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TURKEY SHOOT AT TURKEY HILL At the Chosin Reservoir the Chinese lowered the boom on the 1st Marine Division on the night of 27-28, November, 1950. Ten divisions of their infantry came out of the snow-buried hills to unleash their fury against the Marine perimeter at Yudam-ni, and farther south at Hagaru-ri. Simultaneously they slammed a reinforced regiment against Fox-Seven's position at Toktong Pass. Another Chinese battalion made an all-or-nothing attempt to annihilate Charley-Seven, isolated that night in savage combat on Hill 1419. One-Seven already knew Hill 1419. Situated two miles south of Yudam-ni, it was a high knob that commanded the only road in or out of that forsaken place. We called it Turkey Hill because on Thanksgiving Day, after Baker-Seven had taken it in a brisk fight, Regiment sent up the traditional "turkey and trimmings." Both the Marines and turkeys were mostly frozen by then, but we "gobbled" the meal, and after that, Hill 1419 became know as "Turkey Hill." Late on the afternoon of the 27th, Lieutenant Colonel Ray Davis led Charley Company, less one platoon, out of the Yudam-ni perimeter to help Baker Company bring out its casualties from a fight in the high ground west of the MSR. It was midnight before Baker made it to the road loaded its 30+ KIA's and WIA's aboard the six-by-sixes, and limped back into Yudam-ni. The Chinese, in trailing attacks, had followed Baker down to the road, just opposite 1419. Colonel Davis then ordered Charley to occupy Turkey Hill to deny it from the enemy. An hour later the Chinese, frustrated that Baker had broken away, came full force at Charley. There were no preliminaries to that night's fight, because the Chinese did not need their usual probing attacks to feel out Charley's positions. From across the road, only a few hundred yards distance, their commanders watched the Charley's two platoons as they set a crescent-shaped hasty defense on the forward slope. Right away, Chinese mortars fell, throwing snow and frozen earth and shrapnel along the line and into the company CP that was situated close behind. Then came the blare of bugles, the shrill whistles, the sounds of hell that all of One-Seven knew from Sudong-ni -- and how many other desperate hills? -- a Chinese night attack. From the snowy ground arose a mass of the quilted enemy -- scores of them? -- hundreds? -- a "shitload full" was the common term -- and they came up the hill, first at a slow trot, burp guns blazing from the front ranks. "M'lines die!" they screamed, and "Sha! Sha!" ("Kill! Kill!) Charley waited until the Chinese were close enough so that every round counted, then "Open Fire!" BAR's and the 30's stitched the Chinese line, and aimed fire from the M1's took out "one gook at a time." Charley's 60's thumped away, illumination first, then HE that landed a hundred yards down the slope, exploding into clumps of enemy soldiers, taking them out of the fight. .Farther down the hill, where even more of the enemy massed, there came the crescendo of the 105's firing by coordinates from Yudam-ni. But the Chinese came on; their commanders had no shortage of men, and lives were of little matter. Their forward ranks fell under the Marines' withering fire, but those behind picked up the burp guns and others, in close now, hurled their stick grenades. Marine grenades answered, then it was bayonets, rifle butts, knives, and fists and knees, eyeball-to-eyeball killing. The overwhelming numbers pressed back one flank, then the other. Squad leaders curved their men into a tighter line, as Charley circled the wagons. Ammo bearers from the mortars and machine guns, and Company headquarters people filled the gaps, riflemen now. And when the enemy backed off to reform for another attack, Marines gathered Chinese bodies and stacked them in front of their positions, parapets of death. Corpsmen dragged the wounded to a makeshift "aid station" in the middle of the tightened perimeter. The Chinese came back again and again. Marines went down, but there were many more dead enemy after each assault. Once, they attempted an attack from the ridgeline above the perimeter. Big mistake; the artillery forward observer with Charley had his primary registration on that ridgeline and the 105's fired for effect almost as soon as that attack began. Boarders repelled, one more time! The Chinese let up when the daylight showed the grim, snow-buried slope already studded with their bodies. Marine air, the crooked-wing Corsairs so dreaded by the Chinese, would soon be circling. An hour passed before the Chinese realized that no planes circled to protect the Marines on Turkey Hill. The Corsairs could not be called in, for Charley had no radio contact with them. When the frustrated commanders of this bruised battalion of Chinese infantry realized that there was no peril from above, they saw opportunity -- rare in full daylight -- to demolish the stubborn defenders of Hill 1419. Their attack resumed. "Kill M'line! Kill M'line!" Charley did have radio contact, though, with Battalion, also with the supporting artillery of the Eleventh Marines. At daylight, Colonel Davis had Able saddled up and ready to jump off. South across the high ground east of the MSR they went to flank the Chinese at Turkey Hill. Baker was on the way, too, although they needed longer to re-form after the pounding they took from previous day's fighting. By mid-morning every able-bodied Marine from One-Seven was sweeping south toward Turkey Hill, along both sides of the MSR. Able ran into Chinese resistance up in the high ground, but it did not last long. The big guns from Yudam-ni, and the battalion's 81 mortars cleared a swath along the ridgeline, and Able's rifle platoons leapfrogged each other forward, pushing through the enemy that were dug in between them and Charley's perimeter. Baker's way was easier, little more than long-range harassing fire from the hills west. By noon, both companies were fixed to spring Charley loose. For the Chinese, Turkey Hill had become a tiger-by-the-tail situation. Even before Able and Baker had formed into position to relieve Charley, the Chinese attempts to overwhelm the perimeter had weakened. Daylight attacks were not their style, and a ring of shrapnel from Marine artillery and mortars kept them at distance. No more close in assaults that morning. The Chinese commanders may have been wondering how to extricate their damaged battalion when all hell broke loose on them. Artillery, and mortar concentrations came down with vengeance, and when that fire lifted Able commenced its attack from the east, rolling up the Chinese who had not already tried to pull away. Those who did make it off Turkey Hill had to run the gauntlet of Baker's guns, spread in line across the valley. Those who thought they might escape were dismayed by the roar of airplanes in close support, flying low, south down the valley, napalm and cannons and rockets tearing up the ground and every Chinaman who moved. When it was over, Able and Baker, all of One-Seven watched in reverent silence as Charley came off the hill they had refused to yield. They brought with them 46 dead and wounded Marines. Nobody counted the number of enemy dead who were strewn across the slope in front of Charley, and across the valley going west, nor those on the rear slope that Marine artillery had wiped out. Hundreds of them -- a shitload full was again the common count -- bodies so thickly packed that in places the snow on the ground could not be seen. It was the turkey shoot at Turkey Hill! Author's note: Primary source for this account is U.S. Marine Operations in Korea, Vol. 3. And my own recollection as mortar officer of Baker-Seven. Well done, Charley Company, and all of One-Seven!
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