Northern coast of Borneo, the front line of Baofo, the headquarters of the 18th Front Army of the Island Army. Commander Lieutenant General Akito Nakamura, Chief of Staff Major General Seiji Moriya. Lieutenant General Shojiro Iida, commander of the 15th Army of the Japanese Army, and Major General Haruki Masakiyama, chief of staff, are also here.
The Southern Army Command has sent a telegram telling them that the island navy will send a fleet to provide them with fire support tonight. Therefore, the generals of the 18th Front Army are all waiting. Waiting for the powerful large-caliber naval guns of the Japanese navy to completely destroy the defense line of the 226th Infantry Division of the German Army in one fell swoop. In this case, they can easily break through the German defense line and march towards Brunei.
The 23rd Army of the German Army, although only deployed a 226th Infantry Division to resist the attack of the Japanese Army. However, the narrow defense line, intensive firepower, and powerful artillery fire have already caused heavy losses to the 18th Front Army. So far, only two divisions of the 15th Army remain intact. Almost all the other divisions have been lost. Although the 18th Front Army still has two divisions and an independent mixed brigade, it also dare not use it easily. If they are all lost, then there will be no way to continue this battle.
It is precisely because of this that Lieutenant General Akito Nakamura, the commander of the 18th Front Army, chose to ask for help from the navy of the island country, requesting the navy to send warships to bombard the German army's defense line, destroying the German army's defense line in one fell swoop.
"Mr. Moriya, what time is it?" Lieutenant General Akito Nakamura was a little impatient.
"Your Excellency, Commander, it is already 1 o'clock in the morning. Calculating the time, the fleet is about to arrive. Soon, they will start shelling." Major General Moriya Seiji said.
Lieutenant General Akito Nakamura nodded: "I hope that the navy's firepower strike this time can destroy the German defense line in one fell swoop! We don't have many troops to lose in vain."
Although the generals of the island army have never put the lives of ordinary soldiers in their eyes, they think that ordinary soldiers are just consumables. However, on the battlefield in Borneo, the loss of troops made them very distressed. These well-trained soldiers are also precious wealth! If there are too many losses, the combat effectiveness of the island nation's army will continue to decline. Although mobilization has begun in the country, can the new recruits who joined the army compare with the experienced veterans?
"Your Excellency, the German defense line is very strong, but it is too short, only less than five kilometers. On these defense lines, the Germans have deployed a large number of artillery and machine guns. This makes their defense line very strong. It is very difficult for us to break through their defense lines. However, these are nothing in front of the large-caliber naval guns of the naval capital ships. The large-caliber naval guns of the navy can easily destroy the German defense lines. At that time, we will be able to easily break through the German defense." Lieutenant General Iida Shojiro said.
His 15th Army suffered heavy losses, and he didn't want to let the troops lose in vain. It would be great if it could easily break through the German defense line with the help of the navy.
"Well! This time it is imperative to turn to the navy. If we hadn't given up a lot of resources to the navy, we must have been equipped with powerful firepower that is not inferior to the Germans. In that case, we would not have We were at a disadvantage in the battle and were suppressed by the Germans," Lieutenant General Akito Nakamura said.
Turning to the navy seems to be a shameful thing. Therefore, Lieutenant General Akito Nakamura still had to find himself a step down.
"Yes, Your Excellency Commander. After we conquer Southeast Asia and Australia, we will be able to obtain a large amount of resources. At that time, our army will be able to equip a large number of artillery and machine guns. When we are fighting, we can Don’t rely on the support of the navy anymore.” Rear Admiral Seiji Moriya also said.
The army generals of other island countries also spoke one after another. Everyone insisted that seeking help from the Japanese navy this time was nothing more than a stopgap measure. Soon, their army will be able to upgrade their equipment. At that time, their strength will be further improved, and they will not be worse than the German Army.
Of course, all of this is nothing more than the delusion of the Japanese army. It is not so easy for them to gain the strength to match the German Army. Even if they occupy parts of Southeast Asia and Australia, it is not so easy to transport a large amount of materials back to the mainland of the island country. The German navy will use various means to attack the transportation lines of the islanders. Those resources, even if they sink into the sea, are better than transporting them back to the mainland of the island country. In this regard, the German Navy is undoubtedly very experienced. After all, that's what they did when they dealt with the world's largest naval power, the British Empire, during the last world war.
Time passed bit by bit, and soon an hour passed. However, the shelling expected by the generals of the 18th Front Army of the Japanese Army did not start, which made these army generals look at each other in blank dismay.
"What's going on? Why haven't those naval warships arrived yet?" Vice Admiral Akito Nakamura frowned.
"Your Excellency, there may be some delays on the navy side! After all, sailing at sea will not be as accurate as on land." Rear Admiral Moriya Seiji said.
"Send a telegram to ask them!" Lieutenant General Iida Shojiro suggested.
"The navy is probably still in radio silence. Even if we send a telegram, they won't reply." Rear Admiral Moriya Seiji said.
Immediately, the generals of the army stopped talking. There seemed to be nothing for them to do but wait.
As time passed, the large-caliber bombardment of the naval warships they were expecting still did not start. This made the faces of these army generals even uglier. Lieutenant General Akito Nakamura, in particular, was already as dark as the bottom of a pot.
At this moment, no matter how stupid they are, they know that something is wrong. Otherwise, the navy's fire support will not be delayed.
While the generals of the 18th Front Army of the island country were waiting for the fire support from the navy, Major General Friedley, commander of the 226th Infantry Division of the German Army, and Brigadier General Georg, chief of staff, had already fallen asleep peacefully.
They have been notified by the German fleet long ago that the fleet will intercept the island navy, so they don't have to worry at all. So, they naturally don't have to worry about it. This sleep was also very sweet.