Korean Winter

by Griff Hosker

  As if to prove my point Lofting fired at the officer exhorting his men to close with the Belgians. The flag bearer next to him fell a moment later. Then they were in range of our men with rifles and the Brownings on the half-tracks. The enemy began to fall as the heavy machine guns rattled out death. The Chinese were packed together and our bullets could not miss. The artillery shells thinned out the advancing Chinese and then when larger numbers crossed the river our mortar and two rifle grenades began to thin them out even more. I felt like the little boy with his finger in the dam. Even if every bullet we sent hit and killed a Chinese soldier there were another fifty to take their place. Then they were close enough for the Brens and Thompsons. The air was filled with a cacophony of noise which actually hurt our ears. As each gun clicked on empty we reloaded and fired again. By noon even the Chinese had tired of the losses and retired. I heard the sound of the Centurions coming up the road. I knew it would not be the whole squadron. The Glosters needed support too.

  Ashcroft said, “Sir, Major Huth says he and his tanks will stay on the road. He wants to speak with you.”

  I went to the rear of the half-track and took the microphone and headphones from my radio operator. “Major?”

  “This is for your ears only, Major Harsker. We are cut off. The Chinese are behind us. The Americans are sending tanks to relieve the Glosters. We have lost contact with them. The Belgians are holding the road open for us. As soon as we can extract the Fusiliers then we are falling back.”

  “And we are the rearguard?”

  “Pretty much. I have five tanks and armoured cars with me, Captain Murray, Lieutenant Boyall, Lieutenant Hurst and Lieutenant Radford. Captain Ormrod has the rest further down the road. When I give the command, the Rifles will fall back and then we will follow.” There was a moment’s silence. “If you fall behind…”

  “I know the form, Major. Thank you for the honest assessment, I appreciate it.”

  I handed the microphone and headphones back to Ashcroft and went to the other half-track. I waved over Jake and told him what I had been told. He looked unhappy and so I reassured him, “It is not doom and gloom. They have no aerial support, no tanks and, as far as I can see damn little artillery. These half-tracks are well armoured.”

  “I know sir. What will happen next?”

  “I am guessing that they will make a night-time attack. We may have pulled back by then but, if not, then it could be a hard withdrawal. We can go cross country. The Rifles can’t so, unlike them, at least we have an option.”

  The artillery had to stop firing as their ammunition would be limited. The Chinese were wary and did not show themselves again. Brigadier Brodie radioed us in the middle of the afternoon to tell us that we could leave and the Rifles loaded their lorries and headed south. The tanks were to follow and then it would be us. Two companies of the Rifles were halfway down the road we would travel already and were preparing a defensive position in case we were followed. We kept our guns, mortars and grenades trained on the river in case we were needed. We could load and leave in moments. The lorries pulled out and the tanks drove towards the river so that they could turn around. We watched.

  Our vigilance paid off. Lance Corporal Williams was on the Browning and he had been looking to the east. It was he who saw the Chinese who had scaled the heights there and now launched an attack at us from behind us. It was Williams who saved the section. Even as he shouted, “Stand to!” He let rip with his Browning and the huge calibre bullets tore through the Chinese. I leaned on the side of the half-track and opened fire with my Thompson. When Lieutenant Morrison’s Brownings joined in then the attack was slowed. The mortar and the rifle grenades switched targets and it was they which broke up the attack.

  “Everyone back in the half-tracks. Ashcroft, let headquarters know what is happening.”

  “Sir.”

  “Well done, Williams.” The ground was littered with the bodies of the Chinese and, as we turned, I saw more follow us across the river.

  Bates had one of the rifle grenades and he said, “Sir, we are down to twenty grenades between the two weapons.”

  “They saved us back there, Bates, but we had better be more careful from now on.”

  I went to the rear of the half-track. Lieutenant Morrison was ahead of us with what we had termed, Red Team in the Red half-track. Mine was the Blue half-track. We had been lucky, thus far and lost no one but I had a feeling that our luck could not last forever. The road ran between high ground and the Chinese had managed to infiltrate our thinly held lines. There were few Chinese but the attacks began within half a mile of the river. Marine Collins was hit in the shoulder. We had two medics each in our half-tracks and he would be treated but that meant three fewer guns for defence. We were travelling at just over twenty miles an hour, the top speed of the Centurion, and it made us sitting ducks. It was when the Chinese began to lob grenades in the dark at the tanks that I began to worry. One grenade in the back of a half-track could spell disaster. Powell was also wounded by a stray piece of shrapnel. He could still fight but he was wounded and needed evacuation. I took a risk and used our Very gun to send a flare high in the sky. As soon as they were seen, the waiting Chinese were struck by a hail of bullets. The journey to the defensive position seemed a lot further than a couple of miles! The Rifles had used their lorries as static obstructions; they were almost like a wagon train in the Old West. We added the tanks and the half-tracks so that we had a wall of steel around us.

  “Sergeant Major Thorpe, get some food organised and then a rota. One man in two sleeps. Two hours on and two off.”

  “Sir!”

  I joined the other senior officers for a hurried officer’s call. It soon emerged that the situation was chaotic. The Belgians and half of the Rifles were waiting a further four miles down the road. The Fusiliers were heading east to join us but all around were elements of the three Chinese armies. American and South Korean units were heading north to relieve the Glosters. We were all majors and the decision we took was by consensus. We decided to leave as soon as the Fusiliers joined us. No matter what time of night or day that was, it would be the trigger for our retreat.

  No-one managed more than an hour of sleep at any one time. The Chinese were relentless. Had they had heavier weapons then we might have suffered more than we did. They kept coming even though we were watching and we used our machine guns to scythe through them. Even so, there were casualties. Marine Carter died when a wave of Chinese broke through on one side; he was using the lighter Browning and it had jammed. He fought like a maniac using his Lee Enfield like a club yet he died and Hall and Smith were both wounded in the attack. All twenty Chinese died but that did not compensate for the loss of a Marine. We buried him in a cleft between two rocks. I was not sure if we were in North or South Korea but, if I could, I would have his body repatriated. His family deserved the closure of a grave that they could visit.

  The last attack before dawn was defeated by the Fusiliers. Lieutenant Colonel Foster led his men in and they destroyed the surprised Chinese who were trying to get at us. They had not expected to be attacked in the rear. We now had a senior officer but he was in no condition to make sound judgements. He had lost too many men and had gone too long without sleep. He concurred with our plan and he led the column south. The tanks and a lorry load of the Rifles were in front of us and we were tail-end Charlie. Our three wounded men were all in a lorry at the front of the column. None wanted to leave us but I was adamant for they could hinder us and I would be happier if they were relatively safe. Lieutenant Morrison had got over his depressed humour and he joked and bantered with Red Team. We had survived longer than he had expected and the confidence survival gave him was most welcome.

  As we headed down the road, at a sedate twenty miles an hour, we enjoyed forty minutes of relative peace. Then, when dawn broke, all hell joined it! The high ground was covered in Chinese; they must have been moving all night to get ahead of us and now they waited all along the road we would
take. They were able to fire down with impunity and were too widely scattered for our jets to inflict casualties. Men began to die. It was not just rifle and machine-gun fire, the Chinese had mortars and they rained down on the road. Our artillery continued to send shells at the enemy positions but without spotters the effects were random. Lieutenant Colonel Foster was leading the column when his jeep was struck by a mortar shell. It exploded, killing him and the others in the jeep. Worse, it blocked the road and a lorry of Fusiliers was also hit. The twenty-five pounders tried to hit the mortars but they were hidden. That was the beauty of mortars, they could fire over obstacles.

  As it happened, we were relatively safe from attack as, when we stopped, we were next to a piece of high cliff which afforded us some protection from the Chinese. Marine Ashcroft gave me the news that we were held up and that it was almost impossible to clear the road because of the fire from the Chinese. “Tell them that I will take some men up and try to distract the Chinese.”

  “Sir!”

  “Haynes and Moore, fetch your mortar. We are going for a little hike. Lofting, your rifle. Marine Campbell, I shall need you and your grenade rifle. Corporal Dixon, organise them while I go and have a word with Captain Robinson.” The Captain commanded the detachment of Ulster Rifles.

  He was a young officer with a broad Irish accent. “By, but it is lively eh, sir?”

  I nodded, “I need a good sergeant and ten men who know how to handle rifles. I want to go up into the rocks and try to dislodge the Chinese.”

  “Of course, sir, Sergeant McIlroy, the ten best riflemen with Major Harsker.”

  “Take charge here, Captain. If the column can move then don’t wait for us. We will catch up with you.”

  “Are you sure sir? This is Indian country.”

  I smiled, “I know!”

  The Sergeant and the ten men were ready and eager. They had the look of veterans and they wanted the chance to hit back aggressively and not just defend. “I have a mortar and a rifle grenade. I intend to annoy the Chinese and make them come after us. Your job is to protect us.”

  The Sergeant nodded, “No problem, sir!”

  I turned, “Lofting, lead the way. I want to get above the enemy mortars and take out the crews.” I waved at my men as I cocked my Thompson. Up the road, I heard the firefight. Had we bitten off too much this time? We were close to the rest of the Brigade, just a few miles, but it might as well have been the moon! I followed my sniper up the narrow path which had to have been made by animals.

  Chapter 19

  The firing seemed to be further away from us and I realised why. The path we climbed led away from the fighting but Lofting was no fool. He had seen that although it began to head north, further along, it turned to come south. We climbed at least six hundred feet before we levelled out. The path led between a high cliff wall and some boulders which had tumbled down from above. We could not see too far ahead but Lofting had a sixth sense and when he lowered his rifle and then fired, I was ready with my Tommy gun. As I hurried to join him, I saw that we had stumbled upon eight men and a 4.2-inch mortar. I sprayed them with my gun. Sergeant McIlroy had a Bren gun and he finished off the couple I had missed. We now had a much more powerful mortar.

  “Lofting get in a position where you can see down below us; act as a spotter. Corporal Dixon, join him. Sergeant, see if a couple of your lads can fire this mortar. Swing it around so that it faces due south!”

  “Yes, sir. You heard the officer. Murphy and Harrington, you went on a mortar course. Show me you didn’t spend all the time in the boozer!”

  “Right, Sarge.”

  I went to the edge of the rocks. Below us, I could see Chinese mortar and machine crews but they had the smaller mortars. Beyond them, I saw the column of tanks and lorries, they were still not moving. The Besa machine guns on the Centurions were keeping the Chinese at bay. I saw our two half-tracks. They were belching fire too. Then I saw the barrels of the Centurions swing around. There were Chinese on the other slope too.

  I pointed to the Chinese below us. “Haynes, Campbell. There is your target.”

  Lofting fired his rifle and Corporal Dixon shouted, “I can see another two mortar pits, sir.”

  “Then tell these lads the coordinates. Sergeant, have your men join us here. We have a little shooting gallery!”

  As the Centurions fired at the other side of the valley and left this side alone the Chinese became emboldened. Captain Robinson had his men with mine and they were pouring bullets into the Chinese. I wondered if we were too late, “Open fire!” We had an elevated position and there was no shelter for the Chinese. We kept firing and reloading as quickly as we could. Haynes and Moore destroyed all of the mortars below us and Campbell’s grenade launcher accounted for three machine guns. It was, however, the Rifles who achieved the greatest success. Their first shell with a Chinese mortar fell well short but by the time they had fired their third they had their eye in or, to be more accurate, Corporal Dixon had his eye in and six of the heavy mortars were destroyed.

  Lofting shouted, “Well that has upset them, sir. The buggers are coming up here for us!”

  “Right Sergeant, one last mortar shell and then destroy the weapon.”

  “Sir, the column is moving!”

  “Okay lads, we go directly down this slope. I will lead with Sergeant McIlroy, Corporal Dixon you bring up the rear. Set a few booby traps before you descend.”

  “Right sir.”

  The mortar fired one last time and I heard the two men destroying it.

  I looked over the side. There was a drop of about five feet and then it looked as though there was a path we could pick out. It was the safest way to go as we had cleared it of the enemy. I could see Captain Robinson loading his lorry and the tanks were moving, still firing at the western side of the valley. I began to move quickly down the slope. The Sergeant had his Bren at the ready too. We were halfway down and had not been attacked when I heard an enormous explosion. The Sergeant grinned, “That is what Irishmen like, blowing things up.”

  We had about four hundred yards to go before we reached the road but it had rocks and scrubby shrubs which could hide the enemy. I could see the lorry and two half-tracks approaching. I risked turning and saw Corporal Dixon and Marine Lofting. They were turning and firing at targets I could not see. Then there was an explosion behind them. The Chinese had set off a booby trap. Suddenly half a dozen Chinese rose as I turned. I fired instinctively. The Sergeant did so too. There was a shout from one of his men who had been hit but we had killed the Chinese.

  “Let us try some grenades. I want every man to throw one grenade as high as he can and drop down. There may be more men hiding ahead of us!”

  Twelve grenades flew high into the air. A couple of the Rifles were big lads and they lobbed them further than I could ever manage. We dropped down and then heard the rippling explosions as they spread shrapnel through the air. When we rose, there was smoke and dust before us and unprotected ears were ringing. The wounded man was supported by two of his men and we made our way to the road. There had been Chinese waiting to ambush us but they had been killed or wounded by the grenades. The Rifles shot the ones who looked as though they might still be a threat and then we reached the road. I waited until all of our men were aboard before I climbed in to the Blue Team half-track.

  Sergeant Major Thorpe shook his head, “You should know better, sir!”

  I laughed, “Yes, mother!”

  We were still in danger. The mortars were no longer ranging in on us but the Chinese on the slopes were firing their weapons and, being above us, we were exposed in the open half-tracks. Ricocheting bullets could be deadly. Haynes, who had done such sterling work with the mortar was hit in the face by shrapnel. Lance Corporal Lake treated him as well as he could but he feared he would lose the eye and wanted Haynes to be seen by a doctor. Powell was the closest we had to a doctor but he had been wounded himself and was at the front of the column. Haynes had to take his chances. When th
e firing along both sides began to diminish, we knew that the rest of the brigade was close by. Haynes was sent directly to the doctor and I was summoned along with the other surviving senior officers to an officers’ call with Brigadier Brodie.

  “Lieutenant, see to the men. You know the drill.”

  He smiled, “I didn’t three months ago sir, but I have learned! Sergeant Major Thorpe, have one of the lads get on a brew eh?”

  “Right, sir!”

  The Command Post was a tent with a few sandbags around the entrance. It showed the depth of the Chinese attack. They were all around us. Our leader had aged since I had seen him last. Brigadier Brodie gave us a wan smile, “I am glad you made it, gentlemen. You did well and now we have the majority of the Brigade together. We are in a parlous state. The Glosters are cut off. There is a column of tanks and elements of the South Korean Army trying to get to them but as the Chinese now have the rest of this Highway the tanks are having to use a narrow defile. Our orders, at the moment, are to stay here.”

  We all looked at each other. Major Rickford gave voice to the inner thoughts we all shared, “Sir, we have had to fight for each yard of ground. A journey which should have taken less than half an hour has taken half a day. If Major Harsker hadn’t managed to eliminate the Chinese mortars then we would still be stuck. We would either be dead or in the bag.”

  “I know. I know.” He looked and sounded weary. “The Chinese have attacked along the whole front and we are desperately outnumbered. General Ridgway has men preparing lines of defence but that takes time. The longer we can slow them up the better.”

  I took out my pipe. It seemed a lifetime since I had enjoyed a pipe, “And the Glosters, sir? What are the chances of the tanks getting to them?”

  “Better than average, Major, although they have lost almost half of their men both wounded and dead. Lieutenant Colonel Carne and his men have performed above and beyond the call of duty. We have to do the same. Major Huth, your tanks are our best offensive weapon. I need you to keep them facing the slopes. Fortunately, they are not as steep here as further north and south which is why we chose this as the holding point. Get some food. Captain Williamson will assign you your defensive points.”