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보/고/서

ATIS INTERROGATION REPORT NO. 3199　6 February 1951

FIELD REPORT (164 MISDI - 1424)　27 January 1951

Cooperative. PW was suffering from an acute headache and nausea plus a bad cold and cough.

He lacked pep and complained of being very weak. He has allegedly had these symptoms ever since induction into the army and was assigned no duties because of this illness which caused him to vomit frequently. Frost bite as a result of KOREA’s severe winter adds to his misery. Therefore information is limited.

Reliability seems fair, and PW was able to give rather clear indications of his regiments’ low state of physical fitness and combat effectiveness.

9th Inf Div: 1st, 2nd & 3rd Rifle Regt and Arty Regt.

3rd Rifle Regt: 3 Rifle Bn, Communication Plat, Engr Plat, Guard Plat and Med Plat.

Med Plat: 3 Med Sqd. 11 men per sqd.

Medical Plat, 3rd regt:

|Original (Nov 50)|Present (24 Dec 50)

Personnel

EM|30 approx|30 approx

Officers|2|2

Total|32|32 approx

Equipment & Ammo

M1891/30 rifles|2 (10 rds ea)|2 (10 rds per)

Jap Model 38 rifles|3 (5 rds ea)|3 (5 rds per)

Jap Model 99 rifles|2 (10 rds ea)|2 (10 rds per)

PPsh SMG|1|1

The Medical Plat had no litters or other medical equipment.

4. LOCATION & ACTIVITIES OF UNITS (as of 24 Dec 50):

The 3rd Regt marched at night only, traveling over mountain trails. Personnel generally marched single file. Most of the soldiers do not have the faintest idea where they are going but simply follow the soldiers in front of them. Personnel are given no specific instructions. They merely obey the NCO and officers.

PW conscripted into the NKA “Volunteers Army” 1 Sep 50 at MIKPO (BP6053). There he received a week of training in close order drill with 30 other forced “volunteers”.

PW departed from MOKPO o/a 8 Sep 50, being marched northward with 30 other forced “volunteers” by 200 NKA regular soldiers. They traveled over mountain trails (moving at night only) through the SOBAEK-SAN and TAEBAEK-SAN mountain ranges, arriving in the mountains in the vicinity of PYONGGANG (CT5152) during Oct 50. There the 3rd Regt, 9th Div, was in the process of reorganization. There the regiment received no additional weapons or ammunition but were issue d white, cotton padded winter jackets during Nov 50 (source of these jackets were unknown).

PW departed from PYONGGANG Dec 50, marched (at night only) with the 3rd Regt of the 9th Div, and traveled south through the TAEBAEK-SAN mountain range. While traveling south the 3rd Regt picked up ammunition from time to time that the NKA had abandoned during its Sep 50 retreat and that had been by-passed by UN forces. All the while PW was suffering from frozen feet, nausea, headache, a cold, and a cough. Being no longer able to keep up with his unit, he dropped behind at a tiny village (approx 2 km north of CHUCHON NI o/a 24 Dec 50.

24 Jan 51, PW was joined by a private from the 2nd Regt, 31st NKA Div. Like PW, this private had lost contact with his unit into which he had been forcibly conscripted from CHOLLA NAMDO province during Sep 50. The two decided to surrender to UN forces in the belief that they could thus return to their homes in South KOREA. They walked to CHUCHON NI, and surrendered to soldiers of the 31st US RCT at 241643 I Jan 51.

KANG, Tae Mun (강대운)

CO, 3rd Regt, 9th Div

The 3rd Regt, 9th Div, received an unknown number of replacements during Oct and Nov 50 while the Regt was in the vicinity of P’YONGGANG. These replacements comprised South Korean civilians conscripted immediately prior to and during the NKA Sep 50, retreat plus stragglers from NKA units other than the 3rd Regt, 9th Div.

The 3rd Regt, 9th Div, received its food by confiscating food in villages.

The only ammo received was ammunition that was originally abandoned during the NKA Sep 50 retreat, then by-passed by UN forces, and finally picked up by the 9th Division’s 3rd Regt as it advanced southward through the TAEBAEK SAN mountain range during Dec 50 and Jan 51.

PW observed NKA personnel laying field telephone wire whenever the 3rd Regt stopped for one day or more. He does not know what units this wire went to but believes it to be the Regt only means of communication other than couriers.

PW allegedly did not know the state of morale of 3rd Regt, 9th Div, personnel but supposed it to be low because the troops were cold, tired of war, and ill.

97% of the 9th Division’s 3rd Regt had frost bitten feet according to PW. Only 30% were able to walk at normal speed. Many vomited frequently (reason unknown) and practically every man had a cold and/or a cough. Thus the combat efficiency of the entire regiment was low.

PW was examined by ROKA 1st Lt KIM, Hae Su (金海洙) (김해수), M.D. Diagnosis of PW is as follows:

Temperature: 38.2° Centigrade

Pulse: 98

Diagnosis: (1) Acute pneumonia catarrhalis

(2) Extreme sensitivity on both sides of PW chest

(3) Diarrhea

(4) Frost bite (old) in both feet

(5) General effects of freezing weather

PW stated that the majority of troops in the 9th Division’s 3rd Regt were suffering from one or more symptoms similar to his own.

As of 24 Dec 50, the personnel of the 9th NKA Division’s 3rd Regt had received no types of immunization against disease.

(1) Did you surrender voluntarily?

PW surrendered with one other NKA soldier voluntarily because they both supposed that by doing so they could return to their homes in South KOREA

(2) Did you see any UN Leaflets or hear UN loudspeaker broadcasts?

No

(3) Can you describe what they said?

No

(4) What was your reaction to them?

Negative

(5) Did you hear other soldiers discuss leaflets or broadcasts?

No

For the AC of S, G-2: