Destruction of the Han River Bridge

[Ed Evanhoe <ede@oio.net>]

YS,

 >>At 09:36 AM 5/23/00 -0700, you wrote:
The Hang River bridge was blown up by SK engineers while some friendlies
were still on it.

Who gave to order to blow it up?<<

There is considerable question about who exactly ordered the Han River Bridges
blown. At the time these were destroyed there were still 56 KMAG people,
including Hausman, plus General Chae and his staff still in Seoul. They
had to cross the Han east of Seoul via ferries, this according the U.S.
Army In the Korean War: South to the Naktong, North to the Yalu. A
different story from KMAG IN PEACE AND WAR says that Hausman
and General Chae had just crossed the Han River Bridge and was on the south
bank of the Han when the bridge was destroyed. In this account, Chae was
"mad as hell" about the bridge being blown -- which would indicate it was
done without his fore-knowledge. It is my guess that someone at Chae's
headquarters ordered the bridge blown and, when the feces began to hit the
electrically driven propeller, denied it and transferred blame to Col. Choe.

Ed

Ed Evanhoe, PO Box 916, Antlers, OK, 74523-0916
Member: American Society of Journalists and Authors
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