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016 - Chapter 8 Part 1 - Crisis at Yudam-ni · Marine Operations in Korea The Chosin Reservoir Campaign

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Speaker 1: Chapter eight, Part one of US Marine Operations in Korea
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Speaker 1: nineteen fifty to nineteen fifty three, Volume three, The Chosen
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Speaker 1: Reservoir Campaign by Lynn Montross and Nicholas Canzona. This LibriVox
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Speaker 1: recording is in the public domain. Crisis at eudem Knee,
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Speaker 1: the second Battalion Vanguard of the fifth Marines completed its
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Speaker 1: move from the east coast of the Chosen Reservoir to
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Speaker 1: Udem Knee during the afternoon and evening of twenty six November.
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Speaker 1: After deploying his command south of the village, Lieutenant Colonel
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Speaker 1: Royce and his S three, Major Theodore F. Spiker, made
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Speaker 1: a reconnaissance in preparation for the next day's attack. Udem
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Speaker 1: Knee lies in the center of a broad valley surrounded
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Speaker 1: by five great ridges, named in relation to their direction
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Speaker 1: from the village north, northwest, southwest, south, and southeast, beginning
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Speaker 1: at the rim of the valley. Each of these ridges
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Speaker 1: extend several thousand yards and includes many peaks, spurs, and draws,
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Speaker 1: certain of which took on special significance as the crisis
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Speaker 1: at Mne unfolded. A finger of the Chosen Reservoir reaches
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Speaker 1: towards Umne in the valley between north and southeast ridges.
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Speaker 1: The other four corridors radiating from the valley are highway routes.
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Speaker 1: Lieutenant Colonel Royce surveyed the westerly road which leaves Udmknee
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Speaker 1: between northwest and southwest ridges. His assigned objective encompassed distant
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Speaker 1: spurs of these heights, bordering the road about a mile
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Speaker 1: and a half west of the village. The seventh Marines
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Speaker 1: Minus was disposed in perimeter around Mnee on terminal hills
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Speaker 1: of four of the five ridges. D and E companies
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Speaker 1: attached to one seven on north Ridge, three seven on southwest,
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Speaker 1: and one seven on south and southeast. Since the high
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Speaker 1: ground occupied by three seven overlooked a rout of attack
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Speaker 1: and Royce, as a Colonel Litzenburg later in the day
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Speaker 1: specified a new destination for two five, a past ten
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Speaker 1: miles west of udem Knee. It was a big order,
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Speaker 1: but Litzenberg's troops would support the fifth Marine's outfit by
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Speaker 1: making limited advances along the skylines of the northwest and
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Speaker 1: southwest ridges. With this protection on his flanks, initially, Royce
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Speaker 1: could concentrate more strength for the drive through the low ground.
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Speaker 1: Nightfall of twenty six November was accompanied by an abrupt
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Speaker 1: temperature drop to zero degrees fahrenheit. The north wind screamed
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Speaker 1: across the frozen reservoir and lashed the Marines on the
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Speaker 1: valley floor and hillsides around Udam Knee. At twenty two hundred,
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Speaker 1: a group of half frozen company commanders gathered within the
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Speaker 1: flapping walls of Royce's Blackout ten to receive their orders.
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Speaker 1: The attack was to start at zero eight hundred the
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Speaker 1: next morning, with two five passing through the seventh Marines
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Speaker 1: in a column of companies. RECOILSS rifles and four point
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Speaker 1: two inch more orders of the fifth Marines would support
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Speaker 1: the advance, along with First Lieutenant Wayney Richards, second platoon
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Speaker 1: of able Company engineers, two coursairs of VMF three twelve,
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Speaker 1: and a Spoder plane from VMO six were to provide
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Speaker 1: aerial reconnaissance and close air support in other wind blown tents.
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Speaker 1: Seventh Regiment officers learned of their missions as assigned by
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Speaker 1: Colonel Litzenburg. The third Battalion would move farther along the
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Speaker 1: crest of Southwest Ridge on twenty seven November and also
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Speaker 1: seize the terminal peak Hill fourteen oh three of Northwest Ridge.
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Speaker 1: Across the MSR. In order to support two fives attack
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Speaker 1: more effectively, Dog and Easy companies were to patrol North
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Speaker 1: Ridge and the west coast of the reservoir, while one
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Speaker 1: seven scouted both south and southeast ridges and their adjoining corridors.
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Speaker 1: Particular attention would be paid to the valley running southward
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Speaker 1: between these hill masses, for therein lay the vital road
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Speaker 1: to Hagaroo marine attack on twenty seven November. The unim
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Speaker 1: Knee perimeter was quiet throughout the long frigid night of
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Speaker 1: twenty six to twenty seven November. At dawn, the basin
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Speaker 1: and hillsides came alive, with parka clad figures stamping and
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Speaker 1: clapping life back into leaden limbs. Gradually they began to
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Speaker 1: cluster around small fires to thaw out. The morning rations
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Speaker 1: and their weapons companies G and h F three to
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Speaker 1: seven jumped off in the attack at zero eight fifteen,
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Speaker 1: the former to extend the foothold on the Southwest Ridge,
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Speaker 1: the latter to seize Hill fourteen oh three, terminal height
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Speaker 1: of Northwest Ridge. Led by Captain Leroy M. Cook. How
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Speaker 1: company advanced unopposed and secured its objective by mid morning.
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Speaker 1: Captain Cooney's Company G moved rapidly twelve hundred yards along
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Speaker 1: the crest of Southwest Ridge and occupied a commanding peak,
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Speaker 1: Hill fourteen twenty six at zero eight forty five without
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Speaker 1: meeting opposition. But when Cooney he resumed the advance, his
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Speaker 1: troops almost immediately came under fire from enemy positions on
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Speaker 1: another peak five hundred yards away. During three seven's operations
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Speaker 1: on the high ground, the second Battalion, fifth Marines had
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Speaker 1: marched out of um Knee and launched the main attack
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Speaker 1: along the road. Company F under Captain yule D Peters,
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Speaker 1: led to five as it passed beneath the steep walls
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Speaker 1: of Southwest and Northwest Ridges. The first objective was a
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Speaker 1: long spur of the latter height five hundred yards across
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Speaker 1: a draw from the seventh Marines on Hill fourteen oh three.
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Speaker 1: Approaching the mouth of the draw on the right of
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Speaker 1: the road, Fox Company was hit by long range small
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Speaker 1: arms fire from enemy emplacements on the objective. About the
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Speaker 1: same time zero nine thirty five, a message from the
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Speaker 1: VMO six Spoder plane told of CCF positions all across
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Speaker 1: the front. Captain Peters held up momentarily to appraise the
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Speaker 1: situation and engineers moving behind his outfit, Beau began to
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Speaker 1: clear the first of nine unmanned enemy roadblocks that obstructed
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Speaker 1: the MSR. According to plan, Company F ascended part way
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Speaker 1: up the slopes of Hill fourteen oh three and then
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Speaker 1: advanced across the front of the seventh Marines to the
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Speaker 1: head of the long draw that set off the Communists
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Speaker 1: held Spur. Simultaneously, four point two inch and eighty one
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Speaker 1: millimeter mortar crews positioned their weapons along the road to
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Speaker 1: support this envelopment. The flatland south of UDMN trembled as
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Speaker 1: the one hundred five millimeter howitzers of Lieutenant Colonel Harvey A.
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Speaker 1: Fihan's first Battalion, eleventh Marines opened up at ten point
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Speaker 1: fifteen with a fifteen minute preparation. While Company F moved
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Speaker 1: overland to strike at the left north flank of the
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Speaker 1: CCF positions. Captain Samuel S. Smith's Dog Company edged forward
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Speaker 1: along the MSR to the mouth of the draw. Like
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Speaker 1: the earlier unit, it was met by a hail of bullets.
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Speaker 1: The regimental four point two inch mortars opened fire on
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Speaker 1: the crest of the spur and RECOILSS rifles slammed seventy
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Speaker 1: five millimeters shells into bunkers just now sighted on the
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Speaker 1: forward slopes. At eleven fifteen, after ground supporting arms had
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Speaker 1: partially neutralized the CCF positions, corsairs of VMF three to
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Speaker 1: twelve blasted the objective with rockets and bombs. In the
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Speaker 1: wake of the airstrike, First Lieutenant Gerald J. McLoughlin led
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Speaker 1: Fox Company's first platoon against the enemy's north flank, the
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Speaker 1: rest of the company supporting the assault by fire from
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Speaker 1: Hill fourteen oh three. Most of the Chinese defenders fled
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Speaker 1: to the west, and McLoughlin's troops cleared the northern half
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Speaker 1: of the spur by thirteen hundred, capturing three red soldiers.
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Speaker 1: The second platoon, commanded by Second Lieutenant Donald J. Crabb,
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Speaker 1: then passed through to secure the southern half overlooking the road.
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Speaker 1: Although the attackers encountered only negligible local resistance, they were
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Speaker 1: slowed by heavy machine gun fire sweeping in from a
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Speaker 1: peak one thousand yards farther west. During Company f's action
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Speaker 1: on the high ground, Dog Company filed around the road
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Speaker 1: bend at the south end of the spur and moved
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Speaker 1: toward a valley junction. A few hundred yards away. This
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Speaker 1: fork is dominated by Sacat Mountain to the west, and
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Speaker 1: the Chinese, in order to block the Marine advance, had
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Speaker 1: dug tiers of entrenchments on the eastern slopes of the
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Speaker 1: massive height. Frontal fire from these positions converged on Company
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Speaker 1: d's column. Faced by such formidable resistance and terrain, Lieutenant
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Speaker 1: Colonel Royce discontinued the attack at fourteen thirty. He ordered
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Speaker 1: Fox Company to set up on Northwest Ridge for the night,
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Speaker 1: and Dog to deploy defensively across the MSR on a
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Speaker 1: spur of Southwest Ridge on the crest of the latter.
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Speaker 1: The third Battalion, seventh Marines had found progress increasingly costly.
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Speaker 1: During the afternoon of twenty seven November, the peak beyond
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Speaker 1: Hill fourteen twenty six was okcaccupied by Company G at
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Speaker 1: fifteen hundred, bringing that unit on line with Dog Company
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Speaker 1: of two five in the low ground to the north.
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Speaker 1: Like the fifth Marine's outfit, Company G was now confronted
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Speaker 1: with the broad crescent of CCF fortifications, buttressed by the
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Speaker 1: defensive complex on Seccot Mountain. Machine gun barrages drove the
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Speaker 1: seventh Marines unit off the hilltop and Company I of
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Speaker 1: three seven rushed forward from the high ground overlooking Udam
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Speaker 1: Knee to add its firepower and support. Baker Company of
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Speaker 1: one seven, on patrol in the valley between Southwest and
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Speaker 1: South Ridges, ascended into the bullet swept zone at twelve
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Speaker 1: thirty to help out when it became heavily engaged. Elements
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Speaker 1: of Company C were ordered forward from the Udam Knee
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Speaker 1: vicinity as reinforcement. Thus parts of three battalions two five,
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Speaker 1: three seven and one seven felt the storm of steel
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Speaker 1: and lead on Southwest Ridge throughout the afternoon while fighting
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Speaker 1: raged in a s an arc from south to west.
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Speaker 1: On the twenty seventh, another danger area was discovered to
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Speaker 1: the north and northeast, completing a vast semi circle of
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Speaker 1: known CCF concentrations and proximity to Udem Knee. A patrol
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Speaker 1: from Company D of two seven, moving over north Ridge
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Speaker 1: along the west coast of the reservoir, ran into heavy
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Speaker 1: machine gun and mortar fire about four thousand yards from
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Speaker 1: the village. Marine air struck at the entrenchments of an
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Speaker 1: estimated enemy company, and at sixteen forty five the patrol withdrew,
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Speaker 1: with several casualties to company. These lines on the southern
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Speaker 1: tip of north Ridge. At dusk on the twenty seventh,
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Speaker 1: the General com settled over Udem knee broken only occasionally
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Speaker 1: by scattered exchanges of small arms fire. The main marine
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Speaker 1: attack had netted about fifteen hundred yards, placing two five
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Speaker 1: on the objective originally assigned by the regimental commander, Lieutenant
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Speaker 1: Colonel Murray. That the Chinese did not allow this battalion
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Speaker 1: to advance three mins more miles to its new objective
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Speaker 1: and into hopeless entrapment seems inconsistent in view of the
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Speaker 1: CCF plans. For the night of twenty seven to twenty
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Speaker 1: eight November, the auxiliary attack by three seven won twelve
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Speaker 1: hundred more yards of the crest of Southwest Ridge, and
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Speaker 1: the occupation of Hill fourteen oh three by how company
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Speaker 1: of that battalion represented a gain of about two thousand
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Speaker 1: in a few hours. The Marines would give thanks that
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Speaker 1: their success on twenty seven November had been modest ones
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Speaker 1: marine dispositions before CCF attack. The units of UDEMN will
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Speaker 1: be listed counterclockwise, beginning with those on north Ridge, according
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Speaker 1: to the positions they occupied around the perimeter on the
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Speaker 1: night of twenty seven to twenty eight November. North Ridge,
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Speaker 1: bounded on the east by the reservoir and on the
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Speaker 1: west by the valley separating Northwest. Ridge lay closest to
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Speaker 1: the village and was therefore of immediate tactical importance. Facing
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Speaker 1: this hill mass from Udam Knee, one sees four distinct
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Speaker 1: terminal heights, Hill eleven sixty seven on the right, Hills
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Speaker 1: twelve forty and twelve eighty two in the center, and
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Speaker 1: the giant spur of Hill thirteen eighty four on the left.
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Speaker 1: Company's D and e of the seventh Marines occupied Hills
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Speaker 1: twelve forty and twelve eighty two, respectively. Since the combined
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Speaker 1: front of these two units was a mile wide, they
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Speaker 1: concentrated on their assigned hilltops and relied on periodic patrols
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Speaker 1: to span the gaping five hundred yard saddle between. Although
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Speaker 1: both flanks of each company dangled in the air. They
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Speaker 1: were backed by two thirds of the fifth Marine Regiment
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Speaker 1: in the valley of Eudam Knee. The third Battalion, fifth
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Speaker 1: Marines had arrived from the east coast of the chosen
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Speaker 1: reservoir at noon on the twenty seventh, while the attacks
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Speaker 1: to the west were in full progress. Lieutenant Colonel Taplet
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Speaker 1: placed his unit in an assembly area at the base
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Speaker 1: of north Ridge, beneath the large unoccupied spur leading to
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Speaker 1: Hill thirteen eighty four. The first Battalion, fifth Marines did
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Speaker 1: not complete its move to Udemne from the east side
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Speaker 1: of the reservoir until after dark. Lieutenant Colonel John W. Stevens,
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Speaker 1: the second secured for the night in the valley below
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Speaker 1: Hills twelve eighty two and twelve forty, and with Taplets nearby.
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Speaker 1: Command one five thus comprised a formidable reserve behind the
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Speaker 1: thin high ground defenses of Companies D and E of
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Speaker 1: two seven to the left of north Ridge going round
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Speaker 1: the clock. Company H of three seven dug in on
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Speaker 1: the crest of Hill fourteen oh three, terminal height of
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Speaker 1: northwest Ridge, farther to the left, in the broad draw
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Speaker 1: through which Company F had earlier enveloped the CCF held spur.
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Speaker 1: Company E of two five took up strong blocking positions.
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Speaker 1: The latter unit was not tied in with the seventh
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Speaker 1: Marines troops on Hill fourteen oh three, there being a
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Speaker 1: steep and rugged guar of about two hundred yards on
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Speaker 1: the intervening hillside, easy company's line extended up the left
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Speaker 1: side of the draw and connected with Foxes on the
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Speaker 1: northern tip of the newly won spur. Company F man
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Speaker 1: the remainder of that finger of high ground, its left
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Speaker 1: flank overlooking the road separating Southwest Ridge. As mentioned before,
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Speaker 1: Company D second Battalion, fifth Marines occupied a finger of
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Speaker 1: Southwest Ridge jutting out toward the road and directly opposite
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Speaker 1: fox Company Spur to the left but beyond physical contact.
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Speaker 1: Companies G and I of the third Battalion, seventh Marines
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Speaker 1: defended the topographical crest of Southwest Ridge as an example
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Speaker 1: of altitudes and distances involved around the perimeter. The latter
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Speaker 1: company perched a top hill fourteen twenty six meters sat
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Speaker 1: twelve hundred feet above the valley floor at Udam knee
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Speaker 1: and a lineal distance of a mile and a half
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Speaker 1: from the village to its left rear two thousand yards away.
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Speaker 1: On the same hill mass, Company A of one seven
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Speaker 1: defended a terminal peak hill twelve ninety four, overlooking the
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Speaker 1: broad valley separating South Ridge. A platoon of Company C
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Speaker 1: one seven was deployed on the valley floor to block
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Speaker 1: that avenue into marine artillery positions. South Ridge capped by
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Speaker 1: a conical peak jutting sixteen hundred feet skyward points at
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Speaker 1: Udem Knee and the reservoir like a great arrowhead. Company
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Speaker 1: B of one seven, after returning from the active patrol
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Speaker 1: mentioned earlier, entrenched on the Tip Hill twelve seventy six
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Speaker 1: to cover the deep gorge between south and southeast ridges.
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Speaker 1: In this narrow ribbon of low ground, the MSR from
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Speaker 1: Udem Knee travels southward four miles before turning abruptly east
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Speaker 1: into Tactong Pass. Company C of one seven less one
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Speaker 1: platoon occupied a spur of southeast ridge near near the
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Speaker 1: sharp turn, three miles from the valley of Udam Knee
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Speaker 1: and five from the village itself. Even farther out on
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Speaker 1: a tactical limb was Fox Company of two seven, which
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Speaker 1: had departed Hagaroo at noon on twenty seven November to
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Speaker 1: take up hilltop positions in the center of Tactong Pass.
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Speaker 1: Its mission, like that of Company C, was to guard
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Speaker 1: the vulnerable MSR between Hagaroo and Yudam Knee, but it
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Speaker 1: was seven miles from the friendly perimeter at Hagaroo on
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Speaker 1: the one side, and over two mountainous miles from Company
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Speaker 1: C on the other Fox Company numerically and geographically appeared
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Speaker 1: to be fair game for some CCF regiment on the prowl,
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Speaker 1: although appearances are sometimes deceiving. This then, was the disposition
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Speaker 1: of the fifth and seventh Marines in the evening of
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Speaker 1: twenty seven November, a total of ten under strength rifle
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Speaker 1: companies of both regiments on the high ground around Yudem Knee,
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Speaker 1: two battalions of the fifth in the valley near the village,
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Speaker 1: and two rifle companies Charlie and Fox of the seventh
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Speaker 1: in isolated positions along the fourteen mile route to Hagaroo.
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Speaker 1: The regimental command posts of Colonel Litzenburg and Lieutenant Colonel
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Speaker 1: Murray were located at Udam Knee, along with the usual
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Speaker 1: headquarters elements, except for the Anti Tank Company of the
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Speaker 1: seventh Marines at Hagaroo also at Hagaroo or Lieutenant Colonel
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Speaker 1: Randolph sd Lockwood's headquarters of two seven and Weapons Company
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Speaker 1: minus of that battalion. For this reason, companies dne On
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Speaker 1: Hill's twelve forty and twelve eighty two at Udam Knee
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Speaker 1: came under temporary control of one seven. Despite the lack
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Speaker 1: of tanks, the utamne perimeter encompassed an impressive array of
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Speaker 1: marine supporting arms. The first and fourth Battalion, together with
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Speaker 1: Batteries G and I of the third, represented almost three
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Speaker 1: fourths of the firepower of the eleventh Regiment. Twenty eight
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Speaker 1: howitzers thirty one hundred five millimeter and eighteen one hundred
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Speaker 1: fifty five millimeter were emplaced in the expanse of flats
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Speaker 1: generally south of the village in the direction of south
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Speaker 1: and southeast ridges. In position to the north were the
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Speaker 1: seventy five millimeters RECOILSS rifles of the fifth Marines and
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Speaker 1: the four point two inch mortar companies of both infantry regiments.
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Speaker 1: The um knee lines bristled with enough firepower to give
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Speaker 1: any commander confidence, but the supply situation was not reassuring.
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Speaker 1: Although Captain Robert A. Moorhead and a detachment from the
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Speaker 1: first Service Battalion arrived during the twenty seventh to begin
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Speaker 1: establishment of a division dump, the supply level was low.
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Speaker 1: The dumps of the fifth and seventh Marines contained about
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Speaker 1: three days rations, three days POL and two UF of
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Speaker 1: small arms ammunition, in addition to amounts in the hands
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Speaker 1: of the troops. Very little artillery ammunition was available beyond
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Speaker 1: that held by the fire batteries. During the twenty seventh
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Speaker 1: Colonel Litzenburg sent his S four Major Maurice E roach
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Speaker 1: to Hagaroo to arrange for the dispatching of about five
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Speaker 1: truckloads each of rations pol and ammunition. They arrived late
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Speaker 1: on the evening of the same day, the last supplies
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Speaker 1: to get through from Hagaroo. That same evening, Lieutenant Colonel Beihl,
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Speaker 1: commanding officer of the first Motor Transport Battalion, led all
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Speaker 1: the organic vehicles except forty to fifty of the fifth
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Speaker 1: and seventh Marines back to Hagaroo, with the intent of
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Speaker 1: returning them the following day. Loaded. The Chinese, who had
19:39
Speaker 1: already invested the road for some reason, permitted the trucks
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Speaker 1: to pass. Beale reached Hagaroo without incident. The trucks were
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Speaker 1: never able to return. The Battle of Northwest Ridge at
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Speaker 1: eighteen thirty, two hours after the looming mass of Sakat
19:59
Speaker 1: Mountain had blocked potted out the sun on twenty seven November,
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Speaker 1: Udemne was pitch black. The temperature dropped to twenty degrees
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Speaker 1: below zero. On Northwest Ridge. The infantrymen of three seven
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Speaker 1: and two five slowly grew numb from the penetrating cold.
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Speaker 1: Trigger fingers, though heavily gloved, ached against the brittle steel
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Speaker 1: of weapons, and parka hoods, became encrusted with frozen moisture.
20:25
Speaker 1: In the cumbersome shoepacks, perspiration soaked feet gradually became transformed
20:29
Speaker 1: into lumps of biting pain. When men are immobilized for
20:33
Speaker 1: hours in such temperatures, no amount of clothing will keep
20:37
Speaker 1: them warm. Yet even more disturbing to the Marines on
20:41
Speaker 1: the Udemne perimeter was the effect of the weather on
20:45
Speaker 1: car beings and bars. These weapons froze to such a
20:49
Speaker 1: degree that they became unreliable or in some cases completely unserviceable.
20:55
Speaker 1: The M one rifle and Browning machine guns showed stubborn streaks,
20:59
Speaker 1: but retailing their effectiveness provided they had been cared for properly.
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Speaker 1: While the Marines sat in their holes and cursed the
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Speaker 1: frigid night, the quiet hills around them came alive with
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Speaker 1: thousands of red Chinese on the march, unseen and unheard.
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Speaker 1: The endless columns of quilted green wound through valleys and
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Speaker 1: over mountain trails, leading toward the southern tips of north
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Speaker 1: and northwest ridges. These were the assault battalions of the
21:25
Speaker 1: seventy ninth and eighty nine CCF divisions, with seven other divisions.
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Speaker 1: They comprised Red China's ninth Army Group, led by Sung
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Speaker 1: shin Lun, one of the best field commanders in the CCF.
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Speaker 1: Lin Pau, commanding the third Field Army, had dispatched Sung's
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Speaker 1: Army Group to Northeast Korea specifically to destroy the first
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Speaker 1: Marine division. The knockout blow, aimed at the northwest arc
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Speaker 1: of the Udemni perimeter, amounted to a massive frontal assault.
21:57
Speaker 1: Another CCF division, the fifty ninth, had completed a wide
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Speaker 1: envelopment to the south, driving in towards South Ridge and
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Speaker 1: Taktung Pass to cut the MSR between Hagaroo and yudem Knee.
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Speaker 1: This was the main effort of the CCF in Northeast Korea.
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Speaker 1: Three divisions against two regiments of marines, and in addition
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Speaker 1: to the advantage of mass, the Reds held the trump
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Speaker 1: cards of mobility and surprise. They enjoyed superior mobility because
22:26
Speaker 1: they were unencumbered by heavy weapons and hence could use
22:29
Speaker 1: primitive routes of approach in the darkness they had the
22:33
Speaker 1: advantage of surprise because their practice of marching by night
22:36
Speaker 1: and hiding by day had concealed their approach to a
22:39
Speaker 1: large degree from un air observation. To offset these odds,
22:44
Speaker 1: the outnumbered Marines would have to rely on superior firepower,
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Speaker 1: command of the air and another weapon called a spree.
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Speaker 1: By twenty one hundred, Northwest Ridge was crawling with Chinese
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Speaker 1: only a few hundred yards from the positions of Companies
22:59
Speaker 1: E and fifth Marines and Company H seventh Marines. The
23:05
Speaker 1: enemy troops, patting silently in their rubber sneakers, had as
23:09
Speaker 1: yet given no hint of their presence. To divert attention,
23:13
Speaker 1: the Red Commander sent a patrol against two five's roadblock
23:16
Speaker 1: on the MSR between Northwest and Southwest Ridges. Troops of
23:21
Speaker 1: Company D fifth Marines exchanged grenades with the Chinese and
23:25
Speaker 1: killed two of them. The remainder they quickly dispersed with
23:29
Speaker 1: mortar fire simultaneously with the thrust at the roadblock. Small
23:34
Speaker 1: enemy teams probe Fox companies lying on the spur of
23:37
Speaker 1: Northwest Ridge, vanishing into the night after each light contact.
23:42
Speaker 1: These disturbances in the center of two five zone enabled
23:45
Speaker 1: ccfnfiltrators and grenadiers on the northern tip of the spur
23:50
Speaker 1: to crawl undetected within a few yards of the limiting
23:52
Speaker 1: point between Companies F and Company E on the right.
23:57
Speaker 1: Bugle calls cut through the darkness and the grenade tears
24:00
Speaker 1: began heaving their missiles while the submachine gunners opened up
24:04
Speaker 1: The din of This first attempt to unnerve the defenders
24:07
Speaker 1: lasted several minutes. Then came a sustained mortar bombardment of
24:12
Speaker 1: marine front lines. While the shells rained down, the Chinese
24:17
Speaker 1: opened fire with crew served automatic weapons and placed all
24:20
Speaker 1: across Northwest Ridge. At twenty one to twenty five, the
24:24
Speaker 1: mortar eruptions began to walk toward the marine. Rear whistles screeched,
24:29
Speaker 1: Enemy machine guns fell silent, and the first Chinese assault
24:33
Speaker 1: waves hurled themselves against the juncture of Companies E and F.
24:37
Speaker 1: The enemy attacked on an extremely narrow front in order
24:40
Speaker 1: to maintain control. His troops advanced in column within grenade range,
24:45
Speaker 1: then deployed abruptly into skirmish lines that flailed the marine
24:49
Speaker 1: position ceaselessly and without regard to losses. The machine guns
24:54
Speaker 1: and rifles of Companies E and F piled the attackers
24:57
Speaker 1: in grotesque heaps up and down the front. The pressure
25:00
Speaker 1: of human tonnage was unremitting. Ultimately, the Reds broke through
25:05
Speaker 1: on the northern tip of the spur, where the two
25:08
Speaker 1: units were joined. They poured troops into the gap, and
25:12
Speaker 1: as they attempted to roll back the newly exposed flanks,
25:15
Speaker 1: they overran part of Fox Company's right wing platoon. Captain
25:20
Speaker 1: Samuel Jeskilka, commanding Easy Company in the draw, dispatched a
25:25
Speaker 1: light machine gun section in a squad from his third
25:27
Speaker 1: platoon deployed in the rear to reinforce his first platoon
25:31
Speaker 1: at the edge of the breakthrough. The latter unit, under
25:35
Speaker 1: second Lieutenant Jade L. Nolan, held firm and bent Backett's
25:39
Speaker 1: left to prevent encroachment on the rear staff. Sergeant Russell J.
25:44
Speaker 1: Borgomanero of the first platoon deployed the reinforcements to contain
25:48
Speaker 1: the penetration, while two five's eighty one millimeter mortars laid
25:52
Speaker 1: barrages on the salient. At twenty two fifteen, as the
25:57
Speaker 1: attack against Companies E and F was reaching its height,
26:00
Speaker 1: Lieutenant Colonel Royce ordered H and S Company of two
26:03
Speaker 1: five to deploy for the immediate defense of his command post.
26:07
Speaker 1: The Chinese blocked in their attempts to get behind Easy
26:10
Speaker 1: Company continued to stab at the rear of Fox. If
26:15
Speaker 1: their envelopment succeeded, they could swarm over the headquarters in
26:18
Speaker 1: supporting arms positions of the second Battalion. Royce's precaution proved unnecessary.
26:25
Speaker 1: As fast as the Red Commander sent troops into the salient,
26:28
Speaker 1: they were cut down by mortar, machine gun and rifle fire.
26:33
Speaker 1: The few who did worm their way into marine supporting
26:35
Speaker 1: positions died in individual combat. At twenty two thirty, on
26:40
Speaker 1: the right of Company East front, the second platoon turned
26:43
Speaker 1: its machine guns on a Native hut two hundred yards
26:46
Speaker 1: up the draw and set it ablaze. The brilliant illumination
26:50
Speaker 1: exposed all CCF troops in the narrow corridor and on
26:54
Speaker 1: the adjoining slopes, and the Marines commenced a Turkey choote
26:57
Speaker 1: that ended at twenty four hundred with the virtual and
26:59
Speaker 1: I of the main enemy force. The Chinese maintained their
27:04
Speaker 1: grip on the northern tip of the spur, however, and
27:07
Speaker 1: fought off patrols from Easy Company trying to re establish
27:10
Speaker 1: contact with Fox. Since the gap remained, leaving the enemy
27:15
Speaker 1: in position to fire on the marine rear, Royce shifted
27:18
Speaker 1: the reserve platoon of Company D to Fox Company side
27:21
Speaker 1: of the salient. This redeployment, in conjunction with Company's earlier
27:26
Speaker 1: action on the other side, converted the penetration area into
27:30
Speaker 1: a gatlet for the Chinese. Already weakened by casualties numbering
27:35
Speaker 1: in the hundreds. The Red commander apparently wrote off the
27:38
Speaker 1: salient as a net loss, for he never used it again.
27:43
Speaker 1: End of Chapter eight, Part one, read by Aaron Bennett,