ATIS INTERROGATION REPORT NO. 1086 16 September 1950
FIELD REPORT (164 - LDI - 0835) 13 September 1950
1. PERSONAL DETAILS:| NAME: | HAM, Yong Pal (咸龍八) (함용팔) |
| PW NUMBER: | 2770 |
| RANK: | Pvt |
| AGE: | 20 |
| DUTIES: | Telephone Operator in Arty Battery |
| ORGANIZATION: | 15th Div, 387th Arty Regt, 3rd Bn, 8th Co, Hq Plt, Liaison Sqd. Code number: Unknown APO: Unknown |
| EDUCATION: | None |
| OCCUPATION: | Farmer |
| ADDRESS: | HAMGYONG NAMDO, YONGHUNG GUN, SUNYONG MYON, SONGJAE RI #276 (咸鏡南道 永興郡 順寧面 松山才里) |
| DATE AND PLACE CAPTURED: | 11 Sep 50, approximately 8 km from YONGCHON (direction unknown, as PW had deserted from his unit and was lost). |
| INTERROGATOR: | G.W.A. |
Uncooperative. Information unreliable, because PW first claimed to know nothing about his unit and then reluctantly gave information about it, PW's attitude seems to stem from bitterness due to a great number of unfortunate incidents in his life.
3. T/O & E OF PW’S UNIT:Unit: 387th Army Regt, 3rd Bn, 7th Btry
Original Equipment: 4 x 76 mm Guns, 4 x 2½ ton trucks
Equipment as of 9 Sep 50: 3 x 76 mm Guns, 3 x 2½ ton trucks
Unit: 3rd Bn, 8th Btry
Original Equipment: 4 x 76 mm Guns, 4 x 2½ ton trucks, 3 x telephones & 1 x 500 meter reel of wire
Equipment as of 9 Sep 50: 3 x 76 mm Guns, 3 x 2½ ton trucks, 3 x telephones & 1 x 500 meter reel of wire
Unit: 3rd Bn, 9th Btry
Original Equipment: 4 x 122 mm Howitzers, 4 x 2½ ton trucks
Equipment as of 9 Sep 50: No information
3rd Battalion had no switchboard so each company (battery) placed a phone at Bn headquarters and thus had direct phone contact with Battalion headquarter but no telephone communication with other companies (batteries).
4. DISPOSITION OF ABOVE UNITS:3rd Artillery Battalion CP and its 3 Company (batteries) were located in an unidentified village near YONGCHON.
5. ESTIMATED STRENGTH OF ABOVE UNITS:Unit: Arty Regt, 3rd Bn, 8th Btry
Original Strength: 73 men
Present Strength (9 Sep 50): Approx 50 men
Unit: 3rd Bn, Hq Plt
Original Strength: 30 men
Present Strength (9 Sep 50): Unknown
Unit: 3rd Bn, 1st Plt
Original Strength: 15 men
Present Strength (9 Sep 50): 15 men
Unit: 3rd Bn, 2nd Plt
Original Strength: l5 men
Present Strength (9 Sep 50): 8 men
6. PERSONAL AND UNIT HISTORY:Inducted on 10 Mar 50 at NAJlN DONG, into Hq Platoon, 8th Btry, 3rd Bn, 387th Artillery Regiment, 15th Division.
Received 2½ months basic training at NAJIN DONG and fired rifle twice.
Departed from NAJIN DONG on 2l Jun 50 with entire 15th Division by railroad, and on 25 Jun 50, detrained at unknown location. Proceeded by truck on 25 Jun 50 to an unidentified village near YONGCHON, arriving on 9 Sep 50.
3rd Bn, 387th Arty Regt, 15th Division was heavily shelled by UN artillery, attacked by aircraft, and assaulted by ROK infantry on 9 Sep 50. For the first time since leaving North KOREA, the entire battalion was thrown into confusion. Officers and EM alike deserted their posts. PW fled aimlessly into the mountains and ran into ROK infantry on 10 Sep 50, at a point about 8 km from YONGCHON. He surrendered immediately. PW believes that in this battle the entire equipment of his battalion was captured or destroyed by the ROK Army.
7. FOOD & AMMO SUPPLIES:Received average of 3 rice or barley balls daily.
Unknown amount of artillery ammo last received from the rear echelon on br about 27 Aug 50.
8. REPLACEMENTS:No replacements received by 387th Arty Regt since entering combat in Jun 50.
9. MORALE:Up to 9 Sep 50, morale was high in 3rd Bn, 387th Arty Regt, because troops believed the NKPA was nearing final victory. PW doubts that NKPA survivors of the 9 Sep 50 attack by ROK Army have high morale any longer.
10. CAPTURED EQUIPMENT:Equipment is used by the unit capturing it.
11. MISCELLANEOUS:Observed no Safe Conduct Passes or other leaflets.
PW believed until 9 Sep 50 that US and ROK Armies did not want to fight and that they would soon retreat out of South KOREA.
For the AC of S, G-2:
SAKAMOTO
