Korean War (31)

7th Fleet action

 

Aerial reconnaissance became indispensable in the strategy of increased aerial bombardment when the target planners sought more lucrative targets.  Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea, was fairly unscathed until 11 July 1952 when the 7th Fleet, the 1st Marine Air Wing, the 5th Air Force, the British Navy and the ROK Air Force struck the targets named on the recon reports.  Along with the results mentioned in previous posts, supply dumps, factories, barracks, AA gun sites and railroad facilities were hit.

HMS Belfast during bombardment

15 July, 156 North Korean soldiers in 2 small junks and 4 wooden folding boats attempted to invade Changnin-do island.  The HMS Belfast, Amethyst and aircraft from the USS Bataan assisted the South Korean guerrillas while under fire themselves.  There were secondary explosions and the guns were silenced.  Two days later, the island was back in friendly hands; 60 enemy KIA, 30 drowned while trying to escape, 41 captured and 5 MIA.  The guerrillas had 8 KIA and 12 wounded.

Korean map, 7th Air Force

The USS Orleck (DD 886) caught 5 flat cars and 10 box cars while they were between tunnels.  Ten heavy field guns on the flat cars and the explosives in the box cars were destroyed.

23 July, during the last week of July, the units of the Underwater Demolition Team 5, supported by the USS Diachenko and 2 ROKN motor torpedo boats, conducted 6 successful raids against enemy fishing facilities.  Besides destroying the nets, boats and waterfront buildings, they returned with 5 prisoners.

26 July, a ROK intelligence report stated that a large scale exodus was leaving Kaesong.  The agent that brought the news said that families of high-ranking officers, the supply corps for the Panmunjom troops and most other troops had left during the past 2 weeks.

27 July, the Sindok lead and zinc mill that shipped about 3,000 tons of processed metals to Russia via China each month was 75% destroyed by Task Force – 77 aircraft.  The rainy season in Korea had started and ground troops across the entire Korean front decreased their activity.

Douglas Skyraider

28 July, 38 US naval aircraft, 13 AD (Douglas “Skyraider” single-engine plane) and 25 F4U (Vought “Corsair” single-engine fighter), in two strike groups off the USS Princeton attacked a magnesium plant and their facilities at Kilchu.  The damage was estimated at 60%.

29-31 July, Colonel William Westmoreland USMC, also a paratrooper, took command of the 187th Regimental Combat Team, ‘Rakkasans’ in Taegu.  The rainfall average was 3″.  The US FEAF B-29s hit the aluminum works near the Manchurian border, 4 miles south of the Yalu River.  The largest night raid to date.

PBM-5 Mariner aircraft

Over the Yellow Sea, 2 MiG-15s attacked a navy PBM (Martin “Mariner” twin-engine flying boat) on a recon mission.  The tail gunner and one other man was killed and tail turret was knocked out.  The PBM lowered to 250 feet as the enemy continued its attacks and then returned north.  The PBM was forced to land at Paengyong-do for repairs and care for 2 men injured.

During July, the bad weather hampered carrier operations and also restricted those of the Marine Air Wing.

Click images to enlarge.

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Farewell Salutes – 

Purple Heart

Gordon Frank Anderson – Christchurch, NZ; 5th Field Regiment, gunner, WWII

Charles Edward Baxter – Waiuku, NZ, RAF/RNZAF

Perry Ensall – Dale City, VA; US Army, WWII ETO, Battle of the Bulge, Purple Heart

Albert Guay – Winchester, VA; US Army Air Corps, WWII, Lt. Colonel

Frank DiPietro – Fitchburg, MA & Tucson, AZ; US Navy, WWII PTO, USS Hughes

Phillip Seader – Washington DC & Tucson, AZ; US Navy, WWII

Edward Skube – Front Royal, VA; US Navy, Captain (Retired 1977)

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Personal note –

I would like to mention that our long-time fellow blogger, Gallivanta, for assisting in the Farewell Salutes for New Zealand; her additions are in the comment section.  Her site can be found at:

http://silkannthreades.wordpress.com

 

I also wish to express a Congrats to the Navy Midshipmen for their win at the Army-Navy game this past Saturday.

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