ATIS INTERROGATION REPORT NO. 3005 26 January 1951
FIELD REPORT (ADVATIS Special Report - 020) 20 January 1951
| PW NAME: | IM, Hong Son (林洪善) (임홍선) |
| PW NUMBER: | 201474 |
| RANK: | Capt |
| AGE: | 23 |
| DUTY: | Executive Officer |
| UNIT: | NK 107th Coast Guard Ind Arty Bn |
| EDUCATION: | 6 years Primary School, CCF Arty School |
| OCCUPATION: | Laborer |
| PLACE OF CAPTURE: | KEIJUN-RI (No Kanji) |
| DATE OF CAPTURE: | 16 Oct 50 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH: | KOREA, KYONGGIDO, P’YONGTAEK-GUN, HYONDOK-MYON, SINWANG-NI #462 (京畿道 平澤郡 玄德面 新旺里 四六二) |
| HOME ADDRESS: | MANCHURIA, CHILIN-SHENG, TONHUA-HSIEN TAMA-LU #45 (滿洲 吉林省 敦化縣 大馬路 四五) |
| INTERROGATOR: | Pfc SUDA (ATIS) |
PW cooperative and intelligent. Reliability - Good.
a. CCF 131st Div, Artillery Bn.
Organization:
Strength: Total of 197 men in Company.
8 Officers 31 NCOs 158 Privates
Unit trained at SANTAITZU (三台子) located approx 22.5km NW of TIEHLING (鐵嶺) for 50 days.
Officers - Company CO MUKDEN PLA Artillery School
One Plat Ldr - worked up from Pvt in an Arty Unit
Two other officers were cultural officers
Four other officers had no training prior to the training at SANTAITZU
No combat experience.
No casualties.
No air attacks experienced.
Battery with four 75mm field artillery pieces and one M99 LMG.
75mm field artillery, Model 38 (1905) Made in JAPAN.
Six horses pulled each gun.
Gun had 6,000m range. Types of shells include: shrapnel shells (weight with fuze 15.4kg), common shell (weight with fuze 15.1kg), incendiary shells, flare shells.
Types of Fuzes.
Instantaneous Fuze
Used most widely to destroy troop and animal concentrations.
Delayed Action Fuze
Used to destroy cement and other hard surfaces
Semi-delay Action Fuze
Used to destroy barb-wire fences and wooden buildings
Air Bursting Fuze
Used for troop concentrations and Cavalry troops.
The fuzes were made of ferro alloy
Four field artillery pieces per Company.
Eighty rounds carried for each gun.
Battalion supply center ammunition supply platoon supplied ammo.
There was no shortage of ammunition.
Batteries were not permitted to fire within 300m range of the infantry troops.
No armor piercing shells on hand.
Transportation: Battalion Supply to Company Supply
By horse drawn carts loaded with 300 rounds each.
Company Supply to Gun Position
By ammo carriers, one box at a time.
Ammo transported over plain roads in the open with the carts and horses camouflaged.
Maximum of 30 rounds per day - Minimum of 10 rounds per day fired.
b. Deployment of guns:
Mountainous Terrain
Plain Terrain
Camouflage Materials:
7m x 4m cotton net used in spring, summer and autumn. 7m x 4m
c. Arty Employment - white cotton cloth was used in winter.
Trenches dug as below:
Did not dig guns in but only applied brakes to the wheel and dug the rear support in.
Observers are located approx 500m from the extreme left or right flank or sometimes on top of a hill behind the guns.
One LMG used for area security.
Guns are employed by battery whenever encountering the enemy during an advance and by battalion as softening barrage whenever a planned attack was to be made.
When in advance, guns are fired in direct support. When in defense, guns are fired in general support.
Infantry Artillery Teams:
Infantry Bn - One whole battery
Infantry Regt - Two batteries or one arty Bn.
Infantry Artillery Team is commanded by the Bn or Regt CO of the infantry.
d. Communication:
Battery to gun position - 8-B US field phone
Bn to Battery - 8-B US field phone
Regt to Bn - Soviet radio transceiver 4R (RBS-40)
US wireless (type unknown)
PW’s unit used three 8-B US portable field phones. Forward observers had one phone and communicated with the assistant Company CO. The assistant CO orally passed the information to the gun positions. Third phone was used to communicate with the Bn Hq. If the telephone wires were cut, the guns had to stand by till the line was fixed.
Forward observation employed.
Observers were not permitted to go more than 800m in front of the gun positions.
The Company Commander determines the gun positions, CP, etc, by scouting the area himself.
Forward observers composed of Company Commander, three observers, telephone operator, two messengers and four machine gunners.
No planes used.
e. Fire Control - Five methods of fire control depending on the type of fire.
(1) Neutralization fire (offensive)
CO at the forward observation post determines the target and gives the azimuth and distance to the guns. The base gun fired about 4 to 5 rounds to get near the target. 100m from the target is called general range. 25m from the target is called accurate range. Each gun fired from the front to the rear 50m apart on the general range. Number of rounds were not fixed.
Purpose: Mainly to neutralize obstacles (artillery positions etc) when the infantry is advancing.
(2) Interdiction fire (defensive)
General range is determined as in neutralization fire. Guns are fired from the rear or from rear to the front depending on the target. No limit to rounds
Purpose: Mainly to interdict the advancing enemy.
(3) Harassing fire (offensive and defensive)
Distance and azimuth are determined during the day time. The targets are fired on at about 5 minute intervals, both during the day and at night.
(4) Annihilation fire (defensive)
General range and accurate range to targets are determined same as in neutralization fire. Then each gun fires on the accurate range to target. Rounds are not limited.
(5) Demolition fire (offensive)
General range and accurate range to targets are determined same as in neutralization fire. Then one gun or the entire battery fires on the target. Rounds unlimited.
Barrage Mission:
Guns were mass fired on enemy defense lines until the infantry advances. Then the fire is transferred to depth. Concentration Mission:
Two lines of various gun position were laid according to the effective range of the gun (such as mortar in the front and 105mm howitzer in the rear). Guns were fired on one target for 5 to 7 minutes and never more than 10 minutes. 75mm field guns fired 8 rounds each.
Interdiction Mission:
To stop and enemy advance, guns are fired on the enemy until they are stopped. Once the enemy is stopped, fire is changed to annihilation fire.
Mass fires only by Batteries.
Meteorological information was used.
Guns are calibrated before entering combat by “checking devices.”
Unit was short of measuring devices.
Unit has lost one gun.
105mm howitzer with unknown amount of ammunition being used at TIEHLING (鐵嶺), MANCHURIA.
US guns seen.
107th Coast Guard Regt, Artillery Bn.
a. Organization:
Strength: Battery - 121
Battalion received 1½ month training at CH’ORWON (鐵原), North KOREA.
Officers - Officers who had combat experience and who were once wounded were assigned here.
Combat for one day at KYEJONG (■井).
No casualties.
Counter battery fire was so heavy that the guns could not be fired.
Men fear air attack.
Men hide in grass, holes and under trees when attacked by air.
Battery has 57mm AT guns, US made.
Gun moved by a 6 wheel ZIS truck similar to GAZ-51.
Captured UN ammunition was used.
4 x 57mm AT guns per Company.
No additional ammunition ever received.
Company was short of ammunition.
Company has armor piercing shells.
Company never fired its guns.
Placing: Two guns each, about 35m apart were placed about 1,000m from the sea shore on KANGHUADO (Island) (江華島) near INCHON.
Cotton nets used for camouflage.
Trenches used.
Guns not dug in.
No security weapons available.
Communication: 1 X M43 Russian field phone
1 X Russian wireless
Unit used field phone.
Phone reliable
No further information.
For the Commanding Officer:
SHAPPELL
