Chapter 17 Chapter 3 Attack Like a Cobra

Halsey received information that there were 10,000 Japanese troops stationed on Kolombangara Island, more than twice the number of Japanese troops on New Georgia Island, and Sasaki had already made deep trenches and high fortifications, ready to fight a protracted defense war. It took more than a month to capture New Georgia Island. It took two months to bite off the harder "walnut" of Kolombangara, even if the US military could ignore casualties. At this time, MacArthur's "leapfrog tactics" showed its high wisdom - it was difficult to fight, we jumped over it like a frog.

According to the reconnaissance of the Coast Watch Corps, the defense of Vela Lavela Island after Kolombangara Island is weak, and there are not many troops stationed on the island.The torpedo boat reconnaissance team sent later confirmed that there were indeed very few Japanese on Vela Lavela Island. Then you're welcome!Halsey decided to avoid the real thing and start with the Vella Lavella Island first, and let Sasaki of Kolombangara Island hang there, that is, "jump over the enemy's strong stronghold, block it, and let them starve to death" . According to Halsey's new "Operation Lotte" plan, the U.S. military used the newly occupied Munda Airport as a base to dispatch fighter planes to provide cover for the landing operation. At dawn on August 15, about 6,000 officers and soldiers of the 25th Division of the US Army landed in the southern part of Vela Lavela Island in landing craft.

Learning from the lessons of the Battle of New Georgia Island, the landing force did not immediately launch an offensive against the Japanese guarding the airport. They built a ring-shaped defense line outside the jungle and asked the Navy Engineering Battalion to build a new airstrip inside the defense line. The problem of heavy casualties is gone, and there is no need to worry about the slow progress-the purpose is to build an airport, and work will start as soon as they land. There were 600 Japanese troops in the northern part of Vela Lavela, but they were powerless to fight back.When they were surrounded by Allied forces in a small area on the northwest corner of the island, they were replaced by New Zealand troops instead of American troops.

The use of "leapfrog tactics" has its own unique background and conditions. If it is placed on a purely land battlefield, if you want to adopt this tactic, it is tantamount to digging a hole for yourself. supply lines, or simply attack from behind. However, this is the Pacific Ocean. Sasaki, who was guarding Kolombangara Island, had no choice but to see the US supply ship passing by. The US military managed to surround and isolate the Japanese army and cut off its supply line through such a jump. The besieged Japanese army became the turtle in the urn. If they could not wait for follow-up supplies, they could only "starve to death" as Halsey concluded.But after the naval battle in Weila Bay, the "Tokyo Express" was turned off, and no destroyer dared to go to the fire to get chestnuts.

The Japanese base camp was completely dumbfounded.After the U.S. Army regained Attu Island, some senior generals of the Japanese navy acted in hindsight: "We should have retreated after the fierce attack on Attu Island, but we foolishly took a fancy to this place and transported it to A large amount of supplies and unnecessary personnel make it impossible to escape." In a word, this kind of pursuit of superficial achievements, which actually loses the wife and loses the army, is really unacceptable. But if the loser takes his mind off it, it's like a ghost turning into a man. After saying this for a few days, it was the turn of the Solomon Islands.As far as the war progress is concerned, the Central Solomons is also not a decisive area, and too many troops and weapons should not have been invested in it. However, at the beginning of the Battle of New Georgia Island, the Japanese army had won several small victories in naval battles, and the transportation operation succeeded repeatedly. , so that a bunch of "Zhuge Liang" don't know what to do.

Cao Luren's plan is even better. He wants to gain sufficient time to strengthen the defense of Kolombangara Island through resistance in the Munda area, delay the advance of the Allied forces on Kolombangara Island, and then use this time Strengthen the defense of Bougainville Island, and toss the islands one by one, tossing the Americans to death. Unfortunately, Halsey did not play the cards according to the rules of the game they expected.The sudden jump of the U.S. military made all calculations go to waste, and Cao Luren's defense-in-depth system immediately collapsed. The next to be tossed to death was the Japanese himself.Vela Lavela Island is only 70 nautical miles away from the Buin base, so close that Japanese fighter jets have to make a big circle to climb up.The U.S. military made full use of the newly built airport to launch air warfare against the Buin base. The frequency of air strikes became higher and higher, and the offensive became more and more fierce.

Caolu couldn't get off any of the tigers, so he had to gather all the planes and continue to fight back and fight. Combined Fleet Commander Koga lacked the strategic genius of his predecessor, and he implemented a relatively conservative strategy.Since Attu Island was recovered by the US military, he took most of his troops back to Tokyo Bay for training, and only sent the Second Air Force to the front to help in the battle. The commander of the Second Air War has been changed from Kakuda to Major General Shuzumaki Munetaka, who personally leads the Second Air War flying team to support Kusaka.After nearly two months of air attrition, nearly half of the pilots and aircraft in the Second Aviation War were lost, and the entire army fell into a state of hemiplegia.

No one's home is a bottomless warehouse or a long-flowing water, and at the same time, the supplies are difficult to meet the consumption. By September 1, the Second Aviation War did not even have a single plane, and it became an empty aircraft carrier force.Witnessing this situation, Okumiya, who is an aviation staff officer, felt "the bitterness of the lack of national strength." The counterattack would no longer have any practical effect, whether in the air or at sea, it would be like "splashing water on a hot stone", and from a military point of view, Kolombangara Island was dead.

Unable to hold the sand, simply raised it.At this time, the base camp finally understood this most obvious truth.Combined Fleet Commander Koga ordered the cancellation of the "Tokyo Express", and the deployment of additional troops to the Solomon Islands came to an abrupt end. What Cao Deer had to do was how to withdraw the troops from the two islands.