Joseon Needs a Coup - Chapter 278
Only Noblemtl
#278. Matryoshka (4)
“The 3rd Battalion of the 6th Brigade encountered enemy cavalry and repelled them after a fierce battle.”
“The 35th, 36th, and 16th Artillery Battalions are ready to fire. Awaiting orders.”
“The enemy must now be aware of our presence. Tell the batteries to begin firing immediately.”
I watched the enemy cavalry being driven away through my telescope and made a gesture.
The brigades of the Guards Division had not yet found their proper positions, but that was a problem that could be solved if enough time was given.
The enemies of Sachang-ri were already seen to be unsettled.
Their own cavalry regiment, which was supposed to slaughter the retreating enemies, was unable to exert much force and instead was running away, crushed by the enemy’s fire.
“Fire, blast!”
As soon as the battery commanders heard the red flags fluttering vigorously, the gunners let go of their strings.
Boom! Kwaaang!
Fifty-four 75mm field guns opened fire simultaneously with a loud noise.
Although it was not as precise as modern TOT shooting, also known as simultaneous impact shooting, which calculates the timing and point of impact precisely to blow up an area, it was at least possible to operate in a similar manner.
The 16th Artillery Battalion, located at the highest area, aimed at the enemy with a low-angle shot (a low angle between the gun and the ground surface), which was almost direct, while the 35th and 36th Artillery Battalions, located in relatively flat areas with good camouflage, aimed at the enemy with a high-angle shot (a high angle between the gun and the ground surface) and aimed so that their shells would hit the enemy as simultaneously as possible.
Of course, to achieve true simultaneous fire, you would need much more precise fire control equipment, advanced field guns, and automatic loading devices than what we have now, so it can’t be helped given the times, but what I saw with my own eyes was more than enough to shock and terrify the enemy.
It would be safe to say that it was much more intense than the sight of our battalion’s entire self-propelled artillery firing a volley at a shooting range a long time ago.
“Oh… what a magnificent sight….”
The staff watched the shells land through their telescopes, and it felt like they were witnessing a sacred scene.
Well, it made sense, since a large-scale bombing that was difficult to perform even in a training session to show off to higher-ups was happening right before our eyes.
If the Emperor were here, he might have to change his trousers.
“These are the elite artillerymen who will determine the direction of the battlefield and the course of the future war.”
I said to Posh, who was admiring me from the side.
“Colonel Foch, if the next war should break out in Europe, the artillery of the French Republic will surely go down in history.”
54 shells exploded over the enemy’s heads without giving them even a moment to breathe.
Enemies are blown away like toys by the tyranny without even having time to react, have their limbs torn off by shrapnel exploding above their heads, or are simply vaporized.
Such a powerful preparatory bombardment just before an attack inflicted enormous damage and shock on unprepared enemies.
“Since they are artillerymen that we personally trained, it is okay to have that kind of pride. By the way, I thought they knew how to strike a line, but their artillery strikes at points are impressive.”
“The basic rule is to use firepower to break through at one point. Oh, we’re going to be bombarding for about an hour. You can watch as much as you want during that time.”
Of course, the longer the bombardment lasted, the greater the risk of being exposed to enemy artillery fire, and there was also the possibility that they would find their own countermeasures, so it was difficult to proceed any further.
It’s not like the ammunition just pops out if you dig the ground.
“Is this really what you would see in an oriental war?”
Pershing, unable to hide his astonishment, put down his telescope and spoke to me.
As the snow on the observation post I had prepared in advance began to fall little by little on my clothes due to the vibrations from the gunfire and the batteries, I brushed it away with my hand and said.
“There is no need to divide the use of artillery into East and West, Captain Pershing.”
“But I have never seen an example of such a high level of artillery operation and concentrated firepower in practice, even in Europe…”
“You will see a lot of it now.”
I was sure I would see it in ten years.
Compared to the hurricane bombardment carried out by the German army, or the trench line breach accompanied by the Allied army’s incredible large-scale artillery bombardment, this was still in its infancy.
“The 6th Brigade is ready to attack.”
“Starting with the lead battalion, prepare for an infiltration maneuver, and tell them to mercilessly crush those Japanese bastards who are not coming to their senses in Sachang-ri. Then tell the artillery to receive ammunition and fire on the next target.”
“If the movement is disrupted, the 6th Brigade’s advance route may be exposed to friendly artillery fire. Is that okay?”
“It doesn’t matter. By then, the artillery will have fallen on the center of the town, and our forces will be fighting in the southern part of Sachang-ri. I would like to remind you that the battle currently underway has been coordinated.”
Of course, that doesn’t mean there are no variables, but even if it means risking it, we had to shake up the enemies so they couldn’t hold out in Sachang-ri.
***
“The friendly fire is over! We have been longing for battle for too long! Just as our compatriots shed their blood in Samnam, from this moment on, let us shed the same blood on our enemies! Advance forward!”
With a brief speech from the brigade commander, two battalions of the 6th Brigade, divided into company-level units from the south of Sachang-ri, slowly advanced toward the starting line of the attack.
At first glance, it may seem similar to the battles fought by the Japanese army’s mountain barracks, but at least those knowledgeable about the military can see that there are significant differences in many aspects.
Unlike the Japanese army’s tactical actions of forming ranks, albeit slightly thinner than the line infantry, the ROK 6th Brigade appeared to be in disarray and barely maintaining its ranks.
At least to those who commanded battalion-level units at the time, they appeared to be a completely untrained rabble.
But their movements were quick and accurate.
Well-trained officers and instructors guided the soldiers properly, and they were not afraid even when artillery fire was falling nearby.
***
“It looks like a sloppy infantry maneuver, but it seems like there’s no problem in actually charging to the front line. Your infantry is really well-trained.”
Concealment and concealment were the basis of infantry movement, and preemptive artillery fire also served to create a smokescreen for such friendly forces’ intentions to maneuver, so it worked well.
It was also because the artillery fire was so concentrated that it was difficult to even properly observe the infantry moving between the mountains.
“I think infantry like this would be able to fight against any army without any problems.”
I added to Pershing’s remark.
“That’s because even a single soldier in our Korean military has the strong determination to decide the direction of the battle. Rather than sticking to the existing dense formations and linear tactics, I thought it was more important to actively use concealment and concealment to avoid revealing the enemy’s attack intentions as much as possible.”
Meanwhile, the machine-gun teams were setting up firing positions, and the infantry were hiding in the ridges, pulling out their grenade launchers and waiting for the scheduled time for the friendly artillery to cease fire.
“It’ll be noon soon.”
As the hour, minute, and second hands reached exactly 12 o’clock, the sound of artillery fire, which had only moments ago sounded as if the world was going to end, stopped.
The last shot, at 11:59:50, landed and exploded, and a deathly silence fell over the battlefield, save for the noise.
When the shelling suddenly stopped, the Japanese soldiers in Sachang-ri crawled out from their hiding places and tried to assess the situation.
While officers and non-commissioned officers were ordering the dead and injured to be quickly collected, some were frantically digging the ground with shovels, pretending to build a defensive line.
They seemed to have thought the storm had passed and were hurriedly preparing for the next one, but unfortunately, the storm did not end.
They were caught utterly in the eye of the storm, and the brief respite they were given was only to coincide with the preparations of their infantry to attack.
A red flare suddenly split the air, and while the Japanese soldiers at Sachang-ri looked on in fear, two battalions of the 6th Brigade began to advance toward the southern outskirts of Sachang-ri.
Areas where there were no barbed wire or obstacles were quickly broken through, and the battlefield where the sound of gunfire had disappeared was once again filled with the sounds of gunfire and explosions.
“The platoons of the 1st Battalion of the 6th Brigade are moving too far to the left. They may lose their advance route if they continue like that, so I told them to adjust so that they do not cross the battle line with the 2nd Battalion.”
“Yes, sir!”
“And tell the 2nd Battalion to advance the machine gun team more actively and press the enemy’s lines without giving them a chance to breathe. The machine gun team’s current position is good, but if you look closely at the front line, the enemy is using blind spots to defend. Tell them not to give those damned Japanese any chance.”
From the observatory, I took a dozen or so messengers with me and watched each and every battle.
Although the Japanese outnumbered our forces at the front by more than twice, it was we who were accustomed to this place, not them.
In other words, the main characters in this battlefield are us, not them.
Before the enemy could advance in earnest, I broke the Japanese army’s ranks with a surprise attack.
A relatively small number of troops were mobilized for the offensive.
Even so, only two battalions were mobilized to the front line.
However, it seemed that the Japanese army’s confusion was palpable even here, as they poured in a considerable number of troops at a point and time that the enemy had not expected.
The formation of Sachang-ri, surrounded by mountains on all sides, was extremely advantageous for the attacker.
The undulating, mountainous terrain allowed for sustained concentrated attacks on specific areas, and placed constraints on the ability of the enemy, no matter how many troops he had, to provide timely support.
I was able to take advantage of this by having one battalion hit a defensive line with one enemy company, and one company hit a defensive line with one enemy platoon.
If it had been the Hamheung Plains or if the full-scale fighting had been conducted in Pyongyang, tactics that would have been impossible were possible in this rugged mountainous terrain.
“···How can we prevent these attacks?”
“I am not a bad teacher, so I always make an answer sheet for my students to refer to. Now, here is the problem, Colonel Foch. And Captain Pershing. How would you have handled it?”
“Well, I am worried, but I think the only solution is to quickly call in the artillery and bombard the rear areas where friendly and enemy forces are in contact, and then deploy the available reserves and gradually use them up.”
“If I were you, I would retreat. This fight is already half lost.”
“Both of you are correct.”
Both were very standard answer sheets.
To deal with these attacks, very heavy artillery fire was needed, as well as infantry rifles, machine guns and grenades.
It was necessary to block the enemy’s attack columns and reinforcement routes with artillery fire to prevent continued reinforcement of troops, and then to crush the enemy’s waves advancing from the strong defensive line.
Otherwise, when there was absolutely no chance of winning, retreat was the right answer.
There is no reason to fight the enemy while taking damage, so you can regroup and attack again.
“But the Japanese army knows this answer sheet, but they can’t use it. They lack artillery, and our attacks are so persistent. Besides… the enemy’s fighting spirit is too bright to retreat. They would rather die than retreat cowardly.”
I smiled and picked up the telescope again.
Looking at the front line with my own eyes, I saw Japanese companies collapsing in the temporary defense line in the southern area of Sachang-ri, where the attack had just taken place.