The Last Stand of Fox Company

The Last Stand of Fox Company

Not long afterward, Colonel Litzenberg managed to makeradio contact with Barber from Yudam-ni. Although this was only seven miles north of the Toktong Pass, the peakssurrounding the Chosin Reservoir were playing havoc withradio waves, and the Marines up north were having the same problems as Barber’s communications crew with the batteries. It occurred to Litzenberg that, if notfor the roadblocks the Chinese had thrown up across the MSR between Yudam-ni and Fox Hill, it would have been easier to keep in touch with Fox Company by runners. But now that he’d finally gotten through to Fox, Litzenberg informed Barber that Hagaru-ri had been lightly reinforced by units from Koto-ri farther south. About three hundred men—a combined force of U.S. and British Royal Marines, aswell as seventeen American tanks—had fought through to the Hagaru-ri perimeter, but the village was also nearlyencircled by the Chinese. Though Colonel Alpha Bowser in Hagaru-ri now commanded perhaps three thousand fighters, he was in no position to reinforce Fox. Bowser had also asked the CO of How Company, CaptainBenjamin Read, to redeploy his howitzer unit back into the village, Litzenberg said. But Read argued that moving his big guns any farther south would take them beyond the rangeof Fox Hill. Read asked to remain outside the perimeter inan exposed position. Bowser reluctantly concurred. This brought a smile to Barber’s face. Good man, that Read. Now, still on the radio, Litzenberg hesitated for a moment.Barber sensed that he was pondering a hard decision. Afteran uncomfortable silence he came out with it. He offered Barber the option of leading Fox Company off the hill andfighting his way back down to Hagaru-ri. “Your call,” he said. Barber had discussed this alternative with his XO, Clark Wright, only moments before. Moving his wounded was a majorconsideration, but so was tactical strategy. “Well, hell, we’re already here,” he had finally told Wright. “If we’re ever going to get the Seventh together in one piece anywhere, north or south, it’s going to involvefighting for this damned hill anyway. It’s probably better to keep it while we’ve got it.”