high ground Behind him was Sawyer 's battalion...midday on 2 November with his 1st Battalion. The 2d...

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strikes by Marine ('orsairs. Marine Corps from the University of Nebraska in 1939 and had com- manded fighter squadron VMF-111 in the Central Pacific and VMF-312 at Okinawa. Reinburg, 32, was the stepson of Marine Corps aviation great Lieutenant General Clayton C. Jerome. Reinburg had enlisted in the Naval Reserve in 1936 and transferred to the Marine Corps as an aviation cadet in 1940. Flying as a captain in the Solomons he became an ace, shooting down seven Japanese planes and destroy- ing seven more on the ground. Before taking command of VMF(N)-513 he had spent a year as an exchange pilot flying night fight- ers with the British Royal Air Force. Technically, Marine fighter-bomber squadrons designated as "VMF(N)" were all-weather squadrons, but the "N" universally caused them to be called "night fighters." Reinburg's squadron flew twin- engine Grumman F7F-3Ns Tigercats The main body of RCT-7, mov- ing along the road in what Litzenberg called a "walking perimeter," had advanced just short of a mile by nightfall. Davis' 1st Battalion's nighttime positions were less than a mile south of Sudong, stretching across the valley from high ground to high ground. Behind him was Sawyer 's battalion similarly disposed. Sawyer was responsible for the high ground on both sides of the line of march. Captain Milton A. Hull, 30, com- manding Company D, had some problems going up Hill 698 on the left hand side of the road. (Hills and mountains—both always called "hills"—were designated by their height in meters above sea level. Thus Hill 698 would be 698 meters or 2,290 feet in height.) A ROK company had precipitously given up its hillside position. The South Koreans, as they passed hurriedly southward, pointed back over their shoulders exclaiming "Chinese!" Hull, a University of Florida graduate, had been conmiissioned in 1942 and had spent a good part of the war in China with the guer- rillas, possibly with some of the same Chinese soldiers he was now fighting. Easy Company, under Captain Walter D. Phillips, Jr., passed through Hull's Dog Company to complete the fight, getting almost to the crest just Photo by Gpl Peter W. McDonald, Department of Defense Photo (U5MC) A4549 Guns of Maj Francis F "Fox" Puny's 3d Battalion, 11th Marines covered the advance of the 7th Marines to Sudong. Here a 105mm howitzer from Capt Samuel A. Hannah's Battery C, laid for high-angle tire, awaits afire mission. First artillery missions, shot on 2 November, alternated with close air support Col Homer Litzenberg called his road march a "walking perimeter." Here a part of the column pauses off the road, while Marine artillery and airpound the hills ahead. At nightftill on 2 November, LtCol Ramond Davis' 1st Battalion, lead ele- ment of the main body, halted one mile short of Sudong. Department of Defense Photo (USMC) A4498 224

Transcript of high ground Behind him was Sawyer 's battalion...midday on 2 November with his 1st Battalion. The 2d...

Page 1: high ground Behind him was Sawyer 's battalion...midday on 2 November with his 1st Battalion. The 2d Battalion came back from Kojo-ri the follow-ing day. The 3d Battalion, 1st Marines,

strikes by Marine ('orsairs.

Marine Corps from the Universityof Nebraska in 1939 and had com-manded fighter squadron VMF-111in the Central Pacific and VMF-312at Okinawa. Reinburg, 32, was thestepson of Marine Corps aviationgreat Lieutenant General Clayton C.Jerome. Reinburg had enlisted inthe Naval Reserve in 1936 andtransferred to the Marine Corps asan aviation cadet in 1940. Flying asa captain in the Solomons hebecame an ace, shooting downseven Japanese planes and destroy-ing seven more on the ground.Before taking command ofVMF(N)-513 he had spent a year asan exchange pilot flying night fight-ers with the British Royal Air Force.Technically, Marine fighter-bombersquadrons designated as "VMF(N)"were all-weather squadrons, butthe "N" universally caused them tobe called "night fighters."Reinburg's squadron flew twin-engine Grumman F7F-3NsTigercats

The main body of RCT-7, mov-ing along the road in whatLitzenberg called a "walkingperimeter," had advanced just shortof a mile by nightfall. Davis' 1stBattalion's nighttime positions were

less than a mile south of Sudong,stretching across the valley fromhigh ground to high ground.Behind him was Sawyer 's battalionsimilarly disposed. Sawyer wasresponsible for the high ground onboth sides of the line of march.Captain Milton A. Hull, 30, com-manding Company D, had someproblems going up Hill 698 on theleft hand side of the road. (Hillsand mountains—both always called"hills"—were designated by theirheight in meters above sea level.Thus Hill 698 would be 698 metersor 2,290 feet in height.) A ROKcompany had precipitously givenup its hillside position. The SouthKoreans, as they passed hurriedlysouthward, pointed back over theirshoulders exclaiming "Chinese!"

Hull, a University of Floridagraduate, had been conmiissionedin 1942 and had spent a good partof the war in China with the guer-rillas, possibly with some of thesame Chinese soldiers he was nowfighting. Easy Company, underCaptain Walter D. Phillips, Jr.,passed through Hull's DogCompany to complete the fight,getting almost to the crest just

Photo by Gpl Peter W. McDonald, Department of Defense Photo (U5MC) A4549

Guns of Maj Francis F "Fox" Puny's 3d Battalion, 11th Marines covered theadvance of the 7th Marines to Sudong. Here a 105mm howitzer from CaptSamuel A. Hannah's Battery C, laid for high-angle tire, awaits afire mission.First artillery missions, shot on 2 November, alternated with close air support

Col Homer Litzenberg called his road march a "walking perimeter." Here a partof the column pauses off the road, while Marine artillery and airpound the hillsahead. At nightftill on 2 November, LtCol Ramond Davis' 1st Battalion, lead ele-ment of the main body, halted one mile short of Sudong.

Department of Defense Photo (USMC) A4498

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midday on 2 November with his1st Battalion. The 2d Battalioncame back from Kojo-ri the follow-ing day. The 3d Battalion, 1stMarines, was still heavily engagedat Majon-ni, 26 miles west ofWonsan.

Friday, 3 November

Photo by Sgt Frank C. Kerr, Department of Defense Photo (USMC) A4438

These Marines are members of Company D, 2d Battalion, 5th Marines. By 2November, LtCol Raymond L. Murray's regiment had moved up by train toHambung with orders to patrol between Hamhung and Chigyong. Two dayslater the 3d Battalion was positioned near Oro-ri and the 2d Battalion was sentinto Sinhung Valley. The 1st Battalion remained at Chigyong.

before midnight. (Rifle companieswere almost invariably called bytheir name in the phonetic alpha-bet of the time: "Dog," "Easy,""Fox," and so on.) Farther to therear was Major Maurice E. Roach's3d Battalion, in a perimeter of itsown, protecting the regimentaltrain.

That morning, 2 November,Smith had met again with Almond.The 2d and 3d Battalions of the 5thMarines were moving by train toHamhung. The 1st Battalion hadalready gone northward. Smithpointed out that the main supplyroute from Wonsan would be leftexposed to guerrilla attack.Almond was not disturbed. He saidthat patrols could handle the guer-rilla situation. Puller's 1st Marines,supported by elements of the 1stTank Battalion, was given theresponsibility from Wonsan north-ward to as far as Munchon.Murray's 5th Marines would patrolsouth from Hungnam to Chigyong.This left 54 miles from Chigyongsouth to Munchon uncoveredexcept for light patrolling by

Litzenberg did not know it, buthe was two-thirds surrounded bythe 124th CCF Division. The 371stRegiment was in the hills to hisnorth and west. The 370th Reg-iment was to his east. Somewherebehind these assault regiments, the372d Regiment stood ready inreserve.

By midnight on 2 November the1st and 2d Battalions of the 7thMarines were being probed. Anhour later both battalions werebending back from the weight ofassaults on their flanks andMarines became acquainted withthe Chinese habit of using flares

Almond's Special OperationsCompany and a handful of SouthKorean counterintelligence agents.

Puller returned to Wonsan at

By 3 November, the 7th Marines was surrounded on three sides by the Chinese124th Division. Fighting grew fierce and casualties mounted. A sturdy masonrybuilding in the shadow of high-tension lines coming down from the hydroelec-tric plant on the Changjin plateau became a battalion aid station.

Photo by Cpl Peter W. McDonald, National Archives Photo (USMC) 127-N-A4541

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National Archives Photo (IJSMC) 127-N-A4489

MajGen Smith used his assistant divi-sion commander, BGen Edward A.Craig, as his roving eyes and ears.Here, on 3 November, Craig, left,checks with Col Litzenberg whose 7thMarines had just made its first solidcontact with the Chinese. Litzenberg isdigging away at a half-size can of C-ration, probably canned fruit, afavorite.

and bugle calls to signal theirattacks.

On the MSR, the roadblock infront of Able Company let a T-34tank go by, thinking it was afriendly bulldozer. The single tankpushed through the companyheadquarters area and on throughthe battalion's 81mm mortar posi-tion, reaching Davis' commandpost. The startled Marines engagedthe tank with rocket launchers andrecoilless rifles; the tank took oneor two hits and then turned aroundand headed north.

All three of Davis' rifle compa-nies suffered heavy casualties asthe night went on. The Chineseattackers got down to the road andwedged their way between the 2dand 3d Battalions. The regiment's4.2-inch Mortar Company wasoverrun and lost one of its tubes.When morning came a confusedsituation faced the Marines. TheChinese were still in the valley.

Getting rid of them would be anall-day effort. At first light Cole'sVMF-312 came overhead with itsCorsairs and was joined in mid-morning by Reinburg's Tigercats,pounding away with rockets, frag-mentation bombs, and cannon fire.Parry's howitzers rendered yeo-man service; before the end of theday his 18 guns had fired 49 mis-sions delivering 1,431 105mmrounds. At closer range, Marineriflemen flushed out the Chineseenemy, fragmented now into indi-viduals and small groups.

This would be Reinburg's lastshow. On 4 November he relin-quished command of VMF(N)-513to Ohio-born Lieutenant ColonelDavid C. Wolfe, 33, Naval Acad-emy, Class of 1940. A big, athleticman, Wolfe had taken flight train-ing as a captain and had com-manded scout-bomber squadronVMB-433 in the Southwest Pacificduring World War II.

The 1st Battalion counted 662

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enemy dead in its zone of action.The 2d Battalion did not make aprecise count but could not havebeen far behind. When Marinetrucks came up with resupply, theycarried back to Hungnam about100 wounded Marines. TotalMarine casualties for the twodays—2 and 3 November—were44 killed, 5 died of wounds, 1

missing, and 162 wounded, mostof them in the 7th Marines.

As recorded in the official histo-ry by Lynn Montross and NicholasA. Canzona, a tactical principlewas emerging: "To nullify Chinesenight attacks, regardless of large-scale penetrations and infiltration,defending units had only to main-tain position until daybreak. Withobservation restored, Marine fire-power invariably would meltdown the Chinese mass to impo-tency." It was a principle thatwould serve the Marines well, timeafter time, in the coming severalweeks.

Department of Defense Photo (USMC) A4501

Chinese prisoners, taken by Col Litzenberg 's 7th Marines in the 3-4 Novemberfighting, were identified as being members of the 370th and 37 1st Regiments ofthe 124th Division. Chinese Communist "volunteers" fought wel1 but were sur-prisingly docile and uncomplaining once captured.

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Photo by Cpl L. B. Snyder, National Archives Photo (USMC) 127-N-A4463

BGen Edward Craig, on the left and wearing a Marine fore-and-aft" cap, andMajGen Edward Almond, on the right with map case and wearing an Army cap,went forward to the 7th Marines command post to see for themselves the Chineseprisoners that had been taken. Col Homer Litzenberg, the regimental comman-der, is talking with BGen Craig.

Saturday, 4 November ing the night of 3-4 November. Theperimeters were peppered lightly,but there were no further Chineseassaults. Later it was learned that

Wounded Marines arrive at the battalion aid station of Maj Webb D. "Buzz"Sawyer's 2d Battalion, 7th Marines. Helicopter evacuation was still the exceptionrather than the rule. Most wounded Marines were hand-carried down to the clos-est road and then moved by jeep to the nearest aid station. Here they would besorted out ("triage") and sent to the rear for more definitive treatment.

Photc) by Cpl Peter W. McDonald, National Archives Photo (USMC) 127-N-A4546

the 370th and 371st CCFRegiments were withdrawing to adefensive line, established by the3 72d Regiment about two milesnorth of Chinhung-ni, stretchingfrom Hill 987 to Hill 891.

Litzenberg ordered increasedpatrolling to the north to begin atdawn on 4 November. Marinesfrom Davis' 1st Battalion patrolledto the edge of Sudong, met rioresistance, and returned to theirperimeter. Crossman's Reconnais-sance Company moved out in itsjeeps at 0800. First LieutenantErnest C. Hargett took the pointinto Sudong and met a party ofChinese in the middle of the town.Hargett's men killed three andtook 20 more as willing prisoners.Crossman now put Second Lieu-tenant Donald W. Sharon's 2d pla-toon into the point with the 1stBattalion coming behind them intoSudong.

The North Korean People'sArmy (NKPA) skeleton 344th TankRegiment, down to five Soviet-builtT-34 tanks and apparently unableto negotiate Funchilin Pass, hadbeen left on the low ground tofend for itself. One T-34 was aban-doned after being damaged in itswild one-tank attack against the7th Marines command post. Theremaining four tanks took coveredpositions off the road. Sharonpassed by the first hidden T-34 butbumped into the second. He andtwo of his Marines damaged thetank with hand grenades. CharlieCompany, 7th Marines, with itsown 3.5-inch rockets and rein-forced with a section of 75mmrecoilless rifles, came on the sceneand finished off the second tank. Athird tank emerged from athatched hut. Engaged by bothrocket launchers and recoillessrifles, the tank continued to moveuntil stopped by the 5-inch rocketsof a flight of Corsairs. The Marinesnow found the bypassed first tank.

The 7th Marines' positionsremained essentially the same dur-

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After receiving fire, the crew sur-rendered their tank and them-selves. The fourth tank, nowalone, surrendered without a fight.The 344th NKPA Tank Regimentwas no more. Litzenberg, havingadvanced almost four miles bymid-afternoon, ordered his regi-ment to halt for the night in a tightperimeter at Chinhung-ni.

For the first 43 miles north fromHungnam the 1st Marine Di-vision's MSR was a two-lane high-way passing through relatively flatterrain. At Chinhung-ni the roadnarrowed to one lane as it went upFunchilin Pass, climbing 2,500 feetin eight miles of zigzagging single-lane road clinging to the sides ofthe mountains; 'a cliff on one sideand a chasm on the other" as theofficial history described it. Thenarrow gauge railroad was opera-ble as far as Chinhung-ni and itwas decided to establish a railheadthere.

forward another mile, on up intoFunchilin Pass, and outpost thesouthern tip of Hill 891. With

Second Lieutenant Charles R.

Puckett's 3d Platoon out in front,the reconnaissance Marines movedalmost into the saddle separatingHills 987 and 891, already incon-veniently occupied by theChinese. A firefight developed.The company held its ground hutlost two Marines killed, fivewounded, and two jeeps des-troyed.

On 4 November, Smith shiftedhis command post from Wonsan toHungnam, occupying an aban-doned engineering college on theoutskirts of the city. In reconnoi-tering for the site, Smith's assistantdivision commander, BrigadierGeneral Craig had been treated tothe sight of 200 dead Koreans laidout in a row, executed by theCommunists for no apparent rea-son. Smith flew to Hungnam byhelicopter and occupied the newcommand post at about 1100. Mostof his headquarters arrived by railthat evening, an uneventful tripexcept for a few scattered rifle

The division ReconnaissanceCompany was ordered to move

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Photo by Cpl Peter W. McDonald National Archives Photo (USMc) 127-N-A4496

Bodies of dead Marines, covered with ponchos and shelter halves, await jiirtherdisposition. The 7th Marines tight at Sudong lasted three days, 2-4 November.Division casualties for the period, nearly all of them in the 7th Marines, totaled61 killed in action, 9 died of wounds, 162 wounded, and 1 missing in action.

The 7th Marines entered Sudong on 4 November. Beyond Sudong the main sup-ply route began its climb into Funchilin Pass. Here, a Marine patrol, troubled bya snipei searches out a hamlet of thatched-roofed, mud-wattle huts.

Department of Defense Photo (USMC) A4537

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War II in the battleships Maryland(BB 46) and Alabama (BB 60).The 2d Battalion, 5th Marines, washis first infantry command and hehad done well with it at Pusan,Inchon, and Seoul. His missionnow was to block the Sinhung cor—ridor and to find a northerly routeto either the Chosin Reservoir orto the reservoir known to theMarines by its Japanese name"Fusen." The Korean name was"Pujon." Roise's mission carriedhim away from 1st MarineDivision's axis of advance and intothe zone of the 7th InfantryDivision.

With 7th Marines,Sketch by Sgt Ralph Schofield, USMCR

A Marine sniper draws a bead on a distant Chinese enemy. This sketch, andnumerous others that follow, are by Cpl (later Sgt) Ralph H. Schofield, a talent-ed Marine Coips reseivist from Salt Lake City, who served as a Leatherneck mag-azine combat artist. A seasoned veteran of World War II, Schofield had fought asan infantryman in the South Pacific.

shots. The larger part of his head-quarters would remain in place inHungnam for the duration of theoperation.

To the south of the 7th Marines,the battalions of Murray's RCT-5were having their own adventures.Our first assignment was to go to

the east side of the reservoir,"remembered Murray. "I wondered,why are they splitting us up likethis?" By 4 November, the 1stBattalion (Lieutenant ColonelGeorge R. Newton) had been leftbehind at Chigyong and detachedto division control. The 3dBattalion (Lieutenant ColonelRobert D. "Tap" Taplett) was posi-tioned near Oro-ri. The 2dBattalion (Lieutenant ColonelHarold S. Roise) had been sentinto Sinhung Valley, five milesnorth and 15 miles east of the 7thMarines, to relieve the ROK 18thRegiment. The relief was accom-plished without incident. Roise,34, from Idaho, had spent World

5-6 November

Early on Sunday morning, 5

November, Major Roach's 3dBattalion, 7th Marines, passedthrough the 1st Battalion to con-

SSgt Meyer Rossum triumphantly displays a poster of Soviet dictator Joseph Stalinfound in a by-passed Chinese bunker in the vicinity of Funchilin Pass. Marineswould learn that the Chinese, despite problems of weather and terrain, were aviddiggers and experts atfieldfortfication.

National Archives Photo (USMC) 127-N-A4807

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tinue the advance up FunchilinPass. Hargett's reconnaissance pla-toon led the way. Rounding a hair-pin turn, Hargett ran into Chinesefire and had four more Marineswounded. The 3d Battalion movedinto the attack. Item Company wasgiven Hill 987 and George Com-pany Hill 891 as their objectives.Both were stopped by mid-morn-ing by heavy small arms andmachine gun fire. For the rest ofthe day the battle continued as aduel between Parry's 105mm how-itzers and Chinese 120mm heavymortars. From overhead, theCorsairs of VMF-312 delivered 37close air support sorties.

At the top of the pass the roadflattened onto a plateau and ranfor two miles until it reached thevillage of Koto-ri where it rejoinedthe now-abandoned narrow gaugerailroad. During the day GeneralSmith gave Litzenberg the objec-tive of reaching Koto-ri.

Roach's 3d Battalion continuedthe attack the next morning. HowCompany, under First LieutenantHoward H. Harris, was to passthrough George Company andmove up the southern tip of Hill891. Item Company, under FirstLieutenant William E. Johnson, wasto continue its attack against Hill987. Both attacks went slowly,with the assaults not getting under-way until mid-afternoon.

Second Lieutenant Robert D.Reem, leading one of How Com-pany's platoons in the final assault,threw himself on a Chinesegrenade and was killed. Harrisradioed Roach that his companywas exhausted. Roach relayed thereport to Litzenberg who orderedthe company to disengage andwithdraw. Next morning, 7

November, Roach's battalion againmoved up the slopes of both Hills891 and 987, and this time foundthem empty of enemy. TheChinese had disappeared during

the night. For most of the nextthree weeks traffic northward onthe MSR would be unimpeded.

Operations North of Wonsan,

4-9 November

Meanwhile, in accordance withAlmond's decision on 3 Novem-ber, X Corps troops and the 1stMarine Division continued toshare the responsibility for theWonsan-Hungnam MSR. Ope-ration of the Wonsan-Hamhungrail line came under X CorpsRailway Transportation Section.The division began sending sup-ply trains north daily fromWonsan. For two days they gotthrough unmolested, but on thethird day, 6 November, the trainwas halted at Kowan by torn-uprails. North Korean guerrillas thenattacked the train, which wasguarded by 39 Marines fromCharlie Company of the 1stAmphibian Tractor Battalion. Ta-ken by surprise, eight Marineswere killed, two wounded, at theoutset. Six more Marines werewounded in the ensuing firefight.The guard then broke off actionand found protection within theperimeter of an Army artillery bat-talion.

Smith was promised the use ofthe Army's newly arrived 65thRegimental Combat Team to guardbridges and other key points alongthe route. Rail service fromWonsan to Hamhung was resumedon 9 November with the cautionthat passengers were to ride onlyin open gondola cars. Their steelsides promised some order of pro-tection from small arms fire andmortar fragments. While Marinesrattled northward in gondola cars,MacArthur on 9 November in-formed the Joint Chiefs of Staffthat complete victory was still pos-sible and reiterated his belief thatU.S. air power would prevent the

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Chinese from crossing the Yalu indecisive numbers.

Arrival of 3d Infantry Division

The Army's 3d Infantry Division,its ranks hastily filled out withSouth Koreans, began arriving atWonsan in early November. MajorGeneral Robert H. "Shorty" Soule,the division commander, was aparatrooper who had fought withthe 11th Airborne Division underMacArthur in the Southwest Pa-cific. The first regiment of Soule'sdivision to land was the 65thInfantry, made up largely of PuertoRicans, on 5 November. Almondcame, looked, and said he "didn'thave much confidence in thesecolored troops."

During World War II, Almondhad commanded the U.S. 92dInfantry Division which had almostall white officers but black rank-and-file. The division had turned ina mixed performance in Italy.Almond's prejudices were typicalof his generation and Southernbackground. The regimental com-mander, Colonel Wil-liam W.

Harris, West Point 1930, protestedthat most of his men were not "col-ored," but "white." Almond,unconvinced of the 65th RCT's reli-ability, told Harris that he wasgoing to send the regiment northto Yonghung and then west acrossthe mountains to make contactwith the Eighth Army's right flank.Harris was appalled by theseorders.

The 1st Shore Party Battalion,under command of legendaryLieutenant Colonel Henry P. "Jim"Crowe, 51, stayed behind atWonsan to help the 3d InfantryDivision land and unload. Crowehad enlisted during World War Iand had a fabled career as footballplayer, team shot, and bandit fight-er, reaching the highly prized war-rant grade of Marine gunner in

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1934. He had a Silver Star fromGuadalcanal and a Navy Crossfrom Tarawa where he command-ed a battalion as a major. Hethought Soule 'one of the finestmen" he ever met, but he foundAlmond "haughty."

5th Marines Operations,

5-8 November

There was now clear evidencethat the Chinese, and some NorthKoreans, were out in front ofRoise's 2d Battalion, 5th Marines,in Sinhung Valley hut keeping theirdistance. Northwest of Sinhungitself and about 10 miles due eastof Koto-ri, Dog Company captureda stray Chinese soldier foundsleeping in a house. He proved tobe a wealth of information. He saidthat he belonged to the 126th CCFDivision. He asserted that six CCFarmies had arrived in North Koreaand that a total of 24 divisions hadbeen committed to the interven-tion. He had learned this in a seriesof lectures given by political offi-cers to his regiment after it hadcrossed the border.

Smith conferred with Almondon the afternoon of 7 November."He apparently has been some-what sobered by the situation onthe 8th Army front, which is notvery good," Smith entered into hislog. Almond promised Smith thathe would let him concentrate the1st Marine Division.

The 1st Battalion, 5th Marines,remained at Chigyong. On 7November, Major Merlin R. Olson,32, the battalion's executive officer,with Companies A and B recon-noitered in force west of Oro-ri toHuksu-ri. On the 8th, still short ofhis objective, Olson ran into aNorth Korean force, estimated at2,000, and was recalled.

Meanwhile, Roise's patrols hadfound no useable road to eitherChosin or Fusen Reservoirs but

at fighting strength.

had learned that the road leadingnortheast to the Manchurian bor-der, into the zone assigned to theU.S. 7th Infantry Division, couldbear military traffic. One of hispatrols touched a patrol from the31st Infantry on 8 November. Smithhad an understanding withAlmond that if the 5th Marinescould not get to the FusenReservoir by road, Barr's 7thInfantry Division would attempt toreach it from the east.

7th Marines Operations,8-11 November

On 8 November General Al-mond visited the 7th Marines. Onlearning that Captain Thomas E.Cooney, commander of GeorgeCompany, had been twice slightlywounded on Hill 891, he awardedCooney an on-the-spot Silver Star.His aide was caught without a sup-ply of medals. Almond scribbled anote on a piece of paper—"SilverStar for Gallantry in Action"—andpinned it to Cooney's jacket.

A patrol of 15 Marines underFirst Lieutenant William F. Goggin

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of the 2d Battalion left Chinhung-ni at noon on 8 November,reached Koto-ri, and next eveningreturned unscathed to the lines ofthe 3d Battalion. Next day, 10

November and the Marine CorpsBirthday, the 1st Battalion passedthrough the 3d Battalion and anhour-and-a-half later entered Koto-ri.

X Corps issued an order attach-ing the 65th Infantry and the ROK26th Regiment to the 1st MarineDivision. Two battalions of SouthKorean Marines were also to beattached. On receiving the orderSmith learned that he was respon-sible for making contact with theEighth Army. He gave orders tothat effect to the 65th Infantry andwas annoyed to find that Almondhad already given the regiment'scommander, Colonel Harris,detailed instructions down to thecompany level as to what to do.Something of the same happenedwith regards to the mission of theROK 26th Regiment. "Such a pro-cedure, of course, only createsconfusion," Smith fussed in his log."It was this type of procedure

Photo by CpI L. B. Snyder, National Archives Photo (USMC) 127-N-A4620

LtCol Raymond Davis' 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, occupied Koto-ri on theMarine Corps Birthday, 10 November, against no resistance. A day later neededreplacements arrived. One or two battalion-sized replacement drafts arrived inKorea each month to keep the division's ranks—particularly the infantry units—

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Koto-ri, a hapless little hamlet. Asthe official history observed, thecold seemed "to numb the spirit aswell as the flesh." On the 11th,Company C, 1st Battalion, 7thMarines, had a fight in which it lostfour Marines killed, four wounded,and claimed 40 enemy casualties.Otherwise the enemy seemed tohave vanished.

5th Marines Operations,9-13 November

which I protested to GeneralAlmond in connection with directorders given to my regiments." ToSmith's further annoyance, he wasordered to provide a rifle companyto guard X Corps command post atHamhung. The order was passedto the 3d Battalion, 5th Marines,for execution. Taplett received itwith "surprise and disgust," notunderstanding why a headquarterswith about 2,000 troops neededextra security so far behind thelines of advance. He detailed ItemCom-pany under Captain HaroldG. Schrier to do the job—the sameSchrier who as a lieutenant hadtaken his platoon up MountSuribachi on Iwo Jima to raise thefirst flag.

That evening there was a MarineCorps Birthday party in GeneralSmith's mess attended by his staff.Punch and cake were served.Smith entered in his log: "I readthe paragraphs from the MarineCorps Manual and then cut thecake with a Korean sword."

The weather had turned terrifi-

cally cold up on the plateau, wellbelow zero at night. Platoonwarming tents were set up in

Murray received orders on 9November to concentrate his regi-ment on the MSR leading toChosin Reservoir. Newton's 1stBattalion, coming out of Chigyongon 10 November, was to move toMajon-dong. A patrol sent forwardfrom Newton's battalion wasambushed and had to he rescuedwith a battalion-sized attack beforethe battalion could get to the vil-lage. On the 13th, another patrolfrom the 1st Battalion, 5th Marines,

Photo by Sgt John Babyak, National Archives Photo (USMC) 127-N-A4562

At division headquarters at Hamhung, MajGen Smith observed the Marine CoipsBirthday in traditional fashion. He read the birthday message from the MarineCorps Manual and then cut the somewhat meager cake with a Korean sword. Astradition prescribes, the first slice went to the oldest Marine present BGen Craig.

Col "Chesty" Puller cuts the Marine Corps Birthday cake on 10 November at his1st Marines regimental headquarters outside Wonsan where the weather was still

pleasant. Far to the north, on the Chosin plateau, the 7th Marines was alreadyencountering sub-zero temperatures.

Photo by Cpl W. T. Wolle, National Archives Photo (USMC) 127-N-A4571

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boxes freezing up. Smith borroweda jeep from Taplett and drove onup to Koto-ri.

MacArthur Reassesses Situation

ters, would become a huge problem.

ran into a company-sized group ofChinese that killed seven Marinesand wounded three more beforewithdrawing.

Roise's 2d Battalion came out ofSinhung Valley on 13 Novemberwith orders to relieve the 7thMarines of the responsibility ofdefending Koto-ri. Along the wayRoise's Marines picked up oneChinese and 12 North Korean pris-oners. An airstrip capable of han-dling light aircraft was opened atKoto-ri that same day. Taplett's 3dBattalion, 5th Marines, was now atChinhung-ni. Taplett, 32, fromSouth Dakota, had spent most ofWorld War II on sea duty with thecruiser Salt Lake City (CL 25). The3d Battalion was his first infantrycommand. He was not always aneasy personality, but his perfor-mance at Pusan, Inchon (where hehad led this battalion ashore in thesuccessful seizure of Wolmi-do inthe opening phase of the landing),and Seoul had been outstanding.Still stiffer fights were ahead ofhim.

Smith, making his own road

reconnaissance of Funchilin Pass,took a helicopter as far asChinhung-ni. Helicopters at thattime, because of the cold and alti-tude, were not going farther north;there being problems with gear

By now MacArthur had toaccept that the Chinese were inKorea in strength, perhaps asmany as 100,000 of them, but hewas still of the opinion that Chinawould not make a full-scale inter-vention.

Almond had moved his head-quarters on 11 November fromWonsan to Hamhung with plans tomove his command post farthernorth to Hagaru-ri. Almond musthave reflected that 11 Novemberwas Armistice Day from the FirstWorld War. Many of the seniorleaders in Korea had fought in thatwar, including MacArthur as abrigadier general and Almond as amajor. Almond had served withdistinction in the U.S. 4th InfantryDivision as commander of the 12thMachine Gun Battalion. Armistice

(Continued on page 242)

Department of Defense Photo (USMC) A4628

On 12 November the villagers at Koto-ri were informed that they have been "lib-erated" and were now free to elect their own village officials. The large numberof Korean civilians, who would later crowd into the Marines' defensive perime-

The wreath with "Merry Christmas, "perhaps some Marine's idea of humor, ismisleading. The photo was probably taken at Chinhung-ni in mid-November. Atleft is LtCol Robert D. Taplest, Commanding Q/ficer, 3d Battalion, 5th Marines,and at right is his executive officer, MajJohnJ. Canny, who would die at Yudanz-ni two weeks later.

Photo by Sgt Frank C. Kerr, National Archives Photo (USMC) 127-N-A7349

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Page 11: high ground Behind him was Sawyer 's battalion...midday on 2 November with his 1st Battalion. The 2d Battalion came back from Kojo-ri the follow-ing day. The 3d Battalion, 1st Marines,

Coping with the Cold

How cold was it at the reservoir' MostMarines "knew" that the temperature wemdown to ahout 25 degrees below zero at

night, hut how many Marines had a thermometer intheir pack!

The cold was no great surprise, unless, perhaps,you were like one .\larine from Samoa who hadnever seen snow' hefore. The di' ision staff knew bylate October or earl) !':m'ember that Hagaru-ri hadthe reputation of being the coldest place in NorthKorea. with a recorded temperature of 35 degreeshelow zero. The climate is roughly like that ofMinnesota or Nonh Dakota. The winter of 1950 wasa cold one. but not unusually so. The powers thatbe had adequate warning that it was coming andconsiderable preparations had been made.

Those at the top. and some at other levels in the1st Marine Division. had had some experience withcold weather operations, if not by participation, atleast by observation and a bit of tmining.

The division's commanding general, r.,lajorGeneral Oliver P. Smith, had gone with the 1stProvisional Marine Brigade to Iceland in AuguSt19~1 to relieve the British garrison, as a major in

Cold ll'lIS all-!JeIl'lIS;I,(', el'ell Qlllambltl1g. lL'hich u'ilh itsflellr sell-Ieeel elel'tl1ioll Il'ClS mile/) milder thall liP 011 fbeCbllllp,jill plateau I (ere .\llIrines at I11Imbll1JR. probablymembers o/a comblll sen. 'ice unit. cook bacon alld beans011 IUp o/a stOL¥! madefrom a gaso!ille dl1l1n.

DCp;lrtl11cnt 01 I>clcn'>C 1111010 (US~IC) A 1617

'\.Ulon.:J1 An:hiH..... Pholo (l "',) H()-G-I.!I~

These J/arines. looking L'e!J' fresh, pallse ell1"Cmle /0rudam-Ili 011 27 SOl'e11lber 10 beat Ibe'-" C-rllliolis Ol'er

till open fire. They tire wearing fbe l1ell'~)' issued sboe­pacs l/'ilb bool socks/olded lIelll!)' Ol'er,be lOpS. AI Ibe/arleJi /be J\farine appears 10 he flIecu1ng old-fashionedp,aloshes Duer field shoes or boo/so a belle,. c:ombiHClliolia~r.:aiIlSI tbe cold Iball tbe shoe-pacs.

command of the 1st Battalion. 61h t>larines. Heremembered Iceland as a "bleak and ruggedisland-mountains, cliffs, no trees--not a tree" andmost of all the violent. never cea,ing wind.

There were others, besides Smith. in the di,'isionwho had also been in the Iceland expedition. Oneof them was Lieutenant Colonel Raymond L.Murray, commander of the 5th Marines. In Icelandhe had been a captain and commander of amachine gun company. lie had also served inPeiping in 'orth China before World War 11. lie didnot find Iceland as rugged as Korea: "It was not ter­ribly cold. I don't think it e'·er got much helow 10above zero."

The Marines suddenly on their way to Icelanddid not, at first, have any specialized winter cloth­ing. They wore their wool kersey winter ~ervice

uniforms including their woolen overcoats. ~upple­

mented by some items bought on the open market,notahly some short, sheep,kin-lined, GlI1\·as coaL~

purchased from ears Roebuck and carried as orga­nizational property. Another much-favored additionwere pile-lined hats with ear naps, ~uch as larine~

had worn in ollh China.The Marines in Iceland did not live in tents or in

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Page 12: high ground Behind him was Sawyer 's battalion...midday on 2 November with his 1st Battalion. The 2d Battalion came back from Kojo-ri the follow-ing day. The 3d Battalion, 1st Marines,

th op n. They were bill teel in i 'sen huts, "anI ngat d igloo covered with corrugat d iron roof­

ing and lined with bea er board," the flimsy Britishequivalent of the mar sub tantial meri anQuon et huts. Marines piled sod on the, ides of the

i 'sen huts to improv insulation. Each baltali nhad a different camp in a different pan of the island.

In many \J ays the d ploym nt, as an opportuni­ty for wint r training, wa. a disappointment. Finni hu c s with ki troops in the Wim r War \ ith theovi t nion in 1939 had been much publiciz d

(and romanticized). But it did not get as cold inIceland a it wa 'uppo ed to get and there wa notmuch :now Idom as much as aft.

larin experiment' with ski' and more work-a­da snowsho s did not come to much. ine yearslat r th Marine' at Chasin Reservoir did not havski' or nowshoe and it was ju t as \J ell. They

auld n t ha be n u' ful.The brigade came back in Februaty and Iar h

1942 wearing th Briti h Polar Bear houlderpat h-and weI' ordered to take it off. lost of theMarin s would oon be on their way toGuadalcanal, and b yond that t Tarawa, andwould earn an ther houlder patch, ither that ofthe 1st Marine Division or 2d Marine Division.

larg r perc ntage of larine' in the divisionthan tho'e few who had been in Iceland were thowh had s rved in orth hina after the end ofWorld War II, a nov almost forgotten episode. Itb gan with the 55,000-l11an deployment of the IIIAmphibiou' Corp' at th end of ' ptemb r 19 5that included both the 1·t and 6th Marine Divisionand th 1st Marin Air raft ing, and end d \J iththe \J ithdrawal of the la't battalion in 1949, just ay ar I for' tll Marine nt to Korea. LikIe land, it \Va largely a gani 'on experience, but theChina Marines learned al oul the sub-zero tempera­ture and the arctic winds that came out ofMan huria and across the obi Desert. Malineguarding 'upply point or critical bridge' or ridingth oal train kn w how old it could get.

The cl thing they wore, including the avyparka, was not much diff rent than that whi hwould be worn in Kor a. Officially designated ath Marine Corps' 1943 cold \ eather uniform, it

a pr dicat d largely on the Iceland experiencean I consisted primarily, exc pt for th parka of

. '. Army amp nenl'.Other, lder Marines in the di 1510n, in luding

the chief of taff, Col nel Gregon . William, th

G-2, Colonel Bank on T. Holcomb, Jr., and the com­manding fficer f the 1 t Marine, aloneI Lewi"Ch ty" Puller had had sub tantia] ervice in pre­World War II China in luding a chance to ob er eoperation by Chin Communi t for e' in thecold. Th y knew about the padded Chine wim runiforms. me, including Ch ty Pull r who wamu h better read and more of a stud nt of militaryhi ·tory than hi flamboyant reputation would ug­gest, ha I tlIdi d Japane e winter operations innorthern Korea and Manchuria in the Russo­Japanese War of 1904-05.

The Quartermaster G neral of the Marine Corp',Major G n ral William P. T. Hili, him elf an oldChina hand and an explorer of th Gobi D rt,began hipping out cold-weather clothing, includ­ing avy parka, to Korea in Octob r 1950.Beginning in ovember, the battalion- 'ized repla e­ment drafts being s nt to I' -tor combat 10 ere ei ed rudimentary c Id weath r training, at leastin th wearing of cold-weath r clothing.

Th Marines and, for that matter, the .. Army,u ed the "layer principl "for wint I' cI thing, whichimply meant that the Marine or oldi r pi! d on a

many layer of clothing a he could find. From thskin out h might have on cotton und rpants andhirt or "skivvie'" winter underw ar or "long

johns," mustard- olored flannel hirt, utility trou err green ker ey ervi e trou r if h had them,

sweater, green sateen winter tr u ers alpaca est,utility coat, a woolen muffler, and perhap anM1943 field jacket, all cramm d und r a long, hood­ed pile-lin d avy parka. The parka was warm buth a and lum y. am Marin s managed to findth hart r anorak-typ parka worn by th Armyand liked it bett r. AI popular, wh n th y uldb found, were the Army" "trooper' tyl pH -lin dwinter hats with earflaps. everal styl of glov .w r issued. The mo t ammon had a leather andfabri outer hell and an inn r mitten of knittedwool.

On their feet, Marin s, unle they could find aub titute, war "ho -pac "-waterproof rubb I'

boltom' with laced I ather upper. Th w ris u d with two ets ach f felt inner 01 andh avy woolen boot so k . Th Marine were told tokeep one 'et of the socks and inn r I in idtheir lathing ne t to their body and to hangth m frequ ntly. The e in truction were good inth OIY but difficult to follow in practi e. Exce' ivp r piralion, generated by marching, oak d the

235

Page 13: high ground Behind him was Sawyer 's battalion...midday on 2 November with his 1st Battalion. The 2d Battalion came back from Kojo-ri the follow-ing day. The 3d Battalion, 1st Marines,

-

W'hell possihle, as here at Koto-n·. sleepillg holes lI",re dllghl!billd fighting boles and frequently couered Lilith /)011­

chos or sbeller !JollIes. hi Ibis case, tbe occupanJs hall(!

innersoles and socks. When the ~Iarine halted, thefelt innersoles and stockings quickly froze and sodid the wearer's feet.

The shoe-pacs were hated, but the sleeping bagsthat the Marines had carried ashore at Inchon, nowhad a heavier lining and were much loved and,indeed, were indispensable. Marines found thebags, which could be rolled and tied to the bOllomof their haversacks, good for sleeping, for warmingfeet, and for keeping casualties from freezing to

death. There was a problem, though, of Marinesstanding watch in foxholes being allowed to pulltheir sleeping bags up to their knees or waists, andthen, giving into temptation, slipping fUl1her intothe bag and falling asleep. A Chinese soldier sud­denly upon him killed more than one Marine,caught in his sleeping bag.

In fighting the cold, the Marines learned orrelearned cenain principles including the impor-

N;JlionJ.I Arclmcs Photo (l'~:\IC) 12'"'-:\-A'S.HI

managed 1o illcorporale a stolle. ,HoSI ojiell tbe 011~)' relief.fi"01/1 the cold/or the illjimtl)' lI'as ill the /0,.", (if "'(11"I11­

ing tenls sel lip 10 Ibe rear of tbeir pOSiJiOl1.

lance of keeping moving to generate body heat.The drawback to this was, of course. the sweat­soaked shoe-pacs that invited frostbite. The diggingin of a foxhole, which could require six to eighthours of effort, often at the end of a long march,also generated heat, sometimes presenting the para­doxical sight of a Marine, stripped almost to thewaist, hacking away at the frozen earth. In lastanalysis. the imposition of cold weather disciplinedepended upon the small-unit leadership of lieu­tenants, sergeants, and corporals. All things consid­ered, they did amazingly well.

The Marines were still using their World War IIpack; a well designed but complicated piece ofequipment with a haversack, knapsack, a beddingroll. and many straps and buckles. Ordinarily, aMarine in combat carried nOlhing but his haversackand sleeping bag, and, of course, his rifle belt withits load of cameens, bayonet, first aid packet,

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Page 14: high ground Behind him was Sawyer 's battalion...midday on 2 November with his 1st Battalion. The 2d Battalion came back from Kojo-ri the follow-ing day. The 3d Battalion, 1st Marines,

ammunition, and possibly a few grenades. MostMarines preferred a pack board whenever theycouId get one.

A Marine also had to find a place for his daily C­ration when it was issued. It came in a clumsy card­board box about the size of a shoe box, six cylin­drical cans in all, three "heavies" and three "lights,"plus an assonment of packets that included a day'ssupply of toilet paper and a neat little box with fourCigarettes. The "heavies" were the meat compo­nents, much improved and with a much wider vari­ety of items than the disliked World War II C-ration.The Army's Quartermaster Corps had worked hardon the improvements, basing them on regionalfavorites. Among the offerings were hamburgers(highly prized), chicken with vegetables, ham andlima beans, meat and beans, and sausage patties(the least favorite). The "lights" included at leastone half-sized can of some kind of fruit, easily thebest-liked element in the ration and one or more"bread units" which were biscuits of one salt oranother, descended from Civil War hardtack, andsomething thar passed for cake. Also to be foundwere different sons of candy (disks of chocolatewere preferred), salt, pepper, and packets of solu­ble coffee and cocoa. Most often a Marine took outwhat he liked or could trade and threw the restaway. What he retained he would fit into variouspockets. He wondered why the ration could not bepacked in flat cans that he could pocket more eas­ily. His largest problem, though, was heating themeat component. Best method was to heat it in abucket or Gl can of boiling water, but these wereseldom available. Cooking fires made with availablewood usually did more burning than cooking.Unused monar increments and bits of C-3 plastiCexplosive, when they could be found, burned witha quick hot heat. Dirt in a larger can, doused withgasoline, gave an improvised stove. But such openfires did not do well, tending to scorch the meatclosest to the can and leaving the interior stillfrozen. Jeep and truck drivers could wire a can totheir engine and when their run was finished, havea hot meal.

C-ration meat components would begin to freezeas soon as their cans were removed from the heat.Drinking coffee from an aluminum mess cup couldbe a dangerous process, the drinker's lip or tonguefreeZing to the cup. On the march it was oftenimpossible to heat the meat component.Consequently the bread unit and fruit component

were the first to be consumed.Marines soon learned that keeping a thin coat of

oil on their weapons, as taught to them emphati­cally by their drill instructors at boot camp, was nota good idea in sub-zero temperatures. Even a thincoat of oil tended to congeal and freeze theweapon's action. The word went out to wipe allweapons dly of oil. There was some argument overthis. Some Marines thought that an infinitesimallythin coat of oil was best. There were arguments,pro and can, on the advisability of keeping per­sonal weapons in sleeping bags or taking them intowarming tents, or leaving them out in the cold.

By and large the weapons of the Marines workedwell. A notable exception was the caliber .30 Mland M2 carbine. Already suspect in World War II, itproved to be a miserable failure in sub-zero weath­er. Its weak action failed to feed rounds into thechamber, the bolt failed to close, and the pieceoften failed to fire. The release for its box magazinewas a fraction of an inch from the safety. Mittenedor cold-stiffened fingers sometimes pressed both,dropping the magazine into the snow. Even whena carbine did fire, the round had no stoppingpower. Most Marines carrying carbines replacedthem as quickly as they could (and most ofteninformally) with the prized Ml "Garand" rifle.

The Browning automatic rifle, M]9]8A2, contin­ued to be a favorite Marine weapon. It functionedin proportion to the care it was given. Ice tended toform in the buffer group and inside the receiver.

As with all weapons with a recoil mechanism,machine guns, in general, were sluggish in theirrate of fire. The old reliable Browning water-cooledM1917Al fired well as long as there was antifreeze(not always easy to get) in the water jacket. Withoutliquid, the barrels quickly overheated. The barrelsof the M]9 J9A4 light machine gun tended to burnout and there were not enough spares. The 60mmand 81mm mortars fired reliably although there wasconsiderable breakage of base plates and opticalsights. It was remarked that the 8] mm mortar shellslooping across the sky left fielY tails more like rock­ets.

As to the cold, some units did claim nighttimetemperatures of 35 degrees and even 40 degreesbelow zero. Best-documented temperatures,though, are the records kept by the battalions of the11th Marines, the artillery regiment, that had to fac­tor in the temperature as an element of gunnery.These battalions routinely recorded temperatures of

237

Page 15: high ground Behind him was Sawyer 's battalion...midday on 2 November with his 1st Battalion. The 2d Battalion came back from Kojo-ri the follow-ing day. The 3d Battalion, 1st Marines,

A bou'11 ill thi photo q! 1arille marching aI/I ojKoIO­ri 017 8 December eacb Marine carried ll'hal he cOI/sid­ered l7ece af)' to live and Jight, a considerable load oJupwards oj 60 pound,. ome got alallg ll'ith jl/"I Ibeir

2 and 25 b 10 z roo L no\: ho er ere fr"quembut n t much n a cumulat d. The wind' of 3­nd 40 mil p r h ur tend d t bl w the I' k and

fr zen alth free f the thin n hen morninam th r "ould I i ay tal in th air, glinting

in the un like "diamond du t."

Wat r in five-gall n "J ny' ans and individualcame n' turned int blo ks of ic , . om Marin sarri d a cante n in ide th ir clothing to k p it

thaw d. ince orld War II and th thir t of thPa ifi ar it h d b en th Marine rps habit ofha ing a h man any two cant en . Thi ontin­u d in the Kor an ar. m Marine offic rand

nior n n ommi i ned officer carri d whisk y intheir I ft r "p 11 id' came n whi h th diedout to th if ub rdinat n a mo 't-n d d ba i .Th ur ons al 0 had a carefully c ntrolled supply

D"[>Jnmenl oj Defen'e Photo (L".\lll -\';3';6

sleepilll!, hap, Sll/lIl'~ heloll' Ibeir bal'erstlcR ,\lore carried aborseshoe-sbaped heddil7g roll Ibal cOl/ld cO/llaill as/I1l/cb as a sleepillp, hag. a blallkel. a pOllcbo, alld a shel­ler balf

f t\: o-ounc b ule" f medi inal brand '. Tholu ky enough to g t a boule might u"e it to thaw

ut a -ration can of fruit and then ommem wrylyn th lu LIlY of "dining on brandied peache ."

[mm r'ion hater' seldom provided noughwarmth to tha~ , the contents of a ater trail r. AllV:l1 and piping froze solid. Fires built beneathth trailers were a ometime ff ctiv pedi nt.

m m n ate snm . The fa orit b verag s, ~ henth '.....at "r for them "ould b heated, \ ere the :olu­ble cof~ e and c a to be found in the C-ration, orI tter yet. the more g n roll, alJowan e in largerration.

-ration, th full garrison ration with fr 'h orfrozen m 'at, fruits, and \'egetables, \\'3 . of 'Ollf" ,

una\'ailable except in an ·traordin~lJY set f ir­cum tan e. . u h a' the el 'brated Thanksgiving

238