George Bush’S Great America [EN]: Chapter 113

George W. Bush’s Great America – Episode 112

Iraq. A divided nation, split into east and west.

Besides Iraq, other divided nations included the Korean Peninsula, which had held the unfortunate title for about 50 years, along with China and Cyprus. However, the Korean Peninsula was expected to be unified soon, potentially through the influence of the United States.

The common thread among divided nations was that, almost without exception, one side was recognized as an official nation by the international community, while the other was not. For example, the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus is recognized only by Turkey, and the Republic of China (Taiwan) is largely ignored by the UN. What about North Korea? North Korea has recently gained attention due to the United States’ involvement, but it is still not fully recognized as a legitimate nation in the international community.

However, Iraq’s situation was somewhat unique. The EU and Russia recognized the east-west division out of practical necessity. With two major international players acknowledging it, the United States, lacking strong reasons to object, also accepted the division.

Another similar case was Germany, divided into east and west after World War II due to the interests of the major powers. However, the atmosphere in Iraq was quite different from that of East and West Germany, as neither the eastern nor western parts of Iraq were particularly desirable places to live, unlike their German counterparts.

The excessively high taxes, streets resembling chaotic scenes from China, and the ever-present threat of Islamic fundamentalism, where even the slightest misstep could lead to severe consequences, made it an undesirable place to reside.

And above all, terrorists remained a significant threat, primarily originating from the east. While the east denied any involvement, the sophistication and advanced military equipment used by these terrorists suggested external support. Consequently, the EU forces stationed there faced a frustrating and dangerous situation.

For example, a lightly armed French squad on a simple reconnaissance mission might suddenly find themselves under heavy fire from hidden assailants.

“This is freaking ridiculous! What are we even doing here without even having lunch?”

“We’ll replace lunch with terrorists! Shut up and move!”

“But shouldn’t we be using hand signals?”

“Are you kidding me? Who has time for that crap?”

Field Manuals (FM) might seem important in peacetime, but they often fall apart in actual combat. If you strictly followed the South Korean army’s doctrine, they could theoretically defeat the United States, assuming no nuclear weapons were involved. But which army in the world truly operates according to the FM?

Urban warfare FMs typically emphasize hand signals, but what good are they when bullets are flying everywhere? Shouting is often the only practical option.

“Raymond! Catch!”

Squad Leader Jean-Pierre tossed something to Private Raymond, who initially thought it was a spare magazine. However, the size indicated otherwise. It was the ‘grenade launcher’ attachment for the G36 rifle, the AG36. Raymond was familiar with the AG36’s existence but not with its use as a standalone weapon.

“AG36? I didn’t know it could be used separately. Wow, when did you become so tactical, Squad Leader?”

“Are you kidding me? If you have time to talk nonsense, shoot!”

Knowing the squad leader’s reluctance to spend money on equipment, it must have been confiscated from the terrorists. Since it was designed for the G36, it likely came from the Germans.

‘Come to think of it, the German guys keep complaining that their guns keep losing zero [the consistent point of impact].’

It wasn’t an isolated complaint; everyone they encountered mentioned it, suggesting a potential flaw in the weapon itself. Still, it was manufactured by H&K, a globally recognized and respected company, so it seemed unlikely they would produce something so unreliable. But defense corruption was always a possibility. Or perhaps there was a genuine design flaw.

Even if the zeroing issue remained a mystery, the magazine design seemed flawed. Every German soldier they met used M16 magazines instead of the original plastic ones, indicating a significant problem.

“You idiot! Don’t just stand there! Shoot! Do I have to write down the coordinates for you?”

Raymond quickly realized that contemplating German firearms was not a priority when under fire. He needed a moment to familiarize himself with the weapon, but thanks to his skill as a grenade launcher, the 40mm grenade flew directly into the window, causing a significant explosion.

But so what? It was finally taking down one of the many terrorists.

“Oh, it’s meaningless.”

Raymond dropped the grenade launcher. Unfortunately, that single shot exhausted their grenade supply.

“Squad Leader! We don’t have enough ammo to suppress them! And as you can see, we can’t even aim and shoot accurately!”

The squad members, tasked with suppressing the enemy, reported an ammunition shortage less than five minutes into the engagement.

“This is freaking ridiculous!”

They had mistakenly assumed it was a safe reconnaissance mission, a disastrous misjudgment. It was understandable, given that the city had been a ghost town just the day before. While not entirely deserted, it was mostly inhabited by impoverished individuals who couldn’t afford taxes or emigration.

They had been careless with their gear, assuming the absence of terrorists in the ghost town, and now they were paying the price. It was a miracle that the squad members remained unharmed.

According to FM, they should have had two AT4 anti-tank weapons and an LGI light mortar. Fortunately, they had the FN Minimi light machine gun, the squad’s support weapon, but even then, they hadn’t brought spare magazines, forcing them to fire in short bursts.

‘It’s bad enough that the VBL (Light Tactical Vehicle) was destroyed, but the radio was in that vehicle.’

He wanted to use his cell phone, but there was no signal. The infrastructure was gone. He should have listened to his wife’s advice to buy a satellite phone, but he had ignored her and was now paying the price. He had underestimated the situation and was paying the price twice over.

‘I’m glad I at least made them bring their guns.’

Even then, the lack of ammunition was a major problem!

“Squad Leader, what should we do?”

“We have to retreat.”

“Who doesn’t know that? How?”

Private Raymond attempted sarcasm, a rare opportunity for him. But it was short-lived.

“R! P! G!”

Since bullets seemed ineffective, the terrorists were now showering them with RPGs [Rocket-Propelled Grenades]. Fortunately, they noticed the danger in time and avoided the worst of the explosions.

“5 o’clock.”

“Huh?”

“Our scheduled return time was 2 o’clock. Since we can’t contact them, they’ll send a reconnaissance or rescue team in about two hours. They’ll likely arrive by helicopter, so let’s say 5 o’clock.”

“It’s 11 o’clock now; how are we supposed to hold out until 5 o’clock?”

That was the challenge.

“If we had been fully prepared, we could have crushed those freaking terrorists.”

Fully prepared? What did that even mean? Regardless, they had to adapt to the situation and try their best to survive.

“We’ll replenish our supplies with the terrorists’ blood and flesh.”

“Looting?”

“We survived death; they’ll forgive us for losing our guns. If we loot their guns, we’ll ditch the FAMAS [French assault rifle] we’re carrying. It would be nice if the ammo matched, but they’ll probably just have AKs [Soviet/Russian assault rifle] anyway.”

The FAMAS used 5.56mm rounds, while the AK used 7.62mm rounds, rendering the FAMAS useless without ammunition. Making the most of battlefield loot was a common practice.

Some countries, like Japan, might punish looting with military prison, but France was not one of them. Their doctrine leaned more towards taking everything useful and charging forward.

“What’s Elan [French term for spirit or enthusiasm]? Let’s take everything and rearm ourselves! Charge! Charge! Charge!”

7 PM, the hour when humans often become their most ruthless. A German-made Tiger attack helicopter flew over the ruined city. It carried the most powerful magic in the world, the American-made Hellfire missile, and its rocket pods contained enough firepower to level several buildings.

“Helga 21. There are signs of battle in various parts of the old city, and a destroyed French military vehicle is visible in the center. It is unknown if it is the missing vehicle.”

The helicopter pilot cut off the radio and cursed.

“This is freaking ridiculous; I have to clean up after the baguette [derogatory term for French] bastards without even having dinner!”

“Isn’t all you ever eat military food anyway?”

“Then you don’t get to eat military food from tomorrow.”

German troops searching for missing French soldiers! It was a surreal situation, but this was the only helicopter available. All other helicopters had been deployed following intelligence reports of Zarqawi’s appearance.

“By the way, do you think this one is real?”

“It’s probably just another Middle Eastern guy who looks similar.”

How many times had this happened? They were losing hope. However, they had a plan to personally extract teeth from anyone they captured every time they were dispatched.

“I want to go home now.”

“The battlefield is not a good place.”

“I need to increase the altitude a bit. I can’t get shot down looking for the baguette guys.”

That’s when it happened. As they gained altitude, they spotted an unusual light.

“Wow, what the hell is that?”

It was an SOS signal. A normal SOS would have elicited a barrage of curses from the pilot, but this one prompted a short exclamation.

“It’s the first time I’ve seen someone burn a building to send an SOS. Can you see that from space?”

“How did these crazy baguette bastards even come up with the idea of burning down the entire city to send an SOS?”

The next day, newspapers around the world reported the surreal story of a French squad suppressing a group of about 300 terrorists.