Company D gained a foothold on one of Hill 117’s spurs against light resistance. As the unit advanced south toward the crest, however, enemy troops pouring across the MSR from 1/5’s zone had boosted the ranks of the defenders to approximately two battalions. Smith’s company was caught in its isolated position 500 yards from the rest of 2/5 and blasted by North Korean artillery, mortars, and automatic weapons. Casualties mounted at such a staggering rate that the Marines were hard put to retain their foothold on the northern tip of the hill.
While the 2d Battalion was maneuvering and fighting on the right of the road, the 2d Platoon of tanks pushed westward along the MSR from its early morning position 500 yards west of Yongsan. The Brigade armor became heavily engaged with enemy antitank weapons, and several casualties were taken as Marines exposed themselves from unbuttoned M-26’s to spot Communist emplacements. Second Lieutenant John S. Carson, who had taken over the platoon after Winter was wounded, fell before enemy machinegun fire and died instantly.
Going into hull defilade on another low hill overlooking the MSR, the 2d Platoon surprised three T-34 tanks on the road ahead and quickly destroyed them with 90-mm. fire. The tankmen then turned their guns on a wealth of targets spread across the front: Red antitank weapons, machinegun positions, troop concentrations, and groups either retreating or attempting to reinforce.
About noon, Second Lieutenant Sweet’s 3d Platoon joined the 2d and added its firepower to the fusillade. Another T-34 was knocked out when Sweet’s men blasted a thicket suspected of concealing an antitank gun. A fifth North Korean tank went out of action when it was abandoned by its crew on the left side of the road.
In the afternoon of 3 September, enemy resistance across 1/5’s front weakened proportionately as it grew stronger in the 2d Battalion zone. Newton launched his attack on Objective Two at 1510, after MAG-33 and 1/11 had softened up the North Korean positions.[341]
[341] Ibid.
Company B drove down the ridgeline paralleling the MSR and in little more than an hour had seized its part of the objective, a peak directly across the road from Hill 117. During the 1,000-yard advance, Fenton reported another large group of enemy fleeing to 2/5’s zone. The information was quickly relayed to Roise, who had ample reason by this time to curse the fortunes of war.
In Company A’s zone, Stevens and his platoon leaders worked out a classic scheme of maneuver for seizing Hill 91, their part of the battalion objective. McMullen’s 1st Platoon and the company machineguns were to remain in position as the base of fire, while Muetzel’s 2d Platoon feinted across the 200-yard valley to the front. Fox’s 3d Platoon, earmarked for the main effort, would then circle to the south and flank the enemy’s right.
2nd NAKTONG COUNTEROFFENSIVE