The following is a scan of the 26 September 1951 Helena newsletter.
Provided by Kent Stufflebeam. RD3, King Division,
USS Helena CA-75, May 1950 - July 1951.
For ease of reading the COMMUNIQUE (last item) each "STOP" (X) is in red. DJB
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"THE DAILY WORD"
USS HELENA CA-75
TUES. 26 SEPT. |
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WITH FIRST MARINE DIVISION AT SEOUL, SEPT 23---(INS)---(DELAYED) ---A DRAMATIC AND DELICATE COMMAND DECISION THAT SENT AN ALL-LEATHERNECK ATTACK CRASHING INTO COMMUNIST LINES NORTHWEST OF SEOUL TODAY BROUGHT THIS PRIZE WITHIN THE GRASP OF THE UNITED NATIONS FORCES.
IT WAS A DECISION THAT SHUNTED ASIDE POLITICAL
LOGICAL CONSIDERATIONS IN FAVOR OF A STARK ACCEPTANCE OF THE MILITARY REALITIES CONFRONTING THE REGIMENT ASSIGNED TO PUNCH INTO SEOUL FROM THE HAN RIVER BRIDGEHEAD.
FROM A POLITICAL STANDPOINT IT WOULD HAVE BEEN NICE TO HAVE THE SOUTH KOREANS FIGHTING BESIDE THE AMERICANS TO RETAKE THE I R OWN CAPITAL.
AND FROM THE PSYCHOLOGICAL POINT OF VIEW IT SEEMED LOGICAL TO ASSUM'E THAT ANTI-COMMUNISTS WITHIN THE CAPITAL MIGHT HAVE . COOPERATED BETTER IF THEIR OWN COUNTRYMEN WERE THE FIRST TO REENTER THE CITY, .
BUT FOR TWO DAYS LT. CDL, RAY MURRAY OF SAN DIEGO, CALIF., THE REGIIMENTAL COMMANDER, HAS BEEN GNAWED BY THE MOUNTING REALIZATION THAT THE SOUTH KOREAN OUTFIT WEDGED BETWEEN TWO OF HIS BATTALIONS WAS NOT EQUAL TO THE TASK DELEGATED TO IT.
MURRAY IS BIG AND RAW-BONED. HE LOOKS EXACTLY THE WAY A HOLLYWOOD MOVIE WOULD PORTRAY A MARINE COMMANDER. WHEN RELAXED H I S FACE I S FRIENDLY AND FULL CF EXPRESSION. IN MOMENTS OF STRESS I T WEARS THE DARK, SCOWLING CONCENTRATION OF A JACK DEMPSY HUNTING FOR THE KILL. I WAS A WITNESS TO THE MANY HOURS OF THOUGHT THAT PRECEDED MURRAY'S DIFFICULT DECISION TO RELIEVE THE SOUTH KOREANS WITH HIS OWN RESERVE BATTALION. MURRAY SAID:
"IT'S NOT THAT THEY AREN'T BRAVE. THEY'RE DAMN BRAVE„ BUT THEY JUST AREN'T TRAINED AND THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO WHEN THEY GET IN TROUBLE.
"THEY START OUT FINE BUT WHEN THEY GET SOME FIRE THEY TEND TO DRAW IN CLOSE TOGETHER. THEN THE ENEMY NATURALLY LETS THEM HAVE IT WITH THEIR MORTARS. THEN THEY BREAK AND RETREAT INSTEAD OF MOVING IN ON THE MORTARS."
"THERE IS ONLY ONE WAY TO KNOCK CUT MORTARS OR MACHINE GUNS THAT HAVE YOU UNDER FIRE. AND THAT I S TO GO I N AND OVER RUN THEM. I F YOU LIE STILL, THEY WILL JUST KEEP CHOPPING YOU UP. BUT THE SOUTH KOREANS AREN'T TRAINED ENOUGH TO KNOW IT."
MURRAY DREW HIMSELF UP TO HIS FULL HEIGHT OF SIX FEET AND THREE INCHES. THEN HE CONTINUED:
"I'VE. GOT TO DO IT OR WE'LL BE HUNG UP HERE FOREVER. I ' M GOING TO STICK HAL'S (LT. COL. HAROLD ROISE'S) BATTALION IN THE CENTER WHERE THE ROKS (REPUBLIC OF KOREA) ARE. NOW WE'LL GET MOVING IN A HURRY."
ITEM
TOKYO, SEPT 25--(INS) -THE NORTH AND SOUTH JAWS OF AN ALLIED ARMORED NUTCRACKER CLOSED TO 75 MILES TODAY AGAINST A PUNCH-DRUNK ENEMY BUT THE COMNUNISTS DUG IN FOR LAST-DITCH RESISTANCE AT SOME KEY POINTS, INCLUDING EMBATTLED SEOUL.
U. S. MARINES TOOK OVER BITTER STREET FIGHTING IN THE CAPITAL'S OUTSKIRTS FROM THEIR SOUTH KOREAN ALLIES AND BROUGHT IN TANKS TO BLAST HEAVILY-DEFENDED RAILWAYS TUNNELS AT POINT BLANK RANGE AS THE ALLIES TIGHTENED THEIR VISE OF STEEL AROUND THE CAPITL.
A HUGE TIDE OF REINFORCEMENTS FR0M A FRESH AMERICAN UNIT AS YET UNIDENTIFIED THUNDERED INTO KIMPO AIRFIELD IN A STEADY STREAM AS OTHER MARINES MADE A NEW AMPHIBIOUS CROSSING OF THE HAN RIVER SOUTH OF SEOUL.
"THE DAILY WORD"
PAGE TWO
IT WAS IN THE NORTHERN OUTSKIRTS OF THE CITY THAT THE MARINES WERE RUNNING INTO THEIR HEAVIEST GOING. THE COMMUNISTS WERE USING TWO TUNNELS BEGINNING JUST OUTSIDE THE CITY'S RAILROAD STATION TO BRING UP AMMUNITION AND REINFORCEMENTS FROM DOWNTOWN SEOUL TO THE BATTLEGROUND IN THE OUTSKIRTS.
AS PLANES, TANKS AND ARTILLERY HURLED A CURTAIN OF FIRE INTO THE TUNNEL MOUTHS, A TASK FORCE OF THE FIRST U. S. CAVALRY DIVISION TOOK SANGJU IN THE SPEARHEAD OF A GENERAL OFFENSIVE FROM THE SOUTH, BRINGING FIRST AND 10TH CORPS FORCES WITHIN LESS THAN 15 MINUTES FLYING TIME OF EACH OTHER.
COMMUNIST FORCES WERE DUG IN, HOWEVER, ON HIGH GROUND EAST OF THE NAKTONG RIVER COMMANDING AROAD ON WHICH 4TH DIVISION TROOPS WERE APPROACHING THE RAIL AND HIGHWAY HUB OF KUMCHON, 30 MILES TO THE SOUTH OF SANGJU. FANATICAL NORTH KOREANS ALSO WERE HOLDING OUT STILL ON THE APPROACHES TO SANGJU, SOUTHWEST OF THE FALLEN RED BASTION OF WAEGWAN.
IN GENERAL -- EXCEPT FOR THE THREE KEY POINTS OF RESISTANCE -- THE COMMUNISTS WERE IN RETREAT, AS UNITED NATIONS ADVANCES OF 10 TO 15 MILES WERE SCORED ALL ALONG THE SOUTHERN FRONT
BUT IT WAS A DIFFERENT STORY IN NORTHERN SEOUL AND ITS APPROACHES. AIDED BY THE TUNNELS AND NATURAL TERRAIN, COMMUNISTS MORTAR AND ARTILLERY FIRE HAVE VIRTUALLY STALLED THE MARINE ADVANCE FOR THREE DAYS. ONE OFFICER COMMENTED:
"SOMEBODY MUST HAVE BEEN TELLING THOSE REDS ABOUT STALINGRAD."
AND AN AMERICAN COLONEL SAID:
"THEY MUST HAVE EVERYTHING IN THOSE TUNNELS -- AID STA TION, REPLACEMENT DEPOT AND SUPPLIES."
ITEM
COMMUNIQUE RELEASED BY CTG 95.2 ON 24 SEPT:
ABOARD THE USS HELENA: TODAY THIS HEAVY CRUISER WAS CALLED "A HELL SHIP" X AND HER SKIPPER, CAPTAIN HAROLD "SWEDE" LARSON, SMILED WITH PRIDE X SO DID EVERY MAN-JACK OF HER CREW X THE TERM
WAS GIVEN THIS 17000 TON SWEETHEART BY COMMUNISTS TROOPS WHO HAD FELT THE FURY AND THE FIRE OF HER GUNS WITHOUT LET-UP DURING RECENT WEEKS X COLONEL EMMERICH, SENIOR KMAG (KOREAN MILITARY ADVISORY GROUP) OFFICER WITH THE 3RD ROK DIVISION TOLD THE STORY IN REPORTING ON THE IMPORTANT ROLE THE HELENA HAS PLAYED IN BREAKING THE BACK OF THE COMMUNIST BATTLE LINE IN THE POHANG AREA X "THERE WERE TIMES," HE TOLD ADMIRAL HARTMAN "WHEN WE MIGHT HAVE BEEN WIPED OUT WITHOUT THE SUPPORT OF THE SHIPS IN YOUR TASK GROUP". X HE WENT ON TO SAY, "IN THE LAST 2 DAYS WE'VE MADE A 12 MILE ADVANCE AND CAPTURED A LOT OF COMMUNIST TROOPS INCLUDING THE COMMANDER OF THE 5TH NORTH KOREAN DIVISION X IN TALKING WITH THESE SOLDIERS WE'VE LEARNED HOW MUCH THEY FEAR THE DAY AND NIGHT BOMBARDMENT YOU'VE BEEN HANDING THEM WITH YOUR BIG GUNS" X YOU CAN TELL CAPTAIN LARSON HE WENT ON, "THAT THEY'VE GIVEN THE HELENA THE NAME OF THE HELL SHIP BECAUSE SHE POURS OUT SO MUCH FIRE AND DESTRUCTION X THEY REALLY FEAR HER" PROUD OF HER REPUTATION AMONG THE RED FORCES, THE HELENA TODAY SAILED INTO PORT FOR "BULLETS AND BEANS" BEFORE SHE STARTS ON ANOTHER MISSION OF DELIVERING HEADACHES TOTHE ENEMY X BEFORE SHE WAS RELIEVED ON THE FIRING LINE EARLIER TODAY, THE HELENA'S GUN CREWS HAD BEEN BLASTING ENEMY POSITIONS FOR
77 HOURS OUT OF 84 X IN LESS THAN 2 WEEKS SHE POURED 375, 180 ROUNDS
OF SHELLS AND SHRAPNEL ON COMMUNIST TARGETS X THERE'S GOOD REASON FOR THE REDS TO CALL HER "THE HELL SHIP" AND THERE'S GOOD REASON FOR CAPTAIN LARSON TO SMILE WHEN THEY DO.