ATIS INTERROGATION NO. 4017 13 March 1951
The following information was obtained from recovered American military personnel, who were interrogated upon arrival in JAPAN from KOREA by Central Interrogation Center, TIS. The interrogation was conducted at Tokyo Army Hospital by Capt Shappell.
Subject when interviewed in the Tokyo Army Hospital was still in highly nervous condition as a result of his experience. He was unconscious or delirious during most of his period of capture; consequently, exact dates are unknown. However, the information contained in this report is quite vivid in source’s mind.
On 12 Feb 51, two miles N of HOENGSONG, Co B, 38th Inf encountered a road block and in the ensuing fight, LIPKA was wounded in the head and buttocks. Burning trucks blocked the road, the unit was surrounded and the officer in charge (name and rank unknown) negotiated for the surrender. When the Chinese or N. Koreans appeared (source can not identify his captors) they ignored any rules of decency and massacred and butchered the wounded. Men were shot and bayoneted after they had surrendered. A 3/4 ton truck containing wounded was doused with gasoline and the men burned to death. One wounded man lying by the side of the road, and unable to move, had gasoline thrown on him and was burned alive. Source personally saw all of the above.
Those prisoners, including source, who were spared this treatment were marched North. Source fainted after marching for some time and regained consciousness to find himself alone in a ditch beside the road. He crawled South and soon encountered a group of wounded Americans also lying beside the road. Subject stayed with this group of seven men, one 1st Lt and six enlisted men, two of whom were negroes.
From this point on, subject lost accurate track of time, but feels he was in this exposed spot without food or water for ten days. There was constant enemy activity and many air strikes by friendly planes. On approximately the third night a passing group of the enemy shot the subject in the left arm, as well as three others in the group. One man died that night and the other two died the following day. That night, another group shot the subject in his right arm and killed another American. A few days later, one of the enemy fell out of a passing column, and shot the Lt in both hands. Later on, another enemy shot the Lt in the back and killed him.
At this point, only the subject and the two colored enlisted men were alive. The colored soldiers were never shot, but both of them had hands and feet so badly frozen that they could not move.
One of the enemy pointed a gun at LIPKA and motioned him to move. Not able to walk, he crawled into HOENGSONG, encountered a Korean child who brought an old man to the scene and both helped subject to a house where he found 1st Lt DUTRO, Med Co, 1st Bn, 38th Inf, 2nd Div, who was also wounded.
Both stayed in the house for about two days with the old man feeding them. Although delirious, subject is sure that at one time the Korean refused admittance to soldiers who wanted to enter the house and guarded them until they were rescued by the 1st Marines.
For the CO, TIS:
WEELDREYER
