Chapter 182:

Chapter 182:

Chapter 182

It was the same time when the Soviet army was advancing after defeating the Kwantung Army. Hell was unfolding on Iwo Jima.

There were three Japanese airfields on Iwo Jima. The US military wanted to capture Iwo Jima for various purposes, such as securing a landing operation on the mainland, securing a stable bombing route, and eliminating the Japanese air forces base.

In particular, the US commander-in-chief, General Douglas MacArthur, ordered to capture Iwo Jima as quickly as possible.

We need to capture Iwo Jima to land! Get rid of that tiny island as soon as possible and head to Honshu and Kyushu!

The marine corps, who had to lead the landing, and the navy admirals, who knew how difficult this would be, protested, but MacArthur ignored them. He looked at them with a face that said, What are you barking about? and threw his pipe away after puffing it.

I give orders, and you execute them. Thats the military.

MacArthurs staff had to stop the navy admirals from running wild. MacArthur was busy dealing with the politicians and journalists from Washington who were flying in with various requests and interviews.

Iwo Jima is useless as a garrison for either the army or the navy, sir.

But its useful as an airfield. Dwight, you cant land after bombing and shelling it with bombers and battleships?

MacArthur gave a cold stare to Eisenhower, who tried to hold him back and present his opinion.

He sighed deeply and shrugged his shoulders as he walked away.

The marine generals looked at him with bloodshot eyes.

And at that moment, the Japanese and US forces were engaged in a bloody battle.

***

Live one more day! Fight for the empire by living longer! Dont run away from the battle with the hollow word of honor!

Long live the Emperor!

The Japanese commander of Iwo Jima, Kuribayashi Tadamichi, was one of the few sane people among the mostly insane Japanese soldiers.

He did not rely on the rigid dogma he had learned at the military academy: The most vulnerable moment in a landing operation is right after the landing.

The Americans have overwhelming artillery and air support compared to our Imperial Army. If we wait near the coast to launch an offensive right after the landing, we will be shattered by their preemptive bombardment!

Instead, he adopted a tactic to fight against the overwhelming firepower. He dug multiple trenches and tunnels, and held his ground by building a defensive line far inland from the coast, where the enemys shelling was concentrated.

Kuribayashis strategy seemed to work to some extent.New novel chapters are published on

Fuck! Fuck MacArthur! You son of a bitch!

Aaah! Mother!

The damn GIs, who he thought were all dead after pouring hundreds, thousands of shells for a while, were now hiding in the tunnels and firing their machine guns.

If they had charged as usual, screaming banzai and begging to be shot, they would have been torn to pieces by the American heavy weapons. But the Japanese soldiers hid their bodies thoroughly and used their geographical advantage from the trenches and caves.

The Japanese soldiers, who had dug a network of tunnels and set up a base on the mid-slope of the volcanic island, using the relative high ground, had lured the Americans into their defensive line.

Tatatatatatatata! The Japanese machine guns rained down on the US Marines who were crawling into the tunnels.

It was a fresh and unpleasant experience for the Americans, who only knew how to mow down the Japs with their machine guns.

The soldiers, who had been forced to participate in the island capture, cursed MacArthur as they died.

Fuck! Fuck you, you fucking Japs!

I see. Yeah. Kuribayashi nodded.

The shelling that shook the island didnt seem to subside, so the special attacks must not have achieved much.

Or maybe they did, but the Americans brought more ships. Either way, the war was already tilted to the American side.

The absolute defense line set by the Imperial Army was easily broken through, and the Americans used the islands in the Pacific as bases to turn the mainland and various military bases into a sea of fire.

He didnt think Iwo Jima would be spared from being breached.

I hope they dont go to the mainland if they get a taste of this here

That was what the so-called pessimists in the Japanese army hoped for.

The Soviet Union had neutralized Germany with a single giant bomb and virtually dominated all of Europe. Now they were reaching out to the Far East, including Japan, and the United States needed Japan to contain them, so it might be possible to negotiate peace at a level where they preserved the national body and fulfilled some conditions.

At least thats what the most optimistic of the pessimists thought. The real pessimists scoffed that the Americans were crazy and would never make peace.

But if they could hold back hundreds of thousands of Americans with only 20,000 troops and inflict huge damage, it might be different. Kuribayashi wanted to find his last hope there.

He sorted out the last letters he wrote to his family in front of his staff, organized his writing brush, and folded the paper and put it in an envelope.

The young orderly at the headquarters looked around nervously, wondering what this was.

Soldier! You must survive and deliver these letters.

Yes? Yes! Oh, yes! General sir!

They die fighting for their country as a loyal subject of the empire. There was no other answer.

But he wished he could leave one messenger to deliver the last letters to his family.

The entire staff had time to write and leave their own letters.

The other comrades had no time to do that and scattered like petals.

Even if I burn to death before you and cant see the honor you build

The pep talk began. The people all looked calmly at the commander who left his last words. Bitterly and calmly. He continued.

Even then, the honor you built, the dedication you gave to the country, will not disappear. We may have lost the fight now, but we have a hundred million people behind us. Lets meet again as spirits who live and breathe in their hearts. Lets die peacefully for the country!

Tenno Heika banzai! Banzai!

Banzaiii!

What a strange thing

He finished the pep talk loudly and turned his head to the young orderly.

The orderly who sorted out a bunch of letters looked at him and said yes. Kuribayashi smiled faintly and sat in his chair with his eyes half-closed.

Was he crying? The young soldier who couldnt look at the dignified face of the commander for long bowed his head and wondered what he had seen.

Strange strange

The staff members were preparing for what might be the last assault. The chief lieutenant checked the commanders sword and took out the precious imported oil he had kept in a corner and polished the sword. But the commander didnt seem to have any interest in that.

I decided to fight and die for my family, but why does my heart waver when I think of them?

He said that and laughed and grabbed the sword prepared by the lieutenant with both hands.

Lets go! Lets meet at Yasukuni!