I asked you to escape, but you became a soldier in World War II

Chapter 166: Bombing of Iwo Jima

The battle for the Philippines continued, and the Japanese resistance was extremely tenacious.

However, since the USS Intrepid finally returned to port for repairs, the work of Lin Chen and others was once again arranged.

The last battle did not earn him a promotion in rank, but he received a verbal commendation.

Lin Chen didn't care about these because he got another transfer order:
He was transferred to the bomber group of the 20th Air Force of the United States.

The 20th Air Force of the United States Army was established in 1943 and officially activated in mid-1944. Its main mission was to carry out strategic bombing against Japan, allowing the US military to move as far away from the battlefield as possible to directly attack the enemy and instead attack the source of the enemy's military power.

The first commander, General AND, was authorized by the U.S. War Department to "implement and execute major decisions of the Joint Chiefs of Staff regarding deployment and missions, including the mission of the 20th Air Force." This unprecedented authorization enabled the Army's 20th Air Force to be on an equal footing with the Army and Navy in the Pacific Theater.

Thanks to his hard work, by April 1944, there were eight airports capable of receiving B-4 Superfortress bombers.

1944年6月15日，68架B-29轰炸机对位于日本九州岛的八幡钢铁厂进行了轰炸，但效果很不理想。

The bombing campaign exposed many maintenance and logistical problems, resulting in the US military not launching another bombing campaign against Japan for almost a month.

Because General WEF raised many difficulties, the top leaders were very dissatisfied. In the end, it was decided to replace WEF with General LM, who had made the Germans cry bitterly after being bombed on the European battlefield.

General LM has been successfully promoted to major general. This speed of promotion is rare in the US military, which shows his outstanding ability.

However, there were still many problems in bombing Japan at that time. The existing bombing takeoff bases were mainly in Chengdu, China.

In order to refuel and bomb the B-29 fleet in Chengdu, the fuel, bombs and other supplies had to be transported there first, which required flying over the natural barrier "Hump" - the Himalayas, and then flying to Japan.

There are two major problems here. First, the distance is too far. The flight from Chengdu to the Japanese mainland makes it impossible for any fighter planes to provide escort, so the bomber group can only "fly naked";
Moreover, due to the long distance, the bomb load was extremely limited, and the bombing effect was out of the question.

But even so, General AND was still determined to use this seemingly "loss-making" action to deal a heavy blow to the morale of the Japanese army.

直到1944年的10月，21轰炸机部队指挥部(隶属于第20航空队，组建于1944年8月)搬到了刚刚从日本手中夺回的马里亚纳群岛，这里距离日本东京仅有1500英里。

The opening of Saipan and Guam airports in the Mariana Islands not only put most of Japan within the strike range of the B-29, but also enabled the US military to easily provide all supplies for hundreds of B-29 Super Fortresses.

In January 1945, LM took over as commander of the 1st Bomber Group and did what he did best.

Considering the difficulty of the bombing, a series of former subordinates were urgently recruited, including Lin Chen.

At the Mariana Airport, Lin Chen saw the legendary B-29 Super Fortress bomber for the first time.
If the B-17 Flying Fortress bomber is considered relatively large, then it is completely tiny in front of it.

Because it is only 2/3 of its size, and in terms of performance, it is crushed by the B-29 in all aspects.

Lin Chen even had a bold guess that if this type of strategic bomber had been deployed in the European theater earlier, Germany would not have survived 1944.

LM gathered these young pilots and gave them ample time to adapt to the new aircraft and master new tactics.

And for the first time, he issued an order to "give priority to incendiary bomb air raids."

From the Saipan airport, the B-29 bomber fleet could carry out a comprehensive bombing of the southern Japanese mainland at will, but the disadvantage was that since the bombing distance was exactly the limit of the bomber's combat radius, the "Mustang" fighters could not provide full escort, and the losses caused by the bombing might be relatively large.

At the same time, since the entire route is almost entirely ocean, once the plane breaks down or is damaged, the probability of flying back is very low.

Forced landing and search and rescue in the vast ocean are extremely difficult.

The worst thing is that there is an Iwo Jima between the two. The island is small, but there is a military airport on it that can intercept returning bombers, posing a huge threat.

In order to realize the strategic bombing of the Japanese mainland, this nail must be removed.

1944年11月24日，塞班岛的美军首次出动B-29超级空中堡垒轰炸机对日本本土实施轰炸，三天后即1944年11月27日，硫磺岛上的日军出动了2架飞机空袭塞班岛美军B-29航空基地，击毁B-29一架，击伤11架。

In the following days, the Japanese troops on Iwo Jima organized several air raids on the US military air base on Saipan. By January 1945, 1, a total of six B-2s had been destroyed, seriously threatening the safety of the US B-29 air base.

Therefore, the U.S. military began to prepare for the capture of Iwo Jima very early.

On February 2, Lin Chen led a group of B-8 heavy bombers to bomb Iwo Jima for the first time.
This was a brand new crew, which in addition to Lin Chen also included a co-pilot, navigator, bombardier, mechanic, radio operator, radar operator and five gunners.

The bombardier, bombsight and gun sight are placed at the front of the nose of the aircraft. The pilot and co-pilot sit side by side behind the bombardier, surrounded by bulletproof steel plates and bulletproof glass.
The mechanic, radio operator and navigator were immediately behind the cockpit. In the rear section of the pressurized cabin were the positions of the four gunners and the radar operator, all protected by armored bulkheads;

The tail gunner sits in a separate pressurized cabin at the rear and can only enter and exit the small cabin during unpressurized flight.

There are 5 turrets, one on the front and back of the back of the fuselage, one on the front and back of the abdomen, and the last one is the tail turret. Each turret is equipped with two 12.7mm machine guns, and the tail turret has an additional 20mm machine gun.

This was a coordinated attack by sea and air. In addition to heavy bombers, the US military also dispatched heavy cruisers and some destroyers.

Looking down from the air, there is a dead volcano in the southern part of Iwo Jima that has not yet completely cooled down. It is Mount Suribachi, which is 160 meters above sea level. It erupts mist all year round, and the smell of sulfur fills the entire island, hence the name.

There is a relatively wide and flat plateau to the north of Mount Suribachi, called the Central Plateau. Further north, the terrain gradually becomes undulating and there are several peaks, which is called the Motoyama area. Most of the island is covered with thick volcanic ash.

According to the memories of his previous life, Lin Chen knew that this island would be hollowed out by the Japanese army and that the American troops would suffer here.

"Sir, we have reached the target. Can we bomb it?"

The navigator asked Lin Chen through the intercom. Lin Chen was the supreme commander of this bombing mission.

"Well, okay, agree to the bombing!"

Following Lin Chen's order, the B-29 bomber group began to drop bombs in a concentrated manner, and other B-24 medium bomber groups also dropped bombs in turn. The two airports below were covered with dense bomb points and thick smoke.

The escorting P-51 Mustang fighters carried out low-altitude strafing.

The few bombers and fighters on the Japanese airfield were also quickly destroyed. "Sir, all hits!" The navigator was very excited. He was also responsible for taking photos of the results of the battle, which would be important research materials when he returned.

"Well, yes, let's return!" Lin Chen actually wanted to bomb Mount Suribachi more. It would be best if he brought the largest aerial bomb and flattened the mountain.

But the US military top brass seemed to be careless about the defense of Iwo Jima, thinking that how could such a small place withstand the direct fire of the US fleet's naval guns?

Although Lin Chen and other officers had strongly suggested it, only a few such joint sea and air assaults were carried out in the early stages.

When Lin Chen and his fleet began to return, the heavy cruisers and destroyers behind them were still madly pouring shells. Anyway, the naval battle was basically over, and the US military needed to consume large quantities of these ammunition.

"Sir, all the Japanese troops on Iwo Jima should have been killed!"

The co-pilot Joe was a very young lieutenant officer who had also served in the European battlefield and was a very experienced bomber pilot.

"Why are you so sure?"

"Sir, didn't you notice that the other side didn't fight back?"

Joe seemed quite pleased with this.

Lin Chen was worried. "If I were the commander of the Japanese army, I would hollow out the entire island and strictly prohibit the firepower points in the dark from exposing their positions, so of course I would not waste precious ammunition on anti-aircraft shooting."

At this time, Lieutenant General Tadamichi Surin on the island was indeed in the tunnel that had been built on Mount Suribachi, coldly observing the American planes flying away.

"Your Excellency General, our two transport planes, one bomber and two fighter planes at the airport were destroyed by the US air strikes. Other losses are not great." Chief of Staff Colonel Gao Zheng respectfully reported the losses of the Japanese army.

He resolutely implemented the decisions made by General Surin Tadamichi. He firmly believed that without General Surin's command, Iwo Jima would have been destroyed long ago.

The firepower of the US military is really terrifying!

The Combined Fleet’s defeat was not unfair.

"What about the bombing situation of the US cruisers?" Sulin closed his eyes and the entire Iwo Jima defense structure map appeared in his mind.

"Very little. They only bombarded some firing points that we deliberately exposed. In fact, the guns and cannons inside were damaged and unusable," he added. "The only regret is that due to the vibration, the headquarters' rice bowl was knocked over to the ground."

Hahaha~
His words caused the other personnel in the headquarters to burst into laughter.

But Sulin did not feel relaxed at all.

He has spent too much time fighting infighting since he took over the defense here last year.

First, he did not hesitate to use his personal connections to send away the unruly naval officers and demanded that the navy and the army work together. At the same time, he rejected all objections, gave up the beachhead, and directly chose the tunnel operation which seemed the stupidest and most laborious to the military.

During the day, he walked through every corner of the island, memorizing every stone in his mind, and at night he accurately calculated various firepower configurations in front of the map to ensure that the existing firepower could exert maximum power.

He also had to go through all the tunnel construction work to prevent anyone from not working hard.

During the past six months, he slept very little every day and spent most of his time thinking and calculating.

Today, the fortifications on Mount Zhebuchi were finally completed, so he immediately led his men to inspect, and they were bombed by the US military.

Sulin Zhongdao, who had studied in the United States, was too aware of the United States' powerful military and industrial capabilities. He strongly opposed going to war with the United States, but once the war broke out, he could only do his best to participate in the homeland defense operations.

Although there are still a small number of fortifications that have not been completed, such as the tunnel from Zhebushan to the Motosan Command Headquarters has not been fully opened.

But this may not be a big deal. As the US bombing becomes more and more fierce, Sulin Zhongdao understands that the US military's full-scale offensive is probably in the near future.

"All projects have to be carried out overtime, and the defenders on the entire island have to intensify the storage of food and drinking water. Is there any news from the base camp? Are there any reinforcements?" Sulin is now very concerned about whether his own strength can be increased.

Although they have added a lot of personnel and equipment, this firepower is still not enough when facing the U.S. military that is armed to the teeth.

If there are no weapons and ammunition, then just prepare more food. He plans to hold out for 3-4 months if possible.

"General, the headquarters did not say anything. The only reply was, 'Iwo Jima is the last barrier of the mainland. We must defend it to the last man.'" Colonel Gao Zheng replied helplessly.

"We must send another telegram to the headquarters, requesting the main force of the Combined Fleet to come to Iwo Jima to fight a decisive battle with the U.S. military. Only by integrating the land and sea can we hope to withstand the U.S. offensive." Colonel Inoue, commander of the guard force, always felt that the U.S. military was too powerful and could not withstand such an offensive.

Sulin Tadamichi glanced at the people around him, then said to Inoue slowly with an unusually solemn expression, "There is one thing I don't intend to keep secret any longer."

"What?" Everyone had a bad feeling. Except for a very small number of Su Lin Zhongdao's confidants, most people at the scene did not know.

"The main force of the Combined Fleet was severely damaged in the Battle of Leyte Gulf, and all the aircraft carrier units were destroyed. Therefore, the responsibility of defending the island falls on the shoulders of more than 20,000 of us."

"What? How can this be defended?"

"Oh my God, in a series of offensive and defensive battles from Guadalcanal to Peleliu, we had strong naval support, but we all failed in the end. This time we have nothing, how can we defend?" Colonel Inoue panicked.

"Damn it! Can't those guys sitting in the office come to the front line to see the situation here?" a Japanese officer said angrily.

"Shut up! You cowards! We have cannons, tanks, and more than 145 soldiers loyal to Tianhuang. These are the basis for us to defend the island!" Colonel Ikeda, commander of the th Infantry Regiment and one of Surin Tadamichi's diehard fans, shouted angrily.

"Yes, I don't need to explain the importance of Iwo Jima. If we lose it, the U.S. military can drop bombs on our homeland without restraint, so we have no choice but to fight to the bitter end."

Sulin Zhongdao took off his military cap, stood up and bowed.
"please!"

(End of this chapter)