By Jeremy Kirk
Stars and Stripes
The U.S. military was ill-prepared for the icy fighting grounds of North Korea during the first winter of the war, when troops fought the weather as much as they fought hordes of enemy soldiers.
Many soldiers fought in frigid conditions without adequate equipment. Supplies of basic winter clothing were scarce in nearby Japan, and worldwide supplies were slim because of a post-World War II drawdown.
Korea’s icy winters and steamy summers kept quartermaster units and supply lines constantly taxed to provide the right equipment to their troops. Some supply problems only began to ease near the end of the war in 1953.
Military planners prepared for temperate climates, not for sub-zero battles. During the winter of 1950-51, frostbite became a stealthy enemy, robbing soldiers of their full mobility.
"Until you’ve felt it yourself, it’s (the cold) hard to explain," said Richard Sharp, who served as a corporal with 1st Marine Division at the Chosin Reservoir.
During the first year of the war, wool and cotton shortages left the military scrambling to meet needs. Newer synthetic fibers, such as rayon and nylon used for lighter field jackets, and parkas were in short supply.
Clothing was ordered, but the Army had to wait for manufacturers to catch up. Troop sizes jumped rapidly, and quartermaster requisitions couldn’t be met.
Subsequently, soldiers were generally only given clothes they needed for the current season. Clothing and supplies, including boots, parkas and entrenching tools, were saved when a soldier left Korea and given to replacement soldiers.
Front-line soldiers were slated to receive the best available equipment. But during the first winter, shifting battle lines, combat losses and low stocks caused a miserable supply situation.
By late October 1950, winter supplies reached Pusan. But the Eighth Army, Second Infantry Division soldiers and Marines were in the northern reaches of Korea, spread out along a massive front.
Communication with the front lines was poor, and soldiers couldn’t be supported directly from Pusan. Eventually, supplies were taken from Pusan to Inchon and other ports farther north, but inadequate roads hampered distribution.
When the Chinese entered the war, supplies were lost or destroyed as the Eighth Army retreated. Some divisions were completely re-equipped as many as four times.
In early December near the Chosin Reservoir, the 1st Marine Division suffered about 2,300 casualties, many of which were attributed to exposure.
The Korean Meteorological Administration doesn’t have information from the 1950s. But, they said, based on the weather in the Chosin Reservoir area Dec. 6 through 11 in 1970, the average high was -5 degrees and the low was -18 degrees.
"The cold was unbelievable, but after many, many years of cursing what we endured, I finally figured out it was our biggest ally," Sharp said. "The Chinese suffered a lot worse than we did from the cold. The cold was really in our favor."
In addition, U.S. gear was stolen from depots and harbors, and other materiel was given away.
When Lt. Gen. Matthew B. Ridgeway, Eighth Army commander, visited the 24th Infantry Division in December 1950, he found it lacked one-third of its winter clothing. Ridgeway immediately ordered an airlift to supply the troops.
By the next winter in 1951-52, clothing was available, but distribution still wasn’t adequate. After soldiers complained that rear units were often better equipped than front-line ones, the Eighth Army overhauled the quartermaster system.
Cold-weather gear was prioritized according to conditions and missions. Aggressive programs to combat blackmarketing and theft reduced the loss of supplies.
Commanders tried to minimize cold-weather injuries. Soldiers were advised to keep dry and wear clothing loosely for better ventilation.
Injuries dropped significantly compared to the first winter, helped by less intense fighting and more stable lines.
It was during this winter that the bulbous, rubber boots — nicknamed Mickey Mouse boots by soldiers — were introduced.
The new insulated boot replaced the shoepac, a boot designed for cold, wet weather. Shoepacs, known as "swampers," weren’t suited for long marches and Korea’s extreme cold.
But the new insulated rubber boot wouldn’t let out perspiration, increasing the chance of frostbite when a soldier stopped moving. No amount of clothing, however, could have kept a soldier warm during the Chosin campaign.
Men became incoherent from exposure. Rations froze in cans, and medical supplies had to be kept close to fire to prevent freezing.
Vehicles stopped running. Weapons froze, and automatic guns could sometimes only fire one shot at a time.
"It got to the point where we were standing guard in our sleeping bags," said Ronald Todd, who fought at Chosin with the Army’s 7th Division, 31st Infantry Regiment. "Our canteens were freezing."
Todd was eventually awarded the Purple Heart for frozen feet.
"You just shuffled (along)," Todd said. "I couldn’t feel anything from my knees on down."