 This is war. War and its masses. War and its men. War and its machines. Together they form the Big Picture. Welcome to the Big Picture. I'm Captain Carl Zimmerman. The Big Picture is a report to you from your army. An army committed by you, the people of the United States, to stop communist aggression wherever it may strike. The Big Picture traces the course of events in the Korean campaign. Through firsthand reports of our combat veterans, and through film produced by the Army Signal Corps, photographed by combat cameramen. These are the men who daily record our film, The Big Picture, as it happens, where it happens. Today, The Big Picture will show the United Nations forces moving north. You'll see the capture of Su-1, the 25th Division attacking toward Seoul. Bitter fighting as the Reds are determined to hold their line. And later, you'll meet Lieutenant Bill Travis from Liberty Center, Ohio, who saw duty with the first Cavalry Division. Now, for part of the Big Picture, let's go back to January 1951. On the 20th of January, U.N. forces consolidate positions below Seoul against diminishing red pressure. All along the front, there is a noticeable lack of the usual heavy communist troop concentrations. Belief is expressed that they have retired to regroup their armies, badly mauled in recent weeks by air and artillery strikes. On the 25th of January, after several days of aggressive probing attacks, the U.N. units below Seoul begin a limited offensive. Homicidal, not geographical, is the intent. By week's end, one U.N. task force slashes to within 10 miles of Seoul. In the central front, one Jew has been retaken, and Allied soldiers scour the mountains, exacting losses of 10 to 1 on the enemy. On the 10th of February, the first Corps of the Eighth Army crosses the Han River as the Reds pull back to Seoul. The 25th Division comes to a halt at the south gates of the city. Kimpo airfield is recaptured, and the port of Incheon is occupied without the loss of a man. On the central front, the 10th Corps continues its action against stiffening enemy resistance. In less than three weeks, the Allies' limited offensive has killed and wounded an estimated 73,000 Chinese. On the 11th of February, the Chinese launch their expected counter-offensive on a 30-mile front in the central mountains. Their troops vainly attempt to drive a wedge through the center of the Eighth Army's lines. Armored counter-attacks smash north from one Jew, and air and artillery increase their hour-by-hour pounding. Finally, north of Incheon, Allied troops cave in the west flank of the Red Drive. By the 18th of February, the Red's drive has been spent and broken. U.N. forces have inflicted 33,000 more casualties on the Chinese. On the 20th of February, the Reds have fallen back along most of the 70-mile front. Their total losses for the month rise to approximately 100,000, while U.N. forces prepare still another killer offensive in their war of maneuver. The week of the 22nd of the 29th of January, the United Nations' limited offensive moves northward, as strong task forces recapture key cities and probe for the enemy's main line of defense. Here, a 25th Division combat team strikes north from positions below Osan to test communist strength and to occupy the many towns reported held by only token enemy units. Troops of the 35th Regimental Combat Team enter battered Osan without opposition. After defense posts are established, they push on toward the first day's objective, a village north of Osan. Here, a soldier cleans and checks his machine gun to avoid the danger of stoppages in the wintry weather. Across a frozen stream, the men continue their advance along the road to Suwon. Other U.N. units to the east move 12 miles above Wanzhou, while Kum Yang Zhang falls to allied forces in an attack highlighted by a bayonet charge of the Turkish Brigade. Naval units bombard Incheon in a diversionary raid. U.N. planes fly 700 sorties on this day, inflicting high losses against the enemy. Though tanks have not recently been encountered in any large numbers, the troops are well prepared for them. As the task force nears its day's objective, civilians coming from the village are methodically searched for weapons. The refugee problem has eased considerably in comparison with the mass flight of hundreds of thousands from Seoul and other endangered cities in the past month, but there are still those who remain in the combat zones between the two armies, keeping U.N. soldiers constantly on guard against the danger of communist infiltrators. Task force troops move carefully into the war-scarred town where they will spend the night on the alert for red snipers and suicide groups. A South Korean interpreter questions two refugees. As the limited offensive goes into its second day, the 25th Division spearhead sweeps across the low hills toward Suwon. The 8th Army, finding little red pressure to contend with, regains hundreds of square miles in the western sector of the front. An enemy's strong point is encountered, and artillery is called for. The 155-hawitzer is zeroed in. To avoid bypassing red pockets in the hills, the troops leave the roads, searching the countryside and villages. Prisoners are taken, some of the few found in the nearly deserted towns. On the second day of their thrust up the main coastal road to Seoul, the Task Force enters the outskirts of Suwon, carefully searching every building for concealed reds. Scattered enemy resistance is quickly cleaned out. Meanwhile, sizable gains are recorded north of Itchon in Kumyang, while the naval shelling of Incheon moves into its second day. The day after Suwon's capture, an armored spearhead leaves the north gate, pushing on towards the Han River. Soon it meets the first strong red defensive lines, halting 12 miles from Seoul. General Joseph S. Bradley, assistant commander of the 25th Division, inspects his advancing troops. The customary inspection and interrogation of civilians begins at Suwon. 25th Division rests as reports come in that firm contact has finally been re-established with major units of the enemy. Here was another victory for our ground forces. We had taken the city of Suwon and were headed north again. To tell us about this action, here is Lieutenant Bill Travis, who saw a duty with the first cavalry division. Well, Bill, back here at home at this time in January and February of 51, folks felt pretty good about the troops going north again. How about the morale of the men over there? Well, necessarily, Carl, when you're going south, in other words, when we were withdrawing, the morale of the troops was not good at all. When you're retreating, as you call it, you can't help but feel that maybe you're being let down somewhere back along the line and your morale just is not good. However, when you're doing about face, you turn around, in this case, where we're going back north, morale was excellent. In other words, when you're attacking, you can see you're winning. Maybe you think the end is in sight and the feeling of the troops is very good. What sort of action did our troops see at Siu Wan? Well, your action at Siu Wan was very difficult. It was very hard. The terrain was very difficult to fight in. Your main Chinese army was stationed right in and there. See, your main Chinese army was coming down to western plains. The plain area, as you know, is in the western half of Korea. The eastern half is very mountainous and very hard to operate in, especially in the winter months. Well, now, why was this town of Siu Wan so important to us, Bill? Well, your Siu Wan was important because it's a center, it's a hub of communications. If you look at a map, you'll see that the railroad goes through Siu Wan. About eight roads come together right there at the town. There's also a big airstrip, one of the few concrete airstrips in Korea. And as such, your town of Siu Wan was a center of communications, your actual hub just south of Siu Wan. And it's right on the main road to Siu Wan. Well, then actually this often the doorway to the north for us, didn't it? That's right. Siu Wan to Siu is actually a plains area and it's flat. You can use your armor and it's a very good avenue of approach to Siu, to Han River and on to 38th parallel. Well, Bill, what was your job with the first cab? My job with the first cab, Carl, was rifle platoon leader and a leader of a tank killer team. A tank killer team? Well, tell us how his team operated. Right. Well, it seems like in the initial phases of the operation, we did not have much to fight the enemy armor. In other words, the North Koreans were equipped with these new Russian medium tanks. Now, to counteract the effects of their tanks, we formed these tank killer teams which were equipped with automatic weapons and the bazooka. Now, to illustrate this bazooka, we have one right here. Sergeant, could we have that? Now, this is your small bazooka. A 2.36 inch job that we were using back during World War II in which probably a lot of people are familiar with. Now, it doesn't shoot too big a shell and when it came up against these new medium tanks that the North Koreans were equipped with, it didn't quite come up to our expectations. So, we were all very happy when a big one came out, the new one. And we have one of those to show you too. Now, this is your large economy size. It's called a 3.5 inch rocket launcher. It's what we call it. Everybody else calls it a bazooka and that's the popular name for it. Now, this really packs a wallop. Your shell is about yay big around and when it hits those tanks, it really knocks them out. I saw one tank hit by one. I saw this personally and the turret blew off completely and did a complete flip before it hit the ground. It's a good sight to see. It's really a terrific weapon and a terrific sight to see. Well, now eventually all our troops were issued this piece of equipment, weren't they? Right. We gradually came to find out that everybody was equipped with this weapon rather than the smaller one. And the North Koreans and Chinese developed a good deal of respect for it, didn't they? Definitely, definitely. Right. Well, thank you, Bill. Let's go back to our film now to January 1951 and watch our troops as they trade blows with his stubborn Chinese army. UN troops, in the second week of their limited offensive, battled northward towards Seoul, continuing to forge ahead over the bitterly contested ground north of Suwon. In the new system of United Nations' offense, forced by communists' hold or die tactics, Allied forces leave the roads and dig the reds from their caves and foxholes. Enemy dead litter the ridge. Chinese prisoners, routed out of the hills, are thoroughly searched and administered first aid by soldiers of the 25th Division. The face of an American GI expresses the bitter sadness that comes with war. The captives are then escorted to the rear for further interrogation. Very few Chinese surrender to UN forces as they are taught to expect swift execution upon capture. When convinced that they will not be killed, they are often eager to give information. The United Nations Task Force moves up for an assault on an enemy-held ridge north of Suwon as the offensive pushes steadily ahead. Realizing the dangers of over-fatigue, these hardened soldiers have learned to take advantage of every opportunity to rest. Now, well accustomed to the strenuous conditions of battle, the men group together in a well-earned sleep. General Bradley consults with a company commander of the spearhead unit, which will attack the Communist strong point lying across the main road to Seoul. Tank commanders determine red positions and ready their crews for firing. The attack gets underway with the usual preparatory artillery bombardment. The fighting in this sector has been some of the bitterest of the Korean campaign. Key points change hands repeatedly and gains are measured in yards. The tanks move up to new positions nearer the ridge and continue to blast away at the Communist emplacements. The enemy returns the fire and scores a near miss on one of our tanks. A South Korean 57-millimeter battery adds its firepower to the assault as the bombardment proceeds to soften up the reds for the infantry attack. A South Korean officer calls for mortar fire and the mortars lend their explosive voice to the artillery pounding. Paced by this support, the column brings the full force of its firepower to bear on the red-dominated hill. Throughout Korea during the first week of February, observers are noticing more and more the high morale evidenced by the UN soldiers. With assured faith in their leaders and confidence in their own ability as a fighting team, the troops of 14 nations forge ahead in the push northward toward the Han River and Seoul. On the 10th of February, troops of the 25th Division reach the outskirts of Seoul. The Han River Bridge figures once more in the Korean fighting and a familiar sign still stands. Free, badly frightened Chinese prisoners are brought in for questioning. Expecting execution, they face only interrogation and removal to PW compounds. Attempting to cross the Han, a patrol is halted temporarily by intense fire from the Communist occupying Seoul. Later, another patrol managed to enter the city but withdrew after some limited probing. As the action continues with opposing forces dueling from opposite sides of the Han, other UN task forces are sweeping north and west to occupy Incheon and Kimpo. At the weeks closed, four Allied divisions are at the Han and Seoul is nearly surrounded. As the United Nations offensive goes into its third week, the Communist defense becomes more stubborn and fanatical. Enemy troops give ground slowly along most of the front in the face of spirited Allied attacks. Here on the central sector north of Incheon, 24th Division troops recapture Hill 704, which was taken from them by a red assault on the previous night. A prisoner points out nearby Chinese positions. The big guns of the US tanks are prepared for action and having pinpointed enemy concentrations on the adjacent hills bring their massed firepower to bear on the stubbornly resisting reds entrenched on the slopes. In constant communication with the fire control center, the tanks continue their heavy bombardment. The enemy is blasted relentlessly in preparation for the following infantry attack. Above Wanjoo, a flying boxcar delivers ammunition and supplies to the 10th Corps, which is preparing a new assault against increasing red pressure in the central mountain sector. Supply by airdrop, once an emergency measure, has become routine in Korea. With the spring thaws due soon and with them the almost impassable Korean mud, these techniques of airborne logistical support will permit continued supply operation. Here was fighting over the roughest kind of terrain. There was one hill after another, and on top of every hill a strong determined force of Chinese. Well, let's get back to Lieutenant Travis. Well, Bill, you're wearing the crossed rifles of the infantry, but over here I see the distinguished flying cross. Well, this requires an explanation, sir. Well, you see, Carl, several of us, combat-trained infantrymen and artillerymen, were pulled out for temporary duty with the Air Force in Korea. We were busily flying combat missions with the Air Force, controlling all the fighter strikes that they were flying in close support of the frontline troops. Now, the way we'd work that, it sounds rather strange, and it is an utterly new concept as far as close support tactics are concerned. The way we do that is move into an area, flying these AT-6s, they're training planes, the old type training planes, and with a pilot and an observer, a pilot from the Air Force, an observer from the infantry or artillery, we would control all the fighter strikes. We do that by spotting the target in the general area of the enemy fortifications or front lines, and then call in the fighters, get on the horn and give them the word on the radio, and ask them to join us over the target, and we would make what we call an identification pass, go down over the target and mark it for the fighters, who, being considerably faster than we are, would have trouble seeing the target as it was. How'd you mark these targets, Bill? Well, the way we'd mark it, the best way for marking it, the most accurate way, would be for the observer to lean out while we're going over the target and throw a smoke grenade down that would land right in the enemy position. Let's say a gun position, and the fighters would follow us down and seeing where the smoke landed would know where the smoke grenade landed, would know where the enemy position was. Were they pretty accurate, the Air Force? They were very accurate. Actually, we like to see them come because they, being right on our tails, kept the Koreans from shooting at us. Sometimes, I should say, sometimes. Well, besides spotting targets, what other duties did you have? Well, one other very interesting duty of ours, Carl, was to coordinate between the helicopter rescue service and the actual place where they were supposed to pick up the crew of any plane that had been shot down or forced down behind enemy lines. Now, sometimes they'd develop engine trouble and had to land behind the enemy lines and we had to pull them out of there. And we would, in case of finding a plane that was down behind the lines, call the helicopters, call them on the phone, and they would come over and pick these men up. We worked very well. I can remember one instance where we pulled a marine out, got him out of a lot of trouble, actually chased off a bunch of North Koreans who were bothering him by making low passes over his plane. We got the helicopter in in about 30 minutes after he hit the ground, which is considerably... It's good going. Good time. Well, the next day, it so happens, the pilot that I had been flying with the day before named Kelly was shot down in just about the same area. Some North Korean got a little lucky, I guess, with his burp gun and Kelly was knocked down. The marines on their carrier just off the coast, hearing that Kelly had been knocked down, they could tell it was Kelly because of his call sign, seeing over the radio, scrambled two complete flights of fighters just to keep him safe and keep him out of the hands of the North Koreans until we could get a copter in and pull him out. Well, that sounds like pretty good teamwork over there, Bill. Actually, we worked out very well, the Army and the Air Force in our squadron and the marines who we were constantly directing in close support of the Army and the Marine troops on the ground. We got along pretty well with the marines, even though a horse back and forth reminds me of one incident, the cavalry broke out of the old Busan perimeter in September of 1950. They were pretty well beat by the time they got up to the Incheon area and they were sacked out along the road. The marines drove by, they just landed and still hadn't gotten into the fight, I guess, and uniforms still nicely pressed. One of them leaned out of one of the trucks and yelled over, hey, cavalry, where's your horses? Staff Sergeant looked up at him and said, we ate them, waiting for you guys to get here. I thought I'd die when I heard that story. Actually, there are a pretty good bunch of guys and we've worked very well with them, actually. One regiment of marines was attached to the cavalry division for a certain phase of the operations in Korea and they're a wonderful bunch of guys. Well, Bill, you certainly proved to us that the services worked together in Korea and it took teamwork to take ground in Korea. Just like it took teamwork to take Hill 584. North of Incheon, 24th Division artillery prepares to open fire on Hill 584 where UN forces are attempting to dislodge a stubborn enemy force. These hill positions anchor the right flank of the Red Central Sector Offensive. By commanding the heights, UN troops hope to flank and cave in the communist advance. 4.2 heavy mortars join in the barrage. The communists held fast in these hills during most of the Allied limited offensive of the last three weeks. Now, with the launching of the Reds counteroffensive down the central mountains, the communists cling tenaciously to this strong hill sailing which guards the right flank of their drive toward Wanjoo. Observers watch strikes on the enemy hill positions. Under cover of the barrage, the men push up the steep terrain towards the objective. Protected by the thick and tangled underbrush, the Reds lay down a volume of small arms fire that causes the troops to slow down in their advance. During the last ten days, key points in this hill area have repeatedly changed hands, with Allied gains being held down to a few thousand yards. The troops keep watch for snipers, plotting the course to be followed when the assault is resumed. Meanwhile, machine gun positions are set up as they consolidate their gains against the possible Red counter thrust. The communist lines are strong and artillery fire is called for to loosen enemy supporting areas. The Reds hold firm in their emplaced positions dominating the heights. They clash lethal punches into the face of the enemy. The steep grade slows the advance. Attacking in battalion strength, the troops move up as fast as possible to avoid Red sniper fire. Red forces have relied heavily on surprise night attacks, attempting to regain positions taken from them during the day by UN units. The communist tactics of infiltration and sudden mass charges fit well with a dense foliage. Supporting fire is supplied by heavy machine guns. The attack gets underway. The new assault carries forward to one section of the Hill Crest where UN troops are able to bring fire directly on the main enemy positions in close, rugged fighting. However, at weak's end an all-out drive crushes these positions collapsing the right flank of the Reds offensive. By the 18th of February UN forces seize the initiative again as Operation Killer forges Northward and the wake of the ill-fated Red Breakthrough attempt. Those were the events from the picture from January 20th to February 20th, 1951. Our thanks to Lieutenant Bill Travis for being with us. Next week the big picture will give you another report on the United Nations Spring Offensive. You'll see our troops push on despite the mud and rain. You'll see the 24th and 25th divisions approaching the 38th parallel. And you'll again hear from two combat veterans, two Army soldiers who saw as it happened a part of the big picture. This is Captain Carl Zimmerman inviting you to be with us then.