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The
Observations of the Company Commander, Company G, 15th Infantry While
in Defensive Positions on Line JAMESTOWN near Yonchon, Korea A narrative by Captain Warren G. Reed, Company Commander, Company G, 15th Infantry as written in letters to his spouse Freida D. Streety Reed Thursday, 30 November 1951 If yesterday was a day characterized by silence, today was just the
opposite. The big guns boomed all over the place, and again I came rather
close to death. We spent the entire day preparing defensive positions
on a terrain feature nearby to stop any possible Chinese breakthrough.
We drew a few rounds of artillery fire, but nothing to alarm us. However,
the enemy shelled us again as we left the hill; and one round landed
so close that the dirt from the explosion showered me completely. It
did not hurt me, but I knocked the skin off my knee when I hit the ground.
This was my first and only injury in the Korean War to date. They are
getting too darn close with their artillery--I had better watch my step. Say, a very interesting thing just took place here. Lieutenant Ronald
C. O’Connor (called “Pat”) of Camp Breckinridge days
walked into the tent, and you could have knocked me over with a feather.
Golly! It was good seeing him again. Surprisingly enough, his assignment
is with the 2nd Battalion. I have already asked that he be assigned
to George Company, for I should certainly like to have him here. Can
you imagine my surprise, though? He looks and talks the same, but he
has grown a large bushy mustache. I shall let you know how it evolves. Saturday, 1 Dec 1951 Unfortunately, Lieutenant Pat O’Connor did not receive assignment to Company G. They put him in Company F with the statement to me that the officers in that company were rather weak. Pat O’Connor made a very favorable first impression on Major Frank E. Burdell, the 2nd Battalion Commander. However, I received the promise that they will assign him to me later should we get more good officers into the Battalion. I certainly hope so, for Pat O’Connor is a very good officer, and he would be a credit to this Company. Hon, Pat O’Connor just dropped in, so I am going to have to conclude
this. Tomorrow’s Sunday and I’ll write you a nice long letter. Sunday, 2 December 1951 As pointed out in my last letter, Pat O’Connor dropped in last
night; and I learned that he is a very unhappy person. He was with his
wife only a week, just before he left for overseas; and she informed
him that they were going to have a baby. It seems to have changed all
his plans. The future, particularly about staying in the Army, concerns
him very much; he does not know what to do--stay in or get out after
the war. Monday, 3 December 1951 It was another peaceful day today as far as enemy action goes. It always scares me when they are quiet, for I always feel that they are up to something. You see, we are in the “Gateway to Seoul” area, and I am afraid that if they ever make another one of their big pushes again, it’ll be right through us. The idea does not set well with me. If there is peace, everything will be all right; but if it falls through, look out! So far, the peace talks have been moving along satisfactorily, I think. At this rate, maybe there really will be peace. Whatever, the Chinese have been unusually quiet in our sector since this 30-day deal started. Our artillery still pounds them furiously, but the enemy has done virtually nothing in return. That’s the way I like it! I found another article in the newspaper that finally lists us by name, but that’s about all it does, for darn near everything else in it is inaccurate. Perhaps to you it’s not important; but to a soldier, he likes to see credit given where it’s due. First, if the Canadians gave us any aid, I surely did not know it. True, they were on our left and they may have prevented a breakthrough in their sector, but as far as I know, the Chinese did not attack in their sector. Furthermore, it was Company E and part of Company G of the 7th Infantry that the Chinese pushed off the hill, and it was not for any three hundred yards, either. They ran, and as far as I know, they are still running. When we saw the Company Commander again, he could account for only two individuals in his entire company. That was the “battling” the 7th Infantry gave the enemy. It was the 2nd Battalion that did all the real fighting in retaking Hill 355! The article omits another important part, too. By nightfall Saturday
night, we had gained possession of all four peaks, but later that evening
the enemy pushed Company G off the left peak--only. Captain Jack C.
Zimmerman was the Company Commander. The next morning Company C of the
7th Infantry moved up to that peak, but the enemy had pulled out sometime
during the night. It was this Battalion, and this Battalion alone, that
retook the hill. Need I remind you that I was Major Frank Burdell’s S-3 (Operations
Officer), and was with him the whole time during the operation. I had
to make a reconnaissance today for possible counterattack plans, and
I talked to an officer who witnessed the enemy pulling off the hill
that Sunday morning. He said it was really something to see. He said,
too, that they came off like flies--hundreds of them--carrying their
dead, limping, using their rifles as crutches, and everything. I do
believe that we really knocked the hell out of them. Little do they
suspect how close they came to knocking the hell out of us! I will admit
that it was a beautiful action, except for the element of Company G
being pushed off one of the four peaks taken by them. Nonetheless, we
have received a great deal of recognition as a result of the action
on Hill 355. Major Frank Burdell, no doubt, will receive his promotion to Lt Colonel; and Captain Frank Magill became the S-3 (he ranks me, has the right MOS, and more experience as a staff officer). He will receive a promotion to Major if he has enough time in grade. Captain Jack Zimmerman became the Company Commander of Company H; and Captain Warren Reed went back into George Company. Hmm. Tuesday, 4 December 1951 We had another rather easygoing day today; and, as pointed out before,
that’s the way we like it. We have been preparing defensive positions
on Hill 208, a very small prominence not far from Hill 355--the one
we had to retake from the Chinese. It’s critical--right in the
path of the Chinese should they breakthrough. So far, the work has been
progressing rather nicely. Why, we even received a commendation on it
today from the Old Man! This evening my worry was over a little thing
like the daily change of socks for the men. It may not turn out to be
such a little thing, for it is a rather difficult task to ensure that
all the men have, indeed, changed their socks. At that, I hope that’s
about all we have to worry us. We had to leave back a detail to camouflage the tents around here. Believe me, that’s something unusual! The Chinese have forced it upon us. They have been making air attacks on our positions. Can you imagine that? It is the first time ever. At this rate, maybe in a short time all our installations will have camouflage and begin to look the way they should. Maybe it’s just as well that we get an air attack now and then. It will keep us on our toes. Wednesday, 5 December 1951 We had to make another reconnaissance today for possible counterattack
areas. It always makes me feel a little weak in the pit of my stomach
when I realize what is going to happen should the peace talks collapse.
They are going to overrun us with so many men that we will not know
what hit us. This time they will use aircraft. I could almost wish that
we were anywhere else in Korea rather than where we are. We are so weak
in numbers when compared with the Chinese in this sector. Their defensive
positions extend as far as the eye can see. Oh, let’s hope the
war does end! Let’s hope, also, that we do not have to put into
execution one of these counterattack plans. I am fearful, though, that
the war will not end. Gad! I certainly trust that the big boys know
what they are doing. Just listen to the news these days; it appears
that all they do is haggle. The only consoling thing about it all is
that they are still meeting. Maybe in time something constructive will
happen. Let’s not lose faith. Speaking of food, we still continue to get outstanding comestibles.
This Company serves two hot meals and one cold one a day. The breakfast
and the supper are hot, and for lunch we serve assault rations--a combat
ration that’s rather pleasing to the most refined palates. We hear
very few complaints about the chow and that’s always deemed a good
sign. Frankly, it’s better than much of the food that we had in
the States. Imagine that! Our facilities are rather crude, for we have
attempted to build nothing in this area. The men pass through a mess
line where designated individuals (you, you, and you) serve the fare
from large insulated food containers. They eat it wherever they can
find a place to put their mess kits. Usually, they sit on their inverted
helmets. On the other hand, my lot is a bit better--I eat buffet style.
That is, a Korean individual, whose name is “Smiley,” brings
a plate of food from the mess serving line. He puts that, together with
a pot of coffee, on the top of the oil stove in my tent. Thus, I sit
on my cot and enjoy it in the company of one or two of the other officers
or someone that I have invited over just for the occasion. It’s
all very pleasant, so to speak. Make no mistake, though. The front-line
Infantryman’s eating accommodations are the most primitive of all
the military in Korea. Enclosed are a few more of our propaganda leaflets to the Chinese. I thought maybe it would interest you in seeing another means we employ in trying to get the enemy to surrender. We do not know how successful it is, or whether it’s a successful factor at all. Surprisingly, we found none of our leaflets on the Chinese killed on
Hill 355, but darn near every one of them had their leaflets to us on
their person! I wish I had picked up a few to show what appeal their
using to get our troops to surrender. Besides the promise of good chow,
medical attention, and safe conduct home, they ask what gives with this
guy Ridgeway? Why does he talk peace and yet carries on a shooting war?
They suggest that if we are fed up with stuff like that, come on over
to their side, they will assure us of getting home safely. Frankly,
I have never quite figured out how they would go about doing that! Thursday, 6 December 1951 Like the other past few days, this was a rather leisurely day. The
enemy fired only six rounds of artillery at us, but they missed us by
a mile. We continued to dig defensive positions and made fair progress.
Each day we begin to feel more secure in the idea that if we have to
fight from them, we will do all right. Still, as long as we are making
assumptions, let’s assume we will not have to fight from them at
all! Rumor has it that we will revert to the control of the 15th Infantry--perhaps
sometime around the 10th of this month. The same rumor states that we
will move back into the line in our former area at the same time. That
will be welcome. Besides, I do not like the possibility of putting into
effect all these counterattack plans should the Chinese decide to come
through this way. I would much rather be in a straight defensive position
any old time. So, for this reason, I would like to see this part of
the rumor comes true, as well. Friday, 7 December 1951 Well, I got my wish after all. Lieutenant Pat O’Connor received
assignment to Company G this afternoon, and we have been talking almost
all the evening. I will frankly admit that it’s gratifying to have
him here, for not only is he a good man, but he is someone with whom
I can talk over old times. I have enjoyed our little chats very much.
That puts the Company back up to full strength in officers. Saturday, 8 December 1951 I have much work to do tonight. We are moving on the line tomorrow.
For Company G, it is not good news; we are to occupy the OPL (Outpost
Line of Resistance), which is about a thousand yards in front of the
Main Line of Resistance. In other words, there will not be anyone out
there but the Chinese and us chickens. Today, while I was making my
reconnaissance over in the area that we are to occupy, the Chinese lobbed
in about forty mortar rounds. Also, I learned that, last night, the
enemy attacked one of the listening posts from the rear--killed one,
wounded another, and captured the third individual. You can see that
things are a little active over there. Tuesday, 11 December 1951 Your old husband is sitting in a poorly sandbagged emplacement with about five other men on a hill numbered 200 on the map. The number indicates the height in meters, and it is about a thousand yards from the Chinese positions. Of course, I feel as if we were sitting on a powder keg. We occupied these positions around three o’clock this morning, and I have been sick with disgust ever since. When I first made my reconnaissance of this position, there were many things here that appalled me. First, the unit that we relieved had been here for over a month and had made no effort to improve the positions. What is more, I have never seen such filth in all my life. Originally, the 1st Cavalry held these positions and had lost them to the Chinese with a great loss of personnel and equipment. However, when forced off the hill, they brought down all the artillery in the area on these positions and slaughtered the Chinese before they could reorganize. The horrifying thing is that they are still here! In all this time, no one has attempted to bury them or, at least, cover them over with dirt. The stench is almost overbearing. You can imagine the affect they have on my men, who, for the most part, have never seen this sort of thing. Shot-up equipment litters the place--both American and Chinese. It’s truly a deplorable sight. The emplacements are the poorest I have ever seen. The trenches are full of trash, including human excrement. It’ll take months to improve the setup, but that’s exactly what we shall do. It’s about nine o’clock in the evening, and we are going to dig all night. Unfortunately, that’s the only time we can do any constructive work, for the enemy continually throws in mortar rounds or takes pot shots at us during the day. They are right on the next ridge, and I can watch them through my field glasses. They spend their time digging, too. I am afraid that if we had to fight from here that we would not be able to do so well. I will say, though, that each day we are here, the better our chances will be. Count on it.
Friday, 14 December 1951 It’s been rather quiet in the last couple of nights for us, although there has been a great deal of activity around here. Of course, we have received a few mortar rounds each day; but, fortunately, no damage done, yet. The other companies have been sending out patrols and ambushes and they have been running into quite a bit of trouble lately. We have continued to make progress on our positions here, but we are running into bottlenecks. Although we have been on the hill now for four days and nights, we still have not received logs, sandbags, barbed wire, etc. Moreover, we are hurting for them. We have plenty of ammunition on hand, and we would be able to put up a good fight; but we are still weak. We have succeeded in digging a fighting trench around the entire hill, and we are starting on our bunkers. When we have completed our fortifications on this place, we will have trenches and bunkers all the way around the hill, as well as barbed wire and anti-personnel mines. If the Chinese do not bother us, we will have a very good defense here when it’s all completed.
Yonchon, Korea Right now I am in my tent behind the Main Line of Resistance; but it’s only for tonight, since I am to go out again to the outpost tomorrow. We had quite a little scare last night, although nothing ever came of it. Early yesterday evening a Chinese patrol pushed in an ambush from one the other companies and moved between our two outpost positions. We had no idea what they were up to, and we were apprehensive that they were out to attack our right flank. It gave us some concern all night, but nothing significant developed. In the long run, all we lost was sleep. The Chinese did set up an anti-personnel mine that wounded two persons from a returning patrol today (not of this Company). That, of course, was unfortunate; but they really had us worried there for a time. The development of our positions is not far enough along to withstand a determined attack. Although we are not afraid of a twenty-man patrol, they could have given us a bad time if they wanted.
Wednesday, 18 December 1951 I came down off the hill where the enemy activity was becoming progressively worse. I received word that I would be leaving the next day for R&R. Oh! I was one happy person. The Chinese were not only lobbing in mortar rounds but were beginning to send out large size patrols against us. When I got back to my tent behind the Main Line, I found three of your wonderful letters waiting for me--including the snapshots--and a large package from Louise [Freida’s aunt]. Unfortunately, I had to spend almost the entire evening on the phone, because the Chinese had sent out another patrol against our outpost. Not only that, I learned of a commotion back in my tent and discovered a huge fire raging there. It was Lieutenant Roger R. Peterson’s and my Christmas packages on fire! While we were out, a Korean attendant lit the stove with the packages stacked right next to it. We lost everything, except the film. I had taken it out earlier; but for God’s sake, do not tell Louise. I will write and tell her how much I enjoyed it!
I do not mind telling you that I was rather apprehensive about the outpost. The men were working constantly constructing bunkers and digging trenches. Before I left the hill, there was almost an endless chain of logs, sandbags, barbed wire, pickets, and ammunition streaming up that hill on the backs of Korean laborers. Notwithstanding, there is still a great deal of work to do. Even when the fortifications are complete, we will continue to make improvements as long as we are here. Should the enemy attack, no one expects us to fight to the last person. On the contrary, we are responsible only for giving warning and holding the enemy at bay until the mainline forces are ready to do battle. Those dead Chinese bodies give mute testimony of what can happen if the place receives a good shelling by artillery. That’s the way THEY caught it on that hill, and that’s the way we could catch it unless we make certain improvements. Unfortunately, the progress was slow just before I left, for the enemy was keeping us from our work and requiring a hundred percent alert each night by sending out large patrols against us. As I remarked in one of my last letters from Korea, they darn near scared the pee out of us with one of their twenty-man patrols that slipped between our two outposts. Potentially, they were our meat at first; we were on both sides of them--with an ambush in the front and one in the rear. We were preparing to close in when the ambush out front got cold feet and 'bugged' out. That put the enemy on our flanks with no idea where they would strike. Luckily, they withdrew without giving us any trouble; but, because of them, we were unable to get our barbed wire constructed that night. Indeed, I trust that they will do better with the defensive construction work while I am away.
It started snowing yesterday and continued all day today. I have not done much more than huddle around the best friend I have over here--my stove. We still have platoons out on Hill 200, but I no longer feel any danger for them. We have a platoon on its way out tonight as an ambush, but I do not feel that there will be much danger there, either. We have made certain arrangements for moving into reserve tomorrow night in an area about two miles south of Yonchon. Although I welcome the opportunity to get out of the front lines, I do not think we are going to enjoy this one. We will have that darn Hill 317 hanging over our heads. If we do not attack it, then we can look forward to two weeks of intensive training, which we certainly need. The Company has received enough replacements to bring it up to full strength. Right now, the Company is in bad shape as a tactically cohesive unit. It will take a great deal of training to bring it around--I am sure. Speaking of replacements, when I returned from R&R, I found that a couple of changes occurred in this Company as far as it concerns officers. Lieutenant David F. Kanyer volunteered for a regimental combat patrol team. Lieutenant Howard W. James transferred to Company F, for Lieutenant James I. Dorrance, who used to be with this Company some time ago, stepped on a mine that blew off his leg. That put Company F without any platoon leaders. Lieutenant Paul I Nichols, who was my assistant when I was Battalion S-3, transferred to this Company and is now my Executive Officer--a very, very fine one, I might add. Although I am short one officer, I gained by the changes; Lieutenant Paul Nichols is worth any two officers that we might have received.
Another day of little activity. We have made final preparations for moving into reserves tomorrow. We should be able to accomplish the move without too much difficulty. At any rate, I hope so. Today has been a very clear day and, realistically, a rather warm one, even though the snow is still deep on the ground.
We made our move yesterday with a maximum amount of confusion, as usual. I thought surely that we had made enough moves to make it a smooth running operation; but, I swear, rather than getting better, we seem to get worse. The weather was bitterly cold. Perhaps that hampered the operations somewhat, I do not know. I do know that we policed up a great deal of equipment after this unit moved. As hard as we have tried, we have been unable to make some of these people hang on to their stuff. Gad, they will even go off leaving their winter clothing, including their mountain sleeping bags. I cannot understand it. At any rate, we marched several miles, waited several hours for the trucks to arrive, and finally trucked to our present location. We are about three miles southeast of Yonchon, a good ten miles behind the lines. There is always the possibility of having to counterattack in the event the enemy makes a penetration. However, the picture now looks as if we will be here for about three weeks in which we will do much training. I trust that’s the case. True, there are plans for attacking, but now I feel that they will not act upon them unless the peace talks fail completely. Our area, as always, is nothing to brag about; but at least the men are in squad tents again with stoves--and we are out of the range of artillery. Everyone can sleep at night without standing a 50% or a 100% alert. I am going to like that! Besides, you will know I am out of danger for the next three weeks, at least; that’s a long time over here.
My lot is rather pleasant, too. As pointed out before,
I have my tent that I share with Lieutenant Paul Nichols, the Executive
Officer. That arrangement is mine, of course. I like the companionship.
At the same time, the tent has an oil stove in it, as well as straw
mats that completely cover the ground. Unfortunately, I have had a considerable
amount of difficulty in the past two days with the stove, and I have
been extremely cold during the night. This evening, however, it’s
working beautifully; and I think this is going to be a very enjoyable
evening. I have also stated that I have a cot to sleep on, but now,
sleeping with this new air mattress issued today, I will have things
licked into shape. If you remember, I used to have an air mattress,
but in that the darn thing would not hold air, I got rid of it some
time ago. Now I shall be sleeping in style again. The sleeping bag continues
to be a joy, but it has not been warm enough on these extremely cold
nights. I have had to wrap everything I have around it, and still I
have slept cold. Last night I lit up the pocket warmer that you sent
me and placed it in the bag and it worked rather well. I think that
my stove is working again; perhaps my worries are at an end. My light
comes from candles that I bought while I was in Japan. They are almost
impossible to get over here, even for a Company Commander. Lighting
is always a problem. As you can see, though, I am living reasonably
well. I am able to heat water in the mornings for washing and shaving
and that’s truly a luxury, too. We got in a Warrant Officer yesterday as the Unit Administrator--named
Mister (WOJG) Lorenzo R. McCutcheon. He is welcome with open arms, for
not only has he impressed me as being very efficient, but the records
were getting behind somewhat. Now the administration is really going
to be good. In the last two days the Company has made great progress,
and the credit goes to Lieutenant Paul Nichols, the Company Executive
Officer. He is a very hard working individual and quite sincere. He
and the new warrant officer will be valuable additions to the Company. Darn it, it’s snowing again. Boy, that’s all
we need. It just makes our tasks much more difficult. However, I cannot
really complain. If the weather does not get too much worse, our winter
will not be too bad. True, we have had some very cold days and nights;
and a couple of times I have been very cold, but I have suffered very
little so far. Essentially, this last winter that I spent in Camp Breckinridge,
Kentucky was, by far, the worse. Those cold days I spent on the rifle
range were much, much worse than anything I have experienced over here
to this time. Of course, January and February have yet to come, and
they say that they are very bad months, weather-wise. I am optimistic
that they will be no worse than December and that they will pass rapidly. New Year’s Eve, 1951 We have continued to improve the area today, and the compliments
have started flowing our way. It seems that George Company has reached
the top since we have moved back here. The progress pleases us. All
things considered, we will be able do all right should things ever come
to the worse. Our fortifications have become very strong. Everyone is
working exceptionally hard. We start training tomorrow, and we all are
going to work especially hard to see that this Company is on top and
remains there. Since that will be our task for the next three weeks,
you will hear a lot about it. Monday, 1 January 1952 Substantively, the Company continues to make great progress;
and, in my opinion, our first day of training was quite successful. The New Year passed with little fanfare, except for the
artillery. Right at midnight they fired the hell out of everything they
had in the area. It sounded very impressive. In this Company itself,
I passed out four bottles 2 January 1952 [same letter] Well, I did not even get to complete my letter last night,
for all the Company Commanders were called to Battalion for a meeting
pertaining to training. I was about to say that I passed out four bottles
of bourbon whisky to each platoon to celebrate the New Year, and I believe
they enjoyed it. My day was rather exciting as far as the reconnaissance
of Hill 317 went. The trip was not as frightening as I thought it would
be. My real concern came when the plane first took off the ground. The
speed at which the terrain flew by put my heart into my mouth, but once
we were into the air, it appeared that we were moving at a snail’s
pace. The ride was even more exciting than the flight to Japan, for
I could see much more. It was an odd experience, though, to look right
down on the enemy’s positions. I was able to see all his fortifications
but I could not see a single Chinese soldier. Yet, I know that there
is at least a battalion of them up there. While we were looking over
the enemy’s positions, they were receiving a shelling by our artillery.
It looked very interesting from the air. Rather beautiful, in a manner
of speaking. I did not learn too much from the reconnaissance, however.
Everything looked so much differently up there from the air than it
does on the ground. The Battalion Commander had to make a ground reconnaissance
of the same area. Generally, I do not like the implications of all this.
I can see only one reason for it all, and it ain’t good! Bringing this Company up to combat efficiency is our greatest
concern--so many of the key personnel are being rotated. I am very glad
for the persons being rotated, of course, but it hurts the Company’s
combat capability. Although we have been receiving quite a few replacements
lately, there are very few non-commissioned officers among them, and
that’s what we need the most. We did get another officer today--a
person who received a battlefield commission from Company E. His name
is Lieutenant Richard L. Hoff (called “Dick”) and he seems
like a very capable individual. That puts Company G with a full complement
of youthful, vigorous officers. Nevertheless, the present group of men
and officers pleases me. The weather continues to be cold. There is snow still
on the ground, and everything remains in a state of being frozen; any
kind of digging is almost impossible. It becomes quite a task to keep
our drinking water from freezing. Just before I went on R&R, four
of the men turned up with emersion foot, which is the polite term now
for trench foot. Three of them have since returned to duty, for it was
not serious. The fourth man, one of the non-commissioned officers, probably
will not be back to the Company. He had it before. I got into serious
trouble over that. Did I tell you about it? Since then, we have been
extremely hard on the squad leaders if they fail in the task of inspecting
their men’s feet and insisting that socks be changed daily, also.
If it ever happens in the Company again, my goose is cooked--believe
me. Whether you are able to understand the logic or not, I am responsible
if anyone in the Company gets frostbite on his feet. Thursday, 3 January 1952 We scored another point today for George Company, by gosh!
The General made an inspection of the Company area this morning, and
it pleased him so that he directed the Battalion Commander to send all
the other Company Commanders down to see our area. Quite a compliment
to us. We are steadily building up the reputation of being “The”
Company. Before we get out of reserve, this is going to be the “Top
Company” in the Battalion--wait to see. It pleases me personally
to see the progress that we have made. Indeed, I feel confident that
the officers and the men of the Company share in the same feeling. One
can read it in their faces. Late this afternoon I saw a P-51 crash near our area.
The pilot parachuted to safety; and, fortunately, no one hurt. At the
time, I was in the Officers’ Mess Tent at Battalion attending a
meeting of Company Commanders. We heard a noise that indicated that
several planes were flying overhead but paid little attention to it,
for it’s a common occurrence over here. Next, however, we heard
this awesome drone that sounded as if a plane were diving right at the
tent. That broke up the meeting rather quickly, for we all thought it
was an enemy plan diving to strafe the area. When I got outside the
tent, I saw several planes circling overhead and a parachute floating
down to the ground. At the same time I saw a huge column of smoke from
just over the ridge. I thought that the smoke was from a bomb just exploded
and that the parachute was another parachute bomb on its way down to
our area. I then realized that there was a person hanging at the end
of the thing, and I understood what had happened. At first I was unable
to identify the markings on the planes, but I could see clearly they
were not American. Later, one flew low enough for me to see that it
was a British marking. Later still, I learned that it was a Union of
South Africa plane. Except for the loss of a plane, everything came
out all right in the end. Yonchon, Korea Although we are in the heart of a foreign country, I am
not able to pick up much new information that pertains to it. There
are many reasons. First, I have always been in a combat area, and all
the civilians evacuated. Furthermore, destruction is everywhere. As
an example, every Korean house in this area reflects utter destruction.
Everything burned to the ground. Occasionally, one will find a dilapidated
basket or a broken jar in the fields, but one is unable to gain much
from them. Unfortunately, although there are twelve Korean civilians
assigned to the Company as laborers, they are not much help in learning
about the Koreans. They tend to withdraw to themselves, and it is impossible
to converse with them. The ones that we have with us are simple rice
farmers without schooling. The only one from whom I learned anything
was an individual named Sung, who is cutting my hair in the picture
that I sent you several months ago. He was no longer in the Company
when I took command for the second time. Regrettably, the book Korea,
Its History and Culture that I brought with me is in Japan with all
my other belongings--taken from me when we first came over to this country.
I think it is a shame not to know all I can about this country while
I am here. It seems that all I ever have to look at are mountains, and
they all look very much alike to me. As long as I am giving a dissertation on Korea, I would
like to say a few words on Yonchon and Seoul. Yonchon is just over the
ridge from our present position, and like Chorwon, it exists in name
only, for there is not a single thing left there. Not one person. The
name, painted on a board, is on a pole next to the road. If it were
not for a few stone sites, it would be difficult to tell that a village
was ever there. You would have to see it to know how complete the destruction
of a village can be. Seoul is a little different, however. The city
is in ruins, but it is possible to tell something about it. I have been
through the city only a couple of times; and, of course, one cannot
get an accurate picture of things that way. On the other hand, after
seeing Japan, it is easier to understand Seoul, for at on time it must
have looked a great deal like Tokyo. The similarity is no longer there,
however. While in Tokyo, I saw nothing to indicate the heavy bombing
that the city received during World War II; but in Seoul, it is the
other way around. One rarely sees anything in Seoul that does not have
the marks of war on it. Surprisingly enough, very little is being done
to rehabilitate the city. The roads are being improved, and there are
some rickety streetcars running. The shops are few and there is little
to buy, even if one had the money to buy it--the prices are exorbitant.
The people continue to live in hovels, and everyone looks extremely
poor. It is very depressing; it is easy to see that once it was a very
up-to-date city in the same category as Tokyo. There was much wealth
in the city at one time, but not any more. It is very sad, indeed; it
is a good illustration of the destruction caused by war. Korea was never
a rich country, but clearly the people took pride in their Capital. The strides that the Company has made in the last week
please us immeasurably. In addition, we hold NCO classes almost every
evening, and our efforts are paying off handsomely. There are still
a great number of loose ends that we must tie down yet, but we think
we are moving ahead very well. We have some platoon and company problems
scheduled for next week that will be the crucial test. We are looking
forward to them. Monday, 7 January 1952 This morning the Company conducted “Platoon in the
Attack” problems, but the performances highlighted a number of
weaknesses. We still have so much to learn. This afternoon we witnessed
a platoon in the attack demonstration put on by a platoon of Company
F, and I frankly admit that it was exceedingly good. They used supporting
fires unusually well; it is gratifying that the new men can see something
like that. It helps them to realize that they are certainly not alone
whenever they go into an attack. We have more attack problems scheduled
for tomorrow. We hope that we improve over our efforts today. I do not know whether I mentioned it, but Major Frank
E. Burdell received his promotion to Lieutenant Colonel the other day.
He is an extraordinary person and is very deserving of the promotion.
I am proud to have served with him. Our reserve time is half over and still no cease-fire.
As you know, the peace talks are in deadlock over the right to build
airfields in North Korea and the exchange of POW’s. I expected
that there would be peace before we had to go back into the front lines
again, but those expectations are fading rapidly. There seems to be
nothing but disappointments right along. Tuesday, 10 January 1952 We had a training problem last night that lasted until
3 o’clock this morning.... I received word this morning that I was to go on a reconnaissance
to the front lines to look over the positions that we will occupy when
we move out of reserve. As it stands now, we will occupy positions on
Hill 355 sometime around the eighteenth of this month. At any rate,
I took a long, bitterly cold Jeep ride with Captain Jack Zimmerman to
the hill and walked over the ground from one end to the other. It horrified
me with the way I found things. It’s been over two months since
we retook that hill from the Chinese; and, I swear, hardly any work
is being done to improve the defenses. Like all the other areas that
we have had to take over, the place is abominably filthy--refuse, trash,
garbage, litter--including feculence. There is no excuse for it, either.
The officers and soldiers here are just too darn lazy to take the simple
measures in maintaining reasonable standards of sanitation. We shall
see to it that our unit makes the necessary improvements, but we always
hate to police up after some other organization. It hurts our efforts.
After looking the place over, there is no denying that we have a great
deal of work to do. As a result of my reconnaissance, I learned that the enemy
has not made any probes against Hill 355 since we repelled his attacks
last November; but he shells the place almost every day. However, since
the deadlock in the peace talks, his patrolling activities nearby have
increased. Also, the units now holding the position have intensified
their patrolling activities. I hate to say that the area held by the
Canadians on our left is exceedingly critical. Should the enemy attack,
I am sure that he will pass through their defenses, which will expose
our entire left flank. In spite of the poor positions already there,
I do feel that the Chinese will pay dearly if they attempt to retake
the hill. Therefore, I think they will try to go around next time. Of
course, we will concentrate on all around defenses when the Company
takes over up there. There has been a change in the officer personnel in Company
G again. Lieutenant Paul Nichols went to work on the Kansas Line--a
defensive line just north of the 38th Parallel. He will be a loss to
the Company for a month or so. As mentioned earlier, a Lieutenant Richard
Hoff, who won a battlefield commission from Company F, became a member
of the Company. That brought us up to strength as far as assigned officer
personnel. Moreover, since three of them--Lieutenant Miller, Lieutenant
Roger Peterson, and Lieutenant Pat O’Connor--have spent the required
time in grade, I recommended them for promotion. The weather continues cold. Lately, we have had weather
close to zero. They tell me that we shall receive an issue of a new
arctic boot next week that is far superior to the one that we are now
wearing. It supposedly is so good that it requires only one pair of
lightweight cushion soled socks. Whereas, our present boots require
two pairs of heavy woolen socks that we must change at least once daily.
I have already seen the boot, and it impresses me. I only hope that
it’s as good as it’s reputed to be, for all that. If I am
able to keep my feet warm this winter, I have the problem licked. When
my feet are warm, I am warm. Thursday, 10 January 1952 I thought the characters you used in your caricatures
included in your letter were great. I showed Lieutenant Pat O’Connor
the one made of him and he got quite a laugh out of it. He wanted to
send it to his wife. To tell whether a newspaper article may pertain to our
outfit, one must keep in mind these few facts. The hill we will be on
is Hill 355, but this is a term taken from military contour maps that
shows the elevation of a hill in meters. Accordingly, one does not see
it used in newspapers as a reference. However, the hill often goes by
the name “Dagmar” or “Armistice Heights” or “Little
Gibraltar.” These are terms coined by the press. The town of any
size near us is Yonchon--although destroyed and totally without people.
In addition, we will be about 10 miles west of Chorwon--it is a destroyed
village, too. They are place names, though, and at least one of these
two towns is likely to appear in the newspapers. It is all in the West
Central Sector. Sunday, 13 January 1952 Last night, I joined the other officers of George Company
for what was to be one bottle of Japanese beer. As it turned out, I
had three, and that’s saying something; because a bottle is quart
size. We drank, told old jokes, and laughed a great deal; I thoroughly
enjoyed the get-together. It was great fun. My officers and I were to make another reconnaissance
of Hill 355 today. Before our little party broke up last night, we agreed
to go this morning rather than this afternoon--particularly at Lieutenant
Roger Peterson’s request, for he wanted to spend the afternoon
writing letters to ‘Miss Bliss,’ his girl friend. The rest
of us wanted to go in the afternoon--we wanted to sleep late because
we rarely get the opportunity. Of course, love won out; so we all agreed
to leave by eight o’clock to be back by twelve. This morning, however,
it was almost impossible to pry Lieutenant Roger Peterson from his sack.
As a result, we did not get away from the Company area until some time
after nine-thirty. The reconnaissance party consisted of Lieutenant
Richard Hoff, Lieutenant Karl Miller, Lieutenant Pat O’Connor,
Lieutenant Roger Peterson, Mr. (WOJG) Lorenzo McCutcheon, Lieutenant
Knight--Artillery Forward Observer, and myself. As it was in my last
reconnaissance up there, the Jeep ride was bitterly cold. We were numb
after our hour’s ride, but we started to warm up after trudging
up that blasted hill. Gad, that’s a climb! This reserve time certainly
does not help in putting one in conditioning for the climbing of mountains.
For all that, we looked over the positions, and I was not any happier
this time than I was the first time I saw them. However, a small amount
of work was in progress since my last visit there. None of the other
officers were happy about it, either. However, I did record the trip
in film, and when I get the roll developed, I will send them on to you. For added interest, we had a blowout on the Jeep while
on the way to Hill 355. At first, it scared the hell out of me, by reason
of it sounded just as a rifle shot to me. I thought an enemy ambush
fired upon us! Okay, so I am getting a little jumpy. We have already started making preparations for moving
back on line. If nothing happens in the meantime, we will be there for
forty-two days and will then go into reserve again. That is not a bad
arrangement. However, when we went into reserve three weeks ago, I had
the feeling that the war would be over by the time we went back on the
line, but it looks as if I was just a little too optimistic. Still,
there is no peace. It looks as if we have given the enemy an opportunity
to prepare his defenses and organize for a counterattack. From our reports,
the enemy seems to be building up in the West for an all-out-drive on
Seoul. If it happens, I am sure that we shall be in the path of it.
I do not believe they can take our positions without a tremendous loss
to them. I feel that they will not attempt to retake Hill 355, but,
rather, will bypass it and compel us to withdraw. Of course, all these
are just assumptions on my part, and it certainly is my wish that I
am wrong. Monday, 14 January 1952 The day has been the warmest that we have had in several
months. The sun virtually melted all the remaining snow on the ground.
As a result of the warm weather, the men put a fantastic vigor into
the attack problem that we ran today. They demonstrated an amazing amount
of tactical skill, and it impressed us immeasurably. I do believe that
the Company is shaping up nicely. Of course, we hope that we shall never
have to use our newly acquired attack knowledge and skills. On the other
hand, it is always consoling to know that everyone will do well--should
it come to that. Our reserve time is drawing to an end. Even so, the three
weeks passed rapidly; it seems that we got here only the other day.
Still, it was not a snap. We have to work harder while in reserve than
we do on the front lines. Albeit, I will take this any day. It is so
pleasant to live in this tent of mine, in comparative comfort--a canvas
cot, an air mattress, oil stove, and straw mats on the ground. I am
going to miss it, believe me. Tuesday afternoon, 15 January 1952 What a lazy day this has been! We were to use the day
in making all the necessary preparations for our move back to the front
lines; but, with a rifle company, there are no preparations. We carry
almost everything we have on our backs. Consequently, except for packing
away the supply tent and the kitchen tent, we have no worries; it was
generally a day of rest for all of us. General “Iron Mike”
Daniels, the Division Commander, came through the area this morning
and had us hopping around for a time. It did not last long and everything
returned to its normal state of orderliness when he left. It has been
the kind of day that I enjoy. The 2nd Battalion Officers’ Party last night was
delightful. I laughed almost the entire time. The floorshow was our
Lieutenant Roger Peterson. He is an extremely young officer--one of
the wittiest and strikingly clever individuals I have ever met--and
everything that he said was hilariously amusing and entertaining. His
humor was, indeed, unbelievably engaging and refreshing. He gained the
affection of every officer in the Battalion. He is a remarkable officer
to have in Company G. It will probably be quite a surprise when you receive
those three sections of a contour map that I sent you yesterday. I thought
it’d help give you a clearer picture of how things look over here,
as well as my being able to point things out to you from time to time.
[The letter includes instructions on piecing the map together and how
to read coordinates. The instructions are not an element of this paragraph.]
You got it? Simple, is it not? The Chinese located is on Hill 227 at
coordinates 159189. Company G will be on Hill 355 (coordinates 174189);
the enemy is barely a thousand meters away. He keeps adroitly concealed,
but we pick him up in our field glasses from time to time. The Chinese
lines in front of our positions run generally on the ridges from Hill
227 to Hill 217 (coordinates 170214) to Hill 317 (coordinates 180220).
As you know, you have several photographs of an air strike against Hill
317. That’s what the terrain looks like in reality. Incidentally,
the view in the pictures is from Hill 238 (coordinates 198189). Wednesday, 16 January 1952 Today we received an issue of the new insulated rubber
combat boots, and already everyone finds them very satisfying. The day
has been comparative warm, and the real test of the boots has yet to
come. My feet were cold this morning (I was wearing the leather combat
boots at the time), and they warmed up within fifteen minutes. For the
remainder of the day, my feet have been hot! Maybe this is the answer
for which we have been looking. Surprisingly enough, one wears only
a pair of lightweight shocks with the boots. Conversely, two pairs of
heavy wool ski socks and felt shoe inserts are features of the leather
shoe packs, and still a daily change of socks is necessary or the feet
get cold. The main difference is that the insulation in the new boot
is in sealed rubber and it cannot get wet from perspiration and condensation
as was possible with the old shoepack. Also, with the new boots, one’s
feet are always wet with water caused by perspiration, but it remains
at body temperature. Supposedly, it is good for temperatures as low
as 20 degrees below zero. It has not been that cold yet, so maybe we
have gotten this winter weather licked. Well, we move out tomorrow for an advanced assembly area
before moving on to Hill 355. The assembly area will be nearby. From
there we will move under the cover of darkness to Hill 355 to effect
a relief of the unit now occupying those positions. Monday, 21 January 1952 Presently, Company G is on the left ridge of famed Hill
355. Although you would never be able to tell it by looking on the ground,
we have been working constantly to improve our positions here. We spent
the entire night of the 18th effecting the relief; and, as all operations
pulled off at night, it was nothing but mass confusion. Even so, the
confusion was not so much the fault of Company G, as it was for the
unit being relieved. To add to our misery, it was bitterly cold. No
one slept a wink that night. The Chinese must have guessed that we were
coming, because they threw in thirty artillery rounds just before we
arrived. No one hurt, thank goodness! In the four days that we have
been here, we have received only six rounds, and they were wide. I hope
that our luck continues. My “home” on this hill is a rather crude bunker
about twelve feet wide and about sixteen feet long. It is the Company
Command Post. The Scots of the British forces built it when the hill
was originally taken from the Chinese. It consists of six log bunks
along the walls. The ceiling is so low, however, that one bumps his
head when standing. Conversely, we have an oil-stove in it; and, if
the Chinese do not give us any trouble, it would not be a bad place
to sit out the winter. Tuesday, 22 January 1952 The progress made today in the preparation of our defenses
delighted us. The men really put out this time. It is extremely difficult
to accomplish anything because of the frozen ground. What is more, this
hill is nothing but a mass of rock, and in many places we are able to
dig only with the aid of explosives. Logs and sandbags are the principle
elements used in the construction of almost all the emplacements. Being
a soldier that likes everything below ground, that makes me somewhat
unhappy, but there is nothing that we can do about it. We have been
digging trenches between positions. When we have them all completed
and at the proper depth, we will have cover throughout the hill for
protection from enemy artillery, mortar, and rifle fire. Right now there
are not enough, and the ones that we do have are not deep enough. I
speak from experience. I spent about five minutes late this afternoon
on the floor of a communication trench. The Chinese started throwing
in artillery while I was looking over our defenses and there was not
a bunker nearby. In the middle of all this I looked up and saw a soldier
standing on the parapet of the trench near by. I shouted to him, “Well,
are you going to stand there until one hits you?” He looked somewhat
surprised and replied, “You mean that’s incoming stuff?”
I guess that’s the difference between an old soldier and a new
one. One has to know the difference between “incoming mail”
and “outgoing mail,” as it is called. A seasoned solder knows
when to take cover and when not to take cover. The night was uneventful, except that the Australians
on our left blasted the hell out of the enemy positions on Hill 227.
They are softening it up, for they propose to take it in a few days
or so. It’s dangerously close and continues to be a thorn in our
side. The Chinese are able to observe all our movements and direct mortar
and artillery fire on us. Watch for some mention of it in the newspapers;
you can find it on our left from the map you now have. I shall be glad
when it’s in the Australian’s hands. At least, we will not
always be under constant enemy observation. Thursday, 24 January 1952 One of our listening posts was attack by a Chinese patrol
last night. I was with our forward observers until two o’clock
trying to place artillery and mortar fire on the enemy patrol. I do
not know whether we did anything constructive, but at least we got our
listening post out okay. (Since writing the foregoing, two hours have
elapsed.) The 2nd Platoon heard someone cutting their barbed wire, and
I had to get all our mortar concentrations lined up just in case it
proved serious. It quieted down after we threw up a flare. We will have
to wait until morning to find out exactly what happened out there. I do not recall whether I ever mentioned it, but a search
light unit occupies a position on the top of hill in the rear, far out
of the range of enemy artillery fire. At night, it “flares”
a beam of light (open outward in shape) over the enemy positions. It
provides enough light to see dimly at night--very, very dimly. It’s
called “moonbeam,” and we like the feature. Without it, things
are pitch dark out here. So you think Frank E. Burdell is a handsome individual,
huh? I was afraid you would think that when I sent the picture, for
I thought the same thing. I told you that he received his promotion
to Lt Colonel, did I not? Did I also tell you that shortly after that
he rotated to the U.S.? He is a fine person. It was a joy working with
him. Before he left, he called me in to show me the Officer Efficiency
Report that he had written about me. It was outstanding. I honestly
hated to see him go. Our present Battalion Commander, Lt Colonel Kenneth
Halverson, is an excellent individual, as well. The Australians on our left invited Lieutenant Pat O’Connor
and me to their positions this afternoon, and we all talked and drank
beer. I frankly confess that I enjoyed it immensely. They are very,
very friendly people; and our association with them (the blokes, as
they would say) has proved very interesting. We have tried to maintain
friendly relations, and it’s paying off in many respects. We held
our little confab in their CP below ground; and when we came out of
the hole, it surprised us to find that it was snowing quite heavily.
It’s turned rather cold tonight, although it was a very pleasant
day this morning. The Chinese continue to blast us with his artillery and
mortar rounds. Fortunately, there have been no casualties yet, but that’s
not due to any intelligence on our part. We continually walk on the
skyline and bunch up, which invites his fire. I personally have been
in no real danger so far. Happily, one can hear the rounds coming; and,
for the most part, there is time to seek cover. Mortar fire itself does
not make noise, but at a distance of only one thousand meters, one generally
can hear the distinctive sound of the round being fired from its tube,
especially at night. Friday, 25 January 1952 The Australians went up their enemy Hill 227 tonight and
received a heavy counterattack. The artillery, mortar, machine gun,
and rifle fire have been clattering all evening--much of it hitting
us. The night is bitterly cold--quite a few degrees below zero. It is
now after one o’clock in the morning. We have an ambush of a reinforced
rifle squad, and I must stay up to see them through their ordeal. We
have mortar concentrations all around them, and I am in touch with them
by wire and radio. Later, they are to move up the finger to reach the
enemy and take prisoners of war. I am afraid that some of our men are
going to be hurt before the night passes. All this is going on around
us, and I am able to write my wife, in a warm bunker, while the radio
plays soft stateside music. It is a bizarre war, indeed! Let me tell you more about this Australian operation.
First, we knew that the show on our left was going to happen at least
five days ago. In spite of the heavy counterattack, I am sure that the
hill will be in the Australian’s hands by sunup. They had very
well organized plans, and they are damn good fighters. They had plans
to attack with thirty-seven persons, covered by another platoon that
was to lay down protective fires. Following the assault troops, they
had other details organized to dig a bunker on the forward slope of
the hill when they got there, another to fill sandbags, and still another
to carry up logs previously cut just for this operation. At the same
time, a wire-laying detail was to lay barbed wire forward of the positions.
After the completion of the bunker, the assaulting troops were to withdraw,
leaving an officer and eight men in the bunker to hold the hill. I daresay
that--from all the shooting that has taken place this evening--it was
not as simple as it sounded. I shall learn the details tomorrow. This morning I received a map overlay showing the route
that a patrol from this Company was to take tonight. The rest of the
day, spent in orienting the squad leader and making [interruption] (I
just had to fire the 4.2 mortar concentration on a finger leading down
from the right platoon’s position. An enemy patrol of four men
tripped a flare and it so happened that we had a concentration right
there. I sent the listening post back out to investigate and report
any damage we did.) Strange war. Let’s see, where was I? The task
of keeping my mind on what I am writing becomes increasingly difficult.
(Oh, the Chinese are again counterattacking against Hill 277.) I have
alerted the Company--just in case some of it comes our way--and a considerable
number of the rounds are! There is an amazing racket outside! Even while
writing this, I have been to the Observation Post a number of times
to see what is going on out front. Mortars are pounding away on the
Australians, and the skies are alive with tracers. Yet, the heavens
are clear and sharp; the stars are bright as can be. Easy and Fox Companies
of the 2d Battalion are shooting up a storm on our right. It seems that
a Chinese patrol got between them and is giving them a bad time. Our
patrol just reported in by radio that they were being fired upon by
what they believe to be friendly elements. I have checked and it is
not so, at least, not from this Company. The firing has stopped with
the two companies on our right. I do not know what has happened over
there. They do not know who was firing upon them. The Regimental Combat
Patrol that was patrolling to the left of our area just cleared our
listening post. It’s now 0220 in the morning. The patrol leader
just reported by phone that it was someone in George Company that was
firing upon them. The firing on our left continues to fill the night
with sundering noises. It’s that KRUMP, KRUMP sound of the heavy
artillery and 4.2-mm mortar fire that shakes the entire earth and scares
the pee out of us. That is big stuff. The artillery in our right rear
has been firing right along and the rounds whine over our heads and
crash far to our left. I just heard over the phone that the last enemy
counterattack was too much for the Australians, and they pulled off
the hill. Five of their wounded men passed through our battalion aid
station. We do not know how many were killed. Evidently, the Chinese
really wanted to hang on to that hill. As an interesting thought or
sidelight, tonight was their New Year’s Eve. It seems that they
celebrated it by pushing the Australians off their objective. The hill
is being pounded furiously at the moment. It is assuring that the Aussies
are making it uncomfortably hot for the Chinese up there. They just
informed me over the phone that the Aussies sustained one killed in
action and four probable. If that is true, those are rather light casualties
for such a fight. I hope that the Chinese did not fair as well. The
listening post of the right platoon just reported that they made an
examination of the area that we saturated with the 4.2-mm mortar fire
and found nothing. Darn the luck. The artillery fire on our bloke’s
objective has ceased. The Regimental Combat Patrol just entered our
lines and everything is quiet now. I guess that’s the end of the
show for the night. You have had a running commentary of a part of tonight’s
action. Right now the radio is playing, Cigarettes, Whiskey and Wild,
Wild Women. Saturday, 26 January 1952 We have two more ambushes out tonight, so while I sit
up with them, I will get a few lines off to you. Well, we had quite a little show last night. The final
figures on that Australian action are nine KIA’s and seven WIA’s.
Today, one could see the Australian dead lying around the top of Hill
227. It was easy to see them through field glasses. The Aussies seem
to think that they saved us from a two-company attack on our hill last
night. Further, they thought that the counterattack was too well organized
and too quick to have been called up impulsively. If that were the case,
we are very thankful to the Aussies. Our patrols and ambushes got in
okay last night, and I sincerely hope we have the same luck with our
two ambushes tonight. Life on Hill 355 has not been too bad so far. Our defenses still fall short of what we would like, but we are still working hard to improve them. The men live in sandbagged bunkers that are just as good as they make them. All the bunkers have improvised wood stoves. They are the solution to this Korean winter weather. As stated at an earlier time, George Company continues to serve two hot (?) meals a day, which are not bad at all. I have not had a shower in a month and a half, and I have not had a change of clothing in almost the same time. Furthermore, this is true for virtually everyone on this
hill. That’s always a bad feature, of course. I am able to wash
and shave daily in hot water, and although you may think that’s
hardly enough for one to generate excitement, it’s quite a luxury,
believe me. The Korean laborers haul drinking water to the top of hill
in five-gallon cans, frequently employing a device worn on their backs
that we call an "A-frame." When the laborers are not available,
our troops must haul the water. Accordingly, the men do not fair as
well with water for shaving and keeping themselves clean. We make a
limited amount of hot water at the base of the hill accessible to the
men. The rub is that they must descend the hill to use it--then re-climb
the hill to return to their positions. As a result, the men do not wash
and shave (out of their helmets, of course) any more than is required.
Again, the non-availability of water limits its use; accordingly, we
must use it sparingly. Shaving on the hill is not mandatory at this
time. In the Command Post bunker, described earlier, one of
the six bunks therein is mine--made with a couple of pine logs. The
bedsprings of the bunk consist of communication wire strung back and
forth across the two logs. I still have the air mattress that turns
the whole thing into quite a comfortable bed. My sleeping bag is a rather
foul smelling thing, as you can imagine, but the bunker is so warm that
I really do not need it. My light is, of course, candlelight. Moreover,
it is not always possible to get candles. They are not an item of issue.
Right now, we take them from the kitchen’s small ration that they
get. I mentioned, too, that we now have a battery-powered radio in the
CP and that’s really the icing on the cake. In addition to myself,
the CP is occupied by Lieutenant Paul Nichols, the Executive Officer
(who is away on the Kansas Line); Lieutenant Pat O’Connor, the
Weapons Platoon Leader (he is the Acting Executive Officer in Lieutenant
Paul Nichols’ absence and the 60-mm mortar section of his platoon
is in the area around us); Lieutenant Knight, the Artillery Forward
Observer; and First Sergeant Lyle B. Penfold (the top non-commissioned
officer of the Company--a very accomplished individual, who also had
combat service in World War II). The disadvantages of living on this hill are great, too.
The primary one is that we face an ever-present threat of being overrun
by a horde of Chinese troops. It hangs over our head like the sword
of Damocles. The raids, patrols, and ambushes that we pull virtually
every night--and the raids, patrols and ambushes performed by the enemy--pose
a constant caution to one’s feeling of security and well being.
Moreover, the artillery and mortar rounds, thrown in daily by the enemy,
are harassing but keep us alert. We had only four come in today, but
a man from the Pioneer and Ammunition Platoon (in our area but not a
part of the organization) caught a fragment in his buttock. In addition,
a Korean laborer caught a fragment in his finger (thumb to be exact).
It could have happened to me just as well. Even though we have patrols,
listening posts, and ambushes out every night, we must pull what we
call a 50% alert. That is, fifty percent of the individuals must remain
awake all during the night at their fighting positions and gun emplacements--just
in case the enemy slips pass our security out front. You might say that’s
what I am pulling right now. We check our security all night long. Even
at that, I sleep with a loaded .45-caliber pistol “for that safe
and protected feeling.” Monday, 28 January 1952 This morning, “Mush,” our Korean orderly, handed
me my chow around nine o’clock and I had breakfast in bed, that
is, while still in my foul smelling sleeping bag. Oh, I tell you, life
is rough up here on this hill! Don’t be misled, however. Last night was one of the
roughest nights we have had, even though it was, indeed, the quietest.
Let me explain. Late yesterday afternoon, the 1st Battalion, 15th Infantry,
observed large forces moving toward them without an artillery preparation.
At the same time the Australians noted increased activity on Hill 227,
to include tanks. It looked like a repeat show for an attack on our
positions, for the setup was the same as when the Chinese attacked this
hill two months ago. We frantically made preparations for a last ditch
stand. I really thought this was it. We were alert and on edge all night,
although not a single thing happened to us. It scared us, to be sure.
Even so, it did serve us well. It graphically pointed out our weaknesses,
and we have spent the entire day today correcting them. I got little
sleep last night. As far as policing an area goes, it is a reflection on
the Company commander and the discipline of the unit--as you stated.
This Company is still weak in many areas, but it is very conscious of
sanitation. From time to time, we still catch a new man throwing trash
down the side of the hill. As a result, they soon learn that it is not
a good practice, particularly when they have to go down the side of
the hill to clean up the mess. Presently, a continuing problem is keeping
the new individuals competent in maintaining their equipment. Another
feature is the vigilance required in ensuring that the new men do not
leave their grenades on the parapets and allowing them to freeze to
the soil during the night. They would be in a real dilemma if they ever
had to use them suddenly. In a few instances, the men will go on guard
duty without carrying their weapons. Can you believe it? Lieutenant Karl G. Miller, the Platoon Leader of the 1st
Platoon, Company G, left yesterday on rotation. About four other officers
in the Battalion left, also. I do not know the exact number, but there
are only a few officers left that have been in the Battalion longer
than I have. Friday, I February 1952 Company G is conducting a company raid on a feature to
our front on 4 February, and it’s not going to be a simple task.
The higher command wants prisoners of war, and the lot has fallen to
this Company. This will be a larger fight than the Australians had last
Friday, 25 January in their attack on Hill 227; and I fear a considerable
number of us are going to get hurt. Nevertheless, we are confident of
success, although a bit apprehensive at this stage. The enemy’s
fortifications look formidable, and his defensive fires and counterattack
capabilities are excellent. My time lately continues in the organizing of George Company’s
defenses on Hill 355. Overall, We still have a long way to go. The men
are toiling arduously, but the progress is annoyingly slow. We have
a wearisome, almost impossible, job of trying to dig through the rocks
and frozen ground. Even blasting with explosives does not facilitate
matters much. Yesterday, with my field glasses, I watched four Chinese
soldiers for several hours digging fighting emplacements; and they were
working feverishly. Their ground does not have quite the number of rocks
we have, but it is just as solid, and you should have seen them go!
They work a lot faster than we do. Also, I spend my nights monitoring the efforts of our
patrols and ambushes through difficult situations. The enemy ambushed
one of the patrols last night; but, fortunately, they got out of it
all right. Tonight, one of our patrols approached the enemy lines and
drew mortar fire. They, too, got out of it favorably. Auspiciously,
this Company has not sustained a single casualty since we have been
here. Several times the enemy has alarmed us with his patrols against
our positions, but it never developed into anything serious. I hope
it continues that way. Incidentally, we have not had any artillery fire
on us in the last three days. Knock on wood for that, too. The Chinese ambushed two Jeeps from the Regiment the other
night, a couple of hundred yards up the road that runs behind our positions.
One man killed, two wounded, and the fourth man made it without a scratch.
It seems that the two vehicles were moving down the road under blackout
conditions when four Chinese soldiers jumped them. A Russian grenade,
which is a huge thing, was thrown between the two vehicles, blowing
the rear wheel off the first one. Before the men realized what had happened,
the ambush opened up with automatic weapons. The two individuals in
the lead vehicle took off at a fast clip on foot, although one of them
sustained a serious wound in the shoulder. The driver of the rear Jeep
was killed outright; and the rider, who had sustained minor wounds,
fell to the ground and played dead. The Chinese came to the disabled
vehicles, looked around, even turned over the man that was playing dead,
took his carbine, and carried off everything that they could find that
might serve as intelligence information. We are very lucky that this
has not happened to us before. The Chinese soldiers remain at large. Saturday night, 2 February 1952 Hooray! Battalion Headquarters called off the Company
Raid. We have another plan in operation now that I am not able to mention
at this time for security reasons. Even so, I will tell you all about
it after it’s completed. Sunday, 3 February 1952 I am sitting up (at the CP) with an ambush that is in
front of our positions. I must stand by just in case they get into some
kind of trouble and need supporting fires, or go to their aid with additional
troops, if required. Nevertheless, we are trying a subterfuge to induce
the enemy to come to us for a change. The Battalion, and other units,
is trying to give the impression that a relief is in effect by a new
unit and that the new organization is preparing for an attack. We desire
that the enemy will become curious and come to us to find out what is
going on with the relief. We have increased our ambushes along the line
to nail him when--and if--he comes. Today, we spent our time in attempting
to carry out the deception. The men would shake out their blankets and
roll their packs in full view of the enemy and march off the hill in
an extended formation. Once out of sight of the enemy, they turned around
and marched back to the hill and went on to go through the motion of
relieving other elements that then went through the same operation.
Later, we re-registered our mortar concentrations and fired our Final
Protective Line, as a new unit always does. At the same time, we went
on radio silence to deceive him further. Tonight, we have built small
fires on the forward slope and plan to fire flares to give the idea
that we are a new unit and somewhat afraid of the situation to our front.
Also, sometime tonight, tanks and trucks will move up and down the road
to simulate increased activity and troop buildup. We hope it’ll
all work. So far, we are beginning to feel that it is working, for the
enemy shelled us by artillery this afternoon--the first time in five
days. The real test, however, is whether our ambushes pay off with success.
As this is being written, the ambush from this Company has met with
nothing. That’s not encouraging. Monday, 4 February 1952 The sector to our front has been exceedingly quite in
the last few days. Our ambushes have seen nothing. The enemy threw in
nine rounds of artillery on us yesterday afternoon around chow time;
and except for that, one would hardly know that a war was going on here.
Such was not the case in the 1st Battalion’s area, however. About
four o’clock this afternoon, the Chinese pushed back two of their
outposts. They sustained twenty-nine WIA’s and one MIA. None killed
in action (KIA). We enacted an alert standing at the time but nothing
developed. Our ambush out front has observed nothing. Under the present
setup, that’s not good. We had better take a prisoner under this
new operation or we will be making raids again. I have not forgotten
that tonight was the night scheduled to pull off our Company Raid. We
would have succeeded, I am sure, but we would have paid the going price.
Those prisoners cost dearly in blood. The plan itself was rather simple, but the task of executing it would have been extremely difficult. It would have worked like this:
We got in a new officer today to replace Lieutenant Karl
G. Miller, who went home the other day on rotation. His name is Lieutenant
Robert I. Marshall. He is thirty-five years old and has impressed me
as being an exemplary officer. I believe that he is going to be such
a force that he will add new energy and vitality to the entire Company.
He is warmly welcome. His assignment is to the 1st Platoon--the platoon
vacated by Lieutenant Karl Miller. Thursday, 7 February 1952 We had quite an eventful evening. A Chinese patrol ran
into our ambush last night, and we had an arousing little show. The
ambush succeeded in wounding one or two of them and both patrol and
ambush ‘hauled-ass’ in opposite directions. We organized a
larger force and sent them down over the same ground again to see what
they could find. Unfortunately, they found nothing. Perhaps you have read in the newspaper of the 1st Battalion,
15th Infantry, getting its outposts knocked off the hill several times
in succession. It was in the Stars and Stripes, but there was no mention
of the unit by name. The place designation was "northwest of Yonchon."
That’s one of the little aids that I have spoken of to assist you
in determining whether we were in an action referred to in the newspaper. Friday, 8 February 1952 I had to laugh at your friend’s claim that her Engineer
husband “had to fight ahead of the Infantry.” Never happen.
In our Division we have the 10th Engineers, and they are a good ten
miles to the rear living in stateside conditions. I am not speaking
disparagingly of the Engineers; we value their work, indeed. Still,
let me tell you of an Engineer officer that came as far forward as Hill
355. When we were given the mission of defending this hill, they told
us that the Engineers were in direct support and would assist us in
blowing rock in the construction of our bunkers and communication trenches.
After howling for them for almost an entire month, we finally got an
Engineer Officer and a Corporal up here to look over the situation to
decide what assistance we needed. While he was here, it scared him stiff.
Why, I could not get him to go over our positions to show him what was
what. While talking to him, some friendly artillery started firing over
our heads. Both of them hit the ground and scrambled for cover, while
the rest of us just stood there--tickled by the spectacle. It was quite
amusing to see; we could hardly contain ourselves from laughing outright.
He just could not get off the hill fast enough. He promised us everything.
Weeks have passed, and we have not seen the Engineers or the explosives
promised us, yet. In your last letter you asked if the officers are steadily being rotated. Yes, it is on going--but not as rapidly as the enlisted men’s rotation. We have another shipment of officers leaving the Battalion--two or three in number--the 11th of this month. After this next group leaves, I shall be the second oldest officer in time in the Battalion, the first being Lieutenant Paul Nichols. Of course, that does not mean that I shall be going home any earlier, because I still must wait until I acquire the required number of points. I might add that the ones being rotated are the “lucky ones.” They survived. I am not the second oldest officer in the Battalion because all the others that came before me have rotated; on the contrary, it’s because of the rapid turnover in officer personnel. After each engagement we get almost an entire new group of officers. At this moment, I am one of the lucky officers--to be alive or to be in existence without a disability.
Sunday night, 10 February 1952 As far as I am able to determine, our little plan of deception
did not work, or at least we did not get a prisoner during the period.
We did not arouse his curiosity enough for him to come to us to find
out whether we were preparing to attack. Now I Corps is starting another
plan to bring him to us. This time we are to lie low in our bunkers
during the day to give the impression that we have pulled out altogether.
We are not to get out of the bunkers for any reason in daylight. Everything
for the next six days will take place at night. It means that we will
figuratively go on a night shift. At the same time, we have increased
our ambushes. We hope to nail him when he comes over to see if we really
are on Hill 355. We trust that the plan succeeds, for if it does not
work, there is a good chance that they will attempt company-size raids
again. They have the determination to get a prisoner, one way or another.
Although we have been unable to take a POW, we have come rather close
to it several times. Our ambushes substantively engaged in firefights
with enemy patrols, but each time they manage to escape. We know that
we wounded some of them, but they were able to carry off their wounded
before we could get close to them. Fortunately, we have yet to suffer
our first casualty--a record held only by this Company. The Chinese have been a little more active with their
mortars today. They threw in about thirty rounds this afternoon. No
one injured. Generally, despite the inconveniences and delays caused
by the deception plans, we have made progress on our defensive emplacements
and communication trenches. We have worked constantly, and it has paid
off rather well. If they attack us, we will defend ourselves well; and
we will have saved lives by having good positions from which to fight.
We still have three weeks to go, and we shall continue to make improvements.
As the positions improve, the morale of the troops improves. Tuesday, 12 February 1952 I think I lost a letter somewhere. I had one lying on
this table yesterday morning for mailing; and when I returned in the
afternoon, it was not there. So was Lieutenant Knight, the Artillery
Forward Observer, who left for R&R. Maybe he mailed it. I hate to say this, but I have not gone to the dentist
yet, as I promised. Before you get angry with me for my vacillations,
let me explain something. I mentioned this in my last letter--if Lieutenant
Knight mailed it--but we have gone into an operation called SNARE. The
scope is to convey to the enemy the impression that the entire 8th Army
has withdrawn to another line. Higher headquarters anticipates that
he will become curious and come into our positions to find out what
is happening. Up to this time, we have been going to him, with little
success, to capture a prisoner. Accordingly, we have sustained a rather
large number of casualties. Now, we hope to catch him with ambushes.
To give the idea that we have withdrawn, we must remain in our bunkers
the whole day. No one is to leave them for any reason. Consequently,
I will not be able to go to the dentist for another week. Could you
make me a sandwich and send it my way just in case my tooth starts hurting
one of these nights? In spit of the passive means taken to induce the enemy to come to us, we are making last minute preparations at night to bring our defensives up to readiness. We are now expecting the Chinese to come in rather large numbers! That’s not just a supposition, either. We happen to have a curious setup in the Company. During a patrol action several nights ago we picked up Chinese jabbering on one of our SCR 536’s (walkie-talkie). It’s not an unusual occurrence, but this time one of our ROK soldiers (we have a platoon attached to the Company) heard it and pointed out that they were talking about us. The ROK (Republic of Korea) soldier understands Chinese and is able to speak Japanese--but no English. We have a Japanese-American soldier who translates the Japanese into English, and that’s the way we learn what the Chinese are saying--round about, perhaps, but effective enough. In any event, the whole thing has assumed significant proportions, being carried as high as Division, even. At first, we started thinking it was just a program of war nerves and did not place much stock in it, but not any more. The Chinese were giving instructions in the preparations for an attack--at first, just such things as establishing bases of fire, feeding problems, morale factors, etc. Then they started giving names and numbers, and that’s when we really started taking note. Their attack was to be sometime among 16 and 19 February against the Australians and Americans on Kowang-san, the very hill we are sitting on right now! The 16th to the 19th, it figures, are Chinese calendar dates rather than ours, and today is the 17th by their calendar. They pointed out that a new unit was to make a relief on Hill 317, that the present unit was to move to Hill 217, and that they were to launch their attack from that point. At the same time, they gave instructions for the organization of a base of fire (machine guns, mortars, etc.) on the feature just behind Hill 227. These gun positions are already under our observation. The Chinese informed their soldiers not to fear the Americans and Australians, because they have the complete plan of our defenses. They even went so far as to name the units along the Regiment’s front, and I will be darn if they were not correct! Even mentioned George Company and told exactly where our location is. They pointed out such recent projects, such as the digging of new positions on different features. So tonight, for example, we were able to see increased activity on Hill 227 on our left; meanwhile, our listening posts have picked up heavy truck movement behind Hill 217. This evening, the Chinese fired on the Australians with machine guns. It was from the feature behind Hill 227--just as they said in their radio communication. Proof enough. The clincher to the whole thing is that Corps observed that all these broadcasts that we were receiving tied in perfectly with G-2 (Intelligence) on the enemy situation. The 7th Infantry Regiment immediately received alert orders for a possible counterattack, |
