`Highest damn beachhead in Korea': at Reno, Carson and Vegas—dubbed The Nevada Cities—Marines once again defeated the Chinese in March 1953

VFW Magazine, March, 2003 by Al Hemingway

"I'm sort of expecting all hell to break loose within the next two nights," wrote Lt. Col. John I. Williamson, commanding officer of the 1st Tank Battalion. "Sort of a hunch."

That "hunch" proved correct. The Chinese were massing for an all-out assault on the Marine COPs (combat outposts) named Reno, Carson, Vegas, Berlin, East Berlin and the Reno Block. Called "The Cities" by the Leathernecks, they stretched like a meandering snake from The Hook in the north to Bunker Hill in the south.

The mission of the infantrymen manning these small terrain features was to provide advance warning of an enemy attack on the MLR (Main Line of Resistance).

Vulnerable as a Stack of Dominos

Carson was the westernmost outpost, located 800 yards from the MLR. It blocked two Chinese positions--Ungok and Arrowhead. Reno was situated in the center. It was the farthest from the MLR, about 1,600 yards, and the most difficult to defend because of rough terrain.

Just south of Reno was an area called the Reno Block. Occupied only at night, it was established to stop an enemy drive on the MLR if COP Reno fell. Vegas, the highest of the outposts, was to the right of Reno and approximately 1,300 yards in front of the MLR.

In his book, The Final Crucible: Marines in Korea, 1953, author Lee Ballenger wrote: "The location of the Nevada Cities was a problem. They were surrounded by higher ground held by the enemy, and each one depended on the others for flank defense. If one outpost fell, the others were as vulnerable as a stack of dominos in a hurricane. As March waned, the winds began to blow."

Attacked `Like Tartar Hordes'

The enemy didn't disappoint the Marines. In the early evening of March 26, 1953, the Chinese 358th Regiment stormed the outposts "like Tartar hordes .from the steppes of Mongolia." 1st Lt. John F. Ingalls, of C Co., 1st Bn., 5th Marines, recalled: "As the bombard intensified, the men withdrew into the bunkers. Ammunition shortages was a problem, and I ordered them to fix bayonets."

Meanwhile, at Reno, the Marines were not so lucky. Chinese soldiers overran the outpost in short order. Survivors soon retreated into caves. However, the enemy quickly began sealing up the caves while riflemen were "passing out from lack of oxygen."

Elements of the 1st Bn., 5th Marines, were sent to help, but they also were ambushed at a steep incline near Reno Block known as "The Ladder: The infantrymen fought desperately, incurring numerous casualties.

Sgt. Bill Janzen remembered: "One was Pfc. Henry A. Fifield. He was wounded and knocked goofy by a mortar round that bent the barrel of his BAR (Browning Automatic Rifle). He didn't know if it would function or not, but said he'd take his chances with it and took off. That was his third wound in five and a haft months."

`Lit Up Like a Christmas Tree'

On Vegas the situation also was serious. Sgt. George Johannes, a forward observer with H Co., 3rd Bn., 5th Marines, had left the COP with a wounded Marine. As the chig-ee bearers (Korean Service Personnel) carried the wounded man's stretcher, Johannes provided security.

"Halfway down the hill," Johannes said, "a gook with a burp gun appeared in the trench about 20 feet in front of me. Five or six rounds from my carbine dropped him very quickly." Arriving at the MLR, Johannes saw Vegas from a distance "lit up like a Christmas tree."

Billy Rivers Penn, a Navy corpsman attached to 3rd Bn., 5th Marines, was jumped by two Chinese soldiers. "One stuck a bayonet through my left leg above the ankle," he later wrote. "He started to cock his rifle with the bolt action when I got my .45 and shot him in the head."

Surviving that, Penn was again bushwhacked by a Chinese soldier, but the corpsman "beat him unconscious with a rocky While placing a wounded Marine in the COR an enemy soldier tossed a satchel charge in it. When he awoke, the Chinese were digging out the survivors. Penn and the others were captured.

Deafening Noise

Col. Lewis "Silent Lew" Walt, commanding officer of the 5th Marines, realized he was in trouble and needed reinforcements to assist his men at the outposts. Given the 2nd Bn., 7th Marines, he hastily organized a counterattack to retake Vegas.

At dawn, air strikes, artillery and mortar barrages opened up on the tiny hilltop in preparation for the infantry assault. Three companies spearheaded the effort to seize the important COR Enemy artillery let loose with hundreds of rounds to stop the Marine advance.

Capt. John Melvin, leading D Co., 2nd Bn., 5th Marines, said later: "The noise was deafening. They would start walking the mortars toward us from every direction possible. You could only hope that the next round wouldn't be on target."

By afternoon, Walt committed F Co., 2nd Bn., 7th Marines, to the fight. Tanks from the 1st Tank Battalion led the way, belching round after round of 90mm armor-piercing shells.

Corpsman William R. Charette was busy treating wounded during the drive to capture Vegas. He leaped into a trench to save a wounded Marine. Suddenly, a grenade landed nearby.