[KOREAN-WAR-L:11391] Re: Partisan Operations and Tan-Do/T'an-Do

["Jack Hwang" <jackchwang@comcast.net>]

Ed,

CPV had been well prepared when they launched the attacks on
these islands. They had put a battalion of Soviet-made 152mm
howitzers at the tip of the Cholsan Peninsula.  Their range could
include Taehwa-Do.  They also landed a battalion of Soviet-made
76.2mm guns on Ka-Do after taking it.  For the fire support
vessels, what they installed were probably Japanese-made or U.S.-
made 75mm pack guns.

BTW, another question.  Did the partisans own any anti-aircraft
guns?  Chinese side's stories were very curious.  They claimed
the Tu-2s started to see heavy AAA fires ("thick black smoke
clouds..." at a distance of "3 minutes' flight to Taehwa-Do".
Given their stated speed of 360 km/h that day, it was about 18
kilometers away!  Most interestingly, the leader of the bombers
ordered all the gunners of Tu-2s to suppress the ground (or sea
surface :-) ) fires.  The story went as "... after a barrage of
the machine gun fires, the enemy's AAA fires became silent...."
Of course, this story would be very plausible if one happened to
forget that these Tu-2s were approaching the targets at 2,000
meters and the only MGs that could shoot at the ground were
the single rear-facing 12.7mm MGs at their bellies!

Jack

-----Original Message-----
From: owner-KOREAN-WAR-L@listproc.cc.ku.edu
[mailto:owner-KOREAN-WAR-L@listproc.cc.ku.edu]On Behalf Of Ed Evanhoe
Sent: Sunday, February 15, 2004 1:54 PM
To: KOREAN-WAR-L@listproc.cc.ku.edu
Subject: [KOREAN-WAR-L:11385] Re: Partisan Operations and Tan-Do/T'an-Do


Jack,

 >>At 01:39 PM 2/15/2004, you wrote:
>Ed,
>
>Thanks.  That solved the mystery!  So Donkey 13 really took Ka-Do/Tan-Do.<<

Not positive it does but most logical explanation.  And information I have
indicates once Chinese kicked the partisans off Ka-do, they moved on to
other islands so likely only left a few people behind -- likely NK security
troops.

> >>One other mystery was about  the CIA patrol boat at the night of Nov.
30th.
>Was it simply missing or did it escape safely?  <<

Patrol boat made it safely back to Ch'o-do.

> >>From Chinese records, they claimed they sank a "boat/ship/vessel" that
> night.

>One other account mentioned  Taehwa-Do had "3 big wooden vessels, 11 small
>wooden vessels, 1 small motorized boat".   If the partisans did not have
>any motorized boat, then the only such vessel would be the CIA patrol
>boat.  Furthermore, it would also mean that the boat really went north to
>attack the invasion flotilla, as promised by its skipper, and was sunk
>during the gallantry battle.  Chinese had equipped some seven fishing
>boats with 75mm field guns and recoilless guns as the fire support vessels
>for the landing flotilla.  They reported one such fire support vessel was
>sunk by the enemy vessels.  Of course, it was not clear whether it was
>lost to that CIA boat or to the ships of the UN blockading fleet.<<

"Big wooden boats" likely would be coastal freighters with Yakadama "hot
head" diesel engines -- 60 to 70 feet in length. Small wooden boats would
likely be sail-powered fishing junks -- 15 to 30' in length.  And, this is
supposition, the small "motorized" boat could have been a fishing junk
fitted with a "jeep" engine.  The partisans had a number of these craft.

This said, the coastal freighters normally did not anchor at Taehwa-do's
pier during the day since the island came under intermittent air attack.
Those would sail in after dark and generally be gone before dawn.  Same
applied to UN ships patrolling that area.  Fishing boats on the island
would normally be fishing since this was a main part of the partisan's food
supply.

The night of the Chinese landing my information indicates there was one
wooden coastal freighter that had brought supplies to the island. As the
attack developed, a number of partisans and civilians loaded on that boat
and it tried to get away.  As it did it took a hit (probably from one of
the 76mm you mentioned) and began sinking.  It made it to a small rock
about 15 miles southwest of Taehwa-do before sinking. This is probably the
boat the Chinese said they sank.  50 plus partisans and civilians made it
ashore and were rescued by the Australian frigate MURCHISON the following
night (Dec 2-Dec 3,) this after having been spotted by a recon aircraft
sent to see what had happened at Taehwa-do.

As a sidebar, several of the sail fishing junks did manage to get away that
night carrying civilians and a few partisans, arriving at Ch'o-do several
days later.

Ed