Republic of Korea in Yeokcheon - Chapter 349



Only Krnovel

#349. One Way Flight

11:00 a.m., July 3, 1966.

The sea off Fuzhou, Republic of China.

Republic of Korea Expeditionary Fleet Flagship CVN-11 Aircraft Carrier Republic of Korea.

“Chief of Staff, have we eliminated everything that could pose a threat to us?”

“Yes, General. The carrier-based aircraft completely neutralized the large-caliber coastal guns and eliminated all Tiangong missiles. Several small vessels that were attempting to lay mines were also detected in advance and the carrier-based aircraft destroyed them with air strikes.”

“What is the enemy ground force’s defense posture?”

“In addition to the original 100,000, an additional 150,000 were added to go to the Hong Kong front, and by scraping together the troops scattered in the north and west, an additional 300,000 were gathered.”

“Huh? Then, the troops guarding Bokju are about 550,000?”

“Yes, 550,000 are completely covered from the eastern part of Fuzhou City to the coast. In addition, 500,000 hastily assembled reserve forces have been deployed to Fuzhou City and the rear, but as you know, they are not a force worth worrying about.”

“Anyway, it’s over a million in total, right?”

“Well, it’s nothing special. The Northern Front is said to have 10 million units?”

“It’s a crazy place over there.”

“ha ha ha!”

Chief of Staff Cho Woo-sang couldn’t hold back laughter when Kim Jong-woo, the most famous person when it comes to crazy things, said that.

“Why are you laughing?”

“no.”

“Is your child useless?”

“… … .”

“What about the enemy ground forces’ 155mm?”

“First, we removed all the 150,000 units that were going to the Hong Kong front. However, the 300,000 units that were added later did not have any 155mm units. They were rushing to get there, so they only brought 105mm units.”

“105mm, what? They’re also part of the M2/M101 series, right? They were originally famous as crappy guns in our country?”

“That’s right. With a range of 11km, they’re not a threat to the fleet. If you use rocket-assisted propellant (RAP), the range can be extended to almost 15km, but they don’t have any right now. In any case, it’s a hassle to take them out one by one with carrier-based aircraft.”

“Leave it alone. We can take it out slowly, or let the landing force do it later.”

“Yes, I plan to do that.”

“Hmm, should we start moving slowly?”

Kim Jong-woo opened his mouth with a mischievous expression on his face.

“What about our Marines in Haenam and Noeju?”

“We have mobilized all of our transport ships and all of the transport ships of the US Pacific Fleet. They are scheduled to arrive in two days, on July 5th and 6th.”

“Okay! Then let’s get moving. Move the destroyers and cruisers forward to a point 10km from the coast and start firing their guns.”

“All right.”

“This is why a country like ours needs cannons, so why on earth did these guys hang themselves on cannons?”

“Shall we ask Lee Wi-shi?”

“Arthur, that’s an insult. You must be dying already, so leave me alone.”

“Hahaha! Okay, I understand.”

July 3rd, 2:00 PM.

All the destroyers, light cruisers, and heavy cruisers of the Republic of Korea Expeditionary Fleet were lined up in a long line from north to south 10km off the coast of Bokju.

and.

“All fleets begin firing!”

“All fleets begin firing!”

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Boom! Boom! Boom!

All 5-inch, 6-inch, and 8-inch guns in the fleet opened fire simultaneously.

Kwaaang! Kwakwang! Kwaaang!

“Kwaaaaak!”

“Ugh!”

“Hey, save me!”

“The shells are raining down like hail!”

“Hold your spot!”

“These flimsy bunkers can’t withstand artillery fire!”

“But I still have to keep my seat… … .”

Kwaaaaang!

The bunker was blown to pieces by an 8-inch, 330-pound, 152-kilogram armor-piercing shell from a naval gun.

The eastern coastal area of ​​Bokju was literally beginning to become a scorched earth.

Boom! Boom! Kwaaaaang!

“Kwaaah!”

“Ugh!”

Fuzhou, the capital of the Republic of China, was in danger of collapse.

July 3rd, 5pm.

Flagship CVN-11 Republic of Korea.

“Keep shooting! Keep shooting!”

“All right.”

“Don’t worry about things like barrel life. The same goes for ammunition. This war is the last of the era of naval guns anyway.”

“But don’t you often have small things to write about?”

“Haha! That’s what happens. And our old destroyers and cruisers? Aren’t they the ones that were built intensively at the end of World War II?”

“Yes.”

“Ten years from now, ten years. By the 1980s, they’ll all be retired. Well, the heavy cruisers might last a little longer. Anyway, when that happens, we’ll be in a world where we only have 127mm 5-inch single-barreled guns like the new ships we build now.”

“I feel a little sad.”

“It’s disappointing. But there’s nothing I can do about it. I can’t go against the flow of the times.”

“okay.”

“Now, it’s the same even for old soldiers like us.”

“Why do you always say ‘we’ in things like this?”

“You’re turning 60 soon, aren’t you? Then you must be a piece of trash.”

“… … .”

The Chief of Staff half-jokingly objected to Kim Jong-woo’s mention of “us,” but he knew that Kim Jong-woo was right.

The era of cannons is now over.

No, actually I went a long time ago.

Because it has already been proven that he went during World War II.

However, given the surrounding environment of South Korea, it must have been dragged here by the scruff of the neck.

Accordingly, there would be no such large-scale amphibious landing operations in the future, and there would naturally be no landing support with gunboats carrying six to nine guns each.

Chief of Staff Cho Woo-sang felt a bit lonely.

* * *

2:00 p.m., July 5, 1966.

40km east of Beijing, the capital of the People’s Republic of China.

Northeast Military Command.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

“Wow! You really are shooting nonstop.”

“It lasts for two and a half days.”

“Damn it! I thought I’d fight those guys.”

“… … .”

Lin Biao has become calm now.

The continuous artillery bombardment by South Korea, with brief pauses, was truly tremendous.

I was curious and amazed at how they could fire for so long and even how they could supply so much ammunition.

Anyway, Lin Biao thought that this war was already lost.

Some cadres talked about the Red Army’s Long March and shouted that the final victor would be the People’s Republic, but that was possible at that time.

Shouldn’t you be fighting after seeing your opponent?

The opponent is South Korea.

The Republic of Korea is a monstrous country that has already launched several satellites capable of reconnaissance of the Earth every month.

But why are you talking about such a grand journey now?

It all seemed futile.

“Commander, isn’t today’s operation somewhat promising?”

“Do you think so?”

“Isn’t it?”

“Well, I can’t just die like this, but, well… … .”

“… … .”

“Anyway, we have to give it a try. The operation will begin at 3 o’clock.”

“All right.”

The name of today’s operation is ‘The Great March’.

It is said that it was named with the intention that someone would miraculously survive like a great journey and light the spark for a counterattack.

For this operation, the front line was held out for only 20 km, even as 1 million of the forward troops were lost over three days.

While 1 million forward troops were sacrificed, 2 million reserve troops were placed between the forward troops and the Northeast Army.

Their goal is only one: to break through the front lines while remaining cannon fodder.

Most of them probably won’t survive.

What the elite Northeastern Army could not do, the reserve forces, who had at best received a few bullets from old rifles like the Arisaka rifle or Mosin-Nagant, would not be able to do.

While the 2 million reservists are being sacrificed as cannon fodder, the key to today’s operation is for the Air Force’s fighter jets and the Northeast Army, which have not been able to take off until now, to break through the front line.

I doubt it will work though.

It’s finally 3 o’clock!

Beep! Beep!

“Charge! Charge!”

“We must break through the front line even if we die!”

“The sacrifice of our comrades will be remembered forever in the Republic.”

“Eww! Charge!”

“Charge!”

And from the air force bases scattered to the west and south of Beijing, MiG-17 and MiG-19 fighters began to take off simultaneously. Today, a whopping 1,300 fighters participated in the operation, and almost all fighters from the northeast participated.

* * *

July 5th, 2:01 PM.

Republic of Korea Northern Command,

“They are advancing!”

“As expected. Aren’t they crazy? Isn’t the life of the reservists not even a life?”

“Is that so?”

Lee Jae-ha and Im Cheol-hwan had already prepared, but they felt sorry for the People’s Liberation Army reserve forces who were charging while holding really old-fashioned rifles.

Because they knew they were giving them as cannon fodder.

What was even more astonishing were the enemy air force fighter jets that began taking off from the west and south of Beijing.

How have those fighters survived until now?

The reason is simple.

This is because the air force base from which they took off was outside the flight range of the Republic of Korea Air Force’s fighter bombers.

Of course, the F-3 bomber could have launched an airstrike, but it was not necessary to go to such lengths to launch one, so it has been able to exist until now.

Here we can find something strange.

Even South Korea’s latest fighter-bombers were too short to conduct air strikes, so how could MiG-17 and MiG-19 fighters with much shorter ranges take off and land?

Common sense tells you this doesn’t make sense.

So there’s only one reason why those fighters can take off.

Those fighters are on a one-way flight right now.

By the time we get over the front lines, there won’t be any fuel left to return.

“It’s unfortunate, but I understand. They had to do something.”

“But as a fellow soldier, this is a bit… … .”

“Okay! Let’s stop being sentimental and start responding! Are you ready?”

“Even if 10 million men come, they won’t be able to break through our lines.”

“Okay! No idle artillery this time! All batteries fire!”

“All batteries begin firing!”

“Enemy fighters will be intercepted first with the Iron Wall 2 anti-aircraft missiles, and the rest will be left to the Air Force!”

“All right!”

Boom! Boom! Kwak bang!

“Charge! Charge!”

Kwaaaaang! Kwaaaaang! Boom!

“Eww!”

“Excuse me, the enemy’s artillery fire is getting several times stronger!”

“T, this can’t be happening! Then, does that mean the bombardment up until now wasn’t at full strength?”

“Hey, have you ever seen such crazy kids!”

“There’s nothing we can do now! If we can’t break through the front line, we’re all going to die anyway! Charge!”

Kwaaaaang! Boom! Boom!

The power of the South Korean artillery, which stopped firing in three shifts and fired simultaneously from all batteries, was truly astounding.

Although a whopping 2 million people rushed toward one point like moths to a flame, it was a foregone conclusion that they would become cannon fodder.

Blood formed a sea and corpses piled up, but the assault continued and the Northern Army’s artillery fire continued.

Having not advanced even a few kilometers, the People’s Liberation Army was now unable to charge forward because of the corpses of their comrades.

Meanwhile, a loud noise began to be heard from the west.

It was the sound of the People’s Liberation Army Air Force, which had been silent until now, coming to break through the front line on a one-way flight at the risk of their lives.

Kuoooooo!