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
No time was lost getting under way. At a staff conference with
battalion commanders on 11 May, General Pollock, division CG, stressed
the importance of using the time they were in reserve for enhancing
division combat-readiness. Even as he spoke, his 5th Marines had the
day before boarded ships at Inchon and were en route to the Yongjong-ni
landing area for MARLEX I. Since the 5th Marines, in division reserve,
had been the first of the regiments to displace and on 1 May had turned
its sector over to the incoming 14th Infantry Regiment, it got the jump
on training during the reserve period. Regimental Operation Plan 12-53,
of 28 April, had outlined requirements for the 5th Marines RCT LEX
1; from 2–9 May the regiment had participated in a week of intensive
amphibious training, including reduced and normal distance CPX dry runs
for the coming MARLEX.
With ships from CTE 90.85,[423] and air defense by VMFs-311 and -115,
Colonel Tschirgi’s RCT-5 made the D-Day landing on 13 May with its two
assault BLTs securing the objective. An unexpectedly shallow beach
gradient and difficulties encountered in unloading vehicles from the
causeway resulted in less than a 100 percent performance rating. These
were deficiencies that might have been prevented had not the customary
rehearsal been cancelled the previous day when a heavy fog obscured the
landing beaches. Besides regimental antitank and 4.2-inch mortar units,
participating support elements included Company D, 1st Tank Battalion;
Company A, 1st Armored Amphibian Battalion; Company C, 1st Engineer
Battalion; 1/11; and helicopters from HMR-161 and VMO-6.
[423] CTE 90.85 constituted the MARLEX training element of
TF-90, Amphibious Force Far East, redesignated Amphibious
Group Western Pacific earlier that month.
Meanwhile, on 15 May, command post and subordinate units from the 1st,
5th (less RCT-5 currently deployed in MARLEX I), and 7th Marines and
support elements took part in a one-day division CPX at Camp Casey
stressing mobility, security and operational procedures. Another CPX on
22–23 May by 11th Marines and engineer personnel emphasized dispersion,
camouflage, and message handling under simulated combat conditions.
Units of the three infantry regiments plus the KMCs training with the
7th Marines at Indianhead combined in a CPX-FEX (command post-firing
exercise) on 26–27 May. Realism bowed to current ordnance supply
economics in that ammunition was carried for individual weapons, but it
would “not be loaded except on specific orders from an officer.”[424]
[424] 1stMarDiv msg to addees in 1stMarDiv G-3 Jnl, dtd 22 May
53.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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