FROZEN CHOSIN, U.S. Marines at the Changjin Reservoir
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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 THIS PAMPHLET HISTORY, one in a series devoted to U.S. Marines Marines, throughout the Chosin in the Korean War era, is published for the education and training of Marines by the History and Museums Division, Headquarters, U.S. Reservoir campaign. His active Marine Corps, Washington, D.C., as part of the U.S. Department of Marine Corps service spanned 30 Defense observance of the 50th anniversary of that war. Editorial costs years—1942 to 1972—during have been defrayed in part by contributions from members of the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation. To plan and coordinate the Korean which, as he likes to boast, suc- War commemorative events and activities of the Sea Services, the Navy, cessively in World War II, Korea, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard have formed the Sea Services Korean and Vietnam he had command or War Commemoration Committee, chaired by the Director, Navy Staff. acting command in combat of every size unit from platoon For more information about the Sea Services’ commemorative effort, please contact the Navy-Marine Corps Korean War Commemoration to division. A writer and historian all his adult life, he was Coordinator at (202) 433-4223/3085, FAX 433-7265 (DSN288-7265), E- the Director of Marine Corps History and Museums from Mail: [email protected], Website: www.histo- 1972 until 1996 and is now the Director Emeritus. ry.usmc.mil. Born in 1921 in Billingsport, New Jersey, the site of a KOREAN WAR COMMEMORATIVE SERIES Revolutionary War battle, he received his commission in the DIRECTOR OF MARINE CORPS HISTORY AND MUSEUMS Colonel John W. Ripley, USMC (Ret) Marine Corps in 1942 through the Army ROTC at Lehigh GENERAL EDITOR, KOREAN WAR COMMEMORATIVE SERIES University. He also holds a master’s degree from Ohio State Charles R. Smith University and is a graduate of the National War College. A EDITING AND DESIGN SECTION, HISTORY AND MUSEUMS DIVISION one-time managing editor of the Marine Corps Gazette W. Stephen Hill, Visual Information Specialist (1945-1949), he has been widely published, including more Catherine A. Kerns, Visual Information Specialist than 300 articles and essays. His most recent books are The NAVY-MARINE CORPS KOREAN WAR COMMEMORATION United States Marine: A History (1998), The Marines (1998), Lieutenant Colonel Ward E. Scott II, USMCR, Coordinator and a Korean War novel, Dog Company Six. He is the U.S. Marine Corps Historical Center author of an earlier pamphlet in this series, Over the 1254 Charles Morris Street SE Seawall: U.S. Marines at Inchon. Washington Navy Yard DC 20374-5040 He is married, has four grown children, and lives with 2002 his wife, Frances, at their residence, “Dunmarchin,” two PCN 190 00041 0000 miles up the Potomac from Mount Vernon. varies widely—Roy E. Appleman, East of Resort was made to scores of biographi- Sources Chosin and South to the Naktong, North to cal and subject files held by the Reference the Yalu; Clay Blair, The Forgotten War; Section of the Marine Corps Historical The official history, The Chosin Reservoir Malcolm W. Cagle and Frank A. Manson, Center. Campaign by Lynn Montross and Capt The Sea War in Korea; T. R. Fehrenbach, The author also unabashedly put to use Nicholas A. Canzona, volume three in the This Kind of War; Andrew Geer, The New his own recollections of events and recycled five-volume series U.S. Marine Operations Breed; D. M. Giangreco, War in Korea, materials that he had first developed on in Korea, 1950-1953, provided a starting 1950-1953; Richard P. Hallion, The Naval Chosin Reservoir in various essays, articles, place for this account. However, in the near Air War in Korea; Max Hastings, The and lectures during the past half-century. half-century since this volume was pub- Korean War; Robert Leckie, The March to As is invariably the case, the author had lished in 1957, there has been a great deal Glory; Douglas MacArthur, Reminiscences; the unstinting and enthusiastic support and of new scholarship as well as release of Francis Fox Parry, Three War Marine; cooperation of the staff at the Marine Corps classified records, particularly with respect Russell Spurr, Enter the Dragon; Shelby L. Historical Center. to Chinese forces. This pamphlet attempts Stanton, America’s Tenth Legion; John The text has benefited greatly from the to benefit from these later sources. Toland, In Mortal Combat: Korea 1950- critical reviews by the editorial ladder with- With respect to Chinese forces, The 1953; Rudy Tomedi, No Bugles, No Drums; in the Marine Corps Historical Center—Mr. Dragon Strikes by Maj Patrick C. Roe has and Harry Truman, Memoirs. Charles R. “Rich” Smith, Mr. Charles D. been especially useful as have various arti- The official reports that proved most Melson, LtCol Jon Hoffman—and externally cles by both Chinese and Western scholars helpful were the Far East Command’s by Col Joseph Alexander, Col Thomas G. that have appeared in academic journals. Command Report, December 1950; the 1st Ferguson, USA (Ret), BGen James F. The Changjin Journal, the electronic Marine Division’s Historical Diary for Lawrence, Col Allan R. Millett, Mr. J. Robert newsletter edited by Col George A. Rasula, November 1950; the Commander, Task Moskin, Col George A. Rasula, USA (Ret), USA (Ret), has provided thought-provoking Force 90’s Hungnam Redeployment, 9-25 and Maj Patrick C. Roe. The author, of detail on the role of U.S. Army forces, par- December 1950; and the Headquarters, X course, remains responsible for any defects ticularly RCT-31, at the reservoir. The as-yet Corps, Special Report on Chosin Reservoir, remaining in the book. uncompleted work on the Hungnam evacu- 17 November to 10 December 1950. A fully annotated draft manuscript is on ation by Professor Donald Chisholm has Oral histories, diaries, memoirs (pub- deposit at the Marine Corps Historical yielded new insights on that critical culmi- lished and unpublished), and personal cor- Center. Virtually all of the reference materi- nating event. respondence were extremely useful, espe- als published and unpublished, used can be Books, some new, some old, that have cially those papers originating with found at the Marine Corps Historical Center been most useful include—listed alphabeti- Generals Almond, Bowser, Craig, Litzen- in Washington, D.C., or at the Marine Corps cally and not necessarily by worth, which berg, Murray, Shepherd, and Smith. Research Center at Quantico, Virginia. FROZEN CHOSIN U.S. Marines at the Changjin Reservoir by Brigadier General Edwin H. Simmons, USMC (Ret) he race to the Yalu Colonel Homer L. Litzenberg, Jr., was on. General of 47, to move his 7th Marine the Army Douglas Regimental Combat Team north MacArthur’s strategic from Wonsan to Hamhung. Smith triumph at Inchon was then to prepare for an and the subsequent breakout of advance to the Manchurian border, the U.S. Eighth Army from the 135 miles distant. And so began Pusan Perimeter and the recapture one of the Marine Corps’ greatest of Seoul had changed the direction battles—or, as the Corps would of the war. Only the finishing call it, the “Chosin Reservoir touches needed to be done to Campaign.” The Marines called it complete the destruction of the the “Chosin” Reservoir because North Korean People’s Army. that is what their Japanese-based Moving up the east coast was the maps called it. The South Koreans, independent X Corps, command- nationalistic sensibilities disturbed, ed by Major General Edward M. preferred—and, indeed, would Almond, USA. The 1st Marine come to insist—that it be called Division, under Major General the “Changjin” Reservoir. Department of Defense Photo (USMC) A88898 Oliver P. Smith, was part of X General Smith, commander of MajGen Oliver P. “O.P.” Smith com- Corps and had been so since the 15 the Marines—a quiet man and manded the 1st Marine Division September 1950 landing at Inchon. inveterate pipe-smoker (his fa- throughout the Chosin Reservoir cam- After Seoul the 1st Marine vorite brand of tobacco was Sir paign. A studious man, his quiet Division had reloaded into its Walter Raleigh)—was not the sort of demeanor belied his extensive combat experience. His seemingly cautious amphibious ships and had swung personality to attract a nickname. style of leadership brought him into around the Korean peninsula to His contemporaries sometimes frequent conflict with MajGen land at Wonsan on the east coast. referred to him as “the Professor” Edward M. Almond, USA, the impetu- The landing on 26 October 1950 but, for the most part, to distin- ous commanding general of X Corps. met no opposition; the port had guish him from two more senior been taken from the land side by and better known General Smiths in Patton’s Third Army and had been the resurgent South Korean army. the World War II Marine Corps— a Patton favorite. But these cre- The date was General Smith’s 57th Holland M. “Howlin’ Mad” Smith dentials held little weight with birthday, but he let it pass unno- of famous temper and mild-man- General Douglas MacArthur. He ticed. Two days later he ordered nered Julian C. Smith of Tarawa— had come close to relieving he was known by his initials “O. P.” Walker in August during the worst ON THE COVER: In this poignant pho- Across the Taebaek (Nangnim) of the situation in the Pusan tograph by the peerless Marine and Mountains, the Eighth Army, Perimeter. Relations between Life photographer, David Douglas under Lieutenant General Walton Almond and Walker were cool at Duncan, the dead ride in trucks, legs H.