Q
I gather that after the Inchon landing and the capture of Seoul you made an
amphibious landing on the east coast at Hamhung.
We planned but did not m&e an amphibious landing on the east coast. The marine
l
l
amphibious force sat offshore from Hamhung because the waters were heavily
mined. Meanwhile, the South Korean 3d Division pursued the North Koreans as
they retreated up the east coast and secured Hamhung, I flew into the city from
Seoul with an advance contingent of X Corps headquarters. We operated out of
its headquarters well before the marines came ashore. They came in mostly by
helicopter from their ships because the mine-clearing took several weeks.
Did the X Corps keep the 1st Marine Division and 7th U.S.Infantry Division
under its command on the east coast? What about Korean units, were they attached
X Corps?
to
Yes. Part of the 1st Marine Division came in by helicopter from their transports
and the remainder of the division landed administratively once the mines were
cleared. The 7th U.S. Division arrived on the east coast by air from Kimpo. The
3d ROK Division, the best unit of the South Korean Army, was attached to the X
corps.
Q ..
Did X Corps then advance north to the Yalu River?
.
Yes. As soon as the 1st Marine Division and 7th U.S. Division closed in on
Hamhung, General Almond sent reconnaissance forces north to the Yalu River.
These advance reconnaissance forces were largely unopposed. I rode up to the
Yalu in a jeep with the chief of staff, General Ruffner. What surprised me was
that the frozen river was not an obstacle. It was only a hundred yards or so wide
and was completely frozen over.
What about the terrain? Are the mountains much steeper and higher in the north
than in the south?
Yes, the terrain becomes much more rugged once you move north of the Chosen
Reservoir and stays rugged up to the Yalu. The Chosen Reservoir was on a
plateau several thousand feet above sea level.
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