ATIS INTERROGATION REPORT NO. 1916 18 October 1950
FIELD REPORT (ADVATIS - 1165) 16 October 1950
1. PERSONAL DETAILS:| PW NAME: | KIM, SONG JUK (金松竹) (김송죽) |
| RANK: | Jr Lt (少尉) |
| AGE: | 18 |
| DUTY: | Plt Ldr |
| UNIT: | Ind RR Regt (Code No 584), 1st Bn, 1st Co, 2nd Plt |
| EDUCATION: | 5 Years |
| OCCUPATION: | Student |
| PLACE OF CAPTURE: | 4 km N of MOKKYE (牧溪) (1080-1580) |
| DATE OF CAPTURE: | 6 Oct 50 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH: | HAMGYONGPUK-To, MYONGCHON-Gun, AGAN-Myong, YONG-Dong (咸鏡北道朋川郡啊間面龍洞) |
| HOME ADDRESS:HEILUNG-CHIANG-SHENG, SUIHUA-HSIEN, TAILOUT’UN (滿州黑龍江省腇屯縣第大屯) | |
| INTERROGATOR: | NAGAO (FEAF) |
PW attempted to conceal information concerning his birth in MANCHURIA as well as his activities prior to his arrival in KOREA. However, he finally revealed that he had served with the 8th Route Army in MANCHURIA and CHINA as a member of a RR Construction unit.
PW repeatedly complained about the pain from his chronic appendicitis. Not recommended for further interrogation.
3. TACTICAL INFORMATION:Chronology:
21 May 47 - PW volunteered and was inducted into the 8th Route Army at T’ANGYUAN (湯原), MANCHURIA, and was attached to the Local Security Unit in T’ANGYUAN as a bugler.
Sep 47 - Transferred to SUIHUA (綏化) and attached to a RR Security Guard Unit.
Jul 48 - Arrived in SUIPING (水平) and attached to the Local Security unit. Assigned to the RR Station as a special guard to check passenger’s identification cards.
Aug 48 - The Local Security Unit was reorganized into a RR Corps. Attached to the 3rd Group (團), 3rd Co, 2nd Plt, 1st Sqd in SUIPIN.
Oct 48 - Departed SUIP’ING and arrived in MUKDEN (奉天). Enroute from SUIP’ING, outfit was assigned to the maintenance of the railroad. After a short rest in MUKDEN, the 3rd RR Group departed from CHINA with orders to repair the railroads enroute to their destination.
Mar 50 - The RR Corps was reorganized and the 3 groups were formed into 4 units (支隊). Assigned to the 3th Unit of the RR Corps, and arrived in An-YANG (安陽), CHINA.
Apr 50 - All Koreans of the 4th Unit departed ANYANG and arrived in SHIHCHIA_CHUANG (石家莊), CHINA, for regrouping. 3,000 Koreans gathered in SHIHCHIA-CHUANG and were organized into a Peoples’ Liberation Army. Attached to the 1st Co, 1st Group, as chief bugler.
27 Jun 50 - The Peoples’ Liberation Army departed SHIHCHIA-CHUANG.
2 Jul 50 - Arrived in P’YONGYANG, via PEIPING (北京), MUKDEN, and SINUIJU. The Peoples’ Liberation Army was reorganized and designated as the Ind RR Regt. Assigned to the 2nd Plt, 1st Co, 1st Bn, as asst Plt Ldr, with rank of Sr Sgt (上士)
6 Jul 50 - Ind (RR Regt departed P’YONGYANG.
10 Jul 50 - Arrived in SEOUL and unit was ordered to repair the RR Bridge over HAN River, which work was completed in 3 days.
20 Jul 50 - PW’s unit arrived in CHOCH’IWON (鳥政院) and was detailed to repair the damaged RR Bridge there repairs were made in 3 days.
2nd, 3rd. and 4th Co’s, 1st Bn were detailed to repair the RR bridge south of PUGANG-Ni which took 3 days.
Promoted to Plt Ldr and commissioned Jr Lt (少尉)
Sep 50 - The 1st Bn was ordered to repair all the damaged RR bridges between CHOCH’IWON and KUMCH’ON (金泉) which was completed during the early part of Sep 50. PW was confined in a farmer’s home in OKSAN-DONG with chronic appendicitis, and was unable to rejoin his unit for a month.
D/u Sep 50 - Received orders to join his unit in TAEJON and departed OKSAN-Dong together with 20 other patients.
D/u Sep 50 Arrived in TAEJON, and the respective companies were ordered to retreat separately. 1st Co, 1st Bn, departed TAEJON on trucks.
D/u Sep 50 - 1st Co arrived in CHOCH’IWON and being unable to proceed further, disbanded and entered the mountains.
6 Oct 50 - Arrived at a point 4 km N of MOKKYE and was captured by a local Security Unit.
UNIT ORGANIZATION AND STRENGTH:
Original Strength and Organization:
The Ind RR Regt was composed to four (4) battalions of approx 3,000 men who had arrived from CHINA. All battalions were three (3) platoons of 30 men each.
Actual Battle Organization and Strength:
During Jul 50, two (2) new battalions (5th and 6th Bns) joined the Ind RR Regt near TAEJON. These battalions were composed of men who were recruited from the SK Volunteer Corps in SEOUL. Experienced men from the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th Bn’s were transferred to these battalions and they were replaced by inexperienced conscripts from the 5th and 6th Bn’s.
PW heard that the respective strengths of the 5th and 6th Bn’s were much larger than the four original battalions, and he believes that each platoon was composed of 50 to 60 men.
Last Known Composition of unit:
The 4th Co, 1st Bn lost approx 60 men in a tunnel north of TAEJON when they were attacked by bombs. However, they were immediately replaced by recruits from the 5th and 6th Bn’s. The 3rd Co sustained a loss of approx 10 men when they were strafed by aircraft south of PUGANG-Ni.
The other 2 companies of the 1st Bn did not lose any men. When the respective companies of the 1st Bn were ordered to retreat separately from TAEJON, the total strength of the 1st Bn did not differ from the original organization and strength.
Equipment:
The 1st Bn, Ind RR Regt was equipped with 4 x trucks and 2 x 12.7-mm DSHK M1938 AA MGs.
The four (4) companies of the 1st Bn were equipped with 1 x HMG, 3 x LMGs, and all officers were armed with pistols. All EM were equipped with Japanese Model 99 rifles with 70 rounds of ammunition and 2 hand grenades.
Unit History:
The RR bridge over the HAN River near SEOUL was repaired in a record time of 3 days by the Inf RR Regt, and the Regt CO received a “KUK KI SANG” (國旗賞) decoration in recognition of this work. However, during the process of repairing the bridge, US aircraft attacked, the Regt CO was wounded, the 3rd Bn CO was killed, and the unit sustained a large number of casualties.
After the 1st Bn completed its assignment of repairing all damaged RR bridges between CHOCH’IWON and KUMCH’ON, a large number of troops received certificates of commendation.
Disposition:
The Ind RR Regt Hq was located in SEOUL.
The 4th Bn was dispatched to repair the RR bridges beyond KUMCH’ON and on to T’AEGU and PUSAN.
Further details, unknown.
Communications:
The Ind RR Regt had repaired all the damaged bridges between TAEJON and KUMCH’ON, but it is not known if the NKA was able to utilize that railroad lines.
Intentions:
Before the 1st Co, 1st Bn, Ind RR Regt disbanded in CHOCH’IWON, the Co CO ordered all the men (70 men SK Volunteer Corps and 60 men from CHINA) to proceed individually across the 38o Parallel into North KOREA.
Personalities:
SHIN, (fnu) (申 -------)Maj, 1st Bn, RR Regt Co Maj SHIN arrived with the original group from CHINA.
For the Commanding Officer:
WEELDREYER
Executive
