Table Of ContentI
U.S. Marines from Pohang to No Name Line
by Lieutenant Colonel Ronaldj Brown, USMCR (Ret)
t Hungnam, the 1st around the Pusan Perimeter and As 1950 drew to a close the mil-
Marine Division, fol- were "not too happy or not too itary situation in Korea was so
lowing the with- eager to see the dreadful country bleak American policy makers
drawal from the they had fought over." Regardless were seriously contemplating the
Chosin Reservoir, of the speculation, the convoy evacuation of U.S. forces from that
embarked all of its equipment and steamed on, and on 16 December embattled country, and American
personnel in record time and arrived at Pusan. Although several military leaders had already formu-
sailed for Pusan. The trip south for tank landing ships sailed past lated secret contingency plans to
the half-starved, half-frozen Mar- Pusan and put in at Masan, a do so. The Korean Conflict had
ines was uneventful except for the majority of the division's Marines been raging for six months during
never-closed chow lines, salt-water traveled by rail and road from which time the fighting seesawed
showers, a complete change of Pusan 40 miles west to their new up and down the 600-mile length
clothes, and a widespread Out- area outside the small seaport of the mountainous peninsula with
break of colds or mild cases of untouched by war.
Gen Douglas MacArthur, America's
pneumonia. "For the first time in In an area previously occupied
longest -serving soldier, was Corn -
weeks we felt clean," wrote one by the 1st Provisional Marine
mander in Chief Far East, and also
Marine, "and our lice were gone Brigade, a tent city quickly sprang
commanded the multinational United
forever—washed down a drain- up—pyramidal tents for all mem- Nations forces in Korea. Although the
hole into the cold Sea of Japan." bers of the command and squad situation appeared ominous in early
In addition to a scrub down and tents for each battalion. Hospital 1951, MacArthur later said he never
new dungarees, there was a good tents and mess halls were erected contemplated withdrawal and "made
deal of conjecture and discussion and with the help of Korean labor- no plans to that effect."
on the possible employment of the ers mess tables and other improve- Department of Defense Photo (USA) SC362863
division; many hoped that instead ments soon began to appear. A
of landing at Pusan, the convoy large barracks in the outskirts of V
would proceed directly to Japan or Masan served as the administrative
the United States and relief by the headquarters for the regiments,
2d Marine Division. Both officers while the division's service and
and enlisted men alike held that it support units occupied areas near
was impossible to visualize the the docks and south of town. The
employment of the division in the men observed the division's first
near future and that rest, reorgani- Christmas in Korea with a memo-
zation, and rehabilitation was an rable display of holiday spirit
absolute necessity. Then, too, despite a chilling drizzle. A choir
there were those who had fought from the 5th Marines serenaded
the division headquarters with car-
ON THE COVER: Marines are ols, many attended a series of
crouched and ready to move again as
shows put on by troupes of U.S.
fire slackens near Wonju. National
Army and Korean entertainers, and
Archives Photo (USMC) 1 27-N-A6630
the U.S. Navy sent Christmas trees
and decorations. It was not only a
AT LEFT: Marine riflemen hug the
time to be thankful, but also a
ground as they advance under fire
during Operation Ripper. National period of rapid recuperation from
Archives Photo (USMC) 127-N-A6862 fatigue and nervous tension.
1
_____________________________
Matthew B. Ridgway, USA, to rally
his troops just as the outlook was
Korea darkest. This fortuitous event
began a dramatic reversal of for-
1O() (1T' tunes, a turnaround so startling
that within six months it was the
Communists who were on the
ropes.
I\flIfl
The combined NKPA and CCF
armies had more than a half mil-
7 kuigu
lion men inside Korea while the
United Nations Command num-
bered only about two-thirds that
many. The U.N. commander was
American General of the Army
1'I'ungnam Douglas MacArthur who was con-
currently Commander in Chief, Far
NORTH KOREA
East. The major Service compo-
KoreaBaj'
nents of the Far East Command
(I1Iflh1tI1 .IIIg Sea ofJapan
were the Eighth Army, the Fifth Air
•SJliV.oii Force, and elements of the Seventh
( t1c\ fl Fleet. Recently appointed Lieuten-
Flu .u/u,,, N.. erz'oIr 38
ant General Ridgway commanded
,tnJiii"' ijongh5'hUlkhofl '\KangfluI1g the Eighth Army; Major General
. IIongctu)n \
'Seou •ll..eng'ong \SarnchoL Earl E. Partridge, USAF, the Fifth
.-lsau Bay . •Siioii Air Force; and Vice Admiral Arthur
•Osan SOUTH KOREA D. Struble, USN, the Seventh Fleet.
/
( lionan. Major General Oliver P. "0. P."
Ye/lou' Sea Andong Smith's 1st Marine Division and
• 'k,)fl(li)k Major General Field Harris' 1st
Taejon
ILIiI*I1,)I1 \ .icgwtii PoIi.ing Marine Aircraft Wing were the two
Kuns4, O(honju ,. oTaeg\uongcli ii major Marine units in Korea.
Unlike today's expeditionary force
structure, at that time there was no
OKwangju %tas.niC'r Marine component headquarters
Pusan so the non-Marine theater com-
mander was the only common
superior officer for both the divi-
;:
Tsushima/ JAPAN sion and aircraft wing in Korea.
o
The nearest senior Marine was
Lieutenant General Lemuel C.
Shepherd, Jr., Commanding Gen-
first one side and then the other blows that began the previous eral, Fleet Marine Force, Pacific, in
alternately holding the upper November, the United States-led Hawaii, who was responsible for
hand. With 1951 only a few days United Nations Command had the logistical support of both the
away the Communist forces—con- been pushed back from the Yalu division and wing. Despite the fact
sisting of the North Korean River at the North Korean-Chinese that no official direct command
People's Army (NKPA) reinforced border all the way south of the link existed between Marine air
by "volunteers" from the People's 38th Parallel, which divided North and ground units in Korea, the
Republic of China, known as the and South Korea. A momentary lull respective Marine commanders
Communist Chinese Forces in the action, however, allowed the maintained close liaison and care-
(CCF)—appeared on the verge of energetic new United Nations field fully coordinated their actions.
victory. In a series of stunning commander, Lieutenant General Several important new corn-
2
, l'Il(
I )t()
The general staff of the 1st Marine Division assembled for an General; Maj Donald W Sherman, Assistant G-1; BGen
informal photograph shortly after the New Year. Pictured Edward A. Craig, Assistant Division Commander, Col
from left are. Capt Eugene R. Hering, USN, Division Edward W. Snedekei Chief of Staff and Col Francis M.
Surgeon; Col Alpha L. Bowser, Jr., G-3; Col Bankston T McAlister, G-4.
Holcomb, Jr., G-2, MajGen Oliver P. Smith, Commanding
mand relationships developed week before the tough and ener- porarily deploy to Japan. On the
after the Marines' fighting with- getic Army paratrooper, General home front, three replacement
drawal from the Chosin (Changjin) Ridgway, was named Eighth Army drafts (the 3d, 4th, and 5th) were
Reservoir. Marine aircraft, which commander after his predecessor, either already enroute or were
had provided superb close air sup- Lieutenant General Walton H. preparing to ship out. Hopefully,
port for Marine ground units for Walker, USA, was killed in a traffic their arrival would bring the
the previous five months, would accident. depleted Marine ranks in Korea
no longer be on direct call. back up to strength before the next
Instead, the potent Marine air- The Masaii Bean Patch round of combat began.
ground team was broken up so The battered 1st Marine Division
land-based aircraft of the 1st After the ordeal at the Chosin spent two weeks licking its
Marine Aircraft Wing could be Reservoir, the 1st Marine Division wounds in a rest area known as
incorporated into the Fifth Air moved to Masan in southern Korea the "Bean Patch" about 200 miles
Force. The U.N. ground command where it became part of Eighth south of the main line of resis-
also underwent some changes. The Army reserve. Concurrently, the 1st tance. Its three rifle regiments,
1st Marine Division passed from X Marine Aircraft Wing was flying each of which was led by a future
Corps to Eighth Army control in from aircraft carriers and airfields lieutenant general, occupied the
in Korea but was about to tem-
mid-December 1950, just about a agricultural flat lands on the north-
3
James H. Brower, was evacuated
from the Chosin Reservoir in
November. Almost two decades
later Major General Youngdale
would command the 1st Marine
Division in Vietnam.
On New Year's Eve the
Communists opened their Third
Phase Offensive. This massive
attack pushed overextended U.N.
lines back under heavy pressure,
and the United Nations Command
was forced to cede the South
Korean capital city of Seoul to the
enemy for a second time. But this
fighting withdrawal was not at all
like the helter-skelter retreats fol-
Marines encamped near Masan in the wake of their return from the Chosin
lowing the North Korean invasion
Reservoir. The area had been a rest area when the 5th Marines fought to save
of June 1950. This time the Eighth
the Pusan Perimeter four months earlier.
Army fell back in good order to a
outskirts of Masan, which gave endary Colonel Lewis B. "Chesty" series of preplanned defensive
em
the area its name. Division head- Puller, whom General Ridgway lines, the last of which would he, if
quarters and most of the combat proudly lauded as "a man of needed, just outside the port of
support and service elements, indomitable spirit the officer Pusan much farther back than the
. . .
including the helicopters and with the most combat experience original Pusan Perimeter. American
observation aircraft of Major in Korea." The 5th Marines com- units traded ground for time while
Vincent Gottschalk's Marine mander was lanky Lieutenant inflicting maximum casualties
J.
Observation Squadron 6 (VMO-6), Colonel Raymond L. Murray, upon their advancing foe. In short,
were located nearby. The 1st another seasoned combat veteran. the U.N. lines were bending but
Marine Division was in very good An "Old China Hand" who fought not breaking, and there was no
hands. Devout, pipe-smoking, at Guadalcanal, Tarawa, and sense of panic. "We came back
white-haired 0. P. Smith was tall Saipan during World War II, fast," General Ridgway admitted,
and thin with a scholarly manner, Murray brought the 5th Marines "but as a fighting army, not as a
factors that led some observers to ashore in August 1950, and ably running mob. We brought our
remark that he looked more like a led his regiment through every dead and wounded with us, and
preacher than a Marine general. Marine engagement in Korea thus our guns, and our will to fight."
Fortunately, appearances can be far. He would later gain some liter- Fortunately, the United Nations
deceiving. Smith's performance as ary notoriety as the role model for Command stemmed the oncoming
a commander thus far in Korea had the fictional "High Pockets" Huxley tide so the 1st Marine Division
been outstanding. A respected mil- in Leon Uris' best selling novel never had to assume the role of
itary analyst studying the Chosin Battle Ciy. Colorful, fiery-tem- rear guard. Instead, the division
campaign noted that Smith was a pered, hard-driving Colonel rested, rehabilitated, restored bro-
careful planner and superb tacti- Homer L. Litzenberg, Jr., com- ken equipment, rearmed, and
cian who repeatedly resisted pres- manded the 7th Marines. absorbed almost 3,000 replace-
sure to execute rash orders issued Lieutenant Colonel Carl A. ments during the last days of 1950,
by his corps commander, actions Youngdale led the division's most filling shortages in the
that probably saved the 1st Marine artillery regiment. Youngdale infantry and artillery regiments.
Division from piecemeal destruc- served with the 14th Marines of the Daily security patrols were mount-
tion. 4th Marine Division throughout ed with the purpose of making a
The 1st Marine Division was World War II. In 1950, he came to reconnaissance of roads and ques-
also blessed with four of the finest Korea as the 11th Marines' execu- tioning Korean civilians about the
regimental commanders in Korea. tive officer and then took over the nature of guerrilla activity in the
The 1st Marines was led by leg- unit when its commander, Colonel area, but no enemy were encoun-
4
tered and there was no evidence of up, and perhaps even with a were doing to get themselves back
any inclination on the part of the defeatist attitude after all he'd read in shape to get back into the bat-
enemy or guerrillas to harass the and heard about the Chosin tle." Very satisfied with what he
division. Reservoir," as Colonel Alpha L. saw, he complimented General
There were many high-level vis- Bowser, the division's assistant Smith for the division's quick
itors at Masan during the division's chief of staff for operations, later recovery. Although it was short of
brief stay. General Ridgway noted. But "much to his surprise men and equipment, Ridgway still
dropped in to inspect the Marines the thing that impressed him most, deemed the 1st Marine Division his
and observe field training. "He everywhere he went in the divi- most effective combat unit. He
fully expected to find a division sion, and everybody he talked to, was, in fact, holding the Marines in
which was so weary and so beaten [was] their attitude about what they reserve in case the pending crisis
in the north worsened. Should the
U.N. lines break, Ridgway wanted
the 1st Marine Division to hold
open a corridor to the port of
Pusan and then act as a rear guard
to cover the U.N. evacuation.
Ridgway "gave the impression to
us that he was a commander, with
plenty on the ball, who had com-
bat experience and the will to
fight," recalled Brigadier General
Edward A. Craig, the assistant divi-
sion commander.
Among other noteworthy visi-
tors was Captain John Ford, USNR,
the famous motion picture director,
who had been recalled to active
duty by Rear Admiral Arthur W.
Radford, commanding the Pacific
Fleet, who felt the Navy and
Marine Corps had not received
enough war coverage. Ford gath-
ered background for a documen-
tary he was filming, and some film
clips shot at Masan were later used
in the feature film "Retreat Hell."
Also on hand was military histori-
an Colonel Samuel L. A. Marshall,
USAR, who interviewed numerous
Marines for a classified report
about infantry combat in Korea,
portions of which were later pub-
lished in his book Battle at Best.
The most welcomed visitors, how-
ever, were entertainer Bob Hope
and his traveling USO show. The
Marines at Masan thoroughly
enjoyed a chance to laugh heartily,
and many of them stared in awe at
the first American women they had
seen in months.
Sleep, sports, and good chow
5
communications equipment when
the call to return to action finally
came.
Notwithstanding the short peri-
od of recuperation, fatigue among
the officers and men of the divi-
sion was apparent after more than
four months of combat. Con-
cerned, General Smith told his Unit
commanders that "we had to get
our men in hand, do everything
we could for them, but not let
them begin to feel sorry for them-
selves." Some of the officers and
\itiniI AR hi C. Photo (I S\IC ) 12 N—A II men, primarily the commanding
During the brief stay at Masan, Marines rested, gained back some of their lost officers, noted Lieutenant Colonel
weight, and found time to engage in an impromptu volleyball game. Despite the Parry, "started to lose a little of
efforts of Fleet Marine Force, Pacf Ic, to scrape the bottom of the manpower bar- their zip and hard-charging quali-
rel, the division was still short more than 3,500 officers and men.
ties. Some of the battalion com-
were the watchwords at Masan. As that could properly let the troops manders of the 5th who had been
Lieutenant Colonel Francis F. Parry, relax and enjoy themselves for a through three campaigns were get-
3d Battalion, 11th Marines' com- while, such as could have been ting to be pretty sick men. They
manding officer, remarked: "We obtained in Japan." Despite a fort- weren't charging up hills the same
had so much turkey it was coming night's respite and frantic efforts to way they had when they first got
out of our ears." Impromptu soft- bring the 1st Marine Division back there."
ball, basketball, touch football, and up to full strength, General Smith In early January, the Com-
volleyball games became daily rit- was still short of men, tanks, and munist's strategic goal was to
uals, and these were occasionally
Veterans of the exhausting Chosin Reservoir campaign used their time at the
followed by a well appreciated,
Masan to hone basic military skills. Here Marines review marksmanship tech-
albeit limited, beer ration.
niques under the watchful eye of a noncommissioned officer.
Weapons familiarization and small
i)tptiuneiU 01 I)ctciie I'Iiutu \l(
unit tactics dominated the training
schedule. And as was done prior to
the trek down from Hagaru-ri, the
division's medical staff examined
all personnel, surveying the men
for those who, noted Lieutenant
Colonel Parry, might have "hidden
the fact that they were frostbitten
or didn't consider it was worthy of
note till we got down to Masan."
The serious cases were evacuated.
Although the men eventually were
allowed go into town, visit the
stores, and purchase a lot of use-
less things, such as artificial flow-
ers and non-regulation fur hats,
"there was no liberty," Parry
recalled. "A few troops got drunk
on native brew and went blind and
a few of them caught a venereal
disease, but there was no liberty to
amount to anything, no recreation
6
Lieutenant General Matthew Bunker Ridgway, USA
The real issues are whether the power of Western
ieutenant General Matthew B. Ridgway was called
civilization, as God has permitted it to flower in our
suddenly to Korea to take over the Eighth U.S. Army
following the death of its previous commander, own beloved lands, shall defy and defeat
Communism; whether the rule of men who shoot
Lieutenant General Walton H. Walker. When Ridgway
their prisoners, enslave their citizens, and deride the
arrived the Eighth Army was in disarray, its morale shat-
dignity of man, shall displace the rule of those to
tered by heavy losses suffered during the longest with-
whom the individual and his individual rights are
drawal in American military history. The new Eighth Army
commander promptly engineered, to use the words of sacred; whether we are to survive with God's hand to
guide and lead us, or to perish in the dead existence
General of the Army Omar N. Bradley, Chairman of the
of a Godless world.
Joint Chiefs of Staff, "a battlefield turnaround unlike any
If these be true, and to me they are, beyond any
within American History." Within four months the United
possibility of challenge, then this has long since
Nations Command had regained all lost territory south of
the 38th Parallel. As military historian Colonel Harry G.
Summers, a veteran of Korea, noted: "Under Ridgway the \.1t1 iitI \R hi I'h 't (L " II! 3(()O()
Eighth Army toughened up and became as good a fighting
force as this country has ever fielded." Just as his troops
were about to reenter North Korea, General Ridgway was
again unexpectedly thrust into higher command when he
replaced General Douglas MacArthur as commander of
United Nations forces in April 1951.
The son of an artillery colonel and a West Point gradu-
ate, Ridgway was an intellectual and diplomat as well as a
superb tactical commander. He possessed brains, courage,
and decisiveness—traits that served him well in Korea. His
peacetime military assignments included overseas stints in
the Far East, Latin America, and Europe. In 1942, he was
given command of the elite 82d Airborne Division and led
the unit in operations against Axis forces in Sicily, Italy, and
France. He was "a kick-ass man," one subordinate said,
who became known among his men as "Tin-tits" because
of the hand grenades so prominently strapped to his chest.
Taking command of XVIII Airborne Corps in 1944, Ridgway
participated in the Battle of the Bulge and subsequent oper-
ations leading to Germany's surrender in 1945. He was sew-
ing as the deputy Army chief of staff for plans in
Washington, D.C., when his call to Korea came.
Unlike his predecessor, General Ridgway was given a
free hand in Korea. When he asked for instructions,
General MacArthur simply told him: "The Eighth Army is
yours, Matt. Do what you think best." Following an initial
tour of the combat area, Ridgway was astonished at the
decided lack of morale and purpose, shoddy discipline, and
atmosphere of defeat. Problems meant opportunity for the
battle-hardened, disciplined paratrooper. First, the men of
the Eighth Army needed an adequate answer from their
commanding general to the question: "What are we fighting
for?" "To me the issues are clear," he wrote:
It is not a question of this or that Korean town or
village. Real estate is, here, incidental. It is not restrict-
ed to the issue of freedom for our South Korean
Allies, whose fidelity and valor under the severest
stresses of battle we recognize; though that freedom
is a symbol of the wider issues, and included among
them.
7
ceased to be a fight for freedom for our Korean Allies sion; second, he acquiesced to the breakup of the Marine
alone and for their national survival. It has become, air-ground team by allowing Marine aircraft squadrons to
and it continues to be, a fight for our own freedom, be directly controlled by the Fifth Air Force. Lieutenant
for our own survival, in an honorable, independent General Lemuel C. Shepherd, Jr., the Fleet Marine Force,
national existence. Pacific, commander, viewed both of these actions as tacti-
The sacrifices we have made, and those we shall cal mistakes. Previously, General MacArthur—who had
yet support, are not offered vicariously for others, but commanded Marine units in the Southwest Pacific during
in our own direct defense. the World War II and fully appreciated their unique capa-
In the final analysis, the issue now joined right here bilities—always kept the veiy successful Marine air-ground
in Korea is whether Communism or individual free- team intact, and he usually tried to keep the Marines near
dom shall prevail, and, make no mistake, whether the the sea as well. For a variety of reasons, Ridgway did not.
next flight of fear-driven people we have just wit- As theater commander, General Ridgway reorganized the
nessed across the HAN, and continue to witness in U.S. Far East Command to make it a true joint headquarters,
other areas, shall be checked and defeated overseas never meddled in the tactical handling of forces in Korea,
or permitted, step by step, to close in on our own and maintained a good relationship with his superiors in
homeland and at some future time, however, distant, Washington. After leaving the Far East, Ridgway succeeded
to engulf our own loved ones in all its misery and General Dwight D. Eisenhower as Supreme Commander of
despair. Allied Forces in Europe and in 1953 he was named Chief of
Ridgway not only was determined to recapture moral Staff of the Army. His tenure as Army Chief of Staff was a
leadership, but also insisted that the Eighth Army needed to series of bitter quarrels with what he took to he President
return to infantry combat fundamentals. He sternly ordered Eisenhower's refusal to remember, "most of what counts in
his corps commanders to prepare for coordinated offensive battle is the Infantry." A few months short of mandatory
action, and he forcefully reminded his division and regi- retirement, he left the Army in June 1955. He later served
mental commanders to get off the roads, to take the high as executive director of various business firms until h
ground, and to use perimeter defenses. He studied previous death in 1993 at the age of 93.
campaigns and recognized a pattern to Communist opera- Military historians frequently hold him up as he epitome
tions; they would advance, attack, and then suddenly break of the modern "soldier-statesman," but it wa he men who
contact until resupplied. Ridgway decided the answer was served with him in battle who had the nlust praise. As Major
to fall back in an orderly manner trading space to inflict William L. Bates, Jr., commanding officer, Weapons
casualties then, once the Communists stopped, to attack Company, 1st Battalion, 1st Marines, and later operations
and relentlessly pursue them. His plan proved to be very officer, 1st Battalion, 1st Marines, said of General Ridgway
successful. Ridgway's offensive, also known as the "meat- at the time: "He is a real, down-to-earth, honest-to-God sol-
grinder" because of heavy Chinese and North Korean casu- dier. He is a general wio can visit a battalion, go into the
alties, had by early spring 1951 resulted in the recapture of attack with it, watch it operate, remain several hours, and
Seoul and the recovery of all of South Korea by mid-April, never try to tell you how to run your own outfit. He is per-
when he left to take over as theater commander in Tokyo. sonally courageous and spends much of his time following
Although Marines admired General Ridgway's offensive Patton's suggestion of letting the troops see you at the front.
spirit and his professionalism, they were disappointed with He has sound ideas on the employment of infantry troops,
two of his high-level decisions. First, he pulled the 1st and he knows how to fight, small and large scale. He is, I
Marine Division away from the sea and began to use that would guess, the best field commander the Army has had
highly trained amphibious unit as just another infantry divi- in a long time."
divide Korea in half, to separate frontal attack by Major General the 10th Division headed for
the U.S. and South Korean forces. Pang Ho San's V Coips while out- Andong. If all went according to
The Chinese first carried the main flanking the U.N. lines from the plan, the United Nations Command
attack aimed at Seoul and Inchon. east using Lieutenant General would lose control of its main sup-
The NKPA attacked Korean-held Choe Hyon's H Corps; the HI Corps ply route and be denied passage to
Line D from Hoengsong in central was his reserve. All went well at the port at Pusan. This, combined
Korea not long after the CCF first. II Corps cracked through the with the loss of Seoul and Inchon,
mounted its western offensive. South Korean lines and proceeded would effectively end the war.
Farther east, North Korean com- down Route 29 peeling off divi- The Third Phase Offensive pre-
mander General Kim Chaek want- sions to cut the U.N. line of retreat. sented problems, but General
ed to drive straight down the cen- The 27th Division invested Ridgway was confident his revital-
ter of the peninsula to capture the Chechon; the 31st Division ized Eighth Army could handle the
U.N. staging area at Taegu. His attacked Tanyang; the 2d Division situation. Obviously, Ridgway's
plan was to take Wonju with a cut Route 29 north of Yongju; and first priority was to stop the
8
