Republic of Korea in Yeokcheon - Chapter 124



Only Krnovel

#124. Where are our tanks!

The Soviets crouched in barely dug trenches along the defense line and waited for the damned artillery fire to stop, but the South Korean army’s artillery fire, which had begun properly, showed no sign of stopping.

In addition, the defense line of the Zabaikal Front was formed along the southeastern border of the Mongolian People’s Republic, spanning approximately 100 km around Lake Tabun, and the center was also defended by the 6th Guards Tank Army, 17th Army, and 53rd Army. The northeast was occupied by the 39th and 36th armies, and the southwest was occupied by the Soviet-Mongolian cavalry and mechanized groups.

Quack! bang! Quang!

“Ugh!”

“Don’t get out of the trench!”

“Ugh!”

“How much are you shooting! Damn Koreans!”

“Aaaah! my eyes! “I can’t see!”

It is truly a formidable bombardment.

But there was no place to escape.

Although they worked hard to build a defense line and dig trenches for several days, the ground in North Manchuria was still frozen solid at this time, and there was a serious lack of tools and equipment to dig trenches.

Since they didn’t even have a proper shovel, they had to dig with a field shovel, so it would have been strange if they had dug properly.

In the end, the poorly dug trenches could not protect the Zabaikal Front troops, and the result was devastating.

bang! bang! bang! Quack!

“Kwaaaak!”

“Do, run away!”

“Stay where you are! All those who leave their seats… … .”

bang! bang!

The Zabaikal Front tried to control the troops who tried to escape by operating a separate battle force, but all was in vain.

The Korean army’s artillery fire also rained down on the heads of the German soldiers.

March 20th 15:50.

The joint bombardment of the ROK Army’s 1st and 5th Field Forces, which began at dawn, did not seem to stop.

The Zabaikal Front’s remaining artillery strength had already been cut in half by the air raids and artillery bombardments of the past few days, and even the remaining half was destroyed in the early morning bombardment.

Now that there was nothing to threaten the ROK Armed Forces with artillery fire, the 1st and 5th Field Army installed old 105mm M2/M101 towed artillery positions donated by the U.S. military up to 10km inside the defense line and opened fire.

It was truly a miracle for the Zabaikal Front Army, who had no way to counterattack even if they fired in plain sight.

“Hehehe! Damn it!”

Malinovsky was outraged by this absurd situation, but there was nothing he could do.

Quack! bang! bang!

“Is this enough?”

“Senior Nam, if we fire any more here, it will be difficult for us to advance. “It’s difficult to find flat land due to shelling.”

Commander Jeong Seon-ho of the 5th Field Army, who was watching the situation together, said with an expression of bewilderment.

As he said, if the attack continued, it seemed like the ground would be ruined to the point where it would be difficult to advance due to the potholes dug here and there by artillery fire.

“But you didn’t hit the area that was supposed to be the advance route a little less, right?”

“If you don’t have that, you really can’t advance.”

“ha ha ha! “Then shall we advance?”

“Of course. “Then, I will move separately from now on.”

“I know.”

As soon as Jeong Seon-ho returned to his headquarters, the artillery fire stopped.

March 21st at 06:00.

When the seemingly endless bombardment stopped, silence came to the entire 100 km long defense line.

It was the first time of silence in 26 hours.

Instead, an unfamiliar mechanical sound gradually replaced the gunfire and began to echo throughout the entire defense line.

Kurrrrrr.

Grumbling.

A small number of K1 tanks and M48 Patton tanks advanced behind them, followed by M4 Sherman tanks, K21 infantry fighting vehicles, and countless M3 halftracks carrying infantry.

The M3 Halftrack was the only armored equipment that the ROK Armed Forces actively received from the US military, and the number was over 10,000 units.

The reason it received so much was because it had good mobility.

Because the armor was poor, the only defense available was to block small-diameter bullets, but it could carry 10 infantrymen, excluding 3 crew members.

In addition, due to the nature of the half-track, it has excellent off-road mobility, so it can easily navigate rough terrain that regular trucks or jeeps cannot navigate.

Since the Republic of Korea Army had no reason to put these guys on the front line anyway, it actively adopted the M3 half-track, which has excellent mobility and durability.

As a bonus, the production and variants combined produced more than 50,000 units, so it was suitable for the United States to give it to the US, so it was like a hit.

In addition, the Republic of Korea Army modified many of the M3 halftracks it received to mount twin 106 mm (105 mm) M40 recoilless cannons taken from Hyundai’s warehouse, or to mount TOW missiles and Metis M missiles.

In particular, although the TOW missile is an old-fashioned missile, its effective range ranges from 3,750 m to a maximum of 4,200 m depending on the version, so it was able to destroy enemy tanks outside the effective range of most tank guns of this era.

Kurrrrrr.

Grumbling.

It’s still dark, but dawn is slowly starting to appear.

The armored units of the Republic of Korea Army charging through the dim light with a roar in themselves brought fear to the enemy.

This was especially true of the M48 Patton tank at the forefront.

Kurrrrrr.

Originally, it boasted a size that was almost twice that of the T-34 tank, but when it was improved to include wedge-shaped armor, the force radiating from its exterior was no joke.

At least in appearance, it looked more imposing than even the heavier and larger K1 tank.

While the K1 tank had a flat turret according to modern tank philosophy, the M48 Patton had a cast turret that was tall and wide, making it look even more so.

“Um, what is that?”

“A tank or a self-propelled artillery (tank destroyer)? “It’s too big to be called a tank, right?”

“You idiot! “There’s a turret, but you’re talking like a self-propelled gun!”

“Then what on earth is that big thing? And what is that flat tank next to him?”

“Sokka! What do you know! “Let’s run away!”

“But a single-minded team… … .”

“Most of the bastards are dead! You bastard! “I have to think about Oksana waiting at home!”

“I get it! Let’s bounce!”

Because it was still early in the morning, the Soviets did not know that most of the tanks following them were M4 planes, and they panicked, thinking they were all monster tanks.

Deserters appeared one after another from all over the front lines, but the independent forces that were trying to bring them back were already dead or in panic, so there was no one who could stop them.

Quack! bang! bang!

In the meantime, the bombardment, which had stopped for a while, began again.

Although it was not as fierce as before, it was more than enough to put pressure on the Soviet troops, who were terrified by the monster tanks that were approaching.

“Damn it! “Where are our tanks?”

Malinovsky hurriedly asked Chief of Staff Zaharov.

“Commander! “Most of them were destroyed by artillery fire and air raids, and less than 400 tanks were still mobile!”

“At least show that! “We have to stop those guys!”

“All right!”

According to Malinovsky’s orders, the T-34-85 tanks that survived the bombardment moved to the front of the defense line.

But that was the end of the Zabaikal Front’s tank forces.

Push! Push! Push!

The Korean army’s armored unit was 3km away from the defense line, and suddenly flames flashed here and there.

and.

Sigh! Shuak!

bang! bang! bang! Quang!

I thought something was flying, but the tanks of the Zabaikal Front at the front of the defense line suddenly started exploding.

Quack! bang! bang! bang!

As the barrage of TOW missiles rained down, the tanks burst into flames and were destroyed.

Although TOW is slow and outdated, its destructive power is not outdated.

Even in modern times, TOW missiles can still effectively destroy even third-generation tanks, but you can’t expect to be safe after being hit by something like a T-34 tank.

“Aaaah!”

“What the hell!”

The Korean army’s armored unit was still 2km ahead, and about 300 of the 400 tanks were destroyed in less than 10 minutes.

And all that was left was food for the K1 and M48 Patton tanks.

The one that started shooting first was the K1 tank, which had a two-axis stabilization device and was capable of shooting while moving.

bang! bang! bang!

Even the tanks of the Zabaikal Front that were still alive were engulfed in flames, and then M48 tanks stopped for a moment and opened fire.

If a K1 tank or an M48 tank or its main gun were hit by the M68 gun of the L7 rifle series, it would die.

bang! bang! bang!

“Aaaah!”

“Ugh!”

In the end, all tanks of the Zabaikal Front were destroyed.

Push! Push! Push!

Here, the M40 106mm recoilless gun blew away everything that looked similar to the position, and eventually the M4 Sherman tanks, which were the main force in numbers, led by the M48, broke through the defense line and began to destroy the living things.

Although the M4 Sherman is a tank that has begun to show signs of decline, it is no different from an infantry gun.

“Do, run away!”

“They are monsters! Run away!”

There is no situation more dangerous than when the defense line collapses and you have to flee.

In fact, a one-sided massacre had begun.

Boom! Boom!

The tank’s coaxial machine gun swept away the fleeing Soviet soldiers, and even the tank commanders came out on top of the turret and slaughtered them with K6 or M2 heavy machine guns.

And countless M3 half-tracks rushed in, firing heavy machine guns, and the infantrymen on board also fired rifles without even dismounting.

Ta-da-da-dan! Ta-da-da-da!

“Kaaak!”

“surrender! Please surrender!”

Only then did a loudspeaker announce an invitation to surrender from somewhere.

“Surrender! If you surrender, you will be saved! Surrender!”

“Those who surrender will drop their firearms and raise their hands! Put your hands up! “If you lower your hand, I will kill you!”

Soviet troops surrendered here and there like mushrooms.

There were even cases where entire companies or battalions surrendered, which was a good decision by the commanders.

If I hadn’t surrendered, I would have died.

Ta-da-da-dan! Ta-da-da-dan!

bang! bang! bang!

The M4 Sherman tank, which was regarded as a bastard by the Korean military, roamed the battlefield in a no-man’s land as if trying to relieve its sorrow, but there was nothing that could threaten them.

This situation unfolded along the entire defense line of the Zabaikal Front.

March 21st 16:35.

1st Field Army Headquarters.

“Commander, Marshal Malinovsky, commander of the Zabiikal Front, says he will surrender.”

“okay?”

“Yes, a communication has just been received and a white flag has been raised at their field headquarters.”

“Whoa! Is it over now?”

“What should I do?”

“Tell them to put down their weapons. “It was announced through loudspeakers and radio that Malinovsky had surrendered, but there would be people who continued to hold guns without knowing that he had surrendered.”

“All right.”

“And tell our kids to be careful. Even if the command has surrendered, there will be those who do not know or will not acknowledge it and will continue to fight.”

“All right.”

Two hours later, a final gunshot was heard and all fighting stopped.

It surrendered a day after a full-scale battle broke out with the Zabaikal Front Army.

A whopping 400,000 troops.