ATIS INTERROGATION REPORT NO. 4399
FIELD REPORT (ADVATIS 0103) 30 October 1950
| PW NAME: | WON, Si Yon (元始淵) (원시연) |
| PW NUMBER: | 63 NK 3115 |
| RANK: | Sgt (中士) |
| AGE: | 31 |
| DUTY: | Co Clerk |
| UNIT: | 5th Div., 10th Inf Regt, 2nd Bn, 6th Co |
| EDUCATION: | Primary School (6 years) |
| OCCUPATION: | Government Ration Board employee and Farmer |
| PLACE OF CAPTURE: | P’OHANG (浦項) |
| DATE OF CAPTURE: | 14 Sep 50 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH: | KOREA, HAMGYONG NAMDO, SAMSU-Gun, HOIN-Myon, PYONGP’UNG-Ni (咸鏡南道 三水郡 好仁面 屛風里) |
| HOME ADDRESS: | MANCHURIA, SUNGCHIANG-SHENG, MISHAN-HSIEN, MUKTAI-CH’U, CHUANGAO-T’SUN (滿洲 松江省 密山縣 黒台區 歲奧村) |
| INTERROGATOR: | Cpl MAKIO (ATIS) |
PW was cooperative, at ease and spoke freely. He seems intelligent, but not very observant. Reliability, fair.
1930 – Aug 45 – MU-TAN’CHIANG (牡丹江), MANCHURIA. Employee of government Ration Board.
Aug 45 – Jan 46 – NINGAN (密安) MANCHURIA. Farmer
7 Jan 46 – Apr 48 – CHI HSI (■西), MANCHURIA. Inducted into the Chinese 8th Route Army on 7 Jan 46, and sent to CHIHSI. Received training and went out to fight bandits in the hills several times.
Apr 48 – Jul 49 – CH’ANGCH’UN (長春). Promoted to Sgt (中士) and assigned Co Clerk position.
TOPOGRAPHY MU-TAN-CHIANG
Sgt (中士) Obs: 1930 – Aug 45
Terrain: Level from land in all directions around the city.
River: MU-TAN-CHIANG River. Location: 3 km S of RR Station.
Width: 700m, depth 3m. Gradual slope on both banks. River bank and bottom, sand and gravel. Flow, fast to W. Clear water. River freezes from mid Nov to early Apr. Thickness of ice, 1.5m.
Soil: Damp fertile black soil.
Snow: Mid Sep to late Apr. Average depth, 30cm. Deepest depth, 1m.
Temperature: Winter: Dec, Jan, Feb - 40℃; Summer: 28℃ Jul
Wind: Strong northerly wind from Jan-Feb.
Fog: Light fog (from Jul-Aug). Visibility, 100m.
Rain: Light rainfall throughout the year. Slightly heavier in Jun Jul.
TRANSPORTATION AND COMMUNICATION:
STEEL RR Bridge NINGAN (密安) MANCHURIA
Obs: Aug 45 – Jan 46
Location: 2.5 km S of RR Station.
Type: Deck Pratt type steel bridge.
Size: 150m in length. About 15 concrete piers. Height from water level about 8m. River depth at bridge point, 1.5-2m. A single track, standard guage, RR track ran over this bridge.
WOODEN Bridge NINGAN, MANCHURIA
Obs: Aug 45 – Jan 46
Location: 2.5km S of RR Station and 600m W of above steel RR bridge.
Size: 150m in length and 5m in width. About 25 wooden piers. 4m in height from water level. River depth at bridge point, 1.5-2 meters.
Remarks: Bridge utilized by vehicles and pedestrians. No guards posted on bridge.
STEEL RR B
TRANSPORTATION AND COMMUNICATION:
STEEL RR Bridge MU-TAN-CHIANG
Obs: 1930 – Aug 45
Location: 3km S of RR Station, across the MU-TAN-CHIANG River.
Type: Steel trestle type bridge.
Size: 700m in length. There were about 20 steel oval shaped trestles and 20 concrete piers. Height from water level, about 10m. Water depth, about 3m at bridge point.
Remarks: A single track, standard gauge, RR track was laid over the bridge.
STEEL RR Bridge WENCH’UN (溫春), MANCHURIA
Obs: Aug 45 – Jan 46
Location: 300m S of RR Station
Type: Steel deck Pratt type
Size: 100m in length, with about 10 concrete piers. Height of Bridge from water level, 3m. Depth of river at bridge point, 1.5m.
Remarks: A single track, standard gauge, RR track was laid over the bridge. PW observed bridge several times while residing at NINGAN. WENCH’UN is located about 8km N of NINGAN.
ECONOMIC:
Flour Mill NINGAN
Obs: Aug 45 – Jan 46
Location: 2.5km SE of RR Station on the N bank of CHING-HU (鎭泊湖) River.
Building: Flour mill, 5-story brick building. 50 x 200 x 30m. One steel smoke stack 30m high. Two other brick buildings, 10 x 50 x 5m.
Man Power: Total of 100 Manchurian civilians were employed in two shifts of 8 hours each.
Product: Flour was produced from wheat grown in this area.
Transportation: Flour hauled to RR Station on carts.
Remarks: An artillery unit of about 150 men was billeted in the two brick buildings. Men were receiving close order drills on the river bank.
Weapons: Two 76-mm Guns, two 40-mm Mortars were observed in the unit area.
Flour Mill NINGAN
Obs: Aug 45 – Jan 46
Location: 1km SE of the RR Station, on the northern outskirts of the city.
Buildings: Flour mill – 5 story brick building, 50 x 200 x 30m. On steel smoke stack 30m high. Two workers’ billets – brick buildings, 10 x 50 x 5m. Area 200m square enclosed by brick fence.
Manpower: Total 100 Manchurian civilians were employed 8 hours in two shifts.
Product: Flour produced from wheat grown in this area.
Transportation: Flour was packed in bags and hauled on wagons to the RR Station for shipment or local consumption.
ARMED FORCES:
8th Route Army Training Center CHIHSI
Obs: Jan 46 – Apr 48
PW and about 600 Koreans were undergoing training in the 8th Route Army Training Center at CHISHI.
Four wooden buildings, measuring about 8 x 25 x 5m, located about 150m S of the RR Station were used as barracks.
Training period was about 5 hours a day, 6 days a week. Cadres were all Manchurian officers and NCO.
Regular basic training, firing, beyond and some infiltration and scouting courses were given.
All the men were transferred to CHANGCH’UN (MANCHURIA) in Apr 48 for further training. PW heard from a fellow Korean that another training center was located in the area approximately 15km E of the CHISHI RR Station.
8th Route Army Units, Strength, Weapons:
Squad – 12 men. All rifles. Sqd Ldr – Sgt (中士)
Platoon – 45 men. Arms: Rifles and 2 light machine guns. Plat Ldr – Jr Lt (少尉) armed with pistol. Asst Plat Ldr armed with automatic rifle.
Company – 160 riflemen. Arms: 6-9 LMG, 2 x 40-mm Mortars, Co. CO, Jr Lt (少尉) armed with pistol. Asst CO, Lt (中尉) armed with pistol.
Battalion: 600 men. Bn CO, Maj (少佐). Arms: unknown.
Regiment: 1,500 men. Regt CO, Col (大佐). Asst CO, Lt Col (中佐). Equipment, unknown.
Division: 15,000 men. Div. CO, Maj Gen (少將)
ARMED FORCES
AIRFIELD: HAI LANG (海浪) MANCHURIA
Sgt (中士) Obs: (once) Apr 48
Location: 1km S of RR Station on outskirts of town and 1km E of RR track.
Size: 1.5 x 1km running N to S. One asphalt runway, 5m in width and 1,000m in length ran N to S.
Facilities: One oval shaped galvanized iron hanger observed on the E side of the field. Size, unknown. Several small building observed around the hangar area.
Planes: No planes observed, but field seemed to be in operation.
Terrain: Level farm land to the E, W, S with the town to the N.
Remarks: Field observed from passing train only once in Apr 48.
For the Commanding Officer:
SHAPPELL
SKETCH OF MING AH OBS AUG 45 – JAN 46
