Korea: 60th Anniversary of the “Frozen Chosin”

Posted by AzBlueMeanie:

With the recent increase in hostilities from the "Hermit Kingdom" of North Korea against South Korea, it is appropriate to remember what has become known as the "forgotten war," the Korean War (1950-1953).

November 26 marks the 60th anniversary of the beginning of the Battle of Chosin Reservoir. The fighting around Chosin Reservoir lasted from November 26 to December 11, 1950. Korean War Battle of Chosin Reservoir:

On October 25, 1950, with General Douglas MacArthur's United Nations forces closing in a victorious end to the Korean War, Communist Chinese forces began pouring across the border. Striking the spread out UN troops with overwhelming force, they compelled them to retreat all across the front.

In northeastern Korea, the US X Corps, led by Major General Ned Almond, was strung out with its units unable to support each other. Those units near the Chosin (Changjin) Reservoir included the 1st Marine Division and elements of the 7th Infantry Division.

[T]he People's Liberation Army (PLA) blunted X Corps advance and swarmed around the UN troops at Chosin. Alerted to their predicament, Almond ordered the commander of the 1st Marine Division, Major General Oliver P. Smith, to begin a fighting retreat back towards the coast.

Commencing on November 26, Smith's men endured extreme cold and severe weather [the temperature hovered around zero degrees fahrenheit]. The next day, the 5th and 7th Marines attacked from their positions near Yudam-ni, on the west bank of the reservoir, with some success against the PLA forces in the area. Over the next three days the 1st Marine Division successfully defended their positions at Yudam-ni and Hagaru-ri against Chinese human wave assaults. On November 29, Smith contacted Colonel "Chesty" Puller, commanding the 1st Marine Regiment, at Koto-ri and asked him to assemble a task force to re-open the road from there to Hagaru-ri.

Complying, Puller formed a force consisting of Lieutenant Colonel Douglas B. Drysdale's 41 Independent Commando (Royal Marines Battalion), G Company (1st Marines), B Company (31st Infantry), and other rear echelon troops. Numbering 900 men, the 140-vehicle task force departed at 9:30 AM on the 29th, with Drysdale in command. Pushing up the road to Hargaru-ri, the task force became bogged down after being ambushed by Chinese troops. Fighting in an area that was dubbed "Hell Fire Valley," Drysdale was reinforced by tanks sent by Puller.

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Exhausted Marines retreat from Chosin Reservoir

Pressing on, Drysdale's men ran a gauntlet of fire and reached Hagaru-ri with the bulk of 41 Commando, G Company, and the tanks. During the attack, the B Company, 31st Infantry, became separated and isolated along the road. While most were killed or captured, some were able to escape back to Koto-ri. While the Marines were fighting to the west, the 31st Regimental Combat Team (RCT) of the 7th Infantry was battling for its life on the eastern shore of reservoir.

Repeatedly assaulted by the 80th and 81st PLA divisions, the 3,000-man 31st RCT was worn down and overrun. Some survivors of the unit reached the Marine lines at Hagaru-ri on December 2. Holding his position at Hagaru-ri, Smith ordered the 5th and 7th Marines to abandon the area around Yudam-ni and link up with the rest of the division. Fighting a brutal three-day battle, the Marines entered Hagaru-ri on December 4. Two days later, Smith's command began fighting their way back to Koto-ri.

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Marines breakout to Koto-ri

While not a victory in the classic sense, the [fighting retreat] from the Chosin Reservoir is revered as a high point in the history of the US Marine Corps. In the fighting, the Marines and other UN troops effectively destroyed or crippled seven Chinese divisions which attempted to block their progress. Marine losses in the campaign numbered 836 killed and 12,000 wounded. Most of the latter were frostbite injuries inflicted by the severe cold and winter weather. US Army losses numbered around 2,000 killed and 1,000 wounded. Precise casualties for the Chinese are not known but are estimated at 35,000 killed. Upon reaching Hungnam, the veterans of Chosin Reservoir were evacuated as part of the large amphibious operation to rescue UN troops from northeastern Korea.

Every Marine is taught the history of Colonel "Chesty" Puller and the Battle of Chosin Reservoir. The Marines "leave no man behind." They recovered their dead and casualties while engaged in a fierce fighting retreat against an overwhelming force of the People's Liberation Army (PLA). These Korean War veterans are revered and honored in the history of the Marine Corps.

May we never have to revisit the Korean War.

1 thought on “Korea: 60th Anniversary of the “Frozen Chosin””

  1. I certainly hope and pray that active combat between the armed forces of North Korea and the imperialist interests occupying South Korea does not reoccur.

    However: “Korea is an independent and sovereign state, but the South is still controlled by the imperialist interests and the U.S. troops. If any South Korean citizen tries to visit North Korea crossing the big concrete wall, he’ll be killed by the american soldiers. The ‘Security Law’ in South Korea forbides to any South Korean citizen to talk or read about the North or else he’ll be punished with jail or even death penalty.”

    http://www.korea-dpr.com/reunification.htm

    I rather believe that the imperialist forces occupying South Korea are likely to continue to suffer casualties until they accede to the demands of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea unless they have some better plan to follow than that pursued over the last 57 years (otherwise known as grin and bear it).

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