Chapter 43

Breakthrough (2)

04:00 AM.

The operation began.

Armored forces weighing dozens of tons cut through the predawn air of Namyangju. The sky above the city was blanketed in black smoke rising from fires. It was as though they had entered a world of ash.

Namyangju had been battered throughout the night by K9 artillery fire. The 8th Division had begun with surprise bombardments of locations suspected to be North Korean encampments.

When the North Korean forces attacked Namyangju, they had approached separately from three directions: Uijeongbu, Seoul, and Guri. But when they retreated, they all withdrew in the same direction. The North Korean forces had now regrouped near Taereung.

This had been the 8th Division's original plan. Concentrate the North Korean main force in one area, then rapidly push the front line forward and establish defensive positions as far ahead as possible.

The vanguard was the 61st Armored Mechanized Infantry Brigade, known as the 'Ice' Unit. It was the only brigade in the 8th Division with two tank battalions, and its main strength consisted of K2 Black Panthers. They would lead the advance, rapidly cross Wangsuk Stream, and penetrate deep into Namyangju.

Other units would follow, securing the city sector by sector and establishing defensive lines. The objective wasn't simply to advance recklessly but to deploy forces systematically throughout the occupied areas, creating an unbroken front line.

The 33rd Battalion, to which Bong-tae belonged, wasn't assigned to break through Namyangju at the front. However, in some respects, it could be said that they had been given the most complicated and difficult mission.

Search operations.

Collapsed apartment complexes and underground parking garages, half-destroyed commercial buildings, structures with only their frames remaining, and narrow residential alleys.

The 33rd Battalion's role was to find and eliminate the remaining North Korean soldiers hiding in a city where anyone determined to conceal themselves could do so almost anywhere, making each assigned sector completely secure.

But how could infantry possibly search every corner of a city as large as Namyangju?

Even with several thousand infantrymen in the 8th Division, inspecting every house, shop, and apartment complex individually would undoubtedly take at least a week, perhaps even more than a month.

However, the infantry wouldn't be responsible for all of that work. Reconnaissance drones would handle most of it. The drones would repeatedly fly over designated areas, continuously monitoring human movement, vehicles, and signs of suspicious activity.

If they discovered North Korean soldiers or detected changes compared to footage recorded during previous reconnaissance flights, their operators would immediately report to the division command post.

The division command post would then decide whether to deploy infantry units and issue orders to search and secure the area. Of course, before the infantry entered, there would first be a display of firepower from the K9s and the attack helicopters scheduled to provide support today.

Major General Park Jin-ha, commander of the 8th Division, was known among fellow generals for being meticulous and exacting. Even if it took a little longer, he strictly adhered to the sequence of reconnaissance, intelligence analysis, fire support, and infantry deployment.

#

It hadn't been long since a report reached the command and control room that the 8th Division's vanguard had successfully advanced as far as Byeollae-dong.

Drone footage of the Toegyewon-eup area appeared on the division command post's large situation display. It was a densely developed area of apartment complexes and commercial buildings not far from Wangsuk Stream.

The screen showed several fully armed North Korean soldiers running across a road and into a building.

The operations officers judged that they were likely remnants of North Korean units that had failed to retreat properly because of the bombardment that had continued since dawn and the 8th Division's faster-than-expected advance.

Command estimated the enemy force at a minimum of sixty and a maximum of 120 personnel. Although no vehicles had been detected, they believed the enemy was likely establishing defensive positions around the apartments and commercial buildings using whatever heavy weapons and ammunition remained.

And because Toegyewon-eup was directly connected to the rear of the armored units that had advanced to Byeollae-dong, leaving the area unsecured could allow the enemy to ambush supply routes or sabotage the division's lines of advance.

Lieutenant Colonel Choi Pil, commander of the 33rd Battalion, assembled his troops. Fifty soldiers gathered behind Staff Sergeant Kim Hong-je, leader of 1st Platoon, and Sergeant Kim Bong-tae, leader of 2nd Platoon.

Choi Pil silently examined the soldiers' faces one by one.

'Well, look at them···. These bastards were trembling until yesterday···. Now they're looking pretty capable.'

Choi Pil clearly remembered their faces from yesterday, when they had climbed into the two-and-a-half-ton trucks looking half asleep.

Of course, the soldiers still appeared nervous, but even without being told, their hands moved confidently as they performed final checks on their equipment.

"Hmm···."

Some of the worry weighing heavily on Choi Pil's chest eased. Despite his enormous build, Choi Pil was secretly a worrier. Would all these men return alive?

He couldn't stop thinking about what would happen if even one of them was killed or injured. Those worries were especially intense whenever the soldiers headed into battle.

In fact, behaving quite unlike himself, he had casually suggested to Staff Sergeant Kim Hong-je that perhaps he should accompany them on this operation, only to receive a mocking laugh from Kim Hong-je, something he'd never witnessed in twenty years.

"All right, I'll help you up. Board one at a time."

Choi Pil climbed into the two-and-a-half-ton truck. He opened the cargo bed's rear gate. The members of the 33rd Battalion exchanged glances before climbing aboard one by one.

"Gi-tae."

"Sergeant Hwang Gi-tae."

The next soldier stepped forward.

"Se-jin."

"Corporal Kim Se-jin."

"Jin-gu."

"Private First Class Lee Jin-gu."

The same process continued afterward. Choi Pil called every one of the fifty soldiers by name without missing a single person.

Finally, Bong-tae, the 2nd Platoon Leader, stepped onto the footboard. The corners of Choi Pil's mouth rose slightly.

"Second Platoon Leader."

"S-Sergeant Kim Bong-tae."

"You little bastard."

Lieutenant Colonel Choi Pil began explaining the mission from atop the truck.

"Today's mission is to search the commercial buildings and—"

It was an unusual scene. He could have explained the mission only to Staff Sergeant Kim Hong-je and Bong-tae, his platoon leaders, but Choi Pil preferred this approach.

He believed everyone, from himself as commander down to the newest private, needed to understand every detail of the mission from beginning to end.

One hundred eyes watched him as he explained the mission. They were clear and focused, their expressions showing that they intended to catch every word he said. Choi Pil smiled inwardly. He decided he wouldn't worry anymore.

Choi Pil finished explaining the mission. After answering the soldiers' questions briefly, he climbed down from the truck and raised the cargo bed's tailgate to close it. He slapped the back of the truck and shouted.

"33rd Battalion! Move out!"

#

Three two-and-a-half-ton trucks carrying the 33rd Battalion crossed Wangsuk Stream.

Bong-tae glanced down at the road. It wasn't the bridge he'd fallen from yesterday, but this one had also been struck by drones and artillery shells, leaving spiderweb-like craters across the asphalt.

"Is that the place?"

"Yes. It's exactly as the battalion commander described."

"It looks like an ordinary apartment complex. You're saying they're hiding in there?"

"If it were me, I'd hide there too."

An apartment complex was visible in the distance. The area consisted of six apartment buildings approximately fifteen stories tall, surrounded by a dense concentration of low-rise commercial buildings.

Several apartment buildings had shattered windows and sections of their exterior walls torn away, but compared to the buildings in western Namyangju, those here were in relatively good condition.

"33rd Battalion, dismount!"

"Dismount!"

The 33rd Battalion climbed down from the trucks. The infantry gathered behind the vehicles. Without needing instructions from Staff Sergeant Kim Hong-je or Bong-tae, they naturally took cover away from the direction of the high-rise buildings.

The radio sounded. It was Lieutenant Colonel Choi Pil.

- Beep.

- Ten minutes until fire support. Stay well clear of the target area. Afterward, follow Staff Sergeant Kim Hong-je's instructions. Out.

Staff Sergeant Kim Hong-je beckoned to Bong-tae.

"Sergeant Kim."

"Yes, sir."

"Second Platoon, take cover below the riverbank and watch upstream. We'll move together once the fire support is complete."

"Yes. Understood."

Bong-tae shouted toward his platoon members behind the truck.

"Second Platoon! Assemble!"

"Yes!"

"Wait down below! Hwang Gi-tae, watch the north through your observation scope. First Platoon will watch the lower area! And if you bastards don't want to die, keep your fucking heads down!"

"Yes! Understood!"

The members of 2nd Platoon pressed themselves against the riverbank and began keeping watch. Bong-tae spotted Lee Hwan in the middle of 2nd Platoon's formation. A long cylindrical plastic tube was strapped to his back.

"Lee Hwan."

"Yes, Platoon Leader."

"How destructive is that thing?"

Lee Hwan lightly touched the M72 LAW strapped to his back.

"W-well, I'm not sure. I've never fired one before. Staff Sergeant Kim Hong-je said it couldn't destroy a tank with one shot, but it could blow up an ordinary vehicle."

"Hmm···. Really? Isn't it heavy?"

"Not as much as I expected. It's not exactly light, though."

This time, Bong-tae approached Hwang Gi-tae. He had his eye pressed firmly against the observation scope. There was still nothing particularly visible.

"Hey, how's your neck?"

"Huh? What about my neck?"

"Didn't you get hurt on Mount Cheonju?"

"Ah···. Well, it doesn't really bother me. Kang Min-jun disinfected it again yesterday and changed the bandage too."

"Really?"

Lee Jin-gu gave a meaningful smile. His eyes were fixed on Bong-tae, who was moving among the platoon members and striking up conversations.

"Wow···. Our platoon leader really has changed now that he's become an NCO."

Quiet laughter spread among the soldiers.

"Seriously. Where did the Mephistopheles of Headquarters Company go?"

"Hehe. Hey, hey. Soon he'll make staff sergeant, then master sergeant, huh? No, wait, you bastards. He might even become an officer."

"Captain Kim Bong-tae. Haha! After spending so much time avoiding the company commander···."

"···."

At the mention of their former company commander, Captain Choi Cheol-jung, they fell silent, apparently recalling the horrific bombardment. When the war began, all the officers of Headquarters Company had been killed.

"···Sorry. I shouldn't have brought that up."

"Sorry, my ass. Just keep your head straight. Today's going to be fucking rough too."

"When will things stop being so hard?"

"Don't know. Maybe in a month or two?"

A radio transmission came from Staff Sergeant Kim Hong-je, who was above the riverbank. First Platoon quickly descended as well and pressed themselves tightly against the bank.

- Firing is beginning. Brace for impact.

"Everyone, keep your heads down. Looks like it's starting."

"Yes."

The attack came suddenly.

KABOOM! KABOOOM! KABOOOOOM!

The explosions and vibrations were far greater than the soldiers had expected. Even from a distance, they could see the water of Wangsuk Stream trembling. Lee Hwan, who had the large weapon strapped to his back, nearly fell over.

"F-fuck! What was that?"

"I thought they were helicopters? I didn't even hear any propellers!"

"Shut up and keep your fucking head down!"

Before Bong-tae had finished shouting, the second and third explosions followed in rapid succession.

BOOM! KABOOM! KABOOOOOM!

It was as though a giant larger than the mountains was stomping repeatedly on the apartment complex. Apartment buildings and commercial structures that had been standing perfectly upright began swaying violently.

Despite the continuous explosions, there was no sign of the attack helicopters, nor could anyone hear their rotors. The 33rd Battalion couldn't even guess how far away the helicopters were firing from.

The unit currently supporting the 33rd Battalion was the 902nd Aviation Battalion, subordinate to the 1st Combat Aviation Brigade.

The AH-64E Apache Guardians deployed somewhere over Namyangju were taking advantage of the Hellfire missile's long range to fire from more than ten kilometers away.

The distance was so great that neither the 33rd Battalion beneath the riverbank nor the North Korean soldiers hiding somewhere in the apartment complex could easily spot the helicopters with their naked eyes. All they could see were the results.

KABOOOM! KABOOOOOM!

The missiles were precisely selecting and striking large buildings and major commercial structures where North Korean soldiers were suspected to be hiding, one after another.

"Wow···. This is insane. How many helicopters are firing all those missiles?"

"Don't know···. Feels like we could take Namyangju easily if we just had those."

"···Fuck, it's like watching magic."

Everyone nodded at Lee Jin-gu's sincere observation. It was as though a wizard were dropping meteors from the sky one by one.

Even Bong-tae, who had told everyone to keep their heads down instead of watching, couldn't close his mouth at the sheer violence and almost majestic scale of the firepower.

"Fuck···. That really is incredible."

"Guess war really does come down to equipment."

The exterior of an apartment building struck directly by a missile crumbled away, exposing the reinforcing bars inside. A small commercial building was smashed beyond recognition by a single strike.

A short while later, the entire target area was engulfed in pale dust.

"···Do we even need to go in there?"

"I agree."

Bong-tae nodded as well. With that much firepower, it seemed unlikely that anyone could withstand the bombardment, no matter where they were hiding. Just then, Song Min-jae narrowed his eyes and pointed toward the northern ridgeline.

"O-over there."

"Huh? What?"

All the soldiers turned to look. Several tiny black dots were moving through the sky. With the naked eye, it was difficult even to tell whether they were birds or specks of debris from the fires.

"I think they're firing from over there."

"You can see that?"

"I can't see them very well either, but it sounds like the noise is coming from that direction."

Lee Jin-gu muttered with his mouth hanging open.

"They're fucking far away. How do they hit their targets so accurately?"

"They're expensive. They'd better be worth the money."

"Well···. I guess so?"

- Firing complete. We enter in five minutes.

"Hey, everyone, check your fire selectors. We're moving in five minutes!"

"Yes!"

Bong-tae shouted loudly to the members of 2nd Platoon. He pulled the rifle slung diagonally across his body tightly against his chest.

"Keep your fucking heads straight! If you freeze up, I'll kill you myself! You know an NCO can chew soldiers out even harder, right?"

"I-I've never heard that before, sir?"

© Jungle Pocket#22844