Chapter 33 Uncertain success or failure

Under the cover of naval guns and air attacks, the Marine Corps set off from the beachhead and gradually advanced inland. From the ground alone, few living things can be found on Betio Island, including Japanese soldiers, let alone the common jungles on Guadalcanal Island and Bougainville Island.There are even a few sparse coconut trees, which have already been destroyed by artillery fire. Where is the enemy?They are underground! The Japanese army's fortifications were dug very deep, and the top layer of the fortifications was covered with sleepers and steel plates as thick as two meters, and some coral rocks or sand were piled on top of them.Those parts that must be exposed to the ground are very similar to a sand dune, or a pile of chaotic rocks.

Sand dunes and rock formations like this are so common on Betio Island that it's hard to tell which ones are real and which ones are fortifications.Sometimes the U.S. military was about to sit down and rest next to the "sand dunes", when they suddenly heard the voices of the Japanese soldiers talking below.This is a very scary thing, because you can't shoot at him if you can hear the sound but can't see the person. Some people were knocked down by the hidden firepower of the Japanese army before they found out where the Japanese army's fortifications were. Now the Second Marine Division almost misses the "living hell" in Guadalcanal.There, the thick jungle will certainly restrict the movement, but after all, the troops have a lot of room to maneuver, and the main line of defense between the enemy and ourselves is relatively clear.The maximum width of Betio Island is only 800 yards, and there are honeycomb-like fortifications and fixed positions underground. It is difficult for the Marine Corps to move even a platoon, let alone a division.

The fortifications of the Japanese army on the island were not disorganized, but constituted more than one hundred relatively independent defensive strongholds.Its frontal firepower is generally concentrated in a narrow area, and the gun holes and gun holes are extremely small. Although the field of vision is greatly limited in this way, the power is extremely terrifying; It is difficult to implement a detour. Rear Admiral Shibazaki Keiji, the commander of the Japanese army guarding the island, was complacent about the defense. He boasted that even if a million people came, it would take a hundred years to capture Betio Island.

Facts have proved that although the U.S. military is inexperienced in attacking coral islands, the Japanese also underestimate the opponent's power and will.You know, this is a strong team that has been tempered in Guadalcanal and further trained and polished during the rest period in New Zealand. It is not an exaggeration to say that the Second Marine Division is one of the most elite jungle warfare units in the world. The marines pushed forward unrelentingly. Even though people around them kept falling, the soldiers did not hesitate or flinch.They took risks and approached the defensive strongholds one by one, using grenades, explosives and flamethrowers to completely wipe out the front and side fortifications and the Japanese soldiers inside.

Fighting and fighting, the Marine Corps also discovered the weakness of the Japanese defense. Although the various fortifications can be coordinated, they lack flexibility. As long as one of the fortifications is destroyed, the remaining fortifications are relatively easy to solve. Of course, easy does not mean that you can do it with one breath.With the frenzied nature of Japanese soldiers, if you don't completely eliminate them physically, they will hide in the fortifications and carry them to the end. When dusk was approaching, the 5,000 U.S. troops who landed on the beach took nearly one-third of the cost of casualties to control half of the west coast, and on the basis of this beachhead, a beachhead with a depth of 300 yards was established.

However, with the arrival of night, the enemy's situation became more and more serious, because according to the usual practice, the Japanese army will inevitably use the night as a cover to launch a strong attack.Xiao Pu reported to the division headquarters by radio: "The situation is still worrying." He ordered all personnel to dig fortifications, and at the same time implemented fire control, and soldiers were strictly prohibited from shooting, so as not to expose the target. There was also tension within the Pacific Fleet Command.During the day, Nimitz saw a telegram from the Second Marine Division to call the division reserve team. The use of the division reserve team so early showed that the situation on the island was quite severe.In addition, the telegram also used the words "success or failure" at the end.Thinking back to the early days of the Pacific War, before the fall of Wake Island, the same words appeared in the telegrams on the island, and the staff all had an ominous premonition.Nimitz, too, was deeply disturbed. He sat quietly with no expression on his face.After a while, he said softly: "I have transported all our troops. The strength is sufficient and the numbers are superior. Why are we still not fighting well?"