There is actually no doubt about the outcome of the Battle of the Philippines. The only question is when and how the Chinese will win.*.
MacArthur, who was originally full of confidence and determined that he could win, not only had huge doubts in his heart at this time:
Can you and the troops under your command still be able to defend the Philippines?
It's a pity that no one can give him this answer.
Now, the Chinese's massive attack began. The surging Chinese troops surged towards the Philippines. They took advantage of their comprehensive advantages in sea and air to launch the most ferocious attack on the Philippines.
MacArthur finally got the news that his opponent was Jiang Baili, Chief of Staff of the Chinese General Staff, who was personally commanding!
As a chief of staff, he commanded the Battle of the Philippines and faced MacArthur and Douglas.
Instead of feeling any honor, MacArthur was filled with anger and humiliation.
He clearly remembered that when Wang Hengyue, the President of the Republic of China, visited the United States, Jiang Baili visited West Point Military Academy and said that he could easily defeat him.
At that time, MacArthur did not particularly care.
But now, it's time for everything to come to light.
The Chinese were doing this on purpose, deliberately fulfilling their words back then, using Jiang Baili to defeat themselves and bring themselves the greatest humiliation. This is what MacArthur thought.
In fact, MacArthur thought too much.
Neither Wang Hengyue nor Jiang Baili really took MacArthur to heart, nor did they really regard him as their opponent. The reason why Wang Hengyue sent Jiang Baili personally to take command was simply to end the Battle of the Philippines in the shortest possible time.
Or even end the entire war in Asia so that more energy can be devoted to Europe.
On November 26, the Chinese used paratroopers on the battlefield for the first time.
A regiment of paratroopers conducted the most daring airborne landing at Nichols Field on Nasugrube Bay.
With the support of completely superior air power, the young paratroopers began a wonderful airborne landing. Although the scale of this airborne landing was not very large, it was of absolute significance.
The Philippines is just a practice exercise, and the future European battlefield is where these young men will show their talents.
Soldiers from the First Regiment of the First Division of the Chinese Airborne Forces parachuted into Nichols Airport. They carried submachine guns and machine guns. Some of them lost their targets when airborne and fell directly onto the enemy's position, becoming prisoners.
·Other people had even worse luck and became targets while they were still in the air. As a result, when they landed on the ground, they had become cold corpses and were buried here forever.
However, a large number of soldiers still accurately landed on the designated target, which was the airdrop site about ten kilometers away from Nichols Airport.
After an emergency gathering, Qi Youdao, the commander of the First Airborne Regiment, found that he now had about two battalions of troops.
Target - Nichols!
"Air support, I need a lot of air support!" Qi Youdao loudly called for artillery support from the headquarters.
His first regiment only had submachine guns and machine guns, no mortars, and no usable heavy weapons. The Americans defending Nichols would not give up the airport easily.
His wish was granted.
Countless planes appeared in the sky again, but these planes did not drop bombs. This was an airport, and the guys in the Air Force were not willing to blow up the place where they could take off in the future.
Aircraft machine gun bullets were fired at the ground, trying hard not to allow the Americans to complete their assembly. Round after round, this completely became a nightmare for the Americans.
Then, the Chinese soldiers on the ground quickly moved forward. They were not grateful to their air force brothers. They were far in the sky. In addition to facing the limited threat of enemy anti-aircraft fire, they did not need to bear too many risks!
Capturing the airport will ultimately have to be solved by infantry.
The paratroopers, who had only light weapons, despite their complaints, still pushed forward tenaciously towards Nichols.
As for Nichols, despite facing attacks from the air, these American soldiers still showed their tenacity and tried their best to block the Chinese advance.
If there are a few tanks now, the attack will become much easier.
Qi Youdao thought so in his heart.
But if only if one.
The Americans also used machine guns and bullets poured down like a rainstorm, and the battlefield was in full swing.
At Tagatai Heights, 8 kilometers away from the beachhead, the paratroopers encountered the most tenacious obstruction by the US military. For two hours, Qi Youdao and his soldiers were unable to move even an inch.
Qi Youdao was greatly annoyed and once again called for reinforcements from the rear. More than ten gliders appeared in the sky, and more than a battalion of Chinese paratroopers were airdropped.
These brave paratroopers drove the U.S. troops away from their positions amidst the roaring bullets. At this time, the soldiers standing on the ridge could clearly see the figure of Manila in the sun.
one
The progress was very difficult and slow.
On November 27, the advance of the 1st Airborne Regiment stopped at Imusan, only 5 kilometers away from Nichols Airport. A group of American troops who relied on the old fortifications of the original Spanish barracks blocked their way.
This is not the U.S. Army that the Chinese have been dealing with since they landed in the Philippines or the Philippine troops who are not much different from ordinary people, but the elite U.S. Marine Corps. The 1st Airborne Regiment is tightly entangled by them. Due to the lack of large-caliber artillery,
Even with heavy weapons, despite all their efforts, they were still unable to break into the airport, let alone move even half a step toward Manila.
Manila is a city that developed after the invasion of Spanish colonists in 1570 AD. Its history has been accompanied by wars for a long time. In 1646, the Dutch replaced the Spanish as its ruler through war, and in 1762, the British captured Manila.
Later, the Americans came.
In 1898, the war launched by the United States to seize the Spanish territories of Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines was the first imperialist war for the great powers to redivide their colonies. Cuba and the Philippine Islands not only had important economic value, but also were the main goals of the United States in South America.
and a strategic base for expansion in Asia. The emerging United States has strong economic and military potential and has established a relatively powerful navy. Spain has long declined and is isolated internationally. In particular, the people of Cuba and the Philippines opposed Spanish colonial rule.
The armed struggle suppressed a large number of Spanish troops. The Spanish army's brutal suppression of the Cuban rebels angered the Americans and endangered the economic interests of American capitalists there. On February 15, 1898, the U.S. warship sent to Cuba to protect overseas Chinese
The USS Maine exploded in Havana Harbor, and the United States used the incident as an excuse to take military action against Spain on April 25.
At this time, the struggle in the Spanish colonies also created a favorable environment for the United States. Armed uprisings against Spanish colonial rule broke out in the Philippines and Cuba. The Philippine rebels had liberated most of the country and surrounded Manila. The Cuban rebels contained
defeated Spain's 200,000-strong army.
In fact, many Americans have no idea that the Spanish still have strength in the Pacific. However, there is one person in Washington who knows very well that the Spanish have the Philippines in the Pacific and a fleet composed of various ships. This person is the Secretary of the Navy
Assistant Theodore.
Roosevelt. When the Spanish-American conflict first broke out, Roosevelt decided that the United States must prepare for a war not only in the Atlantic but also in the Pacific. He was looking for someone who could deliver a swift blow to the Spanish naval power stationed in the Philippines!
Finally, he selected Brigadier General George Dewey and appointed him commander-in-chief of the U.S. Asiatic Squadron.
Dewey was the standing chairman of the Monitoring Committee when he accepted this order, but he had experienced hundreds of battles during the Civil War and became famous. Dewey was not only brave in battle, but also looked like his old boss David.
Glasgow.
Like Farragut, he had unique tactical insight and insightful analysis of the war situation. Before leaving Washington, he read all the materials he could find about the Philippines and studied all the available nautical charts of Philippine waters.
In early December 1897, he set off for Japan and urgently requested the Navy to send him ammunition as soon as possible. A month later, he boarded the flagship "Olympia" in Nagasaki and officially took command.
Soon, Dewey commanded the ship to sail south to Hong Kong and approach Manila. In Hong Kong, he received a telegram from Acting Secretary of the Navy Roosevelt: "Keep sufficient coal. In the event of a war, your task is to prevent the Spanish squadron from leaving Asia.
coast, and then launch an attack on the Philippine Islands."
Dewey did not need this urging at all, because at this time he was already stepping up preparations for war.
He purchased a coal ship and a supply ship for the fleet. He ordered the battleship to be docked, overhauled the mechanical parts, cleaned the underwater part of the hull, and painted the white sides gray. Commodore Dewey personally inspected everything
The details require the ship's personnel to drill every day, and all the machines on the ship to be ready for combat and to be able to operate continuously as soon as they receive orders.
In order to find out the Spanish fleet and the fortification situation on the Philippine Islands, he sent a spy to Manila and asked his adjutant to disguise himself as tourists to gather information from tourists arriving in Hong Kong.
In order to prevent the British from taking a neutral stance after the war broke out, he established a temporary anchorage near Dapeng Bay in Chinese waters.
On April 25, the Secretary of the Navy sent a telegram: "The United States and Spain have started a war. Go to the Philippines quickly and start taking action. Try your best to capture or destroy the Spanish Fleet."
Dewey waited for another 36 hours until the American consul arrived from Manila with the Spanish's preparations for war. On April 27, Dewey headed south to conquer the Philippines!