| Korea - 1953 Back to home page |
Page 9 |
|
| Previous page | ||
|
|
||
|
|
|
|
| This is where a dual 20 mm anti-aircraft guns mounted on a halftrack drove into position one night while I was walking the MLR and started firing tracer rounds up Ch'orwon valley. The shells were supersonic as they passed and their sonic boom sounded as loud as a muzzle blast. I first thought there was a cannon where the MLR meets the valley floor in the picture at left. There were low clouds and the tracers painted them with a red spot as they zoomed down the valley. | A view of the left flank showing the trenches and bunkers. The tanks are still there although it is spring now. At the top left is a narrow ridge of land that connects the U.S. OP Dick and Chinese held Old Charley. The Chinese and US MLRs were less than 100 yards apart at this point. | |
|
|
|
|
| A view out another gun emplacement's aperture looking across Ch'orwon valley. What looks like low clouds at the base of the mountains across the valley are white phosphorus shells. There was a little hill there that seemed to be hit a lot. OP Tom is in the middle lower view from this bunker aperture. | Looking North along MLR fortifications with Jackson Heights at left. The MLR forward slopes were heavily mined by both US and the Chinese. The hill was also covered with barb wire. Bouncing Betty mines (when tripped bounce about waist high, then detonate) laid during the winter with trip wires tied to stakes put into frozen soil would go off, randomly, during the spring as the ground thawed and the stakes leaned over in the mud tripping the mine. Sort of military-style spring flowers. | |
|
|
|
|
| Lt. Lambert and supply sergeant. Lt. Lambert was a feisty guy who, when the consumption of ammunition soared as the Chinese began their attacks, called to some supply god at Seoul to start shipping ammo at rates exceeding the ration quotas or else "We will be back there with you soon and you won't have to worry about shipping." Truckloads of ammo began showing up on brand-new models of heavy trucks I'd not seen in the combat zone. He made captain before I left. | A view down the hill from the mess tent into the 3rd Division supply depot. This is where I'll leave from when my ride finally gets here. | |
|
|
||
| Previous page | ||
|
All photos ©Copyright Freeman Bradford. All rights reserved |
||
