The Rise Of Australasia

The infantry battalion previously dispatched was mobilized from the first infantry brigade. I had thought this task would be foolproof and would gain me many military achievements without much effort.

Unexpectedly, not only did the two Type C Divisions fail to hold the Australasia Army at bay, but even the infantry battalion that went to support them was tied down by the Australasia Army, facing the risk of being annihilated at any moment.

It must be understood that even as a brigadier in charge of the infantry brigade, I am only in command of two infantry battalions. After mobilizing one infantry battalion, Brigadier Tanaka Taro now only has about 5,000 troops left in his remaining infantry battalion.

Unfortunately, the defensive duties of the first infantry brigade are rather heavy. Without better strategies from the division, I fear that just relying on these 5,000 men of the first infantry brigade will not be able to hold back the relentless assaults of the Australasians for very long.

"I understand, the cavalry battalion will help the first infantry brigade defend the coastline. The artillery battalion will temporarily assist in your defense, and I need you to maintain control of the coastline. Can you manage that?" Murai Noo nodded in understanding of Tanaka Taro's request and stated.

"Yes! Please rest assured, Your Excellency Commanding Officer, the first infantry brigade will definitely accomplish your mission." Brigadier Tanaka Taro nodded firmly, excitedly responding to Murai Noo.

Although the cavalry battalion's numbers were far fewer than those of a complete infantry battalion, they still represented a significant boost for the present state of the first infantry brigade.

Moreover, in the upcoming period, the first infantry brigade was also set to receive support from the divisional artillery battalion, and that was the source of Tanaka Taro's confidence.

Having such a powerful weapon as the artillery battalion would provide substantial support facing the tidal wave-like assaults of the Australasia Army.

As Tanaka Taro had anticipated, with the support of both the cavalry and artillery battalions, the first infantry brigade managed quite effectively against the assaults of the Australasia Army.

Although the Australasia Air Force and ship guns still posed a significant threat to the first infantry brigade, the invading forces from Kalimantan and the Philippines were consistently repulsed.

However, it was clear that for the four Island Nation Divisions on the Ryukyu Islands, the most significant threat was not the attempting landing forces from Kalimantan and the Philippines but rather the Australasian paratrooper units that had already infiltrated deep into enemy territory and completed their surprise attacks.

What the Islanders hadn't expected was that the Australasian paratrooper surprise assaults didn't come in a single wave but rather one after another.

Around 6 a.m., just as dawn was breaking, the Australasian Air Force launched another large-scale aerial attack on the Ryukyu Islands.

Of course, the sortie of the air force wasn't just for an air raid but also to escort over a hundred Sop-34 transport planes on yet another airdrop mission.

On board these hundreds of transport planes were more than 6,000 elite Australasian paratroopers.

Moreover, this time the air force brought along a considerable number of firearms and machine guns, making the firepower of this second wave of airdropped troops superior to the first.

Once these two waves of paratroopers joined forces, it would signify the start of the Australasia Army's full-scale offensive against the Island Nation Army.

Even if the Island Nation Army could fend off the onslaught of about ten thousand troops from Kalimantan and the Philippines, they had no means against the Australasian paratroopers who had already seized urban cities and harbors.

Though it was already daytime, the first wave of paratroopers had already secured an advantageous position, making this subsequent airdrop quite smooth.

Protected by the Air Force, the paratroopers faced no significant threats and managed to link up successfully with the first wave of airdropped troops.

After the two forces joined, the scale of the Australasia Army stationed in the harbors and urban cities surged considerably.

The current number of paratroopers at the harbor has exceeded 4,200, now capable of launching attacks on the Island Nation Divisions.

In Naha, the main target area of the two airdrop operations, the number of Australasian paratroopers has swelled to over 7,500 after the two airdrops.

With such a sizeable force, in confrontation with the Islanders, it became less clear who had the upper hand.

After the second airdrop was completed, it marked the beginning of Australasia's final, full-scale offensive.

On the coastline, about ten thousand troops were continuously engaging the two most elite divisions of the Island Nation.

Meanwhile, inside the Ryukyu Islands, two groups of paratrooper contingents were shifting from defensive to offensive postures.

Boom! Boom, boom!

Because the second wave of paratroopers brought a great many firearms and machine guns, the Australasian Army, which was running low on bullets, once again had an abundance of supplies.

Facing the Island Nation Army head-on, the Australasian artillery never skimped. About ten cannons fired incessantly towards the position of the Island Nation Army, like an exceptionally heavy downpour.

However, unlike the rain, which causes almost no harm, this barrage of artillery was a major killer to ordinary people.

In the dense barrage from the Australasians, the division at the harbor finally could no longer hold on and completely collapsed.

Facing the disintegrating Island Nation Army, the Australasians would not miss such a good opportunity.

More than 4,000 paratroopers leaped into action, chasing down an entire division of the Island Nation Army with the guidance and assistance of airplanes.

Some Island Nation soldiers escaped towards their military's original base, a place with many defensive installations, providing them at least a little peace of mind.

Some Island Nation soldiers fled to Naha. After all, it was the largest urban city of the Ryukyu Islands and also hosted another division of the Island Nation Army.

But perhaps in their wildest dreams, these Island Nation soldiers would not have anticipated that not only were there more Island Nation troops in Naha but also a larger force of the Australasian Army.

For this reason, seeing many Island Nation soldiers fleeing towards Naha, the Australasian soldiers at the harbor did not attempt to block them.

Letting these soldiers flee might even impact the Island Nation forces around Naha. After all, the division at the harbor had been vanquished, which meant that the Australasian Army there could head towards Naha at any time, potentially encircling the Island Nation Army stationed at the harbor from behind.

And indeed, that was what the Australasian Army planned.

Naha is located to the south of the main island, and the harbor lies to the north of Naha.

With the attention of the troops in Naha being diverted, circling around to the other side and implementing a counter-encirclement on the Island Nation Army there was not out of the question.

Of course, even if the counter-encirclement plan was discovered by the Island Nation Army, the Australasian Army was not at all intimidated by a direct offensive.

While the offensive at the harbor achieved a complete victory, the battle between the Australasian and Island Nation Armies was heating up in Naha.

The help of an infantry regiment from a Type A Division meant that the casualties faced by the Type C Division here weren't as severe as those at the harbor.

The Type C Division, numbering 20,000, still had over 12,000 combat-ready soldiers, and together with the remaining 4,000 or so from the Type A Division's infantry regiment, the Island Nation Army had around 16,000 troops in the Naha region.

In contrast, the Australasian side, after two waves of paratroopers, had gathered only around 7,000 soldiers.

This was a numerical advantage of more than twice the size, and although most of them were lower in combat effectiveness from the Type C Division, the restraining presence of that infantry regiment led to a temporary stalemate.

However, it was clear that the stalemate would only be temporary.

On the side of the Island Nation Army, with increasing casualties, the discipline-lacking Type C Division would ultimately fall into chaos.

And the supporting infantry regiment had not brought along too much ammunition for resupply. In fact, including that Type C Division, the 16,000-strong Island Nation Army's logistics warehouse was located inside the city of Naha.

With Naha occupied by the Australasians, it meant that these Island Nation troops had lost the largest military preparation warehouse in the Ryukyu Islands.

Although there were smaller weaponry warehouses elsewhere, the reserves of weapons and ammunition were doomed not to last long in the face of such large-scale operations.

And even more fatally, since all the forces of the Island Nation in the Ryukyu Islands were tied up by the Australasians, the 16,000 troops around Naha could not get any supply repletion at all.

This also meant that even if they could maintain a temporary deadlock, as long as the weaponry and ammunition of the Island Nation side were gradually exhausted, the ultimate advantage would still be with the Australasians.

After all, the Australasians could deliver supplies and replenishments through a large number of Air Force and transport planes, something the Islanders simply could not do.