 This is war. War and its masses. War and its men. War and its machines. Together they form the Big Picture. 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 taken by combat cameramen of the armed forces produced by the Army Signal Corps. These are the men who daily record on film the Big Picture as it happens, where it happens. Today our Big Picture will show the United Nations forces on the offensive. You'll see the recapture of the city of Seoul, the fall of the North Korean capital of Pyongyang. You'll see an airdrop by the 187th Regimental Combat Team. You'll see the Missouri in action, the Big Mo, as it gives support to our ground troops. And later you'll meet a man of the Army infantry, Corporal David Gray. Now let's go back to September 1950. On 20 September, almost three months after the North Korean communists launched their invasion, United Nations troops are in the first stages of their all-out drive toward North Korea. Five days previously, they went from the defensive to the offensive, when U.S. Marines made an amphibious landing 150 miles behind the enemy lines at Incheon. The landing cut off the enemy from his supplies and caught him in a giant United Nations pincers. Air Force, Navy and Marine planes give support to ground troops and cut off communist attempts to bring up reinforcements from the North and South. Exactly three months to the day after the city of Seoul fell to the communist invaders, U.M. forces recapture this South Korean capital. These are Marines and U.S. 7th Division troops dancing into Seoul under enemy fire. Street fighting rages throughout the city. The Reds have fortified many of the buildings and red tanks may appear around any corner. It had been hoped that Seoul might be recaptured with a minimum of destruction, but this is impossible as the Reds stage a house-to-house fight. A battle for Seoul, General MacArthur announces the city's recapture on 26 September. There is still fighting in the city, but the main communist garrison is now fleeing to the North. U.N. troops rest as they close another chapter of history. At the Ashiya Air Base in Japan during the battle for Seoul, the 187th Airborne Regiment arrives from the United States. Ammunition and other supplies are loaded on unit vehicles which will be flown to Korea. The paratroopers, 2400 strong, board C-54 transports and C-119 flying boxcars for their flight to the combat zone. The Kimpo airfield is the destination. The paratroopers are rushed to staging areas as fast as they unload. The same C-54s fly wounded back to Japan. In its first four days of operation, the Kimpo airlift evacuated 313 wounded to Japan. Cargo and passenger planes are coming into Kimpo at a rate of one every 10 minutes. Typical cargo is this disassembled 280 ton bridge. These fountain boats are part of the bridge which was shipped entirely by air. The airfield is inspected by Air Force leaders past and present. In the group are General George C. Kenney, commanding General Air University, Lieutenant General George C. Stratomire, commanding General U.S. Far East Air Forces, and General Carl Spotz, retired, former commander of the U.S. Air Force. In the background is a captured Yak fighter plane found in good condition. Now land based at Kimpo are Marine carrier planes ailing in the technical support of ground forces north of Seoul. This F-7F Tiger Cat night fighter proves especially valuable during this stage of the fighting north of Seoul. F-7Fs are equipped with radar and are very effective against convoys and troop concentrations at night and in bad weather. These Tiger Cats and force airs are being loaded with 5-inch rockets that strike near Seoul. October 1950, the U.S.S. Missouri steams off the coast of Korea. For the first time on an American battleship the United Nations flag is hoisted. Admiral Allen Smith and Captain Irving Duke honor it and the cause of freedom for which it stands. Slowly the Big Mo's massive 16 inches swing into position ready to lay down a barrage on enemy coastal concentrations and strong points. Inside the Big Mo as H.R. approaches the projectiles weighing more than a ton each are brought up from the magazine on special elevators and one by one are loaded into the breach. Trained and skilled as a team the gun crew work with clockwork precision as they ready the guns and load bags of powder into the breach. An officer takes a last-minute reading on the target and everything is set. Gun covers off. The last seconds take away. Five, four, three, two, one, fire! Salvo after salvo pour into the enemy positions as the Missouri opens up with everything it's got. Hounding the enemy shore batteries and installations. Reds fight back, their shells narrowly missing the ship. Big and small guns carry out a barrage hitting supply lines, hammering out ammunition dumps, hammering a halt. The Red Army is aggression. Michael Typhoon hits the U.S. Sakai Army Base in Japan. With rain and wind ranging up to 110 miles per hour it is the worst storm to hit Japan in 16 years. Corrigated metal roofing flies through the air like paper. Most of the tiles, shingle and corrugated metal roofs are damaged. The concrete structures withstand the storm well although windows are broken and there is water damage. There are no military casualties from the storm since most of the troops remain indoors in the stronger buildings safe from the falling trees and power lines. But among the Japanese in the storm's path, 135 are killed, over a thousand injured and over 200,000 made homeless. Heaviest military damage is suffered by wooden and tar paper buildings. These tropical storms are expected near the Sea of Japan at this time of the year. October 17 is a suspenseful day for the U.S. first cavalrymen as they advance into the outskirts of Pyongyang, capital city of North Korea. The city is known to be heavily fortified and it is expected that the Reds will make a death stand for their capital. It is reported that the Reds have 30,000 men defending Pyongyang. Another Red is added to the 75,000 captured so far. A vehicle burns beside the road. Ammunition explodes in the fire. The attack is led by tanks as the first cavalry advances under fire toward the center of the city. The railroad guides them. Then surprisingly, the enemy fire weakens as U.S. infantrymen reach the heart of the city. The Reds are withdrawing. Although there is occasional rear-guard fire and sniper activity, the main Red force has begun to flee northward into its organization. A company medic gives first aid to a cavalryman wounded in the street fighting. As the first cavalrymen overrun the city, South Korean troops join them. The ROK forces met heavy resistance on the east side of town but finally fought their way through after six hours. They are following the retreating enemy northward. An estimated Red force of 30,000 is now fleeing Pyongyang. South Koreans and first cavalrymen join forces, decide their zones of action and move on. In the eastern area of Pyongyang near the Tedong River, the South Koreans encounter a pocket of enemy rear-guard troops and pause to wipe them out. Only small arms fire is necessary as the river is crossed by bridge and assault boats. As U.N. forces take over the city, the North Korean Communist government has vanished, presumably having fled north across the Manchurian border. The heavily fortified capital of Korean communism is now under the United Nations' flag. This was a hard blow for the North Koreans, the fall of their capital city Pyongyang. While this action was going on, Corporal David Gray, a machine gunner, was serving with Task Force Walker. Well, Dave, tell us what was your mission with this task force? Our mission on Task Force Walker was that we was being used as more or less a guerrilla force, just like the rest of the outfits were having trouble with guerrillas. We was designated as an American guerrilla force to knock them out. Were you trained for this type of fighting? We was trained here in the States before we went overseas. That was our main training in the state. Did you take a lot of prisoners here, Dave? We take quite a few prisoners on that mission up through there, all the way up to Pyongyang. Did they give up easily? At first they didn't, but towards the end, they seemed to be willing to give up. Did you speak to any of the prisoners, Dave? I spoke to quite a few of them. I spoke to one officer that gave up there. They all had these safe conduct passes. They'd got them from these planes when they would drop them. They all came down with them. This officer you spoke to, did he speak English? He spoke perfect English. He had four years of college in Japan before the war there. Well, after talking to them, Dave, could you tell what their morale was like? The morale was low. It was the lowest I've ever seen in New Orleans. How about their food? Did they have any? Their food, they had one day's ration for a week. How about their ammunition? Five and six rounds per man's all they had. Well, about this time, the 187th Regimental Combat Team landed there, Dave. What was their mission? They was dropped there to knock these guerrilla forces out that had gathered down there in force. After the Enchon landing, when those people had made that Enchon landing, they went across the island, across the peninsula of Korea, and we was south of them. We started north, and this other island was up there. We had these connoisseurs in the middle of us, in the middle of us, in the middle of us, and they gathered an 187th Airborne Regiment to drop in there and burst it out. Was this a success? Was it a complete surprise? A complete surprise and a great success. Well, Dave, you might describe the landing of the 187th. It was one of the first combat jumps I've ever seen, and it was something to watch, how they dropped the jeeps, they dropped 105-housers in there, and it was all just done in a hurry. I mean, the other thing hit the ground it was all over with, it was that quick. Now, this is a complete regiment by itself? Complete regiment. I mean, they could operate by themselves. They had everything that they needed by themselves. Drop out of the air and then move forward. That's right. Well, after this action, Dave, you moved on to the north, and it wasn't long before you met the Chinese communists. Isn't that right? Well, the first contact we had with the Chinese was two days after Thanksgiving of a little town called Kunari on the Taidong River. Now, what were you doing at the time? We was just moving forward slowly, trying to get up even in the line with all the other divisions up there. So, at that certain date there, we hit these Chinese on this mountain. We didn't know the Chinese at the time, and we got orders to take a hill there in my company. So, we started up the hill, and everything was quiet. So, all at once, the bugles broke loose, our children, mortars, everything happened to us. We was cut off on the hill there. We couldn't go neither way. We couldn't go backwards. We couldn't go forward, and we just stuck there. We had to fight it out right there. You were wounded at this time too, Dave? I was wounded at the time. And then taken prisoner? I was taken prisoner on top of the hill. What sort of treatment did you get? I got as good a treatment as I could expect, I guess. There was no medical treatment for me. I mean, they didn't have any to give me. They had no medics with them? They had no medics with them. They weren't taking care of their own wounded either? They wasn't taking care of their own wounded. It was ever meant for itself. They fight a good deal different than we do, don't they? Aren't our medics always right up there with us? Our medics are right there, but there's... There's nothing done. Nobody take care of their wounded. Well, how did you get away from the Chinese communists? I got away from them four-hour state prisoners, four days and four nights. They got careless, I guess. They started back down the river with them. Instead of going north, they went south. They had our American 38th Infantry and 23rd Regiment trapped down the river about 15 miles. So we went down the river. And when these Chinese got between them, they broke out of this trap and hit the Chinese from both sides. And during the fighting, I got down on the ice and I crawled down the river about a thousand yards or so, and I got to make a break for it. I got picked up in a jeep on the road. It felt pretty good to get back to our lines again. It felt good to me, yes. Well, did they treat your wounds immediately? They treated me pretty good. They sent me right back to Seoul on the train. From there, I went to Busan. From there to Japan. It all worked smoothly. I came right back straight back to the United States. How long from the time you were wounded? Or was it until you get back to the States? Seven days. That's pretty fast, isn't it? Pretty fast, yes. Thank you, Dave. We spoke about the 187th Regimental Combat Team. Now let's watch these films taken by a signal corps cameraman. You'll see that air drop. As UN forces take the North Korean capital at Pyongyang, a new threat to the Reds gets underway at Kimpo Airfield. Paratroopers of the 187th Airborne Regiment plan to jump ahead of the Reds fleeing Pyongyang, cutting off their escape route to the border. The planes are C-47 transports and C-119 boxcars. There are over 4,000 men in this operation, which consists of two separate drops on 20 and 21 October. The destination is a 0.33 miles north of Pyongyang, where the Reds are fleeing through the towns of Sukcheon and Suncheon. They'll out in waves from a dozen planes at a time. On the ground, there is practically no opposition. The attack comes as a complete surprise. Watching the jump is General MacArthur, who flew here from Japan to observe this first airborne operation of the Korean War. Flying over the attack area in his constellation, United Nations commander stated, this closes the trap on the enemy. Of particular interest in this drop is the parachuting of heavy equipment, vehicles and artillery. The equipment drop takes place 10 minutes after the personnel have landed. Most of the material lands without damage, and the paratroopers rush out to put it into action. Transportation found available on the scene is pressed into service. Although the big jump was delayed at the start by bad weather, it moves like clockwork once it gets underway. Casualties are few. Out of the 4064 men who made the two jumps, only 90 men are listed as jump casualties, and most of these consist of broken legs and sprains. Evacuation is rapid, specially equipped helicopters land to carry the wounded, and they are quickly on their way back to the hospitals. Shortly after the paratroopers take their positions, they are joined by tanks of the first cavalry division which have pushed through from Pyongyang. As these forces join, the last remnants of the Red Army are compressed into an area only 50 miles from the Manchurian border. On 17 September at Busan Air Base, a transport plane arrives with the first big-name entertainer to visit the troops in Korea. Al Jolson, often billed as the world's greatest entertainer, is in the midst of his last road tour. A veteran of years in show business and months of entertaining troops in World War II, in Europe, Africa, India, and the South Pacific, Al Jolson disregarded his doctor's warning, and at the age of 64, set out to entertain troops in hospitals and at the Korean Battlefront. In front of the audience he liked best, Jolson gives one of his last performances. GI audience enjoys his act. Al entertained Korean War casualties in Japan before arriving in Korea, and already has used up much of the seemingly boundless energy which he put into every performance. It was impossible for Al Jolson not to give out with all his energy and all his heart. His gaiety and rhythm was infectious, and he knew it could bring joy to others. On 23 October, six days after he gave this performance, Al Jolson died from a heart attack in San Francisco. One of his last acts in Korea was to raise a United Nations flag. During the month covered by this combat bulletin, the United Nations drive into North Korea moved ahead with surprising rapidity. On 20 September, UN forces were fighting in the outskirts of Seoul, fanning south from the Incheon landing and breaking out of their old beachhead. By 5 October, North Korea troops had crossed the 38th parallel and were 55 air miles beyond the imaginary border between North and South Korea. On the west, US troops were meeting some resistance north of Seoul. United Nations forces including US, British and Australian troops were regrouping. An expectation of a full-scale drive across the parallel after the United Nations voted approval for General MacArthur to send his troops into North Korea. By 20 October, communist forces were staggering, throwing off their uniforms and surrendering at the rate of 2,400 daily. The day before, Pyongyang North Korean capital had been captured by UN troops. Two hours after Pyongyang was declared secure, members of the 187th Airborne Regiment dropped from planes 33 miles above Pyongyang and about 75 miles from the Manchurian border. South Korean troops drove westward to link up with the paratroopers. On the east coast, South Korean troops had taken one son with unexpectedly light resistance and were advancing far to the north. Disintegrating communist troops were attempting to flee to the Manchurian border. There was still fighting ahead, but at this time it appeared that the Korean War was, as General MacArthur phrased it, definitely coming to an end. Those were the advance that comprised the big picture from September 20th to October 20th, 1950. Our thanks to Corporal David Gray for being with us. Next week, the big picture will show you the entrance of the Chinese Reds into the Korean War. You'll see our troops battling the winter cold as well as the communists. You'll see our wounded, evacuated by helicopter and a display of the finest weapons of modern warfare, the weapons of your United States Army. You'll hear another report from a Korean veteran, an Army soldier who saw, as it happened, a part of the big picture. This is Captain Carl Zimmerman inviting you to be with us then.