|
|
Korean War: Forgotten 24th and 34th Infantry RegimentsMilitary History | 12 comments | Print This Post | Email This Post
The North Korean 4th Infantry Division, commanded by Maj. Gen. Lee Kwon Mu, attacked the 1/34th around 5 a.m. on the 6th. The American battalion had no artillery support, and the few rounds available for its 4.2-inch mortars were soon expended. Although the Americans had a few recoilless rifles, there was no ammunition for them. Meantime, the regimental commander, Colonel Jay Lovless, sent Major John J. Dunn, his regimental S3 (operations officer), to Ayres with orders to hold as long as possible, ‘and then fall back to a position in the vicinity of Chonan….’ The battalion held for about five hours, with a loss of 18 troops wounded and 33 missing. Then, as North Korean infantry flowed around the 1/34th’s flank, Ayres decided to withdraw. Subscribe Today
Barth later wrote that he had instructed Ayres to delay in successive positions, not move south directly to Chonan. Ayres, however, believed the new orders from the commander of the 34th, Lovless, superseded Barth’s, since an artillery commander is not ordinarily in an infantry chain of command. Unknown to Lovless and Ayres, however, Dean had appointed Barth to head a task force consisting of the 34th Infantry and two artillery battalions. That arrangement resulted in confusion as to whose order to obey. Barth, at some point, also ordered the 3/34th to withdraw from Ansong.
Dean was furious when he learned that the 34th had not delayed in successive positions but pulled back some 13 miles to Chonan. He blamed Lovless for the rapid fallback and called Colonel Robert R. Martin, who had served alongside Dean in the 44th Division during World War II, to his headquarters.
Martin arrived in the 34th Regiment’s command post (CP) at Chonan around 7 a.m. on the 7th and stayed with Lovless the rest of the day. Lovless had sent a reinforced rifle company from the 3/34th forward on reconnaissance early that morning, following it with the remainder of the battalion, as Dean had ordered. At about 4 p.m., an air-dropped message from Dean advised him to ‘proceed with greatest caution,’ and that large numbers of enemy troops were on his flanks. Lovless immediately ordered the 3rd Battalion to withdraw, then went to inform Ayres of the situation. At Ayres’ CP, Lovless was given written orders by the assistant division commander relieving him of his command, which was given to Martin.
As the 3/34th dug in at new positions, Company L was sent forward to rescue some troops of the regimental Intelligence and Reconnaissance (I&R) platoon who had been left behind when that unit had fought its way out of an ambush. Then the 3/34th began withdrawing, as Lovless had ordered. Major Dunn, who had been with Company L, was surprised at the withdrawal. He came into the regimental CP and said that the battalion was leaving one of the best defensive positions he had seen. Martin directed Dunn to ‘put them back on that position,’ but he failed to tell him that the 3/34th had been withdrawn on regimental orders, because NKPA troops had been spotted on both of its flanks.
A confused 3/34th was turned around again and began moving north out of Chonan. Suddenly, the lead elements were fired upon, to which they reacted by deploying and returning fire. Then the battalion suddenly began to withdraw through the town. Martin ordered it back in to defend Chonan, but by then Dunn had been wounded and taken prisoner, while the battalion S3, Major Boone Seegers, who was also hit, had bled to death.
On the following day, July 8, the 34th fought advancing troops of the NKPA 4th Division’s 16th and 18th Infantry regiments, backed by T-34/85 tanks of the 105th Armored Brigade. During the fight for Chonan, the Americans set one T-34 tank afire with five grenades and used rocket launchers to destroy two others. Colonel Martin joined a tank-hunter team, but he was killed by the tank they were hunting. The executive officer, Lt. Col. Robert L. ‘Pappy’ Wadlington, assumed command of the 34th. Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8Help HistoryNet by bookmarking to
            Tags: 20th - 21st Century, Historical Conflicts, Korean War
 |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
||
What is HistoryNet?The HistoryNet.com is brought to you by the Weider History Group, the world's largest publisher of history magazines. HistoryNet.com contains daily features, photo galleries and over 5,000 articles originally published in our various magazines. If you are interested in a specific history subject, try searching our archives, you are bound to find something to pique your interest. |
From Our Magazines
|
Weider History Group |
Weider History Network: HistoryNet | Armchair General | Great History | Achtung Panzer! Terms of Use | Copyright © 2009 Weider History Group. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. |
||
Loading ...
12 Comments to “Korean War: Forgotten 24th and 34th Infantry Regiments”
My brother inlaw served in the Korean
war with the 24th division company A 19th regiment,he is trying to locate information on his unit.
By myles eidsmoe on Jul 9, 2008 at 5:17 pm
HELP ME UNDERSTAND HOW I SUBSCRIDE TO MILITARY
HISTORY MAGAZINE.
By fFletcher R. Dunaway on Dec 23, 2008 at 9:07 pm
Thanks for the information! My uncle was in L co. 34th Inf. Rgt. and was killed at Taejon. This document helped my research.
By Lee Olyer on Feb 7, 2009 at 4:13 pm
My father, James, (Jimmy) Brown was one of the 184 remaining in the 34th Regiment. Then became part of the 19th. Also was in the 82nd Airborne. He is looking for others that he might have known. He is now 78. He can be contacted at JamesandIsabelBrown@gmail.com
Thank you,
By Brenda Brown on Apr 9, 2009 at 1:17 pm
My grandmothers brother served in the 24th infantry, his name was Clarence William Coe..
By Taylor on May 11, 2009 at 5:06 pm
My dad, Howard Thomas, Sr. served in the 24th Infantry Divsion Korean War. Received a purple heart and bronze medal. Doesn’t talk much about what happended. I would like to know more about what my dad endured during this time.
His daughter, Holly.
By Holly Ciecierski on Jun 8, 2009 at 12:12 pm
My dad, Clyde A. Jones served with the Segregated last of the last 24th Infantry Division Korean War 1950 -1952 (I Company) and received a purple heart. My Name is Chrystal Jones and I a member of the 24th Infantry R.C.T. Association (Buffalo Soldiers). We are always trying to find more comrades that may be out there and needing information, please give me a call at 865-882-7370 if you’re interested information on the 24th Infantry R.C.T. Association. We have a reunion every year the 2nd or 3rd week of July, and this year it will be in Houston, Texas July 22-26, 2009.
By Chrystal Jones on Jun 16, 2009 at 5:23 pm
My father, Sgt. Frederick F Davis JR, served with the 24th Infantry regiment, 25th Division when he died of injuries on 11/19/50. He was born in Houston and was living in NYC when he entered the army in 1942.
By Frederick F Davis III on Jun 30, 2009 at 6:18 pm
My father, Sgt. Frederick F Davis JR, served in the 24th Infantry Regiment (Company F?), 25th Division. He died of injuries in Korea on 11/19/50 at age 26. He was born in Houston and was living in NYC when he entered the army in 1942. He was with the 577th Engineers Dump Truck Det. in 1948 when I was born at Scholfield. My sister, Leilani was born the next year in Honolulu. My mom, Irma (still in good health), returned to Cleveland, OH with us after my father was shipped to Korea.
By Frederick F Davis III on Jun 30, 2009 at 6:53 pm
My uncle Hubert H. Johnson, was a soldier in the 24th infantry in Korea 3 division – segregated. His family is having a memorial and reinterment on July 24, 2009. Moving him from Pensacola to a new military facility in Jacksonville, FL. This is a special moment for our family as his mother has died. She cried all the time for her young son who was not 18 years old. So many others from Stanton High School were lost as well. The memorial will be held at the Bethel Baptist Inst. Church at 11:00am. To God Be the Glory! No one will ever no the complete hell they went through for this country. This is heart breaking as is all wars necessary and unecessary.v
By vala williams on Jul 21, 2009 at 3:35 pm
After i left the 45th div.279th inf. b co. 1st. btn after the cease fire
I was transferd to the 24th. 34th inf.L co.and spent the last few months before i was rotated home.Iwould love to learn more about the unit in ehich I served. I have a few photos of that time that i could share.
do you have a assocition i f so I would like to become a member and timme is of the essence as i am approching 77 years.
thank you
cpl. melvin b. Forston.
my emali adress is melmen@cox.net
By m b forston on Jul 21, 2009 at 7:04 pm
this is my Uncle he died before i was born I am trying to find info about him and pics if there are any because there in none of him in the family any more they was lost so i do not even know what he looked like please contact me at memphisconnie@comcast.net thank you
CPL OTTIS D JOHNSON
34th Infantry Regiment
24th Infantry Division
Army
Hostile, Died (KIA)
Date Of Loss: July 20, 1950
Service Number: RA15257526
RUSSELL COUNTY, KY
Location of Loss: TAEJON
Born: January 14, 1927
Comments: Corporal Johnson was a member of the 34th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division. He was Killed in Action while fighting the enemy near Taejon, South Korea on July 20, 1950.
By Connie on Nov 13, 2009 at 7:16 am