My own war game

Chapter 237 Chaotic Preview

Fiji, 1st Marine Division Exercise Command.

Major General Alexander Vandegrift was fiddling with something on his hands.

Two pieces of broken iron sheets that were obviously cut from scrap steel were spliced ​​together and had patches of rust on them.

The production process was very rough. They were just randomly tapped three times with the welding rod. There was no polishing or painting. Based on the major general's inherent experience, as long as there were sufficient materials and welders, it would not be a problem to produce tens of thousands of such things every day.

Boom~ The major general casually threw this thing onto the table, standing on it at a very strange angle. It looked very unstable and its balance could be destroyed with a casual touch.

"We've tested it. If we throw this stuff randomly on the beach and then simply cover it with sand, 30 people can cover a beach 50 meters long and meters deep in one day. If time is tight and we just throw it away without covering it with sand, the area will expand four times." The adjutant behind him answered, flipping through the notes in his hand. It was obvious that he had been doing this homework for some time.

"So, two companies of soldiers were trapped on the beach by this thing? And then a quarter of them were killed at once?" the major general asked with a serious look.

"Sir, I'm afraid that's the case." The assistant's expression was a little stiff at this time. After all, he was ashamed that the US military lost the exercise with six times the number of people.

"Okay, I understand." The major general folded his hands and fell into thought. Then he asked, "What do you think of this thing?"

The adjutant thought for a moment and gave an objective evaluation, "It's a very imaginative invention. It works well against simple infantry. But if I were the commander, I would conduct intelligence reconnaissance before landing, and then at least call in carrier-based aircraft or naval guns to bomb all suspicious areas on the beach twice. The effect of this little trick would be greatly reduced."

After listening to the adjutant's words, the major general nodded, and then said helplessly, "Well, you are right, and it is also a very orthodox approach. Unfortunately, our landing operation this time may not have the conditions you mentioned."

A few hours later, the generals of the 1st Marine Division gathered in the conference room.

"Gentlemen, the landing time has been set. On August 8, I will lead a team of boys to land on Guadalcanal, and Rupustus will lead another team to attack Tulagi Island." Major General Vandergrift came straight to the point.

"Everyone, we have two problems now."

"First of all, we don't have the accurate topographic maps of the two islands." The major general calmly stated a situation that shocked everyone.

The battle is less than 10 days away and there is no accurate terrain map of the battlefield. It's a joke.

But Americans have proven with facts that reality is more magical than fiction.

These two small islands in the Solomon Islands were previously unknown as British territories, and were a place where no one would poop. Before the war, the only information Americans knew about this place was a few words in the novel.

"The landing site is chosen at the northern end of the island, roughly here. This is a shallow beach confirmed by the reconnaissance plane." The major general drew a simple circle on it with chalk to explain it.

"How many Japanese troops are there on the island?" someone asked.

"I don't know," the major general answered neatly.

"What about the firepower configuration on defense?" someone continued to ask.

"I don't know, but the reconnaissance plane didn't see any tanks or anything like that." Still no substantive answer. They didn't know anything about the preliminary arrangements, so how could they conduct a landing operation?

It was obvious that Major General Vandergrift was not a person who was very considerate of other people's feelings. He then raised a second problem.
"For the safety of the aircraft carrier, Vice Admiral Fletcher will only provide me with three days of aircraft carrier cover nearby." (It was originally said to be two days)
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone was in an uproar, and everyone was talking in whispers.

The first problem is not so bad. Although we are not familiar with the terrain, the 1st Marine Division still has more than 18,000 people when it comes to combat. If we are not familiar with the battlefield, we can use heavy firepower to clear a path. If that doesn't work, we can use artillery and aircraft to provide support.

But there would be trouble if the aircraft carrier did not come, because Guadalcanal was not within the attack range of the US-Australian coalition's ground-based bombers. That was to say, three days after landing on the island, the 1st Marine Division would have to face the massive Japanese counterattack alone without air support.

In the past, the 1st Marine Division might have been able to hold on thanks to its excellent individual soldier quality and troop coordination, but now, with more than half of its troops being new recruits...

The conference room immediately became chaotic, and some people even shouted to protest to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, but the major general ended the discussion with just one sentence.

"Gentlemen, it is customary in Hollywood that a bad rehearsal foreshadows a successful performance. The plan has been set and will not change. Everyone, get ready."

When everyone left, Colonel Carlson stayed alone. "Evans, my friend, I'm afraid you haven't finished your questions. Not only do we lack accurate topographic maps, we also lack key hydrological and climate data. These are hidden dangers that can cause big trouble at a critical moment."

"Of course I know," the major general sighed, "but these are all in the hands of the British. Although we have contacted Washington to ask the British for them as soon as possible, you know the British's administrative efficiency."

"Wait!" Colonel Carlson suddenly looked over. "You said those things are in the hands of the British?"

"Yes, the British sent a surveying team here before. Although it was a long time ago, it was at least useful." The major general didn't know why his old friend asked this.

"If it's about communicating with the British, then I think there's someone who might be more efficient than Washington..."
-
Three days later at night, Colonel Carlson sat in front of He Chi and pushed a square box over to him.

"He, I have a surprise here, would you like to open it and take a look?" the colonel said with a smile.

"Surprise?" He Chi opened the box in front of him without knowing why, and found that in addition to a thick stack of US dollars, there were also two medals with stars and crosses in the shape of a star and a cross placed side by side.

The two medals are somewhat similar, but there are slight differences. One is composed of five bronze stars surrounded by a circle of laurel leaves under a clover decoration. The other is a cross in the center.

The United States awards two of its top medals, the bronze one is the Medal of Honor, and the other is the Navy Cross.

"This is to commend you for your performance in Pearl Harbor and your achievement in capturing Nagumo Chuichi. It was approved by the president himself. He asked me to tell you that he is really sorry that I cannot present the medal to you in front of the White House. I hope I can make up for this regret after this battle." Colonel Carlson said seriously.

"I remember that the approval process for the Medal of Honor was quite complicated. How come it was so fast this time?" He Chi asked after picking up one of the medals and shaking it in the sunlight.

"My friend, if you know someone in the White House, some things can be handled specially." Colonel Carlson turned sideways, and Roosevelt Jr. behind him waved to He Chi.

After a while, the colonel paused for a moment, and asked with a slightly embarrassed look on his face, "By the way, I want to ask you if you are interested in doing us a favor and earning another Silver Star Medal to complete the set."

"The copy mission has been updated! Mission: New Soldiers on Isolated Island. Condition for passing the level: Obtain a US Army Silver Star Medal. Reward: 10 gold coins." The system joined in the noise in He Chi's ears.

(End of this chapter)