Chapter 1596: The Trouble is Diverted to the South
The military and strategic significance of the Sunda Strait far outweighs its economic significance. Another consideration for East Africa to strengthen its military deployment here is to prevent Japan from cutting off the connection between East Africa and its Pacific colonies and fleets after it invades the South Pacific in the future.
In the past, Japan actually completed the blockade of the western part of the South Pacific region. The Sunda Strait was occupied by the Japanese army, and the Malacca Strait also fell into the hands of the Japanese invaders for a time.
However, Japan's main enemy at sea at that time was the United States, so even if Japan blocked the sea routes to European colonists and the South Pacific, it could not reverse the deterioration of its overall strategy.
East Africa cannot allow the Sunda Strait to fall into the hands of the Japanese army. Once this happens, it is not that East Africa is afraid that Japan can really rely on the two straits to blockade East Africa in the Indian Ocean.
Rather, this may cause East Africa to lose the initiative in the competition with the United States for future dominance in the Pacific. If it is one step slow, all steps will be slow. Therefore, the Sunda Strait is the bottom line of East Africa's strategic deployment in the South China Sea.
Colonel Hyde said, "In the Sunda Strait, the Empire has made a dual deployment. This ensures that even if the Sunda Strait falls into enemy hands due to a surprise attack, we can use this second line of defense as the core to regain control of the Sunda Strait from both land and sea directions."
There are two lines of defense in the Sunda Strait. The first is the fortress on the south coast of Ketapang and the turret on Sangiang Island in the middle of the Sunda Strait. Relying on the coastal defense artillery in the two places and cooperating with the East African Navy warships, the blockade of the Sunda Strait can be easily completed.
Of course, these two places are not completely foolproof. The fortress on the south coast of Ketapang is mainly aimed at enemies at sea, but Sumatra is huge. If the enemy chooses to land from the east of the island first and then rushes long distances to attack the fortress on the south coast of Ketapang, facing the enemy behind, the Sunda Strait is still at risk of being lost.
In the past, when Japan captured Sumatra, they first occupied Palembang. The straight-line distance between Palembang and the fortress on the south coast of Ketapang is about 300 kilometers, and the area in between is mainly rainforest, so it is very difficult to make a long-distance attack on the fortress on the south coast of Ketapang.
However, no one can be sure that Japan will not take such military risks.
The security risk of Sangiang Island lies in its small area. Once it is besieged, it may be paralyzed. However, to achieve this, the East African Navy must be defeated head-on, which requires the Japanese Navy to invest a lot of costs.
Even if Japan really took over these two areas, the East African Navy could still rely on the second line of defense, that is, Lampung Port, to reorganize the offensive and first recapture the fortress on the south coast of Ketapang. The Indian Ocean Fleet could then depart from the mainland or other overseas bases to support the battlefield.
Here, Lieutenant Colonel Winster jokingly said: "The construction of the Lampung Port Naval Base is thanks to the Dutch development of the area. If it weren't for the Dutch inefficiency, Lampung Port would not be so safe."
What Lieutenant Colonel Winster said was of course a sarcasm. On the island of Sumatra, the Dutch focused on developing the major towns in the east, such as Palembang, which is the absolute core of the Netherlands on the island of Sumatra.
Although Lampung Port ranks among the best in Sumatra, this is because the development level of the entire Sumatra is relatively low.
Lampung Port, an important port located at the southernmost tip of Sumatra Island, has no existing roads connecting it to other towns in Sumatra. Now, the only road being built is the Nanji Highway invested by East Africa. It is 70 kilometers long and is used to supply materials to the fortress on the south coast of Ketapang and provide support during wartime.
In short, due to the backwardness of the Dutch development of Sumatra, the safety of Lampung Port has been greatly improved and its transportation is extremely dependent on sea transportation.
This makes it easier for powerful maritime powers like East Africa to control the Port of Lampung.
Ultimately, there is a lack of large islands that can be used around the Sunda Strait. Otherwise, for the colonists, islands would certainly give them a greater sense of security.
Colonel Hyde said, "However, our concerns are obviously unnecessary. After all, no country in the world would dare to make a move on the Sunda Strait."
"Not to mention the Empire's deployment in the Sunda Strait, whether they can even get close here is a big question. For the Pacific's maritime powers, breaking through the Empire's Pacific Fleet's blockade is almost impossible, not to mention that the core of the Pacific Fleet is currently on Belitung Island."
"Whether it's the United States or Japan, their navies cannot bypass the Imperial Navy fleet on Belitung Island. Only by dealing with that island can they threaten the Sunda Strait again."
There are only two so-called Pacific powers, namely Japan and the United States. Therefore, Colonel Hyde bluntly listed these two countries as imaginary enemies.
Belitung Island is only 400 kilometers away from the Sunda Strait, and Belitung Island is not just an island, but a powerful strategic defense group consisting of the East African Lan Fang Overseas Province and East Kalimantan, as well as their affiliated islands.
It is precisely because of the existence of this strategic defense group that in the early 20th century, it was not an exaggeration to call the Java Sea the "inland sea" of half of East Africa.
There are only two players in the Java Sea, namely East Africa and the Netherlands, and the Netherlands obviously cannot dominate the Java Sea.
The main force of the East African Pacific Fleet is concentrated in or around the Java Sea.
Although the Pacific Fleet is the weakest in the Imperial Navy, it ranks third in the Pacific region, after the Japanese Navy and the US Navy.
Similar to the Java Sea is the Celebes Sea, which is located between the Mindanao, Kalimantan, Sulawesi and other islands and the Sangi Islands. It is also a sea area where East Africa has absolute say, but the local East African navy deployment is weaker and cannot be compared with the Java Sea.
In summary, East Africa basically plays an absolutely dominant role in the central part of the entire South China Sea. The situation is much more complicated to the north. To the north is the South China Sea of the Far East Empire, colonies of powerful countries such as Britain, France and the United States, and the relatively neutral Siam.
Going south, although East Africa has a relatively large influence, to the south is Australia. Although Australia is only a British colony, the official relationship between East Africa and Australia is still quite good.
In recent years, East Africa has invested heavily in mining in Australia, and trade between the two countries is rapidly expanding. Of course, East Africa and Australia are only superficially close, with each country harboring its own hidden agenda in their cooperation.
On the one hand, Australia strengthens economic cooperation with East Africa, but on the other hand, it relies more on the protection of its sovereign country, Britain, in the field of security, and cooperates with Britain to curb the continuous expansion of East Africa in the South Pacific.
East Africa also developed Australia's resources with the mentality of diverting trouble to the south. In Australia's foreign exports in 1935, Japan had become Australia's main resource importer.
Just like the bauxite in northern Australia, which was invested and developed in East Africa and then exported to Japan, the same is true for the coal in eastern Australia and the iron ore in the west.
The purpose of East Africa's move is self-evident, which is to make Japan fully believe that Australia is a country rich in resources.
Now known as the "country sitting on a mine cart", Australia's famous name in its previous life has become a kind of geographical common knowledge known to everyone in Japan.
…
In 1935, East African governments further increased their investment in Japanese news media and cultural circles.
At this time, Japan's domestic control over media and news became increasingly strict, and it became a complete propaganda tool for militarism, used to unify national thinking, incite war sentiment, glorify acts of aggression, and so on.
However, this does not affect East Africa's infiltration into Japan at all, because East Africa's original purpose was not to oppose the actions of the Japanese government, and it even fueled the development of Japanese militarism.
The Japanese government primarily targets and suppresses any anti-war, anti-military, socialist, or liberal ideologies. Therefore, as long as East African media and news organizations don't openly challenge the Japanese government in these areas, they won't be subject to vigilance or harassment.
Not to mention, East Africa originally supported Japan's expansion of the war, especially the promotion of various favorable news about expansion in the South Pacific. This in itself resonated with Japanese militarism and accelerated Japan's rush down the path of militarism.
In July 1935, with the instigation of the Japanese media in East Africa, a social discussion on the dispute over the route was once again launched.
The debate was initiated by Japan's third largest newspaper, the Yomiuri Shimbun.
The Yomiuri Shimbun is the third-largest newspaper in Japan after the Asahi and Mainichi. Founded in 1874, it is known for its accessible, down-to-earth reporting style. Its relatively affordable price tag has attracted a large readership among Japan's middle and lower classes.
Its political stance is more nationalist and conservative than the previous two, and it more actively supports the military's actions.
The headline of the new issue published on July 5th reads: "The Battle of Land and Sea, the End of the Empire's Fate!"
Now the dispute between Japan's navy and army has indeed reached a critical period. Because of its record of invading the northeast of the Far East Empire, the army believes that it should further strengthen its investment in the direction of the East Asian continent and expand its victory. Naturally, the navy, as always, sings a different tune from the army.
It was precisely because of the expansion achievements of the Japanese Army in East Asia that East Africa strengthened its investment in public opinion on Japan in 1935. After all, allowing the Japanese Army to continue to reap more benefits would be very detrimental to East Africa's South Pacific strategy.
Therefore, East Africa took advantage of the situation to increase investment in Japanese media professionals advocating for southward movement to build momentum for the navy. This is also the main reason for the publication of this issue of the Yomiuri Shimbun.
The Yomiuri Shimbun pointed out: "The Empire's foundation is in the Great Japanese Archipelago. Naturally, it should become a world maritime power, following the path of Great Britain in the past..."
As an island country, Japan is geographically naturally suited to developing its navy. This argument has many supporters in Japan, so the editor of the Yomiuri Shimbun used this point as the opening point.
Then he pointed out: "The current imperial expansion goes against national conditions, focusing on the East Asian continent. Military budgets are tight, and heavy investment in the army is clearly playing to one's weaknesses and avoiding one's strengths, abandoning the empire's maritime advantages. Although it has achieved results, it is not necessarily the best choice."
"And in the Far East and Northeast, the Empire's energy and mineral resources are still particularly scarce. Without oil, the Empire's machinery is difficult to operate, and without the benefits of rubber, the development of military and civilian industries is restricted..."
Japan invaded the Northeast of the Far East Empire, but was unable to solve Japan's shortage of strategic materials. After all, there was no oil production in the Northeast, and many key strategic resources, especially tropical cash crops, were particularly scarce in Japan.
In addition to rubber, there are also cotton, sugar, tobacco, etc., and Japan is completely unable to be self-sufficient in these products.
Therefore, the Yomiuri Shimbun pointed out: "Although the Far Eastern Empire is vast, its mineral reserves are superior to those of the Empire itself. However, it is well known to all Westerners that the Far Eastern Empire is a mineral-poor country..."
The Far Eastern Empire is obviously not a country lacking in mineral resources, but here, it is described by the Yomiuri Shimbun as a mineral-poor country in the eyes of Western countries.
This is one of the results of East Africa's propaganda war against Japan. In fact, the resources of the Far East Empire are indeed not enough in the world.
For example, many important mineral resources in the Far Eastern Empire in the past have not been effectively explored and developed. Take coal mines, for example. The Far Eastern Empire's coal is concentrated in the northwest and Shanxi regions, but it has not attracted much attention. There are also many metal minerals in the south.
The Yomiuri Shimbun reported: "The Far Eastern Empire has a population of 400 million, poor industrial development, and a lack of mineral resources, which also makes it difficult for its industry to flourish."
"Britain's ability to become a pioneer of the Industrial Revolution was due to the abundance of coal and iron ore in its homeland. The rise of German industry was due to the benefits of coal in the Ruhr region and the convenient water transportation on the Rhine River. The acquisition of Lorraine and the iron ore of Alsace further strengthened it."
"The industrial development of other powers is generally similar. The United States, the Soviet Union, and East Africa all have advantages, but the world's major powers, such as the Empire, France, and Italy, are resource-poor."
"The current development of the Empire's industry is severely constrained by resources, and France lags behind Germany for similar reasons."
"Therefore, the Far Eastern Empire's industry is difficult to develop. The lack of resources is a major factor. Therefore, devoting all the empire to the Far Eastern Empire may not be beneficial to the empire's subsequent development. We should first capture the rich lands of Southeast Asia to meet the empire's urgent need for materials, and then make plans."
Here the intention of the Yomiuri Shimbun has been completely exposed, which is to encourage Japan to expand militarily into the South Seas countries and finally deal with the Far Eastern Empire.
Although saying this would offend the Japanese Army, it would certainly receive support from the Navy. Now the Japanese Navy is feeling aggrieved. After all, in the war against the Far Eastern Empire, their gains were far less than those of the Japanese Army. For example, in the Northeast region, basically all interests were monopolized by the Japanese Army.
Therefore, the navy urgently needs to persuade the military to shift its strategic direction to expansion in the South Seas.
Of course, many high-ranking Japanese officials, including the Emperor of Japan, were naturally well aware that by expanding towards the South Pacific, Japan could obtain rich and abundant resources such as oil, rubber, coal, and steel, allowing Japan to break away from its dependence on other powers for resources.
However, in the South Pacific, what the Imperial Japanese government was most worried about were the powerful countries behind those countries and colonies. After all, whether it was East Africa, the United States, Britain or France, they were not easy to provoke.
Even Britain and France, which have already declined seriously, still have some influence in Japan's perspective. Of course, the more important point is that Britain and France are still at peace, and Japan does not want to get into trouble.
Therefore, even with the instigation of East Africa, the United States and other countries, it is impossible for Japan to take action against Southeast Asia now. As for when it will expand into Southeast Asia, it actually depends on when Germany will take action against Britain and France, making them unable to take care of the interests of the East.
(End of this chapter)
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