afterglow

Chapter 430 The battle to gain a foothold is over; I will be back soon!
  "The intensity of the fighting has almost reached that of Stalingrad..."

Zhou Changfeng sighed with emotion in a low voice, and then replied: "As of noon today, the Sixth Australian Division has been basically wiped out, but there is still a remnant of about [-] people who are still resisting. It is expected that the battle will be ended tomorrow."

Seventy percent of the urban area was destroyed by the war. I don't know how long it will take for this small port city to be rebuilt as before.

The 466th Infantry Division of the Army suffered 117 casualties in these four days and three nights, with an average of [-] per day.

而历史上著名的功勋部队——近卫第13师在9月14日到9月22日这八天八夜间与德军血战到几乎拼光，实际阵亡总人数也不过为910人，日均113人。

With such a comparison, you can imagine how hard the [-]th Division worked these days.

It was really unexpected that the entire army was beaten to the point of losing its combat effectiveness in a tough battle.

Everyone knew from the beginning that the Australian army would defend firmly and had long been mentally prepared to pay a heavy price, but the result was still far beyond expectations.

In the conference room of the battleship Longshuo, the twenty-seventh division commander Zheng Ding Yiping, a middle-aged man who was usually enthusiastic, bold and carefree, burst into tears while speaking in front of the generals.

The generals were a little at a loss, and everyone was silent, unable to think of how to comfort him.

The remnants of the enemy army are still clinging to the remaining strongholds. Based on the experience of the past few days, it is estimated that the cost of annihilating them will still be about [-] casualties.

The field supplementary battalion of the [-]th Division is already empty. Only a dozen non-commissioned officers and service personnel are left to maintain the remaining airs. The remaining more than [-] soldiers have long been dispersed and replenished into various battalions and teams.

Even so, several days of fierce fighting caused those battalions that had received reinforcements to suffer heavy losses again. Now only two teams of the entire [-]th Division can still engage in direct combat, and the remaining units can only barely defend themselves.

The Ming Dynasty's army is generally divided into three levels of troop status during war, with level one, level two, and level three ranging from strong to weak.

For an infantry team with a full strength of 197 officers and soldiers, the number of people ≥130 is the first level, which has sufficient combat effectiveness; the number of people ≤60 is the third level, which does not have combat effectiveness; the one in between is the second level, which has certain combat effectiveness. , but it is not suitable to engage in offensive operations.

At this point in the battle, there was nothing more to say. Zhou Changfeng asked the two teams of the [-]th Division to be responsible for the auxiliary attack in the southwest, while the main offensive task was undertaken by the [-]st Marine Brigade.

At 10:19 on October 6, at dawn, the sun swept across the earth from east to west like a broom, and the sky and the earth suddenly became bright.

The Ming fleet anchored in Shoal Bay was ready for a salvo, with muzzles of different thicknesses pointing directly in the direction of the city.

响彻云霄的轰响犹如从天边传来滚滚惊雷，128㎜、144㎜、208㎜、400㎜的炮弹划出一道道曲率不同的抛物线，将澳军第6步兵师残部所在的那处住宅区和博物馆炸成了一片火海。

Subsequently, more than 250 carrier-based torpedo planes taking off from Tianshi Zuoyuan and Fomalhaut Division also performed ground bombing missions. The shock wave and smoke caused by the explosion of the 400kg aviation anti-personnel bomb were greater than that of the Longshuo. The [-]mm explosive shell fired is taller.

After the devastating firepower preparations, this area has become like a moon surface, filled with soft soil and large and small craters.

Major General Richard, the commander of the Australian 6th Division, was killed in action the day before yesterday after being shelled during the transfer of the headquarters. Most of the officers were also casualties. The commander of this remnant of the stubborn resistance is just an unknown major. .

There are no buildings more than three meters above the ground here, and all residences and buildings have been reduced to bricks and tiles.

Two Type [-] heavily armed gunships that had just been delivered into service also hurriedly flew in from the mainland, and the crew members hurried into the battle without any time to rest.

Four teams of Marine infantry approached from the northwest, north, and northeast. Using more than a dozen Type [-] heavy tanks as mobile bunkers, they fired at any fire point that dared to shoot.

For those enemies hidden in the corners, the soldiers used grenades and flamethrowers to clear out the enemies hidden among the ruins bit by bit...

The difficult battle ended that afternoon. Except for more than [-] wounded soldiers and three military doctors who barely surrendered, most of the remnant of more than [-] people fought until the last moment.

"Call the governor and the court. All organized resistance in Darwin has been eliminated."

"Yes."

Like the soldiers, Zhou Changfeng, the main commander, was also exhausted.

The brutal battle left him with no good rest these days. Now he just wanted to put cotton in his ears, lie down on the camp bed, and have a good sleep.

Although much of the city was destroyed, damage to Darwin's docks was less severe.

While the friendly forces were fighting hard against the enemy in the urban areas, the Army's Fourth Engineering Brigade was not idle. Not only did it organize more than a dozen demolition teams to assist, but it also organized manpower to start repairing the docks.

The Fourth Engineering Brigade estimates that the throughput can be restored to [-]% in about ten days, and to [-]% in a month.

The fleet is also carefully conducting a secondary screening of the waters around the port area to remove remaining mines and ensure that no fish slips through the net.

This port city, captured at great cost, will soon be able to exert its strategic value.

A carrier-based dive bomber taking off from the light aircraft carrier Fomalhaut flew over Darwin. What the pilot saw was a desolate land ravaged by war, with unextinguished embers still smoking.

The mood of the pilot and the rear seat gunner was quite complicated. This was the first time that a city had been destroyed since the outbreak of the war, even though it was only a small town that was not as big as any county seat in the Ming Dynasty.

The Battle of Darwin was the Ming Dynasty's first step in trying to conquer Australia. The scale of the battle was small, but its significance was far-reaching.

This is also a corner of the entire vast battlefield. During this period, countless aircraft, submarines, and warships from both sides were in action across the vast sky and sea that stretched thousands of kilometers from the North Pacific to the South Pacific. There were also many aircraft on the entire front. Results.

In Osaka, Kyoto and other places on the Japanese Islands, the resistance of the US military was not high. The Ming army and the local servants advanced vigorously along the way. The latter's morale was high and they became more courageous as they fought. The US military and the armed forces they supported in the local area were retreating steadily. Surrender soon followed.

On Guam and Saipan in the Mariana Islands, the [-]rd Marine Brigade encountered only slight resistance. The U.S. troops stationed in Guam were weak and lacked weapons. They only resisted briefly for half a day before surrendering. The combined casualties on both sides were less than [-].

Off the coast of Dutch Harbor in the Aleutian Islands, the Equinox B-[-] submarine achieved two results, sinking a US tanker and a barge.

In the waters south of Wake Island, the Jingzhe B-[-] submarine was discovered during patrol and was sunk by a PBY Catalina seaplane.

In Lae, Papua Peninsula, a total of two Type [-] seaplanes and a reconnaissance aircraft were shot down by US fighter jets while performing reconnaissance missions.

Whether Americans or British, it is a top priority to keep Australia as a base. The fall of Australia means that from now on, there will be no springboard or stronghold for European and American forces to attack the Ming Dynasty's sphere of influence.

Franklin and Winston agreed that it was necessary to mobilize strong military force to defend Australia at all costs, thereby curbing Ming's aggressive strategic offensive posture. Although they have reached a consensus on strategy, Britain and the United States each have their own thoughts on specific matters.

First of all, as the sovereign state to which Australia is loyal, the United Kingdom should assume the obligation to protect itself, but it is obvious that the United Kingdom, which cannot protect itself, cannot provide any military assistance at all.

Therefore, Australia and the United States signed the "U.S.-Australia Shipping and Expatriate Security Agreement", and the U.S. 41st Infantry Division and the 8th Infantry Division successively entered Australia. This made the relationship between Canberra and London tense and delicate.

The current Prime Minister, Sir Robert Menzies, tried to ease relations with the mother country, but he encountered opposition from many parties.

Although he worked hard to unite the country, the public lacked trust in him because he had no experience in the European War. Darwin was landed by the Ming army and its fall was inevitable. This further intensified public opinion and made people very disappointed.

Under pressure, Robert resigned, and Labor leader John Curtin took over as wartime Prime Minister. He advocated giving priority to defending the homeland and avoiding foolish and untimely obedience to the mother country.

The new official took office three times. In the past two days, John was busy planning a series of wartime bills, while Washington was secretly competing with London.

Both sides have different opinions on the choice of the commander of the Australian theater. In theory, it is reasonable for an American to take the role. After all, this is a must-have.

However, London felt that this would only further expand the influence of the Americans, so it insisted that a British person be in charge. If it was not possible, the Australians could choose one themselves.

This deeply offended Americans and made them feel slighted - funny? Whoever likes to take the blame for spending money in vain!
  Annoyed, Washington announced that it would suspend military aid to Australia. This immediately made the British and Australians anxious, and they quickly said that the candidate could be discussed again.

The final result of the discussion was that the commander should be American, but the chief of staff must be British.

London decided on the candidate for chief of staff almost immediately - Claude Auchinleck, who is now serving as chief of staff of the 10th Army in Indu.

It was the same in Washington. Everyone immediately thought of Marshal Mai, who was still commanding a lone army on Corregidor Island at this time.

Although many people in the military and political circles hate the arrogant Douglas, everyone admits that there is really no more suitable candidate than this guy among today's army generals.

In terms of tactical and combat skills, actual combat experience, and qualifications, Douglas is qualified in all aspects and can be regarded as a comprehensive general. Moreover, his political ability may also be very suitable for the position of commander of the Australian theater.

Therefore, George Marshall suggested to Franklin that Douglass should leave that hellish place in the Philippines as soon as possible and transfer to Australia to serve as the commander coordinating the three parties of Britain, the United States and Australia.

In addition, the President of the Philippines, whose position is wavering, must also be picked up to prevent him from throwing himself into the arms of the Ming Dynasty, which would be very embarrassing for the United States.

In fact, at this time, Franklin even planned to use Marshal Mai's sacrifice to achieve a good reputation, which could just boost the morale of the army and the people.

However, considering that Douglas is now a brave, fearless, and confident heroic general in the eyes of Americans, there are uncertainties in letting him die. Moreover, it would be terrible if he refused to be loyal and was captured by the Ming people, which would inevitably have a negative impact on the morale of the military and civilians. A painful blow.

Therefore, the president approved the evacuation plan and officially issued clear instructions, requiring Douglas to evacuate Corregidor Island immediately and hand over command to Brigadier General Wainwright.

Interestingly, Philippine President Quezon decided to pay in advance the allowance promised to Marshal Mai that year, and added an additional special remuneration - at this point in time, the purpose of this move is self-evident.

He drafted an executive order to transfer $42 from the Treasury Department's account to Douglas's personal account at JPMorgan Chase Bank in New York.

Obviously, this matter is kept strictly confidential. After all, if the American soldiers who were starving in the Bataan Fortress learned that Doug the stupid dog suddenly made a fortune under such circumstances, they would probably throw away their guns. Raised the white flag and surrendered

On October 10, the Corogid Island command received a secret telegram from Washington and forwarded by Honolulu - the content was to promote Douglas to the rank of lieutenant general and order him to transfer command.

"...The submarine will come to Corregidor, and you must depart for Australia...where you will serve as the new commander, commanding the American and Australian forces..."

The signature of this secret telegram is rare. It was jointly signed by the President, Secretary of the Army, and Chief of Staff of the Army.

But Marshal Mai showed anger and reluctance. He shouted: "Stupid decision! My brothers are still fighting in the trenches, but they asked me to abandon all of you... This is a deserter! What a shame!"

Douglas, who was extremely concerned about face, was afraid that leaving like this would lead to the collapse of the glorious persona he had finally established in the past because he failed to fulfill his promise to "fight here to the end."

Lieutenant Colonel Webster reluctantly persuaded: "Sir, I think you should carry out the order. You are still needed in this war."

"No, I, my wife, and my son will always stay here. There will only be two results. Either the reinforcements promised by Washington will arrive to relieve the siege, or we will fight to the end."

As he spoke, Douglas took out the pistol left by his father from a delicate wooden box, which was a classic Colt M7873 revolver.

"Sir?"

"Go help me find the bullets (it used) so those Chinese can't capture me alive."

Actually, the officers in the headquarters are all sensible people.

First of all, they know that Marshal Mai is most likely just showing off.

Secondly, they really hope that he can leave alive, because only in this way can they hope to win reinforcements.

Washington was speechless at his stern rejection. Franklin even complained to his secretary: If he can really guarantee that he will not be captured, then he will be there.

Finally, three days later on October 10, after completing a series of matters such as the transfer of command, the reluctant Douglass brought his family to the dock.

He told Wainwright: "If I can get to Australia, I will be back soon and will bring a lot of things back."

"I'll do my best, sir."

After speaking, the two of them saluted each other and said goodbye.

In this way, Douglas slowly boarded the Sea Lion (SS-195) submarine docked at the dock...

　I haven't had much energy these past two days. I don't know why, but I obviously got enough sleep, neither more nor less...

　　
  　
  (End of this chapter)