Chapter 42

Breakthrough (1)

[ April 7, 03:00 ]

It was before sunrise. Darkness still enveloped the entire world.

The troubling sight that night was Namyangju. The sky, which should have been pitch-black, glowed crimson from fires large and small burning in the west.

The bombardment that had continued for hours, from late at night until now, had only just stopped.

Even from the 8th Division's encampment, positioned behind the mountains east of Namyangju for cover, the ominous glow beyond the horizon was visible.

"Fuck···. I don't feel like I slept at all···."

"Me neither. I couldn't sleep a wink with all that booming."

"Just how much did they destroy?"

The members of the 33rd Battalion emerged from their tents one by one, looking so exhausted they could barely open their eyes. Staff Sergeant Kim Hong-je gathered the battalion members and led them toward the supply battalion.

"Next pallet over here! Quickly!"

"Where's the ammunition box? Who took the one I left here?"

"It's right under your feet! Get your head together!"

The supply battalion soldiers were practically running as they worked. Their combat uniforms were already soaked with sweat, making them much darker than their original color.

Every single one had dark circles beneath their eyes. Even from a distance, they looked ready to collapse at any moment.

"···Wow, that looks fucking exhausting."

"Seriously. Aren't they going to collapse at this rate?"

"I wouldn't even dare talk to them."

The soldiers of the 33rd Battalion exchanged glances. Their complaints about being exhausted, which had continued until moments earlier, had disappeared.

"Let's shut up and get our ammunition."

"Y-yeah."

The battalion members lined up to receive ammunition for their magazines. The soldiers recalled that even though they had fought in the city for only about two hours yesterday, they had emptied roughly half the magazines they carried.

Once again, they stuffed so many magazines into their combat vests that the fronts bulged outward.

"Aren't you carrying too many?"

Bong-tae tapped the front of Nam Gi-baek's combat vest. Nam Gi-baek shook his head.

"No, sir. No matter how much I fired, there never seemed to be enough."

"Especially when you're down to your last magazine or two, it gets fucking terrifying."

Lee Jin-gu spoke as he placed a hand on Nam Gi-baek's shoulder. Bong-tae had never felt short of ammunition so far. He'd lost his rifle entirely, if anything.

"Really?"

"Yes. Besides, we have to receive orders before we can withdraw, right? It feels awkward reporting that we want to withdraw just because we're running low on ammunition···."

"No."

Lieutenant Colonel Choi Pil appeared behind Lee Jin-gu. Bong-tae started to salute, then realized they were outdoors and simply straightened his posture.

"Battalion Commander."

"That's right, Bong-tae. Did you sleep well?"

"Yes, sir. I slept well."

Bong-tae really had slept well, but Lieutenant Colonel Choi Pil apparently hadn't managed to get any sleep. Choi Pil, whose build was as large as a bear's, stretched his arms in every direction.

"How does your first day as a sergeant feel?"

"···May I speak frankly, sir?"

"Haha, you bastard. When have you ever not spoken frankly?"

"Frankly···. It's not bad."

"Good. I'm glad."

Lieutenant Colonel Choi Pil nodded and looked at Nam Gi-baek and Lee Jin-gu. Jin-gu was so naturally easygoing that he wasn't particularly nervous even in front of Choi Pil, but Nam Gi-baek's shoulders were stiff with tension.

Choi Pil picked up the conversation he'd just overheard.

"Running low on carried ammunition is more than sufficient reason to withdraw."

As he began speaking, the soldiers of the 33rd Battalion, who had been carefully arranging magazines in their vests, listened attentively.

"Command won't tell a unit that's run out of ammunition to keep holding its position and attacking."

"Ah···. Really, sir?"

"Of course."

Choi Pil chuckled.

"Do you think the command staff are cold-blooded monsters without a shred of compassion?"

He slowly surveyed the soldiers.

"Every single soldier is precious. Especially in an elite unit like ours."

Lee Jin-gu lightly picked at his ear, wondering whether he'd heard correctly.

"An elite unit···?"

"That's right, you brat."

"Us?"

"I don't know the situation throughout the entire military, but judging by the combat achievements reported so far, there isn't a unit that can compare with our 33rd Battalion."

The soldiers looked at one another. They chuckled, finding it impossible to believe that the vacant faces beside them belonged to members of an elite unit.

"Oh, come on···. What a joke."

"Once the war ends, television stations will be lining up to ask to make documentaries about you."

The soldiers burst into laughter simultaneously. A few supply battalion soldiers working nearby, who couldn't help overhearing the conversation, also chuckled.

"Hahaha!"

"Bwahahaha! Battalion Commander, I know we're all tense, but a documentary?"

"Want to bet?"

Choi Pil's expression was surprisingly serious. The soldiers' laughter subsided somewhat.

After spending several days with Choi Pil, the soldiers had come to understand his personality to some extent. He was an approachable commander who freely exchanged jokes with his men, but he wasn't someone who made things up.

"···R-really?"

"Of course. You could become the protagonists of a drama like Band of Brothers. They'll probably make one, won't they? Where else would they find material this good?"

"Hmm···."

Hwang Gi-tae scratched his chin. Certainly, defeating countless North Korean soldiers without suffering a single casualty so far was an extraordinary achievement.

"Well···. We have been pretty lucky so far."

"Bong-tae hyung, ah, no. Sergeant Bong, ah, that's not right. Sergeant Kim will definitely be featured···. But aren't the rest of us a little questionable?"

Choi Pil shook his head.

"Not at all. Every one of you is doing exceptionally well. But if you want to appear in the flashback scenes, even for a moment···. You'll all have to stay alive, won't you?"

"···W-well, yes. Having 'killed in action' written in parentheses beside your name would be···."

"Then keep your heads straight today too."

"Yes, Battalion Commander!"

The soldiers answered in unison.

"Good. Make sure you've got all your equipment. If anyone needs something checked, tell me or Staff Sergeant Kim Hong-je."

Bong-tae's 2nd Platoon had keenly felt its lack of firepower during yesterday's urban combat. A single machine gun hidden in a building had nearly pinned the entire platoon down because they couldn't deal with it properly.

Bong-tae approached Staff Sergeant Kim Hong-je and consulted him about what had happened during the urban battle. Instead of answering immediately, Kim Hong-je closed his eyes for a moment.

Countless weapons he had handled during more than twenty years of special operations training passed through his mind. One by one, he considered which weapons from his experience might also be available through the 8th Division's supply battalion.

Staff Sergeant Kim Hong-je's concern was that weapons with greater firepower required greater proficiency. Weapons like the Hyungung they had used with the 3rd Division, or the M32 MSGL currently strapped to his back, could put the entire battalion in danger if used without sufficient training.

Staff Sergeant Kim Hong-je quietly spoke.

"Who's the calmest man in your platoon?"

"The calmest, sir···?"

"That's right. Someone who doesn't make many mistakes."

"Song Min-jae is the calmest, followed by Lee Hwan and Kim Se-jin, I think."

"Leave Min-jae out."

"Then Lee Hwan."

Bong-tae immediately understood. Song Min-jae was currently the platoon's most valuable marksman. Rather than assigning him another task and dividing his concentration, it would be far more useful in combat to let him continue eliminating enemies one by one with precision.

"Bring Lee Hwan here."

"Hey! Lee Hwan!"

Bong-tae called to Lee Hwan, who was standing among the platoon members.

#

A short while later, a long green cylinder was placed in Lee Hwan's hands.

"···Wh-what on earth is this?"

"An M72 LAW."

Staff Sergeant Kim Hong-je lightly tapped the cylinder. Lee Hwan, who had suddenly been summoned by Bong-tae and handed a heavy weapon he'd only ever seen in movies, was extremely nervous.

"I-is this···. Am I supposed to fire it?"

"Yes."

"I've never used one before. Is that all right?"

"It's fine. I'll teach you how to use it."

The M72 LAW was a single-use, man-portable anti-tank weapon containing a 66mm rocket. Unlike the Hyungung, which allowed its warhead to be replaced, it couldn't be reused after firing.

It weighed approximately 3.5 kilograms, making it easy for ordinary infantrymen to carry, and its operation was simple enough that it could be used after only brief training.

Although originally developed to fight tanks, it was now more commonly used in urban warfare to neutralize enemies hiding behind building walls, in machine-gun positions, or behind cover.

Staff Sergeant Kim Hong-je stood close beside Lee Hwan and began explaining how to operate the M72.

"Second Platoon Leader."

"Yes, Sergeant Kim Bong-tae reporting."

Lieutenant Colonel Choi Pil called Bong-tae over. Bong-tae hurried toward him.

"You need a new rifle issued, don't you?"

"Ah, yes, sir. That's right···. I lost mine when I fell off the bridge···."

Bong-tae was issued a personal firearm, a ballistic helmet, a gas mask, and even a personal radio with a built-in Electronic Warfare Countermeasure Device. Since it wasn't the rifle he'd originally used, he would need to zero it, but there was no time to make those adjustments now.

"I've been thinking this since yesterday, sir. Our supplies are remarkably well organized."

"That's right. Our supply routes are intact too. This is why it's so important to prevent a unit from becoming isolated."

Choi Pil firmly gripped Bong-tae's shoulder with his large hand now that Bong-tae was fully equipped for combat again.

"Not that it was ever different···. But this operation is going to be extremely dangerous too."

Bong-tae smiled faintly. Since the war began, he hadn't done a single thing that wasn't dangerous. The only thing he could control was finding the safest possible approach within those dangerous situations and doing his best.

"After pounding them all night, wouldn't they have withdrawn their troops from Namyangju?"

"They probably pulled back temporarily. But they'll push in again. Losing this area would be the same as exposing their backs to us."

"···Yes, sir."

Seeing Bong-tae frown deeply, Choi Pil spoke quietly enough that only Bong-tae could hear.

"But today we've got a decisive weapon."

"W-what is it, sir?"

"I hear we'll be getting quite a lot of help from the sky today."

"The Air Force, sir?"

"The Air Force too, but they're not the main attraction."

"···Sir?"

Bong-tae tilted his head in confusion. He had naturally assumed that anything involving the sky meant the Air Force. He had heard that South Korea's fighter aircraft were far superior to North Korea's.

He'd also heard aircraft during yesterday's battle, although he hadn't personally received air support. Bong-tae didn't quite understand what Choi Pil meant by getting so much help from the sky.

"An entire brigade from the Army Aviation Operations Command has arrived in Pocheon. Before supporting the 7th Corps' northward advance, they'll help with the assault on Namyangju."

"What's the Army Aviation Operations Command?"

"Phew···."

It was the first time Bong-tae had ever seen Choi Pil sigh. Wondering whether he'd asked such a stupid question, Bong-tae scratched his head.

"Our Sergeant Kim has a lot to learn. You're an NCO now, after all."

"I'd really like to be discharged as a sergeant, though···."

Regardless of special promotions or anything else, Bong-tae desperately wanted the war to end quickly so he could go home. Everyone fighting in the 8th Division—no, everyone fighting across the Korean Peninsula—probably felt the same way.

"Do you think that'll be up to you? The division commander already has his eye on you."

"···Come on, you're joking, right?"

Choi Pil grinned. With his large fingers, he lightly flicked the sergeant's insignia on Bong-tae's collar several times.

"No. Apparently, he wants to rewrite the history of the Republic of Korea Armed Forces."

"Does he really have to use me to write it?"

"Who knows? Why don't you tell him that yourself?"

"···Haha."

After they exchanged a brief laugh, Choi Pil resumed his explanation.

"The Army Aviation Operations Command operates the Army's aviation units."

"Ah···. You mean those helicopters we saw with the 3rd Division···?"

"That's right. The unit that operates helicopters."

The corners of Bong-tae's mouth rose slightly. The destructive power demonstrated by just four Apache helicopters had surpassed anything he'd imagined. He had personally witnessed them shred everything on the ground, tanks and all.

Hearing that they would be supporting this operation eased his anxiety a little.

"Today, you'll witness the power of brigade-level Army aviation forces firsthand."

"How impressive is it?"

"Beyond words."

The North Korean Army fundamentally outnumbered the Republic of Korea Armed Forces. That applied not only to personnel but to equipment as well. Regardless of performance, they were a formidable opponent in sheer quantity. But that wasn't true in every field.

In Army aviation, South Korea held a substantial advantage over North Korea in both quality and quantity.

Army aviation forces, spearheaded by AH-64E Apache Guardian attack helicopters and capable of flexibly striking ground targets and transporting troops, were the key to the assault on Namyangju.

They planned to depart from locations around Pocheon and eastern Namyangju where they believed they had air superiority, rapidly deliver firepower into the operational area, return, and repeat the process.

Choi Pil extended his fist slightly toward Bong-tae. Their fists lightly bumped together in the air.

"Let's plant our flag in Namyangju today."

"Yes. Understood, sir."

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