Survive as a World War II Soldier - Chapter 94



Only Noblemtl

#094

The initial plan drawn up by the leftists, including Kim Won-bong, was to dispatch about 100 people to the Spanish Civil War once or twice.

Initially, the plan was to send combat personnel including pilots and snipers, but the situation changed after an interview with Major General Mitchell.

“Look at that. Even Chief Mitchell understands···.”

“No, do you understand that? You’re trying to use us.”

“Aren’t we going to use them anyway? And isn’t it true that all relationships should be equal when there is give and take?”

The decision to increase the size of the contingent was made in response to General Mitchell’s wish to learn more about German military capabilities in the Spanish Civil War.

“However, it would be unreasonable to suddenly increase the number of personnel dispatched.”

“Then let’s do this. First, send the people we’ve already selected and then we’ll see how things go···.”

It was decided to dispatch additional troops.

“Since we’ve decided to increase the scale, let’s send not only combat troops, but also some technicians.”

“Are you a technician?”

“It’s famous that Deokguk’s technology is good.”

“Well, since you’re close to the Deokguk mainland, you’ll probably have a lot of new weapons instead of the old ones that were provided to China.”

“Shouldn’t there be technicians to properly look into that technology?”

Thus, the provisional government, with the left and right working together, discussed the composition and size of the volunteer army and expressed their enthusiasm to learn as much as possible.

But their plan went awry before it could be put into action.

It was none other than Japan.

The Sino-Japanese War broke out in October 1936, just before the first volunteer army left, and in mid-July 1937, just before the second volunteer army left.

##

Bang, bang.

“What? Didn’t the Chinese shoot this?”

“I think so.”

The Chinese and Japanese armies were facing each other across the Yongding River in the southwestern suburbs of Beijing.

Japanese soldiers conducting night training near Nogu Bridge are startled by sudden gunfire.

That was understandable, as the live-fire training they conducted began without prior consultation with the Chinese military across the river.

“Excuse me, we need one more person from our platoon.”

“what?”

“I guess it was the sound of gunshots···.”

“Is that true?”

“···”

The sound of gunfire, apparently from the Chinese military, and one soldier disappears.

“Commander, our soldiers were attacked by the Chinese.”

“Then we can’t just stay like this. Let’s go immediately.”

After hearing the report, regimental commander Renya Mutoguchi ordered the sortie, but at the same time he ordered them to attempt negotiations with the Chinese army.

The next day, both the Chinese and Japanese forces began searching the area thoroughly for the missing soldier.

“But who are we looking for?”

“Huh? The kid who went missing yesterday.”

“Is there such a kid?”

“huh.”

The soldier, unaware that there was a sudden roll call while he was solving the urgent problem, wandered around frantically looking for himself.

Even,

“But how can I tell someone that I was late for roll call because I took a dump?”

“Well, then···.”

“There’s no way something like this could start a war.”

Captain Shimizu, the company commander, kept his mouth shut for the sake of his soldiers’ honor, and in the meantime…

“Yes? Can I really attack you?”

On the morning of July 8, while negotiations were taking place between the Chinese and Japanese armies, Colonel Renya Mutoguchi gave the order to attack the Chinese army.

“Are you asking the obvious question? Our great Japanese Empire’s soldiers were killed by those bastards, so should we just sit back and do nothing? Attack!”

When the Japanese mainland cabinet heard the news, they were shocked and announced that it was an accidental collision.

And there was one person who believed those words without question, and that was none other than Song Zheyuan.

Song Zheyuan, commander of the 29th Army Group stationed in North China, planned to make North China a buffer zone between Chiang Kai-shek’s Nationalist government and the Japanese.

“This incident is an unfortunate incident caused by a misunderstanding between the two parties. Local conflicts can always be resolved peacefully.”

Song Zheyuan, believing that the situation had been resolved, took measures to resume normal train operation on July 14 and notified the Japanese military of this.

Afterwards, in accordance with Japan’s demands, he agreed to an immediate withdrawal, the identification of anti-Japanese elements, and the punishment of Ji Xingyuan, who was in charge of the unit on July 7.

Even Chin Dechun apologizes to Japan on its behalf and takes the super-strong measure of replacing Beijing’s defense divisions.

But Chiang Kai-shek thought differently.

“That bastard Song Zheyuan must have changed his mind.”

“It’s the North China Buffer Zone. Is North China a different country?”

“This is clearly thinking about independence···.”

What most irritated Chiang Kai-shek was Song Zheyuan’s excessively humble attitude toward the Japanese army.

That bastard Song Zheyuan doesn’t even have the balls to do anything the Japanese tell him to do.

“What about the Japanese?”

He acted like a victim, received all the apologies he could, and slowly moved the military.

In fact, the Kwantung Army Commander-in-Chief Ueda Kenkichi and Chief of Staff Tojo Hideki dispatched two brigades, and the Korean garrison responded by dispatching the 20th Division, which was deployed to Shanhaiguan on July 11.

If, as Song Zheyuan said, this was an accidental and localized conflict and it was right to seek a peaceful solution, then why don’t they go back?

“We, China, want peace until the end. However, if war is unavoidable, we will not give up and will fight to the end.”

On July 17, Chiang Kai-shek issued a statement in Lushan and immediately moved the Central Army north to pressure Japan.

That’s how the Sino-Japanese War began.

As the situation changed, the left wing’s plan to send volunteers to Spain completely fell through.

“Is the problem with the West now?”

“Yes. We have to beat up those little bastards first.”

This was because most of those who volunteered for the volunteer army refused to go to Spain, saying that the war with Japan was more urgent.

However, Chiang Kai-shek did not easily allow Koreans to participate in the war.

“I don’t need your help.”

“We are enough on our own.”

As things turned out this way, the provisional government was once again embroiled in internal strife.

“The only place where the war is taking place is in North China. How could the Chinese, so confident, lose?”

“That’s right. There must be comrades who have already arrived in Spain eagerly awaiting the follow-up troops.”

The left wing said, “Send the second force quickly without hesitation.”

“Our enemy is not Japan, nor Deokguk or Italy.”

“Don’t be fooled by the nonsense of those commies.”

The right wing opposing him.

“What should I do?”

“There are those who left first.”

“But we have to fight the Japanese here. To be honest, I don’t even know where Spain is.”

Even the volunteers who were at a loss and didn’t know what to do.

At that time, when the provisional government was in chaos due to the rapidly changing situation, the legend of Korea was beginning in Spain.

##

It was a long journey, taking nearly two months from Manila, Philippines to Spain.

The fact that they were able to bring the aircraft they had prepared and the various weapons they had at hand was possible because Mitchell and Manuel Quezon were watching over them.

however,

“Where are you from?”

“We are Koreans.”

“shipbuilding?”

“Is there such a country?”

After much difficulty, they arrived in Spain, but the atmosphere was very different from what they had expected.

“We are fighting fiercely to gain independence from the Japanese imperialists who took our country away. Here in the West, we are also fighting against the imperialists…”

“Imperialists? Are they our comrades?”

The Republicans who first welcomed them could not hide their bewilderment at the sight of the unfamiliar place names and the unfamiliar appearance of the Koreans.

however,

“Aren’t they proof that the cause of our Comintern is spreading throughout the world?”

“That’s right. Even that small country in the East knows that our justice is right and sent reinforcements like that.”

“Wow!”

The Koreans, who were obviously from far away, were a great billboard for the republicans and communists who were on the defensive.

The reason why communism was able to create a worldwide sensation in the 20th century was because of the ideology of equality it promoted.

And the equality that the communists advocated encompassed not only class, but also everything, such as race and gender.

The Korean volunteer army, which had arrived in Spain and been involved in propaganda activities for several weeks, finally had a chance to go to the front lines after February 10th.

It was an opportunity presented itself as the situation in the Battle of Harama, which had begun with a sudden attack by the nationalist faction, suddenly turned unfavorable.

“What? It’s a yellow monkey.”

“I wonder if they can handle Condor’s Junker.”

“okay.”

But people’s eyes were not very favorable.

“We have to show our true abilities.”

“Of course. I don’t know what the Yunkonji is, but there’s no way we’d lose.”

“No matter what.”

“Coming here, I realized how big the world is. Wow, I thought all the noses were the same, but there are so many countries.”

“So if we go here and stamp our eyes on them, will they help us someday?”

“No matter what, even when I die, these words will remain in my heart, ‘Korea.’”

“Oh my. Why die? You have to live and improve yourself.”

Kwon Ki-ok nodded and patted the shoulders of the confident air force members.

She felt her heart pounding hard, but she also had a corner of her that believed.

As General Mitchell clearly said,

‘Your skills are better than our home country’s air force.’

‘Hey, no way.’

‘No way. Who was it that cleaned up the mess caused by the last airmail? They were the guys that went with Elliot. How do they compare to you?’

‘That’s it···.’

Mitchell chuckled as he watched Kwon Ki-ok hesitate, unable to tell the lie that she was better than him.

‘See? And you are all battle-hardened men.’

Not only Kwon Ki-ok, but all of the first batch of dispatched airmen had extensive combat experience.

They were all highly skilled instructors at aviation schools in China and Manila, so their skills were impeccable.

If you’re just worried…

‘It’s the same level of aircraft as those Jerry guys use···.’

The aircraft that the Korean Volunteer Corps brought as its main force were not necessarily the latest models.

‘It was quite useful when we fought against the Japanese.’

The situation here was different, as the local people were impressed by the P-26C they had brought.

However, it was not as if there was no secret weapon.

Still, their secret weapons were the five latest aircraft provided by General Mitchell and President Manuel Quezon.

‘If Ike finds out, he might try to kill me.’

‘Oh, then I can’t take it?’

‘When an airplane takes off and starts training, it sometimes falls and things like that, you know.’

The reason we were able to bring back at least five was because they were aircraft belonging to the Philippine Air Force, not the US Army.

As the night passed and day broke, the battle began again.

Jose of the Dabrowski Battalion, who saw the Condor Legion Junkers flying in from afar, lowered his telescope and sighed.

“Damn it. It’s a condor.”

“When the hell is our air force going to come to support us?”

“I don’t know. I heard that all the Spanish fighters were shot down a long time ago?”

“Didn’t you say that the Soviet Union had an air force?”

The machine gun fire from fighter jets in the sky was not easy to defend against.

I couldn’t just sit there and look at the sky.

Even on the ground, the nationalist Moroccan legions were eyeing them.

The morale of his Dabrowski battalion was high when it withstood the Nationalist offensive during the Siege of Madrid last November.

We lost two-thirds of our troops, but we won.

Because we managed to protect Madrid at all costs.

Thanks to this, they were fiercely resisting the nationalist offensive in the Battle of Harama that started on the 5th.

However, they were growing tired of the battle that had been going on for several days.

Today too, I was sighing and looking for a place to hide as I watched the nationalist aircraft flying in brightly.

“Oh, oh. There’s our reinforcements over there.”

“where?”

At someone’s shout, Jose brought the telescope he was holding back to his eyes. The plane flying in from Madrid looked familiar.

“Hey, what is it?”

It was the same aircraft as the Republican fighters that had been brought down helplessly by Junker and Italian air forces at the beginning of the war.

“You guys are those guys. Tch. We’re going to fall again.”

“shit.”

Of course, there were some unfamiliar-looking fighter planes behind, but there were too few of them.

It seemed like there was no way we could fight the Germans.

however,

“Oh, oh. Look over there.”

“We got it.”

“what?”

“Really. Junkers is falling.”

“Oh, oh. I caught you again.”

“Oh my god. It’s already the third generation.”

“wow!!!”

He was clearly the one who would fall down as soon as he collided with the Condor Junkers, but today was different.

“Are there Soviet soldiers inside?”

“Oh, I guess so.”

The morale of the Republicans began to soar at the sight of the Condor’s Junker, who reigned as the king of the skies like an eagle, being easily captured.

Naturally, the nationalists were opposed.

Thus began the first episode of the film The Legend of Corea, set during the Spanish Civil War.

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