Chapter 948: Capture of Manila

Chapter 948: Capture of Manila

"In 1897, the total number of our army fluctuated around 140,000, less than one-third of the German and French armies, but military expenditure reached a new high, reaching about four-fifths of Germany. The main reason was that the equipment of new tools and weapons such as cars drove the military expenditure of the National Defense Army to soar, while the navy did not change much."

The military expenditure of the East African Navy is not small, but it is very conservative against the backdrop of the continuous surge in naval expenditures in other countries.

The expenditure of the navy accounts for the majority of the military expenditure in East Africa, so under the situation of the soaring military expenditure of the army, the overall military expenditure of East Africa is still within the controllable range.

"The main investment in other areas is mainly in industry and infrastructure construction, so this part of the expenditure must not be reduced."

"With the development of colleges and basic education, education and scientific research expenditures now account for 9.7% of our national fiscal revenue, while military expenditures are only maintained at around 13%. Therefore, my country's investment in education is also at a relatively high level in the world, which is equivalent to sacrificing military construction funds to support education, so that many troops' equipment has not been effectively replaced, especially in the field of artillery and other weapons."

East Africa's education expenditures and military expenditures are already very close. If it were not for the international tensions, I am afraid that East Africa's military expenditures would have room for further decline.

This also reflects the support of the East African government for education and scientific research. In the construction of the East African industrial system, education has provided East Africa with high-quality workers, and scientific research is mainly reflected in breakthroughs and innovations in industrial technology.

...

Manila Bay.

In the blink of an eye, it is already July. After the last naval battle, the Spanish Navy has completely consolidated the idea of ​​"avoiding war and protecting ships."

The Spanish Navy held on to Manila Bay and refused to leave, which undoubtedly caused great trouble to the US Navy. After all, it was not easy for the US Navy to come to the Philippines. If Spain relied on the terrain advantage and wasted time with the US Navy, it was entirely possible to win without fighting.

After all, the US Navy could not drift on the sea all the time. If it could not break through Manila Bay, it would either return home to reorganize supplies and fight again, or find a nearby port for rest and supply.

This is not impossible. If you communicate with Britain in a humble manner, it is still feasible. As for other countries around, only the Netherlands, East Africa and France are capable, but everyone will definitely not do this.

"No matter what, we must take Manila Bay tomorrow and cannot continue to waste time with the Spaniards here." Dewey, commander-in-chief of the US Asiatic Fleet, said in a very tough attitude.

The results of this long-planned sneak attack were not significant. After all, Spain made some preparations before the war. On the first day of the naval battle, it lost a warship. The start was not good, and Dewey naturally could not give up.

"But Commander, the Spanish mines and coastal artillery are not easy to deal with. If we attack rashly, there may be problems. Why not wait until we replenish ammunition and supplies before launching the attack?" Someone advised.

Dewey denied his subordinates' statement: "The Spanish mines are a big trouble, but not a big problem. Tomorrow, the cruiser Raleigh will be responsible for clearing the way and blasting a channel into the bay. Other warships will follow closely. As for the coastal artillery on both sides, leave it to Olympia and Baltimore to solve. As long as we can enter Manila Bay, the Philippine Navy will be trapped and there will be no possibility of counterattack."

Dewey's move was actually a huge gamble. If the Spanish Navy and the colonial army were well-educated and cooperated properly, I am afraid that the US Navy's Asian Fleet would all be defeated in Manila Bay.

June 5, 1898.

The US Navy launched an attack on Manila Bay again. The cruiser Raleigh cleared the way and fired directly at the sea ahead, stirring up waves on the water.

Then the Raleigh rushed into Manila Bay at full speed. At this time, the Raleigh was actually a "suicide ship".

In addition to passing through the mine-laying area with fear, it also had to deal with the attack of the Spanish coast anti-fire artillery in Manila Bay.

Sure enough, the Raleigh, which was the first to bear the brunt, became a thorn in the eyes of the Spanish colonial defenders. The artillery on the north shore of Manila Bay and the central Corregidor Island fired at the Raleigh.

"Boom boom boom..."

In the midst of a loud noise, the entire Raleigh was in a precarious situation, but perhaps because of the lack of training in normal times, the Spanish's first round of artillery fire did not hit a single shell, and the closest shell was only more than 40 meters away from the Raleigh.

This opened the eyes of the East African Military Advisory Group who were observing the battle on the northern coastal highlands.

"The quality of the soldiers in the Spanish colonies is too poor. More than a dozen artillery pieces in a relatively narrow area can't even hit the target with one shot. Now the Raleigh of the United States is obviously moving in a straight line. The route and speed of the advance can be directly observed, so it is not difficult to hit the target. The large-caliber artillery we provide them is simply a waste of resources."

"It depends on whether the Spaniards can make achievements next. As long as the Raleigh breaks through, it basically means that the Battle of Manila Bay can end early."

The Spanish defenders and the US Navy could not hear the complaints of the East African Military Advisory Group. At this time, both sides still controlled the direction of the war at their own pace, and the Spaniards were obviously at a disadvantage.

"Suppress the enemy's artillery with fire!" As Dewey's order was issued, other American warships had already begun to attack the Spanish firepower points on the shore without waiting for Spain to launch a new round of artillery fire.

Although the warships were on the sea and the firing conditions were blocked, the American naval soldiers carried out various operations in an orderly manner, and the shells flew from both sides to the Spanish artillery positions.

After one round, the two Spanish firepower points were paralyzed. The performance of both sides was completely reversed, as if the Americans were firing on land and the Spanish were on the sea.

"Tsk tsk, I don't know if Spain can continue to maintain its fighting spirit. I'm afraid there will be a lot of confusion in the positions at this time." The East African observer said directly.

And the fact is that the artillery fire of the US Navy made the Spanish soldiers in the fortress and defense offensive very panic. In this case, those who can continue to complete the attack according to the procedure are all elites in the colonial forces.

As the Spanish artillery on both sides was suppressed, the US Navy, under the command of Dewey, began to squeeze into the interior of Manila Bay along the safe channel waded out by the Raleigh.

However, under the restrictions of Spanish artillery and torpedoes, the U.S. Navy still had limited room to play. After the influx of U.S. warships, the targets increased at this time, and the Spanish artillery finally worked. A shell hit the bow of the Baltimore, and then the Spanish colonial artillery was like a cheat, showing a completely different effect from before.

Hit many U.S. warships again, but it was a pity that most of the Spanish artillery was not powerful enough, and the more threatening firepower points had been focused on by the U.S. Navy, so they could not play an effective role.

As a result, the U.S. Navy broke into Manila Bay with one ship sunk, one seriously injured, and three slightly injured. At this time, the Spanish Navy warships in the Philippines began to move out, causing secondary damage to the U.S. Navy again.

But the gap between the two sides was too big. Even the injured U.S. warships had an advantage against the old Spanish warships.

So by three o'clock in the afternoon, the U.S. Navy's Asian Fleet wiped out the Spanish Philippine Colonial Navy with injuries, which also meant that the war situation in the Philippines entered the next stage.