The Land of Morning Calm: The Naktong Perimeter

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In July of 1950, the 27th Ordinance was forced to change its workload from occasional days on the shooting range to a division-level amphibious landing in Korea in mere days. Crack North Korean troops were crossing the 38th Parallel in a surprise offensive against the ill-prepared South Korean army. American ground forces began mustering to deploy to Korea to support the South Koreans, with the 24th & 25th Infantry Divisions ahead of the 1st Cavalry Division. The 27th Ordinance was ordered to carry thirty days’ worth of ammunition and spare parts for the first amphibious landing since WWII, an order that was not only against army doctrine but also impractical. The logistics necessary to carry the additional munitions and spare parts, not to mention the company’s machine shop, were simply unavailable. Captain Charles Russell, the division ammunition officer, ordered M24 Tank Transporters to carry spare parts while the ordinance would simply be loaded onto landing craft and dealt with in Korea.

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Pohang-dong, a small South Korean fishing village, was chosen as the landing zone for the 1st Cavalry Division. The village was nothing more than a few homes, mudflats, and a railhead when the division landed and was rushed to relieve the 24th Infantry Division near Taejon. The 27th Ordinance remained at Pohang-dong during mid-July, working with Eighth Army to unload and transport supplies to the frontlines. The division received two locomotives and 25 railcars for this task. The ammunition was moved about 25 miles behind the front line to act as a mobile ammunition supply point. The 27th Ordinance set up close to the artillery battalions, at one point stationing their railcars within 100 feet of the guns, artillerymen and armorers hauling shells by hand right out of the cars. This system of following behind the field units, processing ammunition requests, milling replacement parts, and other tasks were typical for the company throughout their service in Korea. Serving as both a mechanic and clerk, Daily helped keep paperwork filed and bullets flying.

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The Land of Morning Calm: The Hwach'on Dam

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Daily served with the 27th Ordinance for almost the entirety of the 1st Cavalry Division’s stint in Korea. However, on March 15th, 1951, he was transferred to 1st Squad, 1st Platoon, H Company, 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment as a machine gunner. During the month of March, the 1st Cavalry Division was involved in Operation Ripper, a United Nations offensive designed to cripple the North Korean and Chinese forces near Seoul and push the front line to the 38th Parallel. The day before Daily was transferred, the division was ordered to advance towards the town of Hongch’on, a crossroads town connecting four roads converging at a river crossing along the Hongch’on River. When Daily’s jeep reached the 7th Cavalry Regiment, cavalrymen were already overlooking the Hongch’on River, having reached the bluffs on the edge of the town. The division held their positions outside of Hongch’on until elements of the 7th Marine Regiment entered the town around noon that day. As the cavalry held their position, they attempted to land two battalions on the opposite bank of the river, though began to encounter stiffer resistance from Chinese forces, taking heavy artillery fire and engaging “numerous, if small, enemy groups.” On March 16th, IX Corps commander General William Hoge ordered the 1st Cavalry Division, with the 24th Infantry and 1st Marine Divisions on its flanks, to advance roughly 5 miles north of the Hongch’on River. While the 24th Infantry and 1st Marine Divisions faced little resistance, the 1st Cavalry encountered hardened resistance. Shelling and large counterattacks stalled their advance but in two days, the resistance whittled away into occasional bands of guerrillas. Throughout the rest of March, the division moved north to Line Cairo.

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In the early days of April, UN forces advanced across the 38th Parallel, wanting to use the momentum gained from Operation Ripper to begin Operation Rugged. Operation Rugged was a limited offensive to continue into North Korea up to Line Kansas. As the 7th Cavalry Regiment moved north, marching astride the Puknam River, they encountered staunch resistance from the Chinese 39th Army in rough, roadless terrain close to the Hwach’on Dam, a vital piece of infrastructure for the United Nations. Eighth Army was concerned that the reason for such staunch resistance in the 7th Cavalry Regiment’s sector was that the Chinese were planning on opening the Hwach’on Dam and flooding critically needed roads crossing the river.

American intelligence later confirmed that the Chinese were trying to buy themselves time to increase the amount of water held in the Hwach’on Dam’s reservoir to inflict as much damage as possible. Estimates at the time predicted that should the dam be opened, it would flood the Pukhan river and raise the water level by 10-12 feet, washing out key supply routes moving across the river. The Chinese did open the dam during The Battle of Hwach’on Dam, but it resulted in lackluster damage to American logistics.

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The Battle of Hwach’on Dam began with mixed signals between the 7th Cavalry Regiment all the way up to Eighth Army. Eighth Army wanted to secure the dam at a later time while subordinate unit commanders wanted to take it immediately. In the end, the subordinates got their way as the 4th Ranger Company was attached to the 7th Cavalry Regiment to take the dam. Wires were crossed during the planning of the assault, with higher echelons of the Eighth Army wanting to employ hit-and-run tactics while Colonel William Harris, 7th Cavalry Regiment Commander, thought that a traditional assault was the best course of action. Colonel Harris ordered Edward Daily and the rest of 2nd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment to move up the peninsula formed between the Hwach’on Reservoir and the Pukhan River on April 9th. The peninsula was rough, hilly terrain and prevented artillery to get close enough to the front line to assist or tanks to maneuver.

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I Company, 7th Cavalry Regiment and the 4th Ranger Company attempted to row across the reservoir in ply-wood dinghies but this assault failed due to lack of boats and the time to travel across the body of water. The 2nd Battalion fared no better, bogging down almost immediately due to the terrain and lack of artillery support. In the end, the 7th Cavalry fell back to lick their wounds and fight another day. After rotating off of the front line, the 7th Cavalry rejoined the division at a rest area near Seoul. During Edward Daily’s time in the rest area, he was baptized and sent back to the United States. He served out the rest of his enlistment, being discharged in 1952 as a sergeant.