Tempered Steel

Chapter 18

Chomya was an agricultural center only three miles from the DMZ. South Korean units liberated the town just a day before and some units of the Big Red One made it up earlier in the afternoon and positioned themselves. The orders were for the advance units to get in position along the border and sit tight while the rest filled in behind them. The push into North Korea would be soon and every effort was made to consolidate and get ready. The Lieutenant Colonel in charge set up a command post in one of the schools and settled in for a quiet evening. His troops had moved to the old DMZ and were digging some entrenchments. He finished his evening meal and, after checking the messages again, pulled out a sleeping bag and was about to get a little bit if shuteye.

Suddenly shells began peppering the town shocking the Lieutenant Colonel from his rest. He grabbed his rifle and started yelling for people to get out of the building. A set of three shells hit the school building they were in and the roof fell in directly on top of everyone inside. The timbers caught fire and soon the whole building, along with many others in the town, was blazing.

Captain Hugh Buntz began gathering his men immediately after the shelling started. They began moving toward the main road when what seemed like a battalion of North Korean soldiers appeared from nowhere. The men put on a good show, but it was hopeless. The North Koreans overwhelmed the men taking care to shoot everyone as they went through.

On the DMZ the shelling continued. As the troops took cover, one soldier was horrified to see a wave of men pour through the fence on the North Korean side and make their way toward them. Mines went off everywhere, but the human wave kept coming. After a warning cry, the men began firing into the wave. In a minute the shelling stopped and the sound of the rapid fire machine guns filled the air. More mines went off — this time allied. The machine guns emptied case after case of ammunition and in some cases, the barrels began to melt. Yet the wave continued to make its way across the DMZ. Suddenly North Korean soldiers appeared behind the men at the Z. They fired their weapons into the trenches and other emplacements. As the human wave came through the barbed wire on the South Korean side, the firing had stopped.

“Where is the breakthrough?” Claire Richardson asked.

“It’s centered near Chomya on the border. We have reports they have already taken the town and are moving south. One radio report said they were coming across in a human wave. It was preceded by an artillery barrage. There are also reports of rocket attacks all along this line,” a Major said as he pointed out places on the map.

A telephone rang in the room and was answered. “General, it’s Colonel Yost.”

She grabbed the phone. “What do you have?”

“They are pouring through, General. Division strength at a minimum. I’m pulling my troops back to map section 23, but there’s no way to stop them right now. They ran their troops along the Z setting off every mine in the place and just kept coming. I don’t know about tanks or anything else. But the troops alone are killing us,” he said loudly. She could hear gunfire behind him.

“Yost, get your troops back as best you can. We’ll get things going here and get back to you. If you get any more information, let me know.”

“Will do, General,” he said as the line went dead.

Richardson turned to her staff. “They are pouring across the line. Yost says division strength at least. They used their own people as minesweepers and marched across. Gentlemen, I’ve half way been expecting this. I want all our troops to consolidate along this line,” she said pointing along the map. “Get reinforcements on either side, here and here, as fast as you can. I want to let them in and form a pocket. The troops in the middle give a good show, but keep pulling back until we can find out the extent of this. You all have that?”

The men and women in the room nodded. “OK get on it,” she said. The staff immediately began scurrying around the room, grabbing telephones and giving orders. One young man began issuing electronic orders via satellite. Richardson went to the opposite side of the tent and grabbed another telephone. She dialed a number and waited. “General Fulton, Claire Richardson. Have you seen the outbreak?”

“Yes, I’m trying to get a handle on it. What info do you have?”

“From the reports we have coming in, we have a major breakthrough near Chomya. I have reports they made a human wave attack across the DMZ and are pouring everything through.” She paused as someone handed her a piece of paper. “Now I have a report they are two miles south of Chomya heading southeast. I have moved my troops right and left along the line and have them making a pocket until we can see what they’re up to. I recommend we fall back along the line and then cut them off and circle them once the main part of their force is through. I am consolidating my troops on the flanks and pulling back in the center.”

“Good. I’ll have the other forces begin moving up the sides as well. I’ll fix the pull back line at the Namisum River. I’m also getting the Air Force and Navy to saturate the area. Get your troops back and enforce your positions on the flanks. I’ll get back to you,” he said.

Richardson returned to her staff. They were working quickly and efficiently. It was going to be a long night.

It was dark. Some woods and scrub beside one hill suddenly became active with men and equipment that appeared from seemingly nowhere. The rockets were pulled from their underground bunkers and motored to their launch points. Few knew the extent of the tunnel system under North Korea. They crisscrossed the entire country. The rockets were constantly being moved back and forth underground to make sure they were in the optimal position for launch. This was the first time the missiles had been in open air since they had been manufactured. The trucks backed into a concrete revetment where pipes were fitted to provide the fuels. The missile was raised on the back of the truck and a technician opened a panel and began programming the guidance system. It took only minutes and the panel was closed again. The men around the rockets began scurrying back inside. In just one minute the rocket ignited as a plume of fire shot from its exhaust. The missile quickly lifted from its cradle and accelerated upward into the night sky. Its rocket engine illuminated the valley surrounding them. Within just a few minutes the rocket was only a speck among the stars. Several soldiers standing guard on the hilltop were amazed. The same lights were appearing all along that section of hills, climbing into the sky and disappearing. They all knew it was something special.

USS Iowa steamed slowly into Ulsan Harbor. The message said to proceed to the Hyundai Shipyards where repairs would be made on her after funnel. The ship moved through the breakwater and proceeded upriver to the shipyard. Several ships were in drydock undergoing repairs, but this would not require that level of work. Lights were turned on along one section of pier and Hammond could see men moving along it. The pilot came aboard and told them the pier was ready and there was an American official waiting for them. As usual, the band was playing as the ship came in.

Hammond watched as the tugs pushed the Iowa into the pier. When close enough, the men threw their lines across and the big hawsers were pulled down and attached to the bollards on the pier. As he glanced aft, he noticed a car door open and a flag officer get out. Oh lord, he thought. Just what we need. But the thoughts vanished when he saw who it was.

RADM Mike Shranski waved up at Hammond as he walked forward on the pier. He pointed to the torn remnants of the after stack. “Nice decorator,” he shouted up.

Hammond smiled and waved. “She comes in once a week.”

Both men were genuinely happy to see the other. As the brow was positioned, Shranski was the first across. After being bonged aboard he shook Hammond’s hand warmly. “Good to see you again, Roger. Somebody said you needed some fixing and they sent me over to help out.”

“Good. If it had been any other Chop, I might have turned around and gone home. How are you doing, sir?”

“Pretty fair. I have a bunch we need to talk about, but first some business.” Shranski turned to a shipyard man who had come up with him. “Captain Hammond, this is Mister Gee. He’s got a present for you.”

Gee shook hands and bowed slightly. “It is an honor to have you in our shipyard, Captain. After all you and your crew have done, we are happy to make your repairs,” the man said.

“Thank you, sir. As you can see, we had a little run in with a missile or two,” Hammond said pointing back toward the stack.

“Yes, we understand. Admiral Shranski brought us the blueprints a few days ago and we have completed the upper section of your funnel. My crews should have it repaired within three days,” Gee said.

“His crews will also take a look at where the other missiles hit and make repairs there as well. I had your descriptions and they can manufacture it,” Shranski said.

“That’s a lot quicker than I thought. I had the feeling we would be out at least two weeks or more.”

Gee beamed. “No, Captain, we made the funnel in our shops. We will come aboard this evening and begin cutting the remainder of the funnel at a certain height and then simply weld the two together. The interior ducting is already inside. If all works well, we should be able to match everything up,” he said. “The crane above you can lift it on the ship with no problem.”

Hammond glanced at the crane on the pier. It had a long extension arm and a giant pulley with many strands of cable. He was staring at it when the air raid alarm sounded. “Everyone inside the armored belt! General Quarters!” Hammond shouted. “OOD, get everyone inside and you and your watch take cover,” he yelled as the announcement was made and the general quarters alarm went off.

The shipyard officer dashed back down the brow as men began to scramble to their stations. Hammond grabbed RADM Shranski and almost pulled him up the ladders into the ship and farther into Strike.

“We have inbound missiles, Captain. Three are targeted within the city,” called out one of the watch standers.

“Ballistic missiles or cruise missiles?”

“Ballistic missiles, Captain. We don’t have the capability to counter them,” he said.

Watching the satellite screen, the incoming missiles appeared as red dots with a half circle under them with a long line indicating the speed. The line was very long. “Battle stations manned. Zebra set,” reported another watch stander.

“Very well!” said Hammond.

The XO came into Strike. “You weren’t planning on getting underway were you? He asked.

“Not really. Let’s ride this out and see what happens. Do they have the capability for nukes?”

“I’m not sure if these are short or medium range Captain,” said the duty officer. “If they’re medium range, they could,” he said.

Hammond looked at his XO. “Set Circle William.”

“Aye, Captain.” He grabbed the 1MC. “Set Circle William throughout the ship. Ready the water washdown system,” he ordered.

Throughout the ship men began closing the last fittings that would protect them against nuclear fallout. Ventilators were closed and all other openings to the outside were sealed where they could. The bridge watch transferred to the bridge on the 0–8 level and closed all the doors and windows. All around the ship men began to worry. They could handle bombs, planes, missiles, or nearly anything else that goes ‘boom,’ but the thought of a nuclear blast made their skins crawl. For the first time, many of the men were scared. All they could do was wait. “Circle William set, sir.”

In the distance, an explosion was heard. Then a second one. The third seemed almost beside the ship, but the ship didn’t shudder or rock. It had missed. Looking at the satellite screen, the missiles were targeted all across the southern peninsula. One-by-one they blinked out as they struck the ground. The men waited for a few minutes to see if any more appeared. When they didn’t, Hammond picked up the 1MC. “OK guys, it looks like the missile attack is over. Luckily they were conventional. But this reminds us that we are still in a very dangerous shooting war. Be prepared to go to battle stations anytime and anywhere. Our job here is to do some repairs and get back out to sea. The good guys may need us much faster than we figured, so let’s do all we can to get the job done,” he said.

Placing the microphone back in its cradle, Hammond turned to the XO. “They did a good job setting Circle William. You and a couple of guys go around and do a spot check. When you’re satisfied, secure from general quarters.”

“Will do, Captain.” He grabbed Ops and called down to DC Central to get the Master Chief and Blackie.

“Admiral, why don’t you and I go to my cabin,” Hammond said. They exited Strike and went down a ladder to his cabin. “Come on in, Admiral,” Hammond said with a smile. He ushered Shranski to an armchair and he took the end of the couch.

“You know, Roger, you’re making quite an impression of a lot of people back home,” Shranski said. “I understand the President wants your funnel cap mounted on the White House lawn.”

“You’re kidding me. We’re just doing our job. What’s so different about us, sir?” Hammond asked.

Shranski shrugged. “Oh, I don’t know. Your band is making headlines, we hear about you guys shooting up a bunch of supply depots and tank farms, then you go and get hit by three missiles. The fact you aren’t dead rates at least an honorable mention,” he joked. “I also know Thacke has been shouting your praises to the winds and the carrier group commander wants to have your children. Not bad for a surface puke.”

Hammond grunted. “Hell, the band plays because I like how they sound and the crew enjoys it; especially when they have a tedious job. The rest is just what we do. You were a SWO, if you were a frigate captain, wouldn’t you put your ship in harms way?”

Shranski stifled a laugh. “I know a lot who wouldn’t. Anyway, the right people think you’re doing a great job and I’m one of them,” he said.

Hammond grinned. “Thanks, Mike.”

Shranski threw up a hand. “Don’t thank me yet. One of the tasks I have while I’m here is to investigate how you lost your stack. So while they weld another one on, I am supposed to pry into what was done and who did it. I have four other guys to help. We’ll start tomorrow,” he said somewhat sternly. Then he eased up a little. “But while we’re here, just go on about your business. Get your ship fixed and get back in the war. You know what I’ll be looking for and who I’ll need to talk to. I’ll work with your XO and get it done. Don’t worry, if something’s messed up, I’ll let you know,” he said with a grin.

Hammond nodded. “Okay, I’ll have the XO and department heads check in with you and round up the usual suspects. We don’t have a thing to hide. The logs are with the quartermasters and the watch officers. The XO knows who was on watch and where. I particularly want you to single out the repair parties and the gunners. They did an awesome job. The XO himself had the deck and conn. I was in Strike. My ship is yours for whatever you need,” he said.

Shranski smiled at the man. He was modest as hell and wanted the credit to go to the troops. Shranski already knew how the investigation would go. “Don’t worry, Roger. We’ll get through this. Would you mind if we stayed aboard while we work? If we have to get underway with you it will make it a little easier.”

Hammond’s face broke into a wide grin. “I had a feeling you would want to get underway with us. You’ll love the hell out of it. Come on,” he said standing. “Your cabin is right next to this one.”

As the men exited the cabin, the crew secured from general quarters. There was a shipyard conference to do and some extra officers to bring aboard. The XO was concerned about the investigation, but not overly so. He could think of nothing to be ashamed of or against regulations. The after boiler rooms had been shut down for the last 48 hours and the steam cross connected to keep the generators running and the ship moving. The forced draft blowers had been kept running to pump cool air into the boiler casings and stacks to lower the temperatures inside. By midnight, the shipyard crew had come aboard and measured off five feet above the deck on the remnants of the after stack. A straight line was drawn and the torches began cutting through the thick steel. Up above, some workers welded some eyes to the stump of the funnel and attached steel cables. The overhead crane extended and the hook was lowered. Once the cables were attached, the crane took a strain and just waited. In four hours, men crawled inside the funnel and began welding through the inner baffles. By seven am, the last of the metal had been cut away and the remnant of the funnel pulled cleanly away from the ship it had been attached to since 1943. It was set on the pier, soon to be joined by an exact duplicate of the stack that had just been completed by the shops.

“It was a massive incursion. We have tanks, a few helos, lots of artillery and a world full of infantry coming across the border. General Richardson initiated the strategy by pulling her troops east and south and consolidating along a line from Ibonp'o to Goyang. General Monahan is holding the line from Goyang to Suweon,” said a briefer before the assembled senior officers.

“That’s a pretty big pocket for these guys to fill,” said General Ryan Bradley, the Army Chief of Staff. He had come to Korea to check on the troops. There were fifteen Army, Navy and Marine commanders from seven nations in the room.

“Yes it is, General,” said Richardson. “But this gives us the chance to draw what they have out and then nip it off like a polyp during a colonoscopy. Even if we fall back to the coasts, we have that twenty-five mile corridor we can operate in all the way up the coast. The North knows if they move in, the battleships will be there to take them out. The idea would be that we let them come up against a brick wall and then we go over that wall from Yangyang and drive straight across the peninsula to Seoul. Cut through fast and clean and then choke them off.”

“I agree. There are some good passes through the mountains we can use, and I have people getting me information on the new tunnels they are using to move people around. If you can get me some special operations troops, we might be able to sabotage their works before the move,” said General Yao, the leader of the South Korean Forces. “General Richardson and I have been talking about this and she is providing some Marine Recon forces. I could use some more help.”

“While holding my line, I plan on sending a couple of brigades up the coast to the outskirts of Inchon. If I could take the port, we could set up an end run that would knock their socks off,” Monahan said.

“And I will have all the battleships and cruisers off the coasts by this time tomorrow. I will coordinate some additional air sorties against what we can see,” said Thacke, sitting in the back of the room.

“Sounds like you people have been talking,” Bradley said with a chuckle. “The main problem I see is knocking out their supply lines. The damn North Koreans have tunneled their way all across the area from what I understand. Even their stockpiles are underground and right now I don’t know where they are. The good news is right about now the Allies are launching a spy satellite that’s going to sit right on top of Korea. By this time tomorrow we might have an idea where everything is coming from. General Yao, I will get you those units. Anything we can do to louse up their operations will help. What else can I do to help all of you?” he asked.

“Just be ready for anything, General,” Monahan said. “From what we’re hearing these guys are almost fanatical in their devotion to Kim. They’re killing everyone in their way and moving on. We’ve actually seen what appeared to be suicide squads being thrown against our troops. It may get a little messy.”

I’m not looking at this to be any kind of pushover,” said General Bradley, “And I’ll defend whatever you must do to achieve our objectives as long as it is within reason. I will say the same thing to the President. You won’t hear any squawking from Washington.”

Monahan stood. “Very well then, get everything lined up. I want this kicked off as soon as we see some slackening in the number of troops coming across. That will be our sign. Get your people and equipment in place and be ready. When this happens, I want these people to wish they had never even heard of South Korea,” he said. All the people stood up and began leaving the room. General Bradley stopped Richardson before she left.

“Claire, I’m glad to finally meet you. You’re one hell of a tactician and one damn fine field commander,” he said shaking her hand.

“Just an old grunt, General. Though I must say I am enjoying it.”

“Well, your plans and your leadership got us this far. Your people advanced farther and faster than any others. I’d say more, but you’re just a Marine,” he said.

Both laughed. “I didn’t do much, General. When you have good people, they do all the work for you.”

“Spoken like a true soldier. I just wish I could be here to see this done. You and your people are poised to make some history. When the word comes down to go, turn ‘em loose and kick ass. I like your thinking. We can pinch these guys off and leave the North with very little to defend themselves. Just make sure you don’t get overwhelmed.”

“We’ll be ready. If you decide to stay, you can come along with us.”

“Don’t tempt me,” he joked while shaking her hand again.