Chapter 12 Chapter 2 All the Devils Are Out

Mikawa's victory in the first Solomon Sea Battle set off a frenzy of celebration in Japan.The major newspapers in Tokyo boasted for three days in a row: "The offensive and defensive battle of Guadalcanal is a great victory. The US and Australian navies will collapse at the first touch, and the entire line will be defeated." Hirohito specially summoned civil servants and generals to hold a grand imperial reception.At the meeting, Prime Minister Hideki Tojo waved his fist like Hitler and yelled, claiming that after the failure of the Midway Island, the Japanese Navy finally "wiped up the enemy fleet in one fell swoop" on Savo Island, "the overall victory of the Great East Asian Jihad" Just around the corner.

Only Yamamoto felt regretful, especially when he thought that the U.S. Marine Corps was still occupying Guadalcanal, which he had first set his sights on, and thus posed a threat to the entire Solomon Islands. He felt extremely awkward and uncomfortable. From August 9th to 12th, under the order of Yamamoto, Sanchuan sent warships straight down to "Tiedi Bay" at night to bombard the US military's positions on the island. After the bombardment, they returned under the cover of night.Vandergrift was prepared for this.Knowing that the Japanese army would regret not bombing the materials, he transported the supplies on the beach to the island in advance and hid them all to ensure that the Japanese aircraft and naval guns would not be able to bomb them.

Since the landing of the U.S. military, the Japanese army has sent planes to drop "report balls" over Guadalcanal and Tulagi.The so-called "report ball" is a ball bag containing orders or notices. In this way, the Japanese army told the remaining Japanese troops on the island: reinforcements will come, and the lost positions will definitely be regained. Knowing that reinforcements were coming, and hearing the rumble of artillery at sea, the Japanese soldiers on the island took the opportunity to organize a counterattack.Although it is said that with the existing manpower and material resources, Vandergrift has no spare time to sweep the island, but it does not take much to repel the attack of this group of people. Beat back to the original place.

No matter how horizontal the warship is, it can only sail on the sea and cannot go ashore, and it will not be possible to rely on the fish that slipped through the net on the island.Naval Command Chief Nagano sent his subordinates to the General Staff Headquarters to ask the staff members of the General Staff Headquarters through personal relationships whether the Army was willing to wipe out all the U.S. troops in Guadalcanal Island. The staff officer asked, how many troops is needed for this operation?Yong Ye's subordinates didn't know how many US troops were there, and they couldn't say they didn't know, so they opened their eyes and said nonsense, saying that there would be no more than 2,000 at most, and that it was impossible for the Americans to launch a large-scale counterattack north along the Solomon Islands within a year.

When the staff headquarters heard that there was still such a good thing for nothing, they immediately agreed to recommend the plan to advance troops to Prime Minister Tojo. The navy requested to send troops, and the army was willing to send troops. Why does Tojo disagree?He immediately ordered the army to join the battle and cooperated with the navy to retake Guadalcanal. It was the 17th Army of the Japanese Army that received the order to participate in the war. The headquarters was stationed in Rabaul, and the commander was Lieutenant General Hyakutake Haruyoshi. Before the outbreak of the Pacific War, Japan's spy network was arranged very carefully, training super spies like Takeo Yoshikawa.In stark contrast, after the outbreak of the Pacific War, most of the Japanese military officers on the battlefield were like fools, often ignorant of the strength and intentions of the US military.In fact, they are too lazy to collect relevant information.

Hyakutake is like this, he took the medicine according to the prescription given by the Navy: 2000 American soldiers, I use three times as many troops, 6000 Japanese soldiers, still can't kill you? The 17th Army was responsible for the combat mission of the entire Solomon Islands. At that time, there was also a shortage of major generals in other areas. Hyakutake couldn't come up with 6,000 people at once. He decided to send an advance team of less than 1,000 people to explore the road. Of course, the advance team had to select elite soldiers and strong generals. The commander appointed by Hyakutake, Ichiki Kiyonao, was a pawn who provoked the "July 7th Incident".The unit led by Ichiki is named after him and is called "Ichiki Detachment". The backbone is the 28th Regiment of the 7th Division of the Kwantung Army.

As early as the Battle of Midway Island, the Kazuki Detachment had been selected as the landing force. If it hadn't been for the navy's failure, it would have been the defender of Midway Island at this time.So Kazuki is full of ambitions for this expedition: last time it was all bad for the navy, but this time the navy has already won, so what reason does the army not follow suit? On August 16, the advance team composed of the first echelon of the Ichiki Detachment set off southward on six destroyers. In the Japanese army soldiers' training manuals, the description of the opponent is full of contemptuous words: "Westerners are arrogant, unmanly, timid and cowardly, and they don't like rain, fog or night fighting. They think that fighting should not be at night." , fit only for dancing. These weaknesses of theirs are our great advantage."

The experience of the battlefield in Southeast Asia obviously strengthened this impression.The Japanese veterans on the ship recalled with relish: "After our artillery fire, there was not even a blade of grass!" That is Southeast Asia, how should Guadalcanal be fought?Everyone bragged in unison, saying that there is no need to be afraid of fighting the Americans. Aren't the "blue-eyed" people nesting at home at night, so they should attack at night, and they will lie down when they hit! Everyone is excited and eager to try.In the eyes of the Japanese soldiers, victory was like catching a turtle in a urn, and they couldn't fly without wings.

After three days of sea voyage, Ichiki's detachment entered the "Iron Bottom Bay" of Guadalcanal Island on the night of August 18.Just like the original US landing, the Japanese army did not encounter any resistance when they landed. Kazuki sent power to Hyakutake, who is in Rabaul: "We landed successfully." While dispatching the advance team, Hyakutake also urgently mobilized other troops to form the Kawaguchi detachment as a follow-up force to attack Guadalcanal Island.For this reason, he replied and asked Ichiki's detachment to assemble and stand by. After the Kawaguchi detachment arrived, they would go together to retake the airport.

Kazuki squeezed the telegram and laughed through his nose——You Hyakutake didn't come to see the bears of the American soldiers in person, do you need the Kawaguchi detachment? Don't wait, watch me dig a golden doll with one shovel.Kazuki left 125 people to guard the beach, and led the remaining more than 900 people to rush directly to the airport. Kazuki didn't know that Vandergrift's refusal to guard the beach was neither "unmanly" nor "cowardly and cowardly", he was called wise. What is the key to defend Guadalcanal and Tulagi Island?Relying on Henderson Airport, only by defending the airport can we wait for the assistance of U.S. fighter jets.

Vandergrift was very aware of this truth. He established a defensive circle around the airport, while speeding up the repair of the runway, while gathering troops around the airport. Yimu blew out the lamp, closed his eyes, he couldn't see anything anyway, so he led his men and horses into the dark forest so stupidly.