As the front-line commander of the defenders, Wang Laohu was holding back an evil fire in his heart. At the same time, the top commander of the attacking side, Koizumi Toshiichiro, was also furious. Two and a half hours after the battle started, the aviation force of the Western Expedition Fleet was still there. A group of warships poured no less than 30 tons of ammunition into the defenders' positions. In Koizumi's opinion, bombing and artillery fire of this scale could kill even rats in their holes, so the size of the remaining troops of the defenders must also be the same. The reconnaissance plane's reconnaissance also confirmed his guess. The defenders standing in the air-raid shelter to the west of the defender's position were only two regiments in size, and among them, no more than half were trainees. So, four regiments were invested in the front and rear. How could the brigade, with the aviation unit providing tactical guidance, still fight like this? Even if they couldn't attack the top of the mountain, it wouldn't be difficult to seize a hillside and establish a forward position.
Only more than 400 people from the Nakata Regiment survived, and they were completely disabled. In view of this, Hirono Akio reported to Koizumi that Zamboanga had a special terrain and the previous bombing and artillery had not had the corresponding effect, so he requested the fleet to provide More intense bombing and artillery shelling, believing that only this could completely defeat the will of the defenders, suddenly ignited Koizumi's anger.
"A bunch of pigs, trash, the Imperial Army has lost all face by you..." Xiaoquan was so angry that he cursed indiscriminately, his body shaking violently, to the point where he could no longer use his lame left leg. Due to my strength, I had to hold on to the railing to maintain my body's balance.
A group of Japanese officers, including Yamabekawa Sankey, were all speechless. It had been two and a half hours since the battle started. The ground troops had lost nearly four brigades and only killed more than 4,000 defenders. Most of them were from before. The achievements of bombing and shelling made everyone feel that the prospects were not optimistic, and they could not think of a targeted strategy, so they could only be scolded.
This round of scolding by Koizumi lasted for about ten minutes. His voice became shriller and shriller, gradually revealing the fact that he had been "eunuch". Then, he suddenly heard his shrill voice and realized that he had worked so hard to maintain it. The "male voice" showed its flaw. The little devil punched the railing hard and finally stopped. His eyes scanned the faces of everyone in front of him one by one. He found no special emotions and felt relieved. Then he remembered Hirono reported the situation on the phone, and said to Yamabe in a rough voice: "Yamabe-kun, please take the trouble and fly to check the situation on the battlefield. The terrain is special, and I want to see how special it is. "
Yamabe said "Hai" and immediately left the island and walked towards the flight deck.
About twenty minutes later, the Zero he piloted returned to the aircraft carrier "Ryujo", and then he reported to Koizumi that the terrain of Zamboanga was indeed quite special, with crisscrossing trees and rugged rocks, which limited the power of the explosion. Is it suggested to land from other places, and then use submarines to block the waters around Zamboanga and completely surround the Zamboanga defenders?
Koizumi should actually bear the main responsibility for the failure of the Japanese attack on Zamboanga. He did not collect enough intelligence in advance and did not conduct detailed on-the-spot reconnaissance, so he launched the attack hastily. As a result, the bombing and artillery bombardment he relied on failed to achieve the expected results. This is the main reason for the disadvantages of the Marine Corps' ground attack.
When the Western Expedition Fleet Air Force carried out the first round of bombing, some Japanese pilots noticed this. However, due to Koizumi's power or thinking that this could be compensated by high-density bombing and artillery, no one reported it to their superiors. Reflecting this situation, and if Hirono had not brought it up, it is estimated that the Japanese army would continue to adhere to Koizumi's high-pressure strategy and continue to maintain high-density bombing and artillery. In that case, Zamboanga might become the biggest stumbling block for the Western Expedition Fleet's Philippine strategy.
Yamabe was Koizumi's most trusted general. Regarding his suggestions, Koizumi would always take a high look and pretend to nod. He asked the others: "Gentlemen, do you have any other ideas?"
What other people can think? Koizumi has the final say on the Western Expedition Fleet now. Since he has shown interest in Yamabe's suggestion, they will naturally not be stupid enough to jump to the opposite side.
"Then it's decided." Koizumi said, and then issued a series of orders. The Ryujo aircraft carrier fleet immediately divided into two groups, with five submarines along the way. Under the leadership of a lieutenant commander named Masao Iijima, they passed through Mindanao and Basilan. The strait between them sailed towards Morro Bay; along the way, the aircraft carrier "Ryujo" was surrounded by the aircraft carrier and turned northward. Under the guidance of several reconnaissance aircraft, it began to look for a new landing point.
After a new round of bombing and artillery shelling, the expected new ground offensive did not take place as scheduled. Wang Laohu received the report from the lookout post and ran out of the air-raid shelter. He couldn't help but be confused about the little Japanese's intentions.
The Zero Fighter piloted by Yamabe soon flew over the original battlefield. Yamabe was brave and flew the Zero Fighter at an altitude of about 500 meters around the battlefield twice before flying away. Go, and about a quarter of an hour later, a dozen Japanese warships parked five kilometers away actually sailed towards the north. Wang Laohu was even more puzzled. He thought the little devil was playing some conspiracy, so he immediately reported to Xiao Anbao. Xiao Anbao climbed to a commanding height where he could see the sea. He picked up the telescope and looked at it for a few minutes. He put down the telescope and said to Sharp: "The Japanese are going north. They may choose a new landing point. Sharp, please call the 81st Division immediately." Call the 101st Division and ask them to prepare for war." Then, he ordered his men to send a message to the division commander Huang Haifu to inform him of the discovery.
When Huang Haifu received this telegram, he was leading the first brigade and the division's direct troops and special artillery regiment to march to the Kapatagan area. Their destination was Naga, about 110 kilometers away from Zamboanga. , after reading this telegram, he immediately reported to the headquarters of the Second Expeditionary Army, and then called Xiao Anbao, asking him to strengthen the defense in the Zamboanga area, and then ordered the entire army to speed up the march, striving to march at twelve o'clock in the evening. Arrive at Naga before 0:00,
In the headquarters of the U.S. Army in the Philippines in Cebu City, amidst the beeping of telecommunications signals, MacArthur was holding a cigar in his mouth and measuring something with a ruler on the chart of the Philippine Islands. Suddenly, off the coast of Sibuco After discovering the Niho Sho aircraft carrier fleet, the old American man was confused about the intentions of this Japanese army. While ordering the major seaside towns along the Japanese fleet's march route to strengthen their defenses, he also dispatched troops and generals, intending to assemble a heavy force to prevent the Japanese army from coming to the center. Huahua then defeated them one by one, hoping to have a decisive battle with the Japanese army in the western region of Mindanao.
"Report, Commander Guo is here." A staff officer suddenly reported to him. He dropped the pencil in his hand and raised his head, and saw a serious-looking Guo Kui walking in with a telegram in his hand.
Guo Kui handed him the telegram in his hand and said: "General MacArthur, this is the frontline battle report we just received. The Japanese army's attempt to attack Zamboanga was thwarted by the joint forces commanded by Brigadier Xiao Anbao. The Japanese are now changing direction. Marching towards Sibuco, we suspect that the Japanese will definitely choose a new landing point in the area north of Sibuco."
Regarding the battle situation in Zamboanga, MacArthur has received Sharp's report. The data in Sharp's report are somewhat conservative, saying that the defenders annihilated 2,000 Japanese troops at a cost of 5,000 men. The Japanese army is now adjusting its tactics. He speculates that it may Re-select the login point,