Korean War
38th Infantry Regiment - Command Report - March 1951
2nd Infantry Division
Korean War Project Record: USA-132
Folder: 060004
Box: 06
File: 04
National Archives and Records Administration
College Park, Maryland
Records: United States Army
Unit Name: Second Infantry Division
Record Group: RG407
Editor: Hal Barker
Korean War Project
P.O. Box 180190
Dallas, TX 75218-0190
http://www.koreanwar.org
Korean War Project 2ID-00400365
Korean War Project 2ID-00400366
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CO~~ AND UNIT HISTORICAL REPORT
38TH INFANTRY REGI~NT.
for
1 thru 31 March 1951
Assigned to: 2d Infantry Division
Approved by:
APO 248 US Army
a /5 ~_, _/! / . --~~/'1, ~~
I
IJOHN ·G COUGHLIN Co1one l, Inf Commanding
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COivlMA.ND AND UNIT HISTORICAL .JEPOR'l'
38TH I.NFANTRY .REGI~NT_
for
1 thru 31 March 1951
Assigned to: 2d Infantry Division APO 248 US Army
Approved by:
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fl~1f~~ @oHN G COUGHLIN Colonel, Inf Commanding
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Korean War Project 2ID-00400368
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SECRET
( C6HI5-5) (Rl))
CO~~ AND UNIT HISTORICAL EEPORT
38TH INFANTRY !EGIM!;NT
for
1 thru 31 March 1951
Assigned to: 2d Infantry Division
Approved by:
APO 248 U5 Army
a A ~~- _/l / . ·'/,.t~/1, ~~
~OHN · G COUGHLIN Colonel, Inf Commanding
Korean War Project 2ID-00400369
SECT ION;: I~
\ ' ., !EPROOUCED AT THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES
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SECRET TABLE OF CONTENTS
March 1951 .. 1
COIJ.IMAND REPORT
A. , Narrative Summary
B.· Personnel. (S~l,)
c •.. ·Intelligence (S-2) :·
D •. Operations (~~3L
E •. Logistics. (s-4)
F •. Evaluation and Recommendations
G.·. Staff
I
SECTION II. SUPPORTING DOCUMENTS (~ppendicses)
A~. 'Personnel
1 •. S-1 journals
2. PDS Reports
3 •. General Orders
4. Miscellaneous Personnel Data.'
B~ Intelligence
1. 8~2 journals
2 •. P.Griodic Intellig~nce Reports
C:~ . Operations
1. S-3 journals
2. Periodic Operations Reports
3 •. Operation. Orders
4. Miscella.neous .Operations Data~~
D. Logistics
1 .. s-4 journals
2 •. Periodic:Logistics Reports
3 •. Log~stics Report {~arch)~
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(Section II, Table of Contents,March 51) 1
SECRET E. 1st Battalion
1.,. S-1 journals.
2. S-2 journals
3. S-3 journals
F. 2nd Battalion.~
1. 5-l journals_
2. S-2 jour~a.ls
3. .S-3 journals
G.; 3rd Battalion
1. S-1. journals
2. S-2 .. journals
3. S-3 journals
H~. Netherla.nds·netachment.(journals
I. Service Company. (journals
J.:. Heavy Mortar Company (journals
K. Tank Company (journals
SECRET
Korean War Project 2ID-00400371
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SECRET N.ARRA.TIVE S ill:JHARY
for
per.iod of 1 thru 31 Harch 1951
As the period opened, the 38th Infantry \·ms locatec1 in the
vicinity of CHUJ?O-RI and CHEGHON. The 38th Info.ntry continued
in status of X Corps Reserve.
T.he. period of 1 thru 10 lvlarch vms utilized il1 traininc;,, re-
supply and reorganization. The ResimentalCommo.nder ordered all
members of Cre·H Served \'leapons to be tested on a field firing
ranf;;e. to insure tbat all men Here proficient 1-vith their Cre'\'r
Served vlea11011. The Re;:;imental S-3 initiated a series of pro-
ficiency tests for the follO\'ling lleapons: 1-ll,1G, U·iG, BA..'i., 8J.mm.
mortar,: 60mm mortar, 57 and 75RR. The tests vrere desi.::;ned to
test the men in all pb.ases of tech11ique of fire, squad and· sec.-
tion tactics, and accuracy of fire. T.he tests proved to be
very beneficial to the men.. At each critique the men asked
many questions and sta~ed they had more confidence in. their
i·reapons after the test than before. 1
At 101145 !>larch,. X Corps ordered the 38th Infantry to mov:e
. into an assembly area in the vicinity of Tl.JD.OK. Corps further
direc:ted th:\.t one battalion Hould close no later tl::Jan 101900
lvlarch •.. Upon arrival,, this Battalion t:Jould make a reconniassa.nce ·.
for offensive pos 1 tions alone; SAEI~\L-VlONJU axis, to the north_;_
v1est, generally on line v;ith the 23rd Infantry. The 1st Bn,
38th Infantry,. ivas alerted to move as soon as possible to carry
out this mission. 2 In addition,. the 38th Infantry vtas ordered
to leave one battalion in the vic.inity of CHECHON,, \'lith the
mission of securin;~ the town.. The Nethel"lands Detachntent \vas
selected for this mission.~
At 141728 !-larch,. the 38th Infantry v;as alerted to ber.;in
the relief of the 23rd InfEmtry on 13 lbrc h,. vri t h no other
1. app C-1 Daily Summary dtd 1 thru 10 lY'~rch 51 _ 2. app C-1 J-34, ft-{6 journal dtd 10 Nar 3. app C-3 Op 0 fjlO dt.d 10 I,br
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(Page #2, Narrative Su~~r:~-~~la{.ch.,.Sl)
~~)tGl·\t I mission given other than the relief of the 23rd Infantry. At .
122330 March, the 38th Infantry,, minus the Netherlands De-
tachment, was relieved from Crops Reserve and returned to con
trol of 2nd. Division. Upon release from Corps, the 38th In
fantry was directed to start the relief of the 23rd Infantry.
The 2nd Bn,,23rd Infantry,, had jumped off to take their ob
jective, and upon taking the objective v.rere to be re.lieved on
position by the 2nd En,_. 38th Infantry. One platoon of tanks,.
and a platoon of Heavy :Mortar were at·tached to the 2nd Bn.l
A request was also made that the Regiment be given all its
attachments. Division notified the 38th Infantry that all
attachments v-.rould be taken over from the 23rd Infantry upon
2 completion of the relief •.
At 130630 March,. 2nd Bn,, 38th Infantry,. started to move
to the area of the 2nd Bn,, 23rd Infantry, to .relieve them in
pos.i tion as ordered. By 131000, all units of the 38th Infan-
try, minus the 3rd En, Which was awaiting transportation,, 1-1ere
on the move to the new area.3
Orders 1r1ere received from Division to send one battalion
to the vicinity of Hill. 789. The lst Bn Y.ras given this mis-sion
and at 1430 hours. moved out on foot,.(roads within the lst Bil
zone Y.Tere non-existent),. to occupy this position. 4
After moving across country, the lst En reported their
positions to be in the vicinity of Hill694. By 132130 March,,
the 38thinfantry had completely relieved all eJ.ements of the
23rd Infantry on position. At this time,. plans vlere made to
jump off in an attack at 0800 the following morning~ The
plan for the attack called for the 2nd Bh to attack north
astride the roa.d,,with the 3rd En ready to pass through in
the event of any difficulty,. or to exploit any successes •. The
lst Bn was ordered to continue cross~country to th~ vicinity
1 •. app C-2 2. app C-1 3. a.pp C-2 4. app C~2
POR #59 dtd 131500r:r.1ar 8-3 Summary dtd 12 Mar POR #59,.131500I Mar POR #59,.131500I Mar
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Korean War Project 2ID-00400373
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of the "Reno Line" and occupy the most favorable terrain.l
:Prior to the crossing of the line of departure by the 2nd
Bn, one squad· fr,om the Regimental Anti-Tank and Mine :Plato on
was directed to move forward of the 2nd Bn vehicles and tanks
to clear the road of all mines. The 2nd Bn crossed the line
of departure at approximately 140835 March and by 1000 hours
were 1.000 yards short of objective 11 A11 2 even though they en
countered moderate resistance. The advance of the battalion
was slovTed down considerably bec::~.use of the heavily mined
road. At 140920 March, Division directed that one battalion
would be on the Reno Line, by dark,, if possible, while the
remainder of the Regiment would be onobjective "Baker"~
(Idaho Line)~ by dark.3
At this time, Division notified the 38th Infantry that
additional tank,s and artillery '\'tare on the 'ttiay to support the
advance.
At 14·1017 1'-iarch, the 3rd Bn was ordered to proceed to an
area just north of YUDONG-NI,, where it was to org~ize a task
force made up of tanka, Infantry and Heavy Mortars. This task
force was to pass. through the 2nd Bn and move forward to ob
jective 11 Baker11 (Idaho Line) •. During this period 11 011 Btry,
82nd AAA Bn had arrived at the Regimental C:P to relieve 11 B"
Btry, 82nd AAA Bn, also,, 11 A'~ C·ompany, 72nd Tank Bn had arrived'
in the area and was immediately ordered to load infantry on
their tAriks and proceed to YUDONG-NI •. In order to maintain
the roads in our zone of advance and aid the forward progresa
of the attached units,~ the 38th Infantry reques.ted Engineer
support. . Division immediately placed 11 0!1 Company, 2nd Eng- .
ineer Bn, in direct support of the 38th Infantry.~
The 2nd Bn,.38th Infantry, was ordered to clear the road
and the pass in the vicinity of D52667, at ·whicli time the
tank-infantry task force would pass through them and continue
1. app 0-2 2. app 0-2 3. app 0-2 4. app c.~2
POR #60,. 151600I Mar POR #60,,J.51600I l-iar (see o/J. dtd 13 Mar), POR #60, 151600I Mar · FOR #60, l~tc~rt
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-s·tCi·\t. to objective Baker,.with air cover •. The 2nd Bn continued
attacking to the north in the face of small arms, automa~ic .,
weapon and mortar fire. Enemy mines were encountered in'
1 great quantities,, disabling some tanks and vehicles., however,.
the 2nd Bn pushed fo~vard and by nightfall had reached ob
jective 11 D", v-rhere they buttoned up for the night. In the
meantime,.the 1st Bn had reached the vicinity of BAEMA;L, how
ever,, they 'ltlere unable to keep supplied since the terrain they
had.: covered was inaccessable to vehicles.. The Regimental 8-4
requested Division to make an air drop of rations and communi
cations equipment the following day. 2
At 150730 March,. 3rd Bn jumped· off astride the road \1/'i th
L Company on the left and K Company on the right of the roA:d.
The 2nd Bn followed the 3rd Bn by approximately 1000 yards,
with the mission of securing the pass after the 3rd Eat tali on
had sie:sed it •. The 2nd Bn followed with one company on each
side of the road, however,.the 2nd Bn companies were deployed
deeper into the hills.in order to sweep the area prior to
securing the pass.:?
At 150815 March, .the 3rd Bn began to receive small arms
fire from the vicinity of the pass (DB 253655) •. As the 3rd
En advanced slowly under increasing fire, the.cargo plane that
was to make the air drop arrived over the CP area. The Regi
mentaL TACP and 11 M.osqui to" ·relayed the necessary directions
and instructi()ns and an air drop was ID§de on the drop zone
with excellent results.4
The 2nd Bn, . \vhich was moving along rapidly, was forced ~-
to aaltc.a.nd await the fO!'\'iard advance of the 3rd. Bn •. At
151050 March,, the 3rd En \"-ran moving forward very slo\'i'ly ,,
with L Company advancing under fire to,..,ards Hill S.70, and K
Company advancing under fire to the vicinity of DS 279693.?
1. POR #60~ -. 151600ICMar 51 app 0-2 2 •. app C;.L. 8-3 Summary dtd 14 Mar /app 0:;...2 POR #60 1516001 3. app C+L S-3 Journal J~32 dtd 15 Mar 4. a.pp 0.~1 J-36,, J-40,. J-41, . S-3 Journal dtd 15 Mar 5 app 0-1 J-6·;: 8-3 Journa.l,ForvTard,dtd 15 Mar
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·lEPROOUCEO AT THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES ~-·~- ' ,,
s~ttntrl) The 2nd Bn, .advancing slowly,, received small arms fire from
a ridge byr the left of the road.. Ar-tillery was called and "E""
Company, follovring clos.ely behind the artillery barrage,, se
cured the ridge and prepared to swing around the left of11 L"
Company and aid in the attack of Hill 570.1 In the meantime~ 11 L 11 Company was having considerable difficulty taking this
hill and was receiving heavy small arms,.automatic we~pon and
mortar fire, which caused. the attack to be stalled •. Simul
taneously,, ":K" Company was succes.s-ful in getting over the ridge
and was moving do-vm the valley. In the meantime, 11 F11 Company •~
vrhich \'las off to the right and rear of "K11 Company, \'J'as given
the mission of ;taking HilL 719. After neutralizing a pill
box on a peak of this hill,, the company was successful. in se-
curing the peak with the remainder of the ridge still in en
emy hands, •. here they stopp~d ·for the night~ 2
At ~51545 Ivlarch, . 11 K11 Company attacked the hill at DS279684';,
successfully reaching the crest,,they sta.rtedto dig the enemy
out of their foxholes and empla.cements.with bayonets.?
In the meantime, tt E" and 11 L" Companies h§d started
an attack to take Hi11570 but the enemy,, from his dug-in pe,.. •
sitions,, continued to deny them this hill. At 152050 Ma.rch-,l
fighting was still ih proe;ress to take Hill 570,, ho-v;ever,, the
2nd and 3rd Bils expressed the belief that their companies
would take the hill. that night.. In ordarto assist the In ..
fa.ntry Companies,~ the 37th FA'.and 38th FA Bns placed battalion
volleysof HE, J WP and VT mixed~ on top of this hill~fi- After the
artillery was placed on the hills and the enemy continued to
resist fanatically,. it was decided to reorganize the battalions
and buttonup for the night.and continue to attack the fol~w
ing morning •. The attack plans were sent down.iil the 2nd and3rd
1 •. app- C . .;.2 2. app c~l 3 •. app C-1 4 •. a.PP c~l ..
POR #61,:161500! Mar 51 S-3 Summary dtd 15 Mar / C-2 POR #61, S-3 Summary dtd 15 Ivla.r 51 J-47;·. S-3 Summary dtd 15 Mar 5L
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(]1age #6,. Narrative Sstc~f)
Battalion • s vii th instructions to straighten I
out their units;
first, 2nd Bn, \'Tith all its units. on the left of the road,
and the 3rd En, \vi th all its units on the right of the road •. 1
At 160040 I-1arch, orders. 1-1ere sent dO\..rn to battalions
for the attack that morning •. Plan of attack designated 2nd
.En on the left and 3rd Bn on· the right. 11 L 11 Company· would
initially assist "E" Company to take HilL 570. After the
pass was taken and. secured,. the battalions 'vere instructed
to assemble their units and continue on dovm the road to ob
jective 11 B11 ~'~
At 160730 March, the two battalions. jumped off' into
the attack and by 0825 hours, "E" and "t" Companies had taken:
Hill570 ·against scattered enemy resistance •. 11 F11 Company,,
which was on the righ.t, had taken the remainder of HilL 719'
at 0830 hours, against light enemy resistance. The 2nd Bn'
left a small force on Hills 570 and719 pending relief by the
9th Infantry. . As the. pass was now secured,, the battalions
assembled their units in their respective zones and made
preparations to continue the attack., Meanwhile,, "I'~ Company
continued to sweep up the ridge to the east of HilL 7l9~. A:
junction was made "~:Jith 11 F11 :company, at which time 11 I 11 Company
changed its. direction of attack to the north in ·an effort to
link-up with 11 K11 Company.. In the vicinity of. DS 0432,. the
link-up \'Tas made \'Thereupon 11 I 11 "and "it" Companies began to
move for"\'Tard to1rrard Hill . 660 and came up on line vii th HilL
570.3 During a lull in the fighting for Hill 570,.the"38th:
Infantry made use of the Phychological Warfare Team.. Several
broadcasts were sent to enemy lines telling them to surrender . . 4.
and they would receive good treatment.. After the broadcasts
1. a.pp 2 •. app 3. app 4~ app
C-1 C;;..l C+2 9;;.1
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14 men appeared at the des~~~f<~J[mbly point,
of the fourteen turned out to be civilians.:t.
hovvever,, t\'lebre
Fighter aircraft worked throughout the attack and rendered
magnificent support.. In the vicinity of Hill 460, the fighters
received some small arms fire from dug-in positions. These po-
si tiona \-Jere q\lickly neutralized by machine gun fire from the
fighter planes.2
At 161.030 l·iarch,. 11 I'! and 11 K11 ''Companies were moving forv1ard
with no opposition and by 2020 hours, 11 I 11 Company had secured
Hill·- 650. and 11 K" Company had secured the ground to the left of
the hill, ,to include the road •. By this time, 11 F11 Company was
forward of Hill 570 in the vicinity of DS 270688, and moving
for\vard without opposition. . At 161240 Harch, Regiment directed
the let l3h to move cross country from their positions on the Reno
Line,, to DS 2-4·9742. 3
To exploit the sudden disappearance of the enemy forces,
at 1615-4·0 March, perso~el of K Company v1ere mounted on Tanks
of Tank Company,, 38th Infantry, and 11 A11 Company,, 72nd Tank Bn,,
and proceeded down the road to PUNG.AM-NI.4
By 1.61730 March, "K" ;Company, \'lith tanks,, had reached their
objective and were soon joined by the re~ainder of the 2nd and
3rd Bns. The Battalions immadiately reorganized and set up a
perimeter defense for the night.~
In the meantime, the ls.t Bh had reached the vicinity of
DS 194714,,without enemy contact, and went into perimeter de
fense for the night •. During the evening,, 2nd and 3rd Bns re
ceived light small-arms and mortar fire,. however,~ by 2300 hrs,,
alL. enemy fire had ceased. 6
At 170730 ~!arch,. 2nd En initiated its attack astride the
1. app B-1 2. app c.:.2 3. app C-2 4. app 0.;;.2 5. app C-2 6. app C-1
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(Pa~e -"6, l~arrative llummarv Harr\', .lr . - , Q ~ . . SEC 1'\ t . road and moved to the northtvest. Licht, scattered, enemy re±o'
sis tance 111as encountered. T 1:1e 3rd Bn i·ra.s :placed in ::nobile re- .
. se . .,..,.,.re and follo~ ... ·.ed +.t":". 2nr'l '"'.,.., ,oy 0 0,.....0 •Pn,..,.!l,.. ~oa~1 ·r J., ~ -- , v • .>.'c;; ~ D.>.~ c;. V jc:'.J..U.o_, .L'· U..} to l'Jass
throush tl1o 2nd En if t~1e necessity arose. In the meantirJo,
the 1st En t-ras reported to be one milo short of their objective
and· movinc; :'oruard i·ri thout O~)]_Jos i tion. 1
The 2nd :Sn cont:i.nuGd to Si:roep for"tmrd, Hi th G· Comlxmy on
the road, flanked by 11E11 Co:-:Qany on the ri·)J.t and 11 F'11 Comp'"1.ny
on the loft. Enemy op::;>osition i'iaD neclie;ible, and the 2nd Bn
proceeded on to secure the ;pass Hi thout any troubloo After the
objective t·ras taken, personnel of "G"" Comrany,. mounted on tanks
and continued on do1m the road to make contact ui th the ls t
2 I·!arines.
In the meantime,. remalninc; elemento of tho 2nd 3n secured
their finc.l objective ·with no difficulty, vrith the 1st :;..nd 3rd
En ''s movinc up to for:n a pe:t~imete:i."' defense for the nicht.
D • .._his "- · e 111"f
11 Com,.;'"'ny '"~nu~ the "-a.,1"s UrlDG t.. uL1l , u- ............ ... • u J.J.I."' 1 bad re ac hod the ... "'
vicinity of 1557$0,. \Ihore they discovered 16 .A;norican PU'\3 1·1h0
had been prisoners of the Chinese. Four of the re1;atriatos
vrere seriously I·Iounded ct.nd ·1-1ere evacuated by helicopter. 3 II (!.II ""
Company· continued on one mile v1es t of the contact point,) hou-
ever, they 11rere unable to contact the 1-.Iarineo as· the Narines
i•!ere not to be found. 4
At 190845 Hal"ch, 38th RCT received a chan::e of boundry
from Divis ion.. In addition, a no'<'r llne uas es tnblio hod for pa--
trol purposes, indicatin.:.; the furthe:.";:nost l-:JOints north to uhich
the patrols 11ere authorized to :;!roceed, (Texas Line ).5
At 190915 Harch, Division ordorcc1 one battalion to mov.e ·
to the hish c;rm.md north of tlJ.e east-1'/'Cst road, betueen the 15.
1. app C-1 2. ap:p C-1 3 •. app C-1 4 •. ap:p C-1 5. app C-2
J-21,. S-3 journal dtd 17 Har/C-2 FOR ;~62 1700301 Summary,. S-3 journal dtd 17 ~hr/J-17 S-3 Jrn'~l J-22, S-3 journal dtd 17 Har Summary, S-3 journal dtd 17 l!ar o/1 dtd 21 liar/ J;..3l}, app. C-1, 19 liar 51
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ar_d 17 vertico.l ::;rid linea .~tCRET
, .. ,
The ls t Bn -vms ordered to suin:::; around to the t-Ies t <!nd a-
ssume positions as specified by Division •. The 3rd. 3n uas or-
de red to suing 11 1~11 and 11 I" Comp::mies on line e.nd tie- in Hi th
the 1st Battalion. By 19l.T hours, both battalions v1ere in des-
1c;nated pos1tions.2
On 19 Harch, 37th FA Bn ~,las detached from the 38th RCT and
38th FA :Sn t-ras placed in direct supl)Ort of the RCT.3
On 20 Harch, three combat ~:atrols -rrere dispatched, one
from each batt:~.lion. At 1205 hC11Jrs, the 1st Bn patrol report-
ed that they had reached the river in the vicinity of DS1885.
The 2nd Bn, upon reachinG DS14844, received t~.-ro rounds of
mortar fire. 81Il:H mortars, ::;.ttac\led to the l)atr·ol, fired on
subpected enemy mortar ~ositions causinc all enemy fire to
·cease •. Patrol continued on and started to receive small arms
and automatic v:eapon fire from Eill L~25. Fl'"'iendly mortar
fired on the hill in an attem!Jt to neutralize the ene;11y f5.re,
ho~:,rever, enemy continued cleliverins its fire on the :patrol,
holdinz.: up the adv;ance. At 201520 Harch, the xati·ol vms order-
ed to move .up Bill 421, come dovm on Hill 397 and then return
to the :patrol base. This miss ion i·re.s accom::,,lis he d. v;i thout
furhher incident... At 2 01950 Hc.rc h, le.:J.din:: elements of the pa-. h.
trol bad returned to the ~;atrol b3.se. ·
The Recimental Anti-Tan~;: and Hine Platoon, uhidh uas :vrork--
ins in the· 2nd :Sn ai'ea, reported they had discovered eleven
box type mines alan:::; the road.
Durinc 21 Uarch, battalions continued to ccnd combat· pa--
trols to the north. The 2nd Bn patrol depJ .. rted by truck and
arrived at their patrol base, (DS238323), at ap:proximo..tely
210840 Harch. The patrol cont.inued on hy foot and upon reach-·
1 •. app C-1 2. app C-2 3. app C-2
· 4. app C-2
J-36~ S-3 journal dtd 19 lhr POR /}64, 1915001 ~fur 51 POR ;-}f65 d td 2 0 :March 51 POR ft~65, 201500I No..r 51
Korean War Project 2ID-00400380
'"\ r , , !EPRODUCED AT THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES \
{Page #10) vtLRET ing the vicinity of DS22lt151, they received a 11 banzi-type"
~
attack from an unknown number of enemy. Battalion volleys of
VT fire hit the attacking force until the enemy broke contact
and fled to the hills. (Air OP estimated 100 enemy casualties
from this action). The patrol attempted to advance but re-
ceived heavy small arms and,automatic weapon fire 'from the vi-
cinity of Hill 397 and the ridges directly east of Hill 397.
The patrol was heavily engaged and directed 8lmm mortar and
artillery fire on enemy positions• However, at 211420 March,
the patrol was ovdered to dis~ngage. It was estimated that 1 one enemy battalion had held up the advance of this patrol.
At 210900 I1arch, the 2nd Bn was ordered. to come orr po
sitions and proceed to patrol base at DS23B23, from which point
thay were to patrol to the Texas Line. Meanwhile, the 38th
Infantry was relieved of responsibility for the pass at DS228-
753. During the day, Division informed the 3Bth Infantry that
the lst Ranger Company would be attached to the 3Bth Infantry,
ef'fective 22 March.
The 1st Bn was ondered to move to positions near the Idabo
Line in the vicinity of Hill 512, movement to begin at t·irst
light the rollmwing day. However, this ord.er was changed and
the lat Bn was ordered to continue beyond Hill 512 and. take
Hill 321 just north or the road.2
At 220400 Narch, "F" Company moved out to occupy Hill 30B
with one platoon sweepi~g the ridges along Hill 413. At 0640
. hours, "F" Company received small arms and automatic weapon
fire rrom Hill 308. An artillery preparation was put on the
hill and "'if'" Company began their assault and by 0855 hours,
had completely secured the hill. In this action, "F" Company
captured 1 PW, killed 10 enemy and forced the remainder to
:rlee to the north.3
At 220t120 Harch, 11 G11 Company was preparing to take Hill
11 app c-2 2. app C-2 3. app C-2
-POR #66, 211500I Mar 51 (& atcd otl) POR #o7 dtd·/::!2 Nar 51 .. POR #o7 d td 22 Iv!ar 51
{ ·,, .· .. ~ {1 f') ~!Q) . .. ,,J ... I 1--r. 1... I
Korean War Project 2ID-00400381
/!EPROOUCEO AT THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES i ( :.·----··· ---- ' ...... ' '
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(Page #11. Narrative Summary,. Mar 5!..)
sE·~tRt:~r 397 and was receiving some sma~l arms and automatic weapon
fire.. Artillery was requested and 11 G11 Company; followed the
artillery barrage to within 200. yards of the top of the hill.
where they were temporariLy stopped by small_ arms and automatic·
weapon· fire •. 1
Another artillery preparation was calJ.ed for and again
foll.owing it closely,. "G" Company secured the hill •. The c:om
pany continued forward, sweeping the ridges southwest of Hill
421 •. 1-1eanwhile, .. "E" Company swung to the left of 11 G11 Company
and "began to mop_ up the ridges west of Hill 421.. One platoon
from "P" ·Company,. came off Hill. 4-1:3,. and moved on Hill 308 •.
The remainder of 11 F'' Company moved_ on to HilL 397 and at 1045
hours,,atta.cked the southe~n slopes of Hill.421 •. Meanwhile,
"E" Company approa.ched"Hill 421 from the west and received
small arms and automatic weapon fire which haLted their advance •. ·
At 22lo45 March, 11 G11 Clompany moved outi. to eliminate this resis
tance and by 221335 ~larch;, had secured the hill against moder-
ate to heavy resistance. Uponre~ching Hill 421,. "G" Company
dispatched a platoon: size patrol to HilL 895.~ 11 E11• Company
completed sweeping the ridge to the left of 11 Gtt C.ompany and
dispatched a platoon size patrol to Hill 800. In the meantime,,
11 F11 Company ( ~), had Svlept the ridge south of Hill 421, swung
north,~ and after meeting moderate resistance,. secured the knob
at 00 232856,. just north of Hill 425.. At 221625 l•Iarch, a pa
troL from "E11 Company reported they had rel}ched the top of Hill.
800 and observed five enemy Who fled upon approach of the pa
trol.3
In the meantime, the lst Bn began to move and by 220925
March, leading elements had reached Hill 512 with no enemy con-
tact. At 220940 .March, "An and "c" Companies were on Hill 512,.
1 •. app C-2 POR #67,. 221500I lilar 51 ' 2. app C-2 POR #67, 221500I l•lar 51 3. app C-1. S-3 Summary dtd 22 Mar 51 ..
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Korean War Project 2ID-00400382
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(Page t/12, Narrative Summary SE.C~ET
and 11 E1 Company, following,, passed through 11 A11 and "cttn Compan
ies at 1040. hours to; seize Hill 321. As "E/1 Company ~as sed •
.... -. .... · ... , .. , .--..~,
through,, u A" Company followed and 11 C11 Company remained on Hill
512 •. "FJ' Company continued. to advance and at 221210 March,.
were in contact with the enemy who were firing from the southern
sl~pes and top of Hill 321 •. Ohe platoon from "E' Company moved
in frontally,, vrhile another platoon manoltvered around to the
west and started to assualt the southern slopes of Hill 321.
Heavy smarl arms and automatic \'reapon fire vras slowing down the
advance,, , .. il1ereupon,. 11 A" Company vras o.ommi tted around the right ~
flank of "B'' Company.. At 221337 ]IIarch,~ ''A" and "B" C~mpanles '-
were moving up the southern slopes of Hill 321 just south of
the ro~. At this time the left platoon of "E" Company re
ceived a small counter-attack and was pushed back from the west
ridge of Hill 321. The platoon immediately counter-attacked
and regained the lost ground. "A" and "B11 Companies secured
the ridges jus·t south of the ~oad and halted temporarily,,while
4 Navy FU' s hit the hill with napalm and parafrags •. Follm·ring
this action, the artillery was called upon to take over and
walked fire up the hill with "A" and n B" Companies following. ...... ., ....
At 221627 lvlarch, "A" and "B" Companies secured Hill 321.
(Fifteen enemy were counted KIA and an unknown m.;mber of \ri'IA)~.
"A" Company then·swung to the east and proceeded to move to
Hill 413 in an effort to setze the hill from the southwest,
thereby opening the east-west ·road.~
At 221800 March, "A" Company reported receiving enemy fir~
from the north, the east and the west. It was estimated there
· were 200 enemy dug-in on Hill 413. Consequently,, 11 A'' Company
was ordered: to \'Ti thdraw to the 1st Bn perimeter in the vicinity
of SALBYON, DS17~4. 2
While this action i'ras taking place, two platoons of the I
11 Roqk Rangers" were advancing toward Hill 413 :('rom the east and
1. a.pp C-1 2. app C-2
5~3 Summary dtd 22 Ma.r/C-2 POR #67, 221500I ~Iar 51 Poa #68, 23l500I Mar 51
SFRRr-T
Korean War Project 2ID-00400383
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(Page 13, _Narrative Summa1"'"U" ~f-5.1)
-J 0tCr\EMr at 1630 hours,.had reached the northeast
\ ' \' I
slope of Hill 413. One
platoon remained in this position to act as base of fire, while
the other platoon, under cover of artillery fire, assaulted the
hil+.. After advancing to '\'Tithin 300 yards of the crest of the
hill, they were forced to withdraw because of heavy small arms,
burp gun. and light 8lmm mortar fire .1
At 222130 Mardh, a reinforced ~latoon of the 1st aanger
Comp~y departed through "F" Company' a lines and moved in an ' northeasterly direction with the mission of capturing P\'T' s.
soon returned with one ·FW.2
It
During ~his period,~ orders were received from Division to
establish a patroL base to be occupied by one battalion, which
would patrol to the "Maine Line'.', 3 and destroy all enemy in
their zone. Division further ordered two battalions to occupy
defensive positions in the vicinity of the Idaho Line, and send
out locat security patrols.. 2nd Bn was designated to set up
the,patrol base with the lst Bn preparing defensive positions
in the left portion of the Regimental sector and the 3rd En
on the right. 'Prior to assuming defensive positions, the lst
Bn was instructed to clear its sector of enemy up to Hill 485.4
On 23rdMarch, lst Bn was ordered· to secure Hill .485 and
the tmnumbered hill at DB_ 176858. 11 011 Company was given the
_mission of securing these objecti_ves.. After ·meeting only light
resistance, 11 011 c·ompany captured all objecti~es by 1545 ho~s.5 .
2nd Bn dispat.ched 11 F" Company to hit the following 1oca~
I tiona:. 00'224872,, DB 210880, DS 202882, DS 195880 •. When tha
patrol came into the vicinity of .Hill 800,_. they received mortar,,
1 •. app_.·C-2 2. app C-2 3. app C-2 4~ app C-2 5 •. a.pp c~2
·poa #68, 231500I. Mar 51 POR #68, 231500I Mar 51 o/l.dtd 24 Mar 51 FOR #68, 231500I Mar 51 FOR #68, .231500I l~r'5l-
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SECRET
Korean War Project 2ID-00400384
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. tEPROOUCEO AT THE Nil TIONAL ARCHIVES ·
t" ': .. -.. J~.
a group of enemy
who J:?.ad reoccupied the hilL under the cover of darkness. An
r air strike was put on the hill and "F" C:Ompa.ny attempted to I
·take it. The attempt_proved to be unsuccess-ful and at this
time, 11 F11 Company was ·ordered to return to the battalion per
imeter~1~
In the·mea.ntime, 3rd Bn had departed, to occupy their new
defensive positions, and by 231500 March, had closed·~.
On 24 March, the 2nd Bn was given the mission of taking
Hill 800 and continuipg north to take Hill 632, and 3rd Bn
was given the mission of taking Hill 805. and moving on to
Hill 911. "Jtu Company,,with one pJ:atoon of 11 F11 Company,
(acting as decoy)~ departed at 0730 hours to Hill 800. After
encountering enemy small arms and automatic weapons fire,
Which was silenced by friendly artillery, 4~2 1 s and air, they
were successful in taking Hill 800., "E" Company continu~d on
to the north and a plat'oon from 11 F11 Company remained· bel1ind
to secure this hill. "E" Company con,tinued ·on and by 23133.0
March had secured Hill 632 without enemy contact. 3rd En~ 'pa
trol,. "L" "c·ompany, was within 300 yards of the· crest of Hill
895 when they received light small arms fire, .. coming from
Hill 895 and the ridge between Hills 895 and 911. An air
strike and artillery was called on the hill and ridge and the
patrol moved behind the artillery fire to v:i thin 50 yards of
the crest vtithout opposition.. At 231500 hours, the hill was
· secured~. After leaving one sq,uad from 11 L 11 'Company on Rill
805,~the remainder of the company moved off and secured Hill ~
9llwith no enemy opposition •. In the meantime, the Rock
Rangers dispatched one squad to occupy HilL 911, and another
to relieve the squad of 11 L 11 Company on Hill 895.. On the eve
ning of 24March, the l~t B!i was given 'the mission of patroll
ing to Hill 918, w·hile the 2nd Bn was given the mission of2
1. app C-2 POR, 231500.I Mar· 51 2. app C-1. S-3 Summary 24 Mar/C-2 POR 69,
tl4) ~r-r'DCT
231500I Mar 51 '
Korean War Project 2ID-00400385
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,:;EPROOUCED AT THE NATIONAl ARCHIVES;
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(l>age #15~ ~ .... _rative Summarrr.~f17£-5l..)T· /
0tG~\t patrolling to HilL 918, rThile the 2nd 'Bn l'tas given the mission
of patrolling to HilL 821 the following day.
During the early morning hours of 25 Do'Iarch, t11e 1st and
2nd Battalions dispatched their company-size patrols. ~ter \
making very light contact, both battalion patrols succeeded in
.taking their objective.l
At 251210 March,.the 38th ROT was alerted for movement.on·
26 March to the ridge line running east to west·in the vicinity
of the 94' grid line. At 25144·5 :March,. Division ordered one
. battalion, to move as soon as possible to the· vicinity of DS2686,
and further, that the battalion would move out at 260800 March
op. an attack mission •. 3rd Bn was selected for the mission, and
by 1800 hours had completely cleared their area •. The 2nd En
was ordered·to follow, with the 1st Bn in Regimental reserve in
the vicinity of D62686 •. 9th Infantry was to relieve our elements
on Hills 800 and 879. 11 Rock Rangers" were ordered to rema:\n in
position until relieved-by the 9th I~fantry. 2
At 260800 March, the 3rd Bn,, with "K" Cbmpany leading,.
jumped off to· secure Hill 1099 and 11 I 11 and "L" 'Companies moved:
up to the left of 11 K11 Company.. "I" Company, with the mission
of sweeping the area to the northl'lest to the vicinity of DS245--
894~, from this point the company swung to the northeast, sweep
ing the ridges to objedtive 11 T11 .3
"t" Company swung to the northeast to join "K" Company on /'
Hill 927. The battalionencountered no enemy opposition,. how
ever, progress was slow due to the rough terrain. By 261800
March, .. the 3rd Bn had reached HilL 1074 While one platoon of
"I" Company conti;nued to move forward to occupy Hill927.4
In the meantime, the 2nd Bh had cleared their area and
·was moving forward siovrly behind .the ·3rd En and at darkness,
1. app C-2 2. app C-1 3. app C-2 4~ app 0-2
POR #70;, 251500I Mar 51. S-3 Slimmary dtd 25 Iviar 51 POR #71, 261500I Mar 51. POR #72, 271500I Mar 51.
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Korean War Project 2ID-00400386
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lEPROOUCEO AT THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES;
,•a Summary ~<Pll'?;ljtT' \... ~-llf\L ~
. " " 1 c-io.sed in to object1 ve .. T • The lst Bn, followed behind the
2nd Bn, and closed .in. the vicinity of WAYA-RI,- (DS24084-5) •.
Information was received from Division that the Regiment C:- r /
0'6mpa.ny, on Hill 927), was to ~ove to the vicinity of TAR{Jl;1-GOL •.
The final'object1ve was to be secured with a minimum amount of
forces. The 3rd Bn was ordered to accomplish this mission;.
while the 2nd Bn was to proceed to and secure TAR{Jl;i-GOL, and
also,, to contact the Marines on the left flank 38th Infantry •.
The Regimental forward CP, as well as the 2nd and 3rd·Bh organ--. \
ics,:with 6 firing pieces from the 82nd AAA and one platoon of
infantry from the lst Bn, were order~d to move on 28 !>larch to
the vicinity of ANTWI-GOL and await clearance by the ~furines
before moving in t~ SINHtmG-DONG. 2
At 270700, . "'I11 Company jumped off for Hill 932. In the
meantime,·"L" Company was ordered to seize Hills 1123 and 1076,, -•·
while "It" Company remained.in reserve.3
At 271010, "I" Company secured Hill 932 without enemy con
tact, however, progress had been slow because of the depth of
the snow ,_ (12 inches) •. 11 L11 C.ompany reached their objective,
·Hill 1123, and dispatched a patrol to seize Hill 1076. This pa-
trol,. a platoon from 11 L11 ncompany, reported at 271940 1-iarch that ""'-· ....
they had secured HilL 1076. The 2nd Bn departed at 0730, se
cured TARUM-GOL and swept the surrounding ridges. 4 ..
At 280500 lviarch, 2nd and 3rd Bn organic vehicles, along
with a security force, departed for their areas. At 280730
March, the Regimental forward CP departed its area and closed·
into 'new CP at SINHUNGOL at 281230 ~farch. 5
At 280900-March, the 3rd Bn received an air drop of su-
pplies • I The 2nd add 3rd Battalions disptached company-size
patro.ls to the front _with "G" Company patroili _ amking light en
emy contact • In the vicinity of HilL 728, .. they encountered
. l~. a.pp) 0;..2 . 2 ~' a.pp C•2 3 •. app C-2 4. app C-2 5. app 0;.2
o/l d td 26 March 51. . POR #72, 271500I -~Iar 5L· l?OR #72,~ 271500I 11ar 5L l'OR #72,, 2715oor Mar 51 . J?oR #73, 291509~ fi1' ~J5_ lE,_-r c 16)
\.'r\ ,.~J .. v,,.J ... _ .... ! ~ \
Korean War Project 2ID-00400387
~" '-~ :~l .· tEPRODUCEO AT THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES '
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{Page #17, Narrative Summa~y March 5. lJl ·
...
- ~r-cRtl~-10 or 12 enemy dug in. Air sYr~e and artillery was placed on
the enemy, . resulting in 2 enemy KIA and 1 'tliA. The remainder 1
fled to the north •.
At 301330 March,, the 3rd Bn moved into their nev: area. The . 1st Ranger Company moved into Regimental reserve at 301900 March •.
During the period of 19 thru 29 l•Iarch, J the regiment was
forced to attack through mountain~us terrain in which roads were
non-existant. This situation presented a serious problem of
supply, for the attacking units •. The Reg~mental Commander re
quested and received carrying teams composed of South Korean
natives to alleviate this problem. These teams were ofgreat
help for they were able to carry very heavy loads on their 11 A".,
frame ahd had little difficulty climbing the hills with their
loads •. The ingenuity of the American soldier paid dividends
during this period; vll th no prior training vli th pack animals ,J
they picked up all stray oxen and cm•rs,, and turned them into
very good pack units., These pack units carried much of the
2 heavy equipment,, guns,, and. rations.
1. app 0-2 POR #73, . 291500 Mar 51 2 •. Major Petrick, S-Lt·,. 38th Inf
#17 of 17
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Korean War Project 2ID-00400388
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SUBJECT:
TO . .
-,_ ,r\EPRODUCED AT THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES :
(-:_: _____ ~~ ---,~, I
HEAD Q,U.ARTERS 38T!3: 'INF ATTTRY APO 248 c/o Postmaster
San. Francisco, California
,-'·
S-1
SECRET 21 April 1951
Evaluation for pekod of 1 thru 31 March 1951
Commanding 0 ffi ce r 38th Infantry
SECTIOH I Reorganization and Receipt of Replacements:
The ree:;iraent moved to the vicinity of Chupo-ri and
imm.ecliately stecrted a program of reorganization. Shortae:;es
had been established for all w1i ts a:1d omergeJ.lC;}' requisitions
had·been subr;rltted. Replacements began to arrive at the first
of the month a11d· were carefully screened, classified and
assigned to ur .. i ts. Tl1e 1st and 3rd battalions received most
of those replacements due to their many losses in the February
lZth action. Specialists suc11 as CV.J rD.d.io operators, sursical
technicians and c ool-rr:::, v;ere carefully azsignod to fill most
serious vacancies. It was· necessary to reassiQl certain com-'·
munication personnel from Ree;im.en·tal Headquarters Company to·
the lst and 3rd Battalions ; also, one offi cor and 5 enlisted
. men (com.m.U11ico:t:Lon personnel) vJere _}?laced on d..etc~.phed se·rvice
with the !Tether12.nds Detac:f;·;_en.t to insure l1ropcr conJrlunicat:.iOli
ina.:;much as this w.1i t has lost its· comraunications· ~:fficer and
enli~ted personnel.
The type of replacements received were anythL1c; but what
·had been requisitioned. Only a sm.all percentage of some 900
. r~placomcn.ts ·v;ere riflemen or had had o..:.1y e:qierience as rifle-
men. The maj orit.y of tile replacements had come· f:eom Ordinance
Units, Q.uartcrm.aster Units, Truck Companies a.c.d En.cineer Units
located in the rea;t,' arc:·:;s fro.in Pusan forvmrd. The 1nen vvere
physically 'unqualified anc:t ·were not trained for duties in an
Infantry Reciment. Fiolo. :Manuals a.ti.d Training Ma2uals we:;.~e
procured and a visoTous traininG procraEl was put into effe'cto
Korean War Project 2ID-00400389
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. ...~,_\ ·'·"~• "''"' . \EPROOUCEO AT THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES :,
(:-·.-
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(Co.ntinued,. S-1 Evaluation.for I~ar 51)
SECTIOl7 n . . StcREJ Vfuile at Chupo-ri, the regiment was able to 1)rocuro Post
Exchang-e supplies, movies and a Club l:!obile.
IT IS REcmrmm:mED that a l~obile I)ost Excho..r..c;e, consisting
of at least three 2~- ton trucl;:s, be operated by the Division
Special Service section or that post exchane;e SUlJPlies be ke p·t
closer to the front line rec;i.rnents. Post exchanco sup1)1ies
procured while at Chupo-ri were gone after ond "t?rought up .from
a distance of ov-er 100 Biles and later durinc the month, this
distance increased ao tho ~egi.ment moved foJ.'\vard.
rJ; IG FtTRTHER R'ECQ:ZJ.,IE::JDED that four movie project..ors be made
available to each Infantry Resiment vd th tho filn library ~.P
eratin g from the Division Comnw . .nd Poc~t.
8ECTIOIT III
~~·lhen the resimon t moved out of Chupo-ri, anc1 stal~ted its ;/
moverJent across cour1try over rough mountainous ter1~ain, it ·was
found necessary to establish strict straggler li1ieo. Hen be-
came exhausted and would bee O.iilO lo::rl:i; carrying parties becsme
lost and men vvere four:.d in· c;reo.t ntu:1bers ·around rear areo.s
such as· Battalion YJ. tchon Trains <.:.t.::ld Service Comr)r:my •
. It r·ms found nece:Joetry and IS RECO:t',~.~TDED "thEtt battalions
establish stro.ge;ler · checl~ points us v;ell as 'Rec;il)Ont; also,
that durinG co11bct, tho Comp;::.ny Clerk be present &t the. I
Bo.ttalion Aid :3"03tion to insure the. t men, once mc:trlceo. duty by
the Hedical Officer, return to their conpany;. that al1 officer
in the I::itchon Trains area alld ;~ervice ~o.mJ:Xd1Y cont.inously
check tents, buildinss and moss lines for stragc;lors; further,
that dispatchers checl::: vehicles leaving their areas for un-
aut~orized passencers. To further hell) the Ol)Gration of \
straggler checlc points, passes were issued to supply and kitchen
personnel 1vho ;fre guen tly traveled from one place to another.
··~ e.J c DRTfTl:'" ' ' • • J.J _, .. , _ ...
llc..jor, Infantry · .t\djutant
,.
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Korean War Project 2ID-00400390
' ' "··--. ·~ .. . !EPROOUCED AT THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES i
I ·z.--·~ -·· -- --- ¥- ------~------
HE~UARTERS ,, 38TH: INFANTRY APO 248 o/6 Postmaster
San Francisco,. California
1. May 195L
SUBJECTJ 8-2 Evaluation for period of 1 thru 31 March 1951
TO t Commanding Officer
38th Infantry
1 •. Enemy AT mines continued to take a heavy toll of
tanks and wheeled vehicles. As was the case in previous
months,, mine-fields were of irregular pattern and various
sizes.. Roads,. approach to by-passes, and ruins of villages
were heavily mined.. In many cases,, vehicles and personnel
were lost after the attacking troops had passed through the
area •.
2. . The enemy continued to delay the :?8th Infantry by
hoJ.ding. commanding terrain with smalL groups •. In most cases,·
he would attempt to defe~d and hold his position during the
hours of daylight and withdraw during the hours of darkness.
He continued to defend from well dug positions Which were
expertly camouflaged •.
3. The physcological warfare team was utilized in the
PUG~~-NI area with little results.. Fourteen men arrived at
the assembly point after the broadcasts.. Interrogation re
vealed that twelve of the men residing in the area were
civilians •. They stated that the message delivered by the,
loudspeakers could not be heard clearly and that the contents
were not clear. The two PW's verified this statement and
further stated that more enemy would surrender if they were
able to understand what was being said •.
4. During the reorganization and training period,,
battalion S-2 officers conducted daily classes for their re-
spective intelligence personnel •. The course included map
reading,~ patrolling,. use of compass (both day and night),,
and operation of OP'S; A~~rr··· each company Within
0Et.1r< ,_.
Korean War Project 2ID-00400391
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: \EPRODUCED AT THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES ;
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(Continued, 8•2 Evaluation for period of l thru 31 Mar 51);
the regiment formed three two-man "Shell Teams" • Members of
these teams "Vlere gi van special instruction in the method of
collecting data from mortar and artillery craters for the
purpose of determining the general location of enemy guns.
RECOI.JJMENDATIONS:.
l •. That some tanks be equipped With "Flails'' (used by
the British in World War: ·II)J to minumize the effect of enemy
AT.mines and to speed up the attack in a mined area.
2. That physcological broadcasts be more concise,
also,: members of the team take measures to insure that the
readability of the broadcast is clear.
~ S-2
Korean War Project 2ID-00400392
i . !
> ,j . i!EPROOUCEO AT THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES 1
HEADQUARTERS, 38TH INFANTRY Offic e Of The supply Officer
.APO 248, % Postmaster san Francisco, California
SECRET 16 April 1951
SUBJECT: Evaluation for period of 1 thru 31 March 1951 (S-4))
TO: commanding Officer 38th Infantry Regiment APO 248, % Postmaster San Francisco, California
1· rssue of supplies remained slow during early March. Large
quantities of combat boots were. rec'd and. issued to units but in -
the latter part of the month when weather began getting warm supplies
of boots in hands of troops were almost nil. Several cases of Trench
Foot were reported before boots were issued. This was due to ex
tended marches over rugged terrain while the soldier was wearing
shoe pac's. Units began turning in shoe· pac•s.o/a 25 March 1951.
It has been very difficult to obtain boots for personnel who wear
non-tariff si~es. There are thirteen (13) such personnel in this
organization at present. ·A company of CTC laborers were assigned
to this regiment during late I'1arch for carrying of supplies, working.
on roads eto. This company was found to be very efficient in all
duties to which it was assigned. An air drop was rec'd by two
battalions d uring late March and favorable reports were rec'd
from both units. various types of supplies wer~ dropped.
2. During the first two weeks of March, there was a shortage· ··
of dri vera and mechanics were used to operate vehicles.. This worked
a hardship on mechanics left in the Maintenance sec tion however;
with the help of mechanics operating vehicles this obstacle was
overcome. OVM sets ·for trucks were in critical supply and some
vehicles had practically no tools. A shortage of tires and tubes
750x20 existed and many vehicles were operating with six and eight
tires instead of ten. This shortage was relieved in the latter part
of March.
SECiiET
Korean War Project 2ID-00400393
I' r:·
f 1 ,.
· DECLASS\FIED ~J:Jncrij}I..J..~UJJ C>~· A.,s..:;D_:..·7_...S_s_;o_r
6Y S CtwV\ ;Q_aie J!Jo.!J1 ~~-~---...-·- .
·\. A ~--
. _i!EPROOUCED AT THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES:
c·~-
Ltr, Hq, 38th Inf Regt., Office Of ~~e Supply '" · 16 Apr 5 Subj: Evaluation
3. Roads traveled during the month of March were the worst
so far encountered in the Korean Campaign.
SECRET
Korean War Project 2ID-00400394
. DEGlApS\FIED ~J:.\ncri~:.Al-~J Q 7 ~SID ( By S {:;.ti.AAA "D.aie JiJD.fJJ •
.c_. __ ,.._..._-- . I
' '·\ 't
i!EPRODUCED AT THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES ·1
i"' .-.--·- 1 ---
•
l IE . .till ~ u· :\. ~·:~ T:;~: ?\..8 3 8 ·r II I ~-.:F\.\1\Tit Y 1.'-L?C 248 c/o Postmaster
San Francisco, California
SECRET TC: Co~mandins Offiber
38th Inf;J~ntry
4 r.Isy 1951
l. Durin:::; the ii10vonwnt of the re::.;;i::1ent north, it vias app~r-
of the lead inc.:; elemznts a~:d takinc; its toll of eq_ui.pment and l)Gr-
sormel. Nine tea:11S \F)Uld ~recede the colu;nn in an attein9t to
detect 8J1d neutr:J.lize the ene;u:r m'.nes, ~'lOvJever, it '.-m.e soon evi-
dent that all the :nines v1ere not found and r;j. eked Ul')· As the
rear elements would move into ~osition, casualties wculd occur
due to min:cs. This nece3:::; i t<l ted the tap in,::; off of areas Hit h
the subsequent search for iUines. It vias al)rarcnt 1d1cn tl~1ese ;nines J
vlere found that there vl3.8 no set p:1tter11 in t~lG layin::: Of the
;!Jines. Some H:)Uld be f:Jl:Cd in th·3 middle of rice caddies, fords,
sba.llovr !)la.ces in strect:ns., others in dj_tche:::: and turn-arounds;
therefore, orders 1.rere is;3ue:J. ttnt ::..11 pos~:;ible arco.s wl1ere mines
could be laved iiJUld be se:::.rc bed and neutro.lj.zed. Areas sUSl')SCted v '
of \J:J..vine; :nines v:ould be t.:tpcd ofl', howeve:r-, in one inst::.nce,
s..n area taped off alon.~:; a stream bed ;,·ms not ooeyed by tvio jeeps/
vrith t\1e result tbe.t !::oth jeeps vTerc de:nolished s,nd men killed
or 1-:ounded.
2. Jn tbc ::.tt.ac:;: nort'.1 :E'r·o;n Yud0n:s-n1, the sr1 . rositions
encouctered were well du:-in and c~mouflased. Artillery was
:;laced on t::icse positions uit~1 little or no results; in so21e cases,
this resulted in holdil1c_: u-p t':1e frlcndly o.dvc:;.nce. If a d.irect
hit '\'las obtained, tb.e :')c;sltlJn vrould be n3utl"'~l.lized, \.1.ovrever,
this toolr: :na;.Jy r·Junds of t:tr>tllle.cy and ent::.ilsd the loss of much
i·natter of' sec mds. In :J. feu ·lnst::L1ccs, tt1e :cccoilless r:.flcs v,rere
· SEC:f\ET
Korean War Project 2ID-00400395
l.. .
S-3 E-...raluation for I·1ar 51 cont. °FrRrT ;'\ 'f \ i:
brought up and v1ould neutralize the tn.rGet after a fevr rounds.
3. Hovement o-...rer terr-ain encountered d.urin:; this r;hase 1-.ras'.
very dif:ti cult and slov; due tc the lack of sui table vehicular
road nets, therefore, c:;,r rir::rs \Wuld have to be obtained. At
times, the forward units i'iOUld h::'1ve to limit ti1eir D,dvance until.
t!.1e necessary a:n;nuni tion. and supr.lies v1ere brousht up.
4. Recommendations:
~t. That all a,reas suspected of be1.n,:::: mined be taped
off and s-vrept clear befor·e occup~ltion. If these areas are to ;be
swept at a later date, .r;rominent si,sns should be ')OS ted as a t '
req_uired to probe Hi th bayonets v;hen mine~ are suspected par-
ticularly in bivouac and assembly areas. •
b. That direct fir·3 1;reapo\1s be used. rt1ore extensively
in the reduction of eaJpL;.cements. These '.veapons should be close
enoUJ;h to the front to be employed in:a :ninimum am:mnt of time.
c. That befo:co a unit is siven the :;,uiscion of goinG
erose-country,. the carriers be ma:1o avail~ble prior to deps.rture
time so that the parties llVJ,J follovl the tro:>ps and deliver the
much needed supplies in a. minimu:n .a;:n.ount of ti :ne. Hav 1 ng carrie
present prior to or shortly "lfter ju~p-off time, would obviate
units \·m'iting for suprlic3 and hel;~ 'lccomr:lish tbe :nis~;ion mu
more effectively. , '
SECRET
Korean War Project 2ID-00400396
; '
\ . 1~EPROOUCED AT THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES ' cc-- --~- ; ...
HEADQ,UARI'EBS, 3tsTH INF.A:NTRY APO 248 c/o Postmaster
San Francisco, California
~Er,R~- E,..,.1_ \.. ~.J \
5 May 1951
SUBJECT: Commander's Evaluation period'of 1 thru 31 ~~rch 51
TO : Commanding General 2d Infantry Division
:--"--'-
1. The regiment received a large number of replacements.
during the period, few of whom were Infantry Basic, however,
as Corps Reserve, and ten days to train, real progress in
welding a team was accomplished.
2. A 40 hour course for patrol leaders was conducted by
regiment during the period. It was wel'l received and et·t·ective•
3. Bivouac areas can and should be probed with bayonets
when mines are suspected.
A. Tank t•ire is most accurate and ertective in destroy-
ing enemy bunkers.
5. Native carriers are of the greatest importance if
not absolutely essential in. mountain operations, particularly
during bad weather when air drop is not possible.
6. Soldiers ltrho cannot wear tarifr size shoes should
not b~ assigned infantry units, where good and properly fitted
shoes· are so essential.
7. The present mass kit should be discontinued and reM
placed by a serving tray kept at the company kitchen.
{}~~.~~ ~ioHN G COUGHLXN
C.olonel, Inf Commanding
SECRET
Korean War Project 2ID-00400397
38th INFANTRY STAFF (March 51):
co - - - -COUGHLIS.l~.C,~flolonel- 18898 - Inf
Ex Off - - - - NORill'I, Mil ton G •.. - Lt CoL- 0397867 - Inf
S-1- - - - BRINK, Johnnie C. - 1\llaj - 034658 - Inf
8-2~ - - - - - ABANTO,, Rizalito - Capt - 01301590 - ·Inf
S-3 --HODGES,; Warren D~ - Maj- 037869- Inf
S-4 - - - - - FRIZZELLE, Reginald E. --Maj-0332135 - Inf
1ST BN CD . - - - - - - ROD.A.RJ.vjE ,, Jack W.- Maj --· 01297950 - Ihf
Ex Off - - - - ?ETRICK,, Lawrence R. -1\llaj-01291512- Inf
S-2
S-3 -
co - -
- SUNDAY,, Carl J.E.-0554325-Capt-Inf
- - LEIBER,, Herbert L. -Capt-OJ.291298-Inf
2d BN~ - - SKELDON,, James H. -Lt C:ol-020831-Inf
Ex Off - - - - WILKINS, Wallace W. -Maj-0387709-Inf
S-2 - - - FORNEY,) Jason,, E.- Capt-01286268-Inf
S-3 - - - CASEY, James J. - Capt - 0128693 Inf
3rd Bn CO------ ~lAIXl~R,,Harold V. -Lt Col~024439-Inf
Ex Off - - - - DeVOS,, Robert c-~ ~ Maj -- 01284·836:-Inf
S-2 - - - TOTH,.Louis L.~Maj-01288468-Inf
8-3- - - - - -WARDEN,. Robert·. H. -Capt-01302910-Inf
NETH pET CO - - - - - - ECKHOUT, Lt C.olonel
SERVICE COltlPANY
'.
CO - - - - - - VOORHIS, Tomas K. - Capt - 01049005-Inf
HVY MTR COMPANY
CO - - - - - - P.ROWN ,, Jack D. --1st Lt-0537506- Inf
TANK CO 38TH· INF CO - - - - - - HINTON, Reginald J •. - Capt-01313094-Inf