couldn’t confirm it by our own sources. We’re reevaluating our data, but we don’t know what other surprises we may have overlooked.
“On the bright side, they can’t have too much of this new equipment. Therefore, we can expect that it will be reserved for important attacks, and its appearance may signal enemy intentions.” McLaren saw several of his officers making a note of Logan’s observation.
The lights came back up.
“Okay, Charlie, whip out your crystal ball.” McLaren tried to make his voice lighter than he felt. He’d always disliked senior officers who let their pessimism infect those around them. He was determined not to make that same mistake.
“General, there can’t be much doubt that the North Koreans intend to carry this thing through all the way. They’ve committed an enormous percentage of their available military resources to this operation — their whole Special Forces outfit, and a sizable chunk of the regular Army, Navy, and Air Forces. And satellite data shows heavy rail traffic heading south from the second echelon encampments around Pyongyang, Wonsan, and Hamhung. Clearly, they’re trying for a knockout punch before our reinforcements from the States arrive and before our reserves here complete their mobilization.”
Logan laid his map pointer dead center on the large, orange blotch that marked South Korea’s capital city. “Now. Seoul is the first big prize, and the NKs have two choices — either head directly for the city or use their two assault columns to envelop and surround it.” McLaren agreed with his assessment. It wasn’t brilliant military insight, but he was probably correct. The North Koreans weren’t going to be subtle. They didn’t need to be. They had numbers and momentum on their side.
Brigadier General Shin, deputy J-3 for the Combined Forces Command, took Logan’s place on the platform. His chief, Brigadier General Barret Smith, was still enroute back to the ROK from a Christmas leave in Japan. Shin’s precise, cultured, perfect English painted a bleak picture of the situation the American and South Korean troops faced.
Casualties in first-line units had been heavy — more than thirty percent in some battalions. And North Korean commandos had inflicted significant losses on a number of extremely important rear-area units. The troops facing the enemy thrusts down Highway 1 and Highway 3 urgently needed reinforcements, replacements, and resupply.
For example, the South Korean brigade holding Munsan, a strategic road junction, was under attack by at least two enemy divisions with heavy air and artillery support. After nearly a day of continuous fighting, its three infantry battalions were down to half strength. The brigade’s commander and most of his senior staff officers were dead. Antitank and small arms ammunition were running low. Without immediate assistance, the senior battalion commander reported that Munsan would fall within four to six hours.
“Unfortunately, gentlemen” — Shin’s face was impassive — ”we don’t have any help to send. Not that can get there in time to matter. All our available forces are fully committed.”
Similar situations were being duplicated all up and down the line. No out-and-out North Korean breakthroughs had been reported so far, but it could only be a matter of time before their tanks started tearing holes in an ever thinner allied defense.
Additional American ground troops were on the way, but they couldn’t possibly begin arriving in significant numbers for several days. The same thing went for South Korea’s hastily mobilizing reserves.
McLaren shifted in his chair, pushing his empty paper plate off to one side. “What about the air situation? We need replacement aircraft and pilots almost as much as we need troops.”
“F-15s from Kadena, Japan, will be arriving shortly, General. We’ve been notified by Washington that other U.S.-based squadrons will be airborne later today. They should be available for combat missions within twenty-four hours. Your Navy also reports that two carriers,
McLaren sat back, pondering. Not a pretty picture, but not Fort Apache, either. “Okay, we’ve got a lot of help coming, but we’re on our own for at least the next few days. We’ve got to slow down the North Korean push with what’s on hand.”
He got up and strode to the front of the tent, getting a closer look at the map. “General Shin, I want you to assume that Munsan will fall to the enemy. Start preparing the next main line of resistance here.” His finger stabbed the small town of Pyokche, just fifteen kilometers north of Seoul. “Reinforce it with whatever odds and ends you can scrape together.”
McLaren turned to face his officers. “That road junction is the key, gentlemen. If the enemy’s assault column presses its drive past Pyokche down the MSR, we’re looking at a direct push to grab Seoul. If it swings southeast, toward Wondang or thereabouts, we’re in for an envelopment and we’ll plan accordingly.”
He folded his hands behind his back. “All right then. We’ve already ordered the evacuation of American noncombatants and unattached civilians. It’s time for the next logical step. Put out the word to all U.S. installations in Seoul to prepare for evacuation. Headquarters and command functions will go to Taegu, all the support stuff to Japan.”
He looked over at the Air Force liaison officer. “Jim, your boys have done well so far, but I’m gonna need everything they’ve got.”
The colonel nodded. “Yes, sir. We have thirty aircraft shuttling between Kimpo and Japan now. There’ll be twice that many in eight hours, and we’ll double that again in sixteen. We’re even calling up Reserve C-130 units.”
“Good, but see if you can even push that. Given the current pace of the NK advance, I can’t guarantee the safety of the airfield for more than two or three days, and there’s a lot of people to move.”
He heard helicopters clattering overhead, growing louder, and saw Hansen signaling him from the back of the tent. His “guest” was arriving. Time to wrap the brief up with a quick pep talk. “Okay, gentlemen. That’s it for now. But I want you to keep this in mind. They got the drop on us, but we can hold these bastards. Every hour we can delay the enemy buys time for our reinforcements to arrive. And when we get enough troops on hand we’re gonna kick these s.o.b.’s back across the Z with their tails between their legs.”
McLaren looked around the tent. Everyone was writing, looking at the map, or looking at him. They looked slightly less unsettled, and that was about all he could expect right now.”Anybody got anything else?”
Nobody spoke.
“All right then. Let’s get down to it.”
The assembled officers scattered back to their duties. McLaren pushed through the crowd toward Hansen.
“General Park and his entourage are here, sir.”
“Great. Okay, Doug, separate out all the ass-kissers and bring ’em here for a mini-brief on the overall situation. Make ’em feel like they’re doing something.”
Hansen grinned and asked. “What about the general?”
“Get him up to my command trailer. Park and I have a few things to go over in private. Mano-a-mano.”
Hansen grinned wider, sketched a quick salute, and left. McLaren followed him out the tent and then headed for his trailer. This was going to be touchy.
The Chairman of the South Korean Joint Chiefs showed up on his doorstep a few minutes later. Park wore impeccably tailored combat fatigues, a cold weather parka, holstered.45, and a helmet he took off as soon as he stepped inside the narrow-bodied trailer.
McLaren met him with a firm handshake and led the Korean over to a canvas-seat director’s chair. He settled into a similar chair and willed himself to be patient through the next several minutes of meaningless pleasantries as Park conveyed his government’s gratitude for the aid being sent by the United States and repeated the ROK’s firm commitment to the unified command structure.
That was what McLaren had been waiting to hear, and he used it to raise a crucial issue: the release of the South Korean officers being held in detention camps for their part in General Chang’s abortive coup. He wanted them back in the field, commanding their units.
Park was outraged. “What you ask is impossible! These men are traitors, conspirators.”
McLaren kept his tone level, but he spaced his words out enough to let Park hear the determination behind them. “I’m not — asking — anything, General. The situation we face is critical. Meeting it is going to take a one-
