Korean War (35)

USS Oriskany

28 October 1952, the USS Oriskany (CV-34) joined Task Force-77 and launched its first attacks.  This marked the first combat use of the F9F-5 Panther jet.

Grumman F9F-5 Panther jet; this particular aircraft flew 2 Jan. – 3 March 1953 w/ the “Screaming Eagles”

1 November, according to US naval reports – the Navy pilots flew 11,004 sorties during October; approximately 50% were missions of ground support strikes.  That month also – the Helicopter Transport Squadron 161 set a new record by evacuating 365 casualties.

IL-28 Beagle
courtesy of Global Aircraft.org

The US tested the first Hydrogen bomb on Eniwetok Atoll in the Pacific.  This weapon proved to be about 1,000 times more powerful than other conventional nuclear weapons.

6 November, the FEAF (Far East Air Force) accepted the fact that the enemy had 15 IL-28 twin engine jet bombers in Manchuria.  In the past, the main threat was the MiG-15s, but now the enemy had a weapon capable for level bombing any target in Korea.

23 November, President Syngman Rhee, Mrs. Rhee, General and Mrs. Van Fleet, Gen. Park SunYup (ROK Army Chief of Staff) and Gen. Lee Hung Keen (Commander of the 1st HOK Corps [helicopter corps] were guests aboard the USS Los Angeles.  They arrived and left by helicopter. (The reason for this meeting is unknown to gpcox)

Pres. Eisenhower on a Korean visit

29 November, President-elect Dwight D. Eisenhower visited Korea to personally access the war.  During his campaign he had made it clear to the communists that America would not be satisfied with a tenuous stalemate.

F4U Corsair

During November, the enemy boldly used the highways.  This enabled the ADNs and F4Us of TF-77 to destroy 206 trucks and damage 274.  Most of the activity was at night, south from Hamhung to Wonsan and the east/west corridor from Wonsan to the front.

During December, the Eighth Army moved from the front lines to enable the 5th Air Force and Navy fighter bombers to target those areas for the enemy.

Gen. Edwin Pollack

3 December, at the 1st Marine Division CP (Command Post), General Edwin Pollack gave a briefing of the current situation to: Eisenhower, Generals Bradley, Clark, Van Fleet and Kendall; also Mr. Charles Wilson (Secretary of Defense designate), Gen. Parsons (Ret.) Special Assistant to Eisenhower and Mr. James Haggerty, presidential press secretary.  This visit convinces Eisenhower that further offensive action is useless, it would only cause more casualties.  He tries to renew diplomatic efforts.

The UN General Assembly passes a resolution calling for the return of all willing prisoners put forth by the Indian representative.  The Soviets were the only negative vote.  POW repatriation is the main snag to peace talks.  Disturbances developed with the prisoners that had been moved from Koje-do to the newly built camps  as the UN prepared for prisoner exchanges.  The North Koreans and Chinese knew repatriates would have to prove that their capture was unavoidable and their resistance heroic, up to the highest communist standards.  The worst of these riots occurred on Pongam-do, where Pak still commanded the civilian prisoners  loyal to the communist movement.  85 resisters died rushing the wire in a breakout attempt; undercover doctors and nurses killed POW patients  they regarded as traitors.

American POWs who refused to come home – considered traitors

11-13 December, battles for ROK outposts Little Nori, Hill Betty and Hill 105 along the Injin River began between 2 battalions of the CCF and the ROK 11th Regiment.  After 3 days of fighting, the enemy withdrew.

17 December, President Eisenhower met with General Douglas MacArthur.  The retired general described his views and plans (if still in charge), but Ike rejected them.

Outpost wars map – T-Bone Hill is just west of the black triangle

25 December, the Battle of T-Bone Hill began between the Chinese and the 38th Infantry Regiment/2nd Infantry Division at their outposts Eerie and Arsensal.  The intense battle cost the enemy 500 men; the 38th suffered 6 KIA and 41 WIA.

During December, the communists developed an ambush tactic against the F-86 pilots that patrolled the Yalu River.  They would catch them as they returned to base, low on fuel.  Since many pilots were forced to ditch their planes, the UN forces maintained an air rescue detachment on Cho-do Island.

As B-29 losses increased; the 5th Air Force joined the Navy and Marines to provide fighter escorts.  They also restricted the missions to cloudy, dark nights because the contrails betrayed the bombers’ locations.

Click on Images to enlarge.

###############################################################

Farewell Salutes – 

Leo Ashby – Calif.; US Army Air Corps, WWII PTO, C Company/127th Engineers

Bruce Brown – Tacoma, WA; US Navy, WWII

A Farewell Salute

Frank Collins, Jr. – San Diego, CA; US Navy, Rear Admiral, Korea

William Dasinger – Alexandria, VA; US Navy, WWII, Korea & Vietnam

Donal Gaste – Burnsville, MN; US Army, 187th RCT, Korea

Fred Howard – Ann Arbor, Michigan; US Air Force, WWII ETO, bombardier

Robert Pyle – Springfield, VA; US navy Captain (Ret.), Vietnam

James Vignola – Carthage, NC; US Army Air Corps, 11th A/B, WWII PTO

######################################################################