The border area of the 8 armies of the Heguo Army and the 20~more than 10,000 troops of the Chen Army, forced the speed to advance northward.

On the night of the 22nd, the 1st Marine Division of the U.S. Army conquered Linchanli on the west bank of Changjin Lake, and then divided its troops into two routes, all the way to Qianchuan in the west and the wolf forest in the north. The 2nd Marine Division conquered the battle on the south side of the battle lake, and then divided its troops into two routes, one to the east and the other to Xinxing to the north, with a speed beyond everyone's imagination.

The 1st Air Assault Division, which originally served as the "vanguard", was transformed into a "rearguard", in addition to sending low-altitude strike forces to assist the Marine Corps in the offensive (in fact, it is not obvious, because the Marine Corps is equipped with a large number of armed helicopters and F-35B fighters deployed on amphibious assault ships, and the low-altitude strike capability is not much worse than that of the 1st Air Assault Division), mainly using the transport helicopters equipped with it to transport combat personnel and combat materials for the Marine Corps and serve as a logistical support task.

On the surface, the U.S. military is still frantically attacking.

In fact, the U.S. military was preparing for a retreat.

In this round of combat operations, the US military took the code name "Thorn Dolphin."

From this codename, you can see the intentions of the US military. The "hedgehog" is a fish that lives in the ocean, and when it encounters natural predators, its body quickly swells and hundreds of poisonous stingers are erected, making it difficult for predators to swallow.

With its limited strength, the US military launched a surprise attack in the direction of a vast area of tens of thousands of square kilometers and rapidly expanded the combat area, making it difficult for the Republic Army to quickly encircle the two marine divisions after entering the war. Win the fight and continue to attack; If you can't win, you will quickly retreat. With the U.S. military's powerful airlift capabilities, especially vertical airlift, supplemented by air cover and support, the two Marine Divisions were able to withdraw to Hamhung within two days and board ships at the port of Hungnam to leave Korea.

On the same day, at 22 o'clock, the South Korean army and the 1st Armored Division of the US Army captured Kaesong.

From 3 a.m. on the 18th to 22 p.m. on the 22nd, it took 115 hours for the South Korean and American forces to capture Kaesong, 14 times longer than expected!

Except for some of the Korean troops who fled north. Nearly 150,000 North Korean troops guarding Kaesong were completely annihilated by the South Korean and American forces.

After the battle. The Korean army captured by the Korean army reached more than 37,000~.

It was the largest war of annihilation in the early days of the Peninsular War. But it was not the largest war of annihilation in the entire Peninsular War.

Before the capture of Kaesong by the combined forces of South Korea and the United States. The South Korean army captured Gimcheon. Attacking the blue crane to the north. South of Qinghe. There were also about 50,000 to 70,000 Korean troops scattered in various towns and military strongholds.

The U.S. 1st Panzer Division did not immediately go north. Instead, he went to Kaesong, west of Kaesong. Waiting for reinforcements and replenishment.

The South Korean army, which was responsible for sweeping up the remnants of the North Korean army, did not immediately go north. Instead, they stayed and waited for supplies.

The biggest problem of the ROK-US coalition is not the stubborn resistance of the North Korean army, but the ammunition, fuel and other war materials that are about to run out.

The combat operation against the port of Haizhou was extremely crucial. In order to capture Haizhou as soon as possible, the 1st Armored Division of the US Army transferred an armored brigade to provide support for the ROK Army's 1st Division and the 13th Infantry Division.

Compared with attacking Kaesong, attacking Haizhou was more troublesome.

From Kaesong to Haizhou there is only a railway, no road. If you advance along the road route, you must first capture Hirayama, south of Aozuru. Before the ROK-US coalition forces advanced along the railway line to Haeju, the DPRK army blew up six railway bridges along the way, causing huge problems for the ROK-US coalition forces.

On the afternoon of the 22nd, the vanguard of the ROK army arrived on the east shore of Haizhou Bay.

The offensive began at night, and the stubborn resistance of the North Korean army once again made the South Korean troops who rushed to the front suffer enough.

Fortunately, after the Battle of Kaesong, the ROK Air Force, which had been "rushed" to the south of Pyongyang, gave full support to the attacking forces, and there was no shortage of air support.

On that day, the fiercest contention remained for air supremacy in the northern part of the DPRK.

The ROK Air Force, which had suffered heavy losses, ceded its main position to the U.S. Air Force (including carrier-based aviation), and the Republic Air Force dispatched a third fighter wing, which put more combat aircraft on the ground.

During the day, the Republic fought with American warplanes.

Both sides suffered heavy losses, and the air battles were fought from outside the line of sight to within the line of sight, and even 1 J-4 and 2F-22A were shot down by the opponent with machine guns! 2. The air superiority fighters with comparable performance became the absolute main force on the battlefield, and the F-35 series fighters with poor air combat performance were blocked from the door of air combat from the very beginning. In order to prevent the early warning aircraft and electronic warfare planes from being shot down again, both sides placed the early warning planes and electronic warfare planes within the ground (sea) air defense force cover range, and did not allow them to go forward and take risks.

In the evening, the Republic announced the results of the battle as the shooting down of enemy planes and the destruction of self-inflicted aircraft.

Subsequently, the United States announced that the situation of the battle on the ground was that it had shot down an enemy plane and damaged its own plane.

It seems that both sides have a plan in their hearts, and neither deliberately exaggerates the results of the battle, nor does they deliberately conceal the losses of the battle.

The most important battle during the day was not the struggle for air supremacy, but the bombing operation carried out by the 21st ~ Wing at around 15 o'clock.

In order to prevent the rapid surprise attack of the US Marines who arrived at Changjin Lake and the Zhanzhan Lake and trapped the US troops in a relatively small area, the 24J-15 fighters of the 213th Group, under the cover of the J-14 fighters of the 2111th and 111th Groups, used the guidance information provided by the special forces to drop a guided bomb and destroyed one road and railway bridge on the Ballu River, Changjin River, Quzhan River, and Xuchuan River.

The operation was completed within 5 minutes, and by the time the U.S. military reacted, the J-15 fleet had arrived.

Even if the commander of the U.S. Marine Corps is an idiot, he can see that the Republic is laying out a big situation, and the first thing the Army will deal with after entering the war is the U.S. Marine Corps who venture north.

Forward or backward?

The U.S. commander had the sappers erect pontoon bridges along the advance route while discussing countermeasures through the military communications network.

The reality facing the US military is extremely cruel, and if it continues to attack, it is very likely that it will be surrounded and annihilated by the army of the Republic of Korea that has entered the DPRK, and if it retreats, it will lose its only chance to win.

Major General Duchway, who served as the commander of the front, finally decided to "go two-pronged".

The 1st Marine Division and the 2nd Marine Division continued to advance, and the 1st Air Assault Division, which was working together, went to Goro as soon as possible.

I have to admit that Dugway's judgment was very accurate.

If the Republic Army wants to completely annihilate the U.S. Marine Division in the north, it must dispatch airborne troops to occupy Wulao at the beginning of the offensive. As long as the 1C11th Air Assault Division controls the five elders, the 2 Marine Divisions will have no worries.

The problem is that the forces of the 1st Air Assault Division are scattered in several directions within tens of thousands of square kilometers.

According to Du Qiwei's deployment, before dawn on the 23rd, the 1st Air Assault Division sent at most one landing battalion to Wulao.

At night, the 15th ~ team and the 17th ~ wing participated in the battle, so far the Republic Air Force has invested 5 fighter wings (in addition to the 11th company and the 21st ~ wing that participated in the battle first, there is also the 13th ~ wing that participated in the battle during the day on the 22nd), and more than 300 J-14 fighters and J-15 fighters have been put into operation. In order to support combat operations, the Air Force sent two early warning aircraft groups and two electronic warfare groups of the 12th ~ and 22nd ~ teams to the front line, and a total of 16 early warning aircraft were put into operation, ensuring that at least three KJ-22 early warning planes patrolled the north bank of the Yalu River and the Tumen River at all times.

At 19:30, Xiang Linghui issued the first "Chief of General Staff Order" to the front command.

The order is very clear: the Air Force will seize air supremacy in the northern part of Korea at all costs between 1:30 and 5:30 on the 23rd, focusing on ensuring the safety of several air corridors and opening the way for the airborne troops. The 153rd Airborne Brigade must be ready to participate in the battle by the early morning of the 23rd, the first airborne troops will land near Goro between 1:30 and 2 o'clock, and all combat units must land before 5:30.

It is also said that the 153 Airborne Brigade will enter the battle in the early morning of the 23rd.

After receiving the order, the Air Force immediately stopped its combat operations on the night of the 22nd, and with the exception of fighters who carried out border air defense security patrols, hundreds of fighters of the five wings returned to prepare for the battle in the early morning of the 2nd.

The sudden "withdrawal" of the Air Force of the Republic was all too obvious in the signs of a large-scale assault.

At around 211 o'clock, Du Qiwei arrived at the headquarters of the 1st Air Assault Division in Hungnam and demanded that all nearby air assault units be immediately sent to Goro.

The problem is that Duchway is a major general in the Marine Corps, and the 1st Air Assault Division is an army unit.

Even without taking into account the issue of the subordination of troops, most of the combat units of the 1st Air Assault Division are on their way back to their stations. Because of its heavy reliance on helicopter-based low-altitude assault forces, the 1st Air Assault Division had the greatest logistical requirements. Even if the helicopter doesn't do any maintenance after it returns, it still needs to be refueled and the pilot can have dinner before it can set off again.

After such a toss, the 1st Air Assault Division was simply unable to send more troops to Wulao before dawn on the 23rd.

At 22:30, Du Qiwei rushed to the five elders and personally arranged the defensive deployment.

Unfortunately, there was only one infantry company at that time, and no matter how perfect the defensive deployment was, it could not make up for the lack of troops.

As the most talented general in the U.S. Marine Corps, Dudgway knew how brutal the battle was about to break out.

At 23 o'clock, Duchway returned to the headquarters of the 2nd Marine Division, first ordered the 2nd Marine Division to stop the offensive, and then issued a similar order to the 1st Marine Division.

It's just that Dudgway's actions are a little slower.

When the order was issued, the vanguard of the 2nd Marine Division had already reached Pingshan-ri and Shansshui-ri, the vanguard of the 1st Marine Division had reached Longlin and Wenyue-ri, and the combat units of the 1st Marine Division had reached Beiqing, and many officers and men of the 2nd Marine Division were scattered over an area of nearly 30,000 square kilometers, with a total length of more than 500 kilometers! The 1C11th Air Assault Division was more dispersed, and in addition to the more than 3,000 officers and soldiers who remained in Hungnam, another 11C officers and soldiers were scattered throughout the battlefield in companies and even platoons.

In the event of a surprise attack, it is simply impossible for the US military to switch from offensive to defensive.

Faced with the impending danger, Duchway had nothing to do.

While Duchway was busy solving the "problem," several combat officers and men of the 153rd Airborne Brigade stationed at Qiuligou Air Base (the brigade had a total strength of more than 7,500 troops, nearly half of whom were non-combatants) were preparing for battle.

Li Dong-seok, who was promoted to lieutenant platoon commander, still checked the equipment of each soldier one by one, as he did when he was a squad leader.

The battlefield is not only a stage for soldiers to make meritorious contributions, but also a cemetery for soldiers to shed blood and sacrifice.

Whether they are well prepared or not will determine where the serviceman ends. (To be continued)

Starting