My own war game

Chapter 236 Exercise
On July 1942, 7, there was less than half a month left before the expected landing operation date.

Several B-17 bombers flew overhead, indicating that the U.S. military had begun to dispatch air forces to suppress the possible beachhead defenders of the Japanese Army. At the same time, in the Pacific Ocean, the three aircraft carriers Enterprise, Hornet and Saratoga had also begun to move to the designated sea area to confront the four aircraft carriers of the Japanese Combined Fleet, Shokaku, Hiyō, Hayateka and Ryujo (Zuikaku, which was originally involved in the battle, had already been sunk at Midway Island in this copy of the timeline)
On Fiji, a small island in the Pacific Ocean, landing craft are rushing towards the beachhead against the waves.

Bang! The hatch of the landing craft opened. This was the most dangerous time for the landing soldiers, because the soldiers gathered together and were unable to move quickly in the sea, making them perfect targets for the beach defense forces.

Therefore, under normal circumstances, according to the amphibious combat manual, all soldiers should enter the water as quickly as possible after the hatch is opened, and then sprint to the shore for their lives. However, something ridiculous happened on the landing craft at this time.

The soldiers in the landing craft began to vomit violently as soon as the hatches were opened. The exits of many landing craft were blocked, and from a distance it seemed that only half of the soldiers entered the water successfully.

These are the rookies of the 1st Marine Division who have just arrived by ship from Australia and are conducting the final exercise before the landing operation.

In an observation post not far away, the commander of the 1st Division, Major General Alexander Vandergrift, was holding a telescope and shaking his head. The personal ability of this amphibious warfare expert was unquestionable. But he was now in a situation where a good cook could not cook without rice.

Seventy percent of the soldiers lack training, and more than half are rookies who have just joined the army for three months. Even the most capable commander will not be able to perform normally.

Damn it, those guys in Washington clearly promised me more than half a year of training, but in the end all I got was a puppet show-like exercise, the major general cursed inwardly.

Thinking of this, the major general looked at his old friend Colonel Carlson beside him and said, "Evans, your oriental wonder boy seems to be just so-so. He didn't even launch an attack when he had such a good opportunity? I remember that you used up all the favors of the British Pacific Headquarters in order to get him here."

"Just wait and see. His performance will surprise you. The favor I used is definitely worth it." Colonel Carlson's face was full of confidence.

Because the two sides had a very pleasant exchange when they visited China a few years ago, the major general did not want to embarrass his old friend. Therefore, although he did not think much of the young He, he did not want to lose face in front of Carlson.

"Go!!! Go!!! Go!!! Land quickly! Seize the beach!" The sergeant named Rick kicked the hesitant recruits into the sea one by one with his boots, and then personally led the charge towards the beach.

There were about two companies participating in the exercise, with more than 200 American soldiers, but only sixty or seventy people arrived at the beach in the first wave. Looking around, several soldiers were empty-handed, and they threw their weapons into the sea.

"Damn it! The boss will be furious if he finds out." The sergeant muttered to himself, and then ordered the only half of his men who followed him to occupy the reef and establish a defensive position.

"Why haven't those short guys who sell condoms made any moves yet... maybe they have already run away..." The sergeant couldn't help but start to wonder as he hadn't seen any enemy at this point.

"Ah!!! WTF!!! What the hell is this!!!!" Sergeant Rick turned around suddenly and found that the soldiers behind him were covering their feet and calves.

There were many palm-sized objects buried in the soft sand. They looked like two angular iron sheets simply welded together to form an asymmetrical "X" shape.

Because it is buried under the sand, people cannot find it before stepping on it. As long as you step on one of its edges, this unbalanced structure will instantly flip over in the sand, causing your foot to sink and hit your calf or ankle.

The vanguard of the American army screamed in agony, and at this moment, a few small black dots flew through the woods. Boom! Boom! Boom!
The explosions of mortar shells with greatly reduced explosives sent up splashes of water, and each explosion represented the destruction of a landing craft at sea, with the remaining personnel and supplies on board being judged as dead or lost.

The sound of Taisho machine guns was heard in the forest, and those soldiers who had no cover and could not move their feet were quickly declared dead.

"Take care! Move! Move!" The sergeant at the back shouted at the soldiers to move and find cover quickly, but after two rounds of attacks, about a quarter of the soldiers were still considered out.

"They are few in number! Let's rush up and drive them out!" the sergeant shouted.

Boom boom boom! ! !
Under the cover of rifle grenades, nearly a hundred American soldiers shouted and rushed towards the woods on the beach, but the enemy suddenly seemed to have disappeared. After the gunfire stopped, the American vanguard easily occupied the Japanese trenches in the woods.

According to the rules of the exercise, as long as more than one-third of the US troops completely occupy the positions, they will be considered to have won the exercise.

"Huh~" Rick let out a sigh of relief. Even though they were a little embarrassed in the early stages, at least they were about to win.

boom! ! boom! ! boom! ! !
Suddenly, there were successive explosions. The entrance to the woods was filled with smoke. The pre-arranged exercise explosives were activated by the detonator and split the charging team into two sections. Part of the subsequent American troops were determined to be killed, while the other part was separated due to the explosion barrier.

About 40 American soldiers were trapped in the occupied positions.

"For the future of Japan!!! Kill them!!! Attack from the side!!! Attack from the side!!!" It was a standard Japanese military command. An indiscernible number of Japanese soldiers in the woods raised their bayonets and began to charge towards the trenches. While they were running, they could hear the sound of bullets being ejected.

Due to the cover of the jungle, the distance between the two sides was actually very short when the raid was launched, and the enemy rushed to their sight in a very short time.

The charging Japanese soldiers had fierce eyes, were howling, their steps were getting faster and faster, and the bayonets in their hands were flashing coldly.

In contrast, the American recruits had become frightened birds after a series of incidents. Many of them even forgot that this was just an exercise, and subconsciously turned around and ran away when faced with the glaring bayonets.

Before Rick, the leading officer, could even stop the attack, several bayonets were already pointed at his chest.

Ten minutes later, Major General Alexander Vandegrift was informed that the Army's 1st Division's beachhead force had been judged to have lost the exercise because more than half of its personnel had been killed or wounded.

What is most annoying is that those Japanese surrendered soldiers who were treated as vendors in the military camp actually captured more than 20 of their previous "financiers".

(End of this chapter)