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
To fill in the central part of the EUSAK front where the change of
IX Corps boundary had created a gap in the line, the UN commander
inserted the ROK II Corps with three divisions (ROK 6th, ROK Capital,
and ROK 3d) forward. Immediately to the right of this new ROK corps
sector, the X Corps continued in approximately its same position on
the east-central front. Its ROK 7th and U.S. 25th Divisions remained
on line, while the ROK 8th had advanced to the former sector of the
Marine division in the wild Punchbowl country. At the far right of the
UN line, the ROK I Corps front was held by the ROK 11th Division at the
X Corps boundary and the ROK 5th along the Sea of Japan. By 1 May 1952,
nine Republic of Korea divisions had been emplaced on the UNC main
defense line, three more than had been there in mid-March.
Throughout Korea in March and April there had been a general stagnation
of offensive action on both sides because of fog, rain, and mud. In
May, however, the Chinese launched no less than 30 probing attacks
against the ROK 1st Division in the I Corps sector, without gaining
any significant advantage. To the right, the enemy and the U.S. 45th
Division traded blows in several patrol actions. In June, major
EUSAK combat action was still centered in the 45th’s sector, but the
following month was marked by sharp battlefront clashes in nearly all
Eighth Army division areas. For a two-week period in July and August,
heavy seasonal rains limited both ground and air action. With the
return of normal weather, heavy fighting again broke out, this time
concentrated in the I Corps sector. This action did not abate until
late August, when the onset of the heaviest rains of the season again
drastically reduced military operations.
Communist ground activity in the spring of 1952 was marked by increased
artillery support which resulted in telling damage to UN infantry and
artillery positions. Thus, during May, the enemy expended approximately
102,000 artillery and mortar rounds against the Allied front, roughly
12 times the number fired the previous July, just prior to the
period of stabilized battlelines in Korea. The artillery buildup was
accompanied by a sharp decrease in hostile air support activities.
While the Chinese had flown 3,700 jet sorties during the first month of
1952, by June the monthly total had dropped to 308.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account