3RAR: THE KOREAN WAR TO IN THEIR FIRST DUTY, THE AUSTRALIANS OF 3RAR PROVED THEIR HARD ROAD t the timePAKCHON the Korean War reinforcements began arriving at the end of August, Major Bruce METTLE ALONGSIDE THEIR BRITISH COMRADES. began, the 3rd Battalion, Royal Ferguson allocated them to their companies and dealt with the Australian Regiment (3RAR), influx of weapons, vehicles and equipment. The reinforcements By Michael Kelly was the only Australian infantry were drawn from both 1 and 2RAR and from volunteers, battalion remaining as part of the British known as K Force, many of whom had served during the Second ACommonwealth Occupation Force in Japan. World War. The last draft of reinforcements arrived in Japan The battalion had been preparing to leave on 10 September, with the battalion’s new commanding officer, for Australia and was operating at under Lieutenant Colonel Charles Green. half of its established strength: just three Among those who welcomed Green were Ferguson and understrength rifle companies and battalion Captain Ben O’Dowd. Both had served with Green during headquarters. the Second World War: Ferguson in the 2/2nd Battalion, When 3RAR was committed to Korea and O’Dowd in the 2/11th Battalion. During the Wewak on 26 July 1950, the men were elated, but campaign, for which Green was awarded a Distinguished Service there was much that needed to be done Order, Green had been responsible for O’Dowd’s battlefield to make the battalion ready for war. As commission. Ferguson and O’Dowd had stayed in the army and c. 29 October 1950, near Chongju. The men of 3RAR’s Medium Machine Gun (MMG) Platoon are under enemy fire and awaiting their chance to engage enemy targets on the opposite ridge. AWM HOBJ1649 36 | WARTIME ISSUE 72 3RAR: THE KOREAN WAR waited for the ration vehicles coming out Far left: 30 to the enemy capital. The Australians of Sariwon – but it was NKPA troops September 1950. watched the American troops roll past that were encountered in the gloom. Lieutenant Colonel in their trucks, throwing up clouds of Shots were fired and the North Koreans Charles Green choking dust. Pyongyang was entered by introduces officers scattered into fire positions. of 3RAR to Brigadier the 1st Cavalry and the ROK 1st and 7th During the tense stand-off, Ferguson Aubrey Coad at Divisions on 20 October. radioed Green for reinforcements. Taegu. AWM 146906 In an attempt to cut off and destroy Green sent B Company, commanded by retreating NKPA formations, the Left: 7 November Major George Thirlwell, and several US 1950, Pakchon. American 187th Airborne Regimental Sherman tanks to assist. Ferguson took Lieutenant Alf Combat Team (187th RCT) was dropped Thirlwell up on the back deck of one of Argent, 3RAR’s north of the enemy capital that afternoon. the tanks, and through an interpreter told intelligence officer, As the Airborne troops moved south the and Lieutenant the NKPA troops they were surrounded Colonel Bruce following morning, they encountered and had two minutes to surrender or be Ferguson, the North Korean 239th Regiment, left destroyed. Ferguson later recalled that it commanding officer behind as a delaying force. The Americans was indeed the longest two minutes of his of 3RAR, confer over were soon hard-pressed and called for an operations map life, but the North Koreans did surrender. of the area. assistance. The 27th BCB, tasked with By morning, 3RAR had taken 1,982 AWM 146988 rescuing the beleaguered paratroopers, North Korean prisoners. moved through Pyongyang during the Green and his men had another Below: c. 12 morning and advanced north. By the October 1950. The surprise that night when a convoy of the men of the 3RAR evening of the 21st, the Argylls had were among 3RAR’s original officers. Two days later, the brigade was ordered back to Taegu to US 7th Cavalry, with a further 1,700 are formed up and advanced to the hills outside the town Two weeks of intensive training followed be transferred by air to Kimpo, near Seoul. While the men North Korean prisoners, arrived from ready to cross the of Yongju, where they encountered Green’s arrival. By the time the men waited at the airfield, they watched the transport aircraft the direction that Green had planned 38th parallel into elements of the NKPA 239th Regiment. coming in. During the landing of a C119 “Flying Boxcar”, a North Korea. embarked from Kure, they had started to advance the next morning – so there AWM HOBJ1484 By nightfall, the Argylls held the high to work well as a unit. On the morning rending metal sound was heard, followed by the aircraft’s twin was unlikely to be large-scale organised ground south of Yongju. of 28 September the US troopship Aiken tail booms ripping off and dragging along the tarmac until the resistance before Pyongyang. The next Victory, carrying 3RAR, docked at Pusan. aircraft stopped. This caused the grounding of all C119s while morning the men of the 27th BCB were APPLE ORCHARD AND SINANJU Two days later at Taegu, the men the accident was investigated. Despite this, US Air Force and sorely disappointed when General Gay The next morning, the Argylls advanced paraded before Brigadier Aubrey Coad, Marines aircraft had lifted 3RAR and the Argylls to Kimpo personally sidelined the brigade so that into the town and began clearing each who welcomed the Australians to the by 5 pm; the Middlesex were flown in the following morning. the US 1st Cavalry could be the first house of enemy troops, and linked up 27th British Infantry Brigade. He Coad took his three battalion commanders by road with the with elements of the 187th RCT. With spoke of the deeds of the 1st Battalion, brigade’s transport. C Company on Sherman tanks leading, the Argyll and Sutherland Highland 3RAR advanced through Yongju and Regiment, known as the Jocks, and of the TO SARIWON AND YONGJU took the road towards Sunchon. At 9 am, 1st Battalion, the Middlesex Regiment, The 27th BCB left Seoul on 9 October and joined the US 1st C Company came under fire from an known as the Diehards, so far in Korea. Cavalry Division, commanded by General Hobart Gay, at apple orchard (see Wartime Issue 56 for He told the men of 3RAR that he had Kaesong. The same day the 1st Cavalry began their advance into a full account). Green organised a swift “always admired Australian soldiers” North Korea, followed two days later by the 27th BCB. Owing attack off the march. Over the following and he officially changed the brigade’s to lack of transport and decent intelligence, the brigade initially hours, C Company defeated a numerically name to the 27th British Commonwealth advanced slowly, but by the evening of the 16th, Coad’s men had superior and dug-in enemy force, killing Brigade (27th BCB) to reflect its new reached Sohung. 150 North Korean soldiers and capturing antipodean element. According to The rapid advance by the US 8th Army and Republic of a further 239. Seven Australians had O’Dowd, the men took an immediate Korea (ROK) formations had cut off a number of North Korean been wounded. The quick decisions liking to Coad; noting his height and Peoples’ Army (NKPA) divisions. Sariwon was an important and decisive actions of Green, his florid nose, they gave him the nicknames thoroughfare and staging area for the North Koreans, so officers, NCOs and men gave 3RAR an “Plonky” and “Penfolds” and later “the capturing the town would cut off a large number of enemy troops outstanding victory. The Middlesex then grey-headed old bastard”. and stop them from mounting a serious defence of Pyongyang. pushed through 3RAR to link up with the 3RAR conducted patrolling and The morning of the 17th, the Argylls led the advance towards American paratroopers. mopping up operations north of Taegu Sariwon with their lead company mounted on US tanks. The The following day, the Middlesex in early October, and suffered its first Argylls made excellent progress until about 6 kilometres from Battalion led the 27th BCB advance to casualties. A universal carrier driven Sariwon, when they came under fire from North Korean troops. Sinanju on the Chongchon River. With by Private Ken Sketchley, and carrying After a sharp, one-sided fight, the Argylls entered Sariwon and winter fast approaching, the men had Captain Ken Hummerston, entered an began to clear the town. begun to feel the cold, especially at night. unmarked minefield and detonated a With the Argylls in Sariwon, 3RAR drove through and The cold was also causing problems with mine, killing both men instantly. It was a formed a road block 8 kilometres north of the town. With the brigade’s transport. The rapid advance rude awakening to the realities of war for night falling, Green deployed the men into all-round defensive had outdistanced the lines of supply, and the uninitiated in 3RAR. positions. At the rear of the battalion’s perimeter, Ferguson vehicles were breaking down from a lack 38 | WARTIME ISSUE 72 of maintenance and the unavailability of Right: Brigadier the river. The rest of the battalion was spare parts. Aubrey Coad deployed to compass points around Kujin. The bridges at Sinanju and the nearby (centre) and After sporadic contacts, at 10.30 pm Lieutenant the men of B Company came under town of Anju had been blown and the Colonel Charles 27th BCB spent the night at Sinanju. Green return accurate fire from the North Koreans, The following morning the Middlesex from a forward killing two Australians and wounding Battalion crossed the Chongchon River reconnaissance three.