Chapter 758: Choice (2)
"This is our army's summary of the fortifications on the Japanese islands and Tarawa in Southeast Asia. They don't look very beautiful, but they are very practical. Moreover, the defenders used local materials, such as logs and sea sand. Steel and concrete were not consumed. There are many, and the defensive effect is very ideal. Artillery with a caliber below 155mm is difficult to deal with..."
Looking at the criss-crossing traffic trenches, the fire system as dense as a web, and the cross-covering firepower system on the drawing, and the longitudinal section of the three-story fortifications of the core fortress, everyone took a breath of air. Now they finally knew why two divisions fought 5-6 thousand people. The reason why they can’t be taken down is that the Japanese army’s fortification system is already so difficult to deal with, so why bother talking about the Germans’?
"This set of things is not cutting-edge technology, we can learn it, and Newfoundland and Bermuda are close to the mainland, and the United States has a lot of construction machinery, reinforced concrete and other materials. Why can't we imitate it? Gentlemen, there is no shame in being a prairie dog, only in defeating the war Disgraceful." Nimitz added, "It is recommended that we find several places to build such a defense system in China, and each division of the Army and Marine Corps must conduct targeted and adaptive training before they can move to the front line."
Everyone nodded in praise. With this system in place, would Bermuda and Newfoundland still be places that just a few German battalions could conquer?
"After stabilizing our own defense, I suggested that the starting point of the strategic counterattack be German West Africa. There are three reasons. First, German West Africa is a newly conquered place by the German army and has a weak foundation for rule. Although Germany once ruled here before World War I, But later they all became British and French colonies or mandated territories. Germany’s return after many years would not have a very solid foundation. Secondly, German West Africa was at the end of the axis of military power deployment. It was difficult to supply, had few troops, and was out of reach. Although the whole of Africa was Except for South Africa, everything seems to have fallen into the hands of the Axis or pro-Axis forces, but the actual control strength is not the same. The Axis has the strongest control in North Africa, followed by German East Africa, and German West Africa cannot compete with these regions. They are connected on land, but the distance at sea is also very far, and the control power is not strong, which is reflected in the lack of strong military strength; thirdly, German West Africa is relatively easy to obtain, which is not important to the axis, is far away, and cannot be supplemented. It is also difficult. If our army launches a counterattack, it will be very effective and we can win."
Nimitz also elaborated on the importance of capturing West Africa: After the US military controlled Brazil and then the Gulf of Guinea, it was equivalent to cutting off the North and South Atlantic Oceans. The German occupation of the Falkland Islands certainly blocked the US's route to the Asia-Pacific through Cape Horn. , but it does not mean that the US military cannot go to Australia and New Zealand. It can still reach Australia and New Zealand by taking the Caribbean Sea-South Atlantic Ocean-South Africa-South Indian Ocean. The overall voyage is nearly 25,000 kilometers, but with South Africa as a transit station, the distance is not out of reach. Currently, it is 14,000 kilometers from the West Coast to Australia and New Zealand.
"Wait a minute..." Eisenhower had been to Africa and expressed dissent, "I agree with several of the characteristics of German West Africa you summarized, but I feel that even occupying the place cannot attack Germany itself. As you said, German West Africa It has no borders with either side, and is separated from North Africa by a large desert.”
"The gains and losses in German West Africa will not affect the German army itself, but don't forget... German West Africa is closely connected with the colonies of France, Portugal, Belgium and other European countries. It doesn't matter if you can't hit the Germans. I can fight the Germans." Isn’t Hitler going to form the European Alliance and serve as its leader? If I attack these allies, will he save them or not? If he saves them, he will lose military points; if he doesn’t save them, he will lose political points!”
All the big guys nodded: colonies alone are not enough to convince European countries to switch, but at least it can allow them to maintain a more favorable attitude towards the United States.
"The key hub is Brazil: On the one hand, Brazil is the strategic cover for the southern flank of the Caribbean Sea. On the other hand, it is the starting base for attacking West Africa. It is also an important strategic location for maintaining South Africa and deterring the Falkland Islands. We must build patiently. As long as Brazil is not in chaos. No matter how much the Argentines act, at least most of South America is still in our hands... Just in case, I mean just in case, if strategic negotiations with Germany are needed in the future, the interests of South America can be compared with the interests of German West Africa. Make an exchange.”
These words resonated with everyone. After the failure of the Cape Verde Battle, not everyone proposed peace with Germany, but most people opposed it, because the United States negotiated peace with Germany under the most unfavorable circumstances, and the conditions must be very harsh. When the war situation improves, It is much more beneficial to discuss things calmly and calmly after the situation has eased.
"Finally, I want to talk about General Turner. This is not for him personally, but for the misunderstandings in strategic design and planning represented by him. With all due respect, the misunderstandings are over-belief in linear thinking, superstitious power, and C+ plan It's just like this, layer by layer. He first estimates the enemy's strength, then designs insurance coefficients and mathematical models, comprehensively thinks how much power and resources are needed to overwhelm these strengths, and finally arranges the use of these forces and resources, adding rhythm control in the middle. , node review and progress review - this is a logical and mathematical system that started in college. Is this system wrong? It is basically good, and it even solves many problems, which facilitates the inheritance and spread of the art of command. If we fight the war in this way, we may not be able to produce famous generals, but qualified commanders and staff are easy to train. The problem is..." Nimitz made a turning point, "There are black swans in the world, and there are always unknown areas beyond human cognition. The danger of the entire logical system is that once the enemy suddenly has factors or variables that you don't know about, the entire system is in danger of collapsing - this tactic is good against ordinary enemy commanders, but against famous generals who have become experts in war. It will be difficult to accomplish anything.”
To enhance his persuasiveness, Nimitz gave a simple example: "For example, a huge stone is estimated to be 100 tons, and the actual weight is close to the estimate, but there is no crane that can lift 100 tons in one go, and only a 40-ton crane can be provided. Our method is usually to arrange three 40-ton cranes and then design a reasonable plan for lifting. Most of the time, there is no problem, but once an accident occurred during the mission. The rope of a crane suddenly broke and lost its lifting ability. The other two cranes that could work normally suddenly suffered a force beyond the reasonable limit, resulting in a complete failure and dire consequences. Hori Teikichi only had one 40-ton crane on hand. What should he do? He first took some effort to blast the stone into three roughly balanced parts, and then one piece Kill them all together..."
"Specific to the Cape Verde Campaign, we can also see the enemy's thinking characteristics. Our army assembled 2 divisions, more than 20 escort aircraft carriers and all the main fleets. The starting point was to feint to Cape Verde, but actually attract the main force of the Axis to take the bait and annihilate it... The enemy judged the situation and did not rush to Cape Verde to fight us foolishly, but unexpectedly threatened to attack the east coast. We could only return to defend, and then the enemy attacked Newfoundland again, and used its strong navy to catch us off guard. Our army was forced to mobilize the main aircraft carrier formation to return to support - this decision was good, but please note that at this time our army was forced to disperse.
The enemy waited for the opportunity to tire, fought with General Cunningham in Newfoundland, and won a tactical victory; then the constantly strengthened forces in Newfoundland The enemy decisively withdrew before the enemy arrived. During this period, the black swan appeared. The enemy dispatched night-fighting aircraft and precision attack bombs, which greatly weakened the escort aircraft carrier formation at night. The enemy defenders were brave and fought hard, and the enemy's S-boats and submarines played an unparalleled effect, constantly attacking our army. When the enemy thought that our army's strength was no longer a concern, they suddenly dispatched an aircraft carrier formation to kill us. At this time, the Cunningham fleet was forced to reinforce again, and then was defeated by the enemy one by one before the two sides formed a coordinated force.
The strength of our army is this 100-ton stone. The enemy has no ability to swallow us in one breath, so they use various methods to force the stone to split, and then solve them one by one. If the two sides are allowed to fight head-on in other waters according to their initial strength, our army will win even if they fight 100 times! "
Nimitz sighed: "This is the essence of Eastern culture, avoiding the strong and attacking the weak, using softness to overcome hardness. Why did Hori Teiji not come to rescue Tarawa when it was clearly besieged, but chose to harass Australia and New Zealand? I didn't understand it at the time, but later I thought about it carefully and understood it. The same is true for why the Germans did not save Cape Verde but attacked Newfoundland. Both machetes and small daggers can kill people. Whether the enemy is killed depends on the user's technique and the part of the attack, not on which weapon uses more steel."
This criticism of "linear thinking" made everyone sweat and feel guilty. Most people were trained under this training system. Turner was a master of the whole, an excellent representative of the overall situation and strategic thinking. After listening to Nimitz's words and analyzing the battle examples, everyone immediately understood.
"Before I left, I told Halsey that the policy was very clear. We are currently at a disadvantage in the Pacific, but that is not an excuse for doing nothing. First, we must work hard to maintain the supply line to Australia and New Zealand and consolidate the alliance relationship; second, speed up the training of personnel, especially carrier-based aircraft pilots, so that people can wait for ships, but ships cannot wait for people; third, hold on to the islands currently occupied and strengthen the defense system to prevent the Japanese army from counterattacking. The countermeasures in the Atlantic are the same. First, maintain the supply line to Britain and consolidate the alliance relationship; second, speed up the training of reserve forces; third, strengthen the defense system of Newfoundland and Bermuda, and strengthen the Westward forces and prepare conditions for the West African campaign..."
Marshall and Admiral King exchanged glances and initially agreed that it was okay. The participants decided that if there were no special changes in the next six months, they would defend, accumulate strength, and wait for a counterattack. As for Wallace... Li Hai interrupted and said, "I will find a way to maintain and coordinate. The important thing is that the president's condition cannot worsen."
Everyone immediately understood that as long as Roosevelt was alive, Wallace would always be "acting" and could not succeed him, regardless of whether he could manage things or not. As for the new presidential election in 1944, no one believed that Wallace could be elected...