ATIS INTERROGATION REPORT NO. 1632 4 October 1950
FIELD REPORT (ADVATIS - 0982) 1 October 1950
1. PERSONAL DETAILS:| PW NAME: | LEE, Yong Ja (李英子) (이영자) |
| PW NUMBER: | 63 NK 8650 |
| RANK: | Sgt (中士) (female) |
| AGE: | 23 |
| DUTY: | Nurse |
| UNIT: | 11th Independent Field Hospital |
| EDUCATION: | Primary School (5 years) |
| OCCUPATION: | Nurse |
| PLACE OF CAPTURE: | MYOSAN (妙山), between KORYONG and KOCHANG |
| DATE OF CAPTURE: | 26 Sep 50 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH: | P'YONGAN PUK-TO, SINUIJUSI, KWANMUN-Ni #14 (平安北道 新義州市 関門里 一四) |
| HOME ADDRESS: | P'YONGAN PUK-TO, KUSONG-Gun, KWANSO-Myon, SO GWAN-Ni (平安北道 龜城郡 関西面 昭関里) |
| INTERROGATOR: | NAGAO (FEAF) |
PW joined the Communist Youth Organization (MINCHONG) 12 Nov 49, and received regular political indoctrination.
Not recommended for further interrogation.
3. TACTICAL INFORMATION:Chronology:
22 Jun 50 - PW and 11 nurses and 2 doctors from the Peoples' Hospital in SINUIJU were immediately inducted into the NKPA. PW was made a Sgt (中士) and was assigned to the Ind 17th Field Hospital in KUMGYO (金郊).
27 Jun 50 - The Ind 17th Field Hospital departed KUMGYO on trucks for KAESONG. Wounded soldiers arriving from SEOUL Area were treated by this field hospital for a period of 10 days.
7 Jul 50 - Hospital departed KAESONG on trucks after transferring all the patients to the rear echelon.
8 Jul 50 - Arrived at SEOUL and was stationed at the Severance Hospital. PW states that enroute from KAESONG to SEOUL, they were strafed by aircraft and 1 nurse was killed and two wounded.
27 Jul 50 - Arrived in YONGDUNGP'O (永登浦) after crossing the HAN river on boats. 17th Ind Field Hospital had 2 x GAZ-63 trucks and ambulances.
They were located in a large textile factory for a period of one week. 9 new nurses joined the hospital.
3 Aug 50 - Departed YONGDUNGP'O on trucks.
6 Aug 50 - Arrived at CHOCH'IWON (鳥致院). On the day of their arrival they were attacked by aircraft.
At CHOCH'IWON, they treated 3 US wounded PsW. Two had gypsum casts applied, one for a broken arm and one for broken collar bone and I was treated for a flesh wound of the arm. They were then transferred to the rear.
20 Aug 50 - Ind 17th Field Hospital departed CHOCH'IWON on 4 trucks.
25 Aug 50 - Arrived WOLGOKTONG (月谷洞) and took over the vacated houses in the village. About a week after their arrival they were bombed and strafed and lost on patient and two nurses. Five (5) doctors and several nurses were seriously wounded and were transferred to the rear echelon hospital. 17th Ind Field Hospital received four doctors, 10 nurses, and 37 nurses aid from the SK Volunteer Army.
8 Sep 50 - Departed WOLGOKTONG on 4 trucks.
9 Sep 50 - Arrived at a village 4 km S of KORYONG (高靈) and took over a farmer's vacant home.
24 Sep 50 - 17th Ind Field Hospital received orders to withdraw to KUMCH'ON. PW, one doctor, and 7 aidmen were ordered to evacuate 47 seriously wounded patients to KOCH'ANG. The farmers in the village were hired as stretcher bearers. All ambulatory patients were released and told to start walking towards KUMCH'ON. The remaining staff members and nurses departed on trucks.
26 Sep 50 - Arriving at a point 1 km W of MYOSAN (妙山) (midway between KORYONG and KOCH'ANG) the stretcher bearing evacuation group encountered enemy forces. PW and the doctor deserted their patients and started running but the doctor was killed by rifle fire. PW hid in the bushes when told to surrender by US and ROK soldiers, she came out of hiding with three aidmen.
Unit Organization and Strength:
17th Ind Field Hospital was composed of 6 Army doctors, 1 chief of nurses, and 14 nurses.
Actual Battle Organization and Strength:
The following replacement were received by the Hospital:
SEOUL - 1 nurse and 1 doctor
YONGDUNGP'O - 9 nurses
WOLGOKTONG - 8 doctors, 10 nurses and 37 nurse's aides
When the field hospital was located in a village 4 km S of KORYONG approximately 17 patients, who had recovered were assigned to the Ind 17th Field Hospital as aidmen.
Last Composition of Unit:
As of 24 Sop 50, there were approximately 9 doctors; 30 nurses, 37 nurse's aides and 17 aidmen.
Equipment:
As of 24 Sep 50, 17th Ind Field Hospital was equipped with 2 GAZ-63 trucks and 2 ambulances. All doctors were armed with pistols.
In the field, the shortage of medical supplies and bandages was always acute so they were unable to give adequate medical treatment. The nurses were constantly told to economize on medicine and bandages.
Unit History:
17th Ind Field Hospital was activated in KUMGYO (金郊) during Jun 50.
Intentions:
As of 24 Sep 50, PW heard that the Ind 17th Field Hospital was orders to evacuate to KUMCH'ON and saw them heading for that direction on trucks.
Personalities:
The head of the 17th Ind Field Hospital was a Maj Gen (少將) (name unknown). All remaining doctors were company grade officers. The one woman doctor, who was head nurse was, Lt (中尉) KIM, Hu Song (金后松).
Morale and Propaganda:
PW believes that morale of the nurses was fairly high because they were constantly told that the NKPA was winning the war. They were also told that the lack of medical supplies was due to the danger of transporting them during the day and thereby causing an abnormal flow of supplies. Furthermore, they never suffered from lack of food.
PW read a US propaganda leaflets once near KORYONG which stated that UN Forces had landed at INCHON. PW states that she did not believe the statement because she held a firm conviction that NKPA was winning the war.
4. GENERAL INFORMATION:The normal procedure of the 17th Ind Field Hospital was to receive the wounded soldiers from the combat area aid stations and give temporary treatment before transferring them to permanents hospitals in the rear. The average length of time, a wounded patient spend in the field hospital was 3 to 5 day. The normal procedure of treating a wound was to clean it with a disinfectant solution, apply mercurichome, sprinkle with sulfasliazine power and bandage. For broken bones and fractures, a gysum cast was applied.
For patients with wounds bleeding profusely, a Toronpin (blood coagulation) injection was given. Following this, Ningel and glucose injections were given repeatedly.
Malaria patients were given daily injections plus atabrine tablets.
No identifying marks were painted on the trucks used by 17th Ind Field Hospital or on the trucks used for evacuating the wounded patients. One Red Cross, 10 cm in width was painted on the rear right lower corner of the 2 ambulances used by the Ind 17th Field Hospital. No type of arm band was used by the members of the 17th Field Hospital. Furthermore, they never used any identifying flags or markers to identify the location of the field hospital, They made considerable efforts to conceal their position by refraining from burning anything during the day because smoke would reveal their position to aircraft. They were attacked by US aircraft twice and believed that the enemy aircraft made special efforts to bomb and strafe hospital facilities.
For the Commanding Officer:
WEELDREYER
Executive
