Seventh Infantry Division - Yearbook (South Korea)

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7II1 INFANTRY DIVISION Seoul to South Korean President Syngman Rhee in a ceremony at the capitol. On 5 October, the 7th Division began a 300 mile overland movement to Pusan. A11 units had closed in Pusan by 1 5 October, and immediately began training and loading oper- ations for the projected landing at Wonsan, North Korea. On 29 October, the 17th Infantry Regi- ment landed on the beaches of Iwon, North Korea, to spearhead the attack which was to carry elements of the 7th Division to the Manchurian border. The Division fought northward through Pungsan and Kapsan, reaching the northern border of Korea and the Yalu River at Hysenjin on 21 November. Enemy resistence during this operation varied from tenacious small groups to battalions holding key terrain. The 31st Regiment continued to advance and patrol in the Fusen Reservoir area meet- ing constant light resistance, while the 32d sent one battalion to the Chosin Reservoir by way of Hamhung. All units continued ag- gressive advances despite sub-zero weather, snow and the lack of good roads. Ox carts and pack boards were often used to transport ammunition and food. At one time, forward elements at the Yalu and those in the Chosin area were separated by 250 road miles. As the Chinese Communist threat grew, the 31st Regimental Command Post, the 3d Bat- talion of the 31st, the lst Battalion of the 32d, and the 57th Field Artillery Battalion advanced along the eastern shore of the Chosin Reservoir. The lst Marine Division was advancing on the western shore. The task forces of these two divisions, after being at- tacked and surrounded by six Chinese Com- munist Divisions on 28 November, began to fight their way south to join forces at Haga- ru-ri at the southern extremity of the reser- voir. The mobile reserve force, consisting of the 2d Battalion of the 31st Infantry and a Marine tank company, attempted to move north to join the two task forces at Hagaru-ri. Obstructed by heavy enemy attacks fifteen miles south of the reservoir at the town of Koto-ri, this reserve force established a de- fense perimeter around the town and pre- pared for the arrival of the task forces. The remainder of the Division in the Yalu River area and in the Fusen Reservoir area traveled quickly and without notable resistance to Hungnam and set up a defense perimeter there. By 8 December 1950, the 7th Division task force and the lst Marine task force, after joining forces at Hagaru-ri, had fought their way south to the Koto-ri perimeter against overwhelming enemy forces. By 1 1 December, after suffering severe casualties from the in- tense battle, the last elements of the Division reached Hungnam. After completing its defensive preparations at Hungnam and repulsing numerous enemy attacks, the Division completed its outloading on 19 December. Landing at Pusan, the Divi- sion displaced north 50 miles to an assembly area in the vicinity of Yongchon. On 1 January 1951, the 7th Division be- gan its move from the reorganization area at Yongchon to the eastern central mountain front in the Chechon-Tanyang-Chungju area. The 17th Regiment Went into blocking and patrolling positions in the vicinity of Chechong the 32d in Yanyang and the 31st in the Yonju-Punggi area-later moving to Tanyang. The units patrolled extensivelv in these mountainous areas where roads were non-existent. Battalion sized attacks were employed by the Regiment to destroy and drive out the North Korean forces in this rough mountain area, and within three weeks the Division had eliminated the remaining elements of the 2d and 10th North Korean Divisions. On 26 January 19 5 1, the Division launched an attack to the north toward Pyongchang, which was taken by the 17th Infantrv Regi- ment. The 17th was later moved to the west and the 3 lst advanced to Pyongchang, while the 32d secured the MSR and patrolled throughout its area. The 17th and 31st In- fantry Regiments conducted limited obiec- tive attacks to assist the advance of the ROK units on the Division flanks and to prevent any unit from becoming over-extended. The operation was in conformity with the Eighth Army limited advance policy. The '17th Infantry Regiment organized Task Force White, an artillery-infantry

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Frafifie part of fensive. , It 8 was on 1 guard the Aleutian approaches, and from 11 May to 2 June 1943, combatj-teams of the 7th fought in the violent battle for Attu. Battling a Hrmly entrenched and fanatical foe under conclitionsiof dense fogs-and cold rains, troops of the 7th Division fought so successfully and heroically that eight Distinguished Unit Cita- tions wereitawarded to various units. After securing the Aleutians, the 7th Di- vision moved to Hawaii for more training and from there assaulted Kwajalein Atoll on 31 January 1944, returning to Hawaii on 14 February. The Mandate Islands Campaign and the subjugation of the Marianas was almost com- pleted When, on 20 October 1944, the Divi- sion as part of XXIV Corps, Sixth Army, and the were ta s Before was was responsible for the and tion of one, two within squad. By September 1 the ing of all Division troops and equipment was completed and the following morning the large convoy sailed from Yokohama, Japan. The Advance Division Command Post landed at Inchon, Korea on 17 September without opposition, and the units of the Divi- sion landed during the following eight days. On 24 September, the 32d Infantry Regi- ment prepared for an attack on Seoul by at- tacking and seizing the south bank of the Han River, the last natural obstacle in the spearheaded the first United States landings in the Philippines on the Island of Leyte. In this operation the 7th Division overcame the determined resistance of the enemy in swamps, tropical jungles and rugged moun- tains for sixty days of some of the bitterest fighting in the Pacific Theatre On 1 April 1945, the Okinawa and t proved its battle was Japan and assigned occupation duties. The 7th Division, commanded by Major General David G. Barr, was garrisoned on the islands of Honshu andI-Iokkaido at the out- break of hostilitiesi in -iia Kgorerapflan early A ' 'f W ' 1 11g, :mgySv-fffH,wff'f' ' jgg ,112 . Q, r .M ,J ,Q We ,,, ,i ' . V '-anis, 5 vw, ,1- path of South Korea's capital city. At da on 25 September, attack across the fire. It

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task force supported by an infantry-tank team which was in support of the ROK troops on the Division's left. This Task Force moved north from Wonju through Hoengsong. The 31st Regiment organized a similar artillery- infantry task force which supported the 5th and 7th ROK Divisions of the III ROK Corps on the right of the Division zone. On 12 February 1951, when the Chinese Communist and North Korean Forces launched their coordinated attack, Task Force White fought out of the trap north of Hoengsong with a minimum of losses and withdrew to Wonju to protect X Corps re- serve. The 3 lst Task Force withdrew toward Wonju without difficulty where the Division fought the enemy to a standstill before the communists could reach Chechon to cut the vital supply route of X Corps units. On 17 February, the Division attacked to drive the enemy back to restore a coordinated Eighth Army front. By a series of limited objective attacks, the 7th Infantry Division continued to push the enemy to the North. Artillery, mortar, auto- matic weapons and rifle fire and courageous hand-to-hand combat accounted for a heavy toll in enemy casualties. The 2d Battalion, 31st Infantry had ad- vanced to Hyon-ni, a small town close to the 3 8th Parallel, by 3 1 March 195 1. On 1 April 1951, the Division shifted to a new area to the East and relieved the lst Marine Division. Continuing the attack to the north, the 7th Infantry Division crossed the 38th Parallel for the first time on land. Units of the Division, after capturing the city of Yanggu on the eastern tip of the Hwachon Reservoir, successfully defeated enemy at- tempts to break that key position in an all out offensive on 23 April 1951. The Division was ordered to withdraw on 27 April to the Hangye area to straighten and strengthen the Eighth Army Line. On 1 May 1951, the Division was ordered to move to an area north of Chipyong-ni to plug a gap in the Eighth Army lines. After digging in and holding until 21 May 195 1, the Division launched a counterattack. The counterattack began slowly and gath- ered momentum until the enemy was routed. The Division continued the drive, spearhead- ing IX Corps to the key village of Hwachon about fifteen miles north of the 3 8th Parallel. Thousands of enemy troops were cut off and trapped south of the Hwachon Reservoir. From 1 June 1951 to 23 June 1951, the Division continued to attack against a stub- bornly defending enemy. On 17 June, the 7th Division successfully fought its way to a point southeast of Kumwha. On 23 June 1951, the Division reverted to IX Corps reserve, marking its first time in a reserve status since entering the Korean Cam- paign on 17 September 1950. The assigned mission of the Division was the construction and fortification of a defense line. In August 1950, the 7th Division was or- dered into defense positions north of Hwa- chon and on 26 August to 4 September lim- ited objective attacks were ordered to take key terrain 3,000 meters to the front. The ten day fight for Hills 851, 682, 461, 658 and 602 will long be remembered by the 7th Division, possibly as the most bitter fighting in her history. A determined enemy was well dug in and fortified with earthen and log bunkers, and efforts to dislodge him with heavy artillery rounds and with air strikes using 500 pound bombs and napalm proved fruitless. It was necessary for the attacking elements of the Division to climb the hills through a hail of exploding hand grenades and dislodge the enemy with bayonets. The mission was accomplished with a minimum of friendly casualties. In early October 1951, the 7th Division went into reserve at Kapyong, establishing a semi-permanent camp to be used by many other divisions after her. At the end of October the Division went back into the line above Yanggu in the area between the Mundung-ni and Satae-ri valleys straddling Heartbreak Ridge. In Novem- ber the Division Zone was extended eastward to include the Northern rim of the Punch- bowl. The Division defended this line for the entire winter, patrolling daily to the front. During December, in accordance with the partial agreement made by United Nations' and Communist mediators at Panmunjom pa- trolling was restricted to within 500 yards of the Main Line of Resistance, but during No- vember, December, January and February aggressive patrols constantly probed the en- emy as far as 5,000 meters beyond the Line. Various methods for destroying enemy bunkers were developed during this period,