Korean War (5)

4th Gun Section, A Battery, 15th FA Bn, Sgt. Fausto (left) at Naktong Perimeter

The 5th Marines that sat below the Naktong River in the west worked hard to live up to their reputation as they faced a more experienced enemy. They began to send out patrols to spot areas of concentration and radioed the Marine Corsairs. These aircraft would then drop their napalm and the artillery would follow up.

Pilots of the 77 RAAF at Taegu, Korea, standing by the wing of a Mustang

Among the first in was the 77 Squadron of the Royal Australian Air Force and the HMAS Shoalhaven and the Bataan of the Royal Australian Navy, It was with misgivings that London ordered the 27th Brigade to be shipped from Hong Kong. Called ‘Operation Graduate,’ they would be followed by the 29th Brigade and an Australian Battalion on 23 August 1950. Equipment was scarce for these men. In late August and into September, MGeneral Lawrence Keiser and his 2nd Infantry Division would arrive with more than 500 Pershing and Sherman tanks and new motorized antiaircraft vehicles. Bombardments were proving to be unsuccessful. The In Min Gun knew how to dig in and then reappear in places no one thought possible, but the NKPA bridgeheads across the Naktong River were wiped out after the heavy fighting.

U.S. Marines at Naktong River

Patterned after his WWII strategy of ‘leapfrogging’ amphibious landing operations, MacArthur planned to send in replacements to salvage Pusan. (The original name of the plan was Bluehearts.) This would be coordinated with a landing to isolate Seoul from the north. Inchon, on the west coast, looked good for an outflanking operation, but it had drastic tidal shifts, a narrow channel and fortified off-shore islands. Because of this, MacArthur felt the enemy would not expect the invasion. Force X was formed for Operation Cobalt. When MGeneral Edward Almond asked the general who would head the group, the reply was, “It’s you.”

M26 Pershing tank w/ 1st Marines

General Alpha Browser, as G-3, was ordered to assist in the planning of the operation, but knew nothing of the port, until someone said there was a warrant officer available who had once been the assistant port director at Inchon. Browser said, “Oh, for Christ’s sake, give me his name!” The general complained that there were no maps of the area except those from WWII. A man from the Far East Air Force overheard and said, “What pictures do you want?” Browser had found a gold mine in his assistants.

Inchon invasion map

17 August, the First Provisional Marine Brigade were given the assignment to spearhead the attack in the Naktong Bulge. The troops had to force the North Koreans out of a series of ridges overlooking the Naktong River. The roughest battle was a ridge called Obong-ni, nicknamed “No Name Ridge,” and then “Bloody Ridge.” Sixty-six Marines were lost and 300 wounded, but the North Korean 4th Division was destroyed.

“The Bowling Alley”

18-24 August, the Allies received information that the NKPA were attacking Taegu along the Taegu-Sanjy Road, nicknamed the “Bowling Alley.” The 27th Infantry Regiment held the high ground with their Pershing tanks. In one final all-out push, the North Koreans attacked the U.S. 25th Division, 2nd Division and the 1st Cavalry and the ridges were recaptured by the enemy. The Marines went back up the ridges while the Army rolled into the other fronts.

Maggie Higgins, the correspondent for the NY Herald-Tribune, once again in her ambition to go and report the front news, horrified Washington by breaking the secrecy code of yet another major operation – Inchon. Yet, she would remain the ‘darling’ of both MacArthur and the Marines. (One peek at her photo should explain that one.)

Marguerite (Maggie) Higgins, Korean War correspondent

Click on photos to enlarge.
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Current news update – A hero’s ring is returned to his family. http://sachemspeaks.wordpress.com/2013/08/19/its-better-to-give-than-to-receive/

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Farewell Salutes –

Martha Lee McDonnell Carew – Orlando, FLL & Dorchester, SC; U.S. Army, 23 years as a Transportation Specialist

Epthian Leach – Warrenton, VA; U.S. Army, Viet Nam, Silver Star & Purple Heart

Manuel Landman, M.D. – Bethesda, MD & Plantation, FL; Captain, U.S. Army Air Corps, WWII

Donald Deforest Fleming – Jennings Lodge, OR & Seattle, Washington; U.S. Army, WWII

David Lawrie – Virginia; U.S. Navy, WWII, D-Day & 26 years as U.S. Air Force OSI Investigator

Richard Shepard – Kirkland, Wash.; USMC, WWII

Bernie Burke – Boston, MA & Bonita Springs, FL; U.S. Navy, WWII 8th Beach Battalion

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Resources:

WWII Database; “Korean War” by Stephen Badsey; “The Korean War” by Maurice Isserman; “Warfare of the 20th Century” by Christopher Chant; “MacArthur’s War” by Stanley Weintraub; “Hey Mac, Where Ya Been?” by Henry Berry; history.army.mil; museum syndicate.com; film noir photos. blogspot; Seattle Times; Boston Herald; South Carolina Post & Courier; Australian War Museum