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018 - Chapter 9 Part 1 - Fox Hill · Marine Operations in Korea The Chosin Reservoir Campaign

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  Speaker 1: Chapter nine, Part one of U. S. Marine Operations in
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  Speaker 1: Korea nineteen fifty to nineteen fifty three, Volume three, The
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  Speaker 1: Chosen Reservoir Campaign by Lynn Montross and Nicholas Canzona. This
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  Speaker 1: LibriVox recording is in the public domain Fox Hill. Of
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  Speaker 1: the marine artillery units at udam Knee, those most directly
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  Speaker 1: imperiled by CCF gains On North Ridge were Major Perry's
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  Speaker 1: third Battalion and Battery K of the fourth The latter
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  Speaker 1: under First Lieutenant Robert C. Messman, lay beneath the southeastern
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  Speaker 1: spur of Hill twelve eighty two, having gone into position
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  Speaker 1: at twenty one hundred on twenty seven November. Rear Word
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  Speaker 1: of King Battery three eleven was positioned below the steep
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  Speaker 1: slopes of Hill twelve forty, where its one oh five
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  Speaker 1: set fired in direct support of the seventh Marines on
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  Speaker 1: twenty six and twenty seven November. The first Battalion eleventh Marines,
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  Speaker 1: which had arrived at Udamnee early on the twenty seventh
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  Speaker 1: to support the fifth Regiment, was emplaced in the valley
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  Speaker 1: between the tips of South and Southwest Ridges. Major William McReynolds,
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  Speaker 1: commanding the fourth Battalion, reached the perimeter with his outfit.
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  Speaker 1: Later he had two batteries in action by nineteen hundred
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  Speaker 1: and all three by twenty three hundred on the low
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  Speaker 1: grounds separating south and southeast ridges. Battery k firing under
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  Speaker 1: the direction of one to eleven pending the arrival of
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  Speaker 1: the parent unit, then reverted to mcreynolds's control, although it
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  Speaker 1: did not displace rearword to four eleven's positions until the
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  Speaker 1: next day. The TD fourteen bulldozers of the eleventh Marines
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  Speaker 1: had proved to be no match for the eight inch
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  Speaker 1: frost line around the reservoir, with the result that all
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  Speaker 1: batteries and security positions sat fully exposed on the concrete
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  Speaker 1: like flatlands. Incoming mortar fire harassed the artillerymen throughout the
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  Speaker 1: day of twenty seven November, and after dark, CCF flat
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  Speaker 1: trajectory weapons stepped up the t tempo of bombardment. Marine
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  Speaker 1: casualties in the valley were light, however, for the enemy
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  Speaker 1: gunners seemed unable to group their erratic potshots into effective barrages.
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  Speaker 1: It was the imminent threat of Communist infantry attack from
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  Speaker 1: north Ridge that weighed down on the artillery men of
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  Speaker 1: the eleventh Regiment during the pre dawn hours of twenty
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  Speaker 1: eight November. Since the beginning of the CCF onslaught, they
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  Speaker 1: had been firing their howitzers almost ceaselessly in a one
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  Speaker 1: hundred eighty degree arc, and ammunition stocks were fast whittling
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  Speaker 1: to a critical level, their gun flashes providing brilliant targets
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  Speaker 1: for enemy infiltrators. They could reasonably expect a full scale
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  Speaker 1: assault in the event of the dislodgment of Easy and
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  Speaker 1: Dog companies from Hills twelve eighty two and twelve forty.
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  Speaker 1: The effect of counter moves by Colonels Litzenburg and Murray
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  Speaker 1: would not be known until after dawn, and meanwhile, the
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  Speaker 1: marine gunners kept on firing their howitzers while the black
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  Speaker 1: outline of north Ridge loomed evermore, menacing encirclement of Company
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  Speaker 1: C of RCT seven, While the seventy ninth and eighty
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  Speaker 1: ninth CCF divisions pounded the northwest arc of the Eudemne perimeter.
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  Speaker 1: During the night of twenty seven to twenty eight November,
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  Speaker 1: the fifty ninth completed its wide end sweep to the
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  Speaker 1: southeast and moved against the fourteen mile stretch of road
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  Speaker 1: to Hagarou At the moment, the communist effort in that
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  Speaker 1: quarter could be considered a secondary attack. But if ever
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  Speaker 1: a target fulfilled all the qualifications of a prime objective,
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  Speaker 1: it was this critical link in the MSR, the very
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  Speaker 1: lifeline to most of the first Marine Division's infantry and
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  Speaker 1: artillery strength. During the twenty seventh Captain Wilcox's Baker Company
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  Speaker 1: of the seventh Marines patrolled along South Ridge as darkness fell.
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  Speaker 1: It was heavily engaged and encumbered with a number of
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  Speaker 1: litter casualties. With the permission of the Regimental commander, Lieutenant
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  Speaker 1: Colonel Davis led Captain John FA. Morris's Charlie Company Minus
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  Speaker 1: down the MSR to positions across the road from Hill
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  Speaker 1: fourteen nineteen. Aided by Charlie Company, Baker was then able
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  Speaker 1: to withdraw and return to udem Knee with Davis while
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  Speaker 1: Morris and his reduced company took up positions on Hill
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  Speaker 1: fourteen nineteen. He deployed his two rifle platoons in sixty
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  Speaker 1: millimeter mortar section in a crescent on the lower slopes
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  Speaker 1: of the eastern spur facing the distant crest at zero
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  Speaker 1: two thirty five hours after UMD came under attack, a
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  Speaker 1: CCF force descended from the high ground and struck the
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  Speaker 1: right flank. After overrunning part of First Lieutenant Jack A.
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  Speaker 1: Chabac's platoon and inflicting heavy casualties, the Reds lashed out
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  Speaker 1: at the left flank of the crescent shaped defense. Here
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  Speaker 1: StAst Sergeant Earl J. Paines, platoon less one squad in
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  Speaker 1: an outpost on higher ground, bent under the weight of
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  Speaker 1: the attack and was soon in danger of being driven
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  Speaker 1: out of position. Captain Morris reinforced the platoons on each
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  Speaker 1: flank with men from his headquarters in the mortar section.
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  Speaker 1: The reshuffling was accomplished in the nick of time and
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  Speaker 1: just barely tipped the scales in favor of the defenders.
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  Speaker 1: A seesaw battle raged until after dawn on the twenty
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  Speaker 1: eighth win. With the help of artillery fire from Udam Knee,
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  Speaker 1: the Marines drove the Chinese back into the hills. Although
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  Speaker 1: their critical pressure eased at daybreak, Company C remained pinned
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  Speaker 1: down by enemy fire coming from every direction, including the
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  Speaker 1: crest of Hill fourteen nineteen directly above. The Chinese were
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  Speaker 1: in absolute control of the MSR to the south toward
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  Speaker 1: Taktong Pass and to the north in the direction of
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  Speaker 1: Udam Knee. Morris had taken about forty casualties, a dangerously
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  Speaker 1: high proportion since he had only two of his three
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  Speaker 1: rifle platoons. His radio had been knocked out by enemy bullets,
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  Speaker 1: and the sixty millimeter mortar section was left with but
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  Speaker 1: a few rounds of ammunition. For want of communications, he
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  Speaker 1: could get no help from the Marine corsairs on station overhead.
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  Speaker 1: The outpost squad from pain S Platoon could not be
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  Speaker 1: contacted in its position on the higher slopes of Hill
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  Speaker 1: fourteen nineteen. Corporal Curtis J. Keasling, who volunteered to search
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  Speaker 1: for the lost unit, was killed by CCF machine gun
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  Speaker 1: fire as he attempted to scale the rugged incline. Other
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  Speaker 1: men of Company C repeatedly exposed themselves in order to
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  Speaker 1: drag wounded comrades to the relative safety of a draw
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  Speaker 1: leading down to the MSR. Surrounded and outnumbered, Morris had
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  Speaker 1: no alternative but to await help from Udam Knee. He
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  Speaker 1: contracted his perimeter on the hillside east of the road,
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  Speaker 1: and from this tiny tactical island for the rest of
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  Speaker 1: the morning, his men watched Communist troops jockey for position
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  Speaker 1: around a three hundred sixty degree circle Fox Company at
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  Speaker 1: Taktong Pass, where Morris had taken a reduced infantry company
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  Speaker 1: into its lonely assignment on the MSR. Captain William E.
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  Speaker 1: Barber went into position at Tactunk Pass on the twenty
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  Speaker 1: seventh with a heavily reinforced outfit his Fox Company of
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  Speaker 1: two seven augmented by heavy machine gun and eighty one
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  Speaker 1: millimeter mortar sections of Weapons Company number two hundred forty
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  Speaker 1: officers and men. At the midway point of the pass,
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  Speaker 1: Barber chose an isolated hill just north of the MSR
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  Speaker 1: for his company perimeter. He placed the third platoon, first
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  Speaker 1: Lieutenant Robert C. McCarthy, on the summit, facing generally north,
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  Speaker 1: with the first first Lieutenant John M. Dunn on the
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  Speaker 1: right and the second, First Lieutenant Elmer G. Peterson, on
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  Speaker 1: the left. The third platoon formed a hilltop perimeter, with
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  Speaker 1: two squads forward and the third in reserve to the rear.
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  Speaker 1: Tied in on each flank. The first and second platoons
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  Speaker 1: stretched down their respective hillsides and bent back toward the MSR.
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  Speaker 1: These two were connected on the reverse slope by company
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  Speaker 1: headquarters in the Rocket squad. Just below at the base
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  Speaker 1: of the hill, next to the road were Barber CP
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  Speaker 1: together with the eighty one millimeter and sixty millimeter mortar sections.
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  Speaker 1: All machine guns, including the heavies from Weapons Company, were
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  Speaker 1: emplaced with the rifle platoons. During the first half of
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  Speaker 1: the night of twenty seven to twenty eight November, Tac
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  Speaker 1: Toong Pass rumbled with the reverberations of truck convoys, the
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  Speaker 1: final serials of one five and four to eleven outbound
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  Speaker 1: for Udem Knee and Lieutenant Colonel Beal's empty trucks inbound
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  Speaker 1: for Hagarou. It was after twenty hundred before the last
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  Speaker 1: trucks climbed to the summit, then nose downhill, whining and
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  Speaker 1: roaring through the night as they made the twisting descent.
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  Speaker 1: Chinese communists had already launched their first attacks against Southwest
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  Speaker 1: Ridge at Udem Knee, but Fox Company's perimeter remained quiet
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  Speaker 1: even during the first hour of twenty eight November. It
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  Speaker 1: was actually too quiet at zero one fifteen, when Lieutenant
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  Speaker 1: McCarthy inspected the third platoon positions atop Fox Hill, now
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  Speaker 1: glittering in the light of a full moon, finding his
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  Speaker 1: men numbed by the severe cold, He called together his
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  Speaker 1: squad leaders and admonished them to be more alert. A
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  Speaker 1: short time later, during his next inspection, MacCarthy heard the
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  Speaker 1: proper challenges ring out at every point. There was no
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  Speaker 1: lack of watchfulness at zero two thirty, for it was
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  Speaker 1: then that the Chinese and estimated company strength lunged out
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  Speaker 1: of the night and assaulted the north west and south
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  Speaker 1: arks of Company f's perimeter on the summit. The two
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  Speaker 1: forward squads of McCarthy's platoon were overwhelmed almost immediately, losing
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  Speaker 1: fifteen killed and nine wounded out of a total of
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  Speaker 1: thirty five men. Three others would later be listed as missing.
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  Speaker 1: The eight uninjured fell back to the reserve squad's position
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  Speaker 1: on the millitary crest to the rear, and the enemy
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  Speaker 1: took over the topographical peak. Fighting with small arms and grenades.
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  Speaker 1: Also raged down the hillside to the left, where the
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  Speaker 1: Chinese attempted to drive a wedge between the second and
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  Speaker 1: third platoons. Repeated assaults were hurled back with grievous losses
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  Speaker 1: to the Reds, and they apparently threw in fresh units
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  Speaker 1: in their bid for a critical penetration that they failed.
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  Speaker 1: Was due largely to the valor of three marines who
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  Speaker 1: made a determined stand at the vital junction. Pfc. Robert F.
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  Speaker 1: Benson and Private Hector A. Cafferata of the second platoon,
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  Speaker 1: and Pfc. Gerald J. Smith, a fire team leader of
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  Speaker 1: the third. These men, assisted by the members of Smith's team,
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  Speaker 1: are credited with annihilating two enemy platoons. While the enemy
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  Speaker 1: had undoubtedly planned the attack on the two rifle platoons
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  Speaker 1: with typical precision, it seems that he literally stumbled into
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  Speaker 1: the rear of Fox Company's position. Corporal Donald Thornton, a
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  Speaker 1: member of a rocket launcher crew, reported that a group
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  Speaker 1: of Chinese walking along the MSR suddenly found themselves at
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  Speaker 1: the edge of Barber CP and the mortar positions. The
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  Speaker 1: Communist soldiers recovered from the surprise and closed in aggressively,
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  Speaker 1: forcing the company commander and the mortar crews to ascend
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  Speaker 1: the hill to a protective line of trees and embankment,
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  Speaker 1: where the MSR cut through the base of the hill
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  Speaker 1: prevented pursuit by the Chinese. When they tried to climb
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  Speaker 1: over it, they were cut down by small arms fire.
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  Speaker 1: When they hid behind it, they were riddled by grenades
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  Speaker 1: that the Marines rolled downhill. When they finally gave up
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  Speaker 1: and tried to flee, they were shot as they ran
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  Speaker 1: into the open on the right east side of the perimeter.
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  Speaker 1: The first platoon was engaged only on the flanks near
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  Speaker 1: the summit, where it tied in with the third and
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  Speaker 1: down the slope where it joined the headquarters troops and
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  Speaker 1: mortar crews defending the rear. Fighting around the two hundred
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  Speaker 1: and seventy degree arc of the perimeter continued until after
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  Speaker 1: Despite losses of twenty dead and fifty four wounded, Fox
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  Speaker 1: Company was in complete control of the situation. Lieutenant McCarthy
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  Speaker 1: described the breaking off action as follows. By zero six thirty,
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  Speaker 1: twenty eight November, the Chinese had received so many casualties
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  Speaker 1: that the attack could no longer be considered organized. Few
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  Speaker 1: Chinese remained alive near the company perimeter. Individual Chinese continued
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  Speaker 1: to crawl up and throw grenades. A Marine would make
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  Speaker 1: a one man assault on these individuals, shooting or bayoneting them,
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  Speaker 1: the attack could be considered over. Although three Marines were
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  Speaker 1: hit by rifle fire at zero seven thirty. We received
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  Speaker 1: small arms fire intermittently during the day, but no attack.
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  Speaker 1: McCarthy estimated that enemy dead in front of the second
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  Speaker 1: and third platoons number three hundred fifty, while yet another
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  Speaker 1: one hundred littered the first platoon zone in the area
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  Speaker 1: at the base of the hill along the MSR. Marine
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  Speaker 1: counterattacks on north Ridge. As Company CNF of the seventh
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  Speaker 1: Marines were fighting on the MSR in the hours just
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  Speaker 1: before dawn of twenty eight November, the first of a
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  Speaker 1: series of marine counterattacks commenced at Udam Knee. It was
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  Speaker 1: essential to the very survival of the fifth and seventh
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  Speaker 1: Regiments that the Chinese be driven back or at least
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  Speaker 1: checked on the high grounds surrounding the village. Lieutenant Colonel Taplet,
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  Speaker 1: operating his CP in the no man's land at the
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  Speaker 1: base of north Ridge, ordered Company G of three to
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  Speaker 1: five to counterattack the spur of Hill thirteen eighty four
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  Speaker 1: at about zero three hundred. The platoon of George Company,
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  Speaker 1: outposting southwest Ridge, was left in position, but the other
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  Speaker 1: platoons under Second Lieutenant John J. Cahill and Dana B. Cashen,
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  Speaker 1: moved out abreast shortly after zero three hundred. Driving northward aggressively,
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  Speaker 1: they crossed the MSR, liberated tap plit CP and cleared
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  Speaker 1: the draw in which Weapons Company of three five was
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  Speaker 1: still entrenched. Troops of H and S Company followed the
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  Speaker 1: attackers and reoccupied their old positions in the gully. K
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  Speaker 1: Hill and Cash, displaying remarkable cohesion on unfamiliar ground in
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  Speaker 1: the darkness, led the way Uphill thirteen eighty four. Their
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  Speaker 1: men advanced swiftly behind a shield of marching fire and
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  Speaker 1: routed the few Chinese on the spur. The position earlier
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  Speaker 1: vacated by the police platoon was recaptured, and the marine
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  Speaker 1: saw numerous enemy dead in front of the South Korean
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  Speaker 1: machine gun and placements about five hundred yards beyond the
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  Speaker 1: battalion CP. The two platoons halted until daylight. The seven
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  Speaker 1: men who had formed the Item company outpost on Hill
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  Speaker 1: thirteen eighty four arrived shortly afterwards and were integrated into
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  Speaker 1: Cassian's platoon. He continued the attack soon after daybreak, with
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  Speaker 1: k Hill's platoon giving fire support. Cash and his men
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  Speaker 1: plunged in into enemy territory along the ridge line leading
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  Speaker 1: northward to the topographical crest of Hill thirteen eighty four,
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  Speaker 1: about one thousand yards distant. They had reached the final
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  Speaker 1: slopes when Taplet received the radio message almost incredible to
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  Speaker 1: him that the two platoons were nearing the peak of
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  Speaker 1: Hill thirteen eighty four, he directed them to discontinue the
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  Speaker 1: attack and withdraw it to the top of the spur.
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  Speaker 1: There they were to establish a defense line overlooking unem
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  Speaker 1: Knee until receiving further orders. The spirited drive led by
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  Speaker 1: the two young officers had taken considerable pressure off the
• 15:35
  Speaker 1: marine units in the valley west of the village. One
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  Speaker 1: immediate effect was that approximately eighty officers and men of
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  Speaker 1: how Company seventh Marines were able to retire into three
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  Speaker 1: fives perimeter from the slopes of Hill fourteen oh three
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  Speaker 1: on northwest Ridge to the east of three five. A
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  Speaker 1: second successful counter attack by the fifth Marines brought stability
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  Speaker 1: to yet another critical point. Company C of one to
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  Speaker 1: five had deployed shortly after midnight to back up three
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  Speaker 1: five in the event of a breakthrough in the valley
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  Speaker 1: owing to the adverse developments on Hills twelve eighty two
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  Speaker 1: and twelve forty. However, it was later placed under operational
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  Speaker 1: control of the seventh Marines. One platoon left for Hill
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  Speaker 1: twelve forty in the middle of the night to reinforce
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  Speaker 1: D seven and the remainder of the company, led by
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  Speaker 1: Captain jack Ard Jones, ascended twelve eighty two to assist
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  Speaker 1: E seven and the two platoons of A five earlier
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  Speaker 1: committed Charlie Company moved up a draw, with Jones and
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  Speaker 1: his executive officer, First Lieutenant Lorn R. Smith in the
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  Speaker 1: van of the column, followed by the first and second
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  Speaker 1: platoons in the sixty millimeter mortar section. Light machine gun
• 16:45
  Speaker 1: sections were attached to the rifle platoons. The climb took
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  Speaker 1: almost two hours in the pre dawned darkness, the company
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  Speaker 1: frequently halting while Jones questioned wounded men descending from the top,
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  Speaker 1: numb from cold shock and laws of blood. They could
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  Speaker 1: give no intelligible picture of a situation described as grim
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  Speaker 1: and confused. At approximately zero four thirty, the head of
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  Speaker 1: the column came under heavy fire from above as it
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  Speaker 1: reached a point just below the military crest, about one
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  Speaker 1: hundred yards from the summit of twelve eighty two. Here
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  Speaker 1: Jones found staff Sergeant Murphy from E seven's third platoon, which,
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  Speaker 1: along with Trapnells, was out of sight on the spur
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  Speaker 1: to the right, also out of sight, but far to
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  Speaker 1: the left were Snyder's platoon of A five and a
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  Speaker 1: handful of men of Easy Company. While CCF grenades and
• 17:36
  Speaker 1: small arms fire rained down. Murphy explained that E seven's
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  Speaker 1: main position had been overrun and that he was attempting
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  Speaker 1: to form a holding line in the center with some
• 17:46
  Speaker 1: twenty survivors of the Summit battle. Jones quickly deployed his
• 17:50
  Speaker 1: two platoons for the attack, the second under Second Lieutenant
• 17:54
  Speaker 1: Byron L. Magnus on the right, the first under Second
• 17:57
  Speaker 1: Lieutenant Max A. Merritt on the left. Murphy small contingent
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  Speaker 1: joined the formation. Second Lieutenant Robert H. Corbett set up
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  Speaker 1: his sixty millimeter mortar section to support the advance, then
• 18:10
  Speaker 1: took a place in the assault line. Down in the valley,
• 18:14
  Speaker 1: the eighty one millimeter mortars of one to five opened
• 18:17
  Speaker 1: up with a preparatory barrage. Artillery could not fire because
• 18:21
  Speaker 1: of the short distance between friendly and enemy lines, and
• 18:25
  Speaker 1: the first flight of corsairs was not yet on station.
• 18:28
  Speaker 1: The frontal attack against the third Company, first Battalion, two
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  Speaker 1: hundred and thirty fifth CCF Regiment began shortly after daybreak.
• 18:37
  Speaker 1: Joan personally led the Marine's skirmishers against more than fifty
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  Speaker 1: enemy soldiers armed with machine guns and grenades. His troops
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  Speaker 1: moved upward through a hail of fire and overran the
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  Speaker 1: communists after a savage clash that included hand to hand fighting.
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  Speaker 1: The Marines then deployed with the just arrived second platoon
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  Speaker 1: of able Company, bridging the gap between Jones and Trapnel
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  Speaker 1: in time to thwart the advance of enemy reinforcements. According
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  Speaker 1: to enemy reports, only six or seven men survived the
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  Speaker 1: third Company's defeat. One of them happened to be the
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  Speaker 1: company political officer, who conveniently had retired from the battle
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  Speaker 1: line during the crucial stage of this struggle at one
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  Speaker 1: two thirty five CP, a few hundred yards to the rear.
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  Speaker 1: He was given a platoon of the second company in
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  Speaker 1: order to evacuate the wounded and to safeguard the occupied
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  Speaker 1: position on Hill twelve eighty two. The fresh unit ascended
• 19:31
  Speaker 1: the northern slopes of the height while Jones's company was
• 19:34
  Speaker 1: battling its way up from the south. By the time
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  Speaker 1: the red soldiers of the second Company near the summit,
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  Speaker 1: they were confronted from above by the muzzles of Marine
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  Speaker 1: rifles and machine guns. The whole story unfolds in CCF
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  Speaker 1: records as follows. As soon as the first platoon, second
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  Speaker 1: Company advanced to the third company's position, its assistant company
• 19:56
  Speaker 1: commander came up with the platoon. At that time, the
• 20:00
  Speaker 1: enemy C five counterattacked very violently. Accordingly, the assistant company
• 20:07
  Speaker 1: commander ordered the first platoon to strike the enemy immediately
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  Speaker 1: and determinedly. Before the first platoon's troops had been deployed,
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  Speaker 1: Lei Feng Si, the platoon leader shouted charge. So both
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  Speaker 1: the first and second squads pressed forward and swarmed side
• 20:24
  Speaker 1: by side. When they were within a little more than
• 20:27
  Speaker 1: ten meters at the top of the hill, they suffered
• 20:29
  Speaker 1: casualties from enemy hand grenades in short range fire. Consequently,
• 20:34
  Speaker 1: they were absolutely unable to advance any farther. At that time,
• 20:39
  Speaker 1: the assistant company commander and the majority of the platoon
• 20:42
  Speaker 1: and squad leaders were either killed or wounded. While the
• 20:46
  Speaker 1: first and second squads were encountering the enemy's counterattack, the
• 20:50
  Speaker 1: third squad also deployed and joined them in an effort
• 20:52
  Speaker 1: to drive the enemy to the back of the hill.
• 20:55
  Speaker 1: As a result, more than half of the third squad
• 20:58
  Speaker 1: were either killed or wounded. When the second assistant platoon
• 21:02
  Speaker 1: leader attempted to reorganize, his troops suffered again from enemy
• 21:06
  Speaker 1: flanking fire and hand grenades. Thus, after having fought for
• 21:11
  Speaker 1: no more than ten minutes, the entire platoon lost its
• 21:14
  Speaker 1: attacking strength and was forced to retreat somewhat to be
• 21:17
  Speaker 1: able to defend firmly the place it held. Meanwhile, according
• 21:22
  Speaker 1: to Chinese accounts, Sung hit Su, commander of the second company,
• 21:26
  Speaker 1: had arrived at the CP of one two thirty five
• 21:29
  Speaker 1: with his second platoon at zero six twenty. Noting that
• 21:33
  Speaker 1: his first platoon was in trouble, he said to the
• 21:35
  Speaker 1: leader of the second there are some enemy soldiers on
• 21:38
  Speaker 1: the hill twelve eighty two in front of us. Attack
• 21:42
  Speaker 1: forward determinedly. The platoon jumped off immediately, with two squads
• 21:47
  Speaker 1: abreast and one trailing. Within thirty meters of the crest,
• 21:51
  Speaker 1: the Reds attempted to rush Charlie Company's position behind a
• 21:54
  Speaker 1: barrage of hand grenades. The assault failed. On the right,
• 21:59
  Speaker 1: the assistant platoon leader fell at the head of the
• 22:01
  Speaker 1: four squad, which was reduced to three survivors. Sung the
• 22:06
  Speaker 1: company commander, rushed forward and led the sixth squad on
• 22:09
  Speaker 1: the left he was wounded and the squad cut to pieces. Incredibly,
• 22:15
  Speaker 1: the platoon leader ordered the three remaining men of the
• 22:18
  Speaker 1: fourth squad to assault the summit again. They tried, and
• 22:21
  Speaker 1: only one of them came back. The fifth squad, advancing
• 22:26
  Speaker 1: out of reserve, had no sooner begun to deploy than
• 22:29
  Speaker 1: it lost all of its NCOs. As it mixed with
• 22:32
  Speaker 1: the fourth and sixth squads to attack, they suffered casualties
• 22:36
  Speaker 1: again from enemy flanking fire and hand grenades from the
• 22:38
  Speaker 1: top of the hill. Therefore, the entire platoon lost its
• 22:42
  Speaker 1: combat strength, with only seven men being left alive. Not
• 22:47
  Speaker 1: only was the commanding officer of one two thirty five
• 22:49
  Speaker 1: down to his last company, but that company was down
• 22:52
  Speaker 1: to its last platoon. Forever hovering in the rear. The
• 22:57
  Speaker 1: second company's political officer, Lushenk's, ordered the platoon to continue
• 23:02
  Speaker 1: the attack. The assault began with two squads forward, led
• 23:07
  Speaker 1: by the platoon leader and his assistant. They charged up
• 23:10
  Speaker 1: hill into the teeth of Charlie Company's position. Like all
• 23:14
  Speaker 1: the others, they were ground into the mat of corpses
• 23:17
  Speaker 1: on the blood soaked snow. To complete the suicide of
• 23:21
  Speaker 1: the first Battalion two hundred thirty fifth Regiment. The reserve
• 23:25
  Speaker 1: squad of this last platoon was committed a few minutes later.
• 23:29
  Speaker 1: They were only six men left. The second Company paid
• 23:33
  Speaker 1: for its failure with ninety four of the original one
• 23:36
  Speaker 1: hundred and sixteen officers and men. This loss, added to
• 23:40
  Speaker 1: those of the first, third and Special Duty companies, would
• 23:44
  Speaker 1: place one two thirty five's casualties on Hill twelve eighty
• 23:47
  Speaker 1: two at approximately four hundred, including practically all the company commanders,
• 23:52
  Speaker 1: platoon leaders, and NCOs. It can be assumed that nearly
• 23:56
  Speaker 1: all the wounded succumbed, since evacuation was well known impossible
• 24:00
  Speaker 1: with marines in control of the summit for the next
• 24:03
  Speaker 1: twenty four hours. Marine losses were not light able, and
• 24:08
  Speaker 1: Charlie Companies of one to five together suffered fifteen KIA
• 24:11
  Speaker 1: and sixty seven WIA. Easy Company of two seven, according
• 24:16
  Speaker 1: to best estimates, made it stand at the cost of
• 24:19
  Speaker 1: about one hundred and twenty killed and wounded deadlock on
• 24:23
  Speaker 1: Hill twelve forty at daybreak of twenty November, several of
• 24:29
  Speaker 1: Easy Company's casualties still lay in their foxholes on the
• 24:32
  Speaker 1: forward slopes of Hill twelve eighty two. To recover them
• 24:36
  Speaker 1: was an undertaking of great risk. Even after the defeat
• 24:39
  Speaker 1: of one two thirty five for CCF survivors continued to
• 24:42
  Speaker 1: fire at the summit from positions on the lower slopes.
• 24:46
  Speaker 1: Captain Jones directed the evacuation and repeatedly ran forward of
• 24:50
  Speaker 1: his lines to rescue half frozen Marines who were mobilized
• 24:54
  Speaker 1: by wounds. Headquarters personnel of one to five spent the
• 24:58
  Speaker 1: whole morning removing casualties from twelve eighty two and carrying
• 25:01
  Speaker 1: them to the battalion and regimental aid stations, which soon
• 25:05
  Speaker 1: were filled to overflowing. In the meantime, able company joined
• 25:09
  Speaker 1: Charlie on the crest and assimilated the depleted platoons of
• 25:13
  Speaker 1: Trapnel and Snyder. A new defensive line was drawn across
• 25:17
  Speaker 1: the vital peak, with C five in the center, A
• 25:20
  Speaker 1: five on the right, and E seven, now under the
• 25:23
  Speaker 1: command of Lieutenant Bay on the left. By mid morning,
• 25:28
  Speaker 1: despite the continued exchange of fire with CCF troops on
• 25:31
  Speaker 1: the slopes, there was no doubt that the Marines would
• 25:34
  Speaker 1: hold the hill. This was not the case one thousand
• 25:37
  Speaker 1: yards to the right, where daybreak had found the shattered
• 25:40
  Speaker 1: remnants of D seven clinging to a toe hold on
• 25:43
  Speaker 1: Hill twelve forty and beset from every direction by troops
• 25:47
  Speaker 1: of the third Battalion, two hundred thirty six c CF Regiment.
• 25:51
  Speaker 1: The third platoon of C five, which had been dispatched
• 25:54
  Speaker 1: from the valley at zero four hundred to help, was
• 25:57
  Speaker 1: delayed by darkness and terrain. Second Lieutenant Harald L. Dawes
• 26:02
  Speaker 1: small relief force became hotly engaged on the lower slopes,
• 26:06
  Speaker 1: far short of Dog Company's positions, but made a fighting
• 26:09
  Speaker 1: ascent after dawn. Initially, daw missed contact with the beleaguered outfit,
• 26:15
  Speaker 1: but afterwards the two forces cleared the Chinese. From twelve
• 26:18
  Speaker 1: forty from his position on the northeastern spur of the hill,
• 26:22
  Speaker 1: he could see the enemy massing on the reversed slopes
• 26:25
  Speaker 1: of twelve forty and twelve eighty two. Communications were out
• 26:29
  Speaker 1: and he could not call for fire. At about eleven hundred,
• 26:33
  Speaker 1: the Reds counter attacked with an estimated two or more
• 26:35
  Speaker 1: battalions and forced daw to withdraw about one hundred fifty yards. There,
• 26:41
  Speaker 1: his depleted platoon and the sixteen remaining men of Dog
• 26:44
  Speaker 1: Company held under heavy mortar fire until relieved by B
• 26:47
  Speaker 1: five at seventeen hundred. The price of a stalemate on
• 26:51
  Speaker 1: Hill twelve. Forty was to daw about half his platoon,
• 26:54
  Speaker 1: and to Hull practically his whole company. End of Chapter nine,
• 26:59
  Speaker 1: Part one one read by Aaron Bennett,