Chapter XXIII: Appendix: H

Enemy Units During the Inchon-Seoul Campaign

The enemy’s method of operation, except for a brief determined stand near and in Seoul, consisted of moderate to strong delaying actions. The first reaction following the initial disorganization at Inchon was an attempt to contain our advance until such time as sufficient reinforcements could arrive to warrant initiating a counteroffensive. In view of the scarcity of reinforcements and our own rapid advances, this never materialized.

The Order of Battle of the units which opposed the advance of the Division from the time of the landing at Inchon until the capture of Uijongbu, north of Seoul, is given below:

--------------+--------+-------------+--------+------------------------
Unit | POWs | Area of |Strength| Remarks
|captured| employment | |
--------------+--------+-------------+--------+------------------------
226th Marine | 183 |Inchon | 2,000 |In the Inchon area
Regt | | | | prior to the landing.
| | | | Newly conscripted
| | | | and poorly trained.
| | | |
918th (Coast) | 2(?) | do | 200 |In the Inchon area prior
Art Regt | | | | to the landing. 8 76mm
(Elements). | | | | guns. Wiped out or
| | | | scattered by naval and
| | | | air bombardment.
| | | |
Air Force | 91 |Kimpo | [485] |When out troops
Division | | Airfield | | approached the
| | | | airfield area part
| | | | of the personnel from
| | | | this unit withdrew
| | | | across the Han River.
| | | |
42d Mech | 11 |Between | 500 |Arrived in Seoul from
(Tank) Regt | | Inchon and | | Sinuiju in early Sept.
| | Seoul. | | 18 T-34 tanks.
| | | |
| | | |
107th Security| 270 |Kimpo Area | 2,500 |In the Kimpo area when
Regt | | | | we landed. A
| | | | quasi-military
| | | | organization.
| | | |
Rehabilitation| 16 |West of | 230 |This unit was organized
Bn (Special | | Yongdungpo.| | on 19 Sept and contained
Cultural) | | | | NK prisoners serving
Bn. | | | | sentence in Seoul.
| | | | Officers were also
| | | | former prisoners. Most
| | | | were serving sentence
| | | | for desertion.
| | | |
3d Regt, 9th | 23 |Yongdungpo | 2,000 |Remainder of the division
Rifle Div | | | | on the southern front.
| | | |
25th Inf Brig | 179 |Seoul |4,000- | Arrived from Chorwon on
| | | 5,000 | 20 Sept. An excellent
| | | | unit which opposed the
| | | | 5th Marines on the
| | | | western approaches
| | | | to Seoul.
| | | |
18th Rifle Div| 301 |Seoul and |8,000- |Arrived from Chorwon in
| | Yongdungpo.| 10,000| mid-August. Known as
| | | | the Seoul Defense
| | | | Division. It was the
| | | | only unit of division
| | | | strength in the area.
| | | |
43d Tank Regt | 56 |Seoul | 500 |Arrived from Wonsan 23
| | | | Sept. 10–15 T-34
| | | | tanks.
| | | |
19th AA Regt | 5 | do | 1,200 |In Seoul when we landed.
| | | | 37mm, 85mm, and 12.7mm
| | | | AT guns.
| | | |
76th Ind Regt,| 218 | do | 3,000 |Arrived from Wonsan after
42d Div | | | | 17 Sept. Was opposite
| | | | the 5th Marines but
| | | | withdrew from Seoul
| | | | almost intact.
| | | |
78th Ind Regt | 528 | do | 2,000 |Arrived from Sariwon on
| | | | 20 Sept. Opposed the
| | | | 5th and 1st Marines.
| | | | Put up stubborn defense
| | | | and suffered heavy
| | | | losses.
| | | |
513th Art Regt| 33 | do | 1,500 |Arrived from Chorwon on
| | | | 23 Sept. 1 76mm and 5
| | | | 45mm guns. Most of
| | | | the regiment served
| | | | as infantry.
| | | |
10th Railroad | 17 | do | 900 |In Seoul when we landed.
Regt. | | | | Its mission was to
| | | | maintain the security
| | | | of the railroad lines
| | | | and keep them in
| | | | operation. It
| | | | participated in the
| | | | defense of Seoul.
| | | |
31st Rifle | 345 | do | 3,600 |In Seoul when we landed.
Div/or Seoul| | | | Formed as a division
City Regt. | | | | on 20 Sept by an
| | | | amalgamation of units
| | | | in Seoul. Participated
| | | | in the defense of Seoul
| | | | and delayed our advance
| | | | north to Uijongbu.
| | | |
36th Bn, 111th| 32 | do | 750 |In Seoul when we landed.
Security | | | |
Regt | | | |
| | | |
2d Regt 17th | 41 |Seoul- | 3,500 |Withdrawn from the
Rifle Div | | Uijongbu | | southern front after
(Reinforced)| | | | the landing at
| | | | Inchon.
| | | |
75th Ind Regt.| 16 |Uijongbu | 2,000 |Arrived from Hamhung on
| | | | 30 Sept. Used as a
| | | | covering force to
| | | | cover the withdrawal
| | | | through Uijongbu.
| | | |
27th Inf Brig.| 123 |Suyuhyon | 5,000 |Arrived from Kumchon on
| | | | 1 Oct. Withdrew in
| | | | the face of the
| | | | advance of the 5th
| | | | Marines to Suyuhyon,
| | | | 17 miles northwest
| | | | of Seoul.
| | | |
Total Enemy Strength 44,380

[485] Unknown.

A total of 428 prisoners interrogated did not know enough of their own units to be further identified. Approximately 1,000 prisoners were not interrogated due to the heavy initial influx.

Prisoners were captured from some 24 units not listed above, but the number of prisoners captured from individual units was not sufficient to accept the presence of the unit. Further, many of these POWs were deserters or wounded from the southern front.

The identification, by date, of North Korean units opposing the 1st Marine Division is indicated below:

15 September 226th Ind Marine Regt 2,000 defending Wolmi-do
(2 Bns). and Inchon
918th Art Regt (2 Cos) 200 defending Wolmi-do

16 September 18th Rifle Div (Opposing 300 POWs and 1,350
1st Marines) enemy casualties for
the first two days,
15 and 16 Sep

17 September 42d Mech (Tank) Regt Lost 14 T-34 tanks
(Opposing 1st Marines)
107th Security Regt 400 POWs and 350 enemy
(Kimpo) (Opposing casualties
KMC & 5th Marines)

18 September NK Air Force EngBn 197 POWs and 450 enemy
(Opposing 5th Marines) casualties

19 September No additional 126 POWs and 600 enemy
identifications on casualties
fronts of 1st and
5th Marines

20 September 78th Ind Regt (Opposing 326 POWs and 600 enemy
5th Marines) No casualties
additional identifications
on front of 1st Marines

21 September No additional identifications 355 POWs and 1,350
enemy casualties

22 September Rehabilitation Bn (Opposing 395 POWs and 1,250
1st Marines). casualties
25th Inf Brig (Opposing
5th Marines)
31st Rifle Div (Seoul City
Regt) (Opposing 5th Marines)

23 September No additional identifications 169 POWs and 900
casualties

24 September do 67 POWs and 950
casualties

25 September do 142 POWs and 1,750
casualties

26 September 76th Ind Regt 407 POWs and 950
43d Tank Regt casualties
19th AA Regt
513th Art Regt
17th Rifle Div
(Opposing 1st & 5th
Marines)

27 September No additional identifications 139 POWs and 1,252
casualties

28 September do 206 POWs and 332
casualties

29 September do 507 POWs and 102
casualties

30 September do 328 POWs and 305
casualties

1 October do 124 POWs and 75 casualties

2 October 27th Inf Brig (Opposing 5th 82 POWs and 350 casualties
Marines)
75th Ind Regt (Opposing 7th
Marines)

3 October No additional identifications 103 POWs and 800 casualties

4 October do 118 POWs

5 October do 57 POWs

6 October do 144 POWs

In the above tabulation, a unit is shown only for the first day upon which it was identified by the capture of prisoners. In the cases of most of the units there were recurring captures of prisoners.