Republic of Korea in Yeokcheon - Chapter 287



Only Krnovel

#287. Oh Allah!

September 16th, 05:05.

Expeditionary fleet flagship Hong Beom-do.

“Following the demise of the Indonesian Navy, the Indonesian Air Force has also been annihilated.”

“Isn’t this too easy?”

“You expected that, right? The Indonesian Air Force and Navy were no match for us from the start.”

“But they are so weak. How can the children not even last an hour?”

“This is normal because we are so strong. Indonesia is not weak. Do you think it was easy to build such a large navy and air force in just 10 years after independence? Although it was old-fashioned, the air force had nearly 400 fighter planes. It was a force that was considered a gangster in Southeast Asia.”

The Chief of Staff’s words were correct.

It would not be an exaggeration to say that the Indonesian military’s power was at least a bit of a fart in Southeast Asia.

Of course, this excludes Vietnam and Burma, which were chosen by South Korea to become allies long ago.

“Honestly, I think using anti-ship missiles was a bit excessive… … .”

“You were going to test it anyway, right? You just wanted to see if it worked.”

“That’s true.”

“Okay! Anyway, now that we’ve cleared out everything that’s bothering us, shall we get going?”

“Yes, sir.”

“What changes have they made?”

“None. As expected, all forces have been concentrated in Java. In the north, in Jakarta, Semarang, and Surabaya. In the south, only Yogyakarta is stationed.”

“Semarang? Is it Semarang? Is it Semarang?”

“Please pronounce it however you like. We can both use it.”

The Chief of Staff thought to himself that he was making a fuss about everything.

“Anyway, what people think is the same. They just came together as we thought.”

“The total number of troops is estimated at around 360,000. More reserve forces have been called up than expected. The capital city of Jakarta has the largest number, at around 200,000. The rest are split into groups of tens of thousands and are preparing for defense.”

“I gave you time so that many people could gather.”

“yes…….”

Historically, this would be the first amphibious operation that allowed ample time for the enemy to gather in large numbers.

So when the Chief of Staff answered with a trembling expression, the army general next to him opened his mouth.

It was Brigadier General Koo Bon-soo, the commander of the 101st Independent Armored Brigade.

“Excuse me, President.”

“Oh, General Koo Bon-soo. Speak comfortably.”

“As you know, sir, no matter how superior we are, landing operations are subject to many variables. Furthermore, as you can see from the suffering of the US military during the Pacific War, even if we burn down the coast with superior firepower, if we give the enemy too much time to prepare, we could also be in trouble.”

“Haha! Are you worried about that?”

“Honestly, I’m a little worried. Of course, we’ll win in the end, but I want to reduce the number of casualties if possible.”

“Don’t worry. Do you think I don’t know about the hardships the American soldiers suffered in the Pacific War?”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“Some people keep comparing this to the US Pacific War, but I don’t think that’s right. Why? First, even if I give the Indonesians time to gather, it won’t be much. It won’t even be a month from the time this war is decided. On the other hand, the Japanese? How much did they prepare to defend the islands of the Gilbert and Marshall Islands? They even dragged our Korean laborers to dig holes and build thick concrete forts.”

“… … .”

“But do you think Indonesian kids can do that in a month?”

Absolutely impossible.

“Second, is Java an island, like Tarawa or Saipan, a tiny island? Java is an island that is over 120,000㎢. It is 20,000㎢ bigger than South Korea, where we used to live. Places like Tarawa or Saipan are small islands, so the landing place is obvious, but where on this large island would they build concrete bases and install coastal guns knowing where we would land?”

“okay.”

“Besides, comparing the Japanese military to the Indonesian military is problematic in itself. I don’t mean to criticize the Japanese military, but objectively speaking, they were once the hegemons of East Asia and a country that stood up to the United States. Does it make sense to compare the military of such a country with the military of a country that has only been independent for about 10 years?”

“… … .”

Even Koo Bon-soo thought that comparing the Japanese military in its prime with the Indonesian military was absurd.

“I mean, honestly, I think it’s great that the Indonesian military has established itself to this extent, but objectively speaking, it’s far behind. It’s a country with over 300 ethnic groups. And I think it has over 400 languages? I wonder if it’s even properly integrated. You can’t consider a country like that a strong military.”

“That is correct.”

“And that’s why we gave them as much time as possible to gather. The more Indonesians gather to reject us from the coast, the better it is for us. Think about it. What is our military’s basic war doctrine?”

“Isn’t it about crushing them with overwhelming firepower from as far away as possible and then pushing them back with armored equipment?”

“And what else?”

“We have ordered that street fighting be avoided unless absolutely necessary.”

“Yes, that’s right. I have absolutely no intention of pushing our soldiers into urban or jungle combat while fighting these guys. Jungle combat in particular must be avoided at all costs. It’s their strength and our weakness. Are you crazy? Are you going to fight in the jungle?”

“That’s right.”

“Then we need to lure them to the shore as much as possible and destroy them there. Do you understand? Why did we give them time to gather on the shore?”

“Yes, sir. I understand what you are saying.”

“Yes, I’m not saying that on purpose because I’m known to be a bloodthirsty bastard. I’m really a peace-loving person, you know?”

“… … .”

Few people agreed with that last statement.

“Okay! Then, let’s do a final check. As planned, the 7th Mobile Fleet will attack Jakarta and Semarang? Semarang? Well, anyway, Jakarta and Semarang. Of course, we should assign two mobile units to Jakarta and concentrate the ground combat units. That’s where the final decision will be made.”

A single mobile fleet is composed of three mobile units, and two of them are said to be concentrated in Jakarta.

“And the 9th Mobile Fleet is in charge of Surabaya and Yogyakarta. Here, too, we can focus on attacking Surabaya, where many Indonesian troops are gathered.”

“All right.”

“I’ll remind you one last time, Ground Combat Commanders, keep this in mind. We’re not here to permanently occupy Indonesia, are we? The Navy will provide as much firepower as possible, so you just need to head straight for the target cities. Understood? Don’t even think about engaging in useless urban or jungle fighting. They’re running away? Then leave them alone. The Naval Air Force will wipe out any who enter the jungle with napalm. And don’t even think about taking over the entire city. Just secure the main government buildings.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Then, the landing operation will be conducted at the same time. It will start at 04:00 on September 17th. Do you understand?”

“all right.”

“Ah! Chief of Staff.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Lastly, don’t throw away the flyers you prepared during the day.”

“Are you talking about the flyer?”

“It’s just a flyer or a pamphlet. Anyway, it’s just a leaflet, right?”

“… … .”

Since both “pira” and “chirashi” are Japanese words, “flyer” would be the correct word.

“Air Support Group Commander.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Spray as much as you can. Got it?”

“Yes, we will start the operation at 6 o’clock, which is a little later.”

“Okay, I got it. Okay! I’ll tell you one last thing. Don’t let the kids run wild. People who run the kids around needlessly and end up getting shot by blind bullets won’t be tolerated by me, whether I’m in the Army or Marines. I’ll just throw them in the northernmost part of the Ural Mountains.”

“… … .”

The combat unit commanders all flinched.

The area north of the Ural Mountains is the area most avoided by any member of the military.

It’s a town so cold that if you pee, it freezes right away.

Besides, Kim Jong-woo was a man who had the power to make it happen even if it was the army.

The expedition fleet advanced vigorously toward its respective theater of operations.

And in the 6th period, about 100 C-1 transport planes belonging to the Air Force took off one by one, and their planes were filled with leaflets to be distributed to major cities.

Kim Jong-woo said that he was spraying the weapons on the target cities with a spirit of charity and humanitarianism, but no one believed him.

This was because it was clear that the intention was to create as many refugees as possible to cause chaos and prevent civilians from getting in the way of the advance into the city.

Boooow!

The Indonesian Air Force, which was supposed to intercept the Air Force’s transport aircraft, had been annihilated, so there was no threat even if it entered Indonesian airspace.

“throwing down!”

Following the captain’s instructions, the load master pushed the pile of leaflets out of the rear ramp, and the leaflets began to cover the city like snow.

04:00, September 17, 1959.

Jakarta, the capital of the Republic of Indonesia.

Originally known as Batavia, it was a historic port city that served as the capital of the Dutch East Indies, but was renamed Jakarta Tokubetsu City (Jakarta Special City) after the Japanese occupation.

And since independence, it has become the capital of Indonesia and has seen a rapid population explosion, becoming a metropolis with a population of nearly 3 million.

15km off the coast of Jakarta.

Expeditionary fleet flagship Hong Beom-do.

Kim Jong-woo brought the flagship Hong Beom-do with him to join the 76th and 77th Mobile Forces of the 7th Mobile Fleet.

“Mr. President, it’s time.”

“What about target distribution?”

“Already allocated.”

“All right! All fleets, fire!”

“All fleets fire!”

Kwaaaaang! Boom! Boom!

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

Hong Beom-do and four other heavy cruisers, the Lee Hoe-yeong class (Baltimore class heavy cruisers), began to fire their 8-inch main guns like crazy, and not to be outdone, five Cleveland class light cruisers also fired their 6-inch guns.

Kwaaaaang! Kwaaaaang! Boom! Kwaaaaang!

“Kwaaah!”

“Ahh!”

“Save me!”

“Oh Allah!”

The Indonesian Army, which was assembled to defend Jakarta, numbered about 150,000.

Of these, about 90,000 troops were guarding the coast to deny landings on the northern coast.

The 90,000-strong force was helplessly melted away by the incredible cannon fire.

Kwaaaaang! Kwaang! Kwaang!

The situation was even worse for the Indonesian military, as Jakarta was already a huge port city and there was not much area for them to spread out across the front.

And this resulted in the defenders being unnecessarily densely packed, leaving dozens of men to be killed by a single artillery shell.

It had been less than three weeks since they began constructing defensive positions.

In the meantime, all they could do was build shallow trenches, barbed wire, and drive wooden stakes into the beach.

So, the only thing that could protect them was Allah’s protection.

“Tell the gearing-class units to advance and join the bombardment!”

“all right.”

In about 30 minutes, all coastal guns that could threaten the South Korean fleet were annihilated, so the Gearing-class ships were ordered to advance further to join in the gunfire.

Although the main gun of the Gearing class is small, it is still a twin 5-inch (127mm) gun, and its rate of fire is fast enough to be used as an anti-aircraft gun.

With the addition of ten Gearing-class destroyers, the northern beaches of Jakarta became a veritable hell.

Boom! Boom! KWAANG!

The fleet’s gunfire continued for a full two hours.

“Are you almost done?”

“Those on the northern coast were almost swept away.”

“Okay! Deploy landing forces!”

“yes!”

The LSTs that had been retreating began to advance simultaneously.

“Launch A-1 too! Provide close-in support while the cannons rest!”

“All right.”

Two aircraft carriers were specially deployed for the Jakarta campaign, and A-1 Skyraider attack planes took off simultaneously from these carriers.

Booooooo!

Disaster struck again as the Indonesian military tried to somehow contain the situation during a brief pause in cannon fire.