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보/고/서

ATIS INTERROGATION REPORT NO. 802　28 August 1950

FIELD REPORT (ADVATIS - 0605)　25 August 1950

PW not very intelligent. Contradicted himself on numerous occasions.

Date inducted - 15 Mar 50 - SlNUIJU.

Training - PW assigned to an engineer Platoon of the No. I Training Unit at SINUIJU. Majority of cadres were former members of the CCF. PW's training included road repairing, bridge (wood) building, demolition techniques and brief instruction on rifle marksmanship.

Just prior to departure, training units in and around SINUIJU were integrated into a single division. No I Training Unit was redesignated the 19th Regt, strength approx 2,500.

Tactical Movement: o/a 27 Jun 50 - 19th Regt, fully armed with brand new Russian weapons, departed by rail. Remainder of 13th Div followed in order 21st Regt, 23rd Regt and Regt’l Arty.

O/a 28 Jun 50 - 13th Div detrained at KUMCH’ON. Departed same day.

O/a 5 Jul 50 - 13th Div, in reserve, arrived SEOUL. 13th Div for a period of 10 days, was engaged in rounding up SK police, gov’t officials and ROK Army officers who had been cut off in SEOUL. Majority were caught in their own homes and some, who resisted arrest were killed on the spot (hearsay). Unprovoked killing was against the policy of the 13th Div, however, PW overheard an order over the telephone, from the CO, 13th Div to the CO, 19th Regt, to kill if necessary, persons who attempted escape while in the process of being apprehended. PW did not participate in any of the killings.

O/a 15 Jul 50 - 13th Div departed SEOUL and marched south to reinforce the TAEJON front. However, 13th Div was ordered to move east from CH'UNGJU, to participate in the attack on T’AEGU, after the situation in TAEJON had been reported to be well in hand.

O/a 23 Aug 50 - 13th Div arrived vicinity of KASAN-MYONG via CH’UNGJU, MUN’GYONG, HAMCH’ANG, SANGJU and NAKTONG-NI. 13th Div remained in reserve until after the NAKTONG River crossing. 13th Div crossed the river in the vicinity of NAKTONG-NI, by regiments, in the following order: 21st Regt, 19th Regt and 23rd Regts. Disposition of artillery regt unknown. PW the was with the rest elements of the 19th Regt, met a friend of his from the 15th Div, on the E bank of the NAKTONG River o/a 21 Aug 50. Information as to status of the 15th Div was not divulged. The number of 15th Div troops in the area, could not be ascertained due to the confusion of the units in the river crossing area. Observed eight EM of the 1st Div cooking rice in a farm house approx 2 km ESE of the crossing point o/a 21 Aug 50. PW judged there was enough rice for approx 60 men (Co). Detailed information concerning 1st Div was not obtained.

Observed 6 x 45 mm M1942 AT guns, of the 19th Regt, deployed just S of the highway, approx 4 km NW of KUMHWA-DONG. These guns were being used as artillery, in support of the 19th Regt. PW saw one of the AT guns receive a direct hit from ROK artillery. Gun destroyed and three of its crew killed.

Blasts of heavier guns (probably 76mm field guns and 120mm mortars) heard from a valley approx 4 km NE of KUMHWA-DONG. Two large tanks of undetermined type (observed tanks from a distance) observed approx 1 km NW of the afore-mentioned 45mm AT gun positions. Tanks were off the highway and camouflaged with leaves. PW is certain that they were tanks and not SP’s.

24 Aug 50 - 19th Regt had advanced up to the high ground 1 to 2 km ENE of KUMHWA-DONG. 19th Regt’s strength at this time, estimated to be 800. 21st Regt was engaged with ROK forces on YUHAK-SAN. 23rd Regt had also been committed, and was in position on the left flank of the division, in the vicinity of SU-DONG.

An estimated 50 men from the division engineer bn were deployed in the vicinity of the highway junction north of KUMHWA-DONG. PW and nine others of the 19th Regt Eng Plt set up a road block south of the highway junction and approx 250 m N of KUMHWA-DONG. This 10 man road block was armed with Russian rifles and 5 x F-1 defensive hand grenades each.

PW was informed by personnel of the division engineers that 12 x AT mines were laid on the highway, approx 200 m N of KUMHWA-DONG. Mines were laid in a row, 6 on each side of road, with 2 m interval between mines (hearsay).

25 Aug 50 - The 10 men road block remained under cover of a small (5 m long) concrete bridge located on the main highway, 250 m N of KUMHWA-DONG. The highway, N of KUMHWA-DONG, was under constant ROK artillery barrage.

All ten men were captured by a ROK patrol.

At the time of PW’s capture, bitter, close-in fighting was raging all along the 13th Div sector, with no sides giving ground.

No vehicles observed in rear of 13th Div after the NAKTONG River crossing.