Beiyang reactionaries

The entire Southeast Asia is in the hands of Japan, and Japan can concentrate a lot of troops to attack the Philippines.In history, the Japanese army attacked the US-Philippine coalition forces with only 5 to 10,000 people, but this time the Japanese army concentrated [-]+ people to storm the Philippines.The U.S.-Philippines coalition forces simply could not withstand the fierce Japanese offensive.Although it's not a one-touch collapse, it's no different from that.Within a few days, important positions were lost one after another, and the troops retreated again and again, retreating into the mountains and forests.

The U.S. government was very worried, worried that MacArthur would become a Japanese prisoner.It's not that the U.S. government attaches great importance to MacArthur, but that a general of MacArthur's level is captured by the Japanese army, and his face is very ugly.So in December 1940, MacArthur was ordered to evacuate the Philippines.After January 12, Roosevelt and Marshall ordered MacArthur to withdraw from the Philippines.

"It is not……"

Marshall hesitated for a moment, and said, "President, the news just came in. General MacArthur's plane was shot down by a Japanese plane near New Ireland."

"what?"

Roosevelt and US Secretary of State Cordell Hull looked at each other.

MacArthur's plane was shot down?

"Is the news accurate?"

"Yes. General MacArthur's plane was evacuated to Australia with another plane, and encountered Japanese fighter jets near New Ireland. Another plane rushed out, and General MacArthur's plane was shot down by Japanese planes. Fell overboard."

"Oh, God."

Roosevelt couldn't help pinching his forehead.

Headache, really.

The Japanese army moved too fast, and the US Pacific Fleet was almost wiped out.Three-fifths of the warships were sunk, one-fifth of the warships were seriously injured, and the rest of the warships were also wounded.

Many of the seriously injured warships are beyond repair, and the injuries are too serious.Some other warships with relatively light injuries cannot be repaired in a day or two.If it usually takes two or three months, even if it is a time of war, it will be difficult to repair it in less than a month.

After that, the Japanese army began to attack the Philippines. Although the US-Philippines coalition forces wanted to resist, the result was not good at all.Those who were beaten by the Japanese army retreated steadily.Now the commander-in-chief of the U.S. Far East Army and the commander-in-chief of the U.S.-Philippines Allied Forces, MacArthur's plane was shot down.

The result is only two.

One fell to his death, and the other was captured by the Japanese army.Because places such as Illian Island (New Guinea) and the Solomon Islands are now controlled by the Japanese army.MacArthur's plane fell in these places. If he didn't die, he must have been captured by the Japanese navy.

How could Roosevelt accept this.

"What's the situation in the Philippines now?"

"President, the specific situation is not very clear. But now the Japanese army has surrounded the Philippines, and the troops are completely out of supplies. I worry that the troops there will soon be overwhelmed."

Marshall shook his head slightly.

The situation in the Philippines is irreversible.The Japanese navy blocked all the imports and exports of the Philippines, and the US-Philippines coalition forces in the Philippines could not be replenished at all.Facing the powerful Japanese army, where is the opponent.

"What about other places?"

"Two Japanese aircraft carriers went south from Malacca and came to Illian Island (New Guinea). I think the Japanese army attacked the Australian army in the southern part of Illian Island, probably within a few days."

Marshall reports on the current situation.

After the outbreak of World War II, Marshall, the chief of staff, abolished a large number of senior officers, including a large number of generals.Because Marshall believed that these people were too old, their thinking could not keep up with modern warfare, and their combat ideas were still stuck in World War I.So after Marshall dismissed these older officers, he promoted a large number of generals in their 50s and [-]s.Most of the famous generals who rose up in the United States in World War II were single-handedly selected by Marshall this time.

Marshall was on the cancellation list, including himself.Marshall thought he was getting old too, and he should be replaced by a younger general.However, both Roosevelt and the army believed that Marshall was a competent chief of staff.So Marshall stayed on in that position.

"Australia, can Australia stand up?"

Roosevelt pondered for a moment.

Really because there's only bad news for a while.After hearing that the plane made by MacArthur was shot down, Roosevelt was in a bad mood.But Roosevelt was a very strong man, and he adjusted his emotions quickly.

"I think it's more difficult."

Marshall said directly: "President, Australia does not have much naval power at present, and it is not an opponent of the Japanese navy at all. Japan deployed a large number of battleships and heavy cruisers on Illian Island, and two aircraft carriers went south, which can almost crush Australia. The navy. Australia controls some islands, and the role of the navy is very important. Also, the Japanese army deployed more than 600 aircraft on Illian Island, and Australia’s air power is also at an absolute disadvantage. Once there is a fight, Australia will inevitably very difficult."

"What if Australia can't hold those islands south of Illian Island?"

"Once the Japanese army captures the southern islands of Illian Island, Japan's next step must be to attack the mainland of Australia. With the current strength of Australia's navy, it is impossible to stop Japan's attack. Those ports in Australia are all within the attack range of the Japanese army. .”

Roosevelt looked at the map and frowned deeply.

Roosevelt's idea was very simple, that is to let the United States break out of the Americas and become a world power, and even replace Britain as the world hegemony.The most important thing here must be Europe, because Europe has been the center of the world for the past few hundred years.But that doesn't mean Roosevelt didn't pay attention to Asia.

Especially when Japan is already at war with the United States.

If Japan cannot be held down, then it is not certain who will have the final say in the Pacific Ocean in the future.In particular, the Japanese army is eyeing the Hawaiian Islands. Once Japan controls the Hawaiian Islands, Japan will have the upper hand in the Pacific Ocean.If Japan is allowed to control the Pacific Ocean, the threat to the United States is too great.

But the current situation is indeed unfavorable.

"President, Australia must not fall into the hands of the Japanese."

"Ah."

The Philippines can't keep it.

But Australia cannot be lost. Once Australia is lost, the United States will really lose all springboards in Asia, leaving only the Hawaiian Islands.

"President, there is one more thing. We have received information that the Japanese navy attacking Pearl Harbor should soon attack the Hawaiian Islands after being repaired and replenished during this period."

"Are we prepared for anything?"

"There are a lot of problems right now."

"Tell me."

668

"Tell me."

"Our Pacific Fleet has lost too much. Although we have tried our best to repair it, we still lag behind the Japanese Navy in terms of strength. Now we can use only two large warships, one battleship, two heavy cruisers, and light cruisers. There are very few destroyers. When the Japanese Navy attacked Pearl Harbor last time, it used 9 aircraft carriers, 5 escort aircraft carriers, 4 battleships, and 7 heavy cruisers. With a navy of this size, our current Pacific Fleet is basically Unstoppable. If the Japanese army has any weaknesses, it is that they have many shortcomings in their transportation capabilities and logistical supply capabilities. They have the strength to defeat our Pacific Fleet at sea, but they want to occupy the Hawaiian Islands. An easy thing. But if the Japanese navy is directly involved in attacking some islands in the Hawaiian Islands, it will be very difficult to defend the Hawaiian Islands."

Roosevelt was silent.

Japan's sneak attack on Pearl Harbor was really very successful.The U.S. Pacific Fleet that was fought was almost wiped out, and it is not so easy to recover.Even if the industrial strength of the United States is the world's best, it is impossible to replenish the Pacific Fleet in a short period of time.It will take a year for the Pacific Fleet to recover.

This is based on the strong industrial strength of the United States to achieve such efficiency.If it was replaced by Japan, with Japan's industrial strength, it would be impossible without two or three years.This is the period of time that Hideki Tojo and the others pursued.

Japan's strategy is not to give the United States this time, it is to create a time difference.

Japan wants to take advantage of the current strength of the US Pacific Fleet, and when the Japanese Navy in the Pacific has the absolute upper hand, it will advance their strategy.Take down the Philippines, take down Australia, take down the Hawaiian Islands, completely drive the United States out of Asia, and completely cut off the possibility of the United States returning to Asia.

This was the grand strategy formulated by Yoshiichi Tanaka in the early years, but it was only a last resort when Yoshiichi Tanaka formulated this strategy.Yoshiichi Tanaka himself did not want to use such drastic means.

After Hideki Tojo became the Prime Minister of Japan, the situation was completely different.Hideki Tojo brought out the grand strategy formulated by Tanaka Yoshiichi back then, and he still wanted to implement it.At present, the Japanese army is proceeding in an orderly manner in accordance with the grand strategy formulated that year.Since Japan attacked Pearl Harbor and severely damaged the US Pacific Fleet, Japan's strategy has become more and more clear.

The United States has no shortage of strategists, and they have already seen Japan's purpose.But the biggest problem now is that the US Pacific Fleet has no strength to stop the Japanese navy, and can only watch Japan complete their strategy step by step.Now it is the Philippines, and soon Australia, and the Hawaiian Islands are also among the targets of the Japanese army.

This is the most annoying thing.

"The Hawaiian Islands and Australia must never fall into the hands of the Japanese. Once they fall into the hands of the Japanese, it will be very difficult to take them back from the Japanese in the future. General Marshall, this is the bottom line. This is where the interests of the United States in the Pacific lie. .”