Chapter 373 Is this the Japanese Army? Why is it so weak?
"Do we also need to withdraw troops?" Tsukada Ko looked at Kimura Heitaro with a blank expression, full of confusion.

Doesn’t Nanyang care anymore?

Is this giving up completely?
"Yes, the center of the base camp will be in Australia, and other places will enter the strategic defense stage, so some areas in Southeast Asia should be abandoned." Kimura Heitaro's expression was not as solemn as before, and he even breathed a sigh of relief.

As long as you can give up some things, the rest will be easy.

Even if Luzon is lost, it won’t be a big problem.

After all, they are not strong enough, and I believe the base will definitely understand.

"Australia? Isn't it too far away?" Tsukada Ko felt that this place was too far away, and it seemed that withdrawing troops from the mainland would not be worth the cost.

And it is impossible for the US military to just watch them occupy Australia.

After all, everyone knows that once Australia is occupied, it will not be so easy to defeat the Japanese army.

But now the Japanese army is determined to occupy Australia.

The main reason is that the resources in Australia are so attractive.

When Kimura Heitaro learned the truth, he was also very moved.

"It's not far. In fact, the landing site should be Port Darwin." Although Kimura Heitaro was a little weak, he still had a good vision.

When he heard Darwin Port, Tsukada Ko instantly understood what it meant.

No wonder troops have to be drawn from the Southern Army. This needs to be done step by step.

If that's the case, it's understandable.

"Okay, no need to think so much. As for Luzon Island, maintain the defense line for the time being. As for some islands, you can consider giving up. As long as we take Australia, we will win." Kimura Heitaro looked at Tsukada Kou who was lost in thought and felt that this guy was not magnanimous enough.

For the base camp, occupying Australia is the most important thing, and other regions can indeed be considered abandoned.

Because these areas are of no use at all and instead consume their military strength.

"Hai." Tsukada Gong could only respond.

Although he didn't understand, Tsukada Ko did not dare to ignore the dual orders of the headquarters and His Majesty the Emperor. He chose to abandon some unimportant islands and only keep some larger islands, mainly for food.

After all, food is relatively abundant in these areas.

The assembled Japanese troops are indeed scary. It can be said that the strength of the Southern Army is still very good.

It was easy to assemble five divisions. Although they were all second- and third-line divisions with average combat effectiveness, they had a large number of people.

What’s more, it is still increasing.

It is estimated that about ten divisions will be assembled in a week.

At this time, the divisions drawn from the mainland had been assembled, and with the help of the navy, they set off directly towards Guinea Island.

The commander of the army was Lieutenant General Yoshio Shinozuka, who had just entered the reserve.

Because there were not enough generals capable of commanding, these reserve generals were called up to various divisions.

After all, generals like Yoshio Shinozuka who have practical combat experience are still more popular.

So this time, Lieutenant General Yoshio Shinozuka was appointed as the commander of the attack on Port Darwin.

At this moment, Yoshio Shinozuka was sitting in front of the map, studying how to attack Darwin Port.

Here we need to talk about Darwin Port. If you want to occupy Australia, you have to take Darwin Port, because with the port, you can transport troops continuously in the future.

Therefore, as long as Darwin Port is occupied, it will be very easy to occupy Australia subsequently.

After learning about Darwin Port, Yoshio Shinozuka spoke.

"It is indeed a good place. As long as we take over the port, a steady stream of troops will arrive. It will be easy to occupy Australia then. Those Australian aborigines are no match for us at all."

"Your Excellency the Division Commander, the Australian Army also has armored units, which are said to be very powerful. Our troops may not be their opponents." The chief of staff next to him couldn't help but say.

After all, their armored forces cannot be compared with the Australian armored forces.

How can they compare with their little broken tanks?
"Shut up, the empire's warriors are invincible. Not even the rice-powered chariots can stop the empire's advance." Yoshio Shinozuka said viciously.

Yoshio Shinozuka was very disdainful of the chief of staff's words. You know, he had put in a lot of effort for this battle and asked many people for help to get this opportunity.

If he fails again, he will have to go back to the reserve.

That feeling is really unpleasant.

Therefore, he can only win this battle, not lose, because this is a battle that involves his future.

"Let the air force bomb Darwin Port immediately to let the Australian troops know that the Imperial Army is coming." ordered Yoshio Shinozuka.

"Hai."

Only a surprise attack can achieve unexpected results and even create huge victories.

Although Darwin Port had been bombed before, the intensity of this bombing was indeed far beyond the Australian military's imagination.

Hundreds of fighter planes began bombing Darwin Harbour.

An entire battalion of an Australian army regiment stationed in the port was wiped out almost instantly. As for the remaining troops, they were severely bombarded as soon as they picked up their guns.

Finally, the air defense forces began to fight back, but it was of little use.

This time, the Japanese army was like crazy, attacking the Australian positions frantically.

The Australian army, which was in a relaxed state, suffered a heavy blow.

In addition to the heavy losses suffered by the front-line troops, the airport at Darwin Port was also attacked.

When the air raid was almost over, the Japanese army, with the help of landing ships, began to land on Darwin.

The fearless Japanese army, braving the waves and facing the artillery fire, launched an attack on the Australian beachhead.

At this moment, the Australian army had deployed a regiment on the beachhead, with a tank regiment behind it.

It can be said that the Australian military attaches great importance to Darwin Port.

This is a very high-quality port.

The main reason was that they were too close to the Japanese army, and the Australian army was also afraid that they would suddenly attack the Australian mainland.

In order to break through the beachhead, the Japanese naval guns behind them continued to bombard the beachhead, turning the entire position into a sea of ​​fire. The Australian troops in the rear became extremely anxious and ordered all fighter planes to take off immediately to provide support.

The Japanese fighter planes here immediately engaged in a desperate battle with the Australian fighter planes that came to support, fighting from dawn to dusk.

The early Japanese pilots were definitely well-trained elites.

Although some elite troops were lost in the Battle of Midway, if the Army Aviation really got together, it could still form an elite flying formation.

In contrast, the quality of Australian pilots is a bit poor, and most of them are rookies.

The Australian pilots, who lacked combat experience, suffered the worst blow at the beginning. Half of their hundreds of fighter planes were directly destroyed.

In contrast, the Japanese army suffered very few losses, less than a dozen aircraft, and the remaining planes continued to wreak havoc on the port. Overall, the Japanese army had the upper hand.

After gaining air superiority, fighter jets began to provide support.

Compared with the advantages gained in air combat, the results of land combat were not as smooth as those in air combat.

In addition to gaining the advantage at the beginning, the Australian artillery later joined the counterattack.

The Japanese troops who landed suffered heavy losses.

There was no way. The Japanese army lacked resources, resulting in a scarcity of heavy artillery, and they were at a great disadvantage facing the Australian heavy artillery.

Fortunately, the Japanese naval guns were powerful enough to barely suppress the Australian firepower.

However, if you want to completely occupy the beachhead, it will probably cost a huge price.

For example, the newly formed 301st Division.

At this moment, Kurosawa Ryoo sighed and looked at the corpse in front of him, and gestured to his subordinates to keep moving forward. He was not originally a lieutenant of the 301st Division, but the th Division. As a result, he was now appointed as a captain and was in charge of a squadron at the same time.

His current mission was to capture the Australian beachhead on the left wing.

However, they did not expect that dozens of their subordinates would be killed by Australian artillery after advancing just a few hundred meters.

He was very upset because he lost one-fifth of his men without even seeing the enemy.

This battle was so frustrating, but unfortunately we have to wait for a while if we want to call for support.

Because there are so many areas that need support.

"Damn it, it would be great if we had heavy artillery." Kurosawa Ryoo said helplessly while looking at the sky.

"Sir Captain, should we continue the attack?" The speaker was a squadron leader under Kurosawa Yoshio.

"Our mission is to occupy that high ground. We have been given a death order from our superiors. If we fail to complete it, we will all commit suicide by disembowelment." Kurosawa Ryoo said helplessly.

"Sir Captain, I think such a sacrifice is a pity. Without artillery support, it is no different from committing suicide." The team leader said bitterly.

Their squadron only had grenade launchers because it was inconvenient to carry mountain artillery for landing.

However, it is unrealistic to take down the Australian positions opposite by relying on grenade launchers.

Especially after facing the artillery suppression of the Australian army, they were in a difficult situation.

"Keep moving forward and make sure to occupy this position." Kurosawa Yoshio ordered loudly.

"Ha Yi." The team leader had no choice but to bite the bullet and order his men to charge towards the Australian position in front.

In order to prevent the Japanese army from landing, the Australian army built a number of positions.

But they really didn't expect that the Japanese army would launch a sneak attack.

They had no time to react before they were attacked.

At the same time, General Thomas Blamey, commander of the Australian Army far away in Sydney, was full of disbelief.

"The Japanese launched an attack on Port Darwin? Are you sure?" Admiral Thomas Blamey roared.

"Yes, Admiral, the Japanese army has launched an attack on us and is storming Darwin Port. The front line is in emergency and we request reinforcements." The words of the communications staff made Admiral Thomas Blamey look very ugly.

He really didn't expect that the Japanese army would dare to take the initiative to launch an attack. It was indeed beyond his expectations.

He didn't know whether this was a tentative attack or a full-scale attack.

He was recalled from home to be responsible for homeland defense.

So he was mentally prepared for the Japanese plan to attack Australia.

But this time it was really too sudden, so he was too abrupt.

"Tell the troops on the front line to fight back immediately. We must teach those ignorant yellow-skinned dwarfs a lesson." Admiral Thomas Bremen said with a very grim expression.

"Yes!"

"Also, send a telegram to our American allies, report the situation here to them, and tell them that the Japanese army has landed on our homeland and we need reinforcements!" Admiral Thomas Blamey added at the end.

"Yes."

At this time, at the front line, an Australian soldier said to the officer beside him: "Sir, those Japanese are coming."

"Yes, I saw them. But they are a bit too bold. They are just so brazen. Aren't they afraid of an ambush?" The Australian lieutenant had already seen the Japanese army, but he was puzzled by their performance.

Isn’t it rumored that the Japanese army is very powerful?

Even their suzerain state was defeated.

But looking at the Japanese army in front of us, they are not that powerful.

"I don't know about this either. Get ready for battle!" The lieutenant thought about it and gave the order to fight.

"Yes."

On the other side, a sergeant frowned and said to the second lieutenant in front of him: "Second Lieutenant, most of these people are retired veterans who have just been summoned. They have forgotten the tactical movements. If they march like this, they may easily encounter an ambush."

"Baga, are you scared?" The team leader looked at the other party.

"Hey, but..." The sergeant was about to explain something.

Then I saw the team leader said sarcastically.

"Baga, do you think I don't know? I did this on purpose. How can we destroy the Australian troops if we don't lure them out?"

"Ah?" The sergeant was completely stunned.

Just watch your subordinates go to their deaths?

"Hmph, don't ask any more questions, just follow the orders." The team leader snorted coldly and continued to signal his subordinates to move forward.

"Hayi..."

Suddenly, a burst of gunfire rang out from the Australian position. Because it came too suddenly, the Japanese soldiers did not even have a chance to react.

"Da da da!"

"Da da da!"

"Da da da!"

The powerful firepower directly stunned the Japanese army, and more than a dozen Japanese soldiers fell to the ground.

"Yo, attack immediately and destroy those machine gun positions." The Japanese second lieutenant responded calmly.

"Hay."

"Fight back quickly, quickly."

"Grenade launcher, counterattack immediately."

"Hay."

The Japanese army's grenade throwers were all elite soldiers. Within a range of 200 meters, they could basically hit whatever they pointed at with great accuracy.

All the Japanese soldiers advanced in a skirmish line, and at every interval there would be an old soldier carrying a grenade launcher, ready to provide support at any time.

The Australian troops had never suffered from the Japanese grenade launchers and were unaware of their strength, so they continued to shoot.

As a result, disaster struck the next second.

boom!
boom!
boom!
The grenade launcher shells hit the Australian positions accurately.

The continuous explosions directly killed the Australian army's machine gun fire points.

Seeing this, the Japanese second lieutenant immediately drew his command knife and shouted loudly towards the top of the mountain.

"Assault! The Emperor is on board!"

"The Emperor is onboard!"

"The Emperor is onboard!"

"The Emperor is onboard!"

All the Japanese soldiers roared and rushed towards the Australian positions.

It has to be said that the Japanese army's grassroots officers are quite capable in boosting morale.

At least these Japanese soldiers, boosted by their morale, rushed towards the Australian positions fearlessly.

These Australian recruits had never seen such a situation before and were completely stunned.

(End of this chapter)