Knife Combat in Korea

By Tracy Rogers

e was an Army Airborne paratrooper in WW II and the Korean War. His name was Joe Maggio from Brooklyn, New York and he was my dads business partner in Florida where I lived as a kid. Dad said Joe was a war hero who served as a commando and saw a lot of action in Korea. As soon as I heard this, I knew I wanted to be a commando and pushed Joe to tell me war stories. This is one of them. One time Joes unit was caught between the enemy and advancing friendly forces. The American troops were in the mountains at high elevation and bitter cold. The battle lines had become confused in the terrain and from the backand-forth sporadic firefights. Joes group finally figured out they had wandered behind enemy lines. They moved quickly to avoid detection. The small unit couldnt afford to shoot it out because the enemy greatly outnumbered them, so instead they chose to sneak away. Several factors worked against the US troops escapethe proximity to enemy forces, time, climate, elevation and the basic problems of combat in the cold with heavy winter clothing. For Joes American patrol to withdraw without alerting the enemy or risking friendly fire meant silent killing and invisible escape. Plain and simple, Joe said that meant knife work. The climate and elevation were the worst conspirators against their plans to use their knives. The extreme cold already caused a soldiers breath to become a signal plume of steam at sunrise and visible from several feet away. A wounded mans body heat escaping from a wound or spilled blood was the same or worse, as it was a steady rising cloud rather than a small wisp. Joe said you could see the steam by moonlight at times. There was also the problem of heavy winter clothing that could lessen the effectiveness of an attack with a knife. But once through the enemy uniform, the elevation could also cause a loud pop with the typical

bayonet attack to the chest. The high altitude caused the lungs to make a distinctive popping or hissing sound when released from a stab wound. The Americans plan was to take out the enemy troops encountered on what was thought to be the safest route off the mountain. The plan depended on stealth, and the skill of the soldiers armed only with knives. Avoiding enemy camps, the North Koreans they maneuvered to encounter were either patrolling or standing guard at various points. They were each attacked by at least

two Americans at the same time to improve the chances of a silent attack. After an enemy was eliminated, his body was placed wound-side down to reduce any telltale steam clouds. The plan worked. Joe lived to tell the tale. All the factors involved necessitated the use of knives rather than guns in combat, and it wasnt hundreds or thousands of years ago, it was in the good old 50. I was only 10 or 11 when Joe told his story, but Ill always remember it, and my vision of Korean moonlight glinting off US knives.

34 Close Quarter Combat Magazine