The FReeper Foxhole Remembers the Secret Naval Raids in Korea (1950-1952)

Recovery was accomplished by rubber boats paddled out to the designated pickup point at the prearranged time, hooked up for tow, and returned to the ship by its LCPRs or VPs. Guidance to the target beach was by radar vectoring and radio communications. The command rubber boat had a small reflector attached, so the radar operator in the APD's combat information center could track it, relaying directions by radio as the boats proceeded toward the shore. While those procedures were fairly cut and dried, the circumstances under which they were conducted were definitely not a matter of routine. APD sailors, and especially the boat crews, were operating in enemy waters at night off hostile shores, dealing with tension, stress and sometimes lack of sleep.

UDT - Korea- getting ready for reconnaissance

On March 19, 1952, Wantuck arrived off Yong Do to pick up a group of SMG guerrillas, their rubber boats, gear and equipment. Joining them and their leader, O Pak, were interpreter Chon Do-Hyun—better known among the Americans as John Chun—Kramer, Atcheson and Pagnella. Atcheson had selected the coastal target north of the 38th parallel from aerial photos and maps of the area in consultation with Kramer and Pagnella. The mission: Ambush a supply convoy, capture the drivers and determine their cargo.

Atcheson and O Pak divided the SMG into six five-man teams, each armed with a BAR (Browning automatic rifle), M-1 rifles, carbines and .45-caliber submachine guns. Three-man boat security teams were made up of swim scouts. O Pak, Chun and Pagnella would go in with the recoilless rifle team. The rest of the SMG was assigned to either the primary assault group or north and south roadblocking details. The rehearsal had gone well, the plan looked good and everyone was satisfied with the prospect of a successful mission.

A day out at sea, with Wantuck on a northerly heading, Pagnella requested permission to test-fire the recoilless rifle. The ship's captain, Commander John B. Thro, agreed, provided that Pag only fired from the APD's bow. As they had done in training, Pag, his SMG gun crew and the firepower of their shoulder-fired weapon impressed their audience.

At 2000 hours that night, general quarters was sounded. The seas were calm as the crewmen manned their battle stations while the boats were lowered away for a successful mission rehearsal that involved towing the manned rubber boats to within 500 yards of the coast.

Frogmen on board USS Diachenko, clearing mines in Wonsan Harbor, October 1950

On March 21, the mission began in earnest. Darkened conditions had been imposed aboard the ship when battle stations was sounded at 2045, and Wantuck, 4,000 yards offshore, was on station off the target beach. In 25 minutes all LCPRs had been lowered and the rubber boats deployed, loaded and hooked up for tow. Kramer, O Pak, Pagnella and Chun were in the command boat. Atcheson followed in PR-2, ready to assist any boats in trouble or deal with any intervening North Korean small craft. At night the only sign of approaching SMG boats towed by personnel carriers with muffled engines were phosphorescent wakes on the surface of the Sea of Japan. The tow was released 300 yards offshore, and all hands waited for the signal from Han, the swimmer scout.

Command boat personnel noticed faint flickers of light near the target area, then saw the signal light for "All clear." As Dutch Kramer whispered, "Good luck, Sarge," Pag, his recoilless rifle crew, O Pak and Chun boarded a rubber boat.

USS Wantuck, APD 125

"We moved slowly to the beach," recalled Pagnella, "in diamond formation. Our speed picked up as the men paddled in unison. O Pak, Chun and I crouched low as our coxswain guided on the lead boat. We could see the beach now and heard gentle surf. The boats fanned out, and we eased onto the sand, unloading quickly, then turned all boats seaward. The beach security element guided us to a trail leading from the cliff behind us to a road beyond the beach. Once on top, Mr. Yu's north roadblock team and four ambush teams moved swiftly to positions on high ground west of the road. The south roadblock team took up its position with the 57 recoilless rifle team's primary sector. All elements had deployed in 30 minutes. Han, the scout, and assault leader Sergeant Yuan Bol Yo, returned to the south roadblock and reported to O Pak that they found no tracks of any kind on the road. I asked Chun to ask O Pak, ‘How far past the north and south blocking positions?' ‘Just to the curve of the roads,' came the reply. O Pak caught my trend and said we would check beyond the blocking positions. The four of us along with two men from the southern position moved out carefully, checking the road a good 100 yards south toward a small village about a mile away. No tracks. We returned to our southern blocking position. O Pak, Chun, Yuan Bol Yo and I continued to the northern blocking position, where we informed Mr. Yu that we were going beyond the curve to inspect the road. He joined us, bringing an automatic-rifle man along. Chun whispered, ‘Sergeant Pag, this is very dangerous,' and I replied, ‘Yes, but we must check this road.' We walked along very cautiously, eyeballing all the way—50, 100, 150 yards. No vehicle tracks, not even a cart. When we returned to Mr. Yu's position, O Pak told him and Yuan Bol Yo to wait 30 minutes, then withdraw carefully along with each ambush team and returned to the beach through our southern blocking position. The withdrawal went smoothly, each team covering the other and the beach security team covering the last until all boats had been loaded and were underway."

It had been a perfect insertion, ambush plan and deployment, but the North Koreans did not cooperate—none of them showed up that night. The keen disappointment felt by the SMG members was shared by Wantuck's crew. Kramer turned to his frustrated sergeant and said, "You can't win 'em all, Pag."

Missions scheduled for the next two days were canceled due to rough seas and high surf. Then came March 24. This time the mission was rail demolition. In clear weather and moderate swells, Wantuck launched her boats at 2100 hours. Four hundred yards offshore, the boats waited for a signal from SMG swimmer scouts. Forty minutes later, lead scout Han returned to the command boat and reported heavy 6-foot waves—too high for insertion. As the crews prepared to leave, the team members were clearly disappointed. Then someone spotted lights ashore, flickering at a road bunker position 600 yards north of the beach. Pagnella asked Kramer if he could lay a couple of 57mm recoilless rifle rounds into the position, since their command boat was only 1,000 yards offshore. "Go ahead, Pag," replied Kramer.

USS Horace A Bass, APD-124

The sergeant moved to the bow with his favorite weapon. Chou, his first gunner, loaded a round and gave Pag an "up" tap on the head. The first round was a bit low, the second on target, and the third produced a secondary explosion. Pag squeezed off three more high-explosive rounds for effect and later said, "We hit the bunker and were happy to leave a calling card." Back aboard Wantuck, one of her chief petty officers told Pagnella, "Sergeant Pag, we may not have hit a home run, but we know damn well we're in the ball game!"

Additional Sources:

fas-history.rutgers.edu
users.frii.com
www.usmilitaryknives.com
www.history.navy.mil
korea50.army.mil
users.frii.com/rdruss
www.kmike.com
www.ibiblio.org/hyperwar

Horace A. Bass succeeded Wantuck as the SMG operational platform, and her introduction to the CIA-sponsored activity was pure cloak and dagger. On April 20, 1952, the APD arrived at Pusan's outer harbor on hurry-up orders. Her commanding officer, Commander Lefteris "Lefty" Lavrakas, sent his boat officer, Lieutenant Hilary D. Mahin, ashore with orders to proceed to a certain phone booth, dial a certain number at a specific time and ask for "Jack." Mahin's reply was to be "Discount Jig," Bass' call sign. "Jack" gave Mahin a series of numbers that turned out to be coordinates for Yong Do. There, Lefty, "Hi" Mahin and other ship's officers met with Kramer, Atcheson and Pagnella for a mission briefing. The mission was similar to earlier ones except that top priority was given to capturing North Korean transportation workers with knowledge about ID cards. The CIA had learned that the North Koreans regularly changed card stamps and paper colors, which meant that operatives forging IDs for South Korean agents needed information.

The men, now dressed in their rubber suits and heavy underwear, some carrying their flippers in their hands, watch as others put the rubber boats over the side of the ship. Their project is to clear out a minefield in Wonsan Harbor before the Marines can go in for a landing, a dangerous mission for even the rugged Frogmen

As before, the SMG area of operations was the northeast coast of Korea, above the 38th parallel. It ran from the Manchurian border south to Pohang—rugged, mountainous territory with a railroad hugging the coast. Access to rail bridges and tunnels was afforded by medium-size beaches, nearly all of them abutting small fishing villages. Lack of harbors or inlets made them dangerous targets, as did coastal countercurrents.

Following a dress rehearsal at Chumunjin, Atcheson, Pagnella, O Pak and the SMG guerrillas embarked in Bass, which steamed north toward Target No. 1 on the evening of April 21. Commander Lavrakas began his run, closing to within 6,200 yards of the beach. In calm seas with moderate swells, general quarters was sounded and boats were launched at 2230. The mission officer in charge, Lieutenant Atcheson, rode in the command boat, PR-3, along with John Chun and Lieutenant Mahin, with eight guerrilla-laden rubber boats in tow. Adding ballast to the command boat were the demolitions for the raid: 120-pound Mark-133 and 80-pound Mark-1350 charges for tunnels, bridges and tracks.

USS Begor, APD-127

Once the tow was released, O Pak's men paddled to within 200 yards of the beach, then paused to await the signal from the swimmer scouts. They were greeted by rifle and machine-gun fire and grenades, but managed to withdraw. Atcheson, hearing gunfire, didn't hesitate. Ordering PR-4 to accompany him, he closed to within 150 yards of the beach while .30-caliber machine gunners in the other PRs provided cover fire. Leaving PR-4 on station, he took PR-3 and stalwart coxswain Ken Eckert, with some rubber boats in tow, and motored shoreward to recover his imperiled swimmers. Hostile fire hit the boat, and John Chun, standing next to Atcheson, was killed instantly by a round. Thirty yards offshore, Atcheson found two swimmers; one was dead and the other wounded. That left one missing.

Returning to PR-4, Atcheson transferred all hands save himself and Eckert to the other boat, then motored back to search for the remaining SMG swimmer. He finally had to give up and return to Bass. Onboard, a head count revealed that three guerrillas had been killed, two of them drowned when their rubber boat overturned, and the recovered swimmer was seriously wounded. He was transferred to the cruiser Manchester, whose crew found the missing SMG swimmer alive the next day. Interpreter John Chun was returned to his native soil for burial, with some sailors from Bass and his friend Pagnella attending the funeral.

10/20/50, Wantuck with UDT 1 helped Mine Clearing Operations at Wonsan
This Korean Minesweeper wasn't lucky, and was lost

Through the first week of May 1952, Bass continued to land SMG guerrillas for raids against North Korean targets. At times high surf prevented them from completing their missions. On April 30, the SMG landed in moderate seas near the site of Mission No. 1. After moving ashore without opposition at 0200 hours, they spotted a southbound train with front and rear engines. The recoilless rifle team opened fire. The team members could see that at least one round had hit the train, but when they moved in closer for the kill, the train crew managed to back out of harm's way. The demolition team had better luck, setting a 120-pound charge on a bridge and an 80-pounder on the tracks. Both detonated as the guerrillas returned safely to Bass with three captured North Korean civilians.

On the next mission, O Pak sent half his men to the northeast and half to the southwest of the target bridge. Both teams heard a train approaching from the south, just before it entered a tunnel. Soon afterward, the northwest bridge squad encountered a five-man enemy patrol and ordered it to surrender. The North Koreans dived for cover instead, as SMG gunners opened up on them with BAR, machine-gun and 57mm recoilless rifle fire. Offshore, LCPR machine gunners added .30-caliber fire support while the demo teams placed their charges. All hands returned to the APD and were later informed by Atcheson that they had succeeded in completely destroying the bridge.

Following a much-deserved break and a conference at Pusan, the SMG was back at it in May. Apparently, Rear Adm. George C. Dyer, commander, Task Force 95, had not been fully informed about the CIA-sponsored activities, and he requested more information. Atcheson briefed him fully on the forthcoming planned missions and later met with intelligence officers from CTF 95 and from the Seventh Fleet. He then met with the commander of U.S. Naval Forces Far East, Vice Adm. C. Turner Joy, who, after Atcheson's briefing, concurred with the proposed operations. They would be the last ones for the SMG.

By June 23, 1952, the SMG was preparing for Mission No. 3 of its final quartet. Number 2 had been canceled due to foul weather, and No. 1 had netted three prisoners. At 2200, Bass arrived off the target beach. Visibility was only 100 yards. After gunfire support ships pounded a nearby shore battery, the SMG guerrillas landed unopposed a little after midnight. O Pak deployed two roadblock teams, then accompanied the rest of his men for a search of the village that was their objective. By the time they returned to the beach two hours later, SMG guerrillas had taken 10 prisoners and captured numerous documents. As they departed, they disabled a large junk with BAR fire and grenades. When all boats were recovered, Bass contributed parting shots—31 rounds of 5-inch ordnance aimed at boat concentrations and radar-controlled shore batteries.

The following night, O Pak's guerrillas carried out a highly successful final raid. Besides finding and seizing a huge cache of food, ammo, clothing, records and maps, they captured several North Korean security personnel who were aboard a sampan, making a total of 13 prisoners who were taken back to Bass for interrogation. As the team withdrew, the SMG found another sampan and destroyed it.

More than 50 years later, George Atcheson and Joe Pagnella have nothing but praise for the bravery of the men of the Special Mission Group. In a relatively brief period of time, they accomplished all that was asked of them, sometimes dying in the process. They also provided a model, along with the other CIA-sponsored Korean operations, for Military Assistance Command, Vietnam–Studies and Observations Group (MACV-SOG) activities conducted by the U.S. military later, in Southeast Asia. Kramer, Atcheson and Pagnella continued their work on Yong Do and elsewhere through 1952, assisted by temporary duty Department of the Army civilians, personnel hurriedly trained by the CIA and sent to Korea. Some of the other work involved Atcheson and Pagnella's participating in behind-the-lines resupply airdrops conducted from K-9 Air Base, east of Pusan, by Special Air Missions Douglas C-47s and Curtiss C-46s. Kramer and Atcheson earned the Navy Cross and the Silver Star respectively for their CIA missions. Pagnella received the respect of his SMG mates and the knowledge of a professional NCO's job well done.

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Thank you for this evenings thread...bump for reading at work tomorrow as usual!

Neat story Sam, thanks.

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April 4, 2005

The Wisdom In God's Word

Read:
Proverbs 8:12-21

Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? . . . Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world. -1 Corinthians 1:20

Bible In One Year: 2 Samuel 1-4

cover We treasure Scripture. It's God's inspired Word, and it teaches us the way to abundant life in this world and eternal life in the world to come. Indeed, it is the source of a wisdom that goes beyond that of the wisest philosophers (1 Corinthians 1:20). But this fact is rarely acknowledged in our culture.

So I was glad to read an article by The New York Times columnist David Brooks extolling biblical wisdom. He praised Martin Luther King Jr. for insight into human nature derived from Scripture. He felt that King "had a more accurate view of political realities than his more secular liberal allies because he could draw on biblical wisdom about human nature. Religion didn't just make civil rights leaders stronger-it made them smarter." And Brooks said further: "Biblical wisdom is deeper and more accurate than the wisdom offered by the secular social sciences."

Are we drawing on that source of wisdom in our own lives? We need Scripture's wisdom to deal with our personal problems and political issues. If we study and obey the Bible, we will be able to humbly testify with the psalmist, "I have more understanding than all my teachers, for Your testimonies are my meditation" (Psalm 119:99). -Vernon Grounds

The Bible is God's Word to us,
Still fresh through all the ages;
And if we read it we will find
God's wisdom on its pages. -Sper

One truth from the Bible is worth more than all the wisdom of man.

FOR FURTHER STUDY
Can I Really Trust The Bible?
10 Reasons To Believe In The Bible

Good morning All, looks to be a beautiful sunny day here in Memphis.

Good morning ladies. Flag-o-Gram.

Good morning Victoria.

The Wisdom In God's Word

Read:Proverbs 8:12-21

Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? . . . Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world. -1 Corinthians 1:20

Bible In One Year: 2 Samuel 1-4

Read:
Proverbs 8:12-21