Great time travel

Chapter 79, the final battle to conquer Australia
Fifteen kilometers west of the fallen Cape Shank, Mornington Peninsula, Sorrento Town, the last Allied position on the Australian mainland

The winter rain that lasted for many days finally stopped temporarily, allowing this small land surrounded by sea water on three sides to show a thrilling and moving beauty again.

The vast sea surface, which continuously changes from emerald green to light blue, shines brightly in the bright sunlight, looks as bright and soft as the finest silk from a distance, ripples slightly in the refreshing morning breeze, and then turns into A wave of waves rushed towards the shore one after another, hitting the reefs by the sea, making crisp waves and splashing white foam.Everything is so refreshing that one can't help but be intoxicated by it.

However, behind this magnificent beauty, there are many murderous intentions and haze.Wrecks of wrecked planes and boats were bobbing and sinking amidst the ravishing swells, spewing black smears of oil on the surface.The originally quiet and elegant small fishing port and dense forests on the shore have long been burned terribly by the flames of war, leaving only a string of charred and ugly bomb craters with embers still smoldering in the sun.

——Accompanied by the whistling sound that pierced the air, another group of Japanese dive bombers with symmetrically painted round sun logos on the wings on both sides spread their wings and spread their wings from the northern skyline, and began to intensively drop bombs on the Allied positions. More incendiary bombs were dropped on the already devastated Mornington Peninsula.

The next moment, the wooden houses and woods on the ground burned rapidly, one by one at first, then one by one, and finally completely engulfed in a sea of ​​flames.All kinds of howls, screams, and explosions joined together, making people's scalp tingle.From time to time a few hapless wretches stumbling out of the woods covered in flames, fell on the sand and turned into a heap of coke or barbecue.Or they were lucky enough to jump into the sea water and howl for a long time, half dead.

In the underground wine cellar of a beach hotel in the fishing port town of Sorrento that was temporarily requisitioned by the Allied Forces, under the flickering yellow kerosene lamps, the Australian Federal Prime Minister John Katyn paced back and forth anxiously in this square inch, Like a lion in a cage.

On the frontline battlefield at this time, the gunfire was silent again.But it was little more than a sort of temporary truce between the confrontation between the two armies.On one side are the three Japanese divisions that are well-organized, with sufficient troops and sufficient supplies; ), the total force at this time was less than 1 people, their vitality was severely injured, and their technical weapons were completely lost.Those who survived have also been exhausted from the taste of war. What happens next?It's really chilling.

In the face of the overwhelming Japanese army, the Australian Allied Forces no longer had any counterattack power.The seas were no longer theirs—every Allied motor vessel capable of sailing had been destroyed, and not many sampans remained.The sky has also been controlled by the enemy—except for the occasional few American planes breaking through the blockade in the thick cloudy weather, hastily dropping a little symbolic supplies, and then turning around and running away...the enemy has ships like forests, Airplanes, a steady stream of soldiers, but the Allies have nothing, and they can't even fight for the head.

Although the attack strength of the Japanese army was not strong at this time, the last few ground attacks were insignificant—they seemed to be continuing to use bombing, shelling, poison gas, and starvation to "soften" the allied forces in order to reduce the number of casualties on their own side idea.But the Allied forces on the Mornington Peninsula could no longer hold on. Everyone was deafened by the bombing, their hands and feet were weak from hunger, and their bodies were blackened by gunpowder smoke and covered with dirt. Coagulated blood scab.Soldiers were emaciated, officers were sleepwalking, they could barely eat, drink, sleep, and had little ammunition left.If you want to ask them what they wish at this moment, I'm afraid it is to eat a good meal, drink a bottle of good wine, and then fall asleep with their legs stretched out, and move directly to God.

In fact, if the enemy on the opposite side was not the Japanese army, but the army from "civilized countries" in Europe and America, they would have surrendered long ago.

Such a gloomy situation made Prime Minister John Katyn even more depressed, and he was no longer in the mood to make passionate speeches or roar hysterically.After moving to the town of Sorrento, he hid all day in the airtight wine cellar, avoiding people.He no longer wanted to pay more attention to the wailing of the frontline soldiers and the sad news of successive defeats.And the sluggish and numb eyes of the soldiers and civilians when they saw him occasionally made Prime Minister Katyn even more sad.

——If it is said that Prime Minister John Katyn was somewhat lucky when he just withdrew from Melbourne and retreated to Cape Shank, hoping that the powerful American ally could save him, then when he was trapped in Sorrento Now in the town, he is completely desperate.

However, even so, Prime Minister John Katyn still kept sending telegrams to President Truman in the White House in Washington, begging them to take the sake of the special relationship between English-speaking countries, and to help the Australians no matter what. On paper: "...Has Washington decided that the Australian theater is so insignificant to the final outcome of this war that aid is not to be expected here at this time, or at least not until the resistance is exhausted? If so, I hope you will Give me an accurate answer, because I have a duty to my own people. If I can't lead them to save their homeland and win victory, then at least I can die with them for this country..."

Therefore, although Australia has been regarded as an abandoned son, President Truman still sent the "White Pomfret" submarine and sent Colonel Evans Carlson...

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This is simply another Bataan Peninsula... or rather, a hell on earth shrouded in death and hunger!
Colonel Evans Carlson, who was temporarily serving as the President's special envoy, had the above impressions after he set foot on the last Allied position on the Australian mainland.

In this war-torn square inch, there is an atmosphere of despair and depression everywhere, which is almost overwhelming.

——The soldiers seen along the way, whether they were Americans, New Zealanders or Australians, almost all of them were scruffy, sallow and emaciated, even so thin that only skin and bones remained.And the civilians were as thin as skeletons.According to the introduction from the Australian major accompanying the reception, the food reserves in the Mornington Peninsula are almost exhausted. The civilians have no rations to distribute, and the soldiers only have one meal a day.

Therefore, these civilians are already so hungry that their eyes turn green. In order to get something to eat, they have long been disregarding their dignity, and even risked their lives.Colonel Carlson saw with his own eyes several women fighting for a fish that had been blown ashore, and a group of skinny children squatting on the rubbish dump, carefully dunking the discarded empty cans with their fingers. of food residue.Then carefully and carefully lick any food that gets on your fingers...

Next, Colonel Carlson encountered several American soldiers with numb eyes, who were dragging a cart full of corpses towards the seashore.I saw them unloading the corpses on the cliffs by the sea, then taking off the clothes and shoes of the dead, leaving the living to keep warm, and finally throwing the corpses directly into the sea. He was also so weak that he was on the verge of falling, and he no longer had the strength to dig a pit to bury his body.

In fact, these people who handled the corpses already looked like walking dead, lifeless... But when they noticed Colonel Carlson and the sailors following him, their eyes sparkled again. The look of hope, even cheered with excitement!

Unfortunately, children, the space on the submarine is limited, I'm afraid I can't save you... Colonel Carlson lowered his head sadly, and walked away quickly.

Next, in the town of Sorrento, Colonel Carlson went to see the church in the town that had been requisitioned as a hospital for the wounded. The plane was blown up, and the rain poured down. Hundreds of wounded soldiers in ragged clothes could only lie in the dirty mud. All of them were so dirty, haggard, thin, and dull-eyed... Now even their own The nurses and doctors who were half starved to death had neither medicine nor strength to deal with them, so these guys could only lie here and wait to die, using lunch boxes to collect some dirty rainwater from the eaves and corners of the wall, even at least care is not available.Many patients suffering from dysentery and typhoid fever were too weak to walk because they were already hungry and sick.And this will undoubtedly further accelerate the spread of the disease...

However, these guys in rags, hungry and sick, lacking in food and clothing, insisted on withstood the brutal Japanese attack on the isolated and helpless Australian continent. The giant ship with powerful guns has a steady stream of supplies, but the Australian Allied Forces have nothing, but they still poke here with love for their homeland.Although repeated battles and defeats, but still fighting to the death.

Unfortunately, there is still a limit to the spiritual power of human beings after all.When the prospect of war is completely hopeless and the doomsday of destruction is just around the corner, no matter how indomitable a warrior is, they will feel disheartened, and despair and fear will once again occupy the hearts of each of them...

——The Commonwealth of Australia, which belongs to the white people in the West, is now doomed and will soon come to an end in the long river of history.

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When Colonel Carlson met the Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia, John Katyn, in an underground wine cellar in the town of Sorrento, he saw, as expected, a skinny old man who was tired, depressed, mentally haggard, and with a decadent expression.Days of bitter fighting had obviously tormented him out of shape.

However, after learning that Colonel Carlson's submarine had successfully broken through the Japanese naval blockade and sent him about [-] tons of food, ammunition and medicine, Prime Minister John Katyn suddenly became more energetic. Clutching Colonel Carlson's right hand and shaking it non-stop, as if seeing an angel who saved him descending in front of him... However, next, when Colonel Carlson took out a letter written by President Truman and invited John Carlson to When Prime Minister Ting went to the United States to form a government-in-exile, he was stunned in a state of ups and downs, and then became angry: "...This is impossible! I will never be a coward who is greedy for life and afraid of death! We can continue to fight! As long as we are alive, The yellow-skinned dwarf should never try to take this land away!"

"...If your soldiers always have bullets in their guns, wear shoes on their feet, have a full stomach, and have planes covering their heads, then this peninsula may still be able to defend for a while. It is a pity that the above-mentioned prerequisites are not connected. None of them exist... I admit that your army is indeed fighting bravely, but if you continue to fight like this, and let the boys fight with bare feet and hungry bellies, they will definitely not be able to win!"

Colonel Karl Xun retorted unceremoniously, "... underwater smuggling by submarines like this one can't bring you much every time. It can only be said that it is better than nothing, and not every time." Success. So you are destined to not be able to consume the Japanese. Please face the reality! Your Excellency, the end of sticking here will only die in vain. You should go to Washington, London, and do more meaningful things for your people !"

"...No! I will never leave! Even if the future of this country is completely hopeless, I will live and die with the people who trust me! I am ready to die with my subordinates. Including the bomb that exploded with the enemy grenade." Prime Minister John Katyn pointed to the drawer beside him.

"...but what's the point? For someone in your position, suicide doesn't mean courage, it only proves your cowardice, it means that you don't have the courage to face past failures, and you don't have the confidence and perseverance to overcome them. Against all odds, defeat turned into victory..."

Listening to Colonel Carlson's reprimand with a stick, Prime Minister John Katyn gradually calmed down and no longer insisted on staying here, but he did not immediately agree to go to the United States in exile - after all, he still wants to save face , to show that he has the courage to die for his country.

"...Well, I admit, it doesn't make much sense to stay here anymore. But even so, the territory of the Commonwealth of Australia has not yet fallen...Why not retreat to Tasmania and organize What about the Anti-Japanese National Salvation Government?"

—withdraw to Tasmania?What is the use of this?You don't feel too good about yourself, do you?
After hearing the proposal from Prime Minister John Katyn, Colonel Karl Xun immediately wrinkled his bitter face.

——Tasmania, located in the southeast of the Australian mainland, is separated from Melbourne by the 240-kilometer-wide Bass Strait.The island covers an area of ​​about 800 square kilometers, which is more than twice the size of Taiwan Island. It is famous for its platypus and lobster.At first glance, the island is not small in size, and the product conditions are not bad, it seems that it can be used as a counter-offensive base.But the problem is that even the Australian mainland itself is full of wilderness these days, with vast land and few people. On the 700 million square kilometers of land, only [-] million people live, and the population density is as different as that of Tibet, China in later generations.

In Tasmania, which has a more remote geographical location and harsher climate and environmental conditions, the population at that time was even pitifully small. The permanent residents had just exceeded 20, and there were virgin forests everywhere-this place is actually similar to the United States. Like Alaska, it just looks big on the map. In fact, if you want industry but no industry, you want agriculture but no agriculture. Before it is really developed, it is basically useless.

To make matters worse, in the past few years of war, in order to maintain the consumption of the front line, the Australian government has conscripted a large number of strong men from Tasmania, the only relatively safe rear, and transferred them away almost enough to squeeze them out. all strategic materials.Now the island has almost nothing but orphans and widows, even the arable land is barren, and everyone is as hungry as the citizens of Melbourne-on the Australian mainland, the Allies can at least gather a group of people from 14 to 40 years old The soldiers, holding the weapons aided by the United States, fought with the invading Japanese with their lives.If they continue to retreat to Tasmania, then Prime Minister John Katyn may only have a group of unarmed boy scouts and women's soldiers to resist the Japanese landing...

What's more, according to the recent war games of the US Pacific Fleet Command, before the strength of the Pacific Fleet is restored, the Japanese Navy and Army can almost do whatever they want in the Southwest Pacific Theater and are invincible.Even New Zealand, which is [-] kilometers away, is likely to fall and change hands in this wave of Japanese attacks, not to mention the Tasmania Island, which is located on the other side of the Bass Strait and is close at hand. up.

Simply put, retreating from Melbourne to Tasmania is equivalent to jumping from one dead end to another, meaningless.

However, Colonel Carlson, the special envoy of the President, had not yet figured out what words to use to dispel Prime Minister John Katyn's whimsical idea. The commander of the Australian Army, whose head was bandaged and his face was sallow, looked like a skeleton. Admiral Bremi rushed in holding a telegram, "...urgent! Your Excellency! There is new bad news! A Japanese army has just crossed the sea and landed on Tasmania! Bart!"

Colonel Carlson and Prime Minister John Katyn: "??!" "!!!"

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Just when the general situation of the war in Melbourne was set, Admiral Fengfumi Yamashita, who was keen on adventure, dispatched another division to continue the southern expedition to Tasmania, regardless of the remnants of the enemy. Covered, successfully landed and entered the capital Hobart!
Facing the fierce Japanese invaders attacking land and sea, the local authorities of the Australian Federation on Tasmania were extremely powerless, because the last remaining force of the Australian army was trapped in Melbourne, and there were no troops on the island at this time. , There is also a lack of weapons, and coastal defenses are better than nothing.In the end, young and middle-aged women can only be allowed to take the old-style rifles that have been eliminated, and go to the beach and the countryside to stop the enemy... Such a trivial resistance is polite to use "mantis arm as a car", it can only be said to put on a show , To embolden one's own people is only symbolic in tactics.

Therefore, amidst the thundering cannons of dozens of Japanese battleships, cruisers and destroyers, Hobart, the capital of Tasmania, declared its fall after resisting for less than a day. Most of the women who temporarily picked up their rifles Either fleeing in a hurry, or surrendering in a numb manner—although due to the large size of the island, the newly arrived Japanese army could not effectively occupy such a large piece of land immediately, so some of the most tenacious guys took the opportunity to escape from the city and dispersed into small groups , Sneak into the countryside and mountains and continue to fight guerrillas, but this has been unable to reverse the entire strategic defeat.

——In fact, it was precisely because of the division of troops to cover the army to cross the sea and land in Tasmania that the Japanese fleet in the waters outside the exit of Phillip Bay was transferred to take away a considerable number of ships, and the blockade was temporarily weakened. Colonel Carlson's " The "White Pomfret" submarine was able to sneak in...

In short, after the bad news of the fall of Tasmania came, the last confidence of the Australian military and political leaders was also shattered.Colonel Karlsson succeeded in carrying out his mission at last.He led several senior Australian government officials, including the Prime Minister of the Commonwealth of Australia, John Katyn, and the Commander of the Australian Army, Admiral Thomas Bremi, as well as their family members and confidantes, boarded the submarine "White Pomfret" by night, and left forever. the Australian mainland.

And behind them, with the fleeing of the leadership of the Australian Allied Forces, the Commonwealth of Australia, which has struggled for several years, has also come to an end...