Time Slip Reiwa Japan

118 - China Upheaval - 28

A series of battles later known as the Battle of Taishan began not long before the East Eurasian Army Group's 1st Army arrived at the Yellow River, initially revolving around the waters (Yellow River) itself. While the American naval vessels had control over the river mouth, the Chinese deployed armed fishing boats, forming a fleet of lightweight and fast combat boats to resist.

The reason China could sustain resistance was due to the situation of air power. Despite the US Navy constantly deploying three aircraft carriers in the Yellow Sea, their aerial dominance around the Yellow River was not absolute. With only about 50 aircraft capable of being airborne at any given time from these three carriers, overwhelming China's air force numerically was difficult. Furthermore, the dedication of Chinese fighter pilots played a crucial role. More importantly, it was the quality of the aircraft that enabled resistance. Although they didn't deploy valuable FJ-2 jet fighters, elite units equipped with the latest model of FC-1A fighters *1 prevented even carrier-based aircraft with American 2.000 horsepower engines from acting freely. Moreover, the hasty construction of airbases by the Chinese around Taishan and the concentrated operation of air forces gave them a significant numerical advantage *2.

This limited aerial threat provided room for maneuver for the Chinese combat boat fleet. The combat boat fleet attacked the forces of the East Eurasian Army Group near the Yellow River and demonstrated their effectiveness by landing small units under the cover of night.

However, the Americans were not idle. In preparation for combat in the Yellow River basin, they had prepared patrol torpedo boats. Just two days after the commencement of operations by the combat boat fleet, the Americans established a makeshift base near the Yellow River by deploying a squadron consisting of torpedo boat tenders and floating dry docks.

A fierce battle thus unfolded along the Yellow River. *3

. . .

Battle of Taishan, Water Stage

The naval battles around the Yellow River were primarily daytime engagements, with the Americans consistently holding overwhelming superiority. While China had the advantage of terrain and numbers, the difference in their equipment was too great. Ultimately, being merely small combat boats retrofitted from fishing vessels meant that the armaments they could mount against patrol torpedo boats were limited to makeshift 7,92 mm machine guns at best. Some of the larger combat boats carried powerful 8,8 cm rocket-propelled anti-tank guns, but the scarcity of artillery meant that only a few combat boats were equipped with them. This made it honestly more of a skirmish than a real battle. While disruption and resistance were possible through sheer numbers, within just two days of the commencement of hostilities, it became evident to everyone that there was no hope of winning.

To break this stalemate, the commander of the combat boat fleet proposed a bold counterattack. Their plan was to assault the American patrol torpedo boat makeshift base. For this purpose, after the torpedo boat squadron had been wiped out, the combat boats forcibly mounted 533 mm torpedoes that had been in storage onto their bows. With no targeting devices, their crude strategy was to charge straight ahead, launch the torpedoes when within range, and then retreat.

The problem lay at the mouth of the Yellow River. To prevent counterattacks by such boats, the Americans had sealed off the entire estuarine area. Although it was just a net designed to stop small craft, its effectiveness was certain — it was anticipated that any reckless intrusion would result in the boat's propellers being entangled, rendering them immobile. Upon learning of this from reconnaissance on land, the commander of the combat boat fleet made a decisive decision.

They would cross overland.

Given that these combat boats were originally small fishing vessels, they were transported on carts to the estuary during the night when reconnaissance aircraft weren't flying, ready to launch a decisive battle the following night. The Americans couldn't anticipate this move. While they had noticed a decrease in the activities of the combat boat fleet through reports from the field, they attributed it to the fatigue and decreasing morale of the combat units due to days of continuous fighting. Indeed, the naval skirmishes between patrol torpedo boats and combat boats had been overwhelmingly in the Americans' favor.