Korean Winter

by Griff Hosker

  “Tell him good luck.”

  In the distance, beyond the base, we heard the crack of tank guns as well as sporadic rifle and machine gunfire. I turned to Lance Corporal Williams, “Ask the Sergeant Major to make a brew and get some food for the lads and have two of the Brens brought up here.”

  “Sir.”

  “Lieutenant, go down to the ground floor and your detonator. Have Tomlinson and his radio with you.”

  “You think we will be exploding it soon, sir?”

  “I don’t know but we might as well be prepared. I just scanned the battlefield and I counted over seven hundred dead men out there. We might run out of bullets before we destroy this army.”

  “Sir!”

  Smith and Hall brought up their Brens and they flanked Bates and Entwhistle who had the Browning. This now meant we could keep up a continuous rate of fire. When the Browning needed a new belt the two Brens could throw their .303 bullets at the Chinese. Thorpe accompanied by Williams brought up teas and bacon sandwiches as the sun peered in the east and the firing died a little. It was almost like the end of a round when the boxers retire to their corners. I knew who was hurting the most. We had lost fewer men but we had fewer to lose.

  Then we heard the Sabres and Gloster Meteors as they screamed in from the west. They came from the darkness and their rockets, machine guns and bombs were dropped to the north of the base. At the same time, four trucks appeared at the south gate and hurtled down the road.

  “Sir,” Ashcroft waved at me, “The trucks will be returning tonight. The Colonel wants us to make sure they are not interfered with.”

  Sergeant Major Thorpe was still with us, waiting to take down the mugs and tray. He laughed, “Makes them sound like a little old lady. Interfered with!”

  The trucks made it down the road without incident. The first flights roared home and for the rest of the day, the Air Force kept a flight of four aeroplanes above us all the time. For part of the day they used six Mustangs which could stay aloft for longer and, I suspect, deliver a more accurate strike. Then at about two in the afternoon black clouds rolled in and I knew that meant the air cover would be grounded. When that happened, the Chinese would attack. The Sabres stayed as long as they could and their presence allowed the four trucks to return.

  “Pass the word, I want one man in two to get some sleep. This is going to be a long battle. Ask Sergeant Major Thorpe to join me. We will share a watch!”

  Ken nodded at me when he entered the loft. “You get your head down, sir. We all had a couple of hours last night, or was it the night before?”

  I handed him the binoculars, “Your guess is as good as mine. Wake me when you need to. A couple of hours would be perfect.”

  Already confusion over time was kicking in. It often happened in combat. You were so attuned to being alert that time seemed to cease to exist. It was cold in the loft but I lay down next to the internal wall; it was the furthest from the opening. I pulled my balaclava down to cover my face and I entered a world of darkness. The men were silent. They would be respecting the three of us who were trying to sleep.

  When Ken shook my shoulder, I was awake instantly and I pulled off my balaclava. “Have they come again?”

  “The last Mustang left their airfield an hour ago and the base said that their outposts had heard the sound of tank engines coming from the north.” I nodded and yawned. I could have done with more sleep but it had been enough. “Sergeant Grant is organising some food; just tea and corned dog sandwiches but it will fill a hole.”

  I went to the opening and peered out. It was a shining world of white. The freeze had made the snow whiter and the road blacker. Would that everything was as clear as that. The plan of the General was the only one which gave a chance of success but there were many flaws in it. If the base was overrun before the Colonel could escape then the loss would be incalculable. I saw Ashcroft return to his radio and look at the dial suspiciously. He put on his headphones and listened.

  Harris brought up my mug of tea and a stack of sandwiches. “Batesy is bringing the rest, sir.” He chuckled, “The lads with the mortars are freezing their bits off outside!”

  The Sergeant Major shook his head, “Dozy buggers! They have no need to! I will go down, sir and tell them to light an oil drum. There are walls all around their position and they can’t be seen from the north!”

  He had just descended when Ashcroft said, “Out!” He took off his headphones and shook his head, “The airfield has been overrun, sir. The Mustangs which just left have had to fly south to the airfield south of Suwon. They got most of the personnel out on transports.”

  He left unsaid the most obvious comment. We might have lost our air umbrella, at least for the time being and the Chinese would take advantage. The Colonel would also know that he was without air cover and that would affect his decisions. Our plans were in place; when I gave the command, Dunkirk, then the heavy equipment would be booby-trapped or disabled. Everyone would leave their posts immediately that was done and head for the back passages with whatever they needed. Sergeant Grant and the Sergeant Major would bring up the rear and I would lead the section through Seoul to safety. I had walked the route twice. It avoided the main road but was still fraught with danger. The Chinese would be using vehicles and we could be trapped. We would only escape if I was cleverer than the Chinese and if our luck had not totally deserted us!

  We needed no radio signal to tell us that the Chinese were attacking. There was a sudden artillery barrage which pounded the base. It stopped after five minutes and we heard the trumpets and gongs. They were coming.

  “Stand to!” I cocked my Thompson. This time there would be no screaming jets to drive back the enemy and they knew about the machine guns along the east and west of the base. They would use armour to drive through the centre. We had learned to differentiate between the guns of the different tanks and when the Patton’s guns could no longer be heard we knew the end was coming. One of the Shermans must have been dug in for we heard its 76 mm after the Patton ceased to fire and then we just heard the sound of Chinese tanks.

  Ashcroft had his headphones on and he shouted, “The Americans are bugging out, sir!”

  “Ashcroft, go around and warn everyone. Wait for my command!”

  “Yes, sir!”

  He disappeared down the ladder. I peered through the binoculars. I saw movement. The defenders were abandoning the machine guns along the east side. The Colonel would have ensured that they would not fall into the hands of the Chinese. We still heard firing and then we heard the sound of trucks. There were just seven of them and, as they emerged through the open gates, we saw that men were clinging to the outside of them. We also heard a roar and that meant the Chinese had overrun the rearguard. The last vehicles which left the base were five overloaded jeeps. Each had a machine gun pointing behind them and, as they chattered their defiance, I saw Chinese troops racing to get at them. The Colonel would have placed obstacles in the way of the Chinese tanks. They would get by them but men on foot would manage it first. The machine guns on the jeeps cut down the first, eager Chinese and North Koreans. We had to buy them as much time as possible. I hoped we could delay them by an hour but the sheer weight of numbers made me doubt our ability. Our only hope was surprise. Ashcroft returned and I pointed to the opening we had made in the roof on the western side. He would stand there and direct the mortars until they were ranged in. He peered out. The crews and Lowery would be watching.

  The Chinese aided us for, as they flooded through the camp, they triggered off the booby traps left by the Colonel. We saw bodies flung into the air as they tried to grab the guns. I watched an officer use the flat of his sword to beat the men around him into some sort of order. It was tempting to ask Lofting to shoot him but that would have ruined the surprise. He formed them into a column and they began to run through the open gates and down the road. In the distance, I heard the engines of tanks and small explosions as the enemy found booby traps.

  “R
ight lads, now wait for it. Ashcroft, the mortars will fire first. As soon as the first shell hits then let them have it. Williams, go and join the Lieutenant.” We had firing slits in the windows and most of the men would be using those. We had placed white stones amongst the rubble to help me estimate the range. When the column of men was three hundred yards from us, I shouted, “Now Ashcroft!”

  He shouted, “Shoot! Shoot! Shoot!” Sergeant Sullivan was there with the four men and he was experienced.

  I heard the double pop of the two mortars. The sound of the feet of two thousand Chinese troops drowned out the command and the sound of the mortars. Even as they landed Lofting had shot the sabre wielding leader. The mortars landed in the middle of the column and as we opened fire with Thompsons, Bren guns and the Browning I shouted, “Perfect, Ashcroft, now join the party!”

  He shouted, “Bob on!” He grabbed his weapon and came to fire through an improvised hole in the roof.

  We could not miss. Smoke poured from the opening as the column was destroyed. As the survivors pulled back, I shouted, “Reload!” Lofting kept up his relentless decimation of officers and NCOs. I put the half-empty magazine in my Bergen. If we had the chance, I would reload the magazines.

  Ashcroft looked out of the opening and shouted, “Check! Check! Check!”

  I looked at my watch. We had bought the Colonel a precious fourteen minutes already. “Keep your heads down. They know where we are and they will react soon enough.” I was aware that it felt a little warmer and I put it down to the heat from the guns until the first flurry of snow drove through the opening. A blizzard was on its way. Would that help or hinder us? The next Chinese attack was not a column. Another battalion or so ran to the east. They would attack us from behind the rubble. Lofting dropped six men before they were out of range. I heard tanks as they came from the camp. There were three of them. I did not know them well enough to be able to identify them but they each looked to have a 78 mm gun. Our lofty position meant that Collins and Carter had the chance to hit the top of the turrets with their bazooka. Tanks had their strongest armour on the front. The Sherman had almost two inches around the front of the turret but the belly and the top was half that thickness, one inch! If the Chinese were built the same way then we had a chance to surprise them.

  Right, lads, now you have the chance to see what you can do with a bazooka from above.”

  “Yes, sir. Don’t worry, we have a plan.” The two of them had been prisoners and they would not return to that state easily!

  We needed the tanks closer. Troops moved along behind them and I knew that we could hit some. “Open fire. Ashcroft, the mortars are in range.”

  “Sir, Shoot! Shoot! Shoot!”

  We all opened fire at once. One mortar shell hit the rear of the second tank but it did not penetrate. However, the shrapnel scythed off at all angles to slice into the Chinese troops behind. Our bullets also ricocheted off armour and killed men. The tanks fired. The crews had been too eager and still had armour-piercing rounds in the breech. They hit the side walls and the rounds raced through the houses before exiting. I hoped none of our men had been hurt but there was no time to find out. The crews must have realised their error and they reloaded with high explosive. They headed down the road to get a better angle on the front of the building.

  Carter tapped Collins on the back of the head. The bazooka’s fiery trail showed it race unerringly to the top of the leading tank’s turret. Bullets from the troops on the ground hit the roof above our heads. Our lofty position made it hard for them to hit us. The rocket must have struck the ammunition or the fuel for the whole tank suddenly lifted into the air in a fireball. The second tank was set on fire and the two remaining tanks hastily retreated. They drove over some of their own men in their haste to escape. The crew of the burning tank opened the hatch to try to douse the flames. The first two were shot by Lofting and the tank, still burning, headed back to the compound. The second tank headed east to join the Chinese who were there.

  I looked at my watch. We had bought forty minutes. “Cease fire!”

  “Check! Check! Check!”

  I went to the ladder and shouted down, “When I give the command, Lieutenant, set off the charges and then prepare to bug out!”

  “Sir!”

  I knew that they would be bringing artillery to end our resistance and the building would be destroyed. There was little to be gained from our sacrifice. I had promised an hour and, by the time we left, we would have given the Americans more than that.

  Ashcroft shouted, “Sir, they are bringing around men to attack from the north-west.”

  “Get the mortars to switch targets and spot for them!” I fired a burst through the open window as Chinese troops ran past the burning tank. The Browning had jammed and Bates was clearing the jam. We had a hole in the roof facing east and through it, I could see the Chinese as they gathered their men ready to assault us. The tank was in position and it fired its first H.E. shell at the building. It punched a hole through and then there was an explosion beneath us. I hoped no one was hurt. “Carter, Collins, get the bazooka over here and fire a couple of rockets at the tank. It might distract them.”

  The Browning was now firing again and I heard the whump of the mortars as they began to fire at the new threat. Ashcroft called, “Bang on lads! Keep them there.” His head turned. “Sir, I can see artillery being moved.”

  “Right, tell them another few rounds and then bug out!”

  The rear of the bazooka flamed as the first rocket raced towards the tank. I peered through the opening. It had hit the glacis but not penetrated the armour. “Again, and then outside. Tell the others ‘Dunkirk!’ You lads fire your last belt and magazine and then disable the Browning and get the hell out of here with the Brens.”

  Suddenly there was a salvo from the artillery followed by screams. Ashcroft said, “Bugger! The mortar lads have bought it, sir. They stood no chance.”

  “Right, get the radio and join the others. Tell the Lieutenant to blow the explosives.” I moved away and patted Carter who sent another rocket at the tank. It hit a track and the tank slewed around. The Chinese troops rose as one. “Carter, Collins, Lofting, time to go!”

  I heard a single shot and he said, “Righto sir! I got another officer.”

  I was left alone and I watched as the Chinese flooded over the rubble. The Lieutenant had detonated it perfectly. Suddenly they were all lifted as one. Even the tank was raised. Debris and rubble rattled against the walls and then the Chinese artillery opened fire at the gable end. I was knocked from my feet but miraculously survived, even though the end of the building was now open.

  “Sir!”

  “Coming, Sergeant Major Thorpe. I grabbed my Bergen and gun and slid down the ladder. I descended the stairs and raced out to the open area in the middle of the row. My men were waiting. “Who did we lose?”

  Sergeant Grant had a bandage around his head, he said, “The mortar crews and Sergeant Sullivan. They never knew what hit them, sir. I have their tags!”

  Brian Foster, Norman Timkins, Gary Nesbit and Jack Fox would not be going home.

  Lieutenant Morrison said, “Sir, we had best get a move on. Williams and I had spare explosives. We have used timers and this lot will be going up in,” he looked at his watch, “eleven minutes!”

  Bearing in mind how erratic the timers could be I just said, “Move!” I ran towards the open gate. The Chinese shelling had blocked the northern entrance and so we ran south. I knew that the Chinese would be swarming down the road and I ran with my Thompson cocked. At the end, I almost shot the South Korean boy who stepped out. It was one of Ji-hoo’s lads, “You come with me, mate!” Without waiting he turned and ran down the road to our right. I had to trust him for the explosives were nine minutes away from detonation.

  The boy was fast and he had to keep stopping to ensure that we were keeping up with him. After a hundred yards he dived into a back yard. When we followed him, we saw that there was a hole in the grou
nd. A second boy waved for us to descend. We were like Alice going down the rabbit hole but we had begun and had to continue. We followed. I cracked my head on a low beam.

  Shouting, “Watch your heads!” I put my hand up. There was blood. I spied a light in the distance as we made our way through it. This was obviously a building destroyed in the initial attack by North Korea but a path had been cleared through the rubble. I just wished that they had put some candles in!

  The lighter area proved to be the exit and we clambered up. I looked at my watch. The explosives would go off in two minutes. By my estimation, we were still just six hundred yards from them. Ji-hoo stood smoking a cigarette. One of his men, wearing North Korean garb, was behind the wheel of a North Korean truck. The one-armed soldier grinned. “You give me a Thompson and I will give you a ride out of the city.”

  Without hesitation, I handed him my Thompson and my magazines. I could always get another.

  He grinned, “Get in the back and stay quiet! There are Chinese and North Korean bastards everywhere.”

  I nodded to him, “And you?”

  He smiled, “We still have a war to fight. We knew this day would come and we have prepared holes like the one through which you came. We have weapons and we will get more. You will return, won’t you?”

  I nodded. Just then the explosives went off and the sky to the north of us was lit up. Rubble and debris showered the buildings close to us.

  Ji-hoo said, “Your work?”

  I said, “Yes, a little leaving present!”

  “Good, now go! My man will get you beyond the last of the enemy. He can speak a little English. When he tells you to get out then you are on your own.”

  “Thanks, Ji-hoo!”

  Lieutenant Morrison held out his arm and hauled me up. Ji-hoo banged on the side of the truck and I was thrown to the ground as it lurched off. I was helped to my feet. The canvas at the rear was lowered and we bounded along rubble covered roads. I took out my Colt and fitted the silencer. It was in the dark but I had practised this many times before.