While there were frequent wars and ceaseless fighting on the land of Lunan, the wars in the Indian Ocean and the Southwest Pacific also entered a stalemate.
As the United Kingdom and the United States continue to send more troops to South Africa, war is looming in the southwest Indian Ocean. In order to change the unfavorable situation in this region and gain the reputation of justice and the support of the local people, the Japanese government officially recognized the situation in mid-April.
Madagascar’s independence and territorial integrity promised to give Madagascar complete economic and political independence after the war. The government only retains the power to supervise diplomacy and freely invest in Madagascar.
On May 1, the Free Madagascar Government was established. In the same month, with the help of the Japanese army, three divisions of the Madagascar Defense Force were formed using captured British and French weapons to jointly assist the Japanese army in resisting the aggression of colonial powers such as the United Kingdom and the United States.
The war in the Indian Ocean finally escalated in June.
In response to the war in the Southwest Pacific, the U.S. government suddenly launched a major air raid on Madagascar on June 3. The bombing continued for a whole month, killing more than 6,000 Madagascar civilians and more than 400 Japanese soldiers. The Madagascar National Defense Force and the Japanese and Indian
More than 1,000 soldiers were killed, more than 20,000 civilians were injured, and more than 3,000 Indian soldiers were injured.
The 23rd Navy Air Force and the Army's 5th Flying Division deployed in Madagascar put up a stubborn resistance and, together with the ground air defense forces, shot down more than 600 British and American Air Force aircraft, and also lost more than 300 fighter planes.
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As a result, after a month of air combat, the newly formed 23rd Air Force of the Japanese Navy had less than 80 fighters left, and another 70 fighters were in urgent need of repair.
The flying division has less than seventy fighters left, and the British and American East African Air Forces
With the reinforcement of the South African Air Force, it quickly returned to its strength of 900 aircraft. The ratio of the number of fighters on both sides was six to one, which meant that one Japanese fighter plane had to deal with six Allied aircraft. This was an almost impossible task.
As a result, Madagascar's air superiority completely fell into the hands of the Allies.
Seeing that the situation was not good, the Japanese base camp ordered the Southern Army Command to urgently deploy one hundred fighters from the Second Reserve Flying Division in Ceylon and the Maldives to reinforce Madagascar, restoring the 23rd Air Force to one hundred and thirty.
Fighters, the Fifth Flying Division has returned to one hundred and twenty fighters.
At the same time, the Fifth Air Force of the Japanese Army, headquartered in Singapore and responsible for air defense throughout Southeast Asia, also sent 300 reinforcements to the Third Air Force headquartered in Kolkata. The Japanese Home Army sent reinforcements to Southeast Asia.
600 fighter planes were dispatched. The Japanese Navy also dispatched 200 fighter planes from the mainland to Southeast Asia and 150 fighter planes from Southeast Asia to the Indian Ocean to respond to the next wave of Allied offensives.
As a last resort, the Japanese Navy and Army reached an agreement: Army and Navy Air Force pilots can be seconded to each other to maintain frontline combat capabilities.
Before launching a large-scale landing operation, the Allies first carried out a small-scale landing operation, codenamed "The Big-headed Side-necked Turtle" plan. The Big-headed Side-necked Turtle is the name of a special turtle in Madagascar. This name means the alliance
Like a tortoise, the generals were steady and landed smoothly. As for the location where the landing operation was launched, it was the northern area of Madagascar defended by a Japanese-Indian army coalition.
The landing target of the Allied forces was the Port of Diego Suarez (then named Port of Antsiranana) in the northern part of Madagascar. The port had deep water and flat tides, and was one of the most famous ports in the Indian Ocean. To enter the port
, can only pass through a waterway that is only three-quarters of a mile wide. In addition, there is a long and narrow peninsula that separates the port area and the anchor area.
Before the outbreak of World War II, the French army built a large number of fortifications here. After the Japanese army took over, they reinforced it again. The entire Diego Soares was turned into an extremely huge fortress by the Japanese army, making landing operations very difficult.
The Allied forces' initial landing plan was to land near the anchorage and then occupy the military port, but this plan was quickly rejected by the commander who directed the operation.
In the early days of the war, most of the command of the Allied forces was in the hands of the British. For example, the commanders of this operation were Major General Callender and Major General Albert Ferrandi of the Royal Navy, while the commander of the landing force was the Marine Corps.
Major General Shillington, who was also responsible for the overall coordination of this operation.
When the landing troops set off, the Allied aerial reconnaissance and espionage work was also proceeding in an orderly manner.
Based on the intelligence obtained, Callender, Albert Ferlandi and Major General Shillington decided to directly attack the port itself after discussion.
The U.S. First Infantry Division and the British 29th Infantry Brigade were responsible for this landing mission. The U.S. First Infantry Division was equipped with a tank battalion equipped with 90 m2 light tanks, and the British 29th Infantry Brigade was equipped with
Twenty Churchill infantry tanks and sixteen Cromwell cruise tanks were acquired.
On July 4th, the Allied landing force set off from the port of Durban in South Africa by ship, passed through the Mozambique Channel, and rushed toward the northern coast of Madagascar.
Escorting this fleet are the U.S. Navy's New York-class battleships "New York" and "Texas", "Yorktown"-class aircraft carriers "Yorktown" and "Hornet", and the British Royal Navy's "
Lion, Princess Royal, Tiger battlecruiser, Horn
Six light aircraft carriers including Beast, Giant, Reverence, Ares, Glory and Ocean, two Kent-class heavy cruisers, as well as a total of 25 destroyers from the two navies, and three
With twelve escort destroyers and forty-six minesweepers, it can be said that the military is at its peak.
In addition, Vice Admiral Somerville of the Royal Navy commanded a part of the Atlantic Fleet to provide support for the fleet to ensure that nothing went wrong.
Due to reports of Japanese submarines appearing at the northern and southern ends of Madagascar and the Mozambique Channel, as a precaution, Callender and Albert Ferlandi each brought a set of staff agencies, respectively on the "Kent"-class heavy cruiser "Kent"
” and the “Berwick”.
On July 11, the Allied fleet arrived at the predetermined location.
At midnight on the 12th, the minesweeper "La Frangli" quietly sneaked into the waterway at the entrance of the port, began to clear mines, and soon opened a channel in the minefield.
At two o'clock in the morning, the minesweeper "Fort Winchester" followed the "La Follie" and entered the outer anchorage to continue its minesweeping mission.
At three o'clock in the morning, after all the mines in the outer anchorage were cleared and it was determined that there was no danger, the remaining ships entered one after another. The Allied forces quickly put down the landing troops and started to grab the stalls.
While the Allied soldiers were landing, more Royal Navy minesweepers began to nervously clear the mines in the inner anchorage.
But what is surprising is that the roar of the British landing craft's engine and the explosion of the detonated mine were not noticed by the Japanese and Indian troops.
Before the Allied forces carried out a large-scale landing, a land and sea commando team had sneaked ashore, and its mission was to seize a fort that could control the outer anchorage.
After a brief exchange of fire, the Japanese and Indian troops, who were afraid of their former master, the British, chose to surrender. In this battle, more than 400 Indian soldiers were captured.
At 6:15 in the morning on the 12th, 150 American F2A "Buffalo" and F4F "Wildcat" fighter jets, British "Swordfish" torpedo aircraft and "St. Martin" bird fighter jets took off from the aircraft carrier and flew to Di.
Over the port of Go-Suarez, they almost completely destroyed the merchant ships in the port and the nearby airport. By the end of the air attack, more than 3,000 Allied forces had landed.
Out of distrust of American recruits, the Allied forces were responsible for attacking the urban area of Diego Suarez. The British Royal Welch Fusiliers were responsible for the landing, and their landing site was still twenty miles away from the urban area.
While marching towards the city, the British army captured an Indian officer and four Indian soldiers.
After a brief negotiation, the British army sent the Indian officer to the Japanese and Indian military headquarters in the port to persuade them to surrender, but this soon proved to be an unwise move.
When the Allied forces and their tanks came to a dangerous pass leading to Diego Suarez, they encountered organized and stubborn resistance from the Japanese and Indian troops. It was very obvious that this was due to the Indian officer who was released by the British.
A warning was issued.
When the Allied forces landed, they chose two non-adjacent beaches. Since the density of minefields in the inner anchorage was much greater than what the Americans and British expected, and an escort destroyer was injured and sank after being struck by a mine at noon, the large-scale
Ships were unable to enter the inner anchorage, which virtually increased the travel time from the carrying ship to the landing craft on the beach, causing a serious shortage of ammunition and food on the beach.
The transport ships carrying the artillery were unable to deliver the heavy firepower that the troops desperately needed ashore. It was not until dark that the ships found a deep water place to unload the artillery. And because the unloading place was relatively remote and there was no road accessible, this made those poor poor
The artillery had to spend some time integrating these heavy weapons with the main force.
Other problems will continue to arise as the battle progresses.
In order to transport as many personnel as possible, the number of vehicles belonging to the 29th Infantry Brigade of the British Army, which is responsible for the main attack mission, was limited to less than 100 vehicles, and the communication equipment assigned to the troops was also seriously insufficient, which made communication a
Big problem.
In an attack launched on the morning of the 12th, the "South Lancashire" Rifle Battalion belonging to the British 29th Infantry Brigade successfully passed through the defense lines controlled by the Japanese and Indian troops.
Unable to make contact, they had to retreat to their original location with the prisoners.
An amphibious assault force also arrived in Diego Suarez at noon on the 12th, but was unable to find transportation to the base of the Japanese and Indian troops.
On the afternoon of the 12th, the entire U.S. First Infantry Division had landed. Major General Shillington began to adjust his troops and ordered a full-line attack at 8:30 that evening.
However, it was a Marine Corps assault team that played a key role in the battle. They boarded the destroyer USS Anthony and forcibly landed at a pier in the Japanese-Indian military base half an hour after the launch of the general attack. Because Japan and India
The main force of the army was attracted to the position west of Diego Suarez. There were very few people defending the dock, so the commandos entered the base without any effort.
After occupying the Japanese-Indian military headquarters located in the base and clearing out the Japanese officers and staff who directed operations, the organized resistance of the Japanese-Indian military finally ceased. However, the Japanese-Indian military coast guarding the entrance to the port
The troops did not surrender. To this end, Stowell, the commander of the Royal Welch Fusiliers, personally gave two American-made radios to the Indian commander who commanded the troops. Next, the Japanese and Indian troops took up positions
A white flag was raised.
During the Allied landing in Digo Suarez, a Japanese submarine tried to sneak attack this huge fleet, but was immediately sunk by a "Swordfish" torpedo aircraft.
Unfortunately, more Japanese submarines gathered, and the battlecruisers HMS Tiger and HMS Lion of the Royal Navy were sunk successively.
Due to the shallow water in the port, the two warships were able to sink to the bottom of the sea and were salvaged soon after. The next day, another oil tanker was sunk.
-Sinked by a mini-submarine carried on the ocean-going submarine No. 20.
During the entire landing battle, a total of 300 Allied troops were killed and more than 700 wounded. On the Japanese and Indian side, more than 450 people were killed, about 1,000 were injured, and as many as 2,000 were captured.
As soon as the Allied forces occupied the port of Diego Suarez, they organized a large-scale transport fleet. On the 22nd, they finally transported three US divisions to the port. The Japanese air force and submarines conducted offensive mine laying operations.
The military fleet lost ten minesweepers, two destroyers and eighteen transport ships, and suffered more than 6,000 casualties among officers and soldiers, but at least it completed the transport mission.
Facing the numerically superior Allied forces, the Japanese army had to suspend the implementation of its land counterattack plan.
Pacific Theater.
On land, after receiving a large number of reinforcements and immigrants, the Japanese army immediately advanced along the coastline towards southeastern Australia. Since the entire route was in plain areas with an altitude of less than 100 meters, and the US military was not interested in fighting, the Japanese army advanced smoothly. As of July
On the 21st, they had advanced to the Nullarbor Plain area of South Australia and were about to approach the Eyre Peninsula where the US military deployed heavy defenses. A new major battle was about to break out.
Due to the defeat of the U.S. Navy in the waters of Western Australia, the Seventh Fleet under the jurisdiction of the Allied Southwest Pacific Theater was no longer enough to resist the attack of the superior navy of the United States. In desperation, MacArthur asked Admiral Nimitz, commander of the Pacific Theater, for help.
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Before July, the Japanese army had occupied the Marshall Islands and the Gilbert Islands, and was advancing its maritime defense line to the Tuvalu Islands and the Solomon Islands. In order to ensure the safety of the South Pacific routes, the US military strengthened the Line Islands south of the Hawaiian Islands.
, the defense of the Cook Islands and Fiji Islands, while using the Samoa Islands, New Hebrides Islands and New Caledonia as forward bases, built a large number of airports to resist the Japanese advance into the southeastern Pacific waters.
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After receiving MacArthur's distress call and newly replenished ships, Admiral Nimitz was also worried about the deterioration of the situation in the Southwest Pacific theater, so he decided to launch the Gilbert Islands Campaign.
The Gilbert Islands are a group of atolls in the central and western part of the Pacific Ocean. They are located between 173 and 175 degrees east longitude, southeast of the Marshall Islands and northeast of the Solomon Islands. They straddle the equatorial line and are in the middle of the sea line of communication between the west coast of the United States and the east coast of Australia.
Tarawa, Butaritari, Makin, A
It consists of 16 coral islands and reefs including Bemama, Tabitevea and Belu, with a total land area of about more than 400 square kilometers. The soil of these islands and reefs is poor, and coupled with the erosion of rain and sea water, there is almost no vegetation. But the corals
With sandy geology and flat terrain, almost every island is suitable for airport construction.
According to the last census before the war, there were 26,000 indigenous people in the Gilbert Islands, with the highest population density among the Pacific Islands. The climate here is hot and humid, with an annual precipitation of about 4,000 millimeters and an average annual temperature of 27 degrees Celsius.
In 1915, the island became a British protectorate, and in 1915 it became part of the British "Gilbert and Ellis Colony".
After the Japanese invaded the Gilbert Islands, they immediately supported the indigenous people to establish the Free Gilbert Government, promoted national liberation and independence, and won the support of the local indigenous people, who hailed the Japanese as their saviors. However, because the Japanese base camp emphasized New Britain
For the defense of the islands, New Ireland Island and the Bismarck Islands, there is only a garrison of several hundred people deployed in the Gilbert Islands. There is not a single warship in the entire archipelago. The aviation force only has one fighter and four seaplanes, of which the only fighter is
, was also unable to take off due to lack of spare parts.
The U.S. military participating in the Battle of the Gilbert Islands was the Fifth Fleet commanded by Vice Admiral Spruance. About 130 ships of various types were put into combat, including two aircraft carriers, four escort aircraft carriers, and battleships.
Four ships, six cruisers, 22 destroyers, 26 large landing ships, and more than 60 other landing and auxiliary ships.
There are about 600 combat aircraft, including 260 carrier-based aircraft and about 50 B-17 "Flying Fortress" heavy bombers among the shore-based aircraft.
In order to ensure the victory of the landing battle, Nimitz transferred the 2nd Marine Division and the 27th Army Infantry Division under the command of the Fifth Fleet for the Gilbert Islands landing operation, and also transferred two Marine Corps garrison battalions and
An army garrison battalion was transferred to the Fifth Fleet to prepare for the task of guarding the captured islands.
The above-mentioned ground combat forces were organized into the Fifth Amphibious Corps, headed by Major General Holland Smith, and were assembled in New Zealand, Samoa, Ellis and other places to prepare for war.
The participating forces are under the unified command of Lieutenant General Spruance, commander of the Fifth Fleet. The 50th Task Force is responsible for suppressing Japanese airfields in the Marshall Islands, Truk, Nauru and other places to ensure the landing on the Gilbert Islands.
was implemented smoothly and was ready to meet the incoming Japanese fleet at any time.
According to the plan, the 52nd Task Force Formation is responsible for the landing operations on Makin Island, and the ground combat troops are the 27th Infantry Division; the 53rd Task Force Formation is responsible for the landing operations on Tarawa Island, and the ground combat forces are
The 2nd Marine Division; the 57th Task Force, composed of shore-based aviation, provides air cover for the sea voyage of the landing force.
After a week-long bombing and reconnaissance, the U.S. military launched a landing operation on July 22, only to find that all Japanese troops stationed on the islands had evacuated. It turned out that the Japanese troops used submarines and reconnaissance aircraft to conduct reconnaissance and discovered that the U.S. troops were approaching menacingly.
Feeling that they were outmatched, when the US military carried out repeated bombings, they took the lead in using submarine forces to conduct a large-scale evacuation operation at night.
As a result, the U.S. military occupied the Gilbert Islands without bloodshed and sounded the clarion call for counterattack in the Pacific War.
...
On the morning of the 23rd, Nanhua, Xinjing, Xiaonanhai.
After receiving the war situation report from the United States, An Yi discussed with his generals and agreed that the current battlefield situation in the Pacific and Indian Ocean was chaotic. The Japanese army had obviously strengthened its attack on the Australian continent, but its main navy fleet did not know.
It turns out that in the future, the southwest Indian Ocean and the central Pacific region may become the direction for the Japanese navy to deploy troops, and a large-scale maritime battle is about to break out.
For Nanhua now, it is not appropriate to expose the strength of the navy. The best policy is to keep a low profile and wait for the results of the three powers of Japan, Britain and the United States.
The next step for South China's strategy is to capture East India and Myanmar as soon as possible and connect South China's mainland with India, West Asia, Central Asia and Japan through convenient railway transportation. By then, South China's national strength will be fundamentally improved.
Take advantage of the international game.
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