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Post by Yan Taylor on May 9, 2015 5:26:00 GMT -6
There is quite a lot of data concerning the 31st Infantry from around that period (1947-57). I am not sure if its commander was a certain Colonel A. MacLean who went on to lead Task Force MacLean in the Battle of Chosin. Here is a shot of MacLean. Ian.
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Post by mac on May 9, 2015 6:45:08 GMT -6
He was a damned good brigade commander in the 42nd "Rainbow" Division in WWI. As Chief of Staff he turned on vets during the Bonus March in DC. Patton and Eisenhower were both there as well, but in fairly minor roles. He did set the stage for mechanization of the Army during his tenure as C of S. His performance during the first days of the war was worse than either Kimmel or Short and he should have been relieved for cause. He was well past his sell by date. Five hundred years from now the only thing he will have in the plus column is his administration of Japan. He would have been gone by mid 43 were it not for the performance of Kruger and Eikelberger (sp) 6th and 8th Army commanders respectively, and took all the credit for everything they did. In Korea he hated the ground Walker walked on, and tried to undercut him at every turn. He really screwed Walker with the separate command relationships of 8th Army and X Corps (which was commanded by Almond who at the same time was MacArthur's Chief of Staff). He was also a moral coward who kept his mistress in a love nest in Dupont Circle DC, and scared to death his mommy would find out. She was from the Philippines, and mommy would have cut his nuts of had she known. Keep in mind Mac was C of S of the Army at the time and afraid of his mommy. Inchon was an off the shelf FECOM Op Plan called Blue Hearts developed in 1946 or 47. When you disobey the direct order of the President of the United States not once but twice you deserve to be relieved. MacArthur was in tight with the Speaker of the House Joe Martin, and that saved his butt the first time. There was no one west of San Francisco that was the equal of Chester Nimitz, and few maybe two his equal anywhere else. Absolutely agree!! Cheers
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Post by mac on May 9, 2015 6:46:28 GMT -6
I am quite looking forward to this event. I so hope HR comes to the ring. Cheers
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Post by AZ Ranger on May 9, 2015 7:41:30 GMT -6
He is looking for links and pictures to post.
Standby
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Post by quincannon on May 9, 2015 7:47:14 GMT -6
Ian: The 31st "Polar Bear" Infantry Regiment is an interesting story. They were known as America's Foreign Legion having never served within the Continental United States up until recent times. They were part of the Philippine Division in 1941, and while their lineage states they surrendered to the Japanese 14th Army in April 1942, they actually hid their colors in the regimental punch bowl, "The Shanghai Bowl" and buried it to be later recovered. So it is actually more proper to say they "were surrendered" them not having much to say in the matter. They were reactivated at the close of the war and replaced a National Guard regiment in the 7th Infantry Division.
I am not sure when MacLean took over the 31st, but he was killed at Chosin early in the fighting on the east bank. The man standing next to him is LTC Don Carlos Faith MOH, who was also killed late in that same fighting after the TF was renamed TF Faith. Faith was an early paratrooper and was Ridgway's Aide de Camp in the early days of the 82nd as an airborne division, and was along side Ridgway when that worthy made his first jump.
TF MacLean consisted of a battalion of the 31st and a battalion of the 32nd, along with one of the 7th ID's FA battalions. Headquarters was from the 31st. Faith was from the 32nd. Like Reno they too broke out from the east side of Chosin, losing about 80% and only escaped because the Chosin was frozen over.
Sidebar: If you or anyone should ever run across a 31st Infantry insignia of the Philippine period, examine it very carefully. The Polar Bear eye was a real ruby.
Mac: I am looking forward to HR joining this thread as well. I think it will be today. He was tied up with personal business most of yesterday.
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Post by dave on May 9, 2015 9:04:31 GMT -6
QC I agree with you regarding MacArthur. I had forgotten his WW 1 activities but his errant behavior in WW 2 cost countless lives sacrificed to the Altar of Doug. Nimitz was an example of America having ordinary men rise to the occasion and being brilliant. Regards Dave
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Post by quincannon on May 9, 2015 9:20:40 GMT -6
Ian that picture of MacLean and Faith was taken after mid 1949 and before the 7th Division became involved in Korea in the fall of 1950. Chances are it was early in that period. Faith was a squadron commander in the 12th Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division up to March of 1949 when the 12th was inactivated as part of the reorganization that converted the 1st Cavalry Division from a square two brigade division to a standard triangular infantry in all but name division. The assets from the 12th Cavalry were used to form the 32nd Infantry.
The 6th and 7th Infantry Divisions were withdrawn from Korea less personnel and equipment, a process only known to the convoluted ways of the U S Army. The 6th was placed on the inactive roles, and was not again active until it surfaced at Fort Ord California as a training division. The 7th's colors were redeployed to Japan, and was filled from various "already in Japan" resources, mainly the 12th Cavalry made excess, excess personnel from the 11th Airborne whose colors went from Japan to Camp Campbell Kentucky, and an overall reduction of every regiment, save the "colored 24th Infantry Regiment of the 25th Division, from 3 battalions to the reduced size of only two battalions. The 24th was spared because they were the only placed black soldiers could be utilized in Japan, this regardless and in defiance of Truman's integration of the Armed Forces directive of a year or so before.
Always remember in the U S Army, save the National Guard, the history and lineage of units of the U s Army follows the Colors, not the personnel. In the National Guard lineage is tied to home location of the unit. When their ceases to be a Company A of the 116th Infantry in Bedford, Virginia, the world as we know it will end, and the Mobile Infantry will operate from the starship Roger Young ---- "There ain't no time for glory in the Infantry" "Shines the name, shines the name of Roger Young"
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Post by quincannon on May 9, 2015 9:26:54 GMT -6
Nimitz was great Dave, because of horse shoes and classical music, which he used to think through vexing problems and relieve stress. Very few like him EVER. The greatest naval officer in American history. No flash, all brain.
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Post by Yan Taylor on May 9, 2015 11:22:07 GMT -6
In 1947 the 31st Infantry was down to a third of its strength and its 3rd battalion had no men at all, and it got worse with sergeants commanding platoons and lieutenants commanding companies. I think at one point the whole regiment fielded about 800 all ranks.
When the 31st first got issued with the new 75mm recoilless rifle, they came without field manuals, but an experienced staff sergeant called Joe Wolfe who had never seen one before, stripped one down, identified the parts and re-assembled it and showed the others how it worked.
Chuck, the insignia you mentioned, is it the shoulder patch or the flag.
Ian.
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Post by quincannon on May 9, 2015 12:17:41 GMT -6
That period you mentioned is while the 31st was still in Korea, and before they moved to Japan. They were hardly better off when they were reorganized in Japan as stated above. What made it worse for the 31st and the rest of the 7th Infantry Division is that they were the last of the four in Japan to go to Korea, and they were stripped to the bare bones in Japan to provide fillers for the first three. There was one FA battery in the 7th Division that lost all but the battery commander, a Second Lieutenant and the First Sergeant who was the battery clerk the day before. For Inchon they were brought up to strength by nearly untrained personnel straight out of basic in the States, and the sweepings of hospitals, guard houses, and anywhere else the FECOM could lay their hands on a warm body barely breathing or not. They also were partially filled by KATUSA's Korean children would were excess to the requirements of the ROK Army (people the ROC's did not have either the space or ability to absorb). They could not speak English and the M-1 Rifle was for the most part too big for them to handle. The 7th was no damned good for the most part until attrition took its toll and experience levels rose the hard way.
The insignia with the ruby eye is what we call a distinctive unit insignia or DUI. It is a metal device worn on the uniform to identify your particular unit. The 31st's is a Polar Bear in silver with a distinctive red eye. These insignia are usually based upon the regiment's or battalion's coat of arms but not always. In the UK you call it a regimental badge and it would be worn on the beret. Same, same.
If you have a copy of Garry Own in Glory look for a picture of Company H, 7th Cavalry, then commanded by the author of that book taken I think at Drake Barracks near Tokyo in late 49. Count noses and then realize that Company H, the heavy weapons company of the 2nd Battalion 7th was authorized over two hundred people. Compute the delta. and multiply by four division with of that delta and you can determine how bad off Eighth Army was on the eve of Korea.
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Post by Beth on May 9, 2015 12:36:57 GMT -6
QC I agree with you regarding MacArthur. I had forgotten his WW 1 activities but his errant behavior in WW 2 cost countless lives sacrificed to the Altar of Doug. Nimitz was an example of America having ordinary men rise to the occasion and being brilliant. Regards Dave You know you can tell a lot about people by looking how they chose to be buried. Nimitz MacArthur Truman
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Post by quincannon on May 9, 2015 12:42:34 GMT -6
And Ray Spruance, his best friend, is right beside Nimitz. Another simple man of great intellect and ability.
The Halseys of this world are a dime a dozen who could not find the bathroom if they did not have the Nimitzes and Spruances to show them where it was.
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Post by quincannon on May 9, 2015 21:14:02 GMT -6
OK: It is nearly Mother's Day and I celebrate all holidays with at least one trivia question. This one is particularly for the Cousins.
Which US unit that served in FECOM between 1950-53 had a title bestowed upon it by a Queen? Which Queen? Why?
I do not think I have given you enough information to look it up on the internet, and Montrose's may know. but he isn't telling.
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Post by Yan Taylor on May 10, 2015 7:49:48 GMT -6
I haven't a scoobie Chuck, but I thought that FECOM was top secret mob.
Ian.
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Post by quincannon on May 10, 2015 17:51:03 GMT -6
There is noting secret about Far East Command (FECOM), especially when MacArthur was around. They had a press release every time the man had a bowel movement.
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