GBP Chapter 224 Iwo Jima
Chapter 224 Iwo Jima
The Soviets also achieved some success in the Battle of Nayaka. They pushed back the German Army Group B's attempt to quickly break through Rostov, open up land links in the Caucasus, and then launch a flanking attack on the Soviet hinterland. This forced the Germans to continue relying on the Sea of Azov sea route to supply the Caucasus. Crude oil from the Caucasus had to be transported by sea, which greatly increased the cost of obtaining support for the Germans. Due to the lack of transportation capacity, the amount of oil obtained from the Caucasus was significantly reduced, which to a certain extent restricted the Germans' ability to obtain strategic resources.
The German Army Group B suffered heavy losses in armored forces. Similarly, the armored forces of the Chinese Expeditionary Force's Third Front also suffered considerable losses. Both sides needed to rest and recuperate on this front line, and for the time being, no one had the ability to continue the attack.
In the Western Pacific, in April 1944, the US military abandoned the British, Australian and Chinese Expeditionary Forces and launched a campaign alone to capture the Mariana Islands.
The Mariana Islands, the heart of the Central Pacific, served as a strategic location for US forces attacking the Japanese mainland and formed a crucial link in Japan's defensive perimeter. The headquarters of the 31st Army and the Central Pacific Fleet were both located on Saipan, the archipelago's main island. Since early 1944, the Japanese military has been deploying additional troops to Saipan to bolster its defenses. By the eve of the US landings, the Japanese forces on Saipan included the 43rd Infantry Division, the 47th Independent Mixed Infantry Brigade, the 7th Independent Engineer Regiment, the 9th Tank Regiment, the 3rd Independent Mountain Artillery Regiment, and the 25th Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment. The navy also included the 5th Guard Regiment of the 55th Maritime Police District and the 500st Marine Division. In total, the Japanese had over 155 artillery pieces, including 120 heavy guns of 100mm or larger, 7 tanks, and over personnel.
Saipan is the second largest island in the Mariana Islands. It is about 21 kilometers long and 4 to 8 kilometers wide, with an area of about 184 square kilometers. The terrain is high in the center and low around. There are many mountains, hills, gullies and caves on the island. The commanding height is Tapochow Peak in the center of the island, which is 450 meters above sea level. The Japanese army built three airports on Saipan.
The U.S. military used aviation and naval gunfire to destroy most of the ground fortifications on the island, then landed at Makikis Beach, successfully advancing deep into the island and seizing Chalan Kanoa Airport. The situation was very good, and Smith, the commander of the Fifth Army in charge, even threatened to take over the entire island within a week.
However, reality was harsh. That night, the advancing 27th Infantry Division suffered a crushing defeat, losing nearly an entire regiment, over 3000 men, and was forced to retreat to Chalangannoa Airfield and the beach landing area. Meanwhile, the 2nd and 4th Marine Divisions, landing in the Chalangannoa area on the island's west coast, were heavily supported by naval artillery fire. Despite receiving heavy support, the Japanese continued to retaliate with concentrated artillery fire. After an afternoon of operations, the US forces, suffering heavy losses, were reduced to fewer than 5000 men ashore, defending several isolated landing points. That night, the Japanese 47th Composite Brigade launched a counterattack, forcing the US forces to hastily evacuate the shoreline.
Over the next month, the US, backed by superior aviation and naval gunfire, seized several landing sites at great cost, successively capturing key Japanese positions and capturing Asilo Airfield in the south. During the fighting, they defeated counterattacks by the Japanese 47th Brigade, the 1st Marines, and a regiment of the 43rd Division, captured most of Saipan, and surrounded Mount Tapocho in the center of the island from three sides. However, the US losses were also heavy, with a total of 27 killed, including Major General Ralph Smith, commander of the 1.5th Division, far exceeding the US military's expectations.
Commander Smith, known for his short temper and nicknamed "The Madman," ordered Major General Sandford Jarman to take over as acting commander of the 27th Division. The three divisions launched a full-scale assault on Mount Tapocho, where the Japanese held a stronghold, from the north, east, and south. On May 1944, 5, at the cost of over 17 casualties, the US military captured the commanding heights of Mount Tapocho. They then launched a general offensive against the last remaining Japanese stronghold to the west. By the afternoon of the 7000th, over 18 Japanese troops, now isolated and helpless, launched a desperate counterattack, ultimately being killed. Chuichi Nagumo, commander of the Japanese Pacific Fleet and the arch-culprit behind the Pearl Harbor attack, committed suicide. Saito Yoshitsugu, commander of the 4000rd Division and de facto commander of the Saipan garrison, was also killed in the final counterattack. The US military finally completely occupied Saipan!
General Nimitz was deeply dissatisfied with the outcome of the Battle of Saipan, and even General Marshall, far away in the United States, was furious. Compared to the Marshall Campaign and other US island-taking campaigns, the loss rate in this battle was staggering, a staggering 40%, far exceeding even the Battle of Guadalcanal. At this moment, they all recalled the First Army of the Chinese Expeditionary Force, which was enjoying a leisurely stay in Lae, Papua New Guinea.
During the call, Marshall and Nimitz cursed MacArthur and angrily criticized his bad ideas. If they wanted to take over the whole of Japan by following this way of fighting, they didn't know how many young lives of the American people would be sacrificed.
At this point, the American strategy began to take effect. The American leadership believed that while eradicating fascism, it would be a good idea to draw out the American elite troops to fight to the death. The Soviets had used the Far East as a bargaining chip to secure over a million American soldiers for the Eastern European battlefields. Why couldn't they inflict more American bloodshed and quickly eliminate Japan, their formidable threat?
The two sides quickly reached an exchange of interests. The United States agreed to meet the interests of the Flower Country in the southeast and promised to assist in establishing a limited Flower Country navy, equivalent to a near-shore defense navy. The Flower Country transferred Myanmar's new 22nd Army and others to the First Expeditionary Force and deployed them to the Western Pacific battlefield.
Zheng Dongguo was unexpectedly appointed commander-in-chief of the front army, commanding the 1st and 3rd Group Armies (the official designation of the new 22nd Group Army). Liao and Yang were appointed deputy commander-in-chief and chief of staff, respectively, while still serving as commanders of their respective groups. This arrangement became the new norm. With the exception of the overly large rd Front Army, the actual operational commanders of all the remaining front armies, aside from the commander-in-chief, were concurrently held by the commanders of the main group armies.
The US military did not give much time to the First Front Army of the Chinese Expeditionary Force, especially the Third Army. After arriving in Papua New Guinea, they only had more than a month to adapt. The US military planned to launch another naval battle in July, which was the famous Battle of Iwo Jima in a different time and space!