Surviving as a World War II Soldier - Chapter 160

#160

“We are Americans.”

“Our loyalty lies solely with the American flag.”

Although they are not white, they were all born in the United States and raised as Americans.

However, after the war with Japan began, many Asian Americans had to face suspicion and criticism because they were of Japanese descent or because they looked indistinguishable from Japanese.

Many young people wanted to enlist.

“Give us a chance to prove our loyalty.”

“We want to fight too.”

In this way, they all succeeded in forming the 442nd Infantry Regiment.

Of course, there were many difficulties in the process.

This was because many people expressed their opposition by sending letters not only to the White House but also to the War Department and the Army Staff Department.

“How can you trust them?”

“Can short and big guys fight properly?”

“It’s fortunate that it doesn’t hinder our soldiers.”

“How about sending them to Japan and exchanging them for those who were captured?”

The reason they were able to form a decent alliance was thanks to the participation of not only Japanese but also Koreans and other Asians.

“We are Americans, not Japanese or Korean.”

“Give us a chance to prove our loyalty to the American flag.”

Most Koreans joined the Provisional Government, but not all.

There were quite a few people who wanted to remain Americans rather than become Koreans.

Thanks to the cooperation of various Asian Americans in addition to Koreans, Asians living in Japan were able to form a solidarity under the so-called ‘Nisei Unit’.

However, the formation of the unit did not end there.

“It’s a bit too much to deploy in the Pacific theater.”

Everyone was opposed to sending troops with a majority of Japanese origins to the Pacific theater.

Thus, their battlefield became Europe across the Atlantic.

They crossed the Atlantic Ocean and came to an unfamiliar land, but there was no one who wanted them.

“Where can we use those idiots?”

“You have to give us the right guys.”

“I’m a bit…”

In the early 20th century, when racial discrimination was rampant in the U.S. military, no commander was willing to accept the 442nd Infantry Regiment, which was made up of people of color.

The Nisei unit was no different from the ugly duckling.

It was Patton who accepted them as they were pushed around.

“A person of color? Jabs? What is that? “The guys we fight are Jerry.”

“Yes.”

“Then it doesn’t matter? “My arms and legs are intact, and I can hear, speak, and write in English.”

“yes. Even college graduates…”

“Then you should get it right away. That’s absolutely top-notch. “What does skin color matter?”

What mattered to Patton was not skin color.

To Patton, who proclaims that skin color does not matter as long as you have the ability, the Nisei unit was a special recruit.

In this way, the 442nd Infantry Regiment joined the 7th Army heading towards Berlin.

“You must fight braver than anyone else.”

“Of course.”

“Here we have to prove that we are Americans, that we are more loyal Americans than anyone else…”

People of Japanese descent believed that only then could their families remaining in their home country and their descendants live proudly.

The Korean community was equally desperate.

“There’s a reason you came here instead of going to Joseon, right?”

“Of course.”

“We have to succeed here…”

Because they want to remain American rather than Korean, because their ancestors had too dirty paths to return to Joseon, because they still have a history of leftism, etc.

For various reasons, those who chose to join the U.S. military rather than the Joseon military also had the same thirst for success.

“To do that, I have to go back with a medal in order.”

“yes. If that doesn’t work, we should at least give the family the honor of being a family member of a war veteran.”

One of them was Kim Young-ok.

And finally, they were given a chance to prove their existence.

The 7th Army, which was advancing rapidly, stopped due to resistance from the German army.

“The resistance from the German army is formidable.”

“Yes, the Teutoburg Forest is also a problem.”

Until Essen and Munster, it was possible to replace firepower with mobility, as Patton said.

This was because the German army had not anticipated the movements of the 7th Army at all.

In addition, the cooperation of the air corps that controlled the air superiority brought frustration to Germany and victory to Patton and the 7th Army.

However, the bad weather was a problem after leaving Münster.

Not only did they not receive air support, but the 7th Army’s strength of mobility was lost.

After praying earnestly with a sincere heart, we were able to obtain clear skies, but the Germans had already established a defensive line and were waiting for them.

“The size of the forest is not that big.”

“But it stretches out for a long time and is quite lush.”

Originally, forests were not particularly suitable terrain for armored units.

In particular, the area blocking their path was small but dense, and the German army was waiting for them in ambush.

The first thing Patton called upon as he faced the German army in the forest, that is, the winter forest, was the Air Corps.

“The air force conducted several air raids, but the effect was low.”

“Because there are trenches dug and ambushes all over the forest…”

The German garrison had built a fortress in the forest and was making ten thousand defensive preparations, including mine fields, barbed wire, and booby traps in the snow.

The narrow roads and open spaces between the forests were where German machine guns, mortars, and field artillery units were adjusting their ranges and aiming in advance.

“Tanks are difficult to maneuver, but they are moving around with anti-tank guns…”

“They are very difficult to deal with.”

“Trees are also a problem.”

“There are many cases of injuries caused by flying pieces of wood from shells.”

In contrast, the Germans were hiding in the trenches, so unlike the Americans, they suffered less damage.

“How about taking a detour further north?”

“Isn’t there a forest there?”

“That’s not it…”

We had to climb a long way to get around to an area with no forest at all.

Thanks to the gradual clearing of what used to be a forest and turning it into a city, large and small forests were spread out all over the area.

“How far north do you have to go to get to a place without forests? “You have to get pretty close to the coastline.”

When Patton said that if that were the case, it would be better to land north of Berlin on a seal ship, the staff fell silent.

And above all, the shortest route to Berlin was to pass through Osnaburg, reach Hanover, and then head west in a straight line.

In the end, the US 7th Army had no choice but to advance by sending in infantry to eliminate the German defensive positions one by one.

While the 7th Army staff was tearing their hair out in pain, there were people who were rejoicing: the members of the Nisei unit.

“The time has finally come. “Did everyone hear the story?”

“yes!”

“The infantry is being deployed to kill the Germans hiding in the forest.”

“This is our chance to prove our loyalty and capabilities.”

“Let’s show those who looked down on us because we are small what kind of people we are!”

“sure!”

In particular, the one with the highest morale was the 100th Infantry Battalion, especially the platoon led by Lieutenant Kim Young-ok.

Most of the platoon members were from Hawaii, and the forest was a familiar place to them as they were trained to live outdoors in the rugged volcanic region.

“Ugh, these eyes really can’t get used to it.”

“I know. “It’s fucking cold.”

“Why on earth is this neighborhood like this? “I can’t believe trash is falling from the sky like this.”

“So, isn’t it because life is difficult that we wage war like this?”

“is that so?”

Of course, it was difficult to adapt to the weather, which was completely different from Hawaii, but despite this, the platoon members’ movements were extremely nimble.

The mission of the platoon led by Kim Young-ok is to eliminate German positions hidden throughout the forest.

It was the same that day too.

All members of the platoon crouched at the gesture of Kim Young-ok’s hand as they confirmed the sound of machine guns pouring in.

Dadada.

“I think we need to get rid of that camp over there…”

“It’s very difficult to access.”

“What should I do?”

Thanks to our careful movement, we were not discovered by the Germans still in the machine gun position.

However, there was no way to attack them from where they were hiding.

“As soon as you start moving, you will be spotted.”

Kim Young-ok, who thought for a moment about the platoon member’s question, took out a grenade and held it in his hand.

“Still, I have to go. “You can’t keep hiding here.”

“That’s true, but…”

Kim Young-ok asked, looking at the hesitant platoon member.

“Are you scared?”

“yes? no.”

The answer came out right away. Kim Young-ok stood up smiling brightly.

“Yeah, that can’t be possible. Then let’s go. “Let’s stop there today and then go and rest.”

“All right.”

Seeing Kim Young-ok running ahead, all the other platoon members began to follow.

“Let’s follow the platoon leader.”

“let’s go.”

Dadada.

The German army’s response was somewhat slow, perhaps because they were taken aback by the sudden appearance of the US military’s charge.

Thanks to this, I was able to get closer than I had planned. Seeing the surprised expression on the German soldier’s face, Kim Young-ok swung his arm to present the grenade he was holding.

No, it was just his imagination.

puck.

“The platoon leader has collapsed.”

“what!”

“We have to save the platoon leader.”

“Platoon leader!”

As he fell, screams erupted from the mouths of the platoon members who followed him.

and,

“Banzai!”

One of the platoon members at the back ran out shouting familiar words. To him…

“Banzai!”

“Banzai!!”

They all charged in, shouting the same words as if they were infected.

A few hours later.

“Because it was penetrated cleanly, it will heal rather quickly.”

“ha. Fortunately, the.”

At the surgeon’s words, the platoon members sighed in relief and looked at Kim Young-ok.

“Thank goodness. “What is Banzai talking about there?”

“No, without me knowing…”

“Ha, really.”

“No, you were the platoon leader who charged first.”

“yes. “We just followed suit.”

And thanks to the activities of the Nisei troops, including them, the 7th Army was able to break through the forest and arrive at Osnaburg.

And after hearing their activities, Patton immediately picked up a pen and wrote a document.

##

“A request for an award or decoration came? “What is that?”

At the adjutant’s words, I took my eyes off the document I was looking at and raised my head.

Fierce battles continued day after day, and front-line units sent various reports saying that every day was far from over.

Among them, there were quite a few requests to award medals to his subordinates.

In particular, Patton was one of those who cared for his subordinates more passionately than anyone else. When I asked why he was asking me to see this because it always came up, the deputy held out the document he was holding.

“This is because the content is quite unique.”

Then I put down the document I was reading, took what the adjutant handed me, and started reading.

“What is this? It’s a Banzai charge. “Why is this happening?”

“Is this a tactic you know?”

The adjutant asked, his eyes shining at my muttering.

“iced coffee. “It’s a strategy that the Japanese are good at using…”

Kim Young-ok was a famous figure among the Korean military, so it was not unknown.

In particular, isn’t the story of the Banzai assault he led with a Japanese platoon in Italy very famous?

However, there are many differences from the original history. In particular, there are many differences between the Joseon Dynasty of the original history, which was not treated as a proper country, and the Joseon Dynasty of today.

Not only had independence already been promised, but the Joseon Provisional Government and its affiliated liberation army had been participating in the war as allies of the U.S. military since the beginning of the Pacific War. Weren’t there already Koreans in the Mitchell Commando Unit?

Thanks to this, most Korean Americans were enlisting in the Liberation Army rather than the U.S. Army. Thanks to this, the size of the liberation army was considerable.

So I thought of course he would have gone that way, but here he is and a Banzai charge.

“The fact that he enlisted in the U.S. Army rather than the Joseon Liberation Army is unusual, and he must be a truly remarkable figure.”

“yes. “It seems so.”

“Oh, by the way, did you report this to Jeong Hoon’s unit?”

“yes? “No, not yet.”

“Tell me right away. What a great story. You can highlight the members of the Nisei unit, and you can highlight the bravery of charging without sparing your life.”

“Oh, I see.”

If it were a European Banzai assault, it would be enough to make a story.

While I was surprised by the unexpected Banzai charge, something surprising was happening on the other side of the world.

“Well, aren’t there all these crazy people?”

It was Eisenhower who showed his anger with a very distorted face.

What was in Eisenhower’s hand was a report sent by Elliott, who was currently next to Chiang Kai-shek.

“civil war? It is true that the end of the war is in sight, but it is not over yet. But it’s a civil war…”

So, the Chinese civil war in China began in 1927, long before the war with Japan broke out. However, after Japan revealed its ambitions against China, Chiang Kai-shek’s Nationalist Party and the Communist Party agreed to joint national-communist cooperation to stop the civil war and drive out Japan first.

“As expected, the Chief of Staff was right that the Chinese should not be trusted.”

“yes. Let this matter reach the ears of those seals. “It is obvious that we would be very foolish for insisting on landing in China.”

After recovering the entire Philippines, Eisenhower and King were at odds over their next move. This was because Eisenhower wanted to advance into mainland China, where the army could play a big role, and King wanted to attack mainland Japan via Formosa.

In fact, that was precisely why the Chinese Communist Party broke the Sino-Public cooperation.

“What will happen if the U.S. military sets foot on the continent?”

“Before that, we have to find a way to survive.”

“After the war is over, it’s too late, it’s too late.”

Although it joined hands with the Soviet Union and cooperated with communist-aligned nationalists in places such as Burma and Vietnam, the United States was basically an anti-communist country.

In particular, America’s anti-communist spirit was clearly revealed when looking at its key allies, the Philippines and the Provisional Government of Korea.

“Look at those Joseon bastards. “Hasn’t the communist line completely died out?”

“If things continue like this, it is obvious that we will follow in the same footsteps.”

Therefore, communist leaders, including Mao Zedong, decided to break the cooperation between the State and the Communist Party and take their own independent path.

Of course, Chiang Kai-shek could not ignore this, and eventually a battle broke out between the Chinese Communist Party and the Kuomintang.

“So, let’s just accept the seals’ offer?”

“That’s a bit like that, isn’t it?”

“of course.”

No matter how many years I endured while pooping in the Philippines, I couldn’t do anything good for those seals.

“Well, then what about Joseon?”

“Shipbuilding?”

“yes. “They’re much more trustworthy than the Chinese guys.”

“You know that well.”

“You are planning to make Joseon independent anyway. “Then wouldn’t it be okay to order it a little sooner?”

The idea was that if Taiwan, China, and ultimately Japan were the stepping stones, wouldn’t the shortest route be to go to Joseon, the closest destination?