Blog - Robert W. Mackay

Covering the Bases

May 24, 2022 by Robert Mackay Leave a Comment

This photo has haunted me for years. The three young men here are first cousins. They are all Mackays. Their fathers were brothers, each of whom served in World War I’s Lord Strathcona’s Horse (Royal Canadians). From left to right they are Thomas Colson Mackay, William Bruce Mackay, and James Birch Mackay.

As near as I can make out, the photo was probably taken in or close to 1937, perhaps at Lac du Bonnet, Manitoba, where at least one of the older generation had recreational property.

The boys were all 16 or 17 years old. My guess is that the photo may have been snapped on a Friday, late in the day, after driving from Winnipeg. Quite the sharp dressers: Tom appears to sport two-toned shoes in the full-length photo, Bruce with his tie. Or, who knows, perhaps they were off to attend a local dance.

Tom, who was my half-brother, joined the RCN; Bruce (as he was known) the RCAF; and Jim the Canadian Army, so between them they covered all the bases.

It’s my intention to go deeper into the careers of each of them in future blogs and editions of Forces With History; I hope you’ll come along for the ride.

Ukraine Stands Fast (Dateline Feb 25, 2022)

February 27, 2022 by Robert Mackay Leave a Comment

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Ukraine is crying out for help and has been for some time. Canada is taking steps that are too little, too late. The government of President Zelensky asked the western allies numerous times for more aid—not for more trainers, not for repayable loans, but for defensive weapons. Canada did supply non-lethal aid, but not until five days before Russia’s massive invasion did Canada send actual weapons in the form of rifles and machine guns. A second aircraft-load arrived just hours before Russia crossed into Ukraine. Chances are those weapons are still in a warehouse somewhere, and may in fact fall into the hands of Putin’s forces. We don’t know when the current events will run their course, or if they will lead to a permanent state of heightened tension between Russia (with China nodding approval) and the West—a new Cold War. But short and devastating or drawn-out and painful, Canada’s previous actions will have contributed nothing to forcing Putin to rethink his plans. The prime minister has been appearing in daily press conferences now that Ukraine’s plight has our attention. Perhaps when he has time the government will do something about our minuscule armed forces, whose numbers are nowhere near even the currently authorized personnel levels. It is no doubt a major challenge for the minister and senior officers to scrape up the numbers now promised to be sent to Europe. Besides the chronic shortage of personnel, there is the lack of overall spending, nowhere near our commitment to NATO. Modern ships, submarines, fighter aircraft. Next century, perhaps? Vladimir Putin can not be forgiven for his illegal and brutal assault on Ukraine. He could be forgiven for a glance our way, which would have assured him that not all members of the Western Alliance are in any way prepared to defend their friends, or for that matter their own northern regions.

2PPCLI and its Presidential Unit Citation

January 25, 2022 by Robert Mackay Leave a Comment

Formerly known as the Distinguished Unit Citation, the US’s Presidential Unit Citation dates from December 7^th, 1941, and the attack on Pearl Harbour. It is awarded to a unit—ship, squadron, battalion, etc—for collective combat heroism of the level that would merit a Distinguished Service Cross if the action were performed by an individual. Most such awards are made to American units, but allies fighting alongside Americans are also eligible.

Only once has the Presidential Unit Citation been publicly awarded to a Canadian unit. The 2^nd Battalion Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry earned the recognition in April 1951 for their heroics in the Battle of Kapyong. (For more detail, see archived editions of Forces With History.) Presidential Citations were also made to the 3^rd Royal Australian Regiment (3RAR) and Company A 72^nd Heavy Tank Battalion (A US unit) for their parts in the Kapyong battle.

Rumours of the award reached the Patricias two months after their fight at Kapyong. The 2PPCLI War Diary on 23 Jun 51, on the subject of morale, noted: “Persistent rumours are circulating concerning the award of a Presidential Unit Citation to this battalion for its part in the KAPYONG River battle. There has been no official confirmation of the award as yet and Brigadier Rockingham [Canadian Infantry Brigade commander] has promised to investigate the matter.”

The morale of the battalion soared four days later. According to the War Diary on June 27, “Official confirmation was received today of the award of the Presidential Unit Citation…There was considerable speculation amongst the men and officers as to whether or not we would be permitted to wear the citation as are the surviving members of the 1^st Gloster Regt.”

(The Glosters, a British Regiment, had been virtually annihilated by the Chinese in a separate battle a day or so before 2PPCLI’s battle at Kapyong, and had also received the Presidential Unit Citation.)

The excitement among the Patricias, the victors at Kapyong, was a little premature. The award was eventually presented to 2PPCLI’s Commanding Officer on 4 November 1951 by American General James Van Fleet. “Not so fast,” the senior officers in Ottawa must have thought, gritting their teeth.

The “speculation” amongst the men and officers turned out to be just that. The veterans of Kapyong were not allowed to wear the decoration (a modest blue patch on their shoulders) until long after they had left the field and returned to Canada, with many of them no longer in service. The Canadian senior brass and Ottawa establishment dithered, but finally succumbed to pressure to officially accept the award in 1956, an astonishing five years after the battle.

The reasons for the delay are obscure. Some argued that General James Van Fleet didn’t get Canada’s permission before presenting the award, presumably a minor diplomatic faux pas. He was, after all, the commanding general of all the United Nations forces in Korea, which included the Canadians. But neither did he seek advance permission when he awarded the Citation to the Australians or the 1^st Glosters. Her Majesty’s relevant governments had no trouble authorizing their awards, or for that matter granting permission for the men of those units to wear it. The holdup was doubtless somewhere in the upper levels of the hidebound Canadian military establishment and DND.

Today the blue patch, a reminder of the Battle of Kapyong and the Presidential Unit Citation, continues to be worn with great pride on the shoulders of every member of 2PPCLI.

April 24th, anniversary of 2PPCLI’s Battle of Kapyong

April 21, 2021 by Robert Mackay Leave a Comment

Seventy years ago this week the men of the 2^nd Battalion Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry came down from the Korean hills and relaxed for a few days’ break from the fighting.

They had initially landed in Pusan in December 1950, then spent six weeks familiarizing themselves with new U.S weapons and training on the steep Korean hills. Since mid-February they had been in almost continuous action, pursuing a withdrawing People’s Republic of China army northward.

Baseball, tugs-of-war, and beer were the order of the day in welcome warm spring weather. Instead of sleeping in holes in the ground they luxuriated in tents in their rest area just north of the town of Kapyong.

Everything changed on April 22^nd. Republic of Korea (South Korean) forces sent to block Chinese troops advancing southward were overrun a few miles north of the rest area. An Australian battalion was assigned to defend a hill on the right of the Kapyong River Valley, while 2PPCLI was ordered to occupy Hill 677, a massive hill on the left. The Australians were forced to withdraw after a fierce fight.

Now the Chinese turned their attention to the Canadians atop 677.

The night of April 24^th was the Patricia’s sternest test. Their force of 700 was up against an estimated 5,000 Chinese. The Chinese came on in waves, hurling themselves at the dug-in Canadians. At times they got right in amongst the defenders, occupying the Patricia’s positions for a heartbeat, only to be thrust back again. Light, medium, and heavy machine guns and mortars hammered at the attackers. Long-range artillery courtesy of a New Zealand field regiment roared. Through it all 2PPCLI held fast.

Dawn of April 25^th saw the Chinese efforts lessen, and when an airdrop provided desperately needed food, water, and ammunition to the defenders, the fight was virtually over.

There are many stories of heroic action on Hill 677. For the battalion, recognition came quickly in the form of a U.S. Presidential Unit Citation—the only one ever issued to a Canadian formation.

The survivors of the Battle of Kapyong, like their other Korean War comrades, struggled for years to be properly recognized by the Canadian government. Those few who remain remind us of a bitter war bravely fought.

The Korean War, looking back

February 23, 2021 by Robert Mackay Leave a Comment

Here’s how it all started:

Seventy-one years ago Kim Il Sung led North Korea. Kim had spent World War II outside his country in the Soviet army. Following the war, and with the sponsorship of his Russian masters, he returned to Korea with the rank of major in the Red Army, eventually taking charge of North Korea, that is, all of the Korean Peninsula north of the 38^th parallel.
In South Korea the government was led by Syngman Rhee, a man who, in a parallel story to Kim’s, had lived much of his life in the United States. He was autocratic and had been uncooperative with UN efforts to promote democratic reforms.
The Korea-wide free elections that the World War II allies hoped would lead to unification were never held, with the result that the two Koreas – North and South – Russian-influenced and US-leaning – followed ever-more divergent paths.
In the spring of 1950 the North had a population of nine million, contrasted to the South’s 21 million. North Korea, however, had a clear preponderance of military forces. Their army outnumbered that of the South and included thousands of veterans of the Red Army and the Red Chinese Army. In addition they featured modern tanks, aircraft, and weapons provided by the Soviets.
Guerrilla warfare raged in the south, with irregular communist fighters taking on the beleaguered Republic of Korea troops. The US’s 500-man KMAG—Korean Military Assistance Group—were probably more concerned about the upcoming baseball season back home than they were with keeping an eye on the north.
The stage was set for a surprise. Kim mustered his troops for a bid to amalgamate North and South by force.

Seventy Years Ago on the Korean Peninsula

February 14, 2021 by Robert Mackay 2 Comments

Seventy years ago this week, Canada’s Special Force entered the fray in Korea. At that time the only Canadian troops on the ground were the members of the 2^nd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry.

When 2PPCLI had landed in Korea in December 1950, the American commander of UN forces on the ground was Lieutenant-General Walton Walker. One of his staff officers met with the Patricia’s Commanding Officer, Lieutenant-Colonel James R. Stone and ordered him to move his troops to the front. Big Jim, as his men referred to him, refused and insisted on meeting with General Walker himself. Fortunately Stone had with him a document giving him the authority to decide when his troops were ready to be committed to battle.

LCol Stone, flanked by Majors Henderson and Grant at Miryang. Photo courtesy US Army

A compromise was reached. Stone settled for another six weeks of training, as a result of which the battalion proceeded from Pusan, the port where they had landed, to Miryang, a village fifty miles north. Once settled into their tented camp the Canadians continued training and renewed their fitness levels by climbing up and down the surrounding hills, at times in pursuit of Communist guerrillas. Training at Miryang also featured familiarization with American small arms, including machine guns and mortars, with which the Canadians would be supplied.

In a quirk of fate, General Walker was killed in a motor vehicle accident only days after his meeting with LCol Stone, so he never saw the Canadians enter the fray.

On February 15th, 1951, Stone declared his troops ready. They clambered aboard American 6X6 trucks and headed north to join the 27^th Commonwealth Brigade. There they’d take their place in the battle zone in pursuit of the (for now) withdrawing Chinese.

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