Korean War (28)

harbor picture at Wonsan

 

21 April 1952, during combat operations off Kojo, a serious powder fire developed in the No. 1, 8″ turret on the USS St. Paul; 30 men were killed as a result.  ROK troops left the USS Horace A. Bass to commence 8 different amphibious landings.  Their missions being to acquire intelligence and destroy what they could all along the northeast coast of Korea.  This operation would last 2 weeks.

25 April, intelligence reported a stockpiling of sand and gravel along the rail spur at Pyongyang East airfield which indicated that the North Korean Air Force was planning to repair the jet base.  An aerial photo of the bays, just west of No-do Pan-do (Wonsan) showed 83 small boats and 17  60-foot vessels.

USS St. Paul

30 April, the USS Horace A. Bass had a successful landing party go ashore on the north coast of Korea.  They exploded a 120-pound charge on a railroad bridge and an 80-pound charge on the adjacent tracks.  A north bound train was halted by 57mm rifle fire.  When another engine began pulling the train south, it was hit by the firing from the USS Doyle.  The landing party returned to the ship with 3 prisoners.

1 May, aerial photos showed the presence of 8 new heavy AA guns and 8 automatic weapons protecting rail and highway bridges southwest of Hamhung.  This was the first confirmation of heavy gun movement on the east coast.  In the Haeju area, an enemy commander was killed, documents were confiscated and 12 prisoners captured.

General Mark Clark

5 May, General Mark Clark assumed the command of the UN Far East Command.  6 May, the USS Douglas H. Fox captured 3 sampans and 15 North Koreans in the Singhang-ni region and later that same day, captured a 32′ sampan and 23 North Koreans around Paegan-dan.  Aerial recon reported a lot of enemy road traffic in Wonsan and on the roads south.  Guerrillas reported that the Chinese troops were reinforcing the peninsula opposite the island of Yongmae-do.

USS Douglad H. Fox

Douglas H. Fox, DD779 patch

7 May, the USS James C. Owens battled with 6 gun batteries near the Songjin Lighthouse.  She was hit 6 times with 2 men killed and 7 wounded.  She also received some material damage, but operation readiness was still satisfactory.  Aerial recon spotted 4,000 enemy vehicles in North Korea, the most activity to date.

8 May, the 5th Air Force changed its priorities from transportation networks to North Korean depots and industry.; now under the command of MGen. Glen Barcus, while Gen. Mark Clark took the UN command.

12 May, in the Wonsan are, the US ships Maddox, Laffey, Herbert J. Thomas and Evansville, along with minesweepers were engaged in an hour-long battle; 3 enemy gun positions were destroyed.  In the Hungnam area, the USS Douglas H. Fox sent out an armed raiding party in a motorized whale boat.  She was fired on by rifle fire and gun batteries which were silenced in short order.  The landing party returned with 30 prisoners.  Six aircraft left the Valley Forge and Princeton at night and destroyed 9 locomotives.

14 May, the First Marine Division began Operation Timber.  This was a tedious collection and movement of logs for bunker construction.  These may seem to be a minor mention, but operations such as these were vital to the UN defense.

 

On the east coast, Marine Patrol Group TG 95.2, while interrogating 7 POWs, learned that the enemy was planning an attack on Yodo soon, with about 80 fishing sampans for transport.  The enemy troops for that operation were already massing at 2 locations near He-do Pan-do.

Click onto images to enlarge.

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Vietnam Hero…

Heroic Vietnam veteran’s story

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Farewell Salutes – 

Roger O’Neil Boyer – Fleetwood, PA & N.Palm Bch., FL; US Navy, USS Intrepid

Bronze Star

Robert Campo – Sommerville, MA; USMC, Korea

Andrew “Van” Cason, Jr.; Delray Beach, FL; US Army, on island of New Caledonia, WWII

Donald Hansen – Maynard, MA; US Navy, Ensign, USS New York, WWII

Sylvia Gelders McLaren – Tampa, FL; USO, WWII, the “Melodears”

Richard Fremont-Smith – Boston, MA & Ft. Lauderdale, FL; US Coast Guard 22 years, Vietnam, Bronze Star, CG Liasion Officer to Asst. Sec. of Defense at the Pentagon and then Red Cross.

George Weston – Montreal, Canada; Grenadier, WWII, CANLOAN officer, Lt. in Glasgow Highlanders

Milton “Mac” Uloth – Burlington, Canada; RCNVR, Lieutenant, WWII

 

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