Korean Winter

by Griff Hosker

  “Well done, sir. This will all be shipshape and Bristol fashion by tonight. We can stay here if you like.”

  I nodded, “We will eat in the mess tonight. They have steak and it would be a shame to deprive the men of that. Are there fireplaces?”

  “Sort of but I am not sure how effective they will be.”

  “Then, for tonight, we rough it. It will be warmer than in the tents anyway! I will pop into the market and buy some fresh food. I will see if we can get some pots to use for cooking.” We had plenty of tinned food but my men liked to have fresh produce whenever possible.

  He shook his head, “You don’t need to buy pots, sir, we found some, sir, and some dishes in what must have been the caff!”

  “Good.”

  I headed into town. I had passed the market on numerous occasions but I had yet to visit it. The bombing of the town, the evacuation and the reoccupation meant that normal methods of shopping were difficult but the old market survived. I had some local money. It had been in my Bergen. When we had been sent in to extract Blair, I had been given it in case it was needed. It was not and now I would put it to good use. Even though my Korean was rudimentary, I felt confident that I could use a mixture of Korean and signs to buy what I needed. The market was still busy and I took a moment or two to orientate myself. We needed fresh fruit and vegetables. I knew that some of the men had a sweet tooth and so I wanted some pastries. I was not sure what would be available. What I would not be buying were kimchi and the fiery hot sauces. I might quite like them but I knew the taste buds of my men would not cope with the heat.

  For some reason I found myself drawn to a stall with a one-armed market seller. He seemed loud and ostentatious. He was a true showman and he had attracted an audience. I waited patiently for him to finish; it was an English trait. When he had finished and served his customers, he turned to me and surprised me by speaking American English.

  “You are an English soldier! What brings you to Seoul?”

  I laughed, “The war.”

  He held up his left arm, “And the war brought me home and I lost this. My name is Ji-hoo Hwang but you can call me Joe. I got used to it when I sailed the Pacific in a freighter.”

  I nodded, “And I am Major Harsker, Tom.”

  He held out his good hand and I shook it. “I lost this when the bastards from the north attacked us in summer! Can you believe that they won’t let me fight?”

  I nodded, “I can understand it. And, of course, you can’t go back to sea.”

  “I don’t want to. This is not over Major. Until we destroy every communist in the peninsula the war will go on!”

  There was real venom in his voice. If there were more like him then this country was in for a long war!

  He smiled, “Anyway, the rant is over, how can I help you, sir?”

  “My section has just taken over some houses close to the compound and we are fending for ourselves.” I held out a wad of money. “We need fresh food and supplies.”

  “Then you have come to the right man!” Like a magician doing a trick, he whisked the roll of notes from my hand. I will send my boys with your goods! They will be there by the time you reach your new home.”

  “Boys?”

  He gestured to about eight boys none of whom was older than ten, “Orphans. The North Koreans killed their parents. I have taken them under my wing. I will teach them how to fight in case the Commies come back!”

  “How do you know what we want?”

  “I know you need fresh fruit and vegetables. Your men will want something sweet and some alcohol. I served amongst Americans and Limeys! I know what they want. Do not worry, sir, you will not be disappointed.”

  For some reason, I trusted him and I gave a half bow, “I am in your debt!”

  He smiled, “And we will keep an eye on your property for you. It will be safe!”

  By the time I reached the new quarters they were clean and they were secure. They were also bare. My new friend was wrong and the boys did not beat me back. Sergeant Major Thorpe said, “Well we just need our cots and gear. The generator is purring like a kitten so we have power when we need it.”

  Just then a Korean voice shouted, “Hey mister!”

  I turned and saw Ji-hoo Hwang’s boys. I gestured with my arm and they marched in and began to pile up boxes. Lieutenant Morrison said, “What the…”

  “Don’t worry, Lieutenant, I have just met the Korean equivalent of Fagin but I think he is on our side.”

  When the boys had gone, giving us a cheeky wave as they did so, I said, “Let’s go back to the compound and have a shower before dinner. We can bring our gear back later.”

  “Will it be safe, sir?”

  “I think so, Sergeant Grant, I think so!”

  Chapter 11

  By Thanksgiving, we had made dramatic improvements to our new home. We had one of the houses as officers’ quarters, one for the NCOs and two for the enlisted men. Jake and I each had our own room. We had cobbled together some furniture so that we were quite comfy. We had brought the cots from our tents. The lack of windows did not matter as we had electricity and it meant we did not need to bother with blackout curtains. A bonus was that we had had mail from home and the chastened Lieutenant at Headquarters had sent us the Bren guns and money for food. We still ate most of our main meals at the base for we were not fools and the food was good but we enjoyed cooking our own lunches and breakfasts. We had proper bacon!

  Each time we visited the base I asked Sergeant Houlihan about our transfer back to Commonwealth control. However, MacArthur’s advance meant that we were almost forgotten and we all became fitter as we ran twice a day and the newer men received more training from old hands like Sergeant Major Thorpe and Sergeant Grant. The Colonel had not been happy with our decision to decamp, as I discovered a week after we had made the move, but three weeks later he was too busy to worry about us due to the bad news from the north. The sleeping dragon had finally woken and China had sent over two hundred thousand men across the border to strike without warning the most advance units of the allied army. The 8th Cavalry was surrounded at the Chosin Reservoir and other elements were trapped behind enemy lines and a Dunkirk type evacuation looked like it would be needed soon in the northeast of the country. MacArthur’s gamble had failed. The Thanksgiving dinner was enjoyable for my men but there was a mood of doom and gloom amongst our hosts. Operation Home for Christmas seemed to stick in men’s throats. All the gains we had made were as quickly lost and the roads were clogged with units retreating towards the 38th Parallel and the original border.

  I was aware that we would be needed again just as soon as someone remembered that there was a section of Commandos who could be used behind enemy lines. Even though winter had set in and we had to endure both rain and snow not to mention cold, I took the section out twice a day for two five-mile runs. In addition, we continued with our training. We were now a much stronger unit. The old hands had endured incarceration and it made them stronger somehow. We had a backbone of NCOs that would be the envy of any unit. We had kept the North Korean weapons we had taken and they were disassembled and then reassembled so that we knew how they worked; who knew when that skill might be needed. We replaced the mortar shells and prepared for the day when we would have to fight again.

  On the last day of November, the Colonel sent a jeep for me. Major Poulson was about to be repatriated and he was at the airfield waiting to board his aircraft. I was given the opportunity to say goodbye. I was relieved to see him in a chair with a pair of crutches. It showed that he had not given into the loss of his leg. He also looked healthier than when I had last seen him after the operation. I saw the medical transport standing by and others were being loaded on stretchers. The Chinese initiative had already begun to hurt.

  He tried to rise, “Sit! You have earned it! I grabbed his hand, “You are looking well.”

  “For a one-legged man.”

  I thought of Ji-hoo, “None of that; we both know of lads bur
ied in French cemeteries who would swap a leg for the cards they were dealt.”

  “You are right, sir, it is just that this was so unnecessary. If I had had medical treatment, I would not have lost the leg.”

  My voice softened for he was right, “I know. So, what will you do?”

  He shook his head and looked terrified, “I don’t know, sir! That is the plain truth. I have spent the last ten years as a soldier. I know nothing else.”

  A flight sergeant said, “Sir, the Major is the last to board.”

  “Alright. Listen, there is always a job for you with our company.”

  “Charity, sir?”

  I shook my head, “You know me better than that. You are a soldier and we need security. There must be other ex-servicemen who need jobs and you could manage them. You know how to organise and you know the sort of skills we need. We have been lucky but I know of other charter companies who have had consignments stolen.” I saw the flight sergeant tap his watch, “Be patient, flight. You owe the Major that, at least, and I am a pilot. I know that five minutes here or there will not hurt!”

  “Sorry, sir.”

  I turned back to Polly. “All I am saying is think about it. They can give you a prosthetic and that might change your life. You don’t know. When you reach Blighty give Dad a ring. You know him. I will write to him and tell him about your situation. Promise me.”

  He nodded, “I owe a great deal to you, sir, but I won’t take charity.”

  “And this won’t be charity. You will be earning your money.” He nodded acceptance. “Now you had better go before Flight here has me on a fizzer.” I winked at the airman. He smiled.

  I clasped Polly’s hand, “Thank you, sir, and you take care. You are the last of the originals.”

  “Don’t worry. I will.”

  He used his crutches to pull himself upright and then headed to the Dakota swinging his damaged leg as he went. It showed he had been practising and that was Polly all over. The self-pity would pass and he would become the commando I had known for the last ten years. When we returned to the base I went into the office and asked to send a telegram. I must have sounded serious for no objections were put in my way and I sent a telegram to Dad. I felt much better that night as I lay in my cot.

  I was summoned, the next day, to the compound where there was a great deal of activity. I saw sandbags being unloaded from trucks and heavier weapons strategically placed. Sergeant Houlihan handed me a mug of coffee when I entered the office, “The Colonel is in the briefing room, sir.”

  “What’s up Sergeant?”

  “The Chinese have attacked all along the front and pushed our boys back. It looks bad, sir, but the Colonel can give you more details.” He was a loyal sergeant and he knew more than he was saying but I respected his attitude.

  The briefing room was already thick with smoke and I slipped my unlit pipe back into my pocket, I would not add to the fug. I was not the last officer to arrive and I took a seat next to an Air Force Colonel. I vaguely recognised him from my visits to the airfield. He must have recognised me too, for he spoke first, “I’ll bet you are glad to be back here and not up in Indian country.”

  “You mean now that the Chinese have thrown their cap into the ring? Then yes, you are right. The Chinese have a little more firepower than an old Hudson and a few biplanes.”

  “You did a good job flying back the Lockheed and you are right. We have seen more Chinese jets lately. At the moment their bases are north of Korea but once they get their act together then we could be in for some serious dogfights.”

  Just then Colonel Wilding stood, “Gentlemen, come to attention please.”

  We all stood and a General with two aides appeared. He took off his hat and stood with his arms behind his back and his feet apart. This was a soldier! “Gentlemen, I am General Matthew Ridgeway and President Truman has sent me here to gather facts about the conduct of the war and our ability to stop the Communist threat. What I have discovered so far tells me that we are in a grave and serious position. Captain?” His aide pulled back the cloth hiding the map and handed the General a pointer. He tapped a port on the north-eastern side of North Korea, “We have just evacuated over a hundred thousand men and civilians from Hungnam. They were in danger of being captured.” He tapped various other points further south. “Here, here and here, our men have been forced back. General MacArthur’s gains have all been lost. We are back to the 38th Parallel.” He allowed that to sink in. It meant that they were less than thirty-five miles, as the crow flies, from Seoul. What had gone wrong?

  A hand went up and Colonel Wilding said, “There will be time for questions later. The General has not finished.”

  “We cannot allow what happened in summer to be repeated. We have to stop the North Koreans and their Chinese allies here. We have to endure what they throw at us. But I have to warn you of a new tactic which has caused some of our units to panic. The Chinese often preface their attacks with loud trumpets and gongs. I have not witnessed it but believe that it is truly terrifying and many men and units have broken and run before such an attack. Your men must steel themselves. I am now leaving to meet with General MacArthur. Colonel Wilding has the orders for this area. I leave you with this message; make them bleed for every inch of land they try to take. We will prevail. We have better soldiers, sailors and airmen. The enemy may have more but we have better. Until the line is stabilised then we defend and blunt their attack. Do not worry we will go on the offensive once more but for now, we hold!”

  I liked the General for he had less bluster than MacArthur. I knew his reputation for I had heard his name before. The Colonel allowed the General’s party to leave and then, sitting on the edge of the desk said, “Pete, what was your question?”

  “Why don’t we nuke the bastards?”

  I heard murmurs of approval. The Colonel lit a cigarette and shook his head, “We know that the allies of the Chinese, the Russians, also have nuclear weapons. We know from Major Harsker that Stalin has deployed MiGs in North Korea. We cannot risk a nuclear war no matter how many people wish it.” I wondered then if some senior officer, perhaps even MacArthur himself, had discussed the idea. The Colonel was right, a nuclear war was a step too far.

  A voice shouted, “So what do we do, Colonel? Sit on our butts and wait?”

  The Colonel smiled, “When the North Koreans attacked in summer the army here was unprepared and they sliced through like a knife through butter. We will blunt their attack. The United Nations are bringing in more troops but it takes time to get here and we have to buy that time. We make this city into a fortress. The sandbags which are being placed now will just be the start. We build bunkers for our guns. The airfield will also be defended. The troops who landed there in the last four days will defend it.” He picked up the General’s pointer and tapped a spot just south of Seoul, “And here, south of Suwon, there will be a second line of defence.” He put down his pointer and picked up a sheet of paper. “Here is a list of the precise positions for each of your units.”

  He read through them and when he had finished, I realised that he had not mentioned the Commandos. I knew him well enough to know that was not an oversight. We were dismissed and he waved me over, “Tom, come to my office.”

  The door closed and I began to fill my pipe. “I saw you noticed that you were not mentioned and there was a reason for that. When you left the base, I was not best pleased but, in hindsight, it might be a clever move. You and your men are now in a position to protect the southern approach to the base and to give covering fire if and when we retreat. I want you to strengthen your quarters. I have four Browning 50 Calibre machine guns and explosives for you.”

  “Explosives, sir?”

  “Yes, we want you to mine the buildings so that if you have to leave you can slow them down. The main road south passes by their front.”

  “And if we do retreat?”

  “Then you will make your way to Suwon. It is just fifteen miles south of Seoul and you and
your men have already shown that you know how to move behind enemy lines.”

  “Then you want us to cover a retreat?”

  “It is a lot to ask and you can say no but I hope that you will not. All we need is forty minutes or an hour to allow us to get across the bridge. That will be a busy crossing as almost every unit in the area will be heading for it. It is a choke point and we will need time to get across. I hope that you and your men can buy us that time.”

  He knew that I would not refuse but I would not commit suicide. “It will be my decision when we leave.”

  It was not a question and the Colonel nodded, “Of course. No one doubts your courage, Major, but we expect you to try to live.”

  We discussed the logistics until we were interrupted by Sergeant Houlihan, “A telegram sir, for the Major.”

  I looked at the Colonel who nodded. I tore it open.

  OF COURSE STOP PAUL IS MORE THAN WELCOME STOP YOU TAKE CARE STOP DAD

  I smiled, “Good news?”

  I nodded, “Not unexpected but reassuring. And now, sir, if you will excuse me I have much to do.”

  As I walked down the road I now viewed it, not as my way home, but as a place to ambush. The houses and businesses opposite had been destroyed in the summer attack. The rubble there would afford cover and would have to be mined. The difficulty was that we could not fit detonators until we knew that an attack was imminent. Although our new home faced the road, we would have to create a gun emplacement to face north and the compound. That would be easiest from the roof. I would have to get a couple of bazookas from the Colonel and find men to use them. I stopped in the middle of the road and looked back. If the Americans were driven out, they would have to drive south down the road and that meant we could not mine the road. They would be followed by eager Chinese. We would have to find some way of blocking the road once the Americans had gone. I walked to my quarters. The problem would then be for us to escape south too. We would have the advantage that there would be less than thirty of us and we could split up. I needed to do a recce south. I was suddenly aware that I was soaked and cold. The snow had stopped falling a few days ago but that did not mean the weather had improved. It was still very cold and melting snow was equally unpleasant.