The only defeat suffered by the
CCF in their 1st Phase assault came at the hands
of the Seventh Marines, in Sudong Gorge on
the east coast above Wonsan. From November 2-7
the Marines relieved the retreating ROK 26th
Regiment, met and destroyed the CCF 124th
Division in savage close-up combat. The 1st
Marine Air Wing had inflicted terrible casualties
on the 124th Division, but CCF prisoners said
Marine mortars and supporting artillery inflicted
even more. In the final analysis, the Marine
infantry, fighting man to man, determined the
outcome.
These prisoners were taken on
November 2, and look to be tough fighting men.
That was certainly the case with the 124th in
general. The Marines were just tougher.
As a direct consequence of this
lone defeat, the CCF determined during their
evaluation after the 1st
Phase assault to target the entire 1st Marine
Division when they resumed their attacks. This
led to the savagery of the Chosin Reservoir
battles.
An engrossing account of the
mortar actions is told by Mortar Platoon Leader
Joe Owen in "Colder Than Hell", Naval
Institute Press, 1996.
