U.S. Marine Operations in Korea, 1950-1953, Volume 5 (of 5): Operations in West KoreaUnited States. Marine Corps
History
U.S. Marine Operations in Korea, 1950-1953, Volume 5 (of 5): Operations in West Korea
United States. Marine Corps
Korean War, 1950-1953 -- Campaigns; United States. Marine Corps -- History -- Korean War, 1950-1953
Badly mauled by two actions against Hill 58A, Company E came off the
lines to reorganize, exchanging positions with Company A, of Lieutenant
Colonel Louis N. King’s 1st Battalion. About this time Company C, less
one platoon, had moved from the 1/1 rear area forward to an assembly
point behind 2/1 in preparation for a night counterattack to retake
the now battle-scarred outpost. Without the customary artillery
preparation, the attacking force at 2245 crossed the MLR at a point
directly south of the former outpost Samoa, which had been abandoned
earlier when Siberia fell. Working their way northwest towards Siberia,
the Company C Marines, commanded by Captain Casimir C. Ksycewski,
cautiously approached the assault line. Reaching it at 0105 on 10
August the force deployed immediately and rushed the objective.
At about this time the Chinese defenders opened fire but could not halt
the assaulting Marines. The struggle to regain the Siberia objective
was fierce; some of the Chinese refused to yield and fought to their
death. Most, however, held their defense positions only briefly before
retiring to the refuge offered by the reverse slope of the hill.
Gaining the crest of Hill 58A at 0116, the Company C commander ordered
a platoon to the other side of the objective to dispatch remaining
elements of the enemy force. The resulting fire fight lasted nearly
four hours. At daybreak, however, the enemy, in estimated company
strength, strenuously renewed his counterfire and, for a third time,
forced the 1st Marines to retire from the disputed hill and return to
the main line.
Later that day, at the regimental CP, Colonel Layer called a staff
conference to decide on the best course of action. Successive Marine
withdrawals had been caused by the intense enemy shelling. The key to
its effectiveness was the observation provided the Chinese from Hills
122 and 110. Heavy enemy fire had also caused most of the casualties,
17 killed and 243 wounded, in 1st Marine ranks. It was decided to
shift the battle area to better restrict this enemy capability not
only to observe Marine troop movements but also to call down accurate
fire on friendly attacking units. Bunker Hill, an enemy outpost west
of Siberia, was selected. In the eyes of 1st Marines tacticians,
possession of Hill 122 instead of Hill 58A presented three major
advantages:
Hill 122 offered excellent observation into the rear of enemy
outposts;
Possession of Hill 122 would greatly strengthen the MLR in the
regimental sector, effectively neutralize Siberia, provide
dominating terrain that was more defensible than 58A; and
Bunker offered an excellent opportunity for an attack employing
the element of surprise against the enemy.
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