[368] Col B. T. Hemphill, Comments, 30 Jan 59.
General Van Fleet visited the 1st Marine Division CP on 12 March 1952, and announced an important command decision. After six months of defensive warfare in the same sector along Line MINNESOTA (20 September 1951 to 16 March 1952) the Division was to move across the peninsula to West Korea.
EUSAK DISPOSITIONS
15 MARCH 1952
MAP 22
The Marines had orders to relieve the 1st ROK Division and take over a sector at the extreme left of the Eighth Army line under the operational control of I Corps ([Map 22]). There they would have the responsibility for blocking Korea’s historic invasion route to Seoul. The reasons behind this EUSAK decision were summarized in the 1st Marine Division report as follows:
(1) The abandonment of plans to carry out an amphibious envelopment somewhere on the east coast;
(2) Concern over weaknesses in the Kimpo area defenses;
(3) The overall situation would not permit loss of ground on the EUSAK left (South Korea) as this would endanger the capital at Seoul; that if retraction of lines was necessary, territory could better be sacrificed on the right (North Korea) where the country was mountainous and had little economic or strategic value.[369]