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KOREAN WAR
FRIENDLY-FIRE
NOTEBOOK
Established by
The American War Library
11 November 1996
The Korean War Friendly-Fire Notebook's mission |
Anyone possessing information about a Korean War Friendly Fire
incident is invited to place those details into this Notebook
or link to it.
INCIDENTS
151ENGR C Bn Sometime in May of 1953, I was stationed about 30 miles north of Uijonbu with the 151ENGR C Bn. We were falling out for revilee, the first time since being in Korea. While I was going out to formation I heard a loud explosion just over the hill, just in a second our jets come over the hill and started strafing us. They made four passes over us with four F84 aircraft, destroyed our motor pool, killed several KSC labors, and one GI lost the lower part of his arm, I still have his name. The loud explosion I heard at first was them dropping a bomb on the Imjin River knocking one section out. Contact: John Lock
2ID 38 TANK CO After being WIA, I spent five weeks in the hospital. I returned to my unite, the 38th. Tank Company of the 2nd. ID. I was given a light duty of job (mail clerk). My outfit had relieved the British front line troops, and sometime in January of 1953, while going for the mail at APO 248. The driver and myself witnessed a Marine jet bomb an American unit, which was several miles from the front line. We were less than a fourth of a mile away when the bombing occured, and the best I can remember, nine men were killed and many more wounded. I never did find out why the Marine plane would bomb an American unite so far from the front line. I didn't know any of those men, but it bothered me, that men had to die by the hands of their own countrymen. I wonder if any of the reader of this site, remember any thing about that incident. I have often wondered just what the goverment told the parents, about the way their sons had died in Korea? D.H. RUDD
19th INFANTRY REGIMENT Before the Korean War began, I was with the 19th Infantry Regiment of the 24th Division stationed in Beppu, Japan. The 24th Division was the first American unit sent to Korea shortly after the North Koreans invaded South Korea. We loaded all of our equipment and personnel onto Navy LST's, and crossed the channel, landing in Pusan, Korea on July 4, 1950. After a few days of preparation for war, we next moved to Taegu for additional preparation. Shortly thereafter, we moved up and took up our first defensive positions somewhere just south of the Kum River. Shortly after that, the enemy attacked our positions, overwhelming our front line troops, creating a very disorderly retreat. Little did we know that the North Koreans were streaming south with little or no resistance. As personnel from our badly overrun, and inundated rifle companies were straggling past our positions, enemy troops that had somehow gotten behind our positions, started throwing down machine gun fire on to the one and only road out of there, effectively blocking the road. Everyone was ordered to first disable, then abandoned their vehicles and to get into this wide river bed just along side of the road, out of reach of the machine gun fire, and head south to who knew where. It is while hundreds of our troops were in this river bed straggling south, a P-51 with an American White Star marking, swooped down and strafed the troops in the river bed, killing and injuring many of them. Many of our soldiers up and down the river bed were trying to shoot the plane down but were not successful. How much damage this pilot did to our troops will never be known but it was pretty substantial. Eventually, the airplane departed and never returned. I have never read any books or articles, or even heard anything of this strafing, but I do know that some people were speculating that North Korean pilots may have been flying an American plane that they captured when they took Seoul shortly before that time. I guess this could be an incident of friendly fire or unfriendly fire, and it's something we'll probably never know. Was anyone ever able to ascertain for sure exactly who was piloting that P-51, friendly or foe?
This was in May or April of 51. We were in a holding position on a hill, while the air force pounded the hill in front of us, prior to our assault. The rifle company had the panel men well out in front of us, in fact, they were at the base of the hill, waiting.
We were still moving on the hill we walked up on, as more men were coming up a finger just behind my group. As we were walking, a flight of Corsairs approached us from the rear, pretty high up. The 4 of them circled for a minute or two, then the lead plane came down and to our rear.
As we watched the lead plane, we took it for granted, that he was coming for a "look see" and did not pay much attention to it. As he was barreling along, just over the heads of the men behind, he dropped a tank of napalm from his right wing on to the men coming up the finger. You must remember, our uniforms were much different from the Chinese, plus we wore helmets, they did not, but yet we were attacked.
As he flew towards my group, just over our heads, I was able to look into the cockpit and see that the pilot had a cloth helmet on, goggles up on his forehead, black mustache and the stub of a cigar stuck in the left side of his mouth. Why he did not fire his wing guns at us, I have no idea, as I was looking right at them.
He flew out towards the panel men, made a sharp left turn, flew back toward our rear, where the other 3 were waiting. They gained some height, then came down in a line. We were now putting up the 30 cal machine gun I had the tri pod to and loading the receiver. In the mean time, a spotter plane from the artillery was out in front of us, saw the Corsairs coming back and did a wing over so fast, that his left wing was pointing straight down. He now sped up and headed straight for the lead Corsair as they were now on our tail. One Corsair almost crashed, as he was too low to the ground when he made a left bank, the others were scattered every which way.
That was the first and last time we ever saw the Marine Corsairs in our area. I believe they were from the air craft carrier, the Lexington. We lost some men, but I no longer remember the number. A few years ago, I tried to find a report on the incident, but none seems to have been made or so the navy has said.
John Sonley M Co. JWSCPD8@aol.com
M CO. 5TH RCT 81 MM, Apr 1951
A "friendly fire" incident I remember was in April of 1951 that concerned the M Co. 5th RCT 81 MM mortar section. We had just moved up on to the mountain top, then started digging in for the night. My captain called back to our mortar section and asked that the Lt. fire two rounds of mortar out in front of us and the captain would pin point the strikes.
This was being done, in the event of an attack at night, we could order the mortars to fire, placing the shells on the very spot the attack would be taking place.
We had dug our fox holes and were waiting the arrival of the two shells to see just where they would land out in front of our positions.
Without any warning, as you cannot hear a mortar shell coming in, there were two explosions on our hill top. Most of the men at the time were reading their mail, which had just been delivered. As soon as the first explosion was heard, men were running for the holes, as well as mail was scattered all over when the second shell hit. The Capt. started calling back to the artillery to be ready for a fire mission, as we were receiving incoming "mail" as we would call it. The artillery was in the ready, but nothing was happening out in front of our positions. . The Capt. called back on the radio for the Lt. and asked him just were are the two mortars he had asked for? The Lt. said he had fired them over 10 minutes ago and was awaiting further instructions. The Capt. then asked for two more rounds to be fired and this time, the Lt. was to say when they were fired. Word came over the radio that 2 were on the way. We were all looking up, as the mortar rounds passed over our heads and were visible. It was at this time, when the rounds were out in front of us, that a strong head wind we did not know was above us, turned the 2 rounds back towards us on the hill. The order was given to run as the rounds started to come down on top of us. Again, we were lucky, as no one was hurt or nicked. It turns out that the mortars were too far back and with the head wind, could not travel as far as they should have, so the base plates were dug up and moved forward for some distance. We then had a peaceful night.
John W. Sonley M Co. 5th RCT, Korea 1951
780th FIELD ARTILLERY BATTALION
on december 21 of 1952 friendly aircraft of then 5th air force dropped several 500 lbs bombs on our position at kajon - ni north korea cordinates 306- 409 . resulting in death of sgt. robert l. rayburn. of fourth gun section of 780th field artillery battalion. submitted by george ellis. former s/sgt f.d.c. charley battery, 780th f.a.
