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
[38] VMFs-212 (LtCol Robert L. Bryson) and -323 (LtCol
Richard L. Blume) left an east coast field for a flight
mission over North Korea and landed at K-6 thereafter,
also completing the move without closing down combat
operations. The relocation in airfields was designed to
keep several squadrons of support aircraft close to the
1st Marine Division. Col E. T. Dorsey ltr to Hd, HistBr,
G-3 Div, HQMC, dtd 7 Sep 66.
Marine aircraft support units were also located at K-3 and at Itami
Air Force Base, on Honshu, Japan. Under direct 1st MAW control were
four ground-type logistical support units with MAG-33, a Provisional
Automatic Weapons Battery from Marine Air Control Group 2 (MACG-2),
and most of wing headquarters. This last unit, commanded by Colonel
Frederick R. Payne, Jr., included the 1st 90mm AAA Gun Battalion (based
at Pusan and led by Colonel Max C. Chapman), and a detachment of Marine
Transport Squadron 152 (VMR-152), which had seven Douglas four-engine
R5D transports. This element and the wing service squadron were based
at Itami.
Marines, and others flying in western Korea, found themselves
restricted much as Marines on the ground were. One limitation resulted
from a FAF-EUSAK agreement in November 1951 limiting the number of
daily close air support sorties across the entire Eighth Army line.
This policy had restricted air activity along the 155-mile Korean front
to 96 sorties per day. The curtailment seriously interfered with the
Marine type of close air support teamwork evolved during World War II,
and its execution had an adverse effect on Marine ground operations as
well. A second restriction, also detrimental to Marine division and
wing efficiency, was the prohibitive cushion Fifth Air Force had placed
around the United Nations peace corridor area north of the Marine
MLR. This buffer no-fly, no-fire zone which had been added to prevent
violation of the UN sanctuary by stray hits did not apply, of course,
to the Communists.
_The Enemy_[39]
[39] Unless otherwise noted, the material in this section
is derived from: _PacFlt EvalRpt_ No. 4, Chaps. 9, 10;
1stMarDiv ComdD, Mar 52.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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