in the flames and waves, splashing a large cloud of choking dust...... When the fire was gone, and the smoke and dust had cleared, Private George got up from the ground tremblingly, feeling the smell of rust fill his throat, and the roar just now seemed to still be buzzing in his ears.

As he got up, he seemed to have stumbled into something hard and sharp, and the thing struck a bulge in his forehead, which made his eyes tremble, but the pain was nothing compared to the injuries that had spread all over his body at this time—at first, for a few seconds, George felt that his eyes were completely dark, and he almost thought he was blind.

He finally waited until the darkness in his vision began to fade, and then he hurriedly looked at the surroundings and found that the wooden house that had been used to accommodate him had collapsed. All of their military colleagues were buried under the wooden beams and rubble, groaning slightly. In a charred crater next to the wreckage of the wooden house, there was still smoke, and on the edge of the crater where the dirt and grass had been rolled over, there were scattered pieces of paper, cloth, debris, and human limbs.

What frightened him even more were the diminutive figures in the firelight—at least a hundred Japanese soldiers in camouflage uniforms had come to town at some point, shooting at every tent, every car, every house!

In the firelight, George clearly saw a fierce Japanese officer, wielding a sword, frantically slashing at the fleeing Allied soldiers. Behind him, a Japanese soldier shouted ferociously with his flag held aloft, creating a strange and frightening picture - no one knew how they had broken through the barbed wire fence on the perimeter and killed the night guard sentries and rushed into the interior of the town. In short, the Allied forces that were suddenly attacked were in chaos, many vehicles exploded and caught fire, and many people were knocked down before they could pick up their arms, and they were screaming dying......

Seeing this scene, George quickly put on his steel helmet, crawled to find a machine gun, and frantically poured bullets at the Japanese at the end of the street, sweeping down a large number of people with steel and flames, killing almost as many enemies as they were wounded by mistake...... There was no way, no one could see anyone clearly in the dark night, but it was finally temporarily stopped by the attack momentum of the Japanese surprise attack team. Then, an Australian major personally led the reserves to kill and engaged in a fierce battle with the Japanese. Tracer bullets weaved through the night, gunshots, and grenades.

After an extremely brutal white-knuckle battle, the allies in the town finally eliminated the enemy with bayonets and grenades by virtue of their absolute superiority in numbers. But the price was also terrible, and everyone who survived was splattered with blood - the enemy's and his own. Some had their arms broken, others were blind. George was also shot in the stomach, and even his intestines flowed out. He could only cover his stomach with a triangular scarf and lean against the wall to gasp for breath.

There was no way, it was too dark, the battlefield was too chaotic, and the military doctors could not save them, so they had to endure until dawn - if they had not died of pain by then.

Gradually, George felt his entire abdomen go numb, and the numbness rose all the way to his chest, head, ...... However, before he could pass out, the Japanese field guns opened fire again, and fired more and more fiercely, soon turning the town into a sea of fire, and the scorching fragments were scattered everywhere, causing an English moan to be heard around George. He could see nothing but the flash of the shell explosion.

Faced with the collapse of the entire front line, some Allied soldiers began to retreat in a chaotic manner, and some people even found transportation, a truck full of soldiers sped through the town, and as they passed George, there were people in the car who greeted him, as if they wanted him to come up and evacuate with him.

However, George, who had lost so much blood and was drowsy, had no strength to move anymore, and he just continued to lean against the wall, holding the handle of the heavy machine gun weakly, trying to fight the enemy again before he died.

Then, the messy battlefield seemed to be silent for a moment, until a cacophony of metal crushing the ground gradually sounded nearby. In the shaking of the ground, George, who had difficulty concentrating, opened his heavy eyelids with great difficulty, and suddenly saw a swarthy behemoth appear in front of him, and heard a desperate cry from an unknown guy nearby: "...... Tank! The tanks of the Japanese rushed in! ”

Then, George only had time to subconsciously pull the trigger and in vain hit a chain of bullets, and then was bombarded into the sky by a high-explosive shell.