Republic of Korea in Yeokcheon - Chapter 234



Only Krnovel

#234 I think people like that are true heroes

This Market Garden operation inflicted strategic damage on the Allied forces beyond the simple loss of 18,000 troops like Altolan.

This gave the German army, which had been pushed back recklessly since Normandy, time to come to its senses.

Even without this, Walter Model, a genius in defensive warfare, was rebuilding the Western Front by mobilizing the German army, which was almost in a panic in Normandy, but this Market Garden failure allowed Army Group B, which had remained in France, to escape safely, and Germany’s western defensive line was further strengthened.

In the end, Montgomery’s ploy to capture Germany before Christmas actually pushed the end of the war further away.

Germany, with its momentum from the victory in Operation Market Garden, took on the fateful challenge of the Ardennes Offensive (Battle of the Bulge) despite opposition from both Walter Model and von Rundstedt, but this hastened the end of the war. If you look closely, it can be said that it was a waste of time and money.

This damn Market Garden operation was made into a movie in 1977 called A Bridge Too Far, which, despite being made by a victorious nation, shows in great detail the atrocious mess the Allied forces made during the operation.

Also, major generals such as Sosabowski appear (Sosabowski is played by Gene Hackman), but only Montgomery does not appear, and it is said that this is because Mongah was still alive at the time of filming.

In any case, the rest of Sosabowski’s life as a sacrificial lamb of this market garden was truly harsh.

Even Montgomery must have had at least a modicum of conscience, as he later apologized in private, but what did that mean?

The Allies completely abandoned the Free Polish Army, including Sosabowski, after the war.

When the People’s Republic was created in Poland, the Polish government-in-exile, which had shed blood with them in recognition, had its recognition revoked.

Even in 1946, the year after the victory, the British Attlee government did not invite them to the London Victory Parade.

No, rather, the Free Polish Army that refused to disband the government-in-exile and remained in Britain began to be looked down upon, and since Britain was already in a poor economic situation, the general public in Britain began to think that those who had remained in Britain were taking away their jobs.

However, it was not possible to return to the communist homeland.

The Soviets had promised their security at the Potsdam Conference, but there was no way they would keep that promise.

The 15,000 soldiers of the Free Polish II Corps, who had fought bravely throughout Italy under General Władysław Anders, returned to their longed-for homeland, only to find themselves subjected to surveillance, punishment, and other humiliations.

Moreover, the high-ranking members of the Polish government-in-exile, including General Anders, could not even return because the Polish People’s Republic had revoked their Polish citizenship.

In the end, when Sosabowski was discharged from the army in 1948, all he was left with was a severance pay of 300 pounds, no pension, a son who had become blind after being injured in the Warsaw Uprising, and a wife, and he had to work as a factory worker for the rest of his life.

He was finally able to return to his beloved homeland in 1969, two years after his death, by paratroopers still loyal to him, and his remains were barely able to be buried in Warsaw.

However, with the intervention of Lee Kang-cheol, the situation of Poland and the Free Polish Army including Sosabowski changed as if a wall had been built between the two.

In the first place, Operation Market Garden was never carried out, and the Warsaw Uprising, which ended in disaster, did not take place because Lee Kang-cheol tried to stop it.

Thanks to this, Sosabowski was not made a scapegoat, and his son Janusz was able to greet independence in Warsaw with his right eye intact.

Plus, Montgomery’s head was blown off.

This is because Lee Kang-cheol told Roosevelt, sprinkling seasoning on the results of Operation Market Garden and the dirty deeds of that Mong-ga bastard after the failure of the operation.

Montgomery was already branded as a man who incited conflict within the Allied Forces.

Even Eisenhower, a great man who had been trying to avoid showing the Allied forces being divided, was so angry at the dirty act of Monga, who even attributed the achievements of the American military to himself after the Ardennes Offensive, that he tried to blow his balls off.

He was truly a symbol of the British Army within the Allied Forces, and he was able to survive because Churchill actively defended him, but once he was stamped on by Roosevelt, there was no way he could be safe.

Although Churchill strongly opposed it, World War II was a war that was thoroughly waged by the United States, so he could not break Roosevelt’s will.

Moreover, the Allied leaders, including Eisenhower and Bradley, welcomed with open arms the dismissal of the man who had been a thorn in their side.

In the end, Churchill had no choice but to recall Montgomery to the home country, citing his deteriorating health as an excuse. The fact that Montgomery had actually been cut down was known to the whole world; it was a great disgrace to a military man, and he disappeared from history.

After the war ended, Poland, as mentioned above, became a proud member of the victorious nation and exercised its rights as a victor, and the free Polish army, including Anders and General Sosabowski, became national heroes like de Gaulle and Leclerc in France and were able to return home with honor amidst the enthusiastic welcome of the Polish people.

And the first president of the independent Third Polish Republic was Anders, and when he stepped down shortly after completing his term, Sosabowski was elected as the second president.

“Although it is late, I would like to award the Taegeuk Military Merit Medal, the highest military merit of the Republic of Korea, to former President Władysław Anders and current President Stanisław Sosabowski, who led the Free Polish Army as an Allied Force during World War II and made brilliant contributions.”

“It is an honor!”

“thank you!”

As previously announced, Lee Kang-cheol awarded the Taegeuk Military Merit Medal, the highest military merit medal of the Republic of Korea, to former President Anders and current President Sosabowski, and the two wore the medals with the aforementioned expressions.

These two seemed genuinely delighted, because they knew that the Taegeuk Military Merit Medal of the Republic of Korea was not something that was just handed out.

Among foreign generals, the Taegeuk Military Merit Medal was awarded only to Admiral Chester Nimitz, the first person to lead the Pacific War to victory.

This is a medal that General MacArthur secretly hoped to receive, but was ultimately not awarded.

But they give it to themselves.

If the donating country were just any other country, you might think it was just a diplomatic gesture of goodwill, but the recipient was actually South Korea, which helped Poland achieve independence.

And that Republic of Korea is the strongest country in Asia, having even defeated the Soviet Union, and is ranked second in the world economically, following the United States.

It is the highest honor awarded in such a country, so I cannot help but be happy.

“Poland and our Republic of Korea will continue to prosper together as allies forever.”

“thank you!”

“ha ha ha!”

“ha ha ha!”

The event ended in a friendly atmosphere.

“Why Poland again?”

After the event was over, Kim Kyu-sik asked as if he had been waiting for it, and Lee Kang-cheol answered with a smile.

“Why are you being so nice to me?”

“Haha! You know so well?”

“Hahaha! I think that people who achieve great things in the worst environment with an unyielding will should be evaluated more highly than those who achieve great things in a good environment.”

“That’s always been the case.”

“Poland, as you know, has a lot in common with us. Its location between the two great powers, Germany and the Soviet Union, and the fact that it did not give up its homeland despite losing it, but instead formed a government in exile and fought to the end.”

“Just like our provisional government.”

“That’s right. I think that kind of patriotism and fighting spirit are exactly the spirit that our country’s Taegeuk Military Merit Medal seeks to honor.”

“Oh! I see. I agree.”

“Moreover, even after being defeated by the enemy, these two men did not forget their men until the day they died. General Anders could not forget his men who died in the Battle of Monte Cassino in Italy, and was eventually buried next to them. Also, both of them sent all their children to the battlefield, and they were killed or disabled.”

“her!”

“I think so, people like that are real heroes. That’s why I respect them, even though they are around my age.”

“Hahaha! That’s right.”

Kim Kyu-sik really liked this aspect of Lee Kang-cheol.

He was a person who was truly a hero and was respected regardless of age, nationality, or race.

“And this is a bit funny, but… … .”

“What are you talking about?”

“Poland bought a lot of weapons from our country when the war between Ukraine and Russia broke out in our modern times.”

“Has that ever happened?”

“Yes, this is what happens when the threat from Russia becomes a reality. When the Soviet Union collapsed and the Cold War ended, the whole world was in a state of absolute peace. Europe was especially so. They really sold all their weapons for cheap, reduced their troops, and it was chaos. Germany, famous for its tank corps, only had about 200 tanks running? That’s how it was. Also, the country that was known as the U-boat nation and was the largest exporter of conventional submarines even in modern times had only two or three submarines in operation.”

“That was too much.”

“It was really too peaceful. And it was the same for other European countries. The mighty British Empire had only about 200 tanks out of an 80,000-strong army because of economic difficulties, and countries like the Netherlands even got rid of their tank units.”

“Oh, you’re crazy.”

It was absolutely crazy.

Because they all just wanted to keep a small counter-terrorism force.

“In the midst of all this, war broke out. For a while, I saw it as a black shell… … .”

“yes?”

“Hmm, anyway, Russia, which we had treated as a gas supplier for a while, has become a threat again. They hurriedly supported Ukraine, rearmed it, and made a fuss, but how can that happen all of a sudden? The military-industrial base that we built during the Cold War has all gone?”

“her!”

“But in the meantime, the country that had the largest army in Europe while being wary of Russia was Poland.”

“Whoa!”

“We haven’t forgotten because we suffered so much from Russia. However, after providing weapons to Ukraine, we also had to rearm ourselves, but we couldn’t get weapons in Europe. We ordered a few tanks, but we didn’t receive them for over five years.”

“This is incredible.”

“But among the Western countries, the only country that had a production base… … .”

“korea?”

“Bingo! Hahaha! It’s sad to say, but our country is a divided nation, so we still have a large military base. If we ordered weapons, we could deliver them faster than anyone else.”

“Hahaha! That’s right… … .”

It was funny but sad.

This happened because of the division.

“Anyway, the country that suddenly ordered weapons from us on an absurd scale was Poland. Tanks, fighter jets, self-propelled guns, tactical vehicles, etc. That’s why the military community called us a true brother nation.”

“Aha! So you’re saying that you secretly like it even more?”

“Hahaha! That’s right!”

“ha ha ha!”

It didn’t seem like a reason, but it was something I secretly understood.