Page 67 - History of War - Issue 05-14

US infantry fire 155mm cannon
near the frontline, five miles
south of the Imjin River

Topfoto

At first light, all the units tried to reorganise. lost the castle site,” he said. “I want to know
The Ulsters had put up stiff resistance. Mervyn whether I am to stay here indefinitely or not.”
McCord recounted, “It was either they killed Carne told him to hold his positions at all costs.
us or we killed them.” His comrade John Dyer Angier signed off, “Don’t worry about us, we’ll be
had “never seen so many troops in my life. alright.” Fifteen minutes later, he was killed. He
The hillside was covered in them. We wouldn’t was one of the last men whom there was time
be human if we hadn’t got scared. A mass of to bury. His batman wept. There was one final
people rushing at you, bayonets fixed, grenades radio call from the hill: “We’ve had it. Cheerio.”
being thrown, shouting, screaming.” The
Northumberland Fusiliers found to their horror Shattered remnants
that Chinese troops had infiltrated between The Chinese, however, were suffering even
their positions and captured some high ground worse casualties. Hwang Chen was a medical
overlooking them: they were forced to fall officer who later described what it was like
back. Centurion tanks were sent to help them to be on the receiving end of UN artillery:
withdraw and the Ulsters were pushed forward “Shells rained down. In front of me, a whole
to try to keep the vital road to the south clear. squad was blown to pieces and the bodies
The Glosters, to the left, were having a tough of the dead were scattered along the track…
time. Throughout the night, A Company on I got through but, when I think about it now,
READY FOR BATTLE This illustration gives an idea of
“Castle Hill” – named for the ruin on the top I feel terribly frightened.” The Chinese the military uniform worn by US Army soldiers in Korea,
– had faced attack after attack. Philip Curtis infantry were paying a dreadful price for around the time of the Battle of the Imjin River
led a counter-attack to retake the summit. He each yard gained on the Imjin.
had been wounded during his charge, but kept The Fusiliers tried to make up for and tried to reorganise and resupply without
going and used grenades to kill the Chinese their precipitate withdrawal from their attracting US air strikes. But after darkness fell,
machine-gun crew; seconds later, he died from positions by counter-attacking up one of the it would be a different matter. The Reverend
his wounds. He won a posthumous Victoria hills from which the Chinese were now firing on Sam Davis remembers thinking, “The Chinese
Cross. Later, company commander Pat Angier them. W Company of the Fusiliers charged up would probably start a night attack and we would
spoke to Carne on the radio. “I’m afraid we’ve the slope and saw the Chinese be very lucky to survive that.” In the daytime,
fleeing. However, another group they could call on very accurate artillery to blunt
of defenders stood up and counter- the Chinese onslaught, whereas at night it
US and South Korean attacked: the Fusiliers fled down was hard to spot an attack until it was virtually
troops patrol main battle
positions in Korea, the hill. Bullets whipped into on the perimeter. Carne realised that his outlying
AP The Imjin River is seen the retreating men, and half of companies would not survive another night,
in the background those who had attacked failed so he withdrew the shattered remnants of
to return. The action was not A Company and D Company to his own position
entirely futile, though, because on Hill 235, which would become known as
it allowed the Belgians to Gloster Hill. The hill had a gentle gradient,
withdraw and redeploy just to now stripped bare of nearly all of its trees and
the rear of the Northumberlands. shrubs, and largely featureless except in a few
The shadows began to places where it was bisected by jagged ravines.
lengthen and the warm, sunny David Green remembers “trying to dig myself
afternoon turned to evening. a dugout, having only my bayonet with which to
Isolated on their hilltops, the do so, all the picks and shovels having been
men of the Gloucestershire left behind. It was soon quite obvious that I
Battalion felt a long way from was wasting my time.” C Company joined them
home. During the day, the on Gloster Hill, but B Company were under too
Chinese had lain fairly low, much sustained Chinese pressure to withdraw.
HISTORY WAR 67
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