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It All started on On June 25, 1950 when North Korea, supported by the Soviet Union and China, invaded South Korea, which was supported by the United States. North Korean's Army crossed the 38th parallel. About 75,000 soldiers crossed the border that day. The 38th parallel is the boundary stretching across North and south Korea going West to east about 150 miles separating the boundary between the Soviet-backed Democratic People's Republic of Korea to the north and the pro-Western Republic of Korea to the south.

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American troops landing at Pohang, on the east coast of Korea, in July 1950, during the Korean War. Credit... Associated Press

The Korean War has been called "the Forgotten War" in the United States, where coverage of the 1950s conflict was censored and its memory decades later is often overshadowed by World War II and the Vietnam War.

But the three-year conflict in Korea, which pitted communist and capitalist forces against each other, set the stage for decades of tension among North Korea, South Korea and the United States.

It also helped set the tone for Soviet-American rivalry during the Cold War, profoundly shaping the world we live in today, historians said.

As tensions between North Korea and the United States continue to mount amid missile tests and taunts, here is a brief guide to the Korean War and the impacts that linger more than 60 years after its end.

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Soldiers gathered in Seoul in 1948 to celebrate the birth of South Korea. Credit... Associated Press

The Korean War began when North Korean troops pushed into South Korea on June 25, 1950, and it lasted until 1953. But experts said the military conflict could not be properly understood without considering its historical context.

Korea, a Japanese colony from 1910 until 1945, was occupied by the United States and the Soviet Union at the end of World War II. The United States proposed temporarily dividing the country along the 38th Parallel as a way to maintain its influence on the peninsula, which bordered Russia, said Charles K. Armstrong, a professor of Korean history at Columbia University.

"A divided Korea was something unprecedented," he said.

But the divide lasted in part because of competing visions among Koreans for the country's future. "Fundamentally it was a civil war, fought over issues going back into Korea's colonial experience," said Bruce Cumings, a professor of history at the University of Chicago.

In 1948, the American-backed, anti-communist southern administration, based in Seoul, declared itself the Republic of Korea. It was led by Syngman Rhee, who lived in exile in the United States for many years and was installed as the South Korean leader by the Office of Strategic Services, a predecessor to the Central Intelligence Agency, Professor Cumings said.

Soon after, the Soviet-backed, communist northern administration, based in Pyongyang, declared itself the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Its leader was Kim Il-sung, who fought alongside communist forces during the Chinese civil war and was the grandfather of North Korea's current dictator, Kim Jong-un.

Each regime was unstable, rejected the legitimacy of the other and considered itself to be Korea's sole rightful ruler. Border skirmishes between the two were frequent before the Korean War began.

A South Korean Army officer checked members of his battery in position on the 38th Parallel in June 1950. Credit... Associated Press

The war pitted South Korea and the United States, fighting under the auspices of the United Nations, against North Korea and China.

Other nations contributed troops, too, but American forces did most of the fighting. "The South Korean Army virtually collapsed" at the start of the war, Professor Cumings said.

The Soviet Union supported North Korea at the beginning of the war, giving it arms, tanks and strategic advice. But China soon emerged as its most important ally, sending soldiers to fight in Korea as a way to keep the conflict away from its border.

The Chinese leader, Mao Zedong, also saw China's participation in the war as a way to thank Korean Communists who fought in the Chinese civil war, Professor Cumings said.

"There was a lot of field contact between American and Chinese forces," Professor Armstrong said. "In a sense, this was the first and only war between China and the United States, so far."

Two American soldiers lined up a rocket launcher bazooka along a battlefront in Korea in July 1950. Credit... United States Army

The war devastated Korea. Historians said that between three million and four million people were killed, although firm figures have never been produced, particularly by the North Korean government. As many as 70 percent of the dead may have been civilians.

Destruction was particularly acute in the North, which was subjected to years of American bombing, including with napalm. Roughly 25 percent of its prewar population was killed, Professor Cumings said, and many of the survivors lived underground by the war's end.

"North Korea was flattened," he said. "The North Koreans see the American bombing as a Holocaust, and every child is taught about it."

Damage was also widespread in South Korea, where Seoul changed hands four times. But most combat took place in the northern or central parts of the peninsula around the current Demilitarized Zone, which divides the countries, Professor Cumings said.

Civilians and soldiers stood beneath a banner during a demonstration in Seoul in April 1953 against resumption of the Korean peace talks. Credit... Associated Press

Technically, the Korean War did not end.

The fighting stopped when North Korea, China and the United States reached an armistice in 1953. But South Korea did not agree to the armistice, and no formal peace treaty was ever signed.

"There is still a technical state of war between the combatants," Professor Cumings said.

Neither North nor South Korea had achieved its goal: the destruction of the opposing regime and reunification of the divided peninsula.

Since 1953 there has been an uneasy coexistence between North and South Korea, which hosts over 20,000 American troops. At one time hundreds of American nuclear weapons were based there.

"It was from the Korean War onward that we had a permanent, global American military presence that we had never had before," Professor Armstrong said. Other countries that host American troops include Qatar, Japan, Italy and Germany. "It was a real turning point for America's global role."

In the decades after the war, South Korea transformed into an economic powerhouse. Professor Cumings said many of its citizens now know little about the conflict and have "a fatalistic orientation" toward the economically isolated North.

Meanwhile, North Korea became "the world's most amazing garrison state with the fourth largest army in the world."

"Its generals are still fighting the war," Professor Cumings said. "For them it has never ended."

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Korean War, a 'Forgotten' Conflict That Shaped the Modern World (Published 2018)

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The Korean War has been called "the Forgotten War" in the United States, where coverage of the 1950s conflict was censored and its memory decades later is often overshadowed by World War II and the Vietnam War.

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On 1949, Kim Il-sung, The Leader of North Korea at this time. Discussions between North Korea with Chine and Soviet Union went on and at the time of 25th of June, 1950, they decided to finally invade South Korea. This invasion involved about 89,000 troops. The attack was a success. About three days later North Korean army successfully occupied Seoul. On the Sidelines the United States maintained a non-interactive stance. The US was afraid of being embroiled in a land war in Asia with Soviet Union troops, fearing it to easily escalate into World War 3. That changed when the Soviet Union announced that they would not send troops to the Korean Peninsula. The US decided to intervene, mostly out of consideration for Japan

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The Battle of Yeonpyeng was a naval battle between North and South Korea and the Battle initially occurred after North Korea began a campaign to redraw the maritime boundary line. This is what started the naval battle between North and South Korea. This line is know as the Northern Limit line and separates South And North Korea at its seas. On 6 June 1999, North Korea state controlled central news agency claims that sea boundary line violated by south Korean warships that had illegally trespassed in the northern territorial waters sparking the the first battle of Yeonpyeong.

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In 2002 a Battle occurred between South Korean and North Korean vessels of the navy along their disputed sea border. This event causes the lives of four South Koreans which were announced dead and 19 others who were wounded and or hospitalized due to the severity of their injuries. Thirty North Koreans are thought to have been killed.

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15th anniversary ceremony of Second Battle of Yeonpyeong

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In 1952 The Battle of Kapyong, also known as the Battle of Jiaping. China and North Korean forces re-centralized and counter-attacked in the western and west sections of the front. The South Korean forces felt overwhelmed in their situation at this battle and fled, This actions put them at serious risk from being wiped out and overruled.

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Talking Proud Archives --- MilitaryThe prelude to the Battle of Kapyong, March-April 1951In the previous section, we tracked the British 27th Infantry Brigade and then its successor, the 27 British Commonwealth Brigade (27 BC) from Pusan all the way north nearly to the Yalu, back to the 37th parallel, and now up to the 38th parallel and actually a bit beyond. In order to further set the stage for the Battle of Kapyong, I want to use a few different maps to return to early March and work our way up to the Battle of Kapyong, April 22-26. In the next section, I will discuss the actual battle, then in the following section, reflect on some memoirs I have found from the men who were there.

Kapyong: Aussies and Canadians beat massive Chinese attack back

edmarek@mac.com
Most force movements during the Korean War are described in terms of reaching various Phase Lines. Finding good maps to depict these phase lines has been a real challenge. I have one here I will work with for as long as I can, and then I'll probably have to switch to less informative maps.

I can't say I'll get most of the action in, perhaps not even a lot, but I have found enough to inform you of the events leading up to the Battle of Kapyong. I can assure you events were hectic and occurring at a frantic pace. My objective in this section is to get the 27 BC to Kapyong from its position a month before south of the 37th parallel.

This was complicated to assemble. I hope you are able to follow it, and if I have erred, please let me know at

You will recall from the previous section that General Ridgway, commander 8th Army, designed Operation Ripper to recapture Seoul and get is forces close to the 38th parallel. All hands wanted to get back to the prewar 38th parallel boundary but what they really wanted to do was to destroy as many Chinese forces as possible. Ripper began on March 7, 1951. One of the high priority targets was Ch'unch'on, noted by the green dot. I show you this because it is close to Kapyong, the subject of this story, which is the red dot.

Speaking in rough terms, the town of Hoengsong, marked by the blue dot to the southeast, is roughly on the same latitude as is Seoul, which is off this map to the left. Phase Line Albany was an objective of Ripper and I believe would move UN forces just north of Seoul, but that fighting was to the west in I Corps, which is adjacent to IX Corps, our corps for this story.

Let's focus on the area south of Line Albany. On the map you will see "IX" standing alone, meaning IX Corps area of responsibility, AOR, and "X", standing alone meaning X Corps AOR. You also see lines with "XX" in them, going roughly south to north, and then numbers on each side. These define the AORs for the major units involved. For example, look at the bottom of the map. To the far right you see "IX" which defines the eastern IX Corps AOR. Moving to the left, you see "1 Mar" for the 1st Marine Division, then "ROK 6" for the ROK 6th Division, then "Br 27" for the 27th BC, then "1 Cav" for the 1st Cavalry Division, then "24" for the 24th ID. As Operation Ripper kicked off, this is where these units were. Don't worry just yet about anything above Line Albany, with one exception.

To the north, the top of this map display, in red, you see two Chinese Armies, the 40th Army and the 39th Army. PLA 40 and PLA 39, "PLA" standing for "People's Liberation Army" or Chinese Army. As we move ahead to the Battle of Kapyong, we will focus on the 118th Division of the 40th Army.

British documents I have reviewed indicate that the plan was for the Chinese 40th Army to attack the center, and to have six rehabilitated divisions of the 20th and 27th Chinese armies sitting just to the 40th's rear ready to jump in once the 40th made its break through.

The plan for Operation Ripper was to move to Line Albany and then to each of the other lines to the north in coordinated sequence. At this point in time, there were plenty of Chinese forces south of Line Albany that had to be defeated. It is one thing to say yo have reached Line Albany, quite another that you have rubbed out all the enemy. As an aside, I know in WWII our generals would say they defeated the enemy in a certain place, and left some units behind to "mop up." I have read about those mop up operations --- fighting was often fierce and losses high.

In any event, clearing out the enemy south of Line Albany would be the task assigned to the 27 BC as the other forces moved northward. By the way, the route lines I will show on maps that follow are for descriptive purposes only. I have no idea what routes the 27 BC actually took.

As a reminder, on March 23, 1951, Brigadier Coad was sent to Hong Kong on compassionate leave because his wife was seriously ill, and his deputy, Colonel Brian Arthur Burke, was temporarily promoted to Brigadier and put in command of the 27 BC, while his brigade was resting in reserve. The 16th Field Regiment, Royal New Zealand Artillery (16 RNZA) with 3.25-inch 25-pounder field guns was attached to the 27th BC. Incredibly, Lt. Colonel Stone, the Patricias commander, was evacuated the next day with smallpox, leaving Major H.D.P. Tighe in command of the 2 PPCLI. Stone would return --- tough old guy.

The question for the leadership now was whether to cross the 38th again, which is located a bit north of Kapyong. The answer, of course was yes, get north of the 38th.
Following Ripper, the 27th Brigade was told to join the US 24th ID to participate in Operation Courageous (highlighted by red arrow on the left), part of the 8th Army endeavor to get back to the 38th parallel. The 27th reached its objective a few miles south of the 38th parallel on April 1, 1951. I believe that once it achieved this objective, it was in the area of Kapyong, the good old red dot.

As the 27 BC pushed north, the ROK 6 was to be on its right flank. The IX Corps, in addition to the 27th, also included the US 24th and 7th IDs, and the ROK 2nd and 6th Divisions, Major General William Hoge, shown here, in command. said Peng had sent out a message outlining his goals:

You will recall that when leaders met in October to debate whether to send forces into Korea, Mao Zedong and Zhou en Lai wanted to go in, but others did not. As a result, Mao chose General Peng Duhai to command the Chinese Army. For the Fifth Offensive, Peng had a grandiose plan. William Johnston, in his book A War of Patrols: Canadian Army Operations in Korea,

"For our Spring Offensive, we have decided to make our objective the wiping out of three divisions (less one regiment) of the American Army, three brigades of British and Turkish troops, and two divisions of the Puppet (ROK) Army to the west of the northern Han River. First of all, we will mass our forces to wipe out the 6th DIvision of the Puppet Amy, the British 27th Brigade, the American 3rd Division (less one regiment), the Turkish Brigade, the British 29th Brigade and the 1st Division of the Puppet Army, and after this we can wipe out the American 24th Division and 25th Division."

Peng is estimated to have had 630,000 troops to oppose 418,000 UN troops along the entire offensive front. I should mention here that while those numbers appear greatly in China's favor, the offensive force always needs many more troops than the defensive force, in some cases as many as 3:1. China did not have this kind superiority, but it did present a most potent force.

Now, in the midst of all this, we have political trouble in the US leadership. General MacArthur had felt he already had approval to march north again. But now he was now much more outspoken, saying he felt an invasion of mainland China was in order. This was contrary to President Truman's desire to negotiate a peace and the general feeling in Washington that a return to pre-invasion lines at the 38th parallel was a satisfactory outcome. Truman recalled MacArthur from Tokyo on April 11 and replaced him with General Ridgway, who had been commanding the 8th US Army. So Ridgway, promoted to his fourth star, was now the commander of UNC. Lt. General James Van Fleet (shown here) would replace Ridgway.

There's some mighty history here. There were calls to impeach Truman. The politics and social upheaval in the US over this move were turbulent. Truman's position was that he had to maintain civilian control over the military, and from a policy standpoint, he had set it as I just described. So MacArthur was out. I might remark that aside from MacArthur's pompous demeanor, even with Truman, he had made some critical errors in judgement about the Chinese and even the initial NK invasion.

Firing MacArthur was quite a jolt at a very difficult time. He was recalled on April 11, and Ridgway took command that day. From a military standpoint, MacArthur's recall made no difference. The UN forces and Chinese forces were all in position, both sides had plans, and they continued executing them and their soldiers kept fighting.

It is important to note that just before the Chinese Fifth Offensive, the 1 A&SH was relieved and returned to Hong Kong in April 1951. It had lost 44 KIA and 181 WIA during its fight in Korea. The 1 A&SH had fought its way from the Pusan Perimeter north almost to the Yalu and then back, and now it was time for it to go home. The 28th British Infantry Brigade was considered to be the relief-reinforcement force for the 1 A&SH and other units. The 28th had arrived in December 1950, and would be heavily engaged in the Chinese Fifth Offensive as well. It was renamed the 28th British Commonwealth Brigade and included two British and one Australian infantry battalions and would later include the 16 RNZA and the 3 RAR.

But back to the 27 BC. Its Order of Battle (OB) at present was the 1 MX, 3 RAR, 2 PPCLI the 16 RNZA, and some support units.

One of those support units was an Indian medical unit, which by the way, is an interesting subject for further study --- the value of Indian medical units in this war. This is a photo of an Indian Army medical unit encampment during the Korean War. India sent no ground combat forces to Korea, but did send the 60th (Parachute) Field Ambulance platoon, the 60 PFA. It included 627 medical personnel, Lt. Colonel A.G. Rangaraj in command. These medical people would parajump into the combat zone along with the combat force. They had gone north along with the fighting forces and took care of the Allied forces when they were withdrawing, always having to set up shop, take care of the wounded, tear down, and move south, and set up again. The 60 PFA served for 3.5 years, the longest single tenure by any military unit under the UN flag. In all, they treated about 200,000 wounded. ... which included 2,300 field medical operations ... and in the meantime, also trained local Korean doctors and nurses. The troops had great faith in their abilities.Let's get another look at geography.

Kapyong is located about 36 miles northeast of Seoul as the crow flies. Its location was strategically significant.

Why was Kapyong strategically significant? Largely because of geography. There traditionally have been three avenues of approach for large numbers of forces including mechanized-armor from North Korea to South. They are: Kaesong-Munsan approach to the west, the Chorwon Valley approach through the center, and along the east coast. The first two avenues lead directly to Seoul, which is about 40 miles south of the DMZ. To defend Seoul from a North Korean-Chinese attack, you have to defend these two avenues. As you can see, Kapyong is on the southern portion of the Chorwon approach.

While these are good and the only avenues of approach, the Korean Peninsula is mountainous, especially along the Kapyong area. The mountains are not the highest in the world, but high enough and very steep. They offer outstanding observation points and fighting positions, and are tough to climb, especially in battle.

The Allies knew the Chinese were coming on their Fifth Offensive. The Chinese had three army groups ready to launch the offensive. This is an important point to remember. The Allies knew they were coming, how they would be coming, and generally the size of the forces that would be coming. The movements to Kapyong were no surprise to anyone.

The Chinese launched their Fifth Offensive on April 22. As you can see, this was no fly-by-night offensive. This was the real McCoy. Just look at all those red arrows. It depends on who's account you read. Some say the Chinese attacked across a forty mile front with nine armies of about 250,000 troops. Six Chinese armies struck directly at 8th Army I Corps forces lined up north of Seoul, while three armies attacked X Corps to the east. Others say 300,000 Chinese, I have seen as high as three field armies of 700,000 men. With this map, I highlight the PLA 40th Army which as you will recall was the one left in this area after the 39th Army left. It turns out the 39th did not really leave. If you look to the top right corner, you see a Chinese attack near the Hwacheon Reservoir. That was by the 39th Army. I'll come back to this in a moment.

But you see the many Chinese lines of attack coming straight down at Kapyong (in the black box), our famous red dot. Also note the blue line north of Seoul that spans across the peninsula. If you can read it, this phase line is called the "No Name" line. It was just north of Seoul. This is where I Corps was to hold as its last resort. Fall back from the No Name line and lose Seoul, and the UN Command might well have abandoned the whole peninsula to the Chinese. I know it was on MacArthur's mind earlier and was on Ridgway's mind as well, even though he would not acknowledge it publicly.

One Chinese objective was to get on the road to Seoul's northeastern sectors. I know this map above is hard to read, but if you squint hard enough, you'll note the grey line marking the MSR into northeast Seoul from Kapyong. And, at the bottom of my rectangle, you can see that it is Route 17. That's the road the ROK 6 was to protect above Kapyong and if required, protecting that road would and did fall to the 27 BC.

This is a different view of what the other map was telling you, but it points out a few things I wanted to highlight.

The initial major Chinese thrust came at the Hwacheon Reservoir, launched by the PLA 39th Army. The green line on the right reflects the eastern side of the IX AOR. The 1 MAR had the area between the green lines, and the ROK 6 had the area west of the left green line. I believe the ROK 6 was to the north and west of the reservoir. The blue box reflects the AORs of various Korean Marine Corps (KMAR) units, and the blue ellipse, as I read the maps, reflects the disposition of the 1 MAR units behind them, which included the 1-1, 3-1, 3-7 and 2-7 Marine Regiments and the 1 MAR HQ. They stood east of Kapyong, while the 24 ID stood to the west.

Between April 22-23 the Chinese broke through the KMC lines up at the reservoir and the KMC units began to withdraw to the south toward Chuncheon. A massive number of Chinese forces to the west headed straight at Kapyong as I had previously said but also penetrated the 1 MAR AOR and attacked it along its entire western flank.

Both the IX and X Corps were ordered to withdraw.

We have got to talk about the ROK 6th Division, the "Blue Stars." It was one of the original divisions of the ROKA, founded on April 11, 1948. As I noted early on, the 6th was in the Pusan Perimeter holding the line to the east and then it also broke out along with the others. The division marched its way north to within 50 miles of the Yalu River when the Chinese came streaming in. Indeed in late October 1950, the Chinese hit the division's elements with a surprise attack and the division fought hard. But it was badly damaged as early as October 1950. It was placed in reserve in ROK II Corps to the east, reorganized and prepared for battle. It was not the only one to take a pummeling. The US 2 ID, the Turkish Brigade, and the ROK 6th, 7th, and 8th Infantry Divisions were thrashed and would need time to recover.

The division's men, like many others, were demoralized by the ferocity of the Chinese onslaught, and kept on getting hit hard by the Chinese. The ROK II Corps as a whole was beat up badly as it was withdrawing, often using the 6th Division to cover its withdrawal. In late November or early December 1950, the 6th was sent over to IX Corps. It, along with the 7th Cav, kept getting hit over and over. Nonetheless, it held to its task of covering the 8th Army's right flank as the 8th moved south.

The ROK 6 was between the US 24 ID and the 1 MAR, the former on its left flank, the latter on its right flank. In his book, Robert W. Black, a former Army Ranger, was in Korea as an enlisted man, along with a total of about 750 other Rangers all together. Black was attached to the 24 ID, serving with the 19th and 21st Infantries and the 5th Regimental Combat Team (RCT) at various times. They would go out usually in platoon size (32 enlisted, one officer) drawn from their Ranger company on combat patrols "looking for trouble." They would try to make their way through enemy positions to the enemy's rear, and get air support to attack the enemy.He was with the 3rd Platoon of the 8th Ranger Infantry Co. (Airborne), the "Devils." A Ranger Born: A Memoir of Combat and Valor from Korea to Vietnam,

He said:

In April 1951, I do not know the exact dates, the 24 ID was in pitched battle with the Chinese offensive. The 8th Rangers were attached to the 24 ID. Black was with his 33-man platoon on a scouting mission, knowing that if they found the Chinese, they risked being vastly outnumbered. On this mission, they found nothing. But then, a 19th Infantry Intelligence and Reconnaissance (I&R) team had been spotted by the Chinese, and the recon patrol came flying out of the woods across a field to another set of woods. The Chinese, two reconnaissance companies, were in hot pursuit, and the Rangers were hidden in a perfect position. They waited for the Chinese to make their way into the field, and then mowed them down, leaving over 70 dead.

The Chinese at first withdrew, but then pursued them. The Rangers were hit hard but managed their way to the Allied front lines and the Chinese in pursuit withdrew.

On April 22, two platoons of Rangers were sent out on individual missions. As they pressed forward, an officer in a jeep raced up to them and called off their mission and told them to withdraw. The Chinese were advancing in waves. They then learned the ROK 6 was in deep trouble to their east, which would leave an open gap toward Kapyong. The Chinese would soon pour through this gap. The 27 BC was about 20 miles away.

The Rangers were resupplied and prepared to move out. Their problem was they could not get an accurate assessment of what was happening to the ROK 6, but they understood the importance of that division's mission. So then the 8th Rangers were told to advance to the area occupied by the ROK 6 and gather information and return it to the 24 ID.

Ninety men went out on this one. They headed into the mountains. They came close to the Chinese and moved away, and then found South Korean soldiers who had been left behind when their units fled. These ROKA joined with the Rangers and helped them carry their extra ammo. They climbed to observation points where they could see the strong enemy advances, and called in artillery. Black said there was a lot of air power coming to the area as well. They then discovered the ROK 6 had retreated and broken apart, fleeing some 21 miles to the south. Black then wrote:

"In response, the 24 ID refused (turned) its right flank and the 1st Marine Division turned its left flank to create a U-shaped defense that encompassed the former area of the 6th ROK. To stop the Chinese attack, the British brigade and the 5th Cavalry Regiment were committed at the base of the penetration. The ninety men of the 8th Rangers were at the upper and middle portion of the U."

Black said the ROK 6 retreat forced the 24 ID to fight on its right flank and on its front. Its men were spread thin, with many gaps between them. The Chinese found the gaps and moved through them to hit the division's rear. He said:

"Throughout the area, American units were withdrawing."

He commented:

"That night we camped on Hill 1010. The next morning when we woke and looked down from the hill we could see a river of brown-clad Chinese soldiers flowing by the bottom of our hill. We were behind enemy lines and our only way out was to fight our way through the Chinese. Off in the distance, on the other side of the Chinese troops, we could see an American unit."

He would also comment:

"We moved onto a razorback ridge known as Hill 628. We could see from our vantage point the Chinese were about to attack the Americans. So we didn't have any choice but to attack the Chinese."

His description of the fighting was that individual units started to break apart, and oft times individual troops found themselves fighting alone, "sometimes fighting in one direction while others were moving and shooting at other points of the compass. We threw our dead out of their holes and occupied them....casualties were scattered about. Nearly one-third of the company was hit." The Rangers were then told to get out, and they would have to do so on their own with no help from the 24 ID, whose units were having their own battles to fight.

""The 1st Marine Division was on our right and we were on the left. In the center was the 6th Republic of Korea (ROK) Division. It was April or May 1951 when the Chinese began their 'Fifth Pass Offensive,' the biggest military engagement of the war against us."

Removing wounded soldier from tank

They managed to get out. By the time this was over, Black's 3rd Platoon had one-third casualties. This photo is of the 3rd Platoon, 6th Tank Battalion that helped the Rangers out. Lt. Teiche is circled in red.I found this on the 8th Ranger Facebook Page. There was a note attached to it that read:

"This is the tank platoon that came to the aid of the surrounded Rangers and allowed them to escape from the enemy in Korea. They risked their lives to help, because they had no infantry support."

As an aside, Black would rise to the rank of major and fight again in Vietnam, and then rise to colonel.

you will see that some from the BC 27 complained, almost mocked the manner in which some Americans retreated along with the ROK 6. I will not quarrel with those men's memoirs. But I wanted to be sure that all hands understood Americans in this area were fighting their asses off with great valor and courage, and they understood the importance of Kapyong. magazine on July 14, 2011:"In the IX sector, the 6th ROK Div. took most of the heat. The South Koreans tried to consolidate their position but by midday on April 22 they were desperate; soldiers and vehicles-mixed with thousands of refugees-retreated south through the Kapyong River Valley." Memoirs section

Capt. Murray Edwards, 2 PPCLI, described the ROK 6th Division retreat like this:

"They all came streaming back in front of us. The Chinese were mixed in with them. It was a mixture of Koreans and Chinese."

No one will argue that the Chinese Fifth Offensive had ROK and US forces withdrawing from north of Kapyong and heading south. Somewhere in here General Hoge, the IX Corps commander, is said to have warned the 27 BC which was in reserve to get ready and establish defensive positions north of Kapyong. Hoge was mightily concerned that the Chinese would break through Kapyong. He reportedly told the 27 BC on the afternoon of April 23 to block the two approaches to the village and prevent the Chinese from cutting down Route 17 to Seoul.

As a reminder, the Order of Battle (OB) for the 27 BC was the 1 MX, 3 RAR, 2 PPCLI and the 16 RNZA. The Argylls had left just prior to the Battle of Kapyong. The 1st Middlesex was to have left as well but was held back to support Kapyong defenses. Of all the units in the 27 BC, the 2 PPCLI had the least combat experience. You will recall both the 1 MX and the 3 RAR had gone from the Pusan Perimeter all the way up to near the Yalu and now back.

I will also remark that because of what happened to the ROK 6 north of Kapyong, that division has gotten a lot of bad press. Recall this division fought its way out of Pusan to near the Yalu and back as well, and had taken more than its share of licks. I am not certain the bad press is entirely deserved. I know at one point during its withdrawal, its men didn't even have weapons or transport, and had to grab whatever they could to survive. I leave both these subjects at that.

Regardless of my view, the realities were as summed up here:

Dan Black reported for Canada's

Here we have identified the Kapyong River, the Pukhan River, and at the very bottom, the location of Kapong City. The Chinese came down the road along the Kapyong River through the valley area. The Chinese had three avenues of approach by this time, but decided to concentrate their initial efforts on the Kapyong approach, and the area of the Imjin River just to the west, held by the British 29th Infantry Brigade.

Believe it or not, we have tracked the British 27th Infantry Brigade and then its successor the 27 BC from Pusan all the way north nearly to the Yalu, back to the 37th parallel, and now up to the 38th parallel and actually a bit beyond, and then over to Kapyong.

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We are about to look at one of those battles that was crucially important --- the Battle of Kapyong, also known as the Battle of Gapyong, April 22-25, 1951. Had the allies failed to hold at Kapyong, it is no too far fetched to say that there would have been a good chance the United Nations Command (UNC) would have folded its tent and left the peninsula.

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The Korean Armistice Agreement is an important agreement between south and north Korea. This agreement is a cease fire between the two military forces, but not an agreement between their governments. But most importantly the agreement didn't have the peace treaty signed which means the Korean war has not Officially ended.

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Korean War Educator: Armistice Agreement

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The Korean War Educator is dedicated with appreciation and rememberance to the thousands of American veterans who served and fought in war-torn Korea in 1950-1953 and beyond. These are the memoirs of those veterans.

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On 1980 the Martial law was initially declared after student demonstrations. In the city of Gwangju army kills at least 200 people for protesting against the leader of South Korea. Fifth republic and new constitution were installed into the South Korean Reblublic.

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On 2000 of August Border liaisons will be re introduced at Panmunjom In South Korea for the beneficial conduct of South Korea. South Korea gives amnesty to more than 3,500 prisoners. One hundred North Koreans meet their relatives in the South in a highly-charged, emotional reunion. Kim Dae-jung awarded Nobel Peace Prize.

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On April 1951 during the Korean The Battle of Imjin River occurred lasting several months. The Imjin River is a poplular battle and was also known as the Battle of Solma-ri or Battle of Gloster Hill. This battle compated to others didnt last that long but played a role in the future for the South Korean nation.

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Britains Bloodiest Post-WWII Battle: Imjin River

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The Korean war will finally be declared over after 65 long lasting years. At this Historic summit between leaders Kim Jong-Un and Moon Jae-in, the neighboring countries agreed they would from then on work towards peace on the peninsula with a formal end to the conflict set to be announced later this year. The par agreed to bring the two countries together and establish a peace zone the border known as the 38th parallel.

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North and South Korea vow to end the Korean War

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When the Japanese empire was destroyed at the very end of world war 2, Korea fell in the hands of the Cold War. It was divided into two based of influence along the 38th parallel. The Americans controlled south of the line witch is know to be South Korea and their form of governing is known to be Republic while the Russians installed a communist regime in the north, later ceding influence to China.

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Korea Divided at the 38th Parallel after WWII

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August 15th, 1945 There's been a clear division between North and South Korea ever since the surrendering of Japan August 15, 1945. It was the Allied victory that had ended Japan's...

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The Conflicts of Korean DMZ, also know to many people as the Second Korean War, was many different conflicts and disagreements of low-level armed clashes between North Korean forces and the forces of South Korea and the United States. An Example of this would be the Korean war, North and South Korea have a bad reputation with each other known as DMZ conflicts. The Battle of Osan is an example of a DMZ conflict, also America contravenes in aid for south Korea.

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Between 1966-1970 soldiers stationed on the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) came in regular contact with North Korean infiltrators probing US military defenses in what became known as the " DMZ War ". Two examples of such incidents occurred the morning of August 10th, 1967 when North Korean infiltrators conducted two separate ambushes of 2nd and 7th Infantry Division soldiers:

The events that morning began when a 2nd Infantry Division military working dog by the name of "Blackie", handled by Specialist Jack L. Tyrrell, were leading a squad sized patrol in the early morning hours. The patrol was sent out at dusk after a sentry during the night had heard a possible North Korean infiltrator near his post. As the patrol looked for the infiltrator Blackie smelled something suspicious and headed for a nearby tree. That is when a North Korean infiltrator sprung out from behind the tree and shot Blackie and SPC Tyrrell.

Ambush Prevented

After the initial firing more concealed North Koreans opened fire on the American patrol. However, the warning provided by Blackie had given the other members of the US patrol time to take cover. This allowed the Americans the opportunity to immediately return fire at the ambushers. The North Koreans realizing that their ambush had been compromised withdrew back towards the DMZ. The ambush cost Blackie his life, but no other Americans were killed with SPC Tyrrell being the only person wounded.

Work Detail Ambush

However, the ambush that Blackie had prematurely triggered was not the only ambush the North Koreans had planned that morning. US 7th Infantry Division soldiers from B company 2-31 Infantry Regiment had conducted a woodcutting mission inside the South Korean side of the DMZ that morning before returning to their camp for lunch around 11:45 AM. The soldiers moved south in a two truck convoy up a small hill in a drizzling rain. Each truck carried a platoon of US soldiers in the back of it. As the convoy approached the crest of the hill approximately 3-4 North Koreans appeared on the side of the lead truck and lobbed grenades at it. One of the grenades landed on the hood of the truck and killed the Platoon Sergeant Philip Boudreaux.

After the initial grenade attack more North Koreans opened up on the lead truck with small arms fire. In the ensuing ambush two more US soldiers, PFC Donald Craplicki and PFC Jerry Skaggs would be killed. The fatalities could have been much worse if it wasn't for the actions of Specialist David Richardson who stood up on the back of the truck and returned fire at the ambushers while the other soldiers jumped out over the side of the truck and into an adjacent ditch to take cover. SPC Richardson was wounded by grenade fragments and shot twice, but incredibly continued to return fire. The return of fire from Richardson allowed platoon leader 2nd Lieutenant David Colwell who rode in the second truck to organize a response to the ambush.

While soldiers in the second truck took cover Colwell crawled up the hill to the first truck to check on the status of the soldiers. After helping to get wounded soldiers in the ambush zone out of the truck and administering first aid he ran back down the hill to order a soldier to run to a nearby outpost to request reinforcements. Other soldiers in the second truck then pushed forward to return fire at the ambushers. The firefight lasted about 30 minutes before the North Koreans withdrew back across the DMZ. No North Korean bodies were found, but US soldiers reported seeing some of the ambushers shot and blood was later found at the scene.

The aftermath from the ambush left the US with 3 soldiers killed in action, 16 more wounded and one ROK Army Korean Augmentee to the US Army (KATUSA) also wounded. 2LT Colwell would later go on to be recognized with a Bronze Star for his actions that morning. I could find no record of Specialist Richardson being awarded any valor medals, but it seems like he would have been a great candidate as well.

Ambush Aftermath

A few days after the ambush the United Nations Command officially protested the aggression during the 253rd meeting of the military armistice commission. During the meeting the UNC spokesman Major General Marvin Demler blasted the North Korean delegation for the deadly attacks. North Korean spokesman Major General Chung Kuk-pak had the audacity to claim that if any UN soldiers had been killed it was because they shot each other by mistake. Later in the meeting Maj. Gen. Demler responded to the North Korean subterfuge by saying, "My colleagues and I agree that the proper assessment of this situation is that every ass likes to hear himself bray." Demler continued to say that the UNC would "hunt down and kill or capture all North Korean communist intruders." Despite Demler's tough talking the North Koreans would go on two weeks later to launch an even more deadly ambush on Camp Liberty Bell that left 4 soldiers dead and 26 wounded to further escalate the growing DMZ War.

Click the below link for more DMZ Flashpoints articles:

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DMZ Flashpoints: The 1967 Work Detail Ambush

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Between 1966-1970 soldiers stationed on the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) came in regular contact with North Korean infiltrators probing US military defenses in what became known as the " DMZ War ".