Noda Jiro's initial diary still recorded some daily events, but as time went on, he recorded less and less. However, every time a submarine entered the base, he recorded it all without missing a single one.
Yang Jing finally counted and found that from May 2, 1943, when the troop entered the base and received the first batch of supplies on May 8, 1943, until the troop withdrew from the base in the evening of June 7, 1944, the base received a total of 67 Japanese submarines carrying valuables.
You should know that the worst submarines used by the Japanese army to transport property were main force submarines with a surface displacement of more than or close to 1,500 tons. The one that transported the most was the I-2 submarine that entered here for the first time.
This main submarine of the Japanese Navy alone has entered this base as many as thirty-eight times!
Only the main submarines of the Japanese Navy have a surplus transport capacity of more than one hundred tons.
In other words, the Japanese used their main submarines to transport these valuables, and the weight of the valuables transported in each time was at least over one hundred tons.
Combined with what was recorded in Jiro Noda's diary, almost every time a submarine came here, it would transport some large and heavy property, most of which were precious metals.
In other words, the amount of precious metals received by this base alone is at least over 6,700 tons!
Although this number is almost insignificant compared to the twenty-four warehouses in the entire base, if the precious metals transported in are gold, platinum, various gold and silver jewelry and silver dollars, then 6,700 tons of precious metals are absolutely priceless.
Even if there were only one thousand tons of gold in it, it would be worth $40 billion today.
But it is obvious that Japan would definitely not allow such a hidden base to store some precious metals of low value, so the most stored thing in this base at that time should be gold!
In fact, this can be seen from the ledger. The four warehouses managed by the warehouse manager alone contained more than 400 tons of gold bricks, gold foil and gold jewelry!
"June 6, 1944, cloudy. This evening, Nakamura-kun specially asked us to go out for a walk again, because Nakamura-kun said that we will evacuate here tomorrow night and return to the mainland. Tonight is our last night on this island.
I know that the situation in the Pacific is already urgent for the empire. Even though I don't know the specific situation outside, the number of American reconnaissance planes and fighter jets flying over the islands has increased sharply in the past two months. This is enough to show that the situation outside is very urgent. It seems that the Americans are approaching Guam or Saipan.
When I was taking a walk at night, Nakamura told me that the U.S. fleet had broken through the Marshall Islands a few months ago and has now surrounded Guam and Saipan. The decisive battle between Guam and Saipan is likely to start in the next few days. Nakamura also said that because the base we are stationed in is too important, in order to avoid being discovered by the Americans, the operation of transporting supplies has ended, and we will leave here on a navy ship tomorrow night. As for the supplies in the base, they will be stored here temporarily. Anyway, it is hidden enough and the Americans will not find this base.
It has been more than thirteen months since I came here on May 2 last year. Although it is really boring here, it is safe at least. Unlike my colleagues stationed in the Marshall Islands and New Guinea, they are always facing the risk of death.
Today is the last time I stay here, and I will write my last diary here tonight. I hope I can reach the mainland safely, and I hope the Empire can defeat the damn Americans! "
Yang Jing moved his eyes away from the diary. This diary was the last of the two diaries left by Jiro Noda.
Obviously, if nothing unexpected happens, the Japanese army that has been stationed in this secret base for more than a year will leave the base the next day. But the supplies stored here will not leave with them.
Think about it, this is inevitable. The Japanese probably didn't expect the Americans to come so quickly and so violently, so Japan had no way to transport all the huge wealth stored in this base away in time.
The speed of the U.S. attack was obviously beyond Japan's expectations. At the end of 1943, the Americans began to attack the Marshall Islands, the last strategic line of defense before Guam and Saipan. As a result, the Americans relied on their superior air force and completely conquered the Marshall Islands in less than two months.
The failure of the Marshall Islands Campaign dealt a heavy blow to the Japanese army, and the Japanese had not even gotten over the shadow of losing the Marshall Islands when the Americans, riding on the momentum of their great victory in the Marshall Islands, marched to Guam and Saipan in just four months.
In the US offensive plan, Guam, Saipan, Iwo Jima and Kasahara Islands were the second island chain. With the loss of the Marshall Islands by Japan, the first island chain used by Japan to resist the US Navy, namely the Gilbert Islands, the Marshall Islands and Vikang, were all lost. Japan's so-called "second island chain" is facing US attacks.
The Americans were swift and quick. Less than four months after they had taken control of the Marshall Islands, they had already reached Guam and Saipan, catching the Japanese off guard.
Although the Japanese promptly sent a large number of military reinforcements to Saipan and Guam, the entire second island chain was actually under the attack and surveillance of the US Navy Air Force.
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