Chapter 15 Brother Ku is also nervous before the battle

If MacArthur's appearance is handsome, then Masaharu Honma, commander of the 14th Army of the Japanese Army, is cool.He is 1.77 meters tall, which is rare among Japanese soldiers who are not tall. For example, Yamamoto Fifty-Six and his idol Togo Heihachiro are not more than 1.60 meters.In addition, Honma has a boxer-like physique (lightweight, of course) and a sleek shaved head, which is very eye-catching in public.It is said that when he was the Minister of Army Reporting, almost all military reporters would praise him. When it came to the battlefield, Brother Ku also became extremely nervous.Before landing, the headquarters of the 14th Army was like a balloon that was about to burst, and all the faces were tense. The atmosphere was even scarier than Yamamoto's attack on Pearl Harbor.

After departure, this depressive mood did not subside for a moment. The general officers and soldiers who boarded the transport ship neither knew where they were going, nor were they allowed to look at the map.As the surrounding scenery continued to change, everyone became embarrassed. The more tense, the more chaotic, because the sky was too dark to judge the distance, and the transport ship could not find a suitable anchoring position, so the landing craft could only be lowered in advance. The landing craft was still a long way from the beach, and the officers and soldiers suffered a lot. Everyone was drenched by the waves. What made them even more mad was that the signaling device was also soaked in water and could no longer be used. After losing contact with the ship, Honma has been completely unable to grasp the actions of the troops.

At this time, as long as the U.S. and Philippine troops poured shells over like the defenders on Wake Island, the Japanese troops struggling in the sea were nothing more than pieces of snacks for everyone to eat.Honma trembled when he thought of this, and he later recalled the experience: "During the all-out operations through the Philippines, I encountered three crises, and this was the first." In fact, there is no need to be so nervous.The Northern Luzon Army under the command of Major General Wainwright defended Ren Yain Bay. The Northern Luzon Army had only four field guns in total.In addition, the coast guard also had a certain number of machine guns, and they fired heavily at the Japanese army.

The Japanese army that landed from Ren Yain Bay was the 48th Division of the 14th Army.The division was adapted on the basis of the Taiwan brigade. It participated in the Songhu Battle and the Wuhan Battle successively, and conducted actual landing training on the coast of Fujian, China. The officers and soldiers are well-trained and have rich combat experience. Although there were a lot of casualties during the landing, the 48th Division soon showed an overwhelming toughness, causing the coast defense team to retreat in a panic. Except for a few troops such as the Coastal Defense Force, other troops in Northern Luzon have no resistance at all.Most of the soldiers are Filipino militias. While they are undertrained, they also enjoy the "three noes" treatment, that is, no helmets, no entrenching tools, no blankets, and very inferior weapons, which are still old-fashioned rifles from World War I.Even Wainwright lacked confidence in his troops, calling them "the mob."

When wave after wave of Japanese soldiers came ashore like a tide, the militiamen abandoned their guns and fled for their lives.Except for the occasional shooting, the Japanese encountered almost no decent resistance. Wainwright urgently reported to MacArthur.At this thrilling moment, Roosevelt thought of giving Mai Shuai face, and he was officially restored to the rank of four-star general.But it’s not enough to have generals without soldiers. Even if you are covered in iron, how many nails can you drive? After receiving the report of the defeat, MacArthur rushed to the forward position in Lingaying Bay in a hurry.Seeing his immediate superior come to inspect, the exhausted Wainwright hurriedly asked MacArthur to pull the main force up as if he had met a savior.

The so-called main force is just an American division, but this is the only weapon in MacArthur's hands, and he cannot use it unless it is absolutely necessary. The battle situation in Lingayin Bay had already made MacArthur very sad, and when he returned to Manila, another shocking news came-the 16th Division, another unit of the 14th Army, was in Ramon Bay in southern Luzon. Forced login. The troops at MacArthur's disposal were pitifully small, and they had to guard in all directions, which was completely insufficient. The nearest U.S. army to Ramon Bay was still 240 kilometers away.Therefore, when the 16th Division landed, it can be said that it was unimpeded, and it came up like a walk.

Feeling good, the 16th Division really thought they were visiting the Philippines.They issued an ultimatum to the railway station where the landing point was located, demanding a train to Manila.The train station master asked MacArthur how to answer.MacArthur said that everyone is a relative who is constantly cutting, and it is right to provide trains. You just tell them: "According to the timetable, there will be a train to Manila until next week's Sunday!" This is a typical American humor, and I don't know if the Japanese can understand it. Anyway, I guess they won't really wait until next weekend before leaving.

Compared with Lingayin Bay, Ramon Bay is closer to Manila, and the Southern Luzon Army, which can be used to block the 16th Division, only has two Filipino militia divisions under its jurisdiction. The Song army was still poor and could not stop the Japanese attack at all. So far, MacArthur has completely figured out the internal organs of Honma.This man is going to implement a pincer offensive in two ways, pointing all the way to Lingayin Bay and all the way to Ramon Bay, and finally encircle MacArthur's troops in Manila.If the two Japanese armies joined forces, MacArthur would have to withdraw his main force and fight against them in the open area of ​​Central Luzon, thus falling into the dilemma of being attacked from both sides.

This is not the most dangerous situation. The most dangerous situation is that the Japanese army will separate the northern and southern Luzon armies and then destroy them one by one. Really poisonous.The Japanese had been planning to invade the Philippines for a long time. Before the invasion, they conducted a large amount of aerial surveying and mapping of Luzon Island and collected intelligence extensively.How MacArthur's troops were organized, how strong they were, where they were located, what their marching route was, and even where the Japanese army should land and attack, all had been clearly marked on the combat map and plan.

The U.S.-Philippines army is in danger of being destroyed and must be rescued immediately.So far, MacArthur's only way out is to start the "Orange Action" plan.This plan stipulates that once Manila falls and the Japanese army compresses it from two aspects, the US and Philippine troops will quickly withdraw from the central plain, so that the dispersed forces can be concentrated and further organized defensive battles.