ATIS INTERROGATION REPORT NO. 4125 22 March 1951
FIELD REPORT (IX CORPS MISDI 0339) 10 March 1951
| NAME: | SUN Won Shi (宋萬喜) |
| PW CARD: | #C016552 |
| AGE: | 33 yr |
| DUTY: | Ass’t Plt Ldr |
| UNIT: | CCF, 42d Army, 124th Dib, 370th Regt, 2d Bn, Hvy Wpn Co, 1st Plat |
| NATIONALITY: | Chinese |
| DATE AND PLACE OF CAPTURE: | Captured vic YONGDU-RI at (CS 863567) 071400 Mar 51 by US 7th Cav Regt |
| OCCUPATION: | Fisherman |
| EDUCATION: | None |
Cooperative and appeared fairly intelligent and sincere. Information is considered fairly reliable.
a. Organization and Strength: (present)
124th, 125th, and 126th Div composed the 42d Army. 124th Div consisted of the 370th, 371st, and 372d Rifle Regt. Each regiment consisted of 3 rifle battalions. Attached to the regiments were security, signal, infantry gun, and heavy weapons companies and a reconnaissance platoon.
Heavy weapons company appeared to have 120mm mortars. Men in the recon platoon changed into civilian clothes prior to a patrol mission. 2d Bn, 370th Regt, consisted of the 4th, 5th and 6th rifle companies and a heavy weapons company. Hv Wpn Co was organized into 2 HMG platoons and a 81mm mortar platoon.
071230 Mar 51, when PW Hv Wpn Company reassembled in rear of the 2d Bn area to retreat, there were about 30 men remaining in the company.
071300 Mar 51, 5 men from the 6th Co retreated from their positions on a hill to where PW company had reassembled and stated they were the only survivors from UN arty and air attacks which had begun in the 6th Co positions 6 Mar 51. At the same time, one man from the 5th Co appeared, stating that only 10 men remained in his company, after UN air and arty bombardments of the company positions which began 071000 Mar 51.
Since the 4th Company was in battalion reserve when the battalion positions were attacked, he believes it had not sustained much casualties. As of 23 Feb 51, there were about 140 men in the 4th Co.
Including Bn Hq personnel, PW believes there were approx 100 men remaining in the 2d Bn.
b. Replacements:
As far as PW knows, no replacements arrived for the 370th Regt since it entered KOREA.
O/a 10 Jan 51, PW was informed by the company political officer that reinforcements had arrived in the rear (somewhere in North KOREA) and that such reinforcements were being prepared to be sent as replacements for the front lines.
c. Deployment of PW Own Unit:
Hv Wpn, 5th, and 6th Companies began retreating northward from Hill 273 (CS865575) 071300 Mar 51, after sustaining heavy casualties from UN air and arty attacks.
071000 Mar 51, PW from his position Hill 273, observed the 4th Co and the Bn Hq dug in the vic of Hill 341 (CS862588). However, when PW began retreating with his company from Hill 273 at 1300 hr the same day, observed that the 4th Co and Bn Hq had pulled out of their positions. Also at that time, PW heard from the 5 remaining soldiers of the 6th Company that the company was ordered by their ass’t company CO (before he was killed on 1000 hr the same day) to assemble at a small village 6 km N of Hill 273.
O/a 3 Mar 51, heard from the company political officer that the 1st Bn was on a hill E of 273 (believed to be Hill 326 (CS881563). and that the 3d Bn was with Regt Hq N of the 2d Bn positions. Also heard that the 371st and 372d Regt were in the rear.
From the same source, heard, o/a 22 Feb 51, that the 124th Div would replace the 125th and 126th Div in the front lines, in order to give the latter divisions a rest.
d. Deployment of Other Units:
Heard from his company political officer o/a 22 Feb 51, that the 38th, 39th and 50th Armies were somewhere to the rear in central KOREA.
e. Status of Arms and Ammo:
As of 071300 Mar 51, PW heavy weapons company had 2x81mm mortars and one HMG. However, the ammo for both types of guns was all abandoned when the company retreated from Hill 273. There were no other weapons.
The five survivors from the 6th Co carried one LMG with no ammo.
Grenades from the 6th (2 per each man) in his company were all abandoned on Hill 273.
O/a 20 Feb 51, while PW unit was travelling south from KAPYONG, observed 2 infantry guns (caliber approx 90mm with 1 m long barrel) of the gun company attached to 370th Regt and 2 heavy mortars (believed to be 120mm) belonging to the Hv Mortar Co attached to Regt.
O/a 21 Feb 51, his company received 12x18mm mortar shells, and 9 more 24 Feb 51. Also on the same dates, the 5th Co received a total of 40 rd of 60mm mortar shells. 500 rd of HMG ammunition was received by his company for each HMG o/a 7 Feb 51. O/a 21 Feb 51, the rifle companies of the 2d Bn were supplied with 2 grenades per man, and the 4th Co and Hv Wpn Company received 2 anti-tank grenades each.
f. Status of Food and Clothing:
PW Regt was supplied with a pair of shoes for each man about months ago, another supply of 2 pr per can a month and a half ago and a third issue of one pair per man, o/a 10 Feb 51. This plentiful supply was due to heavy casualties sustained by the CCF and that original requisition filled in CHINA had not taken this into account.
Sufficient amount of food supply was always procured locally. However, since this food had to be processed prior to consumption, and such processing was left to each unit, the time involved brought about a loss of three days for every ten days.
g. Chronology:
370th Regt entered KOREA from HAPOJIN during the latter part of Oct 50. It then proceeded southward via KOTO-RI, passing through KAPYONG (CS6987) towards the end of Jan 51. O/a 21 Feb, approx 4 km N of Hill 273 (CS865515), the 2d Bn separated from the remainder of the 370th Regt, arrived at Hill 273 on the same day, and dug defensive positions. The battalion positions were attacked daily thereafter by UN tanks, arty, and aircraft. However, these attacks were light in comparison with that which was mounted 7 Mar 51. 071300 Mar 51, the Bn, under heavy attacks by UN tanks, arty, aircraft, and a company of infantry, began retreating from Hill 273. When confusion ensued during the retreat north, PW took advantage of the opportunity and surrendered to UN forces at (CS863567) 071400 Mar 51.
h. Mission and Intentions:
O/a 6 Feb 51, heard from his company political officer that the mission of his battalion was to defend its positions (on Hill 273) for 20 days, after which the main strength in the rear, after being reequipped and reinforced, would arrive and launch a counter offensive. The battalion was ordered to “stand or die” in defending their positions.
i. Personalities
LU (fnu) (魯), 30, CO Hv Wpn Co, 2d Bn
TANG (fnu) (唐), 29, Political Officer Hv Wpn, Co, 2d Bn
TSO (fnu) (趙), 40, CO, 370th Regt
j. Physical Condition of Troops:
About two months ago (9 Jan 51) 5 casualties from trenchfoot were sent to the rear from his company.
As of 7 Mar 51, about 50% of the men in his company were suffering from varying degrees of malnutrition, however, these cases were not serious enough to be evacuated to the rear. There were no cases of trenchfoot or frostbite in his company as of 7 Mar 51, nor were there any cases of communicable diseases.
k. Any Significant Tactics of Warfare Employed by the Enemy:
When UN tanks appeared and fired on its positions, PW battalions, when located on Hill 273, was ordered not to fire back, but to do so only when the UN infantry made its appearance.
l. Propaganda and/or Surrender Leaflets:
Believes that about half of the lower ranking men in his company believed and trusted in the UN Surrender Leaflets and wished to surrender due to the hardships suffered since coming to KOREA. However higher ranking men and men well indoctrinated in communism remained unconvinced by the leaflets. Heard ground broadcasts twice. Also heard broadcasts from the air. The message was not clear, however, they were able to make out the gist of the surrender appeals broadcast from the air and ground.
For the AC of S, G-2:
IIDA
