Joseon Needs a Coup - Chapter 363



Only Noblemtl

#2-19. The root of the new War (2)

In the past, field guns and ammunition carts were transported by military horses, but the 105mm guns were not of a weight class that could do so. There were cases where the North Korean army tried to transport 122mm field guns by military horses instead of the insufficient number of trucks, but all of them collapsed and died, and eventually they had to flee, abandoning the field guns.

In order to properly haul 105mm or higher field artillery, trucks manufactured overseas were needed. Naturally, vehicles were desperately needed not only for repair parts for field artillery but also for transporting shells. If a truck can carry 250 rounds of 75mm high explosives, it can carry about 120 rounds of 105mm high explosives, and about 60 rounds of 155mm high explosives.

“Let me pose a simple question here. How many vehicles do you think it would take to move a 105mm artillery battalion right now?”

“Well… … . It’s not a carriage, it’s a vehicle… I don’t really get the feel of it. Wouldn’t about 20 to 30 vehicles be enough? Combined with the 18 field guns, which is the full size of an artillery battalion, and an ammunition transport vehicle… … .”

“You’re wrong.”

I said to Manager Park Seung-hwan with a hollow laugh.

“Excluding artillery transport vehicles, we need 50 vehicles dedicated to transporting ammunition and supplies.”

“yes?”

“It’s not a joke that 60-70% of the trucks owned by the Quartermaster Command need to be mobilized to move one independent heavy artillery regiment under the direct control of the Artillery Command. It’s true.”

In fact, even those 50s are barely the minimum number that can be operated. Even then, we have to take into account the fact that this was the standard for the Korean artillery battalion, which had far fewer deployed vehicles than the US military during the Korean War.

Considering that we are currently operating vehicles that are inferior to those of that time in terms of mobility, load capacity, fuel efficiency, and other aspects, such as the US military’s two-ton and three-quarter tanks, we needed more vehicles to actually operate them.

Perhaps because of this, the Artillery Command had a policy of assigning around 70 trucks to the 105mm field artillery battalion, and considering that there would be operations in the northern region with many rough terrains, it was recommending securing more reserve vehicles.

That is, I was of the opinion that we should take a little more time to change the artillery system. In any case, by the time World War I ended, we would certainly have achieved great economic development, and I had to believe that the automobile industry would develop rapidly.

And if relatively cost-effective vehicles produced there are selected, it may be possible to effectively solve the natural replacement of artillery systems, strengthening of transport power, and additionally the problem of civilian vehicles.

“105mm field gun… Everything is good, good. Its power is unparalleled, and it can finish with one shot what 75mm six-shot can do. But that’s not the case now. To put it another way, rather than bringing in a 105mm field gun whose doctrine and system haven’t been finalized yet and using it inefficiently, it’s much more economical to finish it off with 75mm six-shot.”

In the first place, since the volume itself was different, we had to consider all the changes in terms of military supply from A to Z, so it was a headache. Furthermore, our opponent was not Germany with 3,000 heavy guns, nor was our situation the French army that had to block the German Empire army with 600 guns.

There was no pressing need for us to deal with the Japanese, who were trying to gain an immediate tactical advantage by following what they had learned from us in the previous war, and with warlords whose fighting power was greatly lacking, by putting large numbers of infantry instead of artillery as the main characters on the battlefield.

It was a problem that could be solved by gradually replacing them one by one while maintaining the artillery power that still had the upper hand.

“And 105mm is too much firepower for the enemies we will mainly face. 105mm or more firepower should be used when attacking fortresses or strong defense lines like in the last Far East War, but we should keep in mind that Jangjakrim’s army is far from that.”

I continued my explanation with a smile.

“Although Jangjakrim’s army receives support from the Japanese military advisory group, it has not forgotten its roots.”

“If it’s the root… … ?”

“They haven’t been able to escape the basics of being a bandit group. The enemy has the ability to quickly trample on our borders and the entire South Manchuria region, but this means that they haven’t been able to build a fortress or defensive line to secure their territory.”

Manager Park Seung-hwan listened to my story as if he found it quite interesting.

“In that situation, the enemy ended up wearing clothes that didn’t fit them. It was a Japanese military formation.”

“Because it is organized in the style of the Japanese military, some in the Marshal’s Office view it as a threat.”

“Of course, it will be so someday. But not right now. If you just follow the formation and don’t prepare the detailed formation at all, you’ll just be a walking target.”

As mentioned earlier, the Japanese military’s doctrine was different from ours in that it focused on infantry rather than artillery, and accordingly, the size of the infantry battalion was kept large. It was understandable, because the only factor that overwhelmed us was the mobilization power based on a population that was nearly twice as large, and the number of combat troops that could be mobilized from the infantry battalion was the most obvious tactical demonstration of this.

This could be said to be an improved version of the attempt by our army, which once had a severe shortage of field troops, to temporarily gain a tactical advantage in a single unit by increasing the size of combat troops instead of support troops compared to the Japanese army’s battalion composition.

Compared to our military, which is trying to reduce the size of one infantry battalion from 800 to about 600, they are trying to increase the size of one infantry battalion from 800 to around 1,000. If anything, it could be seen as going backwards.

It was almost like trying to match the number of personnel to the Russian Imperial Army. The more infantry there were, the more they could compensate for the lack of machine gun firepower from the front, and they could secure a reserve force in the infantry fight to try to maneuver to the flank.

However, the Japanese army was making a huge mistake, as the commander of the Marshal’s Office, Lee Gap, said. The means of gaining a tactical advantage over friendly infantry units, which had given them a great shock in the previous war, had been used to the detriment of the purpose, and they had forgotten or were trying to ignore the fact that the paradigm of ground warfare was already changing.

In the end, the firepower of the reinforced artillery was enough to overwhelm the infantry, and the size of the enemy’s infantry battalion, which had become bloated, was nothing more than a walking target, as mentioned earlier. When the troops were densely packed and faced with firepower that overwhelmed them, it was easy for abnormal confusion and unnecessary losses to occur, ultimately leading to the collapse of the front line.

“Their and our doctrinal developments have the same desired results, but their branches are completely opposite. They want to replace their firepower with manpower, but we are trying to make up for the lack of manpower with firepower because the area we have to defend has expanded compared to manpower. Have you tried rock-paper-scissors?”

“I saw what little kids did.”

“War has aspects like rock-paper-scissors. When you don’t know what the other side will do, you have to take everything into account, but they are only focused on one thing.”

It was like playing rock-paper-scissors and putting only one pair of scissors in hopes of a stroke of luck. The Japanese army was showing signs of overcoming the situation by adding their own unique ‘spiritualism’, but the army under Jang Jak-rim was going a little differently.

“However, the Japanese army’s fighting spirit itself is quite strong. Whether it’s because of their hatred and hostility toward us, or because of their national delusion of persecution, the infantry’s fighting spirit is… at a level we cannot ignore. However, can Jang Jag-rim’s men, who are only focused on murder, arson, and looting on our territory, really deal with friendly firepower?”

“hmm…….”

“In that sense, the 75mm, which can fire shrapnel shells that are much more effective at killing enemy soldiers and horses than the 105mm artillery, might be much better. And the rate of fire is also like that. Against those who have continued to pour out firepower while clumsily imitating the Japanese army and only greatly increasing the size of their infantry battalions.”

For a brief moment, perhaps recalling the time when I was teaching at the newly established Staff College, Deputy Chief Park Seung-hwan and the other staff members nodded their heads while listening to my story.

“Hmm, now that I hear it, what the director said seems to be true. But still, the 105mm’s superb firepower is lacking. It was quite impressive during the last demonstration firing. But… how does the director know all that?”

“Well… if you’re interested, you can learn everything. Remember the saying that if you know yourself, you’ll win every battle.”

“… That’s easier said than done. Not everyone can do things like a director.”

“Even if it’s difficult, you should try to follow along. That way, you can find a better method in real situations and win with fewer losses.”

I looked forward with a smirk. Of course, behind these words, there was also a slightly sad story about our country. Instead of expanding our forces through large-scale conscription, which was a cheap way to deal with the Japanese army’s lack of resources, there was a reason why we had to reorganize our firepower centered on artillery, which cost a lot of money.

“Ultimately, the alpha and omega of war for us is… the firepower provided by artillery.”

The mobilization of our working-age population was too critical to counter the Japanese military’s strategy of inducing a damned two-front war. The memories of the last war, when, despite our lack of economic development, we had to mobilize not only all men but also women because that was not enough, were not very pleasant.

In the end, it seemed that both we and Japan developed doctrines based on an environment that arose from each other’s desperation.

“…the friendly fire is getting further and further away.”

The flash of artillery fire seemed to be fading away, which meant that the infantry was probably advancing at the same rate. Since the mission of destroying the enemy’s defense line was given to the artillery, the infantry was probably mopping up the enemies who had not yet fled or were fleeing.

“Report from the 1st Battalion in the front. Our vanguard has overtaken the retreating enemy’s rear.”

“You said you transcended it?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

It seemed like they had bitten their tails off. An enemy force of unknown size appeared in Dandong and devastated the remaining units, and a stronger than expected firepower swept across the front, and a large-scale barrage of bullets moved from the front to the rear, destroying the defensive line and retreat route, and infantry poured in, breaking through any gaps they found.

The enemy command probably hadn’t even come to its senses by now. They had been boasting about crossing the Yalu River with great confidence, but now they were practically paralyzed after having been dug through a depth of more than 4 km in just a few hours.