Uploads from dmclean2009, tagged tank

Korean War: Battle of the Kumsong Salient, 65th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division

nobody@flickr.com (dmclean2009) — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 20:17:00 -0700

dmclean2009 posted a photo:

65th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division, front line, in the Battle of the Kumsong Salient about a week to week and one-half before Dick Gallmeyer radioed the "Cease fire" that ended the shooting phase of the Korean War on 27 July 1953.

Following massive attacks by the Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) that had literally destroyed some U.N. units, and forced the MLR southward by several miles in but a few days time, our 3rd Infantry Division was sent into the battle as a blocking action. The CCF ran up against the 3rd Division and was stopped. The 3rd Division historian, W.F. Strobridge, stated, "The enemy offensive ran up against the 3rd Division and stopped.... The 65th Regiment took an estimated 20,000 rounds of enemy artillery and kept its ground."

For geographical location, please see my "Map: Korean War, Battle of the Kumsong Salient, July 1953 " further down the page.

This photo shows 65th IR bunkers, tents, and other shelters on the sharp ridge crest that constituted the front line. If you look carefully, you can see an artillery forward observer on the rocky knoll near the center of the photo, spotting CCF targets for our artillery to fire upon. My brother-in-law, Jerry Hartman, a 105mm howitzer gunner with the 58th FAB, and I visited with the forward observer for a while. He pointed out to us the flashes of CCF howitzers that were firing at our lines. All the mountains out in front of us were CCF territory. The white smoke on the left side of the photo is from one of our artillery rounds exploding on a CCF position across the "No-mans-land" valley floor that separated the U.N. and CCF.

Across the "No-mans-land" valley, just to the right of the rocky knoll in the photo, is Hill 433 where American and ROK forces known as the "Lost Bastards" were trapped by the CCF. They were rescued on 20 July, 1953, very near to the time I took this photo.

Behind us, in the valley to our south, our 3rd Division artillery units were engaged in heavy fire missions supporting our troops on the MLR. From that valley came the continual lightning flashes of our howitzers, and the rumbling thunder of their barrages. For me, standing on that mountain ridge absorbing the thunder of our power, hearing our artillery rounds whooshing directly over our heads to then explode on CCF positions, sensing the very mountain quaking with the thunder of America's power, and witnessing our troops holding the line, was an awe-inspiring experience.

I've often thought of that experience down through the years. Today, even after the passage of nearly 60 years, it yet remains the single-most inspiring day of my life.

Korean War: Battle of the Kumsong Salient, 65th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division

nobody@flickr.com (dmclean2009) — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 20:16:00 -0700

dmclean2009 posted a photo:

65th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Infantry Division, forming the front line in the Battle of the Kumsong Salient. My brother-in-law, Jerry Hartman, and I climbed the mountain in front of his 58th Field Artillery Battalion (FAB), 3rd Infantry Division, to where the 65th was dug in along the crest of the mountain ridges, forming the MLR.

I took this photo from a commanding rocky knoll where an artillery forward observer was directing fire for some of our artillery units which were aligned in the valley behind us. Artillery rounds from those units were rocketing over our heads to explode upon the Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) in the hills beyond the No man's land valley.

Just to the east of the knoll, a stream had cut a gap in the ridge crest, causing a break in the MLR. On the other side of the gap, the MLR continued on eastward as a long, thin, line along the green ridge in the center of the photo. It's trails, and sites where the 65th was dug in, are easily visible along the crest of that ridge.

Out in front our MLR lay the No Man's Land valley and, beyond it, CCF territory for as far as the eye could see. If you look carefully at the mountains across the valley, you can see our artillery rounds exploding at different places on CCF positions.

Korean War: Battle of the Kumsong Salient, 58th FAB, 3rd Division

nobody@flickr.com (dmclean2009) — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 19:55:00 -0700

dmclean2009 posted a photo:

The 58th Field Artillery Battalion in action in the Battle of the Kumsong Salient. The 65th Infantry, 3rd Division, was dug in along the ridge crests at the top of the photo.

Korean War: Battle of the Kumsong Salient, 58th FAB, 3rd Division

nobody@flickr.com (dmclean2009) — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 19:50:00 -0700

dmclean2009 posted a photo:

The 58th Field Artillery Battalion on a fire mission in the Battle of the Kumsong Salient. They were supporting the 65th Infantry Regiment which was dug in along the ridge crests at the top of the photo.

Please excuse the blurred photo. It was difficult not flinching when clicking the camera shutter simultaneously with the blast of the howitzer.

Korean War: Battle of the Kumsong Salient, 3rd AAA AW Battalion

nobody@flickr.com (dmclean2009) — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 19:40:00 -0700

dmclean2009 posted a photo:

M-16, with quadruple .50-caliber machine guns mounted on a half-track belonging to the 3rd Anti-Aircraft Artillery AW Battalion. Its equipment was positioned among the 58th FAB 105mm howitzers. The 65th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Division, was dug in along the ridge crests in the background.

Korean War: Battle of the Kumsong Salient, 3rd AAA AW Battalion

nobody@flickr.com (dmclean2009) — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 19:45:00 -0700

dmclean2009 posted a photo:

M-19 with 40mm cannons mounted on an M-24 light tank chassis belonging to the 3rd Anti-Aircraft Artillery AW Battalion. It was positioned among the 58th FAB 105mm howitzers. The 65th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Division, was dug in along the ridge crests at the top of the photo.

Korean War, Kumhwa Area Smoke Screen, Papasan Mountain

nobody@flickr.com (dmclean2009) — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 19:35:00 -0700

dmclean2009 posted a photo:

Road 6, about 3/4 mile southeast of Kumhwa, looking back toward Kumhwa, traveling generally eastward on Road 6 toward the Battle of the Kumsong Salient which was occurring a few miles east of Kumhwa. I took the photo while bouncing along in the back of an Army truck on which I had hitched a ride from Kumhwa. Note the smoke screen in the distance which was providing protection against Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) artillery. Papasan Mountain, a CCF stronghold, is in the center background. I think the hill along the right side of the photo is the southern end of the Triangle Hill (Hill 598) complex. For information on the Kumsong Salient, please see the three preceding maps from Hermes' book on the Korean War MLR.

On 13 July 1953, the CCF launched their largest offensive of the last two years of the Korean War. Their intent was to remove a northward bulge of the MLR in the vicinity of the town of Kumsong. The battle is known as the Battle of the Kumsong Salient. The savage CCF attacks in the Kumsong Salient destroyed the ROK Capitol Division which had been holding the line in that sector. In attempt to block the CCF advance, on 14 July 1953 the U.S. Army 3rd Division, which had been situated within the Iron Triangle, was shifted to several miles east of Kumhwa along Road 6 as a blocking action against the CCF breakthrough. In fact, the CCF ran into the 3rd Division and was stopped cold.

Road 6 lay in a broad valley. Our artillery units were lined up down that valley as far as I could see. When I arrived at the 58th Field Artillery Battalion, 3rd Division, field position soon after I took the photo, it, and the other artillery units, were engaged in a furious, ground-quaking, barrage, firing over the mountain ridges immediately in front of them. The 65th Infantry Regiment (IR), 3rd Division, was dug in along the crests of those ridges. Our artillery units were in the process of decimating a large detachment of CCF in the valley--No Man's Land--out in front of the 65th IR positions.

Map: Korean War, Battle of the Kumsong Salient, July 1953

nobody@flickr.com (dmclean2009) — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 19:30:00 -0700

dmclean2009 posted a photo:

Battle of the Kumsong Salient, the greatest battle of the last two years of the Korean War.

(Note: to enlarge the map fully, click on it. Then, when the new page opens, click on the "View all Sizes" logo in the upper right corner.)

On 13 July 1953, only 14 days before the cease fire that ended the shooting phase of the Korean War, Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) launched their largest offensive of the last two years of the Korean War. Their intent was to remove a northward bulge of the MLR in the vicinity of the town of Kumsong. The battle is known as the Battle of the Kumsong Salient.

This map is a U.S. Army topographic map compiled in 1961 to which I've added information from other sources to illustrate aspects of the battle. The thin, solid red line indicates the position of the Main Line of Resistance (MLR) prior to the battle, and the broad east-west trending band meandering across the map shows the position of the later established Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) . To provide a sense of scale, the latitude and longitude lines are about 6 miles apart.

The massive CCF attacks in the Kumsong Salient just east of Kumhwa overwhelmed the ROK Capitol Division which had been holding the line in that sector. In attempt to block the CCF advance, on 14 July 1953 the U.S. Army 3rd Division, which had been situated within the Iron Triangle, was shifted to several miles east of Kumhwa along Road 6 (shown in the lower left corner of the map) as a blocking action against the CCF breakthrough. In fact, the CCF ran into the 3rd Division and was stopped cold.

My brother-in-law, Jerry Hartman, was with the 58th Field Artillery Battalion (FAB) of the 3rd Division. I have posted on Flickr photos I took when visiting his unit in March 1953 when his unit was supporting Outpost Harry in the center of the Iron Triangle. Soon after the 3rd Division was shifted to the Kumsong sector east of Kumhwa, I again visited his unit.

Road 6 is shown on the southwest corner of the map. Running east from Kumhwa, it was situated in a broad valley. Artillery units were aligned along the Road 6 valley as far as I could see. When I arrived, our artillery units were engaged in a massive bombardment of the CCF that stunned the ear, quaked the ground, and filled the air with cordite. They were firing over mountain ridges immediately in front of their positions where the 65th Infantry Regiment of the 3rd Division was dug in along the crests of the mountain ridges, constituting the MLR. Our artillery units were in the process of decimating a large troop of CCF that had assembled in the valley--No man's land--out in front of the 65th Infantry Regiment's positions.

On the map, I indicate by a broad red band where I believe that the 65th Infantry Regiment was dug in along the crests of the mountain ridges. The valley out in front of the 65th was No-man's-land, which I indicate by a broad blue band. The east-west extent of the bands reflects my knowledge, and I'm not sure where they extended to eastward.

Everything north of the valley as far as the eye could see was CCF territory. Only a few days earlier it had been U.N. territory.

You can read about the battle in the website "Chaos along the Kumsong River Salient..." at www.militaryphotos.net/forums/showthread.php?p=313253. Following are quotes from the article:

"Hostile artillery fired more rounds than it had at any time during the war," wrote 3rd Division unit historian W.F. Strobridge. "Fighting reached an intensity not seen on the Korean battleground since 1951."

"The intensity of the CCF advance prompted Gen. Maxwell Taylor to fly the 187th RCT in from Japan to bolster the left flank. He also moved the 3rd Division to the east to relieve the ROK Capital Division, which had been hammered by the CCF."

"The enemy offensive ran up against the 3rd Division and stopped," Strobridge wrote. "The 65th Regiment took an estimated 20,000 rounds of enemy artillery and kept its ground. Likewise, the 15th Regiment stood fast and inflicted tremendous casualties on the enemy."

Re the specifics of the battle, you can read about them in an article about Richard L. Carpenter who was in the Battle of the Kumsong Salient. The website is at
www.koreanwar-educator.org/memoirs/carpenter/index.htm#Ju.... Following are some quotations from the article:

"On the evening of July 13, 1953, the Chinese Army launched its largest and most violent attack since the Spring Offensive of May 1951...the Battle of Kumsong. The Chinese commanders threw no fewer than five of their armies into the surprise assault: the 24th, 68th, and 60th already at the front, and the 54th brought up from the rear. The 150,000 men in these units focused on a relatively narrow, twenty-mile sector of the front defended by six ROK divisions: the 6th, 8th, 3rd, and 5th from ROK II Corps, and the Capital and ROK 9th attached to the adjacent (western) U.S. IX Corps under Lt. General Reuben Jenkins." [Reference: From Pusan to Panmunjom by General Paik Sun Yup, Republic of Korea Army, retired].... From west (left flank) to east, the ROK units were the 9th and the Capitol (Tiger) Divisions in the IX Corps sector, and the 6th, 8th, 3rd and 5th Divisions in the ROK II Corps sector.

"The July assault by the Chinese was aimed at the ROK Capitol Division, which was holding the sector on the right flank of the IX Corps, near Kumwha, the right leg of the Iron Triangle. The Capitol Division, nearly overwhelmed by THREE (emphasis added) Chinese Divisions which broke through their lines and threatened complete envelopment, fell back in confusion." [Reference: The Korean War by Matthew B. Ridgway, General U.S. Army, retired].

"In the late part of the 14th, the Chinese broke through in several places along the western side of the Capitol Division's front line.... Further attacks caused the 1st Cavalry to disintegrate as a fighting force. The rest of the ROK Division, comprising the 26th Regiment, was ordered to fall back to the next prepared positions while under pressure from the 202nd (probably) CCF Division. As the Capitol Division was thus engaged.... A major bug out began.

"By July 14 six Chinese divisions had pressed savagely against the ROK positions in the Kumsong bulge and had practically destroyed the ROK Capitol division and much of the ROK 3rd Division (on the right side of the 20 to 21 mile bulge). Casualties on both side were extremely heavy, because it was a stand-up fight directly on the main line of resistance with direct assaults by the communists into the heart of the ROK defensive positions." [Reference: Korea: The First War We Lost by Bevin Alexander.... The quote continued, "In this last, sad series of battles, thousands of young men died or were maimed for mere yards of territory. UN casualties for June and July, 1953, were more than 52,000 men, mostly ROKs. Estimated casualties for communist troops in the same period were 108,000."

Map: Korean War MLR, July-October 1951

nobody@flickr.com (dmclean2009) — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 19:25:00 -0700

dmclean2009 posted a photo:

Korean War front lines in July and October 1951.

Map from Walter Hermes' book, _Truce Tent and Fighting Front_ (1992), with permission from the U.S. Army Center of Military History.

The Korean War can be subdivided into two phases: the early part characterized by massive troop movements up and down the Korean peninsula, and the latter "static" phase characterized by a relatively stable MLR. Nearly half the casualties of the war occurred during the static phase.

The time line that separated the two phases of the war was the summer of 1951. At that time the last major Chinese southward advance of the war was stopped and they were driven back northward to the Chorwon-Kumhwa area in the central sector. It was there that the Main Line of Resistance (MLR) more or less stabilized for the remainder of the war, and was characterized by battles of the outposts such as Old Baldy, White Horse Mountain, Outpost Harry, etc. Those outposts were usually out in front of the MLR.

This map shows the positions of the MLR on 10 July and 31 October 1951. Note the northward bulge in the MLR just to the east of the Iron Triangle. It was known as the Kumsong Salient and would become the site of the greatest battle in the last two years of the war in July 1953.

To aid in locating important landmarks, I identified and outlined the Iron Triangle in yellow, and underlined in yellow the town of Kumsong.

Map: Korean War MLR, October 1952

nobody@flickr.com (dmclean2009) — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 19:20:00 -0700

dmclean2009 posted a photo:

Korean War front line in October 1952.

Map from Walter Hermes' book, _Truce Tent and Fighting Front_ (1992), with permission from the U.S. Army Center of Military History.

This map shows the position of the MLR on 31 October 1952. Note the readjustment of the MLR in the Kumsong Salient.

To aid in locating important landmarks, I identified and outlined the Iron Triangle in yellow, and underlined in yellow the town of Kumsong.

Map: Korean War MLR, 27 July 1953, Day of "Cease Fire"

nobody@flickr.com (dmclean2009) — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 19:15:00 -0700

dmclean2009 posted a photo:

Korean War front line on the day that Dick Gallmeyer of the 58th Field Artillery Battalion, 3rd Division, radioed the "Cease Fire" announcement that ended the shooting phase of the war. Note that the Kumsong Salient is gone.

Map from Walter Hermes' book, _Truce Tent and Fighting Front_ (1992), with permission from the U.S. Army Center of Military History.

This map shows the MLR on 27 July 1953, the day Richard Gallmeyer of the 58th Field Artillery Battalion, 3rd Division, transmitted the "Cease Fire" radio message to UN forces, ending the war, and the Battle of the Kumsong Salient.

Two weeks earlier, on July 13, the Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) had initiated the largest battle of the last two years of the Korean War. It took place immediately east of the town of Kumhwa, and was known as the Battle of the Kumsong Salient. Their intent was to remove a northward bulge of the MLR in the vicinity of the town of Kumsong which they accomplished.

To aid in locating important landmarks, I identified and outlined the Iron Triangle in yellow, and underlined in yellow the town of Kumsong.

Train 1001, 712th TROB, Chunchon Line

nobody@flickr.com (dmclean2009) — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 20:40:00 -0700

dmclean2009 posted a photo:

River valleys often provide the only avenues of practical military troop movement and logistical support in rugged mountainous terrains. Note from this photo taken from Train 1001 on the Chunchon Line, the nearly flat-lying attitude of the train tracks in the river valley. The location of the Chunchon Rail Line is shown on the 3rd TMRS rail system map on the top of page 4.

After nearly 60 years since the war, I had long forgotten the precise location where I took the photo. However, with kkkk8155's kind help (see comments below) I now know that the mountain may be Chon-ma in Nam-yang-ju, and that I was likely between the towns of Keum-Kok and Ma-sok. On the 3rd TMRS rail system map (on the top of page 4) they are spelled Kumkok and Masok. Thanks once again, kkkk8155.

Train 1001, 712th TROB, Chunchon Line

nobody@flickr.com (dmclean2009) — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 20:45:00 -0700

dmclean2009 posted a photo:

Train 1001 operated by the 712th TROB (Transportation Railway Operating Battalion). This photo was taken on a frosty winter morning during the Korean War while traveling between Seoul and Chunchon, Korea, on the Chunchon Rail Line. The location of the Chunchon Rail Line is shown on the 3rd TMRS rail system map on the bottom of page 3.

GM-EMD SW8 Diesel Locomotive #2034, Sintanni Line

nobody@flickr.com (dmclean2009) — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 20:35:00 -0700

dmclean2009 posted a photo:

3rd TMRS Sintanni Line, October 1952. I took this photo of a GM-EMD SW8 Diesel Locomotive #2034 powered supply train operated by the 712th TROB taking supplies to the front lines during the Battle of White Horse Mountain shortly after departing Taekwangni on my return to Seoul. I was on the troop train on the siding on the right side of the photo.

According to Dave Kaufman, #2034 was the last SW8 on the Army roster. It was retired two years ago from Fort Sill, OK, and is now at the Oklahoma Railway Museum in Oklahoma City.

Wrecked Train, Sintanni

nobody@flickr.com (dmclean2009) — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 20:30:00 -0700

dmclean2009 posted a photo:

This photo of a wrecked train at Sintanni was taken by August "Gus" Firgau, 712th TROB (Transportation Railway Operating Battalion) during the summer of 1953. Gus was assigned to the Taekwangni rail station.

Taekwangni was located on the 3rd TMRS Sintanni Line. It was just south of town of Sintanni which can be viewed on the Google Earth Map: Chorwon Valley and Ch'at'an-ch'on Valley on page 4.

765th TRSB Hospital Train

nobody@flickr.com (dmclean2009) — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 20:20:00 -0700

dmclean2009 posted a photo:

This photo by James Palsgrove, 765th Transportation Railway Shop Battalion (TRSB), shows one of the 765th TRSB hospital trains. Our trains often had gondolas loaded with sand bags positioned in front of the locomotives to absorb most of the explosion in the event the tracks were mined, and often the gondolas had machine gunners to protect the trains against guerilla activities. This train also had a guard car behind the locomotive. Jim accompanied the hospital trains to and from the front lines.

765th TRSB Hospital Train Picking Up Wounded Soldiers Near Front Line

nobody@flickr.com (dmclean2009) — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 20:25:00 -0700

dmclean2009 posted a photo:

This photo by James Palsgrove, 765th Transportation Railway Shop Battalion (TRSB), shows wounded soldiers being loaded onto a hospital train for transport to the rear. The 765th TRSB, which was part of the 3rd Transportation Military Railway Service (TMRS), operated four hospital trains that traveled between Pusan and the front lines, picking up wounded and sick soldiers at the front and transporting them to hospitals and hospital ships in the rear. Each train was composed of six cars. Jim accompanied the hospital trains to and from the front lines.

This photo is especially touching to me because I was in Taekwangni, our last rail station north, during the Battle of White Horse Mountain in October 1952, and witnessed a similar scene of many soldiers wounded in the battle being loaded onto a hospital train. The hospital train was parked in front of the old box car that served as the Taekwangni rail station.

I'm indebted to Jim for allowing me to use his photo. I am not able to locate most of the numerous photos I took while in Taekwangni on that trip.

Sintanni: Last 3rd TMRS Railhead North During Battle of White Horse Mountain

nobody@flickr.com (dmclean2009) — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 20:15:00 -0700

dmclean2009 posted a photo:

Sintanni Railhead, October 1952. In October 1952, I was in Taekwangni, the 3rd TMRS furthest north rail station on the Sintanni Line which, in that area, was in the Ch'at'an-ch'on Valley south of where it enters the Chorwon Valley (for details, check out my maps). At that time, the great Battle of White Horse Mountain on the north rim of the Chorwon Valley a couple miles northwest of Chorwon was occurring.

Sintanni was our northernmost railhead, an ammo dump. Trains could only enter Sintanni during the cover of darkness with lights out to avoid being spotted by Chinese artillery units. I wanted to travel to Sintanni and caught a ride on an ammo train powered by an old steam locomotive and manned by a Korean engineer and fireman. I couldn't speak Korean, and they couldn't speak English, but they were most friendly and interesting to be with. Inside the locomotive the only light came from the fire in the locomotive firebox. Outside, the blackness was punctuated by flashes of our artillery units on fire missions which momentarily lit up the landscape about us. Other sources of light were from artillery air bursts, tracer bullets, parachute flares floating down over the White Horse battlefield, and a searchlight from the 36th Engineer Searchlight Company, located on a mountaintop on the east side of the Ch'at'an-ch'on valley, which was focused across the Chorwon Valley onto White Horse Mountain to illuminate the battlefield.

We traveled to and from Sintanni in complete darkness. The only way we could see where we were going when traveling to Sintanni was by looking down the railroad rails that were reflecting light from parachute flares floating down over White Horse Mountain. Once, a sudden bright flash and thundering blast rocked us so severely that I thought we'd been hit by an incoming artillery round; one of our artillery units had fired a salvo when we were directly in front of it and we caught the full muzzle blast.

In Sintanni, it was dark and I couldn't see much, but I did take some photos of parachute flares floating down over White Horse Mountain, and the searchlight from the 36th Engineer Searchlight Company. If you look carefully, you can see tracer bullets flying through the dark sky.

To learn more about the Battle of White Horse, please see www.militaryhistoryonline.com/korea/articles/whitehorse.aspx

Taekwangni: Last 3rd TMRS Rail Station North

nobody@flickr.com (dmclean2009) — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 20:10:00 -0700

dmclean2009 posted a photo:

Taekwangni Train Station, October 1952. I worked in the Mains Office of 3rd TMRS Headquarters in Seoul. Our office generated orders for the operating rail battalions, and monitored movements of our military rail system. I often talked with our guys at Taekwangni which, at that time, was our last rail station north. The station, itself, that the guys worked and lived in, was a small beat up boxcar set alongside the tracks on the east side of the Ch'at'an-ch'on valley. I spent a couple days at the station during the Battle of White Horse Mountain in October 1952. White Horse is on the north rim of the Chorwon Valley, a couple miles northwest of Chorwon.

The afternoon I arrived, the ground was literally quaking from the blasts of almost continual fire missions from our artillery units in the Ch'at'an-ch'on valley, some next to the rail station. A constant thunder came from the battlefield, the air reeked from burned gunpowder, cordite, and the sky was filled with air bursts from exploding radio-controlled artillery rounds that passed too close to one another. Field ambulances were bringing wounded soldiers from the White Horse Mountain battlefield to a field hospital in Taekwangni. A 765th Transportation Railway Shop Battalion (TRSB) Hospital Train was parked in front of the station and wounded soldiers were being loaded onto it.

You can read about the Battle of White Horse at
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_White_Horse

I apologize for the poor quality of the photo. I cannot find most of the photos I took during that trip, and this is the only photo of the station I could locate. I took it from a train window as I was departing for Seoul, and just as I snapped the camera shutter the train lurched forward, blurring the image.

Great Buddha, Beppu, Japan, R & R

nobody@flickr.com (dmclean2009) — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 19:52:00 -0700

dmclean2009 posted a photo:

Beppu, Japan, R & R, April 1953. The majestic Great Buddha was an imposing sight that towered over the landscape. We were told that it was composed of concrete and human ashes. I read on Flickr that it was dismantled in 1985.