Engineer Memoirs
of bolting together some rigid frame bridging and dropping it from a C-119 into
the perimeter. By cantilevering the bridge over a fulcrum, it would bridge the
chasm.
We quickly worked out the engineering aspects of the plan. The main problem was
to find an Air Force pilot who was courageous enough to drop the bridge. Most
of the pilots we talked to said it couldn't be done. If a bridge was dropped from
a C-119, they s a i d it would be impossible to keep the aircraft under control.
Fortunately, we found one pilot who said it could be done. To test the concept,
we dropped a bridge south of Hungnam. The pilot was able to keep the aircraft
under control. However, the parachutes didn't open properly and the bridge wound
up in a big pile of wrecked and bent-up steel. With more careful rigging, we
believed we could correct that problem. The next day we actually dropped the
bridge successfully into the southern portion of the perimeter. The marines then
laid down a barrage of small arms fire at the narrowest part of the chasm where
we had planned to place the bridge. While the marines kept up the barrage,
engineers manhandled the bridge and spanned the chasm. The marines were then
able to come out in an orderly fashion, fighting a rear guard action as they
evacuated the perimeter. They sent out patrols to the right and left as soon as they
crossed the bridge to-protect their flanks. It was a professionally executed military
operation.
Q ..
Let me ask about the bridge. When you read the Marine Corps history, you learn
that the bridge was put up in its entirety by the marines.
A ..
Such accounts are not true. The bridge was assembled and put together by our X
Corps engineers. They rigged it and loaded it into the aircraft. After the bridge
was dropped into the perimeter, it was pushed across the gap by marine engineers.
The idea of putting a bridge of this type together and dropping it was our idea. I
personally talked to Colonel Chester Puller, the commander who thought it was a
good idea and approved the plan.
Q ..
The marines started moving across the bridge and back towards Hamhung and
Hungnam on 8 December 1950. Was it about two weeks later that the port was
evacuated?
A
The date sounds correct. The 7th Division embarked on evacuation boats which
took them out to the troop transports. The marines followed. I stayed back with
an engineer detachment to assure that there was maximum destruction to the port
and to destroy whatever supplies we were unable to evacuate. We wanted to make
certain that nothing of any value was left in the hands of the Chinese.
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