"Everyday I live, I live for my nation and for freedom."
Van Thanh Pham (Or Thanh Pham)
Age:
22
Gender:
Male
Birthdate/Location:
04.20.1926/Thai Binh
Appearance:
A young man standing only 165 cm (5'5) and weighs 63 kg (138 lbs), he is a paragon of the size of a normal East Asian man. But comparing to his comrades coming from other great continents, he may appear a little small. His hair is naturally short and neat, black all around. His eyes glimmered the color that matched perfectly everything he had been through: brown mixed with the reds of bloods. His uniform is not entirely military standard, as he was indeed poorly armed from the day of enlistment, but were not too derived of the norm. He sported a pale greenish Khaki uniform, black belt and an equipment holder hanging around his back, battle-worned from all the years. The only two unique pieces of clothing that stood out were the pith helmet, covered with camo cloth, and a pair of rubber sandals made completely of car tires. Yes. Sandals, hand-made from car tires. Conditions were too tought back then. He has grown attached to those sandals that even now, with the access to better combat shoes, he would simply reply 'this is fine enough, leave it to those who needs it.'
Personality:
If one could describe him in three words, it would be simple, peaceful but brave. Thanh is, and will always be, a man of the countryside. He lived his entire childhood in the tranquil rural area of the country, being one with nature and avoiding all the hard and ugly parts of the nation. Consequently, he is a man really appreciative of the simple aspects of life, lives peacefully and rarely getting into conflicts with one another. He can be quite clueless at things, due to his lack of education.
On the battlefield, however, he is as swift as a raging river, as fierce as a great typhoon. He stares fear in the face without a blink as he rushed his enemies, even without proper equipment. Rumors of him charging down enemy tanks with nothing using a handgun and grenades did not go unconfirmed. If there should be fear, it is within the enemy. Thanh is quick-witted and is usually employed in tasks that require the utmost resolution and daring. And it went hand-in-hand with the battle charisma he had. You wouldn't miss the sight of a man, wearing a worn khaki uniform, wearing rubber sandals facing a large enemy tank. If a man with that ancient of gears is capable of such things, why couldn't the others? That train of thoughts would gradually earn respects from other comrades.
He can be reckless at times, but in general, he understands the consequences of mindless acts, especially with the conditions he is in. You only live once, so you should not waste it all in one second of thoughtlessness. Still, his patriotic nature means he is the one to despise cowards, who refused to put forward their lives for the country.
Relationships:
N/A
Classification:
Specialist
Equipment:
-PSSH-41
-TT32 Pistol
-Molotovs Cocktails x2
-Mk2 Hand Grenade x2
-Warhead x5 (1 on the pole, 4 on reserve)
Experimental Equipment:
The lunge mine
The same name as the Japanese made ‘lunge mine’, it’s basically a high explosive anti tank warhead shaped like a cone and is placed on one end of a 1.5 meters long pole. The mechanic of the weapon is simple. The bottom of the cone is attached with a super-magnet that can hold the weight of the mine so that it sticks onto metal structure. If the target is a concrete wall, then the user will have to manually add glue to the funnel like structure so that it stays on the intended location for at least a few seconds. The three sticks protruding out acts as fuses, when pushed inwards due to impact, the mine’s gunpowder will be triggered, and will explode. It is used like a spear, with the user has to grip it tightly, each hand placed on the 1/3 and 2/3 position of the pole respectively, although when attacking it can be changed depending on the preferences of the user. When attacking, the user will have to ram it into the target in a 90-degree angle for maximum potential of exploding. And after plunging it into the target, the user has around 3 seconds to remove the pole from the mine, which is done by rotating it a bit and pulling it out, and run to a safe location. The extracted pole can then be attached to another mine so that he can continue attacking. The user can choose not to use the pole and instead hold the mine directly, however, this is highly unrecommended.
When triggered, the mine will take 3 seconds to explode. The heat and pressure of the explosion will be extreme, due to the large amount of explosion being squeezed into the small shell being let out at once, and the mine can penetrate to about 160mm of armor, which is a good number at the time. The movements of the user will have to be decisive, and he has to make sure that he has a clear path and good cover to both attack and retreat. In general, the one using this mine has to be brave, quick-willed, because one mistake can lead to deadly consequences. The user can die from the intense pressure being placed on him or the heat of the bomb. Even if he manages to run, he may still suffer wounds, so a cover is highly recommended. Another important thing to be noticed is that to use the mine, the user will have to get very close to the target. As a result, he will need heavy fire support, and he will have to pick his timing carefully, otherwise he would be gunned down when he either attack or retreat
The mine, improved from the Japanese equivalent to make it survivable, is considered very effective against almost every walls, normal vehicles, light and medium tanks, armored car, some poorly armored heavy tanks, and most walking tanks due to the mine being triggered at point-blank range, but is prone to suffer from the heavy armor of most heavy tanks, super-heavy tanks and heavily armored walking tanks. Basically, an armor beyond the penetrative capability of 160mm will negate the effect of the mine. When faced against tanks, the user will have to choose the area with least armor, notably the rear or side if possible. In general, it can be very effective, but extremely risky, and is highly dependent on the skill and bravery of the user. Because of it, not many Soviet officers and generals held it in high regards, despite its performance.
Background:
A natural born Vietnamese, Thanh came from a very traditional rural family under the French occupation. And obviously, since he is not of noble bloodline, he received little education. He attended the rurals schools and did not attend high school in favor of taking heed of his family's farmland. But under the influence of the Soviets, he received significant amount of knowledge in Russian. His grandfather was a member of the resistances against the French occupation in Vietnam, and stories of his bravery and contribution to the resistances (which unfortunately failed) inspired this young rural boy to become fearless in the face of danger.
It could've ended with him inheriting the farmland from his family, then all three of them making just enough to enjoy their lives with nature. But no. As the threat of immenent Japanese invasion creeping at the country's doorsteps, general mobilization was issued. Both the father and son were drafted into the military in early late-1944. And then, the faithful operation was initiated. That day when hundreds and thousands of young Vietnamese being slaughtered in no man's land. Thanh was spared due inexperience and young age, in which he was placed in the defence parameter of Hanoi. His father, however, was not. And by just hearing the casualty rate of the tragic operation was already enough to let him know that he need not wait for his body to return. And then, inevitably, the Japanese retaliated, intiating a full-scale invasion of his homeland at three important chokepoints: Hanoi, Saigon and Hue. The signal was called: A nation-wide patriotic war against the tyranny of the fascists.
With the military might of the Japanese, they claimed that they would take Hanoi within a single day. But they were proven really wrong, as when they set their foot on the suburb of Hanoi, they were met with extremely fierce resistance among the defenders. The soldiers, both French and Vietnamese, entrenched themselves in the city. Roads were dug up, forming trenches, walls and blockades that hindered the Japanese movements. The fightings were on the streets, in the courtyards of buildings and even inside a building, in fierce melee combat.
This was his first taste of combat. He was stationed at the Ministry of Interior, along with only a few dozen men, holding out against hundreds, maybe thousands, of Japanese. The job ranged from a shootout to an indoor melee fights. Brutality was ensured, but he miraculously survived with minor wounds. The building stood still for over a month, until the retreat order was issued. For over 60 days, the defenders held out in the city, three times longer than other chokepoints, allowing the safe evacuation of the citizens, and then the retreat order was given. Most citizens joined the resistance and became guerilla fighters against the Japanese. The soldiers who fought alongside the French in the Battle of Hanoi, however, was held in much higher regards. They were recommended to the Soviets higher ranks by a man, one of the three survivors of the disastrous operation at Nanning, and, as the Russians were a little desperate in manpower, so they recruited these men and women who once fought in the streets of Hanoi.
Due to his previous education in Russian, he did not too much difficulties communicating and fitting in. He was transferred to Russia to aid in the defence against the Germans. He was highly regarded as brave, and several times charged German tanks under heavy fire with only a handful of grenades and molotovs, suffering some terrible wounds in some battles. On one cold, misty morning of February in 1946, he received orders to be transferred to defend Kursk from the unstoppable German mechanized forces. There, the tale of a reckless yet brave Asian who again and again charged the German tanks had, for some times, inspired the men there to continue fighting, and although his attack wasn't really effective, the rumors were big enough to the point that one German tank battalion commander to order the tanks to go in reverse once they heard battle cries and waves of infantry charge into their position. He was finally put down after attacking a German Tiger II, which was somewhat reowned among the Russian military for a while after that. The attack was pretty disastrous, as not only was he not able to destroy the tank, but he also got shot in the right leg by another tank's machine gun. He survived and was transported away from the battlefield, but the shot had put him out of action for an entire year, leaving behind a not so pretty projectile inside his bloody thigh, and a scar that he would have to carry with for the rest of his life.
In March 1947, after a year lull in the fighting to treat the wounded leg suffered from the previous charge, Thanh was called back into service once his leg had healed. This time, he was placed directly in Moscow, to defend against the tsunami of German panzers. And there, he still proved himself a force to be reckoned with. Not that he was deadly himself, but the squad he was in. They fought with more ferocity than all, taking certain key points, burning down buildings to hinder German advances. But one squad couldn't made a significance in a city many times larger than themselves. Knowing that the city was doomed to fall under German hands, some of the pragmatic Russian officials decided to secretly pull out some of the veteran units fighting in the city, including Thanh's squad. The squad was transferred away into Siberia and continued to resist German occupation.
At the time, the Russian government officials were searching for someone to work with their equipment, a high explosive anti armor and structure mine that unfortunately has a very short trigger delay. Because of the short delay, there are chances that the user will sustain heavy wounds or even death if it is not operated correctly, so those in the reserve groups were hesitant to receive such a weapon. Before the Russian military had to force the weapon into one of the unfortunate, one of the officer in the squad, who fought in Hanoi in 1945, introduced a young man who had had records and commendations for his bravery on the battlefield. That man was Thanh, and the Russians decided to draft him in Squad 914, a mysterious experimental squadron formed by the Russian military. He boarded the first train out of Siberia back to South East Asia for the squad.
Experience:
+Basic Training: A few months
+Battle of Hanoi: May 30, 1945 - August 3, 1945
+Assisting the Red Army: Mid September 1945 - February 1946
+Defence of Kursk: February 14, 1946 - June 21, 1946
+Battle of Moscow: March 1, 1947 - December 12, 1947
Family:
Vu Pham - Father - Vietnamese | 48: Deceased
Quynh Pham - Mother - Vietnamese | 43: Unknown
Theme:
Member
CitrusArms
PapaOso
The Otter
pkken
princess
Creative Chaos
Lunamaria Hawke
Visyn
Fading Memory
