Anti-Japanese War: Li Yunlong dared to attack Taiyuan

Moreover, in the eyes of Yamamoto Nanagihachi, the American Pacific Fleet was a hastily established fleet composed entirely of recruits. The navy relied on experience and veterans, and a group of recruits was not a concern at all.

Why not fight now? Wait until these new American recruits gradually adapt and complete their sea training. If we fight again, the losses may be even greater. It is better to take them away now and land on the American mainland.

……

……

……

Three more chapters to go! Please give me some free gifts and free reminders. Thank you all for your support! ~

Chapter 663: Opportunity for Revenge

Finally, on a misty morning, the Japanese Combined Fleet encountered the American Pacific Fleet at sea.

The beginning of the war was pretty much as Yamamoto had predicted.

Relying on the rich combat experience of their naval soldiers, the Japanese gained a certain advantage and were the first to sink an American cruiser and a destroyer, and also seriously damaged several aircraft carriers. After gaining the advantage, the morale of the Japanese navy soared.

After achieving initial success, the Japanese Navy began to pursue the victory, while the American Pacific Fleet retreated while fighting, with both sides suffering losses. However, overall, the US warships suffered heavy casualties, and light aircraft carriers were constantly sunk.

After a day of fighting, five American main battleships were sunk and more than 30 frigates or auxiliary ships of various types sank.

The Japanese only had two battleships sunk, one severely damaged, and more than 20 frigates damaged or sunk.

On the second day of the battle, when the Japanese should have been expanding their gains, the situation began to level out. The Japanese were short of carrier-based aircraft, which reduced their carriers' combat effectiveness. However, relying on the suppressive firepower of the Yamato-class battleships, they still achieved some success, sinking three more US battleships.

A Japanese Yamato battleship was hit by a torpedo and was slightly damaged, and two heavy cruisers were sunk. The two sides fought back and forth during the day, with both sides winning and losing.

However, the situation took a turn for the worse the next night when a fleet suddenly appeared behind the Japanese fleet and launched a surprise attack on them.

By daybreak, two of the Japanese main aircraft carriers had been sunk, and all the carrier-based aircraft on the remaining aircraft carriers were dispatched.

But the Japanese were surprised to find that the Zero carrier-based aircraft, which used to be able to fly freely in the sky like a dragon, suddenly turned into a "lighter".

A new type of American carrier-based aircraft has appeared, which can easily shoot down Zero carrier-based aircraft.

In less than an hour after sunrise, just as the Imperial Conference was about to be held, hundreds of Zero carrier-based aircraft were lost.

These hundreds of Zero carrier-based aircraft were the key means for the Japanese fleet to gain air superiority.

But now they are being shot down like dumplings.

After losing air superiority, the American carrier-based aircraft began to show off their power in the air. Bombers and torpedo planes were all dispatched to bombard the Japanese combined fleet.

In less than two hours, the Japanese aircraft carriers and main battleships were damaged to varying degrees.

The Yamato, which had been injured previously, was given special attention. Torpedo planes dropped bombs almost right on the Yamato, and bombers circled overhead.

The American Pacific Fleet, which was originally retreating, also changed course at this time, approached the Combined Fleet and launched a counterattack.

During the Imperial Conference, two of the Japanese main aircraft carriers were sunk, a Yamato-class battleship was severely damaged, three heavy cruisers were injured to varying degrees, and the remaining destroyers, frigates and cruisers were also damaged.

Moreover, as the number of Japanese aircraft carriers and carrier-based aircraft continues to decrease, the number of casualties will further increase.

Yamamoto Shichichengba had realized that if they continued fighting like this, the Combined Fleet might be wiped out here.

He immediately ordered the Combined Fleet to retreat toward Pearl Harbor and withdraw from the battle.

However, the American Pacific Fleet will obviously not let the Japanese Combined Fleet go easily.

Under the command of Nimitz, the Pacific Fleet pursued the Japanese Combined Fleet with all its might.

You know, for the Battle of Baker Island, the American Pacific Fleet has been patient for a long time, and the same is true throughout the United States.

There were even many voices of opposition in the country, who believed that Nimitz was too weak and incompetent to command the Pacific Fleet and should be replaced.

Fortunately, in the end, it was Luo Guizi who withstood the pressure and allowed Nimitz to continue serving as the commander of the US Pacific Fleet.

The Americans paid a heavy price for this ambush plan. Parts of the industrial area on the west coast were devastated, and although some were evacuated in advance, some were still destroyed due to the rush of time.

In addition, the Air Force lost hundreds of fighter planes and dozens of pilots before destroying some of the Japanese carrier-based aircraft.

The second is the choice of the location for the decisive battle. Being close to Pearl Harbor, which is occupied by the Japanese, can make the Japanese relax their vigilance.

The next step was to lure the enemy deep into our territory and lead them into the encirclement.

He even showed weakness to the enemy. Nimitz did not deploy the Hellcat and Mustang fighters, which could restrain the Zero fighters, in the first two days, waiting for the squadron to arrive and encircle the Japanese Combined Fleet together.

After the squadron arrived, Nimitz ordered all carrier-based aircraft to take off to regain air superiority and launch a counterattack.

The Japanese fleet, having lost air superiority, could only passively take the beating. Fortunately, at that time, apart from the torpedoes carried by torpedo planes, which could pose a greater threat to warships, the threat posed by bombers to warships was relatively small.

Unless a battleship is bombed continuously and repeatedly by bombers and hits key parts, it is difficult to be sunk by bombers.

Moreover, warships are generally equipped with anti-aircraft weapons and frigates, making it difficult for bombers to dive and drop bombs accurately. In addition, most warships are in motion, so the bombers' hit rate is not high.

Even so, many warships of the Combined Fleet were damaged to varying degrees and retreated to Pearl Harbor in smoke.

At the same time, Yamamoto sent seven or eight telegrams to the Naval Headquarters for help, requesting the mobilization of more carrier-based aircraft and aircraft carriers.

Although the Combined Fleet had not yet been destroyed, eight of the main fleet's ships had been sunk. Compared to the more than 300 warships, eight battleships might not seem like a lot, but of the Japanese's 300-plus warships, only about 40 were battleships.

In just one naval battle, one-fifth of the battleships were lost, and the remaining battleships were also damaged to varying degrees. Most importantly, the US Pacific Fleet was approaching Pearl Harbor, and even if it retreated to Pearl Harbor, it would be bombed.

At this moment, the Japanese Combined Fleet was in the most dangerous situation, so Yamamoto asked for help and requested the Navy Headquarters to mobilize all the squadrons that were not incorporated into the Combined Fleet to Pearl Harbor for support.

However, Yamamoto Nanagi never expected that his telegram for help would be delivered to Tianhuang and circulated among everyone at the imperial meeting.

You know, under normal circumstances, this telegram should be sent to the Navy Headquarters first.

After reading the telegram, the Navy Headquarters will immediately make arrangements and send a fleet for support.

Then write a battle report, for example, claiming that the Combined Fleet sank six American battleships and seriously damaged seven in the Battle of Baker Island, and the number of remaining auxiliary warships was not counted.

While exaggerating the naval achievements, appropriately reduce the naval losses and finally present them to Tianhuang.

But now, a complete and true war report appeared in the Imperial Conference. In the telegram, Yamamoto Shichi-Eight truthfully described the real situation of the battle and pointed out the possible crisis.

This instantly made Tianhuang nervous, while Lu Jun was very excited.

Finally, finally, finally I have the chance to vent my anger!

Chapter 664: New Commander of the Kwantung Army

"Yoshi, are these the invincible combined fleets your navy boasts about every day?"

Private First Class Tojo was the first to attack. He had been ridiculed by the navy every day before, and now he finally got the chance to give the navy a good fight.

"Our combined naval fleet is invincible! Is that all?"

An army lieutenant general imitated the tone of Navy Minister Shimataro Shimada, and even copied the movements Shimataro made when he said these words.

"Hahahaha, we are invincible, but we are about to face the risk of being annihilated!"

"The navy can guarantee the safety of the empire? Now you can't even guarantee your own safety?"

"The construction cost of a Yamato-class battleship is enough for our army to form fifteen divisions!"

The construction cost of the Japanese Yamato-class battleship was about 150 million yen. At that time, the Japanese yen was quite strong and the exchange rate with the US dollar was basically maintained at one to one.

And this construction cost is the data from 1936. By 1941, the construction cost soared to about million yen.

You have to know that the Japanese GDP in 1942 was only more than billion yen, and a Yamato-class battleship accounted for a few tenths of a percentage point of the Japanese GDP, not including the subsequent maintenance costs.

In 1942, Japan's total military expenditure was 188.8 billion yen, and a Yamato-class battleship accounted for a few percent of Japan's military expenditure.

At the time, the Japanese were building two Yamato-class battleships, one in Dalian and one in Yokohama Port, and several other aircraft carriers were also under construction. The Army's envy of the Navy's funding was not without reason; the bulk of the funds went to the Navy, leaving the Army struggling to maintain its operations.

"We've been fighting Li Yunlong for years, and although we've been defeated, the total number of divisions wiped out by Li Yunlong's troops is only a dozen or so, not even enough to cover the loss of a single Yamato-class battleship."

"The navy is such a loser! Did you build warships just to make noise in the Pacific?"

Private First Class Tojo was very satisfied with the verbal attacks from the army generals. To deal with the navy, they had to use the harshest words to humiliate them. When they were defeated in the war, the navy had mocked them harshly.

"Many battleships were sunk this time. Although their captains were all colonels, they were all flagships of the squadrons, right? Didn't you lose quite a few generals this time?"

The captain of a Japanese battleship was usually a colonel, and later there would be occasional major generals and vice generals, many of whom were posthumously awarded the title. It's not that the Japanese navy didn't have generals, these generals were mainly commanders of some fleets, or commanders of some naval regions. No, the Japanese generally called them garrison commanders.

Upon hearing Private First Class Tojo's words, an army general immediately reacted and looked at Shimada Shigetaro in surprise: "Minister Shimada, when your navy holds an imperial conference in the future, you won't be unable to gather even the officers? After all, your officers have to be on board!"

Another army general stepped forward and said, "Lieutenants? Lieutenants have to go aboard too. Are you going to let new recruits attend the imperial conference?"

"Ha ha ha ha……"

"Hahaha……"

As soon as these words were spoken, the army generals burst into laughter.

Finally, finally, he'd gotten his revenge. Once word of Junior Kawakoshiro's words spread, they quickly became a viral sensation among the navy. Whenever the army and navy argued, the navy would use them to mock the army, leaving the army commanders helplessly on their way out, cursing the navy for being idiotic.

Today, I finally let go of this bitterness. Next time I argue with the Navy, if they bring up the "Your Army needs officers to attend the Imperial Council" argument, the Army can just retort, "You Navy can only send lieutenants! No, the lieutenants are all in the sea feeding the sharks, so we have to send new recruits!"

Shimada Shigetaro was so angry that he was shaking all over. He looked at the group of army guys in front of him, pointed at them with gritted teeth, and wanted to speak but didn't know where to start.

"Enough! The empire is now at a critical juncture of life and death, and you are still fighting among yourselves. Do you want to see the empire destroyed?"

At this time, the devil Tian Huang stood up with a sullen face.

He had a reason for standing up now. If he hadn't let the Army mock the Navy and vent their anger, the Army would definitely be dissatisfied.

Tianhuang also had many complaints about the Navy, and many of the Navy's funding and affairs were kept secret from him. If Tianhuang inquired, the Navy would simply brush him off, saying that naval affairs needed to be handled by professionals. The Navy maintained internal unity, preventing Tianhuang from interfering.

He could use the army's ridicule to suppress the navy's arrogance, and he could also take the opportunity to infiltrate power into the navy and slowly cultivate his own people within the navy.

As for the army, Guizi Tianhuang already has a candidate for general in mind.

The quarrel between the navy and army paused after hearing Guizi Tianhuang's words. The navy, once so arrogant, lost its previous arrogance, while the army, once again, had shaken off its previous slump. If someone had walked in at that moment, they might have thought the army had won a great victory and was preparing to celebrate.

"Regarding the Kwantung Army, I have already chosen a candidate. I want Terauchi Moriichi to be the commander of the Kwantung Army. Does anyone have any opinions?"

Hearing this, Private First Class Tojo frowned. Terauchi Moriichi's appointment as commander of the Kwantung Army was clearly bad news. Terauchi Moriichi was a member of the Japanese nobility and a staunch supporter of the Tianhuang. His army headquarters' original plan to seize this opportunity to regain control of the Kwantung Army was doomed to fail.

Thinking of this, Private First Class Tojo pondered for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, General Terauchi has no close relationship with the Kwantung Army and has never served in the Kwantung Army. He is not familiar with the situation in the Kwantung Army. I don't think it is appropriate."

As soon as these words came out, Guizi Tianhuang understood what Private First Class Tojo was thinking and said with a smile: "Let Shan Shanyuan be the commander of the Southern Army Group!"

Hearing this, Private First Class Tojo immediately understood the Japanese Tianhuang's intention. Terauchi Morikazu was originally the commander of the Southern Army Group, and Tianhuang was planning to use the Southern Army Group to exchange for the Kwantung Army.

Shan Shan Yuan was the Army Chief of Staff and a member of the Army Headquarters. Shan Shan Yuan also had a good relationship with the Navy. After the Navy entered Southeast Asia, Shan Shan Yuan was the Army general who took the initiative to propose cooperation with the Navy. His appointment as Commander of the Southern Army Group was also intended to coordinate relations between the Army and the Navy.

Although Private First Class Tojo wanted to kill Shimataro Shimada immediately, he also knew that the army and navy had to maintain a certain degree of cooperation at this time.

"Yes, Your Majesty!"