Tales of the Korean War: A Reminiscence

By Percy Townsend

Using a US Army infantry regiment as a backdrop, tales are told of individual soldiers' experiences during the Korean War. They are tales of the dogfaces, the grunts, the foxhole men, and the officers that led them.

This moving account takes you inside their hearts, minds, and souls. When men depend on one another in battle, a bond among them is created that can never be broken. Etched in their minds are thoughts and memories that will remain as long as their lives endure.

Their tales speak of comradery, bravery, and cowardice. They reveal the terror, the sadness, and the glory of battle. War is exposed with all its horror, misery, and bloodshed by soldiers and innocent civilians alike. The tales unveil soldiers' atrocities committed to ensure their own survival.

These are stories of men far away from their homes and loved ones, fighting to obtain freedom for a people they would never know.

These are their stories, stories not intended for the faint of heart.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Newman Springs Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Dec 21, 2023
• ISBN: 9798890613585

Book preview

Table of Contents

Title

Copyright

Preface

Colonel Sam Lawson

The Landing

Triumph and Tragedy

From Enemy Waters

LTC Otto Marsh

To the Front

Digging In

Shoulder to Shoulder

Aftermath of the Slaughter

Patrols and Ambushes

Captured!

Escape and Evasion

Survived!

The Reunion

Appendix A

The President's Letter

Appendix B

Composition of the Regiment

Appendix C

Soldiers of Lawson's Regiment

Appendix D

United Nations Forces in the Korean War

Glossary

About the Author

Tales of the Korean War: A Reminiscence

Percy Townsend

Copyright © 2023 Percy Townsend

All rights reserved

First Edition

NEWMAN SPRINGS PUBLISHING

320 Broad Street

Red Bank, NJ 07701

First originally published by Newman Springs Publishing 2023

ISBN 979-8-89061-357-8 (Paperback)

ISBN 979-8-89061-359-2 (Hardcover)

ISBN 979-8-89061-358-5 (Digital)

Printed in the United States of America

Also by Percy Townsend

To Kill a Cat

Millie and John

To Live and Live Not

To all the mothers and wives who waited in vain

Preface

The Korean War began on June 25, 1950, when the North Korea People's Army invaded South Korea. Kim Il-sung's North Korean force included seventy-five thousand soldiers and many tanks made by the Russians. They crossed the thirty-eighth parallel in a coordinated general attack and quickly overran most of South Korea, trapping South Korean and American troops in a small perimeter around the southern port of Pusan.

The United Nations responded quickly and encouraged its members to support South Korea. Many countries sent in troops, including the United States, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and several others.

The war raged for three years at the cost of lives estimated between three and five million people. Almost forty thousand American soldiers were killed. Another one hundred thousand were wounded, and an untold number missing in action.

A war was never declared, and therefore, it was technically not a war. It has been often referred to as the Korean Conflict. It is called the Forgotten War because of the lack of attention it received from most Americans, who were not affected in any way.

The men who were there call it a war, and it has not been forgotten by them. Neither has it been forgotten by the mothers and wives who waited…and waited…and waited.

The tales told here are related to actual happenings. The names of the participants have been changed to protect their privacy. Some of the tales were told to the author by other soldiers and veterans who were there. Those tales cannot be confirmed as entirely unembellished.

For a long time now, I have wanted to put down on paper what I remember about the war. Realizing that the task would be enormous, I let the years go by. I continually procrastinated—until now. Now it must be done before the memories are dissolved into the past.

The reader will encounter many military words and abbreviations that will require consultation of the glossary.

Colonel Sam Lawson

Become who you are.

—Friedrich Nietzsche

Colonel Sam Lawson was not a West Point officer. He had come up the hard way. He was awarded a battlefield commission during the early part of World War II for his leadership in the fight for Sicily. During the struggle up the boot of Italy, he became a rifle company commander. Toward the end of the war, he commanded a battalion in the advance on Munich. His decorations included the Silver Star, two Purple Hearts, and the one he coveted most: the Combat Infantryman Badge.

Shortly after the start of the Korean War, he was given command of a skeleton regiment that was moved to the Japanese island of Hokkaido. There he received draftees that had already completed basic training in the States. The regiment was brought to full strength. Lawson was ordered to train the regiment for possible use in Korea.

Colonel Lawson had been training his regiment for several months. He knew that sooner or later, he would receive orders to take the regiment into combat in Korea. The training had been thorough. After completing company-level training, they had proceeded to battalion training. With that done, they conducted regimental maneuvers.

Along the way, the regiment had taken extensive amphibious training. That was culminated by loading the regiment on ships in Otaru, sailing around the southern tip of Hokkaido, and making an assault landing on the beaches near Tomakomai.

Occasionally, a general or colonel from the Eighth Army headquarters would visit Lawson's regiment. They would stay a few days to observe and evaluate the training. They always left well pleased with what the regiment was doing.

Colonel Lawson was well satisfied that his regiment was ready for combat, but the order to move to Korea had not come. Meanwhile, training must continue. Physical training was emphasized to prepare the men to endure the exertions and hardships of combat. The battalions and separate companies would take daylong marches with weapons and full combat gear. They would sleep on the ground and march back to the cantonment area the next day. They were always provided with plenty of water. They ate cold C rations, which were carried in their packs. The soldiers had become tough, hard, and well trained, and the esprit de corps was high.

One day, Lawson was in the field, watching one of the battalions on the long march. A soldier from the communications center brought him a message. It was from the Eighth Army headquarters. In essence, it said that General John Slaughter would arrive the next day with orders and instructions for him to move the regiment to Korea. The general would tell him when and how the move would be made. The move must be made with utmost secrecy. Lawson read the message twice and then said aloud, This is it. He told his jeep driver to take him to his headquarters, where he assembled his staff.

He told the staff officers, Everything I am going to say to you must be kept secret. Consider it as top secret. We will be moving to Korea soon. A general from the Eighth Army will arrive here tomorrow to give us our orders and instructions. I don't know if this move will be by ship or air. I don't know when it will be either, but I expect it will be soon. That is all I can tell you for now.

*****

At 1600 hours the next day, General John Slaughter walked into Colonel Lawson's office. They exchanged salutes, and Lawson said, General Slaughter, welcome to Hokkaido. Did you have a good trip?

Yes, I was granted permission to use General Ridgeway's personal aircraft. By the way, you can call me John.

I am called Sam, among other things. Should I assemble my staff for you?

No. While I am here, I will be talking to no one except you. The only thing of interest to me now is getting something to eat. I have not eaten today. What time is chow?

That will not be for another hour, but we should not have to wait for that. Lawson called for his sergeant major. He came in, and Lawson told him, Go talk to the mess sergeant. Tell him that General Slaughter wants to eat early. Tell him to fix dinner for two and bring it here.

The sergeant major left; and very shortly the mess sergeant and two men arrived, carrying a coffee pot, dishes, hardware, and napkins. They prepared a table on Lawson's desk and poured the coffee.

The mess sergeant said, Colonel Lawson, we will be bringing dinner as soon as the roast beef is ready. It won't be long.

Thank you, sergeant.

The two officers started with the coffee, and Slaughter asked, Do you know why I am here?

Yes, you are going to give me instructions for the move to Korea.

I would like to do that while we are having dinner. I want to leave tomorrow morning. I need to get General Ridgeway's aircraft back to him.

Very good, sir. I am anxious to hear.

Sam, the verbal orders and instructions from me will be all you will get. I will give you nothing in writing. Of course, there will be an order cut at headquarters to make it official. But you will receive it after the fact, and it will not include the detailed instructions I will give you.

I understand.

I will start by explaining the transportation. I will give you a detailed loading plan that must be followed to the letter.

John, I will make notes.

There will be two ships that will arrive at Otaru. A large troop vessel and a small one. The small one is for you and half of your headquarters and headquarters company. You are to choose which half goes with you.

I have it down.

You are to select one infantry battalion to go with you.

Anyone else?

A medical platoon and a surgeon. And a commo platoon. That is all.

The mess sergeant and three soldiers brought the food and prepared it attractively on the desk. Before leaving, the mess sergeant said, We can bring iced tea and milk if you prefer that over coffee.

Both officers said they would stay with the coffee. After the mess personnel were gone, General Slaughter asked, Who is in your outer office?

My sergeant major and a clerk typist.

It would be best if you told them to leave and lock the outer door.

Colonel Lawson got up, ushered the two men out, and locked the door. He returned to the dinner. We are secure. No one will be listening.

On the large troop ship, you will load the remainder of your regiment. Your executive officer will be in charge and have the half of the headquarters and headquarters company that are not going with you. That ship will go to Inchon, where they will debark.

Will my ship be going there too?

No.

Will my regiment enter combat without me?

It is possible. But let's not dwell on what your regiment will be doing. Let's continue with the movement plan. That large troop ship will arrive at Otaru the day after tomorrow. Load your regiment the next day. Start with your tank company. The ship will depart for Korea the next day.

John, how about my small troop ship?

The day after the large ship leaves, the small one arrives at Otaru. You will load the same day and sail the same day.

I still don't know where I am going.

You don't need to know that now. As soon as your ship gets underway, go see the captain. He is Captain Levi Oseski. He has been thoroughly briefed on your mission by my peers. At this point in time, he knows more about your mission than either one of us. He will tell you everything he knows. Ask him questions. Pick his brain.

So he will tell me everything I need to know about my mission.

Not really, Sam. From his safe, he will give you a large sealed envelope that contains a letter and some maps detailing your mission. There will be plenty of time for you and your staff to study the materials before you reach your destination. The captain does not know anything about the contents of the envelope. If you see anything he needs to know, tell him. You and the captain will be partners for this mission and need to keep each other informed at all times.

This sounds exciting but mysterious. It must be important.

It is. That is why you were chosen for the mission.

Thank you, sir, for those kind words.

There is one other thing you need to know. Before your small ship departs Sasebo to come to Otaru, it will be loaded with a plentiful supply of C rations, fresh water, and ammunition as well as some engineering equipment and some sophisticated radios. Also boarding in Sasebo will be a company of engineers commanded by Captain Gene Fredericks. Also, there will be some radio operators that will be available to you. With them and their radios, you will be able to communicate with the Eighth Army headquarters. Sam, I have enjoyed the dinner. Now I want to shower and retire early.

There is a nice guest room next to mine. Let's go there.

*****

General Slaughter left the next morning, after he had breakfast with Colonel Lawson. As soon as Slaughter left, Lawson went to his executive officer, Lieutenant Colonel Otto Marsh, and told him, Let's go to my office. We need to talk.

After getting settled in the colonel's office, Lawson continued, Later this morning, we need to have a meeting with the staff and the battalion commanders to go over the details of our move to Korea, but there are some things you need to know first.

Very good. At the moment, I am in the dark.

A large troop ship will arrive at Otaru tomorrow. You and the bulk of the regiment will embark. I will not be going with you.

Why not, Sam?

I will be going on a different ship, but let's talk about you, not me. The ship will take you to Inchon. I will not be going there. You will remain in charge of the regiment. It is possible that you would go to the front line without me.

I understand.

Get the word out to the staff, battalion commanders, and separate company commanders to attend a meeting at 1100 hours today. Don't tell anyone else about the meeting. We want to keep it low profile and exercise secrecy about this move whenever possible. The local population will consider the embarkation of the ship to be just another routine amphibious operation like those we have done previously. We want to keep it that way. I will see you and the others back here at eleven. We will be through in time for chow.

*****

Colonel Sam Lawson stood before his assembled staff, battalion commanders, and separate company commanders. We will move to Korea this week. The purpose of this meeting is to explain the general plan for the move. Later today you may receive one or more detailed messages from the operations officer about the move. By chow time tonight, you should know everything you need to know about this move. If not, feel free to ask Marsh or me.

Lawson paused to take a sip of water. A large troop ship will arrive at Otaru tomorrow. The bulk of the regiment will be loaded on that ship. Later, a small troop ship will arrive at Otaru. I will talk about the small ship first because that is the one I will be on.

Another pause. Another sip. With me will be half of my headquarters and headquarters company, a medical platoon and surgeon, a commo platoon, and the First Battalion in its entirety. Those units will receive written instructions from my headquarters this afternoon. The remainder of the regiment will load onto the large troop ship under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Otto Marsh. Loading will start tomorrow, and the ship will depart the next day, destined for Inchon, Korea. Early the next day, I expect the small troop ship will arrive at Otaru. Are there any questions?

The First Battalion commander asked, Am I correct in assuming that the small ship will also be going to Inchon?

At lunch I want you and Marsh to sit with me to talk about that. It is chow time now. Let's go do that. Everyone came to their feet and saluted. Colonel Lawson returned the salute, and they all went to the mess hall.

While having lunch, Lawson told the commander of the First Battalion, Lieutenant Colonel Ted Rogers, I did not want to say this in front of everyone, but we will not be going to Inchon. That is all I will tell you now. On the trip to Korea, there will be time for us to get together and talk about where we are going and what we will be doing.

That satisfied Rogers, and there was no further discussion about that. Lawson and Marsh discussed how the headquarters and headquarters company would be divided between the two ships. After reaching complete agreement, Lawson said, Otto, get the separation down on paper and post copies in our headquarters and in the CP of the headquarters company.

During the afternoon, there was a flurry of messages from the operations officer to the various units. Packing and preparations were ongoing. The tank company's tanks were moved to dockside in Otaru. Lawson was satisfied with the way the regiment was responding.

*****

The next day, the movement to Otaru and the loading of the ship went smoothly. Lawson and Marsh observed the loading from dockside. After loading was complete, Lawson went aboard with Marsh. There were a few parting words. They shook hands. Lawson went down the gangplank, and the gangplank was removed. The ship used its thrusters to move away from the dock.

Colonel Sam Lawson considered the regiment to be in good hands. He would spend no more time thinking about them. He had his own movement to think about. He returned to the cantonment area and started packing and taking care of personal matters. He wrote a letter to his wife, Tami. He had been doing that daily, but in this one, he told her that the regiment was moving to Korea and that he would not be writing often.

The small troop ship arrived at Otaru as planned. It was midafternoon when Colonel Lawson and his contingent boarded. He and Rogers oversaw the escorting of the units to their assigned compartments. With that completed, he stood on the rear deck and watched the island of Hokkaido get smaller and smaller and then disappear from his view. He went to see the captain of the ship.

Captain Oseski, I am Colonel Sam Lawson, the commander of the army troops you now have on board.

Welcome aboard, Colonel Lawson. I can tell by your voice that you must be from the South or Southwest.

I am from Oklahoma.

You will notice that I don't talk like you. I am Jewish, and I was born in Poland. I did not come to the United States until I was grown. Let's not be formal. Please call me Levi.

Thank you, Levi. I will. Please call me Sam. I understand you will tell me where we are going and what we will be doing.

I can tell you where we are going but not much about what you will be doing. I have orders to take you to North Korea, a long way north of where the battle lines are. We will be sailing through enemy waters, so we will be escorted by two submarines and a destroyer. The subs will be on each side, not far away. The destroyer will stay about four hours behind and will not join us unless we need her urgently. Also with us will be an LSI tender vessel with about twenty LSIs and three larger boats suitable for carrying vehicles. My ship is equipped with rope ladders for you to make an amphibious landing.

Where will that landing be?

North of Hungnam but much closer to a smaller place called Tanchon. I will take you to a beach that is known locally as Dong Ni.

What will I be doing there?

I don't know. I was hoping that you did.

I have believed that you knew everything about my mission.

Not really. I know exactly where to take you, and I have been ordered to arrive there during the hours of darkness so that you can make a landing just before daylight. There is an envelope in my safe addressed to you. I assume it has detailed instructions for you.

I am anxious to see that.

I hope I remember the combination. The captain got the safe open and handed the sealed envelope to Lawson.

I will go to my cabin to open this.

It was a pleasure to meet you, Sam. At dinner I want you to sit at my table.

Thank you. I will be happy to do so.

Do you have a second in command?

I have Lieutenant Colonel Ted Rogers, a battalion commander.

Please ask him to join us for dinner. Someone will knock on your door at dinnertime.

Thank you, Levi. Until dinner time. On the way to his cabin, he saw Captain Hook and told him to find Rogers and tell him he would be having dinner at Captain Oseski's table.

In his cabin, Colonel Lawson opened the envelope. It contained two letters, two maps, and two photographs that had been taken from a low-flying aircraft. The letters were informally written. One was signed by General Ridgeway. He read that one first.

Sam,

There is a rail line running through North Korea that facilitates the movement of Chinese reinforcements to the south and possibly also carrying armaments supplied by Russia. You have been chosen to launch a commando-type raid to destroy a section of the railroad so that it can't be used for a long time. Good luck to you, and stay in touch with us.

Lawson read the letter twice. He lingered on Ridgeway's signature. He felt greatly honored to have a personal letter written and signed by the commander of the Eighth Army. He read the second letter.

Colonel Lawson,

I am Colonel Lynn Bradshaw. I will be your go-to man for this operation, which we have labeled Operation Split Rail. You have radios and radio operators on board the ship so that you may contact us. We may call you from time to time. The railroad you are to disrupt runs very close to the coast in several places south of Tanchon. Beaches suitable for landings are scarce, but we have found one that will accommodate a company-size landing. The railroad runs very close to this beach. We are calling the beach Dong Ni. You have a company of engineers on board that can destroy a section of the railroad either by explosives or by removing the rails and ties as you may direct. You have two aerial photographs that will give you a good look at the Dong Ni area. There are two maps. One is hand drawn of the same area shown in the photographs. I have marked two hills as Turkey and Zebra. Good luck to you. Contact me after you have a rifle company on the ground.

The colonel read that one twice also. He then started studying the maps and aerial photographs. One map was of the area of North Korea from Hungnam northward to Tanchon. He was mostly interested in the coastline just south of Tanchon. He studied the aerial photographs. They clearly showed his beach and the railroad. The hand-drawn map mirrored the photographs. The hills marked Turkey and Zebra could be used as objectives for the battalion. There was a knock on his door.

Colonel Lawson went by Rogers's cabin, and the two officers joined Captain Oseski at his table. Lawson introduced Rogers to Oseski. Oseski told them they were having roast duck for dinner.

Oseski and Rogers engaged in a lively conversation mostly about baseball and football. They were happy when they learned that the favorite baseball team for both was the Houston Astros.