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Re: Book review: Red Wings Over the Yalu: China, the Soviet Union and the Ai...



John,
My name is Robert, not Bob.
I recall vividly the searchlight over the Panmunjong neutral corridor, but never saw a ballon.
There was no 5th Bn. of the 7th Marine Regt.
I have no idea where you might have been, but if you will name the month when this supposed duece and a half drove out in front of the line to recover dead, I may be able to identify both the Marine unit and the position, also, were the bodies Chinese they were picking up ?

Widowmaker

John C Cheek wrote:

 Bob:I don't recall the hill identification but it was near the western flank of the 1st Marine Division if not right on the western flank. I could clearly see the balloon and spotlight at Panmunjon. I was in the Army Security Agency and attached to the 1st Marines. My outfit monitored the front line radio communications of the enemy. I pulled a 24 hour shift in the bunker then went back to a Detachment area for a couple of days before returning for another shift.  Our Detachment camp consisted of a couple of squad tents near the headquarters of a Marine outfit. I am not certain but it may have been the 1st Batallion, 7th Regiment or the 5th Bat 7th. There was an artillery battery not to far south of our Detachment. Is any of this familiar to you?John On Wed, 23 Jul 2003 10:36:58 -0500 robert guertin <wanaki@infionline.net> writes:
J. Charles,
I was also there in 1953, 1st Mar. Div. Do you recall which hill that was ?
 John C Cheek wrote:
 During one night in the early summer of 1953 the UN and Chinese exchanged artillery fire for hours. The next morning I watched a Marine deuce and a half truck drive slowly along the base of my hill. Four men were picking up bodies and putting them on the truck. I don't know how long they were down there picking up bodies because I quit watching and went back inside the bunker (It was not a pleasant sight). However, the Chinese did not fire upon our position. All was quiet for the rest of the day.        Stay safe, buddy.
        J. Charles Cheek
        Author of "Stay Safe, Buddy"
        A Novel about Humor & Horror during the Korean War
        www.authorsden.com/jcharlescheek On Tue, 22 Jul 2003 21:24:32 -0500 robert guertin <wanaki@infionline.net> writes:
What I posted was an action involving the Chinese. Although there were actions involving combined forces, they fought as seperate units. (N. Korean or Chinese)
The Chinese were not averse to killing prisoners, nor am I aware of any instance when they allowed us to recover our wounded, and there were times they used our dead as bait to ambush recovery efforts. (Not my unit but others of record)Love Shack wrote:
OK. were they the Chinese doing it or the Koreans?
Did the Koreans fight with the Chinese or did they fight as seperate unit?
I am not trying to create and argument. I am sure they could have this.

I am following up on a comment from an earlier posting of a person in combat
against the Chinese. After the battle the Chinese allowed the Americans to pick
up and treat the wounded and care for the dead.

He followed up that this would not have happened with the NK and that the
Chinese were a more disciplined army.

Dan Fahey
 

robert guertin wrote:

Regarding Chinese treatment of prisoners;
After the 2nd Inf. tragic loss at Hoengsong in February 1951, when the ROK fled south exposing ellements of that division to the onslaught of the Chinese 4th offensive, these fiqures answer the question.
15th FA Bn   208 Casualties    (106 KIA   102 died in captivity)
503rd FA Bn  56  Casua;ties    (  27 KIA   29  in captivity)
38th Inf Regt   462 Casua;ties   (328 KIA   134 perished in captivity)
Two GIs, their hands tied behind them, had been shot in the back of the head. There were powder burns on the back of the caps they wore.
[Gary Turbak, "Massacre at Hoengsong", VFW Mag. Feb. 2001)

Widowmaker
 

Love Shack wrote:

I thought the Chinese were more respectful of captured UN/USA
pilots and infantry then the Koreans.
OR were the Chinese just as cruel to their prisoners.

Did the Russians interogate with the Chinese?

Dan
 

AMPSOne@aol.com wrote:

In a message dated 7/20/2003 7:28:23 AM Eastern Daylight Time, Home@DanSources.com writes:
 
I wonder if the Russians employed that level of Trap for the US Pilots in Korea?
No, there is no evidence whatsoever of that. They usually note they didn't know who was who until they were shot down. Once he was shot down, they were highly respectful of Walker "Bud" Mahurin as that was a Ukrainian name, but that deference also wound up having him accused of collaboration with the Soviets after the war.

George Davis' shootdown was a bonus for them, but to this day both the Chinese and Soviets claim they shot him down so the real victor is unknown.

At least one ace was not announced until after his return, as the USAF was afraid if the Chinese knew he was an ace his treatment would be much worse.

Cookie Sewell
AMPS


        Stay safe, buddy.
        J. Charles Cheek
        Author of "Stay Safe, Buddy"
        A Novel about Humor & Horror during the Korean War
        www.authorsden.com/jcharlescheek

 


        Stay safe, buddy.
        J. Charles Cheek
        Author of "Stay Safe, Buddy"
        A Novel about Humor & Horror during the Korean War
        www.authorsden.com/jcharlescheek