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
[404] Official records are at variance on this point. The 2/5
command diary indicates that the battalion continued the
exercise on 16–17 April, returning the latter date. The
5th Marines report categorically indicates that MARLEX XX
was cancelled on 15 April, because of the weather.
Not long afterward a training exercise involving UNC personnel got
underway when the 5th[405] and 1st Marines, together with the
artillerymen, combined with the Army, ROK, and Commonwealth Division on
20 April for a four-day I Corps command post exercise (CPX) EVEREADY
GEORGE, not far from Seoul.
[405] Now under a new regimental commander, Colonel Tschirgi,
who had joined the 5th Marines on 14 April, succeeding
Colonel Walt, newly assigned division G-3.
Along the division front the war was still a daily survival contest,
despite the promising outlook at Panmunjom. The most ambitious attempt
by the Chinese during the month took place over a three-day period
in the right regimental sector, not long after the 7th Marines had
moved to the MLR. On 9 April, following a heavy two-hour ballistic
downpour of 2,000 rounds of enemy mortar and artillery, a reinforced
company of about 300 Chinese soldiers launched a strong probe against
Carson at 0345. Attacking in two echelons, the enemy approached from
the direction of Arrowhead on the north and the Reno ridgeline. In an
hour’s time, the enemy had reached the Marine trenches and protective
wire, at some places, and was being unceremoniously repulsed by the 1/7
detachment at Carson. For an hour and a half a heavy fire fight raged
at the outpost while intruders and defenders battled at point-blank
range to settle the dispute.
A reinforcement platoon, from 4/2/7, dispatched from the MLR at 0530,
made it as far as the newly established Marine outpost at Elko, about
400 yards southeast of Carson, before being held up by a heavy shower
of mortar rounds, and small arms fire. Tankers from the Company A
direct element[406] plus a section (two tanks) from the regiment’s
armored platoon leveled their lethal 90mm fires to discourage the
enemy, as did the defender’s barrage of 60mm, 81mm, and 4.2-inch
mortars.
[406] Throughout the three-day action, gun tanks from Companies
A and B (the forward reserve unit) and the regimental
antitank company fired a total of more than 1,469 90mm
shells to neutralize enemy positions and weapons.
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