OVER THE SEAWALL U.S. Marines at Inchon by Brigadier General Edwin H. Simmons U.S. Marine Corps, Retired Marines in the Korean War Commemorative Series About the Author dwin Howard Simmons, a Eretired Marine brigadier gen- eral, was, as a major, the com- manding officer of Weapons Company, 3d Battalion, 1st Marines, in the landing across Blue Beach Two at Inchon. His THIS PAMPHLET HISTORY, one in a series devoted to U.S. Marines in active service spanned 30 the Korean War era, is published for the education and training of years—1942 to 1972—and Marines by the History and Museums Division, Headquarters, U.S. Marine included combat in World War II Corps, Washington, D.C., as part of the U.S. Department of Defense and Vietnam as well as Korea. A observance of the 50th anniversary of that war. Editorial costs have been defrayed in part by contributions from members of the Marine Corps writer and historian all his adult Heritage Foundation. life, he was the Director of Marine Corps History and Museums from 1972 until 1996 and is now the Director KOREAN WAR COMMEMORATIVE SERIES Emeritus. DIRECTOR OF MARINE CORPS HISTORY AND MUSEUMS He was born in Billingsport, New Jersey, the site of a Colonel John W. Ripley, USMC (RET) battle along the Delaware River in the American GENERAL EDITOR, Revolution, and received his commission in the Marine KOREAN WAR COMMEMORATIVE SERIES Corps through the Army ROTC at Lehigh University. He Charles R. Smith also has a master’s degree from Ohio State University EDITING AND DESIGN SECTION, HISTORY AND MUSEUMS DIVISION and is a graduate of the National War College. A one- Robert E. Struder, Senior Editor time managing editor of the Marine Corps Gazette, he W. Stephen Hill, Visual Information Specialist has been published widely, including more than 300 arti- Catherine A. Kerns, Composition Services Technician cles and essays. His most recent books are The United Marine Corps Historical Center States Marines: A History (1998), The Marines (1998), and Building 58, Washington Navy Yard Dog Company Six (2000). Washington, D.C. 20374-5040 He is married, has four grown children, and lives with 2000 his wife, Frances, at their residence, “Dunmarchin,” two miles up the Potomac from Mount Vernon. PCN 190 00315 100 Among the other useful sec- which examined the operation Sources ondary sources were Alexander from the viewpoint of its principal The official history, The Haig, Jr., Inner Circles (New York: commanders, using their reports, Inchon-Seoul Operation by Lynn Warner Books, 1992); Clay Blair, writings, and memoirs. Among the Montross and Capt Nicholas A. The Forgotten War: America in primary sources used, the most Canzona, Volume II in the series, Korea, 1950-1953 (New York: important were the unit files and U.S. Marine Operations in Korea, Times Books, 1987); Gen Douglas records held by MCHC of the 1st 1950-1953 (Washington, D.C.: MacArthur, Reminiscences (New Marine Division and its subordi- Historical Branch, G-3 Division, York: McGraw Hill, 1964); Gen nate regiments and battalions. HQMC, 1955), provided a center- Omar N. Bradley and Clay Blair, A Also important were the biograph- line for this account. General’s Life: An Autobiography ic files held by Reference Section. Other official histories of great (New York: Simon and Schuster, Other primary sources of great use were Roy E. Appleman, South 1983); Donald Knox, The Korean use were the oral histories, to the Naktong, North to the Yalu War: Pusan to Chosin (San Diego: diaries, and memoirs of many of (Washington, D.C.: Office of the Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1985); the participants. The most impor- Chief of Military History, Depart- Marguerite Higgins, War in Korea: tant of these were those of ment of the Army, 1961); James A. The Report of a Women Combat Generals Stratemeyer, Almond, Field, Jr., History of United States Correspondent (Garden City: Cates, Shepherd, O. P. Smith, Naval Operations: Korea (Wash- Doubleday & Company, 1951); Craig, V. H. Krulak, and Bowser, ington, D.C.: Government Printing Gen J. Lawton Collins, Lightning and Admirals Burke and Doyle. A Office, 1962); and James F. Joe: An Autobiography (Baton fully annotated draft of the text is Schnabel, Policy and Direction: Rouge: Louisiana State University on file at the Marine Corps The First Year (Washington: Office Press, 1979); and Cdr Malcolm W. Historical Center. As is their tradi- of the Chief of Military History, Cagle and Cdr Frank A. Manson, tion, the members of the staff at Department of the Army, 1972). The Sea War in Korea (Annapolis: the Center were fully supportive Victory at High Tide (Philadel- U.S. Naval Institute, 1957). in the production of this anniver- phia: Lippincott, 1968) by Col Valuable insights were provid- sary pamphlet. Photographs by Robert D. Heinl, Jr., remains the ed by an Inchon war game devel- Frank Noel are used with the per- best single-volume account of oped at the Marine Corps mission of Associated Press/World Inchon. Historical Center (MCHC) in 1987, Wide Photos. OVER THE SEAWALL U.S. Marines at Inchon by Brigadier General Edwin H. Simmons, USMC (Ret) ust three weeks the JCS executive agent for the Far informed his boss, Major General away and there was East Command and nominally Edward M. “Ned” Almond, chief of still no approval higher in the chain-of-command staff of the Far East Command, from Washington for than MacArthur—but only nomi- who awakened MacArthur with the the Marines to land nally. In World War I MacArthur news. The United States was going at Inchon on 15 September 1950. was already a brigadier general to war. General of the Army Douglas when Collins was barely a captain. Four days later, and a day after MacArthur, determined to beat Now MacArthur had five stars and the fall of Seoul, MacArthur flew to down the opposition to the land- Collins four. Korea in the Bataan, to make a ing, called a conference for late in On this afternoon, First Lieuten- personal reconnaissance, taking the day, 23 August, at his head- ant Alexander M. Haig’s task was with him Major General Almond. quarters in the Dai Ichi building in to lay out the pads of paper, pen- Korea stretched beneath them like Tokyo. cils, and water glasses on the table a giant relief map. To the east of of the sixth floor conference room. the Korean peninsula lay the Sea Planning This done, he took his post seated of Japan; to the west the Yellow in a straight-backed chair just out- Sea. The vulnerability of these two As Commander in Chief, Far side the door. Haig, then the junior watery sides of the peninsula to a East (CinCFE), MacArthur consid- aide-de-camp to MacArthur’s chief dominant naval power was not lost ered himself empowered to con- of staff, was destined to become, on a master strategist such as duct military operations more-or- many years later, the Secretary of MacArthur. The Bataan landed at less as he saw fit. But for an oper- State. Suwon, 20 miles south of Seoul. ation of the magnitude of Inchon The Marine Corps would have MacArthur commandeered a jeep and the resources it would require no voice at the meeting. The Corps and headed north through, in his he needed approval from the high- had neither membership nor repre- words, “the dreadful backwash of est level. sentation on the JCS. Admiral a defeated and dispersed army.” The Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS), Sherman, not a strong champion of “Seoul was already in enemy doubtful of the landing’s chances Marine Corps interests, was the hands,” he wrote in his of success, had sent out the Army service chief most directly con- Reminiscences some years later. Chief of Staff, General J. Lawton cerned with the amphibious phase “The scene along the Han was Collins, and the Chief of Naval of the still tentative operation. enough to convince me that the Operations, Admiral Forrest P. defensive potential of South Korea Sherman, to review the situation Opening Moves had already been exhausted. The directly with MacArthur. Now he answer I had come to seek was would have to overcome their Only two months before the there. I would throw occupation skeptical resistance. Collins was meeting of MacArthur with Collins troops into this breach. I would and Sherman, in the pre-dawn rely upon strategic maneuver to On the Cover: Using scaling lad- hours of 25 June, 25-year-old overcome the great odds against ders, Marines storm over the seawall Lieutenant Haig, as duty officer at me.” at Inchon. Department of Defense MacArthur’s headquarters in MacArthur returned to what he Photo (USMC) A3191 Tokyo, received a phone call from At left: The mop-up at Inchon liked to call his “GHQ” in Tokyo, the American ambassador in Seoul, turned up a group of young North convinced that to regain the initia- Koreans, left as harassing forces. John J. Muccio, that large forma- tive the United States must use its Photo courtesy of Leatherneck tions of North Korean infantry had amphibious capability and land Magazine crossed the 38th Parallel. Haig behind the advancing North 1 combat-ready, to South Korea. His aim, he later said, was to trade space for time until a base could be developed at Pusan at the southern tip of the peninsula as a springboard for future operations. Approval came from President Harry S. Truman for the imposition of a naval blockade and limited air operations. “The Air Force was under Lieutenant General George E. Stratemeyer, and the Navy under Vice Admiral C. Turner Joy, both able and efficient veterans of the war,” wrote MacArthur.