----- Original Message -----
Sent: Wednesday, February 18, 2004 8:35
AM
Subject: [KOREAN-WAR-L:11403]
Re:Books
I have not read the various books on No Gun Ri (I
should and will) and certainly wasn't there. But I'd note that as far as
deliberate air attacks on refugee columns those certainly did happen.
Mr. Hanley's website contains a number of
documents showing that, and I can vouch that I have come across some of those
documents myself, though researching air combat not this topic, they certainly
jump out at one. For example by the July 25 5th AF memo "It is reported
large groups of civilians either composed of or controlled by North Korean
soldiers are infiltrating US positions...the
Army has requested that we strafe all refugee parties...to date we have
complied...our operations strafing civilians is sure to receive wide
publicity". The memo recommends stopping the practice and simply informing the
8th Army of that. Similar discussions are seen in naval aviation
documents.
I don't see as reasonably debatable the fact
of deliberate US attacks on refugee columns in the early weeks of the
war, under the *pre-emptive assumption* they contained NK
military elements. It's clearly documented, aside from the specifics of
one incident, No Gun Ri, that has come to symbolize it.
A more reasonable though difficult debate accepts
that this was the policy and would examine the moral and military tradeoffs
made. To what extent did the columns really contain NK elements? Has anyone
seen that documented in the sense of actual KPA regular units for example
in POW interviews (which document much of the KPA's activities since such a
large % was captured in Sep-Oct)? I haven't. It seems more likely from many
allied and POW sources the KPA outflanked the US forces in a lot of the early
fighting by being more mobile on foot over secondary routes and hills, not by
hiding in refugee columns on major routes. But I guess the real question is
how reasonable was it for the US at the command level to assume large scale
infiltration via the columns and what relative valuation of lives was implied
by "playing it safe" asking the air arms to strafe all columns.
I personally think that decision is difficult
to justify.
Joe