24th Engineer Group

LINK: 24th Engineer Group in Germany The 24th Engineer Group (Construction) Korean War (Information copied verbatim from an engineer construction group history) This is the story of the first two years of Korean duty of the 24th Engineer Construction Group, from the time of its landing at Pusan on 7 December 1950 to the present. Commanded by Colonel Emil F. Klinke, the 24th arrived from Ft. Belvoir with but one attached unit—the 402nd Engineer Panel Bridge Company. In the two succeeding years, however, many units have served with the 24th, from Madong to Seoul. LTC Klinke CO ALFRED KLINKE wrote on April 14, 2014 City and State: SILVERTON CO Unit: 24TH ENGINEER CONSTRUCTION GROUP Service or Relationship: FAMILY MEMBER Comments: My father, Emil Fred Klinke, was commanding officer of the 24th and took the entire unit from Ft. Belvoir to Korea. He was the last man on the troop train when it departed Ft. Belvoir and was with the 24th for the next two years--1951 to 53. He was in his element there, designing bridges, working with the various units, dedicating bridges, working with his men. It was the high point of his career that began with his graduation from West Point in1930. He returned to Ft. Belvoir where he was none too happy working at ERDL and took an early retirement in 1955. He then continued working as an engineer, living in Palo Alto, California and retired from Lockheed Missiles & Space Co. in 1971 where he worked on the Polaris Missile System. He then worked for Westinghouse from age 70 until he was 82 and retired a third time in 1988. He died at age 93 on December 7, 1999. History The 24th officially began its tour with the Eighth United States Army in Korea on 10 January 1941, being then placed in support of X Corps. With Group, as they began two years of rebuilding in Korea, were the 79th Engineer Construction Battalion, the 74th Engineer Heavy Equipment Company, the 538th Engineer Field Maintenance Company, and the 1201st Engineer Construction Group (ROKA). They were joined shortly thereafter by the 44th Engineer Construction Battalion, the 86th Engineer Searchlight Company, and the 573rd Engineer Ponton Bridge Company. Early in February, Group moved 120 miles north to Sangju, where four units were attached pending arrival of the 32nd Group. These were relieved on 22 February 1951. During that month, the 86th Searchlight Company and the 1201st Group (ROKA) left, and the 313th Engineer Utilities Detachment joined. The following month, Group moved to Changhowon-ni, where the 453rd Engineer Construction Battalion joined our family. During this period, Group was concerned primarily in improving the MSR from Ulsan to Andong. In less than two months this road was converted to a two way military supply route; thirty (30) bridges were strengthened for class 50 ton traffic; mountain passes were widened, and improved road drainage instigated. Native Korean labor played an important part in this major undertaking. In the latter part of February, Group entered a new phase of operations. Switching to IX corps, we began the Herculean task of completely rebuilding fifteen (15) bridges previously destroyed by enemy action. That this task was carried out in a minimum of time, despite serious shortages of supplies, speaks well for the capabilities of the officers and men of units of the 24th Group. Another job worthy of notice was the construction, by the 74th Engineer Heavy Equipment Company, of the 4,500-foot airstrip at Hoengsong in only five (5) days! Another eighteen days saw the completion of parking aprons, overrun, drainage and road relocation. During this period, also, our family moved its headquarters to its present location in the National University of Seoul area, about 7 miles northeast of Seoul; the 2998th Engineer Treadway Bridge Company joined; the 453rd left us to be replaced by the 62nd Engineer Construction Battalion; and we were forced to evacuate our pleasant headquarters area at the university for a temporary location at Inchon. Back at the Seoul location in early June, Group started to rebuild again. Task after task was assigned to our units. Many of them large bridge building jobs such as Forney, Binyon, Han Hi-Level bridges at Seoul and Chungju, Hwachon, etc. There was also the Seoul-Chunchon railroad to rebuild, in spite of interruption by enemy action. Two large hospitals, a couple of schools, and some POW camps were included in the growing list of jobs tackled and successfully completed by units of the Group. Early in 1952 the 2998th Engineer Treadway Bridge Company was relieved of assignment. In May of 1952 the 573rd Engineer Ponton Bridge Company was attached to the 62nd Engineer Construction Battalion for operation and administration. In November 1952, the 402nd Engineer Panel Bridge Company was relieved from assignment to Group, and in December the 528th Engineer Field Maintenance Company was also relieved of assignment. At present, the Group units are: 62nd Engineer Construction Battalion, 79th Engineer Construction Battalion, 74th Engineer Heavy Equipment Company, 573nd Engineer Ponton Bridge Company, and 313th Engineer Utilities Detachment. We speak of the units in the Group, but these are made up of people—men who, in spite of many personal discomforts and often in complete disregard of personal safety, continued to do their job. Whether it is weather so hot and dry that ones lungs ache with every breath, or so wet and cold that it seems that one will never again know what comfort means, the men of 24th Group have continued to build the bridges and roads and airstrips that are so vital in today’s modern warfare, and so especially difficult in the Korean terrain: Men like Colonel Klinke, who provided the inspiration and technical ability to enable the Group to build 182 bridges in two years; Major Frank Parker, who performed brilliantly as Group Operations Officer until he was killed in an air crash in June of 1952; Captain John T. Cicur Jr., the pilot on that ill-fated day, who flew innumerable hours in the furtherance of our mission; 1st Lt. Charles R. Smith, who came to Korea with the 44th Engineer Construction Battalion as a Sergeant, and who was the sparkplug in the construction of Carney Bridge, and many, many more who have given unsparingly of themselves. In two years we have had almost a complete turnover of officers and men, yet the new arrivals do not hesitate to pick up the challenge left by those departing for more pleasant shores. We feel that the 24th Group can uphold its part of the traditions of the Corps of Engineers. Naturally, a great part of our work has been in the construction and rehabilitation of bridges, both highway and railroad. These range in size from a 20-foot concrete bridge on the Group access road to the Carney Bridge over the Han River. Both Contractor and Army personnel are employed in the construction of the latter bridge, which is reputedly the second largest bridge in North and South Korea, and the largest undertaken by the Engineers in Korea. In July 1951 a contract was let for a survey to determine the condition of all piers and footings of the Carney site, and to determine position of sunken superstructure, and the feasibility of salvaging a sunken M-2 treadway bridge. Work also started on the construction of two spans at the North and South ends. These two spans were completed in September 1951. Also in September, a contract was let for the clearing of steel from the bottom of the river, and driving of timber piles. This contract was never completed as insufficient penetration was received due to bed rock being located approximately 5 feet below river bottom. At this time the use of pneumatic caissons and permanent concrete piers was decided upon. A contract was let for the construction of the required 8 caissons and concrete piers. Progress was delayed during this period due to heavy rains and a rise of 12 feet in the river, above normal water level. During this flood 2 of the caissons were damaged and had to be reset and repaired. The month of August 1952 saw the completion of these caissons, and preparations were made for the launching of 75” built-up steel girders. These 75” girders were prefabricated by the contractor and hauled to the site. The first of these girders was launched in October 1952. Upon completion, this bridge will be 3,420’ long and 45’ above normal water level. Approximately 1,410’ of this bridge is being constructed and the remaining portion repaired and resurfaced. The original bridge was a concrete “T” beam structure with steel through truss-supported spans over the wet section. The Cho Hung Construction Company of Seoul did much of the work on the bridge under the supervision of the 44th Engineer Construction Battalion. The Haung-Wha Construction Company is now engaged in the process of field splicing of the girders. Chungju Bridge Of the 24th Group’s accomplishments, the Chungju Bridge is one of the more outstanding. Work was started on this project on 13 May 1951 by the 44th Engineer Construction Battalion. Full use was made of two concrete footers, apparently constructed by the Japanese. Materials for this project were rail shipped to Talhon and Yodo-nae and trucked to the site. Maximum effort was immediately placed on the construction of superstructure in wetted portions to eliminate possible cessation of the work because of river rise. To expedite work a contract was let to the Chohung Construction Company in Seoul for the construction of 10 concrete footers. All footers in wetted sections were tied into bedrock. Piers consisted of pile posts, 4 per bent, and two bents per pier. Two steel piers were constructed of 24 inch I beams to support the longest span of the bridge. A super elevated curve was placed in the north section of the bridge. The curve commenced at a point 207 feet from the north abutment. Simultaneously, a super elevated curve was placed at the South end of the bridge. These curves eliminated the amount of cut and fill and sharp turns at the ends of the bridge. 24 Inch I beams were prefabricated into two box beam girders. Using this method of construction, 75% of welding normally accomplished on the top side of the bridge was eliminated, 50% of the crane lifts required were eliminated, and from a safety standpoint, particularly in inclement weather, the hazards of a welder working high on I beams was greatly reduced. Simultaneously, 48-inch built-up beams were prefabricated into 2 beam girders 173 ½ feet long. When these beams were assembled, six standard railroad cars were placed under the beams. These cars were supported by standard gage railroad track. This track was laid from the prefabrication site to the launching site on the bridge. At the launching site the beams were transferred from the railroad cars to the heavy duty launching rollers. Immediately upon installation of beams, the decking, curb, handrail, and treat were placed upon the bridge. A sidewalk 3 feet in width was constructed on the west end of the bridge and a 40-foot reinforced concrete approach slab poured at each end. This project was completed on 30 June, and officially opened to traffic by Colonel Strong and Colonel Klinke on 1 July 1951. Han Hi-Level Bridge at Yongdung Po It was imperative that this bridge be complete at the earliest possible date because the Han valley lowlands traditionally flooded. With the waters of the Han River at flood stage, it would be virtually impassable by means of normal floating bridge methods, and therefore stood to jeopardize all supply routes approaching the 38th parallel from the south. The original bridge consisted of six (6) 2008-foot steel thru truss supported spans, erected on masonry piers at an elevation of approximately 35 feet above mean water level. During the Communist offensive early in 1951, the situation forced US Forces to blow out three (3) spans (numbers 2, 3, and 5). These three spans were cut at the pier seats in such a manner that the entire spans were dropped almost intact into the river. Before work was started on the construction of this bridge it was necessary to clear large areas of steel away from the spans at the bottom of the river to permit driving piles and eliminating obstructions to floating equipment. On 6 April 1951, the 62nd Engineer Construction Battalion began reconstruction of three (3) spans of 208 feet length each. On 25 April a change in the tactical situation necessitated a move to the south. Before leaving the area, material that could not be moved was buried at referenced locations to deny availability to enemy forces. On 3 May the tactical situation changed so that work was again started on this project. The bridge was open to traffic on 31 May, 15 days ahead of schedule, and officially opened by Lt. General Van Fleet on 1 June 1951. The task involved the building of three (3) standard steel trestles on timber pier foundations, and the placing of five (5) 36-inch built-up girders on each span. Removal of the steel from the bottom of the river was a difficult feature of the job. Placement of charges and removal of heavy steel members was involved, all of which was accomplished with personnel relatively inexperienced in this type of work. Work is now progressing on the salvage of the arch rings which were dropped into the river, with the possibility in mind of using them to restore the bridge to its original condition. Parker Memorial Bridge Another bridge which includes unusual construction features is the Parker Memorial Bridge, named for Major Frank M. Parker Jr. 1135 feet in length, the spans over the wetted portions are supported on steel H-column piers, which offer minimum resistance to the 15 foot per second stream flow during flood season. The steel piers were prefabricated off the job site and trucked to the bridge. Begun in February 1952, the bridge was formally opened by Major General A.J.H. Cassells, Commanding General of the British Commonwealth Division, on 24 July 1952. In the construction of bridges, the 24th Group rightfully claims the largest number of permanent structures, built at less cost than corresponding temporary bridge. Of 182 bridges built, rebuilt, or repaired, all but ten are permanent types. This, in addition to keeping supply lines intact, these bridges will remain to aid Korea in establishing peace time communications when our mission here has been completed. BRIDGES BUILT UNDER CONTRACT To meet the large workload imposed by the necessity for the rehabilitation or reconstruction of so many bridges, the group made maximum use of the skills and manpower of indigenous contracting firms. The following is a brief account of the extent of this work. All contracts were performed under the supervision of Army personnel. Changhown-ni Bridge Changhown-ni Bridge by the Sansin Construction Company Limited started on 20 April 1951 and finished on 28 May 1951 at a cost of $11,025.00. Reconstructed three (3) spans, resurface thirteen spans. Each span 10 meters for total length of 160.0 meters. Restore handrails and wingwalls. Supervised by the 74th Engineer Heavy Equipment Company. Bowchon Bridge Bowchon Bridge repair one, five meter span, one pier and minor damage to handrails at a cost of $1,820. Contractor Chohung Construction Company Limited supervised by 79th Engineer Construction Battalion. Bowchon Bridge is a Class 50, all-weather, six span 30.0 meter long bridge started 9 July completed 10 August 1951. Duk Pyong Bridge Duk Pyong Bridge constructed by Han Pyeng Construction Company started 5 August 1951, finished 24 December 1951 at a cost of $4,601.67. The work consisted of 2 abutments, 1 pier, 2 spans at 38’, built handrails and 2 approaches with riprapped walls. It is a Class 50, 2-way all-weather. Total length 76’ width 23’ supervised by 313th Engineer Utilities Detachment and 74th Engineer Heavy Equipment Company. Bak-Ha Bridge Started 20 April 1951 and finished 28 May 1951, by the Samsin Construction Company, Limited, Seoul, Korea, under the supervision of the 44th Engineer Construction Battalion. Cost of contract: $22,531.50. Rebuilt 7 destroyed spans with a concrete deck designed to take Class 50 traffic. All other spans repaired. Total bridge consists of 20 spans of 10 meters each. Restored handrails, abutments, and wingwalls. Carney Bridge Both contractor and Army personnel were employed in the construction of this bridge. This is reputedly the second largest bridge in North and South Korea, and estimably the largest undertaken by the Army in Korea. In July 1951, Chohung Construction Company of Seoul was given contracts for underwater survey to determine condition of all piers, footings, and to determine position of sunken superstructure and the feasibility of salvage of a sunken M-2 treadway bridge; work required service of skilled indigenous divers and their equipment. In September 1951, the Han Il Engineering Company of Seoul cleared the river bottom of salvage materials and debris under span #6. In November 1951, Chohung Company undertook to drive piles, but could not complete contract because of bedrock resistance piles. From March to July 1952, the Chohung Company built 4 permanent concrete piers. Considerable damage and delay was encountered in April due to early floods. Caissons were lost and had to be fished up and reset. Work was under the supervision of the 44th Engineer Construction Battalion. Special girders were fabricated by the following companies: Yong Jin Construction Company, Khook-Che Construction, and Heung Wha Construction Company, all of Seoul, Korea. Heung-Wha was awarded the job of making the field splices on the girders at the bridge site. Bo-Ryong Bridge Started 18 July by the Han Il Construction Company of Chungju, Korea, under the supervision of the 74th Engineer Heavy Equipment Company, but finished 22 May 1952 under the 44th Engineer Construction Battalion. Bridge was repaired and rebuilt to Class 50, all-weather, with the existing abutments extended to 7 meters. New construction: repaired and widened four (4) spans. 2 spans of 36’ each, 216 feet of handrail on south side of bridge. Total length of bridge 216 feet. Cost of contract - $6,658.33. Chong-Woon Bridge Chong-Woon Bridge by Lin Kiwang Construction Company started 18 July 1951 finished 15 February 1952 at a cost of $11,266.67. It is a Class 50, 2-way all-weather highway bridge. Construct 2, 13 meter spans widen and reinforce eleven (11) 6.50 meter spans. Total bridge length 87.50 meters. T-Beam construction includes 24” beams in the interior. Supervised by 44th Engineer Construction Battalion. RR Bridge No. 8 Railroad bridge No. 8 by Samsin Construction Company, Limited, Seoul, Korea, started 16 June 1951 and completed 30 June 1951 under the supervision of the 79th Engineer Construction Battalion at a cost of $20,813.34. Existing bridge Class E 45 Railroad bridge, length of bridge 7 spans at 65’5”; height 41’. Work accomplished: Reconstructed, all-weather, permanent, 2 spans, 1 pier. Completed bridge: Class E 45, all-weather, permanent. Total length of bridge 130’10”; height 41’. RR Bridge No. 9 Railroad Bridge No. 9 by Chohung Construction Company, Limited, Seoul, Korea, started 17 June 1951 and completed 12 July 1951 under the supervision of the 79th Engineer Construction Battalion at a cost of $26,166.67. Existing bridge Class E 45 Railroad bridge, length of bridge 8 spans at 65’; height 51’. Work accomplished: Repaired, all-weather, semi-permanent, 1 span, 1 abutment and approach. Class E 45, length 65’, height 51’. Completed bridge: Class E 45, Railroad length of bridge 7 spans at 65’; height 51’. Ko-peong Bridge Ko-peong bridge by Sam-Wha Construction Company, Limited, Taegu, Korea, started 17 June 1951 and completed 10 September 1951 under the supervision of the 313th Engineer Utilities Detachment at a cost of $22,000.00. Existing bridge: None. Work accomplished: New construction 88 spans at 15’, width 14’. Completed bridge: wooden, Class 50, all-weather. Total length of bridge 1320’; width 15’, height 14’. Cicur Memorial Arch Bridge (Concrete Arch Bridge) In April 1952, the 79th Engineer Construction Battalion was given the mission of completing the bridge across the Han-Tan River. This required the construction of a 50-meter arch ring, columns and deck slab. In May, 1952 the 79th was relieved of this mission by the 62d Engineer Construction Battalion. The forming for and placing of concrete in an arch ring of this size presented engineering problems not normally encountered by Army troops in the field. The magnitude of the project is best shown by materials which were consumed: approximately 18,000 bags of cement and 34,000 linear feet of reinforcing steel were used in one 50 meter span. The completed bridge provides a high level structure, 138.5 meters long, 6.8 meters wide and 18.20 meters high, capable of carrying 2-way Army loads. Other Bridges The Yoju (General Moore) Bridge was a major undertaking by the 70th Engineer Construction Battalion. Over 1798 feet long, it has a curve 277 feet long at one end. Built during flood season. Built by the 44th Engineer Construction Battalion in only 28 days, the Talchon Highway Bridge uses continuous beams, the longest of which is over 262 feet. The Hwachon Bridge is an example of bridge building by the 62nd Engineer Construction Battalion. This bridge, crossing a tributary of the Pukhan River, is a vital link in the MSR to the Hwachon Reservoir Area. Three hundred and thirty-nine feet long, it features all-welded joints in the framing. One of the longest one-way highway bridges in Korea, the Colonel Frank Forney Bridge was built by the 62nd Engineer Construction Battalion over a tributary of the Pukhan River. It was completed in only 26 days, despite weather and logistical difficulties. RAILROADS The 79th Engineer Construction Battalion, with help from the 44th Engineer Construction Battalion and Korean National Railroad personnel, completely rebuilt the railroad from Seoul to Chunchon between 1 April 1951 and 26 August 1951, despite a break of one month due to the tactical situation. When the 70th took over responsibility of repair of the railroad on 1 April, initial reconnaissance showed that ten bridges were destroyed or damaged extensively between Seoul and Kapyong and that approximately five miles of track would have to be replaced. In addition, considerable damage was noted in the various rail yards. The line as a whole was found to be in poor condition with 80% of the ties rotted and the roadbed needing ballast in a number of places. In less than two weeks, the first five bridges had been repaired; destroyed spans replaced; and the track repaired sufficient for traffic. The railroad was then opened for travel from Seoul to Mesogu-ri, a distance of more than twenty miles. Work went on to lengthen the usable distance of the railroad, but on the 25th of that month the tactical situation forced a cessation of work and a withdrawal of the Group units. One month went by, and on the 24th of May the 70th returned to the scene to resume work on the railroad. Their area of responsibility, however (since the line had been repaired from Seoul to Mesongu-ri), was reduced to that portion of the line running from Moesogu-ri to Chunchon. In only five days, “A” Company of the 70th had completed repairs on bridge No. 8 and had repaired the track and roadbed sufficient for operation to Kapyong. By another week, “B” Company had finished Bridge No. 10 and “C” Company the line and bridges from there to Chunchon, and the first train rolled from Seoul straight through to Chunchon. Replacement of ties and rails, and other necessary improvements, continued throughout the entire line without interruption of service. All of the original temporary bridges were replaced by permanent ones without once stopping traffic. The entire reconstruction program of the Seoul-Chunchon Railroad was completed on the 27th of August, just four working months after it started. Thus, the 24th again displayed an outstanding example of Engineer accomplishment. ROADWAYS One of the primary concerns in Korea is the condition of roads, aside from bridges. In carrying out the responsibility of building and maintaining a vast network of roads suitable for any type of Army and civilian traffic, the 24th Group has utilized a vast amount of machinery and hand labor to build, improve and maintain enough miles of road to stretch from Pittsburgh to Santa Fe, New Mexico! This tremendous job has been accomplished in spite of adverse weather conditions, including many months of bitterly cold weather; enemy resistance, ranging from the organized to the guerilla type; and an often times critical shortage of men, materials and machinery. One piece of road constructed by the 44th Engineer Construction Battalion and the 62nd Engineer Construction Battalion, and now nearing completion, is what is known as the Pukhan River Road. This nine and a half mile stretch of entirely new road is a two-way military highway connecting Routes No. 2 and No. 18, and runs along the west bank of the Pukhan River, keeping well above the high-water level throughout its entire length. Included in the building of this Pukhan River road was the construction of nine, two-way concrete bridges, totaling 471 feet; fifty-eight culverts of the permanent type; adequate ditches throughout its entire length; and large section of riprap and retaining walls. Nearly a half-million cubic yards of earth and rock were moved as cuts and fills were made to bring the road to the required grade. While, by far, the greatest mileage of the Korean road network is of the dirt type, it has become expedient to pave, either with concrete or bituminous materials, certain sections. In Taegu, some eight miles were paved with concrete, and in the vicinity of Seoul, several highways have been paved with bituminous material to withstand the terrific amount of beating administered by heavy military traffic of all classes. Maintenance of these sections is continually being carried out by units of the Group. At Mungyong, and again at Sinjong, a narrow mountain pass hindered the movement of troops and supplies. The 24th, despite bitter cold weather and harassment by guerilla units, proceeded to widen the tortuous, single lane routes into modern, two-lane highways. Thus it is that we are sometimes called upon to do our work with one hand while fending off the enemy with the other. HOSPITALS Not only do the engineers repair bridges, but they also provide facilities for repairing human bodies. The construction of a 500-bed hospital in Taegu is a fine example of this. This project, built by the 74th Engineer Heavy Equipment Company and the 44th Engineer Construction Battalion consists of sixty-two buildings. Two and three-quarters miles of two-way road was constructed and paved in the interior area of the hospital. A great deal of planning and preliminary work was accomplished prior to the actual construction of this project. Water and sewerage systems in addition to the electrical and heating facilities required extensive forethought. Refrigeration units, covered walkways, landscaping are only part of the work involved in addition to numerous culverts and ditches in the area. Construction of a 400 bed hospital for the highly dangerous but little known Hemorrhagic Fever began 25 August 1952 with the first patient being received on 15 November 1952. The construction of this hospital was accomplished in two phases with the critical section receiving first priority. This vital and component part of the hospital was completed on 7 November just a few days before the arrival of the first patient by helicopter. A total of seventy tropical shellkits 20’x54’ were erected on concrete slabs. 18,000 feet of electrical wire was used to install lighting in all buildings and water was brought in to the necessary buildings. One 25,000-gallon wooden water storage tank was erected on a tower to supply the area. 2,700 feet of 2-way road was constructed along with 36,400 square feet of parking area. A 130-foot by 70 foot helicopter landing field was constructed for emergency patients. The hospital is located near Seoul, and has a total floor area of 80,156 square feet, providing a modern center for study, control and care of Hemorrhagic Fever and Fever patients. The entire area is enclosed in 7,000 linear feet of security fence. Over 62,000 feet of cut was necessary to facilitate the laying out of the hospital. OTHER PROJECTS We have not been confined entirely to bridge and road construction. Among the projects undertaken by the 24th Group is one involving extensive rehabilitation of war-torn buildings in the vicinity of Seoul. The Yongsan Military Reservation is a good example of this. Those buildings which are not beyond economical repair are being restored. Others are being replaced with new construction. Hoengsong Airstrip The mission of constructing a C-54 airstrip at Hoengsong in seven days was also assigned to 24th Engineer Construction Group. The 74th Engineer Heavy Equipment Company was assigned the task, and immediately began a continuous, all-out, twenty-four hour effort. Efficient utilization of equipment and untiring effort on the part of every soldier cut two days off the operations. At the end of the fifth day, a forty-five hundred foot airstrip suitable for C-54 planes was ready. With air traffic now moving, effort was continued for an additional two weeks to provide parking aprons, over-runs, drainage and relocation of MSR. A total of 827,537 horsepower-hours were spent on this project with a total of 234,940 tons of gravel and sand hauled, placed and completed. The completed assignment saw a runway 4,500’x100’, overruns 500’x100’, two (2) warm-up pads 100’x100’, taxiway 700’x75’, parking apron 200’x1000’ and shoulders 50’ wide along the entire length of the runway on each side. Hoengsong Airstrip was a million and a quarter square feet of ground prepared for use by aircraft and vehicles! POW Camp near Yongchon Another outstanding and vitally important project was the construction of a POW camp in the vicinity of Yongchon, Korea. One company of US troops moved into the area on the night of 15 April 1952, and work began immediately. 56 freight cars were unloaded, and 6,136 yards of double apron barbed wire fence was constructed. Five 20’x54’ tropical shells were erected and a 6” concrete floor placed in two. 21,000’ of wiring was installed in 5 compounds, plus 143 floodlights. 2,886’ of water pipe and 354’ of culvert was installed. 18 guard towers erected, ¼ mile of road patched, 3 water points and 7 water purification points installed. This project was completed in May of 1952. Seoul Bell One of the most interesting and unusual projects undertaken by the 24th Engineer Construction Group was the construction of a Temple for the 50-ton, 500 year old, Seoul Bell. The new Temple, which very closely follows the design of the original, was constructed by volunteer Korean labor, with materials and supervision being furnished by the 24th Group. One of the more beautiful features of the structure is the woodwork which was carved and painted with the original Oriental designs. Engineering principles from both the Old and New World were incorporated in order to give added beauty and strength to the Temple. The building of the Shrine has done much to gain the gratitude of the Korean people and has further cemented the relationship between the American troops and the Koreans. Kunsan Railroad Spurs This construction was requested by the Air Force to provide a means for delivery of ammo, POL and personnel from Kunsan to a nearby airbase. The construction was supervised by the 44th Engineer Construction Battalion. The work involved the building of approximately 13 miles of road bed of which more than 9 miles was through rice paddies. 124,000 cubic yards of fill was needed to provide a sufficiently stable roadway across these rice paddies, however 30,000 cubic yards of cut was required to maintain grade on 3 hill sections of the highway. Four steel beam bridges were constructed. Three of these bridges were single 40 foot spans and the fourth was 2 spans at 39 feet. Twenty-four inch and thirty-six inch culverts were installed at 200-yard intervals along the rice paddy sections of the roadbed. The KNR placed ballast and track on the final grade. Maximum use of civilian labor was necessitated due to soil conditions encountered in rice paddies which limited the early use of engineer equipment. Approximately 4 ½ miles of the roadbed was built by contract labor. EUSAK Engineer Specialist School There was a critical shortage of trained engineer equipment operators and fire fighters in 1951-52. As potential replacement sources did not indicate any alleviation, the Army engineer directed the Commanding Officer, 24th Engineer Construction Group, to organize and conduct the EUSAK Engineer Specialist School. Major Ernest A. Nagy, as school director, was assigned the mission of organizing the school. The school was located in a group of buildings of Seoul University Engineering Extension, which were rehabilitated for the purpose, in the town of Sinkong-dok. The school started with two courses, a tractor-scraper operator’s course and a fire-fighter’s course. Two officers, Captain Elmo L. Bowen and Lt. Horace E. Oliver, were assigned as course directors. Each major unit in EUSAK was authorized a student quota and provided an instructor on Special Duty with the school to train its students. The equipment was provided from Army Depot Stock and remained part of the army equipment reserve. The tractor-scraper course started on 28 April 1952 with 22 students. The course was set up for 5 weeks with 313 hours instruction. In these 5 weeks each student operated the equipment more hours than required in any other known tractor scraper course in the Department of the Army Training program. The work site allocated for training included 175 acres of varied terrain typical to Korea. The students were given specific tasks under situations similar to the actual working conditions encountered in the EUSAK zone of operations. The fire-fighter course opened on 5 May 1952 with 24 students totaling 260 hours of instruction for a 5-week period. The course was designed to provide training in all phases of fire service work, from fire prevention to fire suppression, to fit a graduate in any vacancy that might occur in an Army Fire Station. In addition to their normal training schedule, student crews also operated the fire station for the 24th Group, Sinkong-dok Area. This became a reserve station for the Seoul Area. AAA personnel were trained to alleviate the maintenance and operation problem created by the rapid conversion from gasoline to the new standard diesel generators in certain AAA army units. During August and September, 47 generator operators were trained. In addition two officer courses were completed by 16 officers. A crane-shovel operator’s course was started in September with 380 hours of school in a period of 6 weeks. The first class had an enrollment of 20 students. All the school’s 1st and 2nd echelon maintenance is accomplished with one mechanic supervising and utilizing the students, as assistants. To date no unsurmountable problems have arisen under this procedure, and, as befitting a school, the highest standards of equipment care have been maintained. 127 students have graduated from the Tractor-Scraper course; 124 from the Fire Fighter course (this included one class of 18 Republic of Korea Army Personnel); 63 Generator operators; and 34 Crane-Shovel operator graduates. The Engineer Equipment Mechanic School was established in April, 1952, by the 53rd Engineer Field Maintenance Company under the supervision of the 24th Engineer Construction Group, and graduates have already materially benefited Engineer Units in Korea in maintenance of Engineer Equipment. The general plan of this school is to train fifty (50) enlisted men per course from Engineer Units supported by the Engineer Field Maintenance Company. Students are rotated through several training sites in order that all major items of Engineer Equipment will be included in the training program. It was planned at that time to continue this school for two courses of fifty (50) men each, which will provide nineteen (19) percent of Engineer Equipment Mechanics required. At present this course is being continued so as to afford an adequate supply of trained personnel. On 16 July 1951, the 74th Engineer Heavy Equipment Company started training operators for the newly arrived tournadozers to be used in Korea. Representatives of the equipment firm were flown to Korea to act as advisors and instructors in setting up and operating the school. This school lasted one month, graduating 108 students as qualified operators.