Survive as a World War II Soldier - Chapter 95



Only Noblemtl

#095

While the Spanish Republicans were using the Koreans as billboards to prove that they were right and had worldwide support, there were those who were twisted with curiosity···.

“What on earth is that machine?”

“It’s unique from the very beginning.”

The people who were talking about this and that while looking at only five of the aircraft brought by the Korean Volunteer Corps were Soviet people.

“It’s from the Philippines, so it must have been made by Americans.”

“That’s a given.”

“I heard it was made in Sebersky.”

“Really? He’s a little different from the guy we know…”

Eventually, the Soviet Air Force, eager to test the performance of an aircraft they had never seen before, worked hard to stab the Republicans in the side.

“Huh? Are they on the battlefield?”

“What can I do with only fifteen? Just like this···.”

But the Republican leaders were not particularly keen on it. There were only a small number of them, and all but five of them were P-26 Peashooters, which they were familiar with.

The Koreans called themselves Aces,

“Honestly, how can you believe that?”

“That’s right. It would be a shame to send them away for no reason and then have them die.”

The promotional effect is this good, so why is there a need to push it into the battlefield?

however,

“When will we be deployed to the battlefield?”

“I didn’t come here to be a clown.”

When even the Korean Volunteer Army came forward and demanded actual combat, there was no choice but to allow them to participate.

Thus, the first actual battle of the Korean Volunteer Army was decided to be the Battle of Harama.

In a battle that began with a surprise attack by the nationalists,

“Italy does not seem to be taking part in this battle.”

“I haven’t seen your nose for three days now.”

“So you’re saying there are only Germans?”

Unlike Italy, which had aircraft on par with the Soviet Air Force, Germany’s aircraft were clearly inferior in performance.

According to intelligence, a new aircraft will arrive soon.

“Not yet.”

“Yes.”

“Then it would be best if we send it out this time.”

“Oh, that’s right.”

That’s how the battle began.

Early in the battle, both Republicans and Nationalists realized that aircraft performance was not the only thing that mattered in air combat.

“Oh my god. Is that the guy our Air Force used to fly?”

“Oh. I said it was the same model.”

“Maybe they upgraded something like the engine?”

“Is that so?”

Those who have some knowledge of machinery say that although the outside looks the same, the inside is different.

But on the surface it looked like the same aircraft, and it actually was.

The Republican Air Force, which was clearly flying the same aircraft, was all shot down by the Germans, but the Koreans were different.

People were amazed at how the P-26 Peashooter, which was evaluated as having poor overall performance, if not inferior, was able to successfully deal with the German Condor Legion.

“Ah, so that’s why they say ace, ace.”

“Yeah. I thought it was a joke, but it wasn’t.”

“Does this mean that pilot skills become more important than aircraft performance?”

That was the moment when they started to wonder if the pilot was more important than the aircraft.

The new aircraft that had been quietly watching from behind began to move.

“No. The best thing is the excellent body.”

“Oh. That’s really fast.”

People could not take their eyes off the movements of the new aircraft, which was able to catch up with and shoot down not only the He-51 fighter jet but also the Ju-52 bomber that was fleeing the battlefield.

“Doesn’t it seem like they’re much stronger than us?”

“First of all, the speed difference is huge.”

“That weapon. It certainly has a large caliber, so its firepower is…”

“Let’s submit a report to the home country right away.”

While the Spanish Republicans and the International Brigades were watching the air battle in amazement, the Soviets were taking notes with serious expressions.

And there were those who were sighing deeply and with even more serious expressions than the Soviet soldiers, and that was none other than the German soldiers.

The air battle with the North Korean Air Force was a complete defeat for the Germans.

“It’s fortunate that there aren’t many of them···.”

“If there had been just a little more, it would have been a total disaster.”

The reason they were barely able to escape the battlefield and return was because the number of North Korean aircraft was too small compared to that of German aircraft.

“By the way, it’s a new model.”

“It was faster than the Soviet plane last time.”

“Yes. What the heck···.”

The I-15 and I-16 brought by the Soviet Union were quite good fighters.

However, the Germans were not greatly discouraged because they also had new aircraft that were just as good.

Those who knew about the soon-to-arrive He112 or Messerschmitt’s Bf109 were not worried.

“Once our new model arrives···.”

“Those kids are all our food.”

“Then, that’s obvious.”

But no matter how I look at it, this time the Joseon people’s new model is…

“What was the top speed like?”

“It looked like it was over 400 kilometers.”

Someone else called out to those who were trying to gauge the speed of the new model.

“Look here.”

What he was pointing to was a bullet hole in the fuselage of his own plane.

“The view···.”

“It’s definitely over 10mm.”

“shit.”

No matter how I looked at it, it seemed like they wouldn’t be able to deal with the new model they had been waiting for.

“Let’s prepare a report to submit to the home country immediately.”

And unlike the two serious groups, there were some who were smiling brightly and bursting into laughter.

“Oh my god. Is that really something that was made in the United States?”

“That’s right. It’s a new aircraft that the Army Air Corps is planning to introduce this time, made by Sebsky.”

“This is absolutely amazing.”

It was Elliott Roosevelt’s party.

Officially, the United States declared neutrality, so they should not take sides. But where is the human heart like that?

When they saw the aircraft they had built destroying the Germans in an instant, cheers came out naturally.

“But why do you have such a serious expression, Lieutenant Colonel?”

“Huh? No.”

Elliot waved his hand and looked lost in thought.

“If I just send out what I took today···.”

The content was refreshing, so it was clear that this would be a very popular video for people. You could tell just by the reaction of the filming crew that was there.

however,

“It doesn’t quite match my intentions… Hmm.”

After much thought, Elliot decides that it would be best not to release the combat footage of the Korean Air Force.

“Yes? Why?”

“It’ll be super popular.”

The film crew protested, but they couldn’t overcome Elliot’s pressure by mentioning military secrets.

##

As the Korean Volunteer Army Air Corps landed at the temporary airfield, a huge cheer erupted.

“Wow!!”

“Korea! Korea!”

The Republican camp was a crucible of excitement.

“Isn’t this a lot better than the last time those Soviet bastards were there?”

“No matter what. That silver plane looks like a real monster.”

“I know.”

What particularly excited them was the pilot who showed off a spectacular show of shooting down a new aircraft and became an ace overnight…

“Doesn’t she really look like a doll?”

“Oh. The eyes are small, and the hands are small too···.”

“But how can you fly that big plane so well?”

“That’s totally my style.”

Not long after, Kwon Ki-ok was given the nickname Nika (goddess of victory).

And the activities of the Korean Volunteer Army in the Battle of Harama did not end here.

The Korean volunteer army that came all the way to the distant foreign country of Spain were all snipers, except for a few members of the aviation corps and medical personnel.

This was a strategic choice,

“Since we are only sending a small number of people, there is no point in preparing this and that.”

At first, there was even a plan to send all the pilots.

“But that doesn’t mean we’re sending only pilots without aircraft….”

“That’s right. There’s no guarantee that they’ll give you an airplane there.”

And as opinions arose that receiving an aircraft does not mean that it can be piloted right away, the idea of ​​sending only pilots was immediately rejected.

So, it was decided that the remaining personnel, excluding the pilots, would be organized into a special single unit.

“The medical team···.”

“We are also lacking on your side.”

“What about snipers then?”

“If they are volunteers who are gathering from all over the place, isn’t their level obvious?”

“Hmm.”

What was the original word used to refer to Koreans?

Dongyi (東夷), the eastern bow ghost.

And this did not change even after bows were replaced by guns.

There are even records of Westerners who came to Joseon to hunt tigers in the late Han Dynasty and were amazed at the Korean hunters’ mastery of shooting with old-fashioned matchlock guns that they did not use.

After that, one of the things that the independence army, which inherited the blood of such ancestors, was best at was sniping the Japanese.

Thus, the Korean Volunteer Army snipers who arrived on the battlefield where the Battle of Harama was taking place immediately began to demonstrate their abilities.

“There’s an officer over there.”

“good.”

Blood. Thud.

The Korean Volunteer Army snipers, who sought out and shot only officers like ghosts, quickly emerged as dangerous elements among nationalists and heroes among republicans.

What further enhanced their reputation was not only their combat experience, but also the solutions they came up with among the Republicans who were short on supplies.

“I think I could make a makeshift weapon with a glass bottle, gasoline, and cloth···.”

Molotov cocktails are a time-honored weapon that has been in use for a long time and were even used in World War I.

However, unlike the Republicans who had no use for such weapons, there were some among the Korean volunteers who had expertise in making bombs and using them in uprisings.

“It wouldn’t be bad to hold this in your hand and throw it around, right?”

“Are you okay?”

Molotov cocktails, a weapon that could be easily made with simple ingredients, quickly spread among the Republicans.

And the power of Molotov cocktails…

“Wow, you can actually catch a tank with this?”

“Long live Korea cocktails!”

“This is the best!!!”

Of course, it wasn’t a medium tank that was captured.

Small tanks, and only a few of them were caught by luck.

But what kind of weapon was a Molotov cocktail?

The fact that they had captured a large tank that could be produced temporarily and for next to nothing was enough to make headlines.

Thanks to this, the hands of the Soviet and German armies, as well as the observers from various European countries, were busy without rest.

“It seems that there is a race of war machines living in Asia called the Koreans.”

“When manufacturing tanks, the armor thickness must be increased···.”

“Introduction of bulletproof glass to ensure the safety of observers···.”

##

“They took down a tank with a Molotov cocktail. Surely our tanks aren’t at the same level?”

Patton quickly shook his head at my question.

“How could that be?”

“No, but wouldn’t it be better to just ask for more budget? Looking at the aviation department…”

And Chappie next to him muttered some nonsense.

“Still, I don’t think the situation will change completely.”

“Yes. It’s because the Republicans are so retarded.”

It was a republican party with a complex composition from the beginning. It was a mixture of various groups such as the Socialist Workers’ Party, the Left Republican Party, and the Spanish Communist Party.

As a result, a chaotic situation arose in which the nationalists under Franco were at war with each other while also fighting amongst themselves.

So how can we win the war?

They won some battles and managed to repel the attacks of the Nationalists, but that was it.

The civil war finally ended with the fall of Catalonia in February 1939.

The Republicans disbanded the International Brigades in November 1938, shortly before the fall of Catalonia, and supported the return of volunteers.

“If we surrender completely, it may be difficult to return home.”

“but···.”

“We will never forget the hard work of our comrades who fought alongside us. You are history, legends, and heroes who prove the universality of solidarity and democracy.”

The survivors of the International Brigade returned home to a warm farewell from the citizens of Barcelona.

Some Republicans fled to France and continued their resistance, while volunteers from all over the world returned to their own countries.

Of course, some of them went not to their home country but to the Soviet Union or third countries. Among them were members of the Lincoln Battalion.

“Headed to the Philippines?”

“There are quite a few people who are willing to serve for Joseon’s independence.”

It is said that there were approximately three hundred people who headed to the Philippines to fight against the Japanese together with the Koreans.

“If fifty or so people went and caught three hundred people, how many times was the figure inflated?”

During the two years of war, there were many casualties among the Korean volunteer army.

However, there were thirty-two survivors and about three hundred people who decided to go to the Philippines with them.

“I think Mitchell would really like that.”

What you are good at, what you are confident in