Inch'on 1950

Aboard the USS Mount McKinley L-Hour was confirmed at 0630hrs. The marines of 3/5 were boated aboard their LCVPs (Landing Crafts, Personnel and Vehicles) by 0600hrs and on signal made their run to Beach Green on the short peninsula jutting from the north end of Wolmi-do. The first wave of seven LCVPs hit the beach at 0633hrs. The underwater demolition team had failed to clear boat wreckage from the beach, and landing craft had to maneuver about. Company H, reinforced by a Company G platoon, stormed ashore as fighters strafed 50 yards in front of the marines. The second wave brought in the remainder of the two companies two minutes later. Only random shots greeted the marines. Pausing briefly to re-organize, Company G, 3d Battalion, 5th Marines (G/5), turned south and drove up Radio Hill, meeting light resistance and stunned, surrendering defenders. The American flag was hoisted atop the hill at 0655hrs. MacArthur aboard the Mount McKinley simply said, “That’s it. Let’s get a cup of coffee.” H/5 cleared the North Point and the industrial area, as well as the causeway access to Inch’on. I/5 followed behind H/5 and was surprised to find a bypassed NK platoon making hit-and-duck grenade attacks. The marine tank platoon accompanying 3/5 sealed them in their holes with a dozer tank. Some 30 North Koreans surrendered after two 90mm tank rounds were fired into a tunnel. Mop-up continued as marines swept over the island. Engineers laid AT mines on the causeway and H/5 established a roadblock, covered by tanks from 1st Tank Battalion’s Company A. At 0800hrs the marines radioed to the flagship that Wolmi-do was secure. The much-feared island dominating the harbor was in marine hands. MacArthur announced, “The Navy and Marines have never shone more brightly than this morning.”

A G/5 infantry/tank team advanced down the south causeway to Sowolmi-do at 1000hrs. An NK platoon pinned them down and the islet was saturated with napalm by marine fighters and barraged with mortars. The islet was secured at 1115hrs. As I/5 dug in on North Point, and H/5 in the industrial area, G/5 on Radio Hill and Sowolmi-do prepared for possible attacks across the mud flats from Inch’on. Mutually supporting trenches covered the island, along with gun positions. Mop-up was completed at noon. A very small number of NKs escaped by swimming to Inch’on, but 108 dead were counted and 136 prisoners taken. There were estimates of 150 more dead buried in the island’s collapsed positions and tunnels. Marine casualties were 17 wounded.

The tide receded by 1300hrs. No NK tanks charged down the causeway, no infantry swarmed across the mud flats. Only a few civilians were spotted in Inch’on streets. The 3/5 observation post on Radio Hill called in a couple of fire missions and reported the locations of gun emplacements. The accompanying shore party group unloaded ammunition and supplies from beached LSUs that had followed the assault waves, and a reconnaissance party selected positions for the two artillery battalions that would arrive in the evening. Because of the almost complete lack of enemy activity in Inch’on, the 3/5 commander requested permission to send an infantry tank force into the city to reconnoiter or secure Beach Red. Caution prompted the commander to deny this permission. The high tide began flooding at 1400hrs at a rate of 3-1/2 knots, faster than expected.

H-Hour was confirmed as 1730hrs. marine Corsairs and navy Skyraiders began to hit targets in Inch’on, coordinated with naval gunfire commencing at H-180 minutes. Rain squalls drifted through the area and Beach Blue was covered by overcast and smoke. Assault troops soon began boating aboard almost 200 LCVPs, 70 LCMs, 12 LSUs, 164 amtracs, and 85 DUKW amphibious trucks. Destroyer-transports took up station off of Beaches Red and Blue and a patrol boat off Green to guide in the artillery and cargo landing craft.

At 1645hrs the 18 army amphibious tanks crossed the line of departure heading for Beach Blue, with RCT-1 following aboard amtracs. In the transport area 5 miles to the south the LCVPs headed for Red and Green. The gun ships began blasting Inch’on and the LSM(R)s launched 6,000 rockets into the city in 20 minutes. The marines in the pitching Higgins boats and amtracs riding in under gloomy skies and roaring gunfire, drenched in rain and spray, knew they were assaulting directly into a large Asian city, something that had never been attempted.