U.S. Marine Operations in Korea, 1950-1953, Volume 3 (of 5): The Chosin Reservoir CampaignMontross, Lynn
History
U.S. Marine Operations in Korea, 1950-1953, Volume 3 (of 5): The Chosin Reservoir Campaign
Montross, Lynn
Korean War, 1950-1953 -- Campaigns; United States. Marine Corps -- History -- Korean War, 1950-1953
All the necessary equipment having been assembled at Koto-ri by the
late afternoon of the 7th, the next problem was to transport it three
and a half miles to the bridge site. Colonel Bowser, the Division
G-3, directed the engineers to coordinate their movements with the
progress made by RCT-7 the following morning. Lieutenant Colonel
Partridge attended a briefing conducted by Colonel Litzenberg on the
eve of the assault, and it was agreed that the trucks with the bridge
section would accompany the regimental train. First Lieutenant Ewald
D. Vom Orde’s First Platoon of Company D engineers was designated as
the escort. First Lieutenant Charles C. Ward’s engineers led the 7th
Marines trains. Both platoons were assigned the task of installing the
bridge sections.
_Division Planning for Attack_
On the assumption that the gap over the penstocks would be successfully
spanned, the 1st Marine Division issued OpnO 26-50 at 1850 on 7
December. Although the last operation order had specified the Hamhung
area as the objective, it was found necessary at Koto-ri to give more
explicit instructions for the advance to the southward.
The plan was simple. Recognizing the sharp cleft of Funchilin Pass as
the most difficult defile of the entire breakout, General Smith ordered
the seizure of the heights overlooking the pass from the north end of
Hill 1081, dominating the road through the pass. In its details the
plan shaped up as follows:
(1) RCT-7 (reinforced with the Provisional Army battalion)
to attack south from Koto-ri at 0800 on 8 December and seize
Objectives A and B--the first being the southern extension of Hill
1328, about 2500 yards southwest of Koto-ri, and the other the
second nose due south of Koto-ri.
(2) RCT-5 to attack and seize Objective D (Hill 1457, two and a
half miles south of Koto-ri) while RCT-7 continued its attack and
seized Objective C (a nose dominating the MSR two and three-fourths
miles south of Koto-ri).
(3) At 0800, as RCT-7 jumped off at Koto-ri, the 1st Battalion of
RCT-1 was to attack from Chinhung-ni and seize Objective E (Hill
1081, three miles to the north).
(4) RCT-1 (less the 1st Battalion but reinforced by 2/31) was to
protect Koto-ri until the Division and regimental trains cleared,
whereupon it was to relieve RCTs 5 and 7 on Objectives A, B, C and
D.
(5) Upon relief by RCT-1, RCTs 5 and 7 were to proceed south along
the MSR to the Hamhung area.
(6) RCT-1 was to follow RCT-5 and protect the Division rear.[588]
[588] 1stMarDiv _OpnO_ 26-50, 7 Dec 50. The task organization
remained as it was during the move from Hagaru to
Koto-ri. For the regimental orders, see 1stMar _OpnO_
16-50, 7 Dec 50; 5thMar _OpnO_ 44-50, 7 Dec 50; and
7thMar _Frag O_, 7 Dec 50. Other sources for this section
are: 11thMar _SAR_, 9; and Smith, _Notes_, 1062.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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