ATIS INTERROGATION REPORT NO. 3947 12 March 1951
FIELD REPORT (164 MISDI 1656) 6 March 1951
| PW NAME: | HYON, Wal Yong (玄日龍) (현왈용) (NKA) |
| RANK: | Sr Lieutenant (3 small stars) |
| ORGANIZATION: | II Corps, 10th Div, 25th Regt, 1st Bn, Medical Plat |
| DUTIES: | Medical Platoon Leader |
| EDUCATION: | 12 Years |
| AGE: | 26 |
| OCCUPATION: | Student |
| ADDRESS: | HAMGYONG PUKTO, SONG JIN GUN, HAKSO MYON, TOKIN DONG (咸鏡北道 城津郡 鶴西面 德仁洞) |
| DATE & PLACE OF CAPTURE: | 261500 I Feb 51; at HWANGSANG DONG (DQ 4796) by ROK Police |
| INTERROGATOR: | G.W.A |
Cooperative; suffering from a headache and a cold which he had for several months.
Well educated by ordinary oriental standards but has had practically no medical training although in charge of his battalion’s medical platoon. PW pointed out that there is nothing complicated about his unit’s medical facilities as those facilities are limited to items that his unit can obtain by raiding small villages.
Information, while not voluminous, seems reliable.
a. Chronology
Conscripted into 4th CCF Field Army, 13th Army Group, Rear Echelon Medical Bureau, 8th Field Hospital 4 Mar 48 in CHILIN SHENG (吉林省), MANCHURIA. Assigned to Non-Surgical Medical Section of hospital.
Departed CHILIN SHENG Jan 49 with 8th Field Hospital, by train, and arrived HUPEI SHENG (湖北省) Feb 49.
Departed HUPEI SHENG Mar 49, by truck with Field Hospital, and arrived HUNAN SHENG (湖南省) during Apr 49.
Departed HUNAN SHENG with Hospital Dec 49 by Chinese row boat up SIANG River, and arrived HANKOU (漢口) Dec 49.
Departed HANKOU Dec 49, by truck with Hospital, and arrived KWANGSI SHENG (廣西省) Jan 50.
Departed KWANGSI SHENG Feb 50 with 30 other Korean medical personnel of 8th Field Hospital by train, and arrived ANTUNG (安東) 6 Apr 50.
Departed ANTUNG 6 Apr 50, by train with 30 other Koreans from 8th Field Hospital, and arrived SINUIJU (XE 1839), KOREA on 6 Apr 50.
Departed SINUIJU 6 Apr 50, by truck with 30 other Koreans and arrived P’YONGYANG (YD 3820) 8 Apr 50. Upon arrival at P’YONGYANG, was given 1 month leave. Upon completion of leave, assigned as Platoon Leader of Medical Platoon, Independent AT Battalion, 10th NKA Division at P’YONGYANG 25 May 50.
Departed P’YONGYANG 25 Jul 50, by train with 10th NKA Division, and travelled via following places:
| DEPARTED | DATE | MODE OF TRAVEL | ARRIVED | DATE |
| P’YONGYANG | 25 Jul 50 | Train | SEOUL | 5 Aug 50 |
| SEOUL | 8 Aug 50 | Truck | SUWON | Aug 50 |
| SUWON(CS2537) | Aug 50 | Truck | TAEJON | Aug 50 |
| TAEJON(CR5912) | Aug 50 | Truck | KORYONG | 15 Aug 50 |
Departed KORYONG with retreating 10th Division 15 Sep 50, marched over trails through SOBAEK and TAEBAEK mountain ranges, and arrived CH’ANGDO-RI (CT8463) 5 Oct 50.
Departed CH’ANGDO-RI 8 Oct 50, marched with 10th Div (traveling at night only), and arrived HWACH’ON (CT8617) 21 Oct 50, marched (at night only), and arrived CH’UNCH’ON (CS8893) 25 Oct 50.
Departed CH’UNCH’ON 1 Nov 50, marched (at night only) and arrived KAP’YONG (CS6988) 5 Nov 50.
Departed KAP’YONG 10 Nov 50, marched over mountain trails, and arrived KUMAL-LI (CS8577) 25 Nov 50.
Departed KUMAL-LI 5 Dec 50, marched and arrived HWA AM-NI (CT4061) 10 Dec 50. There, 10th Division had the mission of preventing any ROK attempt to cross north of 38th parallel.
Departed HWA AM-NI 26 Dec 50, marched (at night only) and arrived KUMAL-LI 27 Dec 50.
Departed KUMAL-LI 1 Jan 51, marched (at night only) and arrived KUNWI GUN (DR5211) 21 Feb 51. There, was transferred as Platoon Leader of Medical Platoon, 1st Bn, 25th Regiment, 10th Division.
22 Feb 51, could no longer stand the misery of constant marching, so he went to Medical Co, 25th Regiment for treatment. Was given one injection of 3 c.c. of Vitamin B 23 Feb 51. Then 25th Regiment moved southward through KUNWI GUN mountains. PW was too tired to keep up with regiment, and, 24 Feb 51 night he fell so far behind that he lost contact with unit.
25 Feb 51, a South Korean farmer told PW that 10th NKA Division had moved to HWANGSANG DONG, so PW walked there, arriving 261500 I Feb 51. Upon arrival at HWANGSANG DONG, PW saw no sign of 10th NKA Division and was captured by ROK Police.
b. Location and Activities of Units: (As of 24 Feb 51)
21 Feb 51, Independent AT Battalion of 10th NKA Division was deactivated. Its officers were sent to Artillery Regiment of 10th Division although regiment has no artillery pieces. EM were assigned as replacements for 60mm Mortar Companies in various rifle battalions of 10th Division’s 3 rifle regiments.
As of 24 Feb 51, the mission of 10th Division was to disrupt UN transportation throughout KUNWO GUN (county) by attacking convoys, severing communications and raiding villages.
c. T/O & E and Strength of Units: (As of 24 Feb 51)
NKA II Corps: 6th, 10th, and 2 unidentified Rifle Divisions plus other unidentified units.
10th Rifle Division: 25th, 27th, 29th Rifle Regiments, 1 Artillery Regiment, 1 Training Battalion, 1 Engineer Battalion, 1 Recon Company, 1 Medical Battalion, 1 Judiciary Unit (Plat), and 1 Political Defense Bureau.
25th Rifle Regiment: 1st, 2d and 3d Rifle Battalions plus 1 Medical Company, 1 Transportation Company, and 1 Rear Echelon Bureau.
1st Rifle Battalion: 1st, and 2d Rifle Companies plus 1 60mm Mortar Company, 1 Medical Platoon, and 1 Supply Platoon.
Medical Platoon, 1st Bn, 25th Regt, 10th Division
| Original (5 Oct 50) | Present (24 Feb 51) | |
| EM | 1 | 4 |
| Officer | 0 | 0 |
| Equipment and ammo: | ||
| Mercurochrome | 10 grams | 0 |
| Iodine | 10 grams | 0 |
| Digestive Powder | 20 grams | 10 grams |
| Sodium Bicarbonate | 20 grams | 0 |
| Gauze Bandage | 60 meters | 0 |
| Adhesive Tape | 4 meters | 0 |
| Scissors | 1 pair | 1 pair |
| Forceps | 2 pairs | 2 pairs |
| PPsh SMG | 1 (60 rd ea) | 2 (60 rd ea) |
| M1891/30 Rifle (USSR) | 0 | 4 |
Losses in medical supplies resulted from the expenditure of these supplies through use in medical aid.
Gains in personnel of the Medical Platoon, 1st Bn, 10th Div resulted from 3 EM being sent from the Medical Platoon, Independent AT Bn, 10th Division when the Independent AT Battalion was deactivated on 21 Feb 51.
10th NKA Division
| EM and Officers | Unk | 3,000 (approx) |
d. Personalities:
KIM, Ki Hwan (김기환), Maj Gen, CG, 10th NK Div.
LEE, Tok Ch’ol (리덕철), Lt Col, CO, Medical Bn, 10th Div.
e. Replacements:
10th NKA Division received approx 300 replacements while at HWACH’ON Oct 50. These replacements were untrained civilians conscripted from the residents of HWACH’ON GUN (county). They were not issued any uniforms and only a few were given weapons.
f. Food, Ammo, and Other Supplies:
10th Division personnel subsisted by raiding small villages and confiscating food from the villagers. Often, 10th Division soldiers slept in the villages they raided.
The 10th Division was low on ammo because it received no additional ammo since Aug 50. The only sources of supply for 10th Division were raids upon UN convoys and on small villages. In the latter, weapons were captured from ROK Police.
g. Signal:
10th Division communicates with II NKA Corps by wireless; inter-regiment communication is accomplished by courier; inter-battalion communication is done by field telephones. All other levels use runners as the sole means of communication.
h. Morale and Battle Effectiveness:
Morale in 10th Division is low because the men are cold, receive no medical care, and are extremely fatigued. Their general physical condition is poor but their combat efficiency is high, considering the handicaps.
i. UN PW:
Observed 2 captured US soldiers on a mountain trail in ANDONG GUN (DR5039) during Jan 51. These Americans were being guarded by 2 guerrillas who told PW that the Americans were being taken to 10th Division Headquarters from where they would be released and allowed to rejoin UN Forces.
Observed 6 captured ROK soldiers 6 Feb 51 in mountains of KUNWI GUN (county). These ROK soldiers were being used as laborers by 25th Regt, 10th Div.
j. Medical:
Approx 20% of 10th Div personnel have relapsing fever. Such men are treated by injections of salvarsan of which the division has an adequate supply.
Approx 5% of 10th Div personnel suffer from frostbite. These men are treated by applications of mercurochrome although not an effective treatment.
No immunization or other countermeasures are given to 10th Div personnel.
The NKA has no program for training medical personnel as far as PW knows. Personnel are assigned to medical units on the basis of their civilian medical experience.
The 10th Div has practically exhausted its own medical supplies but has raided villages and captured considerable supplies of sulfadiazine, penicillin, sulfathiazole, addrenalin, salvarsan and other drugs as well as simple surgical instruments. The division has an adequate number of trained nurses and doctors to make skillful use of captured medical equipment.
The NKA has a general hospital located at P’YONGYANG. PW believes he has never heard of any 10th Division casualties having been sent there.
The NKA, to the best of PW knowledge, never purifies water for its own men to drink nor poisons sources of UN water supply.
PW knows of no medical research or of any production of medical supplies being conducted by the NKA or North Korean Government at present time.
When PW was in CCF, he frequently saw printing on labels of drugs showing that the drugs were made at HARBIN, MANCHURIA. These drugs included sulfathiazole, sulfadiazine, aspirin, sodium bicarbonate and other common drugs.
k. Psychological Warfare:
Did not surrender voluntarily. He was captured after becoming separated from his unit when he became too tired to keep up with unit as it marched through mountains of KUNWI GUN (county).
Had not seen UN leaflets.
For the AC of S, G-2:
HONG
