21st century Goguryeo - Chapter 244
Chapter 244: Book 10 Chapter 3-3 A Time for Decisive Action: The Clash!
February 14th, 2021, 14:30
The Southeastern skies above the Saga prefecture at Kyushu, Japan
The Peregrine Falcon choppers were making their offensive throughout the southern area of the Chikugo River. When the Corean air force’s strategic command became aware of the U.S Navy’s fighter jets arriving on the scene, they also deployed their own Phoenix fighter jets from the 23rd fighter wing at Kimhae. 12 CF-21P phoenix fighter jets under the 159th flight battalion took off to the skies. Also, a CE-90SP early warning plane was tailing them to combat the EA-18G growler’s electronic wave disruption.
Three Peregrine Falcon choppers had been struck down by the U.S Navy’s air-to-air missiles, and they were leaving the battlefield. The 5th and 6th mobile battalion under the Magpie Viper regiment had finished fording the river, but they were also in danger of being wiped out by the air-to-surface missiles.
The three CF-21P Phoenix jet flight wings appeared after a few minutes by using their afterburners. The 12 jets moved in a fingertip formation and entered into battle against the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet jets.
Beep beep beep!
The CE-90SP early warning planes had data linked the radar information about the enemy jets. The flight wing’s commander immediately gave out orders.
-Tiger 1! Freely engage in the offensive based on each flight wing commander’s discretion. Go.
-Fox 1, copy.
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Wolf 1, copy.
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When the flight commander’s orders came through, the 12 Phoenix jets split into three groups. The Tiger flight wing flew at the central position. The commander gave another order.
-Tiger 1! Maintain altitude and music on!
-Tiger 2! copy.
-Tiger 3! copy.
-Tiger 4! copy.
The radar’s range had been shortened by the EA-18G growler jet from the U.S Navy, but the CE-90SP early warning plane had managed to data link their information to the jets. Therefore, they were able to fire their mid-range missiles.
-Flight wing one all! Stand by with two Rattlesnake missiles, fire.
When the commander gave the order, the flight wing raised their speed and pulled the trigger to launch their missiles. The internal pairings for the weapons opened up, and two rounds of S-AAM-200 missiles painted gold flew out using its thrusters.
The other eight Phoenix jets also followed suit and launched their own Rattlesnake missiles.
Meanwhile, the Growler and Super Hornet jets also fired their AIM-120 AAMRAMM missiles and sprayed their chaffs and flares to go into evasive maneuvers.
The 16 missiles flew at a speed of Mach 8 and moved around as a snake would across the air. Nine of the missiles moved past the chaffs and flares and hit the Super Hornet jets that were making evasive maneuvers.
While the rays of the sun were pouring through the white clouds, black and red flashes of light flickered around the area. The Phoenix jets were taking out targets detected by their radars while evading the AIM-120 missiles heading towards them.
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February 14th, 2021, 15:00
Seoul Yongsan-ku B2 bunker (ROK military joint command center)
The Yongsan B2 bunker was the ROK military’s joint command center that was in charge of the entire Corean military. Over 100 operators would analyze the incoming information and show them on the screen. The military commanders would then use this information to give orders to their troops on how to respond. The entire bunker was in chaos.
War in the 21st century could be seen as a networking war. The most important aspect in modern warfare was having a clear and streamlined flow of information going from the soldiers on the field all the way to the commanding forces in the rear. The Corean joint chief of staff had a network system that allowed them to communicate with the soldiers on the battlefield. Also, the military commanders were able to see the status of each battle in real-time as if they were on the field themselves.
“It seems that the U.S. military is moving faster than we expected, sir.” Operations director Lieutenant General Kim Yong-hyun had analyzed the intelligence coming from across Japan and spoke to Chairman Kang Ui-sik, who was watching the screen from the back of the room.
“They don’t call the country a military power for nothing, do they? I suppose the war against America will be more difficult than we thought.”
“I believe we must start the second landing mission earlier than scheduled, sir.”
The large screen on the command center showed the footage of the battle at the Sasebo U.S Navy base. Also, the side screen showed the Magpie Viper armored regiment fording the Chikugo River in real-time.
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February 14th, 2021, 15:00
The Southern plains at the Chikugo River at Saga prefecture, Kyushu, Japan
Ten minutes ago, 10 of the 12 Super Hornet jets that had taken off from the Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier had been taken down at the skies of the southern plains above the Chikugo River. The two Growler jets were also taken down as well. The remaining two Super Hornet jets each deployed two of their CBU 105 cluster bombs and ended up vaporizing in the sky. The remaining two Growler jets ended up flying south while emitting their disruptive radio waves.
The Phoenix jets had taken out the threat from the air, but the four cluster bombs that the enemy had launched had split into 40 bomblets and severely damaged the C-23P-M Hyunmu armored vehicles that were fighting against Japan’s Type 10 tanks.
The C-23P-M Hyunmu armored vehicles started to explode from the bomblets. The explosions had covered an area the size of a football field. The Corean Marine’s armored vehicles were in chaos from the aerial strike. Suddenly the heavy sound of engines roaring got closer to their location. The engines were not from the Japanese Type 10 tanks, but the M1A2 tanks from the U.S Marine. There were dozens of them, at least the size of a company.
The U.S Marine’s tank company had used camouflage nets and had prepared for an ambush.
Boom!
The 120mm cannon flashed and smoke started to billow out. A C23P-M Hyunmu armored vehicle 2km away had its turret blown off and exploded.
Boom!
When the M1A1 tank fired its Depleted Uranium Ammunition round again, it blew off the C-23P-M Hyunmu armored vehicle’s tires and made it collapse on itself. The explosion had blown off the rear hatch, and the scorched bodies of the marines poured out from the vehicle.
The M830 HEAT-MP-T round had the piercing depleted uranium ammunition. It was designed to create a high heat jet storm inside a tank when it hit its target. Obviously, this would destroy the equipment and kill the crew aboard.
The depleted uranium ammunition was used for the first time in 1991 during the Gulf War. In 1998, it was used at the Kosovo incident and caused international controversy as well. Environmental groups suspected that the depleted uranium ammunition was the main cause of the “Gulf War Syndrome,” which had caused physical ailments to the U.S soldiers who fought in the war.
The environmental groups claimed that depleted uranium powder entered the human respiratory system and caused numerous diseases, including cancer, physical deformities, and sterilization. During the 78 days of the attack on Kosovo, NATO used 31,000 rounds of the depleted uranium tank rounds, and the U.S. also used them in the Bosnian War.
The other C-23P-M Hyunmu armored vehicles that had seen the gruesome scene started to retaliate with their 50mm photon cannons.
Pew! Pew! Pew!
The three-photon rounds had destroyed an M1A2 tank.
-Get them!
An angry voice came through the communication line. It was Colonel Kim In-hyuck, the commander of the Magpie Viper regiment. When the order to attack came through, the surviving armored vehicles from the airstrike burst forward and fired its 50mm photon rounds. The red photon rounds flew in a straight line towards the enemy.
As the loud sounds of the cannons rang across the battlefield, a burst of flames shot up from under the M1A2 tanks. Some of them were climbing over the hill at an angle when they were hit. This caused them to lose balance, crash, and become engulfed in flames.
The C-23P-M Hyunmu armored vehicle’s engines roared and sped forward.
There were 68 C-23P-M Hyunmu armored vehicles before they forded the Chikugo River, but only 44 vehicles were moving across the plains. Losing 24 vehicles was a devastating loss for the Magpie Viper regiment, which was taking the lead in the war. However, the marines did not have any fear and charged towards their enemy.
The three wheels on each side started to rev up and when the vehicle moved up the hill and reached the plains, they could see the M1A2 tanks.
Boom!
Suddenly, an explosion rang out and a C-23P-M Hyunmu tank collapsed on itself after losing its wheels.
“Three o’clock! Type 10 tanks.”
The Type 10 tanks from the Japanese army had fired their cannons while moving from 2km away. The C-23P-M Hyunmu armored vehicles had launched their remaining Black Dragon missiles from their launch pads equipped on both sides of the turret. The missiles flew in an arc and crashed into the turrets of the Type 10 tanks.
Boom! Bang! Boom! Bang!
Six Type 10 tanks collapsed and caught on fire in an instant.
When the Type 10 tanks from the three o’clock direction were taken care of, the 5th mobile armored battalion’s commander gave an order to fire.
Boom! Bang! Boom! Bang!
The charging Hyunmu armored vehicles all fired their photon cannons at once. The M1A2 tanks also fired their depleted uranium rounds at the Corean armored vehicles. The force from the cannon fire had caused the tank to be pushed back while being on the move. The photon cannon rounds and the depleted uranium rounds flew across each other.
The Magpie Viper regiment’s C-23P-M Hyunmu armored vehicles were a model based on the K-23P Hyunmu armored vehicle from the army. However, it was unknown whether they would be able to withstand the piercing power of the M1A2 tank’s 120mm rounds.
Boom! Boom!
The 50mm photon round flew at the speed of light and hit the front of the M1A2 tanks and pierced through the plating. The explosion swept the interior of the M1A2 tanks.
The M1A2 tanks were all torn to pieces after the internal explosion occurred, and blue and black flames started to rise from where they were. A single attack had caused four M1A2 tanks to explode. After having a platoon’s worth of tanks explode, the C2-23P-M Hyunmu armored vehicles continued their assault. They launched their 50mm plasma cluster rounds from their 32 round MLRS system.
The plasma cluster rounds flew past the exploded M1A2 tanks and struck the surviving M1A2 tanks on the move.
Boom! Bang! Bang!
The communication line of the Lion armored company from the U.S. Marine was in an uproar.
“You idiots, attack while making evasive maneuvers.”
Commander John McEnroe of the Lion armored company could not hold back his shock from the power of the C-23P-M armored vehicles and ordered his eight M1A2 tanks to attack.
“Fire!”
The operators had already targeted the Corean armored vehicles before the order came through.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
When the American tanks started firing their depleted uranium rounds, the C-23P-M Hyunmu armored vehicles all deployed their smoke bombs, scattered, and retaliated with their plasma rounds.
“We continue the offensive.”
Commander John McEnroe looked at the battlefield through his infrared periscope and gave more orders. Normally the authority to choose which cannon round to use was given to the vehicle commander in the U.S. Marine. However, if the operation was being conducted independently by a company, then the company commander would have the authority.
“Tank 12 has been hit!”
“Tank 13 argh! Has been hit! Aaaaaah.”
The company commander continued to give the order to attack while the screams of the crew inside the shot tanks continued to come in through the communication line.
“Company, fire!”
Boom! Boom!
Facing over 40 enemy vehicles with only a dozen tanks was not enough. They were outnumbered. After a few minutes, Commander John McEnroe’s tank also was hit by four-photon cannon rounds and burst into flames.
The first ground battle against America came to an end. The Magpie Viper regiment did face heavy losses, but it was a meaningful battle since they had won the battle against America and their famous M1A2 tanks, also known as the prince on land.
