An Interesting Overview Of Infantry Close Combat During The Korean War

There are always a multitude of article4s and books about ground level combat for WW1 and WW2. Somehow though the Korean War invariably seems to get short shrift. The article below gives a good account of what it was like to be a ground-pounder facing Red Chinese Communists and there North Korean allies in the years between 1950 and 1953.

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James Caird, B.A. History, Rutgers University (2019)

Updated Jan 11, 2019

 

I’d like to give an accurate description of combat in Korea. This is mostly about the US military vs. PVA, as this characterized the heaviest fighting in Korea.

To understand how Americans fought against the Chinese, you first have to understand how the Chinese would fight.

The PVA would try to overwhelm poorly defended American positions by sheer numbers. Americans would lay down a continuous line of fire and the Chinese would literally run into American BARs, .30 cal machine guns, M1 Garand and Carbine fire. M16 and M19 AA guns would be used as anti-personal guns and would devastate the ranks of Chinese infantry. Mortars and Artillery were also devastatingly effective (especially towards the end of the Korean war).

The Chinese would most often attack at night, to avoid the dreaded US Marine Air Corps and US Air Force. The Chinese had no telecommunications, this meant they relied on bugles, whistles, gongs and drums to coordinate attacks.

Imagine this, you’re a GI in the 7th Infantry Division, you awake late at night to the sound of whistles and bugles. Chanting and drums began to get louder as you hear the symphony of noise. Off to your left, right and center, it was quite eerie, terrifying for many. However it would allow the Americans to consolidate men and ammunition and prepare proper defensive positions. The Chinese would literally announce to the Americans they were going to attack, and this was one of the biggest faults for the Chinese, hence why they struggled to push Americans back and why they suffered so heavily.

Chinese would scream, chant and run straight towards U.S. positions, Americans questioned if they were hopped up on drugs or just had stupid bravery. It is now believed that punishment for cowardice in the PVA is death, so instead of being labeled a coward, Chinese would rather charge intensely at US positions than face commissars. What is the result of men charging into the ranks of well trained, well-lead and well armed American soldiers? Make up the conclusion for yourself, the Chinese suffered terribly.

However the Americans just didn't have the man power to hold back the Chinese onslaught, the biggest problem wasn't the skill or weaponry of the Chinese, it was American soldiers killing so many of the them, they ran out of ammunition frequently, on top of being massively outnumbered. It was when Americans ran out of ammunition that they were most vulnerable, and when the Chinese would overwhelm the lines of defense.

Korean veterans will explain that the Chinese attacked in human waves. The 1st wave had weapons and crudely designed grenades. The 2nd wave, some had guns, some didn’t, those who didn’t would pick up the weapons from the dead. The 3rd wave would be commissars, just as Stalin used on the Eastern front to prevent Soviet troops from retreating.

Now, Americans were trained to fight against traditional Western militaries. Meaning practicing infantry movements, suppressing fire, use of secondary assets such as airstrikes and artillery. There is a certain way the West engaged in combat. Fighting against the PVA was a whole new type of combat, the Chinese would get extremely close to American lines. Hence why hand to hand combat would become a normality in the Korean war. Knives and entrenching tools were used when you couldn’t reload your magazine, your rifle would become a club; rocks and fists were used during desperate times. It was brutal combat, some of the most brutal engagements US troops have ever encountered in U.S. military history.

As mentioned, the Chinese fighting tactics called to overwhelm the enemy on a narrow front, where the weakest position in the line was. You have to remember, the Chinese fought against the Japanese in the second Sino-Japanese war during WW2, and then against the Kuomintang during the Chinese civil war. Many PVA soldiers and commanders understood what modern warfare was, they just lacked the resources and supplies to engage war in a traditional “western” sense.

After the US spring offensive in 1951, which recaptured Seoul for the final time and pushed Chinese forces past the Han River, the US/South Korea eventually pushed NK/PVA forces past the 38th parallel, the fighting was characterized by stagnant ridge warfare. Places like Heartbreak Hill, Old Baldy, Pork Chop Hill, Bloody ridge, and Triangle Hill. The battles were terrible, it was trench-style were American forces would get attacked, then counter attack. Hand to hand combat was frequent. Imagine beating a soldier to death with the butt-end of your rifle, firing your weapon so closely, you can see the pain you inflict each time you pull the trigger. The Chaos of these battles cannot be understated, and the Chinese were a very disciplined and tough enemy (Yet, if you read accounts by soldiers who fought in WW2, then to serve in Korea, they note the Chinese were not good fighters in comparison to the Japanese or Germans).

So if the Chinese weren’t good fighters, how’d they bring the Korean war to a stalemate, while inflicting the longest retreat in U.S. Military history?

Pure man power.

It became a war of American steel vs. Chinese flesh, and let me tell you something, steel does not care where it lands and who it kills. The Chinese suffered atrocious casualties. The Chinese government gives their official figure of 180,000+ killed. Most Western observers, both formal and informal, put the number of Chinese deaths near the 300,000 - 400,000 range. With hundreds of thousands more being wounded.

In comparison the Americans lost 38,000 killed.

Mao did not place value on his men, they were expendable, the US and UN forces valued the lives of their men (somewhat more). US politicians and military minds knew Mao could throw all of China into Korea, he had the raw numbers and the Americans simply could not win, especially when President Truman restricted how many US forces were in Korea (there were a total of 8 U.S. Army Infantry divisions and 1 Marine division, far too few men to win a war against the massive size of the PVA).

The Chinese beat back the Americans because the Americans simply lacked the manpower, despite more advanced weaponry and training. The Americans were spread out for miles in North Korea and were completely caught off guard by the Chinese offensive. The Korean war proved that despite having more advanced technology, infantry wins wars. When you have more boots on the ground than the opponent, more likely than not you’re going to win that engagement.

I advise you to read up on some Korean war history, its absolutely fascinating, and if you’re military historian like myself, you’ll love reading about the tactics and battles that took place in the Forgotten War.