Chapter 624: Java Landing (2)

After the Japanese Army occupied Java, it relied on the mature coastal defenses left by the Dutch to reinforce and upgrade them, concentrating all heavy shore‑defense firepower along the core port's coast, forming a seal with no blind spots.

If one were to launch a frontal assault from Jakarta, the Nanko landing force would face dense artillery coverage; even with fleet fire support, the casualties would be extremely heavy and the cost would outweigh the benefit.

As a veteran commander, Dai Anlan knows the perils of amphibious assault; landing prioritizes preserving combat power and steady, methodical attacks, never a pointless war of attrition, which is why he finalized the Domas Beachhead landing plan.

Compared with the virtually impregnable core port, Domas Beachhead enjoys a uniquely advantageous landing position.

The terrain here is gently sloping and open, the beach flat and firm, with no hidden reefs or swamps, capable of bearing large numbers of amphibious armored vehicles and landing craft landing simultaneously, greatly increasing landing efficiency.

At the same time, this area is not a key defensive zone for the Japanese Army; the garrison is weak, consisting of only a single Japanese Reinforced Camp, understaffed and short of firepower, and the rear depth fortifications are not yet fully built, leaving the overall defense riddled with gaps.

More crucially, this garrison is isolated, its communications rudimentary, making rapid contact with the Jakarta main force for fire and troop reinforcement difficult; it is the weakest breakthrough point on Java Island's north coast.

On the eve of the main landing, Nan Hua Air Force struck first, initiating a precise pre‑combat sweep.

On the black sea, Nanko's two flagship Aircraft Carriers, the Qi Hang and the Qi Ming, displayed orderly lights and solemn decks.

One by one, fighter jets and bombers rolled out of the hangars, warmed up and taxied, their engines roaring up and down, shaking the sea surface.

Countless carrier‑borne aircraft took off in order, quickly forming multiple dense bomber formations in the sky, layered and imposing, heading straight for the Japanese Army positions at Domas Beachhead on Java Island.

At this moment, Commander William, stationed in the carrier's command cabin and in full charge of this carrier‑borne bombing mission, had unmistakable excitement and fervor in his eyes.

Since his first time boarding a Nanko Aircraft Carrier, William has become completely enamored with this sea‑and‑sky battlefield, unwilling to leave this steel maritime‑air stronghold.

Jiang Anguo originally preferred to give William command of the land‑based flight squadron, believing his command talent and tactical vision fully qualified him.

However, at this stage Nanko's ground combat has become increasingly rare, with few large‑scale land‑air operations, while Cross‑Sea Island Seizure and sea‑air suppression missions continue in succession.

Precisely for this reason, William stayed with the carrier fleet, wielding supreme command over carrier aircraft, becoming the core commander of Nanko's summer sea‑air operations.

On the eve of the sortie, inside the cockpit, a group of elite pilots prepared themselves, the atmosphere charged.

A senior wingman pilot smiled at William: "Captain, you're leading the bombing again! Since you joined the carrier, our carrier‑aircraft formation's hit rate and strike efficiency have doubled; the Japanese Army's beachhead fortifications this time will likely be blown flat!"

William stared at the night sky toward Java Island, a confident smile curling his lips, his voice ringing: "Tonight is the crucial pre‑landing sweep; we don't need blind bombing, only precise damage! All observation posts, artillery positions, hidden bunkers, and communication sites at Domas Beachhead will be eliminated point‑by‑point. The cleaner we bomb, the fewer casualties tomorrow for the 200th Division and the Marine 2nd Division's troops landing."

Another pilot asked in a low voice: "Captain, the remaining Japanese anti‑aircraft fire hasn't been fully cleared; low‑altitude night raids carry risk. Should we raise our flight path?"

William's gaze was firm as he ordered decisively: "No need to climb! Night visibility is poor, Japanese AA gunners have limited sight—this is the perfect moment for our precise penetration! Everyone stay in low‑altitude formation, avoid scattered AA fire, lock onto the preset coordinates, drop bombs precisely, then pull out! Our carrier‑aircraft unit is the vanguard for the army's landing!"

After the brief exchange, all pilots focused their minds and prepared for the sortie.

As the carrier's Tatai issued the sortie order, William led the way, throttling his aircraft forward, charging out of the darkness.

The entire bomber formation followed closely, cutting through the black sky with thunderous speed toward the Java battlefield, about to unleash devastating precise bombing on the Japanese Army's beachhead defenses.

The aircraft skimmed low over Domas, using precise reconnaissance coordinates to conduct pinpoint bombing on the Japanese forward observation posts, temporary artillery positions, guard bunkers, and communication sites.

The entire air raid was precise and restrained, wasting no ammunition nor blind coverage, precisely destroying the Japanese's only forward warning and fire‑output points, blinding their reconnaissance and crippling their basic defense, clearing the first obstacle for tomorrow's beach‑landing.

At night, flames erupted across Domas Beachhead; the Japanese temporary works were all destroyed, the remaining defenders panicked, utterly trapped in a passive, isolated plight.

At dawn, the sky dimly brightened, the sea mist lingered, and the Nanhua Pacific Fleet launched a second round of fire suppression.

Hundreds of ship‑cannon shells whistled out, forming a dense fire‑coverage net that precisely struck suspected garrison points, supply depots, and transport routes deep inland at Domas, implementing extended suppression, completely cutting off Japanese reinforcement routes, suppressing remaining inland firepower, preventing the enemy from mounting an effective counterattack.

During the lull in fire coverage, the amphibious assault began. Dozens of amphibious armored vehicles rolled out of the landing craft, cutting through the surf toward the beach, their mounted machine guns sweeping continuously, clearing the remaining scattered Japanese, using armored fire to suppress ground resistance.

Following closely, an engineering Platoon rushed the beach, clearing mines and obstacles, opening a safe landing corridor, reinforcing the temporary beachhead positions, laying a solid foundation for the main forces. The entire pre‑landing phase proceeded orderly and smoothly; the Japanese's remaining scattered resistance was no match for Nanko's three‑dimensional firepower.

With all preparations complete, Dai Anlan took his seat on the front‑line command ship and, with a single order, the elite 200th Division's main force launched a full‑scale beach assault.

As Nanko's top mechanized elite division, the 200th Division's troops possessed high tactical proficiency; the landing proceeded in an orderly fashion, everyone disembarked quickly, formed ranks swiftly, advanced rapidly, without any panic.

By now the Japanese Army had been stunned by the night air raids and dawn ship‑cannon bombardments; its defense collapsed completely, unable to mount organized resistance, resorting to scattered fire and a chaotic retreat.

The entire landing battle showed no grinding struggle, proceeding in a crushing, trampling manner.

In just three hours, the 200th Division fully seized all of Domas, establishing a wide, solid beachhead; ammunition, supplies, artillery, and vehicles flowed continuously from sea to shore, firmly securing their foothold.

After securing the beachhead, the 200th Division lived up to its elite reputation, immediately pushing inland at high speed, eliminating scattered Japanese outposts, crushing small remaining forces; within a few hours they advanced ten kilometers inland, successfully cutting off Jakarta's peripheral transport hub, completely sealing the Japanese's northward escape and reinforcement routes.