Up to this time the four corps of the Eighth Army had defended a 125-mile front across the peninsula (Map 22) with the following units in line from left to right on 15 March 1952.
I CORPS--ROK 1st Division; British Commonwealth Division; U.S. 3d Infantry Division (-); U.S. 45th Infantry Division (Oklahoma National Guard); ROK 9th Division. In reserve were the ROK 8th Division and RCT-65 of the U.S. 3d Infantry Division.
IX CORPS--U.S. 2d Infantry Division; ROK 2d Division; U.S. 40th Infantry Division (California National Guard); ROK 3d Division. In reserve were the U.S. 7th Infantry Division (-), RCT-17 of that Division, and the ROK Capitol Division.
X CORPS--ROK 7th Division; U.S. 25th Infantry Division; U.S. 1st Marine Division (including 1st KMC Regiment). In reserve was the ROK 6th Division (-).
I ROK CORPS--ROK 5th Division (-). In reserve was the ROK 11th Division (-).[370]
Allowing for a few changes, these were the positions held by major EUSAK units through the winter of 1951–1952.
The Marine move was launched by Division Operation Plan 2-52 and provided that the 1st Marine Division would be relieved by the 8th ROK Division as a preliminary to movement overland and by sea to the relief of the 1st ROK Division and defense of Line JAMESTOWN in the I Corps sector in the west. According to verbal orders later confirmed by EUSAK OI 272, transportation by truck and ship was specified, and the move was to be completed prior to 1 April.[371]
[371] Sources for this section are 1stMarDiv _HD_, Mar 52, 9–10; 1st MT Bn _HD_, Mar 52; 7th MT Bn _HD_, Mar 52.
Obviously such a transplacement--moving entire divisions great distances from one sector of the MLR to another--necessitated careful timing and close coordination, but the planners involved were equal to the task. In referring to detailed plans by the Division G-3 Section (Lieutenant Colonel Gordon D. Gayle) and the G-4 Section (Colonel Robert A. McGill), several unit commanders expressed the opinion that “the move from east to west was a masterpiece of logistical efficiency with no unnecessary paper work and no undue harrassment.”[372]
[372] Col T. A. Culhane, Jr., Comments, 4 Mar 59, and others.
In addition to transporting the Division, the arrival of replacements and departure of personnel to be rotated to the United States were smoothly coordinated into the over-all plan. The transport _General W. H. Gordon_ anchored at Sokcho-ri on 16 March with 174 officers and 1,135 enlisted men of the 18th Replacement Draft. The newly arrived Marines scarcely had time to drop their seabags before they joined the motor march to West Korea. The _Gordon_ departed with 103 officers and 1,135 Marines homeward bound, and the 2d Logistical Command (Army) received a 1st Marine Division request to route the 19th Replacement Draft, due in April, to Inchon instead of Sokcho-ri.