"Information confirmation?"
"Yes, according to the Japanese naval code provided by the Strategic Intelligence Service and deciphered by the telegram we intercepted, the Japanese naval combined fleet is retreating from Truk to the Palau Islands!"
"Report to General Nimitz immediately!"
"yes!"
"Officer, Peter Lin? The hero who saved us in Cairo?"
"Yes, Colonel, that's him!"
"Damn it, where did he get this code book?"
"I don't know, Colonel, maybe you should ask him."
At the end of March 1944, based on the intelligence provided by Colonel Peter Lin, head of the Pacific Intelligence Division of the U.S. Office of Strategic Services, all the movements of the Japanese navy were deciphered.
A U.S. aircraft carrier formation set off from Majuro Atoll to attack the Japanese Combined Fleet!
Because the U.S. military had mastered all the movements of the Combined Fleet in advance, the Combined Fleet suffered another defeat and was forced to retreat to the Lingga anchorage in Singapore again.
At the same time, the U.S. submarine force actively attacked and seriously damaged the Japanese maritime transportation lines, leaving the Japanese garrison in Mariana gradually isolated and helpless.
And all this is to prepare for a larger operation by the US military:
Battle of Saipan!
Saipan is the second largest island in the Mariana Islands. The terrain is high in the center and low on the surrounding sides. There are many peaks, hills, ravines, and caves on the island. The commanding point is Tapoqiao Peak with an altitude of 450 meters in the center of the island.
There is a coral reef covering the entire beach on the west coast of the island. Cape Garapan divides it into two, forming a natural harbor - Tanapan Harbor on the north.
The port is also the economic and cultural center of Saipan and the Mariana Islands. To the south is the flat Machikis Beach, which is an ideal landing beach.
Saipan is not only the central island of the Japanese army in the Mariana Islands, but also the core of defense in the Central Pacific region. The Army's 31st Army Headquarters and the Navy's Central Pacific Fleet Headquarters are both located on the island.
Therefore, capturing Saipan is tantamount to laying the solid foundation for victory in the entire Mariana Islands War!
Since the major islands in the Mariana Islands are relatively large, and the Japanese defense strength is tens of thousands, the U.S. military must invest superior forces and implement a wide-frontal landing in order to advance quickly, which places high demands on logistics and transportation. Require.
Mariana is 1,000 nautical miles away from Eniwetok, the westernmost base of the US military in the Central Pacific, 3,500 nautical miles away from Pearl Harbor, and 5,000 nautical miles away from the continental United States. The logistics supply line is very long, and transport ships can only go back and forth twice a year. , and round-trip transportation is impossible.
At the same time, the Allied forces in Europe are also organizing the Normandy landing, and it is impossible to mobilize more ships to the Pacific Theater in the short term.
Therefore, all participating forces must be gathered in the Mariana Sea, but they lack enough landing craft and amphibious crawlers to organize troops to land on several islands at the same time. They had to capture Saipan first, and then attack Tinian and Guam.
In this way, when the US military attacks Saipan, the Japanese troops in Tinian and Guam are likely to take the opportunity to strengthen their defenses. Therefore, quickly capturing Saipan is the key to this battle.
For such a large-scale landing campaign, the U.S. military only had three short months from formulating a combat plan to completing campaign preparations, which cannot but be said to be a miracle in the history of war.
However, the US military knew very little about the situation in the Mariana Islands except Guam, and it knew nothing about the Japanese defense situation.
This is extremely fatal for a critical war.
Under such a situation, Peter Lin and his Pacific Intelligence Division of the U.S. Office of Strategic Services took the initiative to take on the important task of detecting the deployment of Japanese troops in the Mariana Islands.
From the end of March to June 1944, Tian Qi and his intelligence team entered the main islands of the Mariana Islands in a total of thirty-seven batches.
Among them, 21 batches entered Saipan alone.
One hundred and forty-three intelligence personnel died, were arrested, and disappeared.
And their efforts brought out a lot of precious information.
The number of Japanese troops on Saipan, firepower deployment, and airport defense.
This US military made outstanding contributions in attacking Saipan.
In addition, after the US military captured Eniwetok, they dispatched several aircraft equipped with the most advanced photographic reconnaissance equipment to conduct systematic photographic reconnaissance on the Mariana Islands. The US military finally grasped the deployment of Japanese troops in the Mariana Islands.
Among them, there is no doubt that the most amazing one is Tian Qi.
The information he brought back was simply jaw-dropping.
This information included that the Japanese troops on Saipan were the 43rd Army Infantry Division, the 47th Independent Infantry Brigade, the 7th Independent Engineer Regiment, the 9th Tank Regiment, and the 3rd Independent Mountain Artillery Regiment. and the 25th Anti-aircraft Artillery Regiment and other units, with a total of 28,000 people, 211 artillery pieces, and 39 tanks.
The Navy has the 55th Garrison of the Fifth Marine Police District and the 1st Yokosuka Marine Corps, with a total of 15,000 people, 49 artillery pieces, and 10 tanks. The total strength is 43,000, 260 artillery pieces, and 49 tanks.
Nagumo, commander of the Navy's Central Pacific Fleet, basically has no involvement in ground combat command.
Defense is actually in charge of Lieutenant General Saito Yoshitsugu, commander of the 43rd Division.
The US military couldn't believe it!
This is not accurate anymore!
This, this is simply the Japanese sending all the core secrets of Saipan's defense to the Americans!
There is only one explanation:
Tian Qi directly participated in the Japanese defense plan on Saipan!
In June 1944, the Battle of Saipan officially broke out as U.S. Marine Corps officers and soldiers used a 105mm M3 howitzer to bombard Japanese positions.
Based on the accurate information they had in advance, the U.S. military carried out aviation and naval gunfire preparations starting from June 11, basically destroying most of the ground fortifications on the island.
On June 15, 1944, the U.S. 2nd Marine Division and the 4th Marine Division landed in the Chalangano area on the west coast of Saipan and occupied the landing site in the evening.
On July 9, the US military advanced to Mapi Point, the northernmost tip of Saipan, and basically occupied the entire island.
But what the US military could not imagine was that an appalling mass suicide occurred on the cliffs of Mapi Point. Not only did Japanese soldiers fire grenades, but many civilians also jumped into the sea and committed suicide. Many mothers even jumped off the cliff with their children in their arms.
The U.S. military repeatedly spoke through interpreters, Japanese prisoners of war, and civilians. There would be no carnage waiting for them, only food and safety. But the suicides continued, and thousands of people lost their lives.
The war lasted until September 30.
The surviving Japanese troops, led by Captain Ohba Sakae, entered Tapo Chaoshan to conduct guerrilla operations.
At this point, all organized Japanese resistance on Saipan ended.
In the Battle of Saipan, the Japanese army and navy suffered more than 41,000 casualties and nearly 2,000 prisoners.
The US military suffered more than 16,000 casualties.
The US military's capture of Saipan created conditions for the capture of other islands in the Mariana Islands, greatly boosted the morale of the US military and dampened the arrogance of Japan's communist allies.
At the same time, more importantly, it provides a base for the B-29 long-range strategic bomber to bomb the Japanese mainland.
