and record on the port . . . its approaches, the sand bars flanking its channel, and especially the peculiarities of the currents which give the place one of the swiftest, most treacherous tides of any port in the world . . . after all that, and against the advice of experts in every branch of amphibious warfare—MacArthur made his decision . . . INCHON! The landing was an absolute success. Marines hitting the island guarding the harbor, then others scaling the sea walls around the basin itself, drove ashore against only relatively light opposition, which was soon eliminated. With the port secured, reinforcements pouring in and the airfield taken, the next major abjective lying ahead of the Marines was the city of Seoul itself. The photographs in this chapter, “The City”, were made during the battle to liberate that Communist-occupied capital. No one knew, for sure, just where the North Koreans had decided to hold for their defense of the city. Soon after the fall of the airfield the Marines had been briefly stalled when they hit the River Han . . . then other Marines roared up in amphibious tractors and they swarmed across. Apparently the Reds saw the tractors as some new type of tank which crossed fields or rivers with effortless speed then tore down upon them loaded with shooting, wildly shouting men in faded green. So, at first, they broke and ran. By the time other Reds identified the tractors for what they really were, it was too late . . . the river had been crossed and the men in dusty green were in the hills on both sides of the SeoulMukden railroad tracks and moving upon the western edge of the city. From high up on his hilltop, in a deep and carefully dug command post only recently abandoned by the enemy, the captain of the forward assault company kept in constant radio contact with his observers out along the rim of the hill and with the riflemen in the fields of it’s lower slopes. For the Reds had turned and were making desperate attempts to recapture the hill . . . it controlled the final approaches into the suburbs. For three nights and two days the company held 이것이 전쟁이다! Ⅴ. The City l 123
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