Chapter 67, Typhoon God of War Halsey (Part 2)
Since ancient times, typhoons have been a terrifying monster for residents in coastal areas. But for some island countries, typhoons are the patron saints protecting them from being conquered by foreign powers. For example, there is a famous battle called the "Battle of Bunkyu and Koan" by Japanese historians: In the late 13th century, the Mongolian army, which had almost conquered the world, crossed the sea twice to attack Japan, but was swallowed up by typhoons in the coastal areas of Japan. completely annihilated.
The ancient Japanese who were lucky enough to escape at that time cheered for it and called the two typhoons that saved the country's destiny "kamikaze".
And now, when the military boots of the United States of America set foot on Tokyo, the "divine wind" blessing Japan has actually arrived again!
——The wind and clouds in the Pacific changed color, the heaven and earth wept over it, the American emperor was frightened by it, and the world was shaken by it.
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United States, Washington, Oval Office, White House
"...Extra! Extra! The modern version of Don Quixote! General Halsey led his fleet to commit suicide to challenge the typhoon!"
"... Big news! Big news! A super sea disaster comparable to the sinking of Atlantis! Eighty thousand young men from the United States were buried in the sea!"
"...Japan's red fascist regime issued a statement, full of gloating about the misfortune, claiming that the storm disaster suffered by our army was a divine punishment..."
"... Religious experts claim that Japan has a tradition of treating typhoons as its patron saint since ancient times, and the United States must be prepared to defeat typhoons... General Halsey, are you really ready to become the god of war who defeats typhoons? ?”
……
Looking at the dazzling black headlines in the newspaper, President Truman had the urge to tear them to pieces immediately and then step on the ground to vent his anger. But after all, he still had a bit of a politician's self-restraint, and he just held back the anger in his chest. , just handed the newspaper to Admiral Jin sitting opposite.
——Although the American media often exaggerates newspaper news headlines in order to attract customers' attention, this time it is obviously not sensationalism, but bloody facts... Sure enough, I just glanced at the newspaper a few times. General Kim, who is said to be "always angry", frowned, "...Why isn't such news that shakes the morale of the military and confuses public opinion decisively blocked? What is the government doing?"
"...Blockade? How to blockade it? Confiscating all radios across the country like Hitler did?" Secretary of State Cordell Hull, who was sitting on the sofa next to him, retorted with a depressed look on his face. "...The Japanese and the Soviets had already done this. It was published in newspapers and broadcast on radio stations with embarrassment. News commentary programs have been broadcast! Even newspapers in Africa and South America have received the news! If we continue to block news in the country, we can only deceive ourselves and others. Should we wait for those reporters to secretly reveal it and then let the people go to Washington? Protest in the streets? ”
——Even during a war, even if martial law is implemented, it is very difficult for a democratic country like the United States to completely block public opinion, especially heavyweight news related to the war. Nowadays, the American news media is paying close attention to the Pacific War situation. It is really difficult to conceal and lie to the public on such a major matter, and once it is discovered, the consequences will be unimaginable.
According to Secretary Hull, rather than letting all kinds of false rumors fly in the sky, it is better to reveal the truth of the matter.
Although this terrible truth really makes people want to go crazy - the Halsey fleet struggled in the typhoon for nearly two days and two nights. After the sea calmed down, the fleet headquarters spent another full week, Only then did these ships that had been blown to pieces return to the team one after another and reunite. They gathered together and began to count the losses... Perhaps the Japanese are really a nation blessed by typhoons. In this devastating typhoon with astonishing destructive power, the U.S. Pacific Fleet sank more ships and lost more people than ever before. The sacrifices paid in the sea battle are much greater!
——After the typhoon attack, the Halsey fleet has a total of two large aircraft carriers, four light aircraft carriers, five battleships, three heavy cruisers, five light cruisers, 15 destroyers, six escort aircraft carriers, and 24 medium-sized aircraft carriers. Landing ships, tank landing ships, thirty-nine transport ships and auxiliary ships sank during the typhoon due to hull rupture, wind and waves capsizing, cabin fires and explosions, or collisions with each other. What makes the Pentagon and the White House most distressed is that the new super battleship "Hawaii", which is the supreme pride of the United States of America's shipbuilding craftsmanship and has a displacement of 105,000 tons and a 20-inch cannon, has not yet had time to compete with the Japanese combined fleet. The hand was buried under the sea in this typhoon disaster!
In addition, there were more than a hundred ships. Although they did not directly sink or capsize immediately, they also lost power, had their rudders damaged or their propellers fell off, and they could only rely on other ships to tow them. Since the structural strength of landing ships and troop carriers is generally not as good as that of warships, the US military's landing force scheduled to attack the Mariana Islands actually lost more than 80% of its troops in this typhoon! Technical equipment such as tanks and heavy artillery were completely lost. There was even a troop transport ship that was captured by a Japanese naval patrol destroyer after losing power and drifting for a week!
Then, nine escort carriers and two light aircraft carriers were knocked off their entire flight decks by the typhoon. The flagship Enterprise was paralyzed by the fire and could only sail at a maximum speed of three to four knots. The hull was exposed everywhere. With the welded seams and iron plates exposed, the flight deck seemed to have been demolished by a directional blast. The remaining decks and elevators of the aircraft carriers were also severely damaged in the typhoon, and they basically lost their ability to take off and land.
In other words, Halsey's fleet has no available aircraft carriers, and his naval aviation carrier-based aircraft unit has completely lost its combat effectiveness!
Next, the sea-to-air radars of all ships in Halsey's fleet were basically damaged by wind and waves, and a considerable number of ships even had their radios broken. Only the submarine force hiding underwater suffered relatively minor losses, but one submarine also lost its signal during the typhoon.
In addition, because the typhoon swept across Midway Island after this typhoon, this small island was also plunged into darkness. The airport, fortress and military camp on the island also suffered heavy blows. More than a thousand troops defending the island were swept away by three-quarters of the typhoon and suffered a devastating disaster. The hangars, oil depots, aircraft, and control towers at Midway Airport were all missing, and not even a single traffic boat remained at the dock on the island. However, a heavy cruiser, the USS Louisville, was thrown away by the storm and is now leaning on the reef of Midway Island, severely damaged beyond repair.
The survivors on Midway Island are now in a critical situation, with no fresh water, food, medicine, or fuel, and they are repeatedly calling for help on the radio.
——All in all, if you include those ships that are still barely floating on the sea, but have been judged to be of no repair value, the total tonnage of various types of ships lost by the US Navy in this typhoon has actually reached an appalling amount. 1.8 million tons!
To use a concept that is easier for Chinese people to understand, it is that the Yankees were blown away by a typhoon fifty Beiyang navy!
Got it! That is to say, a giant like the United States can still carry it, but other countries can't even get so many ships to sink it even if they tighten their belts!
In fact, with such an exaggerated loss figure, even with the wealth of the U.S. Navy, the backbone was broken by a heavy hammer, and it can no longer be hardened! Therefore, after preliminary statistics of the fleet's losses... to be precise, after counting the fleet's survival figures, even a tough guy like Admiral Halsey couldn't help but burst into tears, and then ordered the cancellation After learning the battle plan, they turned back in despair.
However, the tragedy of the United States of America and the U.S. Pacific Fleet is still far from over at this point.
——To make matters worse, that damn super typhoon seemed bent on opposing the U.S. Pacific Fleet. After destroying the Halsey Fleet and Midway Island, it continued to move eastward to Hawaii, directly at the headquarters of the U.S. Pacific Fleet. Pearl Harbor landing!
Just this morning, the White House and the Pentagon had just received a damage report from Hawaii: the entire archipelago was completely without power, five villages and two towns were razed to the ground, three destroyers, two light cruisers, and an escort aircraft carrier It was washed up on land and broken into several pieces. The Pacific Fleet headquarters building collapsed in the wind, about a thousand aircraft were destroyed, and more than 7,000 local soldiers and civilians were killed or injured... What's even more terrible is that because the port facilities and shipyards were severely damaged in the typhoon, Harbin was about to return. The West Fleet may not be repaired in time at Pearl Harbor...
At this point, in addition to the submarine force that escaped the storm underwater, the frontline fleet trapped in Tokyo Bay, and the coast guard on the west coast of the mainland, the United States of America's ocean-going naval fleet in the North Pacific has almost been affected by this incident that clearly protected the Japanese. The "divine wind" swept away everything!
As a result, President Truman and Chief of the Navy Ernest King sadly discovered that the key priority now seemed to be no longer how to intercept and annihilate the Japanese naval combined fleet, but to prevent the Japanese naval combined fleet from taking the opportunity to attack Pearl Harbor again. Take Hawaii.
This is really a cruel and sad cold reality...but it is what they have to face with grit...
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PS: The French Prime Minister is out of his mind again, announcing that terrorist attacks have become a part of daily life in France. I hope everyone will not be afraid, and they will get used to it. By analogy, Chairman Chiang can probably say that civil war is a daily life in China, and everyone is used to killing and killing... However, the French Prime Minister also told the truth, that is, even if the terrorists succeed, the whole of France will become green. , the bombing attacks will only be more, not less...
Then, trouble broke out under the rule of Nazar Khan of Kazakhstan, with shootings taking place in the streets. It is not yet known whether it was a terrorist attack or a coup. Since the accidental missile launch from Taiwan and the confrontation in the South China Sea at the beginning of the month, how many big news have been released? Could it be that July this year is really the month of military calamity?