Dear Comrade

＜ Chapter 24. Baghdad Race (4) ＞

Chapter 24. Baghdad Race (4)

In a moment of conflict, the A10 pilot made a simple and ignorant conclusion based on his accumulated experience during numerous close air support missions.

‘I must have requested air support because I was being pushed back in the first place. If you were winning, why do you need help? If a light armored vehicle and a tank fight, who wins, the answer is simple.’

Moreover, it was revealed that the machine gun mounted on the A10, which he controls, was not as useful as expected for the Eastern European tanks in this war, so there was already talk in the military about removing the machine gun and installing one more Maverick missile.

In other words, even if he made a mistake in his judgment, if the opponent was the T72, the survival probability (that is, the probability that the censure would be slightly lighter) is relatively higher than that of the armored car.

‘Well, if you’re lucky enough to be a tank commander… you want to be there? Anyway, it’s the command’s responsibility for not giving the scene information. The pilot who blew 10 Marines in the last Battle of Khafji didn’t do it because he wanted friendly fire, right? It’s not our fault!’

And according to his irresponsible judgment of the situation in just a few seconds, the fate of the two armies, fighting to death below, was decided.

After making the decision, the pilot finished understanding the battlefield situation and turned the control stick to turn around and lower the altitude.

Through the cockpit windshield, I caught my eye as the T72 tank, which had just destroyed one more armored car, rotated its turret to launch one more final shot.

The pilot carefully measured the distance, adjusted the speed to 250 knots per hour, and opened fire with the GAU-8 heavy machine gun towards the rear of the tank.

And at the same time as his operation, a blast of 30mm depleted uranium rounds at 4,200 rounds per minute fell on the tank and the Iraqi forces surrounding it.

Gee!!!!!!!!!!

‘yes?’

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North Korean military officers such as Baek Seung-cheol, Kim Cheol-gyu, and Ri Jong-su, who were in despair, listened to the strange engine sound.

Baek Seung-cheol, who had been bowing his head wondering if he was going to die now, raised his head and looked closely at the source of the sound, the T72 tank, which was destined to become their grim reaper. His eyes saw something flying towards them at high speed.

“……What is that…?”

Boowoo

And with a vibrating sound that looked like a swarm of bees flying or something was tearing, the whole front was covered with dust.

Although the North Korean army was not targeted, the sound of physical force tearing the air could be heard vividly from their positions as the two sides were very close together.

Some of the fast-moving ones quickly fell to the ground, thinking that something dangerous, even more dangerous than the T72, which had ever looked like a grim reaper, was approaching at high speed.

But even in the midst of it, they could see clearly.

The sight of the thick composite armor being covered with holes like cloth sucked into a sewing machine and losing its function in an instant as sparks flew over the armor plate of the T72 tank that had been slaughtering their armored vehicles a while ago.

At the same time, they witnessed Iraqi infantry, soaring above the dust-covered skies, as they had been triumphant with the triumph of victory.

“Comrade Kim, that guy is coming out of his belly for a long time…”

“…the guts.”

To be precise, what they saw was the sight of the ‘remnants’ of Iraqi forces flying in the air.

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No matter how weak the defense was, the steel tank was torn apart in an instant and lost its function, but there was no way for a human body made of blood and flesh to be safe.

The North Korean soldiers were at a loss for words as they watched the internal organs leaking from the upper body of an Iraqi infantryman torn in two by the bullet’s kinetic energy like a skein.

Gee…..!!!

“Again, it’s coming again!”

“Shut up!”

When the engine noise of the attack aircraft was heard again looking for a target while turning in the sky and flying low again, this time all the North Korean forces, including commander Baek Seung-cheol, fell flat on the floor.

They knew that the attack was not aimed at them, but the distance between them was too close to watch the enemies being slaughtered in a pleasant way, and the power of the machine guns they had just seen was too formidable.

Ooo

“……………………”

Again, there were no screams from the enemies.

The heavy machine gun of the A10, which had already cooked the main dish tank, this time took the main target as infantry, and the Iraqi infantry, who had already been killed in the previous fire, were literally turned into minced meat in this fire.

Gee…!

After confirming the kill, the A10 attack aircraft turned again and waved its wings once as if to greet the North Korean army looking at it, and then disappeared into the sky.

Just before disappearing, a playful pilot’s voice could be heard through the radio they were holding.

– Good luck, Moscow.

And it was only after the attack plane slowly disappeared beyond the dawning sky that the North Koreans could raise their heads.

“……”

“Wow, whoop! Wow!”

“…Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha… Did we all live together? right?”

“Live! lived! Ahahahaha!! I thought I couldn’t go to my hometown, and I thought I was going to search for it all over the country… But the sky wasn’t indifferent… Comrade Lieutenant General Baek? Are you okay?”

When the tension was relieved and the corpse of the enemy, which was now so gruesome, came into view, some soldiers vomited, and as if reacting to the sound, the North Korean soldiers looked at each other and felt the realization of life.

But still, many of them were still choking and pinching each other’s cheeks.

Until recently, I thought I was just going to die, but with only one plane, the situation was turned upside down.

Their commander Baek Seung-cheol was also standing blankly, lost for words.

Strictly speaking, the reason he is dazed now was the joy of finding life again, but it was because of the power of the attack aircraft he had just seen before his eyes.

‘How the heck could such a thing… That the newest Soviet tank couldn’t even scream once with just one blade… How many Americans have such a thing? No, since the start of the war, in the past month, have you mobilized hundreds of thousands of such things to attack?’

When the thought reached that point, Seungcheol Baek shuddered without realizing it.

Of course, I have seen the Air Force of the US Army and its ground operation capabilities that are not inferior to those of the Air Force by writing on paper and long-term words on a map at the Chief of Staff.

However, listening to a briefing in the commander’s tent tens or hundreds of kilometers away from the battlefield and realizing the power of the weapon at such a close range (excessively) were completely different things.

Fear and frustration, awe and jealousy of the US military, and above all, pity for himself, who had only blindly trusted the Soviet-style tactics of defeat, came flooding into my heart.

Up until now, Baek Seung-cheol, with the pride of being an elite who studied at Frunze, had inwardly looked down on other soldiers of the People’s Army, who only believed in partisan guerrilla tactics, as frogs in the well.

Even the general secretary, who is now the supreme leader, has no military experience, so even though he did not know the internal affairs, there was a time when he comforted himself with the last shred of pride, saying that he was superior to the war.

However, what he learned from this war was that he was not a frog in a well, he was almost nothing more than a tadpole.

‘Ah… How on earth can our People’s Army fight and win against such an army? When the general secretary said that he would implement a pro-US policy, it is the feeling of holding back and planting the former self, who reacted without knowing the subject. Was I really just a wild idiot who didn’t know I was high in the sky… Maybe the general secretary foresaw this and sent me here…’

– You’ll learn a lot if you go. It’s more than English. See it with your own eyes and you will know what I mean. Good medicine is usually written in the mouth.

The allusion of the general secretary the day before the departure lingered in his mind.

At the time, he didn’t know what it meant, but now Baek Seung-cheol understood the meaning of the word.

And the reason why the general secretary did not want to let him go in the first place.

In the eyes of the general secretary, who must have known the capabilities of the United States and its military, even if no one had to explain how funny he must have seemed to run wild without knowing the subject, he was able to realize it deeply.

While he was standing for a long time like a warrior, contemplating defeat and worrying about the future, someone approached him.

It was his right arm, his left arm, and his staff, Kim Cheol-gyu and Ri Jong-su.

“Are you busy, comrade lieutenant general? It was really dead.”

“……No work (it’s okay). What about the other officers?”

In fact, there was nothing wrong with Baek Seung-cheol, who answered the question, but he answered that he would come.

After this, he had to complete his mission not with pride, but with Ogi, no, even with poison.

Otherwise, even if the general secretary did not shoot him, it seemed that he would commit suicide first out of shame.

“There were a lot of deaths and injuries, but 70% are still able to fight. If we go a little further from here, our technicians are being held… What happened?”

“Continue with your mission until the very end. Move only the wounded and the troops to take care of the wounded. One of you, stay, and send the radio to the Americans to evacuate the injured comrades.”

“……I got it.”

The two officers were a little surprised to see that their superior, who had never shown weakness to the Americans, decided to ask the Americans for help without any hesitation, but they did not want to challenge the decision.

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Not only Baek Seung-cheol, but both of them, no, most of the military officers who participated in today’s battle felt similar feelings to Baek Seung-cheol’s.

“…But who the hell called that wing? Even if the Americans were trying to help us, it would have been possible if they knew roughly where we were…”

“…that’s what I don’t know. Only heaven will know.”

At that time, Kim Cheol-gyu found an expression in his superior’s eyes that seemed to have realized something, but at the same time he was angry.

“The dawn is coming soon. Hurry up, sort out the wounded and go! The people are eagerly waiting for our help!”

“Ex-Major, I’m sorry to say this, but as a major’s operational assistant, I have to say something that I must say without rudeness. ….if this goes wrong, it will be sent to the military court, you know?”

“know,”

“It goes without saying that you can take off your clothes, and if you get caught wrong, you hear that rednecks who benefit the enemy even invaded the Special Forces.”

“enemy? Dude, I knew you didn’t speak English, but didn’t you hear General Schwarzkopf’s briefing? We are fighting here in Kuwait under the multinational flag. We didn’t help the North Korean army, we called air support to our allies in crisis. Aren’t you supposed to listen to your boss?”

“That’s right, but…”

The chief of operations sighed in concern about his superiors, who acted like an ignorant person in the world.

Baek Seung-cheol, who was at the crossroads of life and death, and the person who called the U.S. forces with a request for air support that saved the North Korean army and the approximate coordinates was the field commander of the dispatched troops belonging to the ROK Army Special Warfare Command, who was waiting for the dawn in the immediate vicinity.

While they were waiting for the start of the operation after receiving a task from Schwarzkopf to rescue North Korean engineers, they got into conflict when they heard a report from a guard that they could hear gunshots and gunfire firing nearby.

In principle, the North Korean forces in Kuwait are allied forces under the same multinational military, so it is natural to help.

However, if you just ignore it, you can handle the North Korean army, or even the elite troops of the North Korean army, without your hands, and you can also hear from superiors that if the rescue operation succeeds tomorrow, it has brought diplomatic superiority over North Korea.

In such a situation, the former major in charge of the rescue operation made a decision, saying, ‘Considering the urgent situation, I will follow the on-site judgment, I am responsible’.

“Before dispatch, you heard from the general about the new religion. This dispatch is entirely for the maintenance of the ROK-U.S. alliance, so it is patriotism to listen to the words of the US generals. Those American generals would be very happy to know that we were obviously watching our allies die nearby.”

“Still, the general is the commander of the dispatch team, so the decision to report to him first and then make a decision…”

“If I had reported it to Brigadier General Choi and did something, they would have all died in the meantime. Besides, where is he now awake?”

‘Do it, that’s it.’

At the former major’s point, the operational assistant sighed inwardly.

Their superior, Brigadier Choi, was a typical political soldier who was promoted after riding the Blue House line, so he often left these heavy responsibilities to his subordinates and said he didn’t know when things got bigger.

Moreover, even though it was not a war in his country, he was also the owner of a truly respectful mind that, even though his subordinates went out to the enemy, he did not check the success or not and strictly adhered to the sleeping time like a knife.

‘But the problem isn’t just us here…’

The operational assistant secretly glanced at a guest who was not today’s guest, a person dispatched from the Ministry of Security and Public Administration, which became like a hotteok restaurant on fire after the news of North Korea’s participation in the war.

Then, the head of the Ministry of Security and Security, Park Se-hwang, shrugged when he realized that the former major and other people were looking at him.

“In principle, you should report, but I won’t say anything else, so you don’t have to worry. Considering both the cause of the multinational forces and the weakening of the North Korean army’s power, I will report that the former Major submitted a request for support just before the annihilation.”

“…what if it turns out later that the other side didn’t take as much damage as I thought it would?”

“It’s dark, so you can say I made a mistake. After all, American kids are killing the Air Force. completely wipe it out When will our military introduce something like that?”

Seeing Se-hwang Park making other noises, Major exhaled a sigh of relief.

Although he indirectly helped the sympathy of being the only compatriots speaking the same language in this foreign country, he also had a feeling that this was an act of transference as a result.

In the end it worked out, but Major Jeon could not help muttering in his heart as he saw the People’s Army departing to recover the wounded and rescue the engineers, their original goal.

‘I don’t know who saved you, but I just hope that this action now doesn’t save future enemies. The leader has changed and the Germans have also achieved bloodless unification, but it is a shame for the nation to live forever with the armistice line in this narrow land cut off by the outside world. I have no choice but to put my hopes on the new general secretary over there, who says they are very different from the previous two…’

Contrary to the night battle, the rescue of the engineer itself ended very easily.

The Iraqi army, which was waiting for instructions to blow up at an oil field where the main force had run out and there were only about 10 guards to monitor the engineers, saw the reconnaissance battalion pulling an armored car, and threw away their weapons and surrendered.

After interrogating one of them, Baek Seung-cheol found out that the forces the reconnaissance battalion he led had encountered last night were the majority of the men who were preparing for a sabotage operation with engineers at this oil field.

“Because it’s a geese…. The main unit that was retreating from the main unit took out the mechanics who were sent to rescue the fallen tank, and the troops who were guarding the oil fields to escort the mechanics.

“…In fact, the battle that should have been fought in the oil field was the first to be fought. Anyway, it’s good to see that the technicians aren’t hurt.”

Kim Cheol-gyu and Ri Jong-soo shook their heads as they watched the engineers holding Baek Seung-cheol’s hand and tearing up.

With this, their people’s support brigade’s overseas deployment was a success in the first place.

‘No, considering what I’ve seen and felt here, even if it’s a success, I’m not happy at all. Comrade Lieutenant General Baek must have felt a lot of things in his heart…’

Ri Jong-su thought so as he looked at Baek Seung-cheol’s face as he exhorted engineers who muttered ‘The grace of the general secretary has pierced my bones’.

Surely he could save his life and earn a major and return to the Republic confidently, but he did not look happy at all.

Perhaps this dispatch had a great impact not only on Commander Baek Seung-cheol, but on the two of them as well as all the soldiers of the Korean People’s Army who participated in the dispatch.

And at some point, Kim Cheol-gyu thought to himself that the effect would spread throughout the Korean People’s Army over time, changing the entire Korean People’s Army in the future.

A day later, on February 28, according to a report by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Colin Powell that ‘there were no more combatants left’, US President George W. Bush declared a cessation of combat in all areas.

Saddam Hussein withdrew all Iraqi forces from Kuwait and declared de facto surrender, asking the United Nations to intervene in peace negotiations.

And as this war, later known as the Gulf War, was rushing toward an end, North Korea’s supreme leader Kim Jeong-hwan made a phone call from his office.

“The time we spent exploring each other was too long. Now that we went to war, we confirmed each other’s feelings to some extent, so why don’t we see it in person?”

The person on the phone, US President George H. W. Bush, was silent for a moment.

Although diplomatic officials from both countries have already been engaged in push-and-pull negotiations under the water even during the Gulf War, the final decision is made by the leaders.

Ultimately, what moved Bush at the last minute was his personal curiosity to see this daring friend.

“That’s right, General Secretary Kim. Where would you like the summit to take place?”

“I like Pyongyang .”