Chapter 45 The commander of the army also "true absenteeism"

After arriving in Melbourne, MacArthur was immediately appointed as the commander-in-chief of the Allied Forces in the Southwest Pacific, but only the Australian troops were available for him to command, with a strength of less than 30,000, and most of the combat troops had already been sent to the Middle East. If you really want to pull it out to fight, you can do it. Do you want an undertrained infantry division? As for the Air Force, MacArthur saw it when he came.Looking at the 250 aircraft on the register, due to the lack of spare parts and engines, only a very small number can fly, basically resting in the hangar or the airport.In terms of the navy, the US Asian Fleet was withdrawn from the Dutch East Indies. The fleet's warships have been exhausted, and only 25 submarines can be used, and these submarines are also tired from continuous sailing. Leg cramps.

As if being poured from head to toe by a basin of cold water, MacArthur was stunned, and he realized that it was simply unrealistic to rescue the US-Philippines from the periphery. MacArthur said that this was the most shocking and surprising event in the entire cursed war—I thought that the soldiers here were strong enough to fight a war, if I knew this, why did I come to Australia? MacArthur felt cheated. He even regretted his decision to leave the Philippines. His only hope now was that the US-Philippines could stay in Bataan as long as possible. Mai Shuai felt sad, and his opponent felt unlucky.

When the US-Philippines rumored that Honma had committed suicide, Honma himself heard the news.He was a little unhappy at first, but then he became inexplicably proud: Curse me to death, isn't it just because you are afraid of me?This shows that I am good, hehe. Benjian turned his anger into joy, and he was laughing and joking all day long. If he didn't know it, he thought he had just won a battle. MacArthur's evacuation and the stalemate in the Bataan battle finally made Honma stop laughing.The former, in particular, provoked the Japanese base camp into a rage: Didn’t it mean that MacArthur had become a turtle in the urn? How could he have gone to Australia without anyone noticing it?

Yaqing Benjian was picked up and scolded—everyone thought you were a hundred steps, but who knew that your level was so poor!Staying in Manila all the time, are you hiding in the gutter and waiting for the pie to fall from the sky? In fact, there is a reason for him not to move.MacArthur saw this very clearly. He said that he was not afraid of the Bataan Peninsula being attacked, but he was afraid of being blocked. At this time, the remaining forces of the US Pacific Fleet and the Asian Fleet were not around the Philippines, and only a few torpedo boats guarded the coastline.The Japanese army already possessed all the conditions necessary for a major blockade at sea. As long as they tightened their pockets wholeheartedly, the 80,000 U.S. and Philippine troops in the pockets would have no choice but to starve to death.

In the General Staff Headquarters, some people also advocated a blockade policy against the U.S. and Philippine troops. They asked the headquarters to come forward and issue a blockade order on the Bataan Peninsula. But the base camp and the Southern Army didn't have the patience.They are not a vertical comparison, but a horizontal comparison. The three generals who went south, Yamashita, Honma, and Imamura, Yamashita and Imamura all completed their missions decently. Malaysia, Singapore, and Java were all defeated. How come you are a special one? Well, in the final analysis, there is still a gap in level, one word-bad!

The so-called successful ones are talents, and those who are frustrated are idiots. Honma, who is under heavy pressure, can no longer be at ease. In mid-March 1942, the 14th Army Headquarters held a military meeting to discuss how to break the deadlock. Should it continue to encircle for a long time, or wait for an opportunity to attack? But an unexpected situation occurred during the meeting.All the participants arrived one after another, except for the core figure of Honma. If the commander of the army didn't show up, other people's discussions would be in vain. The strange thing is that Honma has always been punctual, not to mention that it is impossible for him to be late or "cut away from class" for such a major military meeting that is related to the battle situation.

An aide went to urge him, and he saw a scene that surprised him. Honma was lying on the table trembling and crying.