Voices from the Korean War - Douglas Rice [12]
Orders came down for Baker Company to move to a position on a hill that overlooked Seoul. The Marines had already gone through the city and we were to mop up. However, the orders were changed and we were to stay in our position—the ROK got the job.
After ten days, we moved to a new assembly area where we received supplies and were told we were going on the attack. Other countries had sent troops to Korea, who were now on the front line, and we were all going on the offensive. The North Koreans were in full retreat and we were going to hit them hard, and end the war. Our objective was to take a certain town in North Korea, and set up a perimeter.
The following afternoon, around 2:00 PM, with the help of tanks and twin-40’s, we took our objective and set up a roadblock. Patrols were sent out daily, and one of them found fifty mutilated bodies. Our interpreter couldn’t get any of the local civilians to tell us who did this. We stayed here until the 20th of November when we were relieved by a ROK unit. We went to an assembly area where we were fed a Thanksgiving Dinner, and outfitted for another mission. While here we were not only fed hot meals, but we were able to take hot showers. And being on the front-line since the 21st of October, we definitely were in need of them.
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Orders came down that in any day we would be moving north, through the 9th Infantry Regiment, to attack. As we were to push to the Yalu River, rumor had it that MacArthur said we would be home by Christmas.
After all three battalions had finished their Thanksgiving Dinner; we were taken by trucks to a large assembly area. To our right, about two-thousand yards, was a high mountain. Dug in ahead of us was the 9th Infantry Regiment. Our platoon sergeant told us to gather our gear, then he took us to our position; he placed two men between the tanks, which we told him was a bad idea. He said since we would be jumping off at 0600 the following morning, there was no need for us to dig foxholes.
Around 2300 hours we began to hear small arms fire to our front, then flares began to go off and the firing became heavier. Quickly our platoon sergeant came over and told everyone to grab everything and to take up positions facing the river. As soon as we and the tanks were in position, flares began to light up the sky and we could see the area was crawling with Chinese. We opened up on them along with our tanks and twin-40’s—it was like a turkey shoot. This continued until daylight, and then it got deathly quiet. G.W. and I got out our trench tools and began digging ourselves a foxhole. We were about half done when we came under a barrage of artillery and mortar fire. When there was a lull in the shelling, we started throwing dirt like crazy—and we weren’t the only ones.
When the Chinese hit us, they hit every outfit along the front. Everyone was confused because no one knew where they came from. After surveying the damage, we had lost the high ground to our right; the Chinese were now looking down our throats. A field artillery unit had been caught off guard and had to flee, leaving all their howitzers behind; every outfit was trying to regroup. Around 0800 hours, we were told we would be attacking up the valley—to open up the road—so the 9th Infantry Regiment could withdraw. The Chinese had the road blocked, and it was their only way out.
Every man—that could use a weapon—from every unit was being send forward, and with tanks and twin-40’s for support, we attacked. After five hours of hard fighting, we were able to open up the road and the 9th began to withdraw through our lines. It was getting late in the afternoon, and it was bitterly cold; no one had winter clothes. Orders came for us to pull back; however, stragglers were still