Korean War

United States Army
USA Army Notes

by Greg Novak

1. At the start of the campaign, the first Infantry Regiments to arrive in Korea from the 24th, 25th. and 1st Cavalry Divisions were understrength, with the exception of the 24th Infantry Regiment. The following list is of those Infantry Regiments that went to Korea in 1950, which battalions were present In the Initial lift, as well as where their additional battalion came from: (Players should remember that one battalion should be deleted from these regiments during games fought during the first two months of the war.)

REGIMENTBATTALIONSNOTES
21st1st. 3rd3rd/34th became the 2nd/21st when the 34th Infantry Regiment was broken up.
34th1st, 3rdBroken up August, 1950 due to poor performance
19th1st, 3rd1st/34th became 2nd/19th when the 34th Infantry Regiment was broken up.
24th1st, 2nd, 3rdAll Black Regiment
27th1st, 2nd3rd/29th became the 3rd/27th when the 29th Infantry Regiment was disbanded.
29th1st, 2ndBrought from Okinawa to be used as replacements. Committed to action and then disbanded.
35th1st, 2nd1st/29th became the 3rd/35th when the 29th was was disbanded.
5th Cavalry1st, 2ndThe 3rd/14th Infantry, which was the only battalion in the US Army trained in mountain warfare became the new 3rd/5th Cavalry.
7th Cavalry1st, 2ndThe 3rd/7th Cavalry formed from elements of the School Troops/3rd Division from Fort Benning.
8thCavalry 1st, 2ndFormed from elements of the 7th Infantry Regt. which became the 3rd/8th Cavalry Regt.

2. All US Weapons Stands are considered as equipped with 57mm Recoiless Rifles. They may use them in any fire phase in place of their normal fire. After September, allow all US Weapons Stands 3.5" bazooka's In addition to their 57mm Recoiless Rifles.

3. All US Infantry Stands are considered as being equipped with 2.36" Bazookas. They may fire them in any phase in place of their normal fire. All other US Stands. ie Command, Support. etc may be considered as being equipped with 2.36" bazookas in the Close Fire Phase only.

All US Parachute Infantry Stands are equipped with the 3.5" Bazooka and may fire them in any Fire Phase in place of their normal fire.

4. Support Stands have a ROF of 1, a close range of 4", and a maximum range of 811. Considered them as one level less than the unit to which they are assigned.

5. The Infantry Regiments of the 24th, 25th. and 1st Cavalry Divisions did not have Regimental Tank Companies, with the exception of the 5th Infantry Regiment.

6. Due to a fear that the bridges and roadways of Japan could not take the weight of a medium tank, most of the Divisional Tank Battalions had been disbanded upon their arrival in Japan. The headquarters and all medium tank companies stood down, and the vehicles either put into storage, or shipped home. The Light Tank Companies (Company D under the TO&E, and equipped with the M-24 Chaffee) were retitled as Company A, and remained the only elements of the divisional tank battalions In existence.

These companies were shipped to Korea on the outbreak of the conflict, where their inability to deal with the T- 34/85 was quickly noted.

The 8th Army next activated the 8072nd Tank Battalion, which was equipped with rebuilt Shermans withdrawn from Ordnance Depots in Japan. After arrival in Korea, it was renamed the 89th Tank Battalion. and assigned to the 25th Infantry Division, picking up the existing light tank company.

In August, the headquarters and three medium tank companies of the 24th, 7th, and 1st Cavalry Division arrived from the United States. Of these battalions, the 6tb Tank Battalion was equipped with the new M-46 Patton, the 70th Avas equipped with a mixture of M-4 Shermans and M-26 Pershings - one Pershing and two Sherman companies, while the 73rd was equipped with M-26 Pershings. All three battalions picked up the Light Tank companies serving with their divisions.

7. As the conflict progressed, the Americans gained expertise the hard way in the field. By September, the American units should- be rated as being Experienced, morale 9.

8. For all vehicle and troop statistics, use the data for the United States in World War II, with the following exceptions;

M-46 60/25 14/690mmL50 ROF 2 (14) 1 MG, H: 1MG
M-19 70/50 2/1 40mmL56 ROF 7 (24)

WeaponROF2"5"10"15"20" 25"30"HE
3.5" RL19x34x3-----3
57mm RR19x26x22x21x2--- -
75mm RR19x39x36x35x34x32x31x34

9. The 27th Infantry Regient at this time was known as the "Hawaiian Mafia" to the US Army due to the fact that most Hawaiians serving in - the US Army, especially the Japanese Americans worked to put themselves into that unit. (The 27th had been stationed in Hawaii between WWI and WWII.) As the Japanese Americans felt that they had to hold up the honor of the 442nd RCT from World War II, and the fact that the leadership of the 27th was exceptionally good, I would rate the 27th as Experienced. Morale 9. from the start, and raise it to Veteran status by September.

10. US Infantry Regiments lettered their companies consequentially from A to M. with companies A, B, C, and D being in the first battalion. E, F. G, and H in the second, and I, K, L, and M in the third. Companies D, H, and M are Weapons Companies, while all others are Infantry.

United States Army


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© Copyright 1992 by Greg Novak.

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