Republic of Korea in Yeokcheon - Chapter 45



Only Krnovel

#45. The largest naval battle in human history

September 8, 1944, 3 p.m.

Government General Building Expeditionary Force Headquarters.

“This is a report from the 2nd Brigade Commander. It is said that the Japanese army that came down this time was centered around the 9th and 23rd divisions, and attached two artillery regiments and several independent artillery battalions.”

“So you’re saying we came down knowing that our artillery was superior?”

“I guess so. Even so, you were too far away to get close to me.”

“ha ha ha! Are you too close to me? “That makes sense.”

“Hehehe! Since they drew a line and started the battle at 15km, they must have assumed that we had the M1 155mm howitzer. Well, it’s not even close to the range of our self-propelled guns.”

“Do you have a criminal record?”

“According to their data, a total of 41,500 people gathered.”

“As expected, the regular divisions of this era have a lot of troops.”

“Originally, it was supposed to be an organization of 25,000 people. At least I was given a lot even though it was taken away here and there. Still, the two divisions combined number more than 30,000. Anyway, out of the 41,500 people, it is said that about 18,300 died, about 7,700 were injured, and about 15,000 were captured with all limbs intact.”

“Now we can finally get the ratio right.”

“Yes, the command came to the front and collapsed early on, so there were no restrictions on the Japanese army surrendering.”

“What about the division commander?”

“They say they both were taken prisoner.”

“Hoo? “Without doing seppuku this time?”

“I guess there was no time for that.”

“Anyway, I’m glad I didn’t end up like that. I don’t know why they cut open my stomach. “If you really wanted to die, would you put a bullet in her head?”

“Who isn’t?”

For Lee Kang-cheol, what is the Japanese military’s culture of seppuku? It was such a crazy thing that I couldn’t understand it.

Although military commanders have taken responsibility for defeat and voluntarily committed suicide in many cultures, both East and West, it is difficult to find examples of this painful and cruel method of slitting the stomach and slitting the throat from behind.

“Anyway, thanks to you, His Majesty the Emperor’s gift is a good one this time. More than 30,000 Arisaka rifles, hundreds of Type 96 and Type 99 light machine guns, and hundreds of Type 96 howitzers and Type 94 mountain guns were captured.”

“Should I do it at least halfway?”

“Hehehe! Please bear with me. Anyway, the harvest is delicious. “Rifles are now rifles, but towed guns alone will be of great help.”

“The range of the Type 96 howitzer is so high that it is uncertain, but the Type 94 scatter gun is not bad even by modern standards.”

“you’re right. The name is a 75mm towed gun, but it weighs only 544kg and is easy to disassemble. Sanpo, as the name suggests, has the best mobility. “I think it will be of great help if we later receive vehicles from the U.S. and combine them for use.”

“How many guns have you captured so far?”

“There are over 500 questions in total.”

“If we are not careful, this will become our main artillery.”

“ha ha ha!”

“ha ha ha!”

The Emperor’s gifts were always welcome.

* * *

Late evening, September 13, 1944.

Chongqing, China.

“Something strange happened today.”

“What happened?”

Two old men were having a conversation in a small but neatly organized room.

“Today, feeling very frustrated, I stopped by the Presidential Office, where I heard that our country may have been liberated.”

“hmm? “It is certain that trouble has occurred in our country recently, but liberation came out of nowhere?”

Since July, all communication networks leading to the Korean Peninsula have been inoperable.

Out of frustration, I met Chiang Kai-shek in person and asked him several times, but even in China he seemed to have no understanding of the English language, so my anxiety only grew.

But suddenly liberation?

“Today, as I was coming out of the Ministry of Chungcheong Province without much success, I met a person I knew from the U.S. Embassy in China.”

“So?”

“Oh, well, why don’t you just come up to me and say hello out of the blue?”

“You mean the person at the American embassy?”

“Yes, you know, do the American kids bother us?”

“Ugh! “That’s right.”

This was also a sorrow without a country, but I always had to bow my head in order to receive help.

If I could have gotten anything that way, I would have had to bow my head a thousand times.

However, even if you do that, the United States until now has not been very welcoming.

“So what shall I say?”

“I just shook his hand and asked him what he was up to these days.”

“No way?”

“So, when I asked why he was suddenly treating me so kindly, he smiled and said that Korea is an ally of the United States.”

“What kind of stupid thing is that? Suddenly we are allies of the United States? “Those guys first?”

“I was so embarrassed that I couldn’t continue speaking, but I politely asked again. “I wonder what’s going on.”

“So what?”

“I don’t know the exact situation myself, and even if I did know, I couldn’t tell you right now, but I heard that Special Envoy Patrick Hurley came a few days ago and brought instructions from Washington. “When you see Koreans, you must always treat them with respect as citizens of an ally.”

“yes? “What does that mean?”

“So I lost face and hung on. What on earth happened to our country? “At first, he stubbornly said he didn’t know, but as I continued to hold on to him, he looked around and said just one thing.”

“Well, what did you say?”

“They said the Korean Peninsula is already beyond Japan’s control.”

“Oh oh! “That can’t be possible!”

The old man’s eyes trembled as if an earthquake had occurred.

“Is that really true? “No, how?”

“He shut up and said he didn’t know any more.”

“Huh! “Is this something frustrating?”

“Then he said that if you just wait a little longer, good things will happen. He also told us to come to the U.S. Embassy in China at any time if we needed anything, and that Special Envoy Hurley would meet with us soon.”

“What on earth is going on…?”

“Isn’t this a hopeful thing for us?”

“That’s true, but I don’t really understand the meaning. “Would Woonam be Roosevelt?”

“That’s not it. “I asked him just in case, and he frowned and said it didn’t matter at all.”

“Hmm…”

“Anyway, let’s wait a little bit. That’s my hunch, our country’s liberation is definitely not far away.”

“How great would it be if that were really the case? “If that day really comes…”

The old man had to hold his hands under the table to calm his turbulent mind.

October 14, 1944, 4 p.m.

Government General Expeditionary Force Command Command and Control Room.

“That’s huge! “The U.S. military is really crazy!”

“So the 38th Mobile Fleet commander’s name isn’t crazy?”

“Are you crazy? “You call that a joke?”

“…”

Lee Kang-cheol and Go Seok-man were making absurd jokes while watching the Formosa air battle transmitted in real time by Albatross.

“Anyway, it’s amazing, it’s amazing. “I guess we can say that Japan’s aerial power in this area has virtually come to an end today?”

“Well, the Formosa air battle will continue for a few more days, but today is actually the highlight. With this, the U.S. military clearly possesses air superiority over the Philippines.”

The air battle of Formosa was an operation to wipe out Japanese aviation forces in Taiwan and the Ryukyu Islands near the Philippines ahead of the US military’s landing operation to recapture the Philippines.

Therefore, the name of the air battle was Formosa, the Spanish name for Taiwan. In this operation, the U.S. Navy mobilized a total of 1,300 aircraft, mainly the 38th Mobile Fleet led by Admiral Mark Micher under the 3rd Fleet, to attack Japan’s Taiwan. and destroyed Japanese aviation forces in the Ryukyu Islands area.

In just three days of operations from October 12th to today, October 14th, the Japanese lost as many as 500 aircraft, and the US lost 89 aircraft.

In effect, Japanese aircraft power in the south was wiped out.

“So, is the Battle of Leyte Gulf about to begin now? “Is this exciting?”

“Hehehe! Same goes for me. “You’re watching a live broadcast of the greatest naval battle in history?”

“How do you feel? “You did well to listen to me and follow me, right?”

“Of course, hahaha!”

“ha ha ha!”

The Battle of Leyte Gulf!

It is the largest naval battle not only in World War II but also in human history.

The total displacement of ships mobilized by the U.S. military and Japan is a whopping 2.5 million tons.

A naval battle of this scale would never happen again.

“Are you ready?”

“of course. “The training of the operators has been completed, and two additional Albatross have been temporarily deployed in the skies near the Philippines, just in case.”

“What about communication security?”

“In this era, not only the Japanese soldiers but anyone else will not be able to break our communications. “Frequency Hopping technology is now in the research and development stage.”

“But just in case, check further.”

“All right. “Then when do you plan to start communicating with the U.S. military fleet?”

“What do you think?”

“Navy Chief Kim Jong-woo said that moving to October 20th is appropriate. It is said that this will give the submarines enough time to move to the ambush position.”

“Then let’s do it. “Tell President Kim Jong-woo to take command directly.”

“Okay, I’m going crazy.”

“I think it would be like that too, right? “As a naval officer, it’s like commanding the largest naval battle in human history.”

“And that bull horse, too. ha ha ha!”

“ha ha ha!”

October 20, 1944, 3 PM Manila time.

Battleship New Jersey, flagship of the U.S. Navy’s 3rd Fleet.

Admiral William Halsey, commander of the 3rd Fleet, was not in a good mood.

This is because of the incomprehensible instructions given by Admiral Nimitz of the Pacific Fleet Command.

“Damn it! What on earth is Nimitz thinking! “The entire fleet and ground forces are under the direction and control of unknown people!”

“That’s right. “I just can’t understand this.”

“you’re right. This doesn’t make sense. “Not only do we not know who they are, but they are giving instructions via voicemail to tell us what to do with wiretapping the Japanese military?”

The staff of the 3rd Fleet also stood up in excitement.

An instruction was suddenly sent to all the U.S. Navy and Army that participated in the war to recapture the Philippines.

In the future, before the Philippines is recaptured, a place called Korea One will provide information on the location of all Japanese troops, so it was an exciting message to follow their instructions.

As a result, not only the 3rd Fleet, but also the 7th Fleet and even MacArthur came forward to confirm the truth, and the order was clear.

This order was confirmed to have come from Roosevelt, the supreme commander of the U.S. military.

They even followed with additional instructions that anyone who violates this order, regardless of rank, will be removed from their position and sent to court-martial.

This was clearly aimed at MacArthur as well as hot-headed admirals like Halsey.

“Could it be that Nimitz and Washington went crazy as a group?”

“Commander, those words are a bit…”

This is a very dangerous statement.

However, Admiral Halsey paid no heed to this and continued to open his mouth.

“Otherwise, does this make sense? “Who on earth is Korea One?”

“To be exact, the navy is Admiral Lee, and the army is Gwanggaeto the Great.”

“No, who on earth is that?!”

“Korea is the country next to Japan. “The cause is currently unknown, but it is known to have escaped Japanese control on its own.”

“Are you saying we should be controlled by such a new country?”

“It’s not so much control, but if you give me location information, I told you to negotiate accordingly and carry out the operation, right?”

“Isn’t that what it is!”

It was when Halsey was in the middle of yelling.

“Commander! “There is a communication coming in from Korea One!”

“Turn this way!”

Soon, an unfamiliar voice came through the speaker.

– This is Korea One! This is Korea One! If you hear a bull, please come out.

“Puuup!”

“Whoop!”

The staff had to desperately suppress their laughter at the sudden bullshit.

And Halsey glared at those advisors and opened his mouth.

“This is bull! The bull came out! Are you Admiral Lee?”

– yes? I’m Admiral Kim, right?

“…”

“…”

The venue became quiet due to the somewhat indifferent response.