Republic of Korea in Yeokcheon - Chapter 311



Only Krnovel

#311. That much?

The price Israel paid for its greed was dire.

President Kennedy and the UN set a deadline for the disarmament of the Jews in Palestine by 1961.

There is now only a little over a month left.

Prime Minister Ben-Gurion and the entire Israeli leadership flew to Palestine to persuade the uprising forces, but as expected, they remained steadfast.

“We will die in our own land!”

“The Holy Land is here, where on earth do you want us to go?”

This is why religion is scary.

Even among fellow Zionists, the current leaders of Israel are largely atheists, and many are a kind of realistic nationalists based on socialism.

Therefore, although they had a fondness for Palestine and Jerusalem, the intensity of their attachment was different from that of the religious Zionists, and it was regrettable but unavoidable.

Of course, objectively speaking, the fact that the land acquired from Algeria was not bad enough to replace Palestine also played a part.

But religious Zionists who insist on reclaiming Palestine are different.

These people were extreme right-wing nationalists who mixed religious fanaticism with Zionism, which was based on nationalism. Like most right-wing nationalists, they were armed with a strong sense of superiority over the Israeli people, and had an extreme way of thinking that it was okay to expel and kill Arabs and Muslims.

And one of their descendants was Itamar Ben-Gvir, the leader of the Otzar Yehudi Party, who led the far-right shift in Israel in the 2020s and turned the Middle East into a powder keg again, so you can guess their mindset to some extent.

In short, they were at a loss for words.

“Is this really going to happen? The UN, including the US, has sent troops! And they are forcing us to disarm you! Do you know what this means? It means that we could start a civil war among ourselves!”

“Anyone who tries to take guns from us will be considered an enemy! Even you!”

“Ha! Oh my god!”

While trying to persuade these stubborn rebels, time passed and the situation got worse.

Armies from the United States, Britain, France, South Korea, and Europe gathered in Palestine one after another, bearing the UN mark, and even the Palestinian Republic Army of less than 30,000 soldiers began to surround Jewish settlements, including Tel Aviv, with gnashing teeth.

December 15, 1961.

The official residence of the Israeli Prime Minister in New Tel Aviv.

“Kennedy issued an ultimatum: If disarmament did not begin by tomorrow, UN forces and Palestinian forces would intervene.”

“… … .”

“… … .”

At Prime Minister Ben-Gurion’s words, the faces of all the ministers were distorted in a horrible way.

“And they said that if they do it themselves, we will pay the price in blood. At least during Kennedy’s term, there will be no support, and the UN-led economic sanctions will not be lifted.”

“… … .”

“… … .”

It has been less than a year since Kennedy was elected.

His term of office is likely to be at least three years, and at most seven years.

Can Israel survive that time?

Even if support is cut off, I will be able to endure it.

Looking at Kennedy and the US’s reaction now, it seemed that even if they disarmed themselves, there would be no more.

But economic sanctions are a different matter.

For Israel, surrounded by hostile Morocco and Algeria, a halt to overseas trade would have meant the end of the nation.

“Why on earth is Kennedy doing this to us? Why is he putting us in such dire straits? What on earth did we do wrong?”

It seems that they felt incredibly wronged by what they were treated for, considering that they had tried to overthrow another country and take its territory.

As one of the cabinet members vented his anger, similar comments were heard here and there.

“That kid is definitely a Nazi!”

“You damned bastard! Once this is over, we must mobilize all our Jewish power to take revenge! You are the enemy of Jews all over the world!”

“Stop it!”

“… … .”

“I hope you don’t say anything like that outside. And right now, we need to discuss what to do by tomorrow.”

“What are you discussing, David?”

Golda Meir opened her mouth, her eyes bloodshot.

“What choice do we have anyway? There’s only one answer, right?”

“… … .”

“I advise you to order Commander Yitzhak Rabin to start disarming. These are our people. It is better to kill them ourselves.”

“… … .”

“… … .”

It was a brutal statement, but no one could refute it.

“Then, I will give the order to Commander Rabin.”

* * *

-Ravin, I’m sorry to have to entrust you with such a difficult task.

“No, Prime Minister.”

-Please, let the bleeding flow as little as possible.

“All right.”

Commander Itzhak Rabin put down the receiver and covered his face with his hands.

I have just received an order to disarm my own people.

It was practically a battle order, and I had no idea how many brothers’ blood would be shed.

In particular, Rabin was born in Jerusalem and grew up in Tel Aviv, and many of those on the other side who refused to disarm were close to him.

And now we have to point our guns at them.

“Fuck! Call in all the staff!”

December 16, 1961, 9:00 AM.

The Israeli troops who came against their will on transport ships sent by the US military from Israel totaled approximately 30,000 troops in 7 brigades.

The armed uprising forces that have turned Tel Aviv into a fortress and are holding out are estimated to have over 50,000 troops.

Although the number of troops was small, the quality of the soldiers and their state of armament were incomparable.

So Itzhak Rabin never even thought about losing.

But they are brothers.

There were quite a few people he knew, as well as reservists who had served under him and joined him after being discharged.

Rabin sighed and picked up the phone.

Finally, I tried to persuade him somehow.

“Commander Rabin. This is the last time. Please disarm! Please!”

-If they try to take our guns away, we’ll have to be prepared to fight.

“So what I’m saying is, disarm! Do we really have to shed blood among our own kind?”

-I fully understand Commander Rabin’s position.

“then?”

―But this must also be Yahweh’s will, so we will not avoid it.

“Hey you! You idiot! You’re going to die! Even if we don’t, the UN and Palestinian forces are surrounding you! Why are you trying to kill yourself?”

―Haha! I told you. Is this also Yahweh’s will? We will die happily. If we are going to die, it would not be bad to die by the hands of our own people. Oh, it will not be easy. This Tel Aviv has already become Masada. Well, let’s meet on the battlefield.

“Hey! Hey!”

―… … .

The other party cut off the wired communication.

Any persuasion would be meaningless now.

Rabin closed his eyes for a while and then opened them.

“All troops! Enter Tel Aviv as per the plan! Put yourselves in front of the armored vehicles and shoot anyone who resists!”

―… … .

―… … .

No one answered the radio.

That’s because this operation is a nightmare for the Israeli forces that are suppressing it.

“I fully understand your feelings. But! If we do not suppress them, our homeland will be in danger. Do you understand? They are our own people, but they are enemies! Each of you must cherish your own lives and those of your men!”

―… … .

“This is street fighting! This is the worst street fighting in the labyrinthine city of Tel Aviv! The moment you let your guard down, you and your men will be in danger! Those with guns are our enemies! Remember!”

-All right.

-yes.

―… … .

These are the subordinates who are finally answering.

“Advance!”

Kurrururur!

Israeli brigades surrounding Tel Aviv began to advance slowly, riding on American-provided M3 half-track armored vehicles and the like.

Although it may be able to defend against small arms fire, it’s still better than nothing.

In preparation for urban warfare, an iron plate was added to the upper part.

Even though the suppression force approached within 100 meters of the barrier set up by the rebels, no attacks occurred on either side.

This was because they hesitated to shoot first due to the burden of killing each other’s own kind.

But that also had its limits.

When the armored vehicle approached to within 50 meters of the barrier.

Tata tata tang!

The rebels began firing.

“100 million!”

“Ugh!”

The suppression force suffered its first casualty.

Then the suppression force also began to fire back.

Tata tang! Tata tata tata!

“Ugh!”

“Ugh!”

“Fire 90mm at the barrier!”

bang!

The French 90mm gun mounted on the M3 halftrack opened fire.

Boom!

“Ugh!”

“The barrier has been breached! Advance!”

The battle that began like this did not end until just before Christmas, with enormous casualties on both sides.

At first, they hesitated to shoot each other because of the burden of being compatriots, but that was only the first time.

Watch your comrades die next to you and see bullets flying over your head.

cognation?

That’s a problem for later.

When a comrade who was like a brother dies or is injured and starts bleeding, the distinction between comrade and comrade disappears.

The opponent is just an enemy that I have to kill.

This is why fratricide is called a tragedy.

Besides, this battle is the worst urban fighting.

Even without that, urban combat is something that ground forces commanders want to avoid if possible.

But this street fighting had the worst conditions of all the street fighting.

The city of Tel Aviv was like a maze, with narrow, winding roads and booby traps and snipers positioned everywhere by the rebels.

Moreover, when armored vehicles were put in front, firebombs were thrown from buildings, and since the insurgents themselves were not regular troops, it was difficult to distinguish them from civilians.

As the battle continued, not only the number of troops on both sides but also the number of civilian casualties increased exponentially.

December 25, 1961.

It’s Christmas.

In Christianity, it is the second biggest holiday after Easter.

But it means nothing to Jews.

Coincidentally, the gunfire stopped on Christmas Day.

The battle ended when the rebel command resisted to the last man and was killed.

And as expected from the worst urban warfare, there were massive casualties on both sides, and the civilian casualties were no joke.

“Ugh!”

“Hey, save me!”

“Medic! Medic!”

The battle was over, but hell still raged.

“Kuuuuuuu!”

Even Yitzhak Rabin, known for having a heart of steel, had to shed tears of blood over this tragedy.

Oh my god, what a tragedy this is!

“Commander! We are severely short on medical personnel and supplies!”

“If this continues, all the injured people will die!”

“Rain, damn it!”

It was only natural that the new Israeli army did not have enough medical personnel and supplies.

No, there were too many casualties before that.

“Excuse me, would you like to request help from the UN forces… .”

“Okay, call for help! No, if you need it, I’ll go myself!”

That was when.

An Asian man wearing a military uniform with a UN mark attached entered the command center.

“Who, who?”

“I am Major General Lee Jong-do, Commander of the Republic of Korea UN Peacekeeping Force.”

“Ah! But what brings you here?”

“I understand that there are a lot of casualties. We have brought enough medical personnel, so please let us go.”

“Oh! Really?”

“I am a soldier representing the Republic of Korea. I don’t talk nonsense.”

“Oh, thank you.”

What kind of savior is this?

It’s a situation where we need to borrow a cat’s paw, but the UN troops dispatched by the Republic of Korea have brought a generous amount of medical staff.

It was definitely God’s help.

however.

Booooooo!

When Commander Rabin went outside, he was terrified to see soldiers who looked like a battalion’s worth of troops rushing towards him.

“What, what! Didn’t you say it was a medical history?”

“This is your medical history.”

“yes?”

“They are all medical personnel.”

“That much?”

“I knew something like this would happen, so I brought an entire corps of medical personnel here.”

“… … .”

“There is plenty of medical supplies, so you don’t have to worry anymore.”

“Khuuuhk! Thank you! Thank you!”

Lee Kang-cheol predicted that this situation would develop, and airlifted not just a few medical troops, but a large number of medical personnel and supplies.

Although it was a naive idea to avoid being blamed by anyone for sending troops later, it ended up being a lasting favor to Israel.