Initially the North seemed invincible. In early August 1950, UN and American forces dug in for a "last stand" behind the natural boundary of the Naktong River near the most southern part of the Korean peninsula. This defensive action became known as the "Pusan Perimeter." Here General "Johnny" Walker issued the famous "stand or die" order. The North Korean Army used gruesome "human wave" assaults in the hope that they could overwhelm the defenders.
General Walker considered the 5th Marines to be some of his best men. They had been consistently effective during the Naktong Bulge fighting. They usually had won their battles with the NK while Army units usually had not, and often about half of Army casualties were MIAs while the Marines usually had none.
The Pusan Perimeter succeeded in holding off the North Korean Army for more than a month. After the Inchon Landings, UN forces broke out and chased the routed Communists northward.
Although in short supply, this Marine is armed with the sniper version of the Garand, M1C, including a laced-on leather cheek pad and the M82 scope. Attached to the end of the barrel is the M2 flash hider. Like the M1 the M1C was a robust weapon, maintaining proper function and accuracy very well under combat conditions. In Korea, snipers achieved reasonably consistent results with the M1C between 400-600 yards, with 600 being the maximum effective range. |
