The Rise Of Australasia

In the nearby land, the most likely place for people to hide was this seemingly dense forest.

The forest stretched to a small hill not far away, with weeds and dense shrubs, and the lush leaves made it clear this was the best place to hide.

It was for this reason that the forest, along with the nearby hill, became a focal point for the Australasian Air Force bombings.

And because it was a focal point, the bombing had to be precise.

Just the small area of the forest at the foot of the hill alone was targeted with hundreds of bombs and dozens of missiles, leveling the forest to the ground.

After the bombing, not to mention finding a tree, it was nearly impossible to find even a complete branch. The air was filled with smoke and the smell of blood, and the ground beneath the forest had been plowed several times by bombs, exposing charred, moist soil emitting white smoke.

Division Commander Murai Noo and Infantry Brigade Commander Tanaka Taro happened to be hiding in the forest, right where the air force's bombing was heaviest.

Almost at the beginning of the bombing, Murai Noo and Tanaka Taro were unfortunately hit.

The good news was that the bomb hit a rock next to them. The bad news was that the explosion dislodged the rock, trapping them underneath.

This injury was not fatal, but it did send Murai Noo and Tanaka Taro into a panic. Considering the Australasians' bombing was still ongoing and they were pinned by rocks unable to move, they lost any chance to take cover proactively.

The good news was that Murai Noo and Tanaka Taro didn't need to panic too much. Shortly after being trapped, another bomb found them punctually and exploded within two meters of them.

At the center of the explosion's range, Murai Noo and Tanaka Taro quickly disappeared from this world, bringing an end to their misdeeds.

Unfortunately for them, there was only half a minute from being trapped under the rocks to the second bomb ending their lives, clearly not allowing them to suffer too much pain.

Not just Murai Noo and Tanaka Taro, but also the Brigade Commander of the second Infantry Brigade were obliterated in this bombing.

More broadly, a large part of Type A Division's headquarters was also reduced to pieces in this bombing.

This resulted in Type A Division's command structure almost collapsing, and coupled with the bombing, the whole division was thrown into extreme chaos.

Although the operation wasted a large number of bombs and missiles, its effectiveness was quite significant. Type A Division had mobilized about 13,000 troops, and just one carpet bombing resulted in a loss of at least half of the forces of the Type A units.

Even more crucially, due to the extensive nature of the carpet bombing, almost every unit of the Type A Division suffered casualties, with some units even losing their commanders, greatly impacting the entire Type A Division's capability.

Following the bombing, the Air Force did not leave but used the heavy machine guns mounted on the planes for another round of strafing on areas that weren't severely bombed.

The Air Force's mission, in addition to attacking the Island Nation Army and causing casualties, was also to delay the marching speed of the Island Nation Army.

Of course, judging by the dire situation of the Island Nation Army, even if they successfully reached Naha, they wouldn't pose much of a threat to the Australasian forces in the region.

Beyond that Type A Division, the Type B Division stationed in the north of the Islandtop also warrants attention. Although on Islandtop only an infantry regiment of about 5,000 troops from the Type B Division was stationed.

But the combat effectiveness of the Type B Division far exceeded that of the Type C Division, and these 5,000 men could bring unnecessary casualties to the Australasians if unprepared.

The heavy machine gun fired again for a while, emptying all the machine gun bullets the plane carried, leaving the bombing area somewhat reluctantly.

Now that the Air Force had completed its mission and secured sufficient time for the forces in Naha, the task of eliminating these Type A Division soldiers fell to the army.

After waiting for over ten minutes and confirming that the Australasian Air Force had left for good, Nakamura Daiki, the second infantry regiment commander of Type A Division's first infantry brigade, hesitantly stood up, dusting off the mud on his body, swallowed his saliva, and ordered the messenger beside him, "Quickly tally the number of casualties, and I'll go to see the Commander His Excellency."

The casualties were quickly counted. The second infantry regiment, with approximately 4,400 soldiers, had nearly 1,600 soldiers directly killed by the bombing, over 500 lightly wounded, and more than 1,200 severely injured.

This also meant that of the more than 4,400 troops, only 1,100 were uninjured after the bombing, and those who still had some combat effectiveness and could fight amounted to about 1,600.

With a face full of trepidation, Nakamura Daiki took the casualty data of his infantry regiment and looked for the way to the division headquarters.

Because the area was heavily bombed, it was impossible to find any road, aside from vaguely discerning the direction.

However, the good news was that the bombing had almost flattened the nearby hill, creating an artificial plain that made it easier for Nakamura Daiki to get to the division headquarters.

But looking at the terrain, which had been almost leveled, Nakamura Daiki felt uneasy; he was uncertain if the division headquarters was safe.

After all, the division headquarters was not only where Division Commander Murai Noo was, but also where the two infantry brigade commanders and other high-ranking officers were.