On the morning of 20 February, the last formed U.S. forces stationed at Tarawa surrendered, officially ending the battle for Tarawa Atoll.

Although the total number of US troops stationed here is more than 1,700, the number of fighters among them is only 800.

During the battle, 196 Americans were killed, wounded and captured, and a total of 1,513 were wounded and captured; The 2nd Marine Brigade suffered 78 killed, 277 wounded and 4 missing.

Another unfortunate one was the naval ship unit, where the destroyer Quang Ninh was hit by two 75mm grenades, killing 2 people and wounding 9 others; Another hydrographic survey boat accidentally triggered a missed uncleared mine, killing seven officers and men on board.

After the pacification of Tarawa, the Majin Atoll to the north was naturally the next target, and the U.S. defenses there were even weaker.

Summarizing the collected documents and telegrams, combined with the prisoners' confessions, it can be determined that there were only a few hundred people there, and Yan Chenwu estimated that it would only take half a day to eliminate them.

Perimeter Wind has lost interest - the atoll terrain lacks depth, offensive and defensive tactics are not playful, and it seems rather dull and dogmatic.

On 23 February, after the airport was repaired, 29 Type A twin-engine torpedo bombers of the Second Team of the Third Torpedo Detachment of the Air Force were transferred to the station.

The next day, Zhou took one of the planes and left the remote land at the ends of the earth and flew over the vast southwest Pacific Ocean.

Halfway through, he inexplicably thought of the seven-by-eight admiral in history, and couldn't help but feel a little stunned. But he didn't think he was a thorn in the side or a thorn in the flesh of the Americans for the time being, so he quickly put the matter behind him.

The eight-hour flight was exhausting, but it was a tiring journey to Rabaul, the capital of New Britain – now one of the main air and sea bases.

Rabobo Airport is one of the five airports, and it is heavily guarded by dozens of aircraft of all types parked on the open tarmac around it, with anti-aircraft guns pointed diagonally into the sky, and many searchlights.

The streets of the city are also full of patrolling Ming military police, and soldiers on motorcycles and trucks pass by from time to time.

[Picture]

"Hahahaha, it's tiring to fly for so long, welcome Zhou Beizhao to Rabaoer, good wine and good food are ready."

The chief military officer of the Metropolitan Governor's Office stationed in Rabaul was Air Force Brigadier General Wang Wenzhen, who personally led a group of personnel from the General Military Department to pick up the plane.

Diametrically opposed to the name, Wang Wenzhen is an outlier among the generals of the Ming Air Force, and if it is unpleasant, it is unkempt and does not pay attention to appearance, but if it is good, it becomes very down-to-earth.

Along the way, he enthusiastically introduced Rabaul's situation to Zhou Changfeng, and talked endlessly, big and small.

During the capture of Rabaul, the city was damaged by fierce fighting, and after the occupation began to be extensively renovated and a large number of auxiliary facilities were built.

The construction of hospitals, the construction of warehouses, the erection of telephone lines, the digging of air-raid shelters, the construction of anti-aircraft artillery positions, and so on, have not stopped for several months, and every day is a scene of prosperity.

"In the past two months, enemy planes have not come much, and they are all concerned about bombing Cairns and Meaux." Wang Wenzhen stretched out his hand and pointed to the sky, "When I first came here last autumn to take over, I was a special mother, and I came to blow it up once every three days, and the people who stirred it up couldn't live in peace." ”

The U.S. Army Air Corps deployed in Australia had previously organized more than 20 air strikes of various scales against Rabaul, dropping more than 1,000 tons of bombs.

The Ming army shot down a total of 41 B-18 medium bombers and 8 B-17 heavy bombers, and the losses were so heavy that Mak was forced to order a halt to the air raid on Rabaul.

Now, the US-Australian coalition forces have no time to attack Rabaul's idea, and all their forces are concentrated on supporting the Cairns direction.

The Cairns offensive and defensive battle lasted for an incredible time, 48 days since January 6, and it is finally coming to an end.

The 2nd Praetorian Division had already been forced to retreat to the second line due to excessive losses, and then the 11th Infantry Division, which arrived to reinforce it, took over the offensive mission.

The Australian 4th Infantry Division also suffered heavy casualties and had to hand over the main line of defense to the 2nd Division.

During this period, the Ming ground forces suffered 1,301 casualties, 5,520 wounded, and 95 missing, and lost 31 artillery pieces, 77 tanks, 213 trucks, and 124 aircraft.

The losses of the defenders were equally heavy, with the 2nd and 4th Australian Divisions and militia units losing a total of 1,733 killed, 5,018 wounded, and 242 captured.

Because the width of the battlefield is limited, it is impossible to invest a large number of troops, and both sides have no superiority in forces on the front line, so it is difficult to achieve a breakthrough easily.

Units with heavy losses can also be temporarily withdrawn and replenished with personnel, and after a few days of rest, they can go into battle again.

This tactic of adding fuel led to the prolongation of the war, and no one could help anyone, so it inevitably turned into a tragic tug-of-war, and the beautiful Cairns became a new generation of flesh mills.

War correspondents from Britain even described it as "Australia's Verdun".

After careful consideration, Pang Lingqi decided to make a surprise landing behind enemy lines, thus breaking the deadlock in one fell swoop.

On 10 February, the Ming landed in the Johnstone area, 70 km south of Cairns, and brought a regiment of the Army's 40th Infantry Division ashore.

As a result, the rear of the Australian army in Cairns, which was fighting fiercely in Cairns in the north, was cut off, and the position was in chaos.

In this case, the Australians had few options, and if they ruled out the option of surrender, they would either abandon their heavy weapons and retreat lightly over the watershed to the west; Either break through to the south and fight a way to retreat.

It was only at this time that Mak's Grand Marshal agreed to throw the American division, which he regarded as a treasure, into battle.

In fact, the 8th and 41st Infantry Divisions of the US Army were already ready to go, with the 41st Division remaining in Sydney as a strategic reserve, and the 8th Division on standby in Brisbane, which would only take a few days to reinforce the Cairns front.

However, it is clear that Mak Dashuai is not a merciful and generous person - let the Australians go first when they shed blood and sacrifice something, this is their land after all.

Brigadier General Joseph Stilwell, commander of the 8th Division, repeatedly requested to join the war and were rejected until the Ming army suddenly landed in the Johnstone area and cut off the rear route of the Australian army.

Subsequently, most of the 40th Division of the Ming Army went ashore, consolidated the landing ground, and began to develop and arrange the defensive line in depth.

In the process, the Australian army fought from north to south and the US army fought from south to north, and the 40th Division had to deal with two directions at the same time.

To make matters worse, because there were no large docks readily available in the Johnstone area, it was difficult to transport heavy weapons ashore.

The Ming army had to disassemble the artillery into parts and transport them ashore, and after assembling them against time, they were immediately dragged to the second-line position to participate in the battle.

During this period, the air raids of the US-Australian coalition forces were not interrupted, which greatly interfered with the beachhead unloading operations.

The divisional artillery unit of the 40th Infantry Division had only one battalion of 112mm howitzers participating in the battle, and the rest of the artillery could only stare at sea most of the time.

The series of bloody battles lasted from 12 February to 21 February, and the 40th Division suffered considerable losses while holding its ground.

The 119th Regiment facing the Australian army fought most of the infantry, and the Australian army, which was like an arrow, fought extremely frantically, and there were bloody white-knuckle battles in eight of the nine days, and the infantry on both sides were often reimbursed for the whole squad and the whole platoon.

The 120th Regiment was mainly resisting the attack of the American army, and the heavy artillery fire destroyed most of the temporary civil fortifications, many times they were dug and bombed, and almost all the casualties of the Ming army came from artillery bombardment and air raids.

After nearly 10 days of hard fighting, the 40th Infantry Division, which was unable to support it, retreated at night and gathered its troops to defend the landing ground.

Australia's retreat was cleared, and since February 23, the Australian 4th Infantry Division has begun to retreat south through a road full of craters, limbs, tank wreckage, and equipment fragments.

However, the 2nd Division was not so lucky, and the 11th Infantry Division of the Ming Army, which followed the pursuing Ming Army all the way from Cairns, chose to divide two battalions to disperse and outflank, and successfully cut half of the 2nd Division's troops through unremitting efforts.

Today, more than 5,000 people from the 2nd Infantry Division, the 9th Field Artillery Regiment (Battalion), the 14th Field Artillery Regiment (Battalion), and the 5th Infantry Brigade (Regiment) of the Australian Army have been deeply encircled.

Joseph Stilwell did not want to die without help, and he commanded the US 8th Division to try to break the siege, but was once again blocked by the Ming 40th Division.

It was only by this time that the divisional artillery units of the 40th Division finally went ashore and assembled, and the 118th Regiment, which suffered the least losses, was re-engaged in the battle after being replenished.

"The Americans are also at the end of the crossbow and can't rush through. The six detachments bombed the railway yard in Townsville for four days in a row, and also blew up a number of trucks. Wang Wenzhen said.

The 6th Light Bombardment Detachment of the Air Force carried out several air raids on railways and highways, dealing a serious blow to the logistics supply of the US-Australian coalition forces, and a large amount of military supplies were stranded in Townsville and could not be transported to the front line.

The U.S. military organized more than 400 trucks to transport supplies to the north day and night, but the potholed roads, uneliminated timed bombs, and the wreckage of the blown up trucks obstructed traffic, and only six hours a day were unblocked, far from meeting the needs of the front.

Zhou Changfeng said casually: "I know the commander of the sixth detachment, but it's a pity that I didn't go along this time, otherwise we can have a good chat when we meet." ”

"Sooner or later, we can see it."

"Hmm."

Wang Wenzhen chose a place to entertain Zhou and his party at a large hotel called "Xipingyuan", and the group drove from the airport into the city by car, escorted by several motorcycles and trucks full of soldiers.

In the past two months, many shops founded by overseas Chinese have opened in the urban area of Rabaul, and the sound of crackling firecrackers can be heard every once in a while, which means that new stores have opened.

"These people are quite bold." Zhou Changfeng turned his head to look out the car window at a thriving liquor store.

"Merchants have been like this since ancient times, how can they do business without a little courage?" Wang Wenzhen replied disappreciatively.

The fact that it was founded at the risk of being blown up by an air raid at any time and losing all its money shows how profitable it is here.

Businessmen are often the most keen, after the Ming Dynasty entered the South Seas and opened a film with the United States, this battle is afraid to fight for three years and five years, and the army will naturally be stationed for a long time at important nodes.

Where there are people, there are needs – material, spiritual, physical.

Smelling the business opportunity, the businessmen moved and came with money from thousands of miles to invest in the selected places to build one store after another.

Grocery stores, auto repair shops, barber shops, medical centers, cinemas, liquor stores, green houses, and so on.

The largest number is in the catering industry, which has a low investment threshold, and there are more than 60 hotels and restaurants that have sprung up like mushrooms after a rain.

Because he was in a hurry to return to Beijing, Zhou did not stay in Rabauldo, and boarded the plane again at dawn after a night.

There are ups and downs along the way, and the long voyage is boring and tiring.

At noon on February 26, the Type 35 transport plane carrying him slowly landed and stopped safely in the second half of the No. 3 runway of Gaoqiao Airport.

It was also on this day that the Battle of Keynes and the derivative Battle of Johnstone finally came to an end.

The Australian 4th Division was almost crushed by the front-line units due to the previous days of strong attack, and although it barely escaped after the retreat was opened, it lost all its heavy weapons.

The 2nd Division in the rear was not so lucky, and the two infantry brigades (regiments) retreated by chance, but the total number of men combined was less than a thousand; The division headquarters and the rest of the troops were encircled and finally annihilated, and the division commander was killed by heavy machine gun fire as he broke through.

Both were badly damaged, and it is estimated that the 4th Infantry Division would have to rest for at least three months before recovering.

The 2nd Infantry Division, which was hit by annihilation, was even more miserable, with no two remaining officers and soldiers, and even the division headquarters were wiped out, so it was better to disband and reorganize directly.

The war that landed in Australia was undoubtedly extremely brutal, and it was very close to the worst scenario expected by the Metropolitan Government.

The 2nd Praetorian Guard Division, the 11th Infantry Division, and the 40th Infantry Division all suffered a great loss of personnel, and the losses in technology and equipment were also relatively large.

The military needs of this campaign were not great, but more for the sake of politics, so there was widespread discontent in the staff office and military headquarters of the Metropolitan Governor's Office.

Contrary to the complaints of the military department, the Ming court had a joyful atmosphere.

Gaining a foothold in the North East of Australia is a milestone!

The brutality of the war was deliberately reduced in publicity, and newspapers rushed to publish the good news, and the newspapers were full of photos of the enemy's corpses strewn all over the field, the Ming army's flags fluttering, and officers and soldiers taking commemorative photos.

And it's nothing, because the whole country of Daming is still immersed in the joy of the victory in the naval battle of Tarawa a few days ago.

The victory in a small city in northeastern Australia pales in comparison to the glory of the defeat of the main American fleet at the Battle of Tarawa.

However, Zhou Changfeng attached great importance to it, especially the battle between the 40th Infantry Division and the 8th Infantry Division of the US Army, and he asked for a summary and report on the battle as soon as possible.

This was the first confrontation between the Ming army and the "orthodox" American army, and the previous colonial army was mixed and in poor condition, and could not represent the actual combat strength of the American army.

The combat style of the US troops was very distinctive in the eyes of the officers of the 40th Division, and its characteristics were different from those of the British and Australian troops.

First, reconnaissance before an offensive is often large and conspicuous in scale, and it is rare for a group to conduct infiltration reconnaissance in depth.

Second, the infantry was sluggish and dogmatic, passive in attack, and stagnant when encountering obstacles and waiting for artillery support.

Third, the artillery performance is relatively prominent, the firepower organization is flexible, and the reaction speed is fast.

(End of chapter)