Chapter 68: Typhoon God of War Halsey (II)

In the light of President Truman's informal emergency meeting at the White House, the United States of America had to make the following bitter decision:

First of all, the plan to start a decisive battle with the combined fleet of the Japanese Navy in the Mariana Islands was obviously not able to be carried out and had to be abandoned. Pen, fun, pavilion www. biquge。 infoIn fact, if the remnants of the Halsey fleet, which have almost lost their ability to defend themselves, can come back largely intact, instead of being attacked by the Japanese Navy on the way or bombed by carrier-based aircraft from Japanese aircraft carriers, then the White House and the Pentagon will have to open champagne to celebrate.

Second, due to the severe damage to the dockyard facilities at Pearl Harbor due to the typhoon's landfall, the ability to repair and maintain the ships has been greatly reduced, and some of the remaining capital ships of the Halsey fleet can only be withdrawn to the west coast for repairs, and will have to completely leave the battlefield for at least three months.

Third, military supplies that had been hoarded in the Hawaiian Islands and were destined for the Japanese battlefield were also seriously damaged by the typhoon. The material reserves of the Japanese front-line troops were only enough to last a month of high-intensity attrition at most. To this end, Ernest. While asking the Hawaiian side to anchor and sail all the remaining intact cargo ships, Admiral Kim dismantled the east wall and repaired the west wall in various ports on the west coast of the mainland, mobilized supplies, ships, and troops, and sent them to the Japanese front line in one go.

Fourth, most of the Halsey fleet was destroyed by the typhoon, and Pearl Harbor's coastal defense facilities and airfields were also heavily damaged by the typhoon, which created a huge military vacuum in the Central Pacific defense line of the United States of America. If the Japanese take advantage of the opportunity to attack, it is really possible to easily seize Hawaii, a key location, and lead to the overall collapse of the US Pacific front...... In order for the Hawaiian Islands to have at least the strength to protect themselves until the Halsey fleet is repaired and new warships are launched. Admiral King, Admiral King, had to reluctantly recall the squadron in the Southwest Pacific Theater and abandon Fiji, New Zealand, and New Caledonia, which had just been recaptured, and Hawaii would be completely lost once it was lost.

As for the Australians who are still under siege in Melbourne itself and are struggling to hold on, the US military can only shrug its shoulders and say sorry.

Finally, and the most head-scratching, it is naturally the responsibility after the fact...... After learning that the Halsey fleet was destroyed by a typhoon before it could meet the enemy, the entire American people and public opinion circles were in an uproar, and some literati even compared Halsey to the admiral of ancient Rome in the newspaper -- at that time, Rome and Carthage, the two major hegemons, competed for dominance in the Mediterranean, and the Romans installed "crow drawbridges" on their warships to turn naval battles into broadside battles, and defeated the Carthaginians who were good at navigation many times, but this led to the high center of gravity of the Roman warships and the unstable structure, and the entire fleet sank in storms several times in a row......

“…… Now, the people and public opinion circles are unanimously and strongly demanding that General Halsey be removed and put on trial, and members of Congress from both parties are scolding. ”

Secretary of State Hull said with a bitter face, "...... Admiral Halsey has also submitted his resignation and is ready to step down, but both the public and Congress believe that this is not enough. Next, I am afraid that he will have to be investigated and tried by a military court, so that it is possible to calm the anger of the public a little......"

“…… How can this work? Poke out the leak and leave? Does the Navy have to pay for the next man? No, if you want to leave, you have to defeat the Japanese before I can resign! Admiral Kim immediately jumped to his feet and shouted, "...... Halsey is certainly responsible for this tragedy, but he can't be replaced as soon as something happens! He is already the most experienced and famous admiral in the war against Japan in China! From the Pearl Harbor incident to the present, he has never left the battlefield, and has experienced most of the major battles in the Pacific Theater! If even he can't, the others have no hope! ”

“…… Ahem, Mr. President, I agree with Admiral King......" Special Assistant Hopkins, who has been getting sicker lately, coughed dryly and said in a slight voice...... Admiral Halsey was certainly responsible for the destruction of the fleet, but we could not put all the blame on him, and in the face of this unexpected setback, we needed to work together instead of jumping up and holding him accountable......"

“…… I also agree with Admiral King's idea that there has never been a victorious general in this world who never fails, and Admiral Halsey may have made mistakes of one kind or another in command, but this is inevitable, and looking at our navy, I am afraid that there are not many people who can do a better job than them. It is not advisable to have a real battle yet to lose it, but to replace it after an accident! What's more, is there a man in our navy who is more experienced and of better quality than Admiral Halsey? Who can guarantee that the new person will do a better job than him? Secretary Hull also pleaded for Halsey.

According to the understanding of Hopkins and Secretary of State Hull, if President Roosevelt had been around, he would probably have agreed with Admiral King's view, used his prestige to suppress the raging public opinion, and naturally rejected the resignation of Halsey, a veteran admiral, in order to take responsibility -- Roosevelt had to protect his cronies, and Halsey was a rare man of his own in the Navy......

Unfortunately, the current President of the United States of America is Harry Truman...... He didn't have that good relationship with Halsey.

Moreover, he did not have the same deep prestige as President Roosevelt, and he could stubbornly suppress the surging public opinion -- in Truman's view, these aides and cronies left by President Roosevelt were simply to roast him on the fire and scold him for Halsey! But why?

“…… The most experienced in fighting against Japan? I think I have the most experience in being defeated by the Japanese Navy! ”

President Truman snorted coldly, "...... You are not unaware that this defeat suffered by Admiral Halsey was so heavy that the losses and effects were far greater than those of Pearl Harbor at the beginning of the war! The most experienced in fighting against Japan? Did he actually win even a major naval battle? And it's just that they can't defeat the Japanese fleet, and they don't even know how to evade and prevent typhoons...... What does such a general want him to do? Continue to waste the property of the United States and the lives of the lads? Now let's think about who will take his place! ”

In short, in the face of Truman's cold attitude, Admiral Halsey's dismissal and trial were inevitable...... Regarding the replacement of Admiral Halsey after his dismissal and trial, Admiral King recommended Aubrey Brown. Vice Admiral Fitch - Both he and Admiral King served as captains of the aircraft carrier Lexington, and has almost as much experience in naval combat as Halsey, but with less seniority and background. At present, it is natural to promote him to take office in danger.

Typhoon Halsey, the god of war, was kicked away, but how to appease the people and boost morale has become a big problem.

As everyone here knows, in order for a militaristic empire to remain in power, it needs to give honor to its people, so that they can endure all kinds of bad treatment and heavy oppression, that is, "either wealth or glory to the people". If this is not possible, then the defeated empire will be greatly swept away from its prestige, and it will fall into a long period of internal strife and turmoil, even if it does not fall.

The United States of America had suffered too many defeats in the war, and the passion and spirit of the early days of the war were gradually worn out. The attitude of the people of the United States towards this war has changed from ambition and ambition to exhaustion and difficulty...... Although the red-eyed Wall Street conglomerates are still bent on carrying the war through to the end - or they will have to lose money badly, the people who have already had their belts stripped can no longer bear it. In every street on American soil, the smell of war weariness is constantly permeating, and everyone is eager to end the war with dignity and bring their loved ones home.

Relying on the nuclear bombing of Tokyo and the landing on the mainland of the Japanese Empire, it was not easy for the people to see a glimmer of victory. Soon, however, the Japanese battlefield first fell into a stalemate, and then it was completely reversed, and the United States Army collapsed for thousands of miles, and the Navy suffered a "natural curse" such as a typhoon...... After such a desperate reversal, the public opinion in the country will become so overwhelming and depressed that you can know even if you think about it with your ass.

――No matter how you look at it, you are discouraged and have no bright future!!

“…… With all due respect, Mr. President, the next development of the situation is likely to get worse! ”

Ernest. Commander Jin will continue to mend the knife, "...... Since we had to withdraw our fleet from the Southwest Pacific Theater to defend Pearl Harbor, we are afraid that all the islands we had seized there would fall again, and the last Allied force in Australia would probably not be able to hold out......"

“…… In other words, after suffering the damnation of the typhoon, the United States will have to suffer the bad news of losing Australia again? ”

President Truman smiled wryly, "...... So, what should we do to take revenge on the Japanese devils and make the people feel a little more refreshed? ”

“…… This one...... Or continue to think of a way on the battlefield in Japan! Special Assistant Hopkins bowed his head and muttered for a moment, then gave a cruel suggestion, "...... The existing strength of our army on the Japanese front is far from enough to launch a counteroffensive on the frontal battlefield. If we want to win a victory as soon as possible, I am afraid that we will have to carry out a more rigorous large-scale sweep of the occupied areas of our army in the Japanese archipelago......"

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ps: France, Turkey, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Germany, these days are really one after another, either a terrorist attack or a coup d'état, the little fresh Virgins estimate that they don't do anything else every night, clean up foreigners, and light candles to light a long lamp. Of course, Miss Zhao's topic has also been diluted a lot--she can actually make so many big things to divert attention, is this little swallow's backstage the ball captain?