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보/고/서

ATIS INTERROGATION REPORT NO 3615　21 February 1951

FIELD REPORT (ADVATIS Special Report 022)　15 February 1951

Average intelligence; fairy cooperative. Reliability, fair.

a. One machine gun squad is assigned to PW artillery battery which is equipped with four 75 mm (US) pack howitzers, confiscated by the CCF from CNA (to whom these were originally issued by the American Army). This machine gun sqd is supposed to provide protection for the platoon against the enemy ground attacks. To avoid air attacks, the artillery pieces are usually covered with tree leaves and branches. Sometimes they are covered with pieces of white clothes to blend with the snowy background. PW knows no security measures taken by his unit against enemy tank attacks.

b. Marches always made at night between approx 1500 to 0400 hours.

c. PW unit usually travel on secondary roads to avoid air attacks. Occasionally they travel on highways when secondary roads are not available.

d. PW unit always moves as a unit in column.

e. Halts are seldom made during the nights march unless something happens on the road ahead. Such stops would not last for more than 30 minutes. No special security measures would be taken during such stops.

a. One sentry from each platoon is posted in the bivouac area to lookout for enemy air attacks. Sentry would shout out warnings whenever enemy planes approached. Sentry is also responsible for keeping the men from running around during the air attacks. They are instructed to shoot any such violator. Pass words are used during night bivouac (which seldom occur).

b. Sentries posted along the edge of the bivouac area and near the arty pieces. Usually posted singly, but occasionally two sentries are posted for the arty pieces.

c. Troops usually sleep in the wooded areas in the hills; sometimes they sleep in the ditches by the roadside or in the fields. Ordinarily, two meals are eaten each day. The morning meal is usually eaten about one hour before daybreak and the afternoon meal is usually eaten around 1700 hours.

d. The bivouac areas are almost always located in the wooded areas. Camouflage measures are seldom taken. Only the arty pieces, ammo and equipment are covered with tree branches and leaves or white clothes, depending on the background color.

a. Prior to an attack, troops would move to assembly area, usually about one mile or less from the bivouac area.

b. Troops would move into the assembly area, from all directions, from their various bivouac areas.

c. The assembly area is usually reached about 20 to 30 minutes prior to the hour of attack.

d. While in the assembly area, troops may rest, talk, or smoke while their officers confer and receive instructions from Bn CO.

e. Troops always move out in one column from the assembly area. Scouts are never used to precede the column since there are always infantry units ahead of them.

a. PW unit would move the guns to the designated positions from the assembly area. So far as the PW knows, these guns always remain in their original positions throughout the night.

b. PW arty Bn is usually assigned the task of neutralizing the enemy strong points and positions before the infantry moves in, to support the infantry units’ advance.

c. Foxholes of all sizes are dug around the gun positions. This is done mainly as a protective measure against enemy air attacks.

a. No patrols sent out by the PW artillery battalion.

a. Observation posts have never been used on the perimeter of an assembly area of the PW unit since there are always some infantry units in the vicinity upon whom the unit may depend for protection.

b. No observation posts along the line of march of PW unit, as far as he knows.

c. PW does not know how the observation posts are set up in front of defense positions.

a. There are no anti-tank weapons in PW artillery battalion.

b. PW knows no tank obstacles constructed by his unit.

c. There is no “tank killer team” or anti-tank personnel in PW unit. But he has heard of anti-tank groups organized in infantry units, which he doesn’t know much about.

d. Mines are never used by PW unit.

a. Each man usually carry five catties (7 lbs) or wheat crackers and wheat flour which has to be mixed with water before eaten. Both of these are made in MANCHURIA. Troops do not eat these as regular meal, but use them as dried ration during combat when hot meals are unavailable. These rations alone are suppose to be enough for five days.

b. PW battery carried 100 round of shells when they came into KOREA. His unit had been out of ammo for these pieces for about 2 weeks at the time the PW was captured. They were awaiting resupply from the rear. PW believes ammo is transported by horses and mules from the ammo dumps in ANTUNG (安東).

c. Troops wear cotton padded jackets and trousers, and furlined leather boots. There pile caps are similar to those worn by the US troops. No replacement will be made in case it’s worn out or lost. PW states that his uniform is not enough to keep him warm.

d. PW saw no civilian clothes worn by the troops in his unit. But on several occasions he saw civilian clothes worn by the men of the divisional reconnaissance company.

a. There is one field telephone used by each artillery battery for communication with the battalion headquarters. Another field telephone is used in Bn Hq for communication with division headquarters. These telephones are considered to be very reliable.

b. Runners are commonly used between platoons and batteries. They carry mostly verbal messages and orders; sometimes written orders and documents. These runners usually cover a distance of not more than two miles.

c. Each battery has one bugler. Bugles are used to assemble troops or to signify simple orders. Whistles are carried and used by battery commanders and platoon leaders and their assistants for assembling troops. Flares were not used by PW unit in KOREA.

d. With telephones and runners used as communication means, no immediate difficulty is felt by PW unit.

a. PW received one month of political training and about two months of combat training.

b. PW had rifle practices with live ammo.

c. PW unit had two practices firing their arty pieces, with two rounds to each, in the Manchurian border town of ANTUNG (安東) prior to crossing the border.

a. There have been over twenty people in PW battery suffering from malaria. They received no treatment but have been allowed to follow slowly behind the column on marches.

b. Over forty men in PW battery suffer frost bite or frozen feet. This is about one quarter in ratio to the battery strength. No treatments are given to them.

a. As a whole, the practice of military discipline in KOREA by the CCF is very slack in comparison with that in CHINA. Troops seldom get punished for taking things away from the Korean people.

b. Only one deserter has been reported in PW battery since coming to KOREA.

a. PW unit has never received any sort of welcome by the Korean people. Most South Koreans are afraid of the CCF troops while the North Koreans are not too enthusiastic about their fighting in KOREA.

b. CCF use no Korean civilians for any kind of work other than using them occasionally as road guides.

For the Commanding Officer: