ATIS INTERROGATION REPORT NO. 1101 16 September 1950
FIELD REPORT (ADVATIS - 0760) 14 September 1950
1. PERSONAL DETAILS:| PW NAME: | Ho T’ae Haeng (許泰行) (허태행) |
| PW NUMBER: | 63 NK 2790 |
| RANK: | Pvt |
| AGE: | 20 |
| UNIT: | 15th Div, Self-propelled Art’y Bn, Sig Plt |
| DUTIES: | Telephone operator |
| EDUCATION: | Primary School Graduate |
| OCCUPATION: | Farmer |
| PLACE OF CAPTURE: | IMP’O DONG (1190-1440) |
| DATE OF CAPTURE: | 11 2200 K Sep 50 |
| HOME ADDRESS: | KANGWON DO, YONCH’ON GUN, PAEKHAK MYON, KALHYON NI (江原道 漣川郡 白鶴面 葛峴里) |
| INTERROGATOR: | Sgt HAMASAKA (ATIS) |
PW appeared to be fairly intelligent and cooperative. Considered reliable by interrogator.
3. TACTICAL INFORMATION:| 15 Mar 50: | Conscripted into People's Military Training Camp, No 3, HOERYONG (會寧). Approximately 7,000 conscripts received 45 days basic training. Rifle training with wooden rifles. Fired one round on firing range. Approximately 2,000 conscripts received training at NAJIN (羅津). |
| 25 Jun 50: | 9,000 conscripts from HOERYONG and NAJIN left for CH’ORWON (鐵原) by rail. |
| 26 Jun 50: | Arrived at CH’ORWON. Left on foot immediately, crossing 38° parallel same day. 9,000 conscripts activated into 15th Rifle Div after crossing 38° parallel. |
| 27 Jun 50: | 15th Div entered P’OCH’ON (抱川) behind 8th Div and one other rifle Div. From P'OCH'ON 15th Div turned east. Other Divs continued march towards SEOUL via UIJONGBU. |
| 1 Jul 50: | 15th rifle Div entered CH’UNCH’ON (春川). 16 x SU-76 self-propelled guns observed in rear of 15th Rifle Div. |
| 27 Jul 50: | 15th Rifle Div arrived at KUMCH’ON (金泉) via YOJU(驪州), HAMCH’ANG (咸昌), SANGJU. 8 x SU-76 Self-propelled guns destroyed by US air interdiction between CHUNCH'ON and KUMCH’ON. Heavy casualties suffered at YOJU, KUMCH’ON from US-ROK Army arty-mortar action. No replacements. |
| 5 Aug 50: | 15th Div left KUMCH’ON. |
| 6 Aug 50: | 15th Div arrived at SONSAN (善山). |
| 6 2400 K Aug: | 15th Div crossed NAKTONG-River over repaired concrete bridge east of SONSAN. No opposition encountered during crossing. 8 x SU-76 self-propelled guns crossed bridge. |
| 7-25 Aug 50: | 15th Div engaged by US-ROK units in wooded mountains east of river crossing point. |
| 26 Aug 50: | 15th Div entered KUNWI. Left immediately. |
| 26 Aug-9 Sep: | 6 x SU-76 self-propelled guns destroyed by US aircraft between KUNWI and YONGCH’ON. |
| 9 Sep 50: | 15th Div Arty Regt and self-propelled arty Bn (2 x SU-76 self-propelled guns) entered YONGCH’ON. Engaged by withdrawing US-ROK units. 2 x SU-76 self-propelled guns damaged by US air activity. 15th Div lnf Regts believed to be engaged in areas south of YONGCH’ON. |
| 11 Sep 50: | 15th Div deployed in IMP’O-DONG Area. Heavy artymortar barrage from US-ROK positions. Heavy casualties from artillery and mortar action. |
| 11 2200 K Sep: | PW captured by ROK Army unit in IMP’O-DONG. |
Personalities:
CG, 15th Rifle Div: PAK Yong Ch’ol (朴永哲), Sr Col, age 35. Remarks: Replaced as CG o/a 6 Sep 50.
CO, Self-propelled Arty Bn: YANG Hung Son (揚興善) (양흥선), Maj, age 26.
Weapons and Personnel (11 Sep 50):
15th Rifle Div (3 x Inf Regts, Arty Regt, Self-propelled Arty Bn, training Bn, Eng Bn), strength - 2,500. 35 x trucks.
Arty Regt - 6 x 45mm M1937 AT gun (horsedrawn), 5 x 76mm Guns (truck-drawn), 2 x 122mm M1910/30 Howitzer (truck-drawn).
Self-propelled Arty Bn. (3 x Cos, Sig Plt), strength - 110. 2 x SU-76 self-propelled arty (damaged by aircraft in IMP'O-DONG Area, 9 Sep 50, however believed serviceable with minor repair).
Signal Plt, strength - 2. l x battery powered portable wireless transceiver (used for Div Hq liaison) (damaged and unserviceable).
Eng Bn, strength - 400. Hand shovels, picks, axes, saws. Some three (3) foot one (1) inch steel tipped wooden poles (used in probing roads for land mines).
Communications:
Signal platoon of the self-propelled arty Bn, 15th Div composed of 10 EM and 2 officers. Equipment consisted of 1 batterypowered portable radio transceiver and four (4) field telephone sets. Radio transceiver was never used because of lack of trained personnel. Field telephone sets were set up to maintain liaison between Cos within Bn whenever the Bn was deployed in wooded areas. An officer from Sig Plt was sent to Div Hq to maintain liaison between Div Chief of Staff and Self-propelled Arty Bn. Request from Regt and lower units for self-propelled arty support came through regular military channels, then through Sig liaison officer to the Bn. Orders were then sent through Sig Plt over field telephone lines or by runner, where lines could not be set up, to the various self-propelled arty units in the battalion.
Tactics:
Self-propelled arty Bn, 15th Div was usually kept in rear of Div units, behind arty regt, and sent to the front line inf units as required by the situation. Self-propelled arty usually advanced ahead of infantry in combat, knocking out machine gun positions and targets of opportunity. No repair facilities were available for damaged guns.
Morale:
Low morale because of insufficient food and inability to cope with US-ROK units. Lack of defense against US air activities aggravated this condition.
For the Commanding Officer:
WEELDREYER
Executive
