Marine Air Over Korea: Pusan To The Chosin Breakout
CSC 1985
SUBJECT AREA Aviation
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
When North Korean Communists invaded South Korea in 1950,
UN forces had little time to prepare for war. They had to react
quickly to the Communist agression to prevent being pushed off
the penisula and they had to infuse more UN forces into the fight.
One of the first UN forces sent to Korea was the hastily-
organized 1st Provisional Marine Brigade, a regimental combat team
consisting of the 5th Marine Regiment and Marine Air Group - 33.
As the air component of the Marine Brigade, MAG-33 provided
air support for the ground Marines and for other UN forces, as
needed. While the Brigade was being rushed about the Pusan Per-
imeter plugging up gaps in the UN defenses, the Corsairs of MAG-33
often provided the combat strength required to win the battles.
MAG-33 pilots delivered accurate and highly effective close air
support in early Korean battles known as Chindong-ni, Kosong, and
the 1st and 2nd Battles of the Naktong Bulge.
Within four months of the outbreak of hostilities, 1st Marine
Division and 1st Marine Air Wing arrived in Korea, just in time to
participate in the Inchon amphibious assault. At this battle also,
Marine air played a pivotal role in the outcome of the assault.
After the Inchon invasion initiated the retreat of the North
Korean forces, the Marines were ordered north above the 38th Par-
allel to help encircle and destroy the North Korean forces. Just
when North Korea appeared defeated, the Chinese Communists entered
the fight and surrounded the 1st Marine Division. 1st MAW Corsairs,
once more, provided deadly close air support to enable UN ground
forces to make a fighting withdrawal back to the coast and safety.
In the early campaigns at Pusan, Inchon, and the Chosin Res-
ervoir, the squadrons of 1st MAW provided invaluable aerial sup-
port to the UN forces and often determined whether battles were
won or lost. Their performance was so impressive that numerous
UN commanders commented highly on the effectiveness of Marine air
support.
Without the presence of Marine aviation, the outcome of the
Korean conflict might have been much different for the UN forces.
Marine pilots truly earned their flight pay.
MARINE AIR OVER KOREA:
PUSAN TO THE CHOSIN BREAKOUT
OUTLINE
Thesis Statement: During the early campaigns of the Korean
conflict, U. S. Marine aviation provided reliable and highly
effective air support for UN ground forces and proved to be
a vital key to the UN military successes.
I. Pusan Perimeter
A. Chindong-ni
B. Kosong
C. 1st Battle of the Naktong
D. 2nd Battle of the Naktong
II. Amphibious Landings
A. Inchon
B. Wonsan
III. Chosin Reservoir
A. The Breakout
B. Hagaru
C. Koto-ri
D. Hungnam
ILLUSTRATIONS
Figure Page
1. Map of Korea 2
2. Invasion from North 3
3. North Korean Advances 5
4. Pusan Perimeter 7
5. Japan and Korea 8
6. Combat Air Bases 8
7. Task Force Kean 12
8. 1st Battle of the Naktong 16
9. 2nd Battle of the Naktong 19
10. Inchon Landing 22
11. Wonson - Iwon Landings 25
12. CCF Offensive 28
13. First Marine Division
Line of March 30
MARINE AIR OVER KOREA:
PUSAN TO THE CHOSIN BREAKOUT
At 4 a.m. on 25 June 1950, eight divisions of the North
Korean Peoples Army (NKPA) swept across the 38th Parallel and
struck into South Korea along six invasion routes (figs. 1 &
2). This attack was the culmination of several years of
political disputes and military clashes between the North
and South Korean governments and began what was to be known
as the Korean "conflict" between United Nations and Communist
forces.
The speed and violence of the Communist attack stunned
the South Korean (ROK) defenders, and by mid-morning of the
day of the attack, all six invading columns had broken through
the ROK outposts and were rushing to capture the capital city
of Seoul. On 28 June, Seoul fell, and the South Korean gov-
ernment fled farther south to Taejon.
On 29 June 1950, General Douglas MacArthur, Commander
of UN Forces in the Far East, was ordered by the United Nat-
ions to use U.S. forces in Japan to help stem the Communist
invasion. On 30 June, 2 rifle battalions of the U.S. 24th
Infantry Division were placed under the temporary command of
Major General W. F. Dean and airlifted into Pusan, Korea.
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One U. S. battalion went into position at Osan, south of Seoul,
and was quickly routed by the stronger Communist force (fig. 3).
Three days later, the second U. S. battalion was severely beaten
at Chonan, and the Communist onslaught continued south with great
speed.1 It was already clear that the North Koreans were rush-
ing for Pusan and a quick ending to the war.
U.S. Army reinforcements continued to arrive from Japan,
and by 13 July, 2 regiments of the 24th Infantry Division had
formed hasty defensive positions along the Kum river. That
same day, the 25th Infantry Division landed at Pusan, and Lt.
General W. H. Walker, leader of the U.S. Eighth Army, was named
as commander of all UN ground forces in Korea.
On 15 July, 3 Communist divisions broke through the 20-
mile American front along the Kum river. For 5 days, the
Americans attempted a stand at Taejon but were unsuccessful.
On 21 July, while trying to break out of Taejon, MajGen Dean
was cut off from his troops and was eventually taken prisoner.
MajGen Dean would remain in captivity for the remainder of the
war, but his bravery in battle had won him the Medal of Honor.2
The delaying action fought by the unaided 24th Division
had cost over 1,000 American lives, but it had slowed the
Communist advance and won precious time while fresh UN forces
were being sent to Korea. One of the forces enroute by this
time was the hastily organized 1st Provisional Marine Brigade.
On 2 July 1950, General MacArthur requested a Marine Reg-
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imental Combat Team (RCT), with appropriate air support for
employment in Korea. The Joint Chiefs of Staff approved this
request the same day, and, with the conflict only 10 days old,
U.S. Marines were on their way to war once more, this time in
Korea.
The 5th Marine Regiment, supported by the artillery of
1st Battalion, 11th Marines, was selected as the ground unit
of the Marine Brigade. Marine Air Group (MAG) - 33 was chosen
as the air component. On 5 July 1950, this RCT-MAG force was
designated as the 1st Provisional Marine Brigade. BGen E. A.
Craig was appointed as Commanding General of the Brigade, and
BGen T. J. Cushman was designated as Commanding General of the
reinforced air group.
The Marine Brigade, including its air component, was form-
ally activated on 7 July 1950, and began loading for Korea on
the 9th. By 14 July, approximately 6,500 ground and air Marines
set sail for the Far East and the Korean conflict.3
By late July, the situation in Korea had reached a crisis.
The Communists were threatening to break through the Pusan Per-
imeter, which was held by remnants of the battered and sorely
outnumbered American and ROK armies (fig. 4). The Marines were
badly needed. With the Army units falling back along all fronts,
Pusan, the only Korean port still in UN hands, was in danger of
being lost. The Marine Brigade was originally scheduled to stage
into Korea through Japan, but the urgency of the military situat-
ion forced the Brigade to proceed directly to Pusan. The ground
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elements landed at Pusan on 2 August and began to debark. The
air component proceeded to Japan by faster transportation and
landed there on 31 July (fig. 5).4
While the ground units of the Brigade were debarking at
Pusan, MAG-33 quickly deployed its units and readied for combat
operations. The major elements of MAG-33 included:
UNIT AIRCRAFT / MISSION
VMF-214 F4U4B Corsairs
VMF-323 F4U4B Corsairs
VMF(N)-513 F4U5B Corsairs
VMO-6 OY-2 spotter aircraft
HO3S-1 helicopters
MTACS-2 Tactical Air Control
Squadron
MGCIS-1 Ground-Controlled
Intercept Squadron
For maximum mobility and striking power, VMF-214 and
VMF-323 were based aboard "jeep" aircraft carriers during
the initial operations in Korea. The VMF-214 "Blacksheep"
Corsairs were based on the USS Sicily, and the VMF-323
"Deathrattlers" operated from the deck of the USS Badoeng
Strait. VMF(N)-513, equipped with a night-fighter version
of the Corsair, was initially land-based at Itazuke airfield
in Japan. The helicopters and spotter aircraft of VMO-6
were staged at Chinhae, Korea, for closer coordination with
the Marine Brigade (fig. 6). MTACS-2, the Tactical Air Con-
trol squadron, set up shop at Pusan.
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In the bitter fighting that ensued in Korea, Marine
aviators proved that they had trained well during the years
following World War II. During the early campaigns of the
Korean conflict, U.S. Marine aviation provided reliable and
highly effective air support for UN ground forces and proved
to be a vital key to the UN military successes.
PUSAN PERIMETER
When the Marine Brigade landed at Pusan of 2 August 1950,
it was immediately assigned as part of the U.S. Eighth Army
Task Force Kean. While ground elements of the Brigade were
preparing for a counterattack west toward Chonju, the aviation
elements of MAG-33 struck the first blow for the Marine Corps
in Korea. On 3 August, Major R. P. Keller led a flight of 8
VMF-214 Corsairs from the USS Sicily in the first Marine air
strike of the Korean war. Major Keller's flight bombed, rock-
eted, and strafed enemy positions near the towns of Sandon-ni
and Chinju. Three days later, the "Deathrattlers" of VMF-323
flew 30 sorties in support of Eighth Army units west of Pusan.
On 7 August, VMF(N)-513 added its support with a night strike
launched from Itazuke airfield in Japan against enemy-held
positions near Kumchon.5
Although these first Marine air strikes were interdiction
and deep air support missions, the two carrier-based squadrons
would quickly be tasked with that type of mission for which
Marine aviators were best known -- close air support. The vet-
eran Marine pilots of World War II soon realized that they
would have to modify the aerial tactics they had used in
the previous war.
Enemy air forces had been controlled early in the fight,
and there was little heavy anti-aircraft opposition in the
early actions. However, due to the low cloud ceilings common
to the summer rainy season, close air support (CAS) attacks
had to be made at low altitude, and the attacking aircraft
usually encountered heavy enemy small arms fire. Numerous
aircraft and several pilots were lost to this crude, but
effective, method of anti-aircraft fire.
CHINDONG-NI
On 6 August, the Eighth Army Task Force Kean (named for
its commander, MajGen W. B. Kean) launched a UN counterattack
west from Pusan to halt a Communust "end run" through the
southwest portion of the perimeter (fig. 7). The 1st Prov-
isional Marine Brigade was attached to the 25th Infantry
Division and ordered west to relieve U.S. Army units near
Chindong-ni.
Task Force Kean moved out with VMF-323 and VMF-214
Corsairs flying constant close air support strikes ahead of
the Marine and Army ground units. Marine aviators on the
front lines and Army artillery forward observers acted as
forward air controllers, using radios to direct the aircraft
to enemy trouble spots. Ground commanders quickly discovered
that air strikes were the most effective weapon against enemy
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positions dug in on the reverse slopes of the ridges.
Napalm, dropped from low altitude, was recognized as
the most effective air weapon against tanks, troops in trenches,
and inflammable targets. The 5-inch rockets were good against
vehicles, trains, and gun positions, but 100- and 500-pound
bombs proved best against bridges, buildings, and area targets.
However, the pilots' favorite was a mix of high-explosive, in-
cendiary, and armor-piercing 20mm cannon ammunition, which dis-
intigrated vehicles, stopped locomotives, and mowed down enemy
troops.6
Task Force Kean's attack stalled during the morning of
7 August, and BGen Craig was ordered to assume control of all
troops in the Chindong-ni area. Under this new leadership,
the Task Force gained momentum, repulsed a Communist dawn
attack on 8 August, and continued the attack toward the task
force objective of Chinju. By the evening of 9 August, the
core of the enemy resistance had broken, and the Brigade moved
ahead rapidly.
KOSONG
August 11 proved to be a very productive day for Marine
air near the village of Kosong. This action, later known as
the "Kosong turkey shoot", began with an artillery bombard-
ment of the town of Kosong. The artillery was devastating
and prompted major elements of the North Korean 83rd Motor-
ized Regiment to attempt a hasty withdrawal to the west. Too
late, they realized their mistake. Overhead, a division of
VMF-323 Corsairs, led by Major A. A. Lund, spotted the road-
bound enemy column of over 200 trucks, jeeps, and other veh-
icles which carried the regiment's troops and supplies. As
the Corsairs began their strafing runs, the enemy column
ground to a halt and became totally disorganized. During
the attack, the Corsairs encountered heavy enemy ground fire,
but managed to destroy over 40 vehicles before being relieved
by another flight of VMF-323 aircraft.7 However, not all went
well for the pilots of VMF-323 this day.
The original attacking flight did not escape unscathed.
Two of the four planes, piloted by Capt. V. Moses and 2Lt. D.
Coyle, were damaged by enemy fire and forced to make emergency
landings in enemy territory. When his plane crash-landed,
Capt. Moses was thrown clear of the aircraft but landed un-
concious in a rice paddy and drowned. He became MAG-33's
first combat death.8
Luckily, 2Lt. Coyle's experience that day had a more
fortunate and even somewhat humorous ending. Within 5 minutes
of his emergency landing, 2Lt Coyle was rescued by an HO3S-1
helicopter piloted by Lt G. F. Lueddeke of VMO-6. After enter-
ing the helicopter, Coyle slapped what he thought was an enlist-
ed man on the back and said, "Thanks, Mac. I sure am glad to
see you." He was later somewhat embarassed to learn that he
had been addressing the Brigade commander, General Craig, who
had gone along to observe helicopter operations.9
1ST BATTLE OF THE NAKTONG
At midnight on 12 August, the Brigade was ordered to
disengage from the enemy near Sanchon and to move to another
threatened portion of the Pusan Perimeter along the Naktong
river (fig. 8). During the morning of 15 August, the Marine
Brigade arrived by truck at the location which would soon
become known as the "Naktong Bulge."
During the night of 6 August, one of the most disting-
uished Communist units, the NKPA 4th Division, had forced a
1,000-man bridgehead across the Naktong river by wading
through chest-deep water and pulling crude rafts loaded with
vehicles, heavy weapons, and supplies.10 By 8 August, the
NKPA 4th Division had engaged elements of the U.S. 24th
Infantry and had a firm foothold within the UN perimeter.
Thus began the 1st Naktong Counteroffensive.
During the now well-known battles of the "1st Naktong"
(Obong-ni Ridge, Finger Ridge, etc.), MAG-33 provided in-
valuable combat strength to both U.S. Army and Marine units.
OY-2 spotter aircraft from VMO-6 hovered over the battlefield
throughout the daylight hours, spotting for artillery units
and providing control for the numerous airstrikes conducted
by the Corsairs. At night, VMF(N)-513's "Nightmare" Corsairs
silenced enemy artillery and mortars by aiming at little more
than just artillery muzzle flashes. One pilot dive-bombed
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the "X" formed by tracers from two widely displaced machine
guns, both sighted in over the target which was in defilade.11
After much fighting in the Naktong Bulge, the enemy
forces were finally driven back across the river, and the
perimeter was restored. Marine supporting arms were credited
with the final restoration of the perimeter, due to the dev-
astating air and artillery barrages delivered on the withdraw-
ing enemy forces.
On 19 August, the Marine Brigade was detached from Task
Force Kean and was ordered into Eighth Army reserve. BGen
Craig ordered his units to a rear bivouac area near Masan to
rest and await further orders. This bivouac area became known
as the "Bean Patch" because it was just that -- a bean patch
large enough to accomodate a brigade.
At the Bean Patch, the Brigade busied itself rearming
and restocking with supplies trucked in from Pusan. Patrols
in the rugged country around the Bean Patch were fed hot meals
delivered in special containers by the versatile helicopters
of VMO-6. BGen Craig also utilized the services of VMO-6's
helicopters to fly him and his staff to and from meetings
within the perimeter.
For the air component of the Brigade, however, the
successful close of the 1st Battle of the Naktong Bulge
brought little change in operations. Other UN forces were
still engaged and needed the air support which MAG-33 could
deliver. For the remainder of the month of August, the
Corsairs of VMF-214 and VMF-323 ranged along the perimeter
in support of U.S. Army and ROK units. During this period,
Marine aircraft were largely directed by airborne Air Force
controllers or by Army ground controllers, but they still
consistently produced the same high quality results as when
working under Marine control.
2ND BATTLE OF THE NAKTONG
The end of August brought an unexpected turn of events
for the Marine Brigade. By 1 September, fresh Communist
forces had again penetra