Wind spy

The Battle of Iwo Jima was a famous battle in the history of World War II. The attacking U.S. forces thought that the island could be taken down in just a few days. As a result, the U.S. Navy, air force, and ground army forces coordinated operations. It took more than a month to end the battle. It was also the only battle in which the US army had more casualties than the Japanese army since the war between Japan and the US. It is also a classic case of tactical use.

The commander of the Ogasawara Corps and Lieutenant General Kuribayashi, the commander of the Japanese army at the Battle of Iwo Jima, was praised by the enemy for his tactics and was hailed by the US army as the best general of the Japanese army in World War II.

Because the Japanese Navy, Japanese Army Air Force and Japanese Navy Air Force suffered devastating blows in the battle of Mariana and the Battle of Wright Bay and the subsequent Battle of Philippine Green, they were unable to provide sea and air support to Iwo Jima. Landing operations for the US military must be conducted without sea and air support. This is an extremely unfavorable situation.

Lieutenant General Tadato Kuribayashi is an extremely outstanding professional soldier. He realized that if the US forces occupying the sea and air superiority face-to-face, beachhead operations would not be effective. He decided to rely on the favorable terrain of the mountains and rely on strong fortifications to implement defense in depth.

The local volcanic ash and cement in Iwo Jima can be mixed into very good concrete. The Japanese army took advantage of this advantage to build many very strong underground fortifications. In order to prevent people from being besieged, each fortification was set up with many exits. The tunnels are also well-ventilated and extend in all directions. , The big bunker can even accommodate 300 to 400 people. As of the eve of the US attack, the tunnel was completed for 10,000 kilometers.

Kuribayashi’s plan is to use defense in depth as the main beach defense as a supplement. The navy garrison builds permanent launch points and strong support points along the beach to conduct forward defense, while the main force of the army is to focus on the mountains to implement defense in depth.

In addition to permanent firepower points and fortresses, the Japanese defenses were mainly based on underground tunnel positions. The fortifications made of concrete were organically combined with natural rock caves in the mountains and connected to each other by traffic trenches.

Most of the artillery positions were built semi-underground, although the shooting interface was sacrificed, but the ability to survive under heavy bombardment was greatly improved.The artillery and communication network are well protected, the mountain is almost hollowed out, and the tunnel fortifications built have at most nine floors!

According to the combat characteristics of the U.S. military, Tadashi Kuribayashi planted a large number of landmines in the forefront of the beach. The rear machine guns, mortars, and anti-tank guns constitute a firepower net. The configuration of all weapons and shooting targets have been accurately calculated. Concealing yourself can kill the US military to the maximum.

The great thing about Kuribayashi Tadao is that he did not adopt the Japanese army's desperate tactics and bullshit spirits in the early days of the war. He put the pioneering forces of the U.S. army at a distance of 500 meters on the ground and then launched a counterattack, using concealed fortifications to kill large numbers of American forces at close range.

He stipulated a variety of tactics such as close-range shooting, mobile defense, and decoy. The Japanese army was strictly prohibited from taking suicide charges, and he called on every soldier to kill at least ten American troops.

Beginning on February 8, the U.S. military carried out four joint naval and air strikes on Iwo Jima. A total of 1,269 sorties were carried out by carrier aircraft, 1,479 sorties by shore-based aviation, and 64 by warships. Ship times.

A total of more than 6,800 tons of bombs were dropped on Iwo Jima, and 203 rounds of 406mm naval guns were fired, 6,472 rounds of 203mm artillery shells, 127. Fifteen thousand two hundred fifty-one rounds of millimeter shells.

With such a violent and intensive fire bombardment, the Japanese defenses were so strong that the effects were very limited, and the two airfields on the island could not be completely destroyed.

"Chen Jun, it seems that the people in the Army are even more stupid than the pigs. The aircraft carrier formation of the US Navy launched an attack on the homeland of our Great Japanese Empire. The main targets were aircraft factories and ports. Although the losses were small, This incident has sounded a wake-up call for us. The next goal of the US military will certainly not be to land in China and open up a new battlefield." Ono said.

This was an internal reception at the Marine Corps Command. Major General Ichiro Ohno was transferred back to China to participate in local defense operations. The new commander is Rear Admiral Koichiro Masayama. It can be seen that Japan is making new personnel adjustments for local defense.

It turned out that on February 10, the commander of the U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet, Spruance, used the USS Indianapolis as the flagship, and the commander of the 58th Task Force Mitchell used the USS Bunker Hill. The aircraft carrier is the flagship, leading an aircraft carrier formation consisting of twelve aircraft carriers, eight battleships, fifteen cruisers, and seventy-seven destroyers through the Mariana Islands and the Ogasawara Islands east of the Japanese mainland.

In the early morning of the 16th, the aircraft carrier formation arrived at a distance of 125 nautical miles from Tokyo. Then, on the 16th and 17th, successively dispatched carrier-based aircraft to bomb many Japanese targets, mainly Targeting important places such as airports, aircraft factories and ports.

In the air battle, the US Navy’s carrier-based fighter jets shot down 332 Japanese fighter jets and blew up 177 Japanese aircraft on the ground. The effect was very unsatisfactory.

"Does the U.S. military intend to directly use the sea and air superiority to attack the Empire's homeland? I think it's a bit unlikely. They don't have a close combat support base. They rely on transport ships and aircraft carriers to attack Japan's homeland, unless The US government is crazy, and the commander of the US military is also crazy." Chen Mingxiang shook his head and said.

"No, the U.S. military is currently attacking Iwo Jima in the Ogasawara Islands. This sneak attack is clearly deterring the empire and also demonstrating the U.S. military's naval and air superiority. The aircraft carrier formation has already left the coast of Japan and the target is Iwo Jima."

"The 109th Division, the reinforcements, and the navy’s garrison total only more than 20,000 people. Facing the U.S. military’s joint naval, air and air operations, it will sooner or later fail. Once the Ogasawara Islands are lost, the U.S. military will take the first place. A forward base, long-range bombers will directly threaten the security of the homeland."

"The U.S. military’s combat intentions are now obvious. They will never open up new battlefields, but will take direct action on the empire’s homeland. Although China has a million imperial troops stationed there, if the empire homeland is lost , What do we mean in China?" Shimada said with a wry smile.

With regard to China, the Japanese Navy has only a few marines and garrison units. In other words, the entire China War has no effect. It is a role of standing on the sidelines.

It is a good idea to dispatch troops to the General Command of the Dispatch Army to build fortifications in coastal areas, hoping to drag the U.S. military in China. Unfortunately, this is not the idea of ​​the U.S. military!