38th infantry regiment - command report - march 1951 infantry regiment - command report - march 1951...

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


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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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SECRET

( CSHIS-5) (Rl))

COivlMA.ND AND UNIT HISTORICAL .JEPOR'l'

38TH I.NFANTRY .REGI~NT_

for


Assigned to: 2d Infantry Division APO 248 US Army

Approved by:

I

fl~1f~~ @oHN G COUGHLIN Colonel, Inf Commanding

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SECRET

( C6HI5-5) (Rl))

CO~~ AND UNIT HISTORICAL EEPORT

38TH INFANTRY !EGIM!;NT

for


Assigned to: 2d Infantry Division

Approved by:

APO 248 U5 Army

a A ~~- _/l / . ·'/,.t~/1, ~~

~OHN · G COUGHLIN Colonel, Inf Commanding


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)~

SECRET


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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


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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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(Page #3, Narrative summtff. :· .~I~{'·~?L·r. 0[\.Ji \t \

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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(Page #4, Narrative S,nnm$-_·ru: . ..,l.;.a:JZ_ ~.5~)

-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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(Page #5, Narrative

·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

8-3 Summary dtd 15 Mar J-3, S-3 Journal dtd 16 Mar POR #61, 1615001·-Mar 5L S-2 Summary d td 16 l-iar 51-

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(Page #7, Narrative Summary Mar 51(:

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

S-2 Summary dtd 16 Mar 51 POR #61, . 161500I Mar 51 POR #61, 161500I Iv1ar 51 POR #62,,170030! Mar 51 POR #62,,170030! Mar 51 S-3 Summary dtd 16 Mar 51

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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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·:. .,L /\EPROOUCEO AT THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES ~.

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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


'"\ 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

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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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(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

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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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. 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 '


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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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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)

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~" '-~ :~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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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


. I

. ...~,_\ ·'·"~• "''"' . \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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' ' "··--. ·~ .. . !EPROOUCED AT THE NATIONAL ARCHIVES i

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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< ,_.


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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


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> ,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


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


. 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


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


; '

\ . 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


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

38th infantry regiment - command report - march 1951 infantry regiment - command report - march 1951...

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