Chapter 76 self-defeating

The defense organization of Tinian Island is as complicated as that of Saipan Island. Among the main generals, the highest rank is Vice Admiral Kakuda Kakuji.As the only general on the island, Kakuda was supposed to be in charge of commanding the overall operations, but after the loss of the shore-based air force under his command, he has completely transformed from a vigorous general into an alcoholic who spends his days drinking to drown his sorrows.However, his alcohol capacity is not good, either he does not drink, and he becomes drunk when he drinks. Naturally, he can't control anything when he is drunk. In the eyes of others, this big fat man who weighs more than 90 kilograms is like a waste. "I don't like fighting but I like drinking."

Below Kakuda is Colonel Keishi Ogata.The 50th Regiment of the 29th Division, led by Ogata, is an elite Kwantung Army drawn from Northeast China. It is well-trained and well-equipped. It is the backbone of the island's defense.Ogata himself was also born in the Kwantung Army. In terms of personal military quality, he can be regarded as a relatively top-notch army officer. Ogata looked down on Kakuda, who had already "degenerated" beyond recognition, and Ogata's power was also unceremoniously taken away by Ogata, even in name.All orders for combat on the island were signed and issued by Ogata, and he was also in charge of the actual combat. Kakuda took a few cronies and continued to drink until he fell unconscious.

Ogata directed the "counter-assault" in the second half of the night. The "Counter Assault Force" is divided into three groups, and at the same time launched a counterattack on the U.S. positions, the largest of which is the 50th Wing under his personal command. The 50th Regiment advanced with 6 tanks, and the sides and rear of the tanks were crowded with infantry.After discovering that they were approaching, the U.S. military immediately fired flares into the sky one after another, and the battlefield was illuminated like daylight. At a distance of 400 yards from the U.S. position, most of the Japanese tanks were destroyed by ordinary artillery and anti-aircraft artillery. A tank escaped.

Despite losing the cover of the tanks, the 50th Wing rushed forward and strangled with the 23rd Marine Regiment.Most of the soldiers of the 50th Regiment are veterans with actual combat experience. Among the various types of Japanese troops encountered by the U.S. Marine Corps, their marksmanship is considered the best. Made a deep impression.Relying on strong individual combat capabilities, about one squadron of the 50th Wing passed through the middle of the 23rd and 25th Marine Regiments and penetrated to the vicinity of the US artillery positions. However, the Japanese commanders who acted in accordance with rigid military dogma were all experts in wearing brand-name clothing as street stalls. Ogata claimed in his written combat order to "counterattack all the way to the sea, and then under one blow, Gather the U.S. troops on the beachhead," he told his subordinates to keep rushing forward, completely ignoring the strength of the U.S. military and the intensity of their firepower.

After the firing range was reduced to a minimum, the US gunners carried out a more efficient violent bombardment, and the squadron that broke through the defense line was quickly killed without missing a beat.At dusk, the Eighth Marine Regiment came for reinforcements. After the superior force and the fierce counterattack of the "Sherman" tanks, the main force of the 50th Wing suddenly collapsed. On the island, there is an organized armed force of the Japanese Army, as well as a brigade of the 135th Regiment of the 29th Division.As the second assault force, the brigade went straight to the position of the 25th Marine Regiment, but their fate was even worse, and it can be said that they were completely wiped out.There are still some remnants of the 50th Wing, and the remnants of the 135th Wing have basically not appeared in subsequent battles, so that the US military intelligence agency once doubted whether the establishment of this brigade really existed.

The third unit is a naval garrison.The naval garrison used to be mainly responsible for air defense and other tasks, but now it is engaged in ground combat, and it doesn't even have enough weapons, so it has to dismantle the anti-aircraft machine guns and carry them forward to attack.The sound of anti-aircraft machine guns is scary, but the effect of anti-aircraft weapons is not so good when used in parallel. The 24th Marine Regiment on the opposite side also moved out its own treasures to welcome the garrison team who were rushing around with anti-aircraft machine guns. The 37mm mobile artillery chopped down in rows like cutting thatch, and chopped down the Japanese soldiers.It is said that this was the most economical use of ammunition by the U.S. military in the entire Pacific War. There were almost no ammunition, and every shell was available.

After dawn, a total of 1,241 corpses of Japanese soldiers were lying on the battlefield, waiting for the U.S. military to collect them.Since then, the complete units of the Japanese army that still exist on the island are no more than squadrons at most, and even small squadrons are rare. Relying on bold and careful reconnaissance, Holland Smith landed on the right beach, and Ogata found the only way to kill himself-when he spent all his vitality in the "counter-assault" that night, Tinian The defense of the island will collapse without attack. On July 25, the support artillery group on Saipan continued to bombard. At the same time, 105mm caliber howitzers were transported to Tinian Island, and the US military's firepower became more powerful.The communication network of the Japanese army was completely destroyed, and the unified command had been lost.

At the beginning, the U.S. military didn’t know the real situation of the opponent, thinking that some combat units of the 50th Wing had not participated in the “counter-assault”, so they were still cautious when advancing, and were always ready to fight these guys with good marksmanship. It was only later that the Japanese army had collapsed. , There was at most some symbolic slight resistance along the way, and in many places there was not even this little symbolic resistance. Sometimes the troops walked for several hours without hearing a single gunshot. In fact, the U.S. military was not afraid of the counterattack of the established system. Saipan suffered a lot of casualties, mainly because of the rugged and complex terrain and many caves.This problem did not exist on Tinian Island. The highlands on the island were relatively gentle, and the lowlands were mostly flat sugarcane fields. The Japanese army could not use the terrain for cover.Therefore, the Marine Corps did not adopt the usual breakthrough tactics, but gradually advanced in depth with the extension of artillery firepower and "Sherman" tanks.

The U.S. military was in a state of overwhelming strength. From the beginning to the end, the Japanese army had no chance to show their talents. They retreated aimlessly. Two airfields, 12 strongholds, and the town of Tinian all fell into the hands of the U.S. military one by one. On August 2, when there was no way to retreat, Ogata ordered the military flag to be burned. He gathered the "civilian volunteer team" composed of remnants of the navy, army and civilians, and launched a ferocious suicide attack on the positions of the Fourth Marine Division in the middle of the night. style attack.

The ferocity is only limited to momentum, and the crossfire of the US military quickly beat them to pieces.After dawn, a Japanese prisoner pointed out that Ogata's bloody corpse was hanging on the barbed wire. When the war was about to end, another prisoner took the initiative to confess to the U.S. military.He claimed to be Kakuda's messenger, and it could be heard that he was extremely dissatisfied with Kakuda.The orderly said that until the last few days, Kakuda hid in a nearby ornate cave, communicated with the submarine at sea by radio, and had rowed out to sea in a rubber boat for five consecutive nights in an attempt to escape to the submarine. Go up, just didn't succeed.

As the nominally supreme commander of the whole island, when his subordinates died in large numbers, he was obsessed with escaping for his life. His integrity was so broken that it was no wonder that even the messengers were annoyed and reported him. The intelligence department of the Fourth Marine Division was very interested in this information, and immediately led by prisoners, prepared to capture Jiaotian alive.Unexpectedly, a grenade was thrown out of the hole, injuring two marines. At this time, a group of engineers happened to pass by, and they were furious when they saw it.Lieutenant generals are not lieutenant generals, and there is no conclusive evidence that Kakuda is inside, so they simply sealed the cave with explosives. Whether Kakuda is dead or alive has nothing to do with the battle situation. On August 3, the US military officially announced the occupation of Tinian Island.Of course, this kind of occupation is the same as that of Saipan, it just means that the organized resistance of the Japanese army has stopped, and the fish that slipped through the net continue to hide in the jungle, and it will take some time to complete their elimination. In addition, tragedies like the "Suicide Rock" on Saipan are still unstoppable. Even if some Japanese civilian families are willing to accept surrender, the remaining Japanese soldiers around will kill them first after seeing it.At the same time, Japanese soldiers also consciously used civilians as "meat shields" in order to shoot at the U.S. troops. The situation gradually improved until the U.S. troops wiped out all these remnants. From landing to controlling the whole island, the U.S. Marine Corps only took one week, and the price paid was only 290 people were killed, 1515 were injured, and 24 people were missing.The efficiency and wisdom they showed in the Battle of Tinian Island made this battle a classic masterpiece in the history of Pacific warfare. Holland Smith called it "the most successful amphibious combat operation in the Pacific War." In the early days of the Pacific War, it was the Japanese Navy that had the advantage in amphibious operations.Relying on amphibious operations, the Japanese Marine Corps once attacked east and west, invaded and occupied a large number of islands, but just like the development of aircraft carriers, in the middle and late stages of the Pacific War, the U.S. Marine Corps came from behind. His theory and practice have been raised to a scientific level, and up to this point, his colleagues have no possibility of surpassing them.