BATTLE OF CHOSIN RESERVOIR

The 'Battle of Chosin Reservoir' was a battle in the Korean War, in which 30,000 United Nations troops (nicknamed the "Frozen Chosen" or "The Chosin Few") under the command of American General Douglas MacArthur faced approximately 60,000 Chinese volunteers.
Shortly after the People's Republic of China entered the conflict, large numbers of Chinese soldiers swept across the Yalu River, encircling the United Nations (UN) troops in the northeastern part of North Korea at the Chosin Reservoir. A brutal battle in freezing weather followed. Although they inflicted enormous casualties on the Chinese forces, the UN troops were forced to evacuate North Korea after they withdrew from the reservoir to the port of Hungnam.
The battles of the Chosin Campaign, which had a decisive impact on the future course of the war, were fought in the ten day period between November 27 and December 6, 1950. Four different actions were fought; the successful defense of Hagaru, the successful defense of Yudam-ni, the successful effort of the 5th and 7th Marines to break through from Yudam-ni to Hagaru-ri, and the fight of RCT 31, East of Chosin.

Contents

Background

Battle

East of the Chosin Reservoir

Task Force Drysdale

Final phases of the battle

Aftermath

Notable U.S. participants and Battle Honors awarded

U.S. Marine Corps

U.S. Army

Notes

References

Further reading

External links

Background

By mid-October 1950, the Korean War looked nearly over to many UN leaders. Most of North Korea had been captured by the American-led UN forces. However, on October 25, 1950, communist China entered the war and huge numbers of Chinese soldiers poured across the border into Korea. The UN command, under General Douglas MacArthur, was slow to appreciate the implications of this new reality. MacArthur ordered his ground units, the Eighth United States Army in the west and the X Corps in the east, to continue their offensive to the Yalu River (the border with China) and to cut the Chinese supply route extending into the neighboring U.S. 8th Army sector.

Battle

The X Corps — commanded by controversial Major General Ned Almond, U.S. Army — was widely spread out over northeastern Korea, its units far apart and out of supporting distance from each other. The X Corps troops at Chosin, mainly the U.S. 1st Marine Division, elements of the U.S. 7th Infantry Division, and 41 Independent Commando Royal Marines were, by late November, surrounded by units of the Ninth Army Group of the People's Liberation Army (referred hereafter as Chinese Communist Forces, or CCF). The Chinese launched heavy attacks that halted the UN offensive. MacArthur and Almond ordered Major General O.P. Smith, commander of the 1st Marine Division and associated forces in the Chosin area to fight his way out of the trap. Starting on November 26, 1950, the UN troops began a fighting withdrawal to the south, towards Hungnam.
Keeping his units concentrated and moving deliberately, Smith made an aggressive assault to break out of the reservoir. When asked if the Marines were retreating, Smith explained that their fighting withdrawal through Chinese lines did not constitute a retreat. His explanation was abbreviated into the famous misquote, "Retreat? Hell, we're attacking in a different direction!" (recalling the famous quote from Captain Lloyd Williams at Belleau Wood during the First World War, "Retreat? Hell, we just got here!").

East of the Chosin Reservoir

On the eastern side of the Chosin Reservoir, a 3,000-man composite U.S. Army task force from the 7th Infantry Division, RCT 31, was isolated by the 80th CCF Division reinforced by a regiment of the 81st CCF Division. On the second day the CCF commander committed the remainder of 81st and held the 94th Division in reserve for his main effort down the east side of the reservoir (these units originally were en route to finish off the garrison at Hagaru-ri). Greatly outnumbered and worn down by incessant attacks, RCT 31 was virtually destroyed. Survivors from this unit reached Marine lines at Hagaru-ri on December 2 1950. Some survivors of RCT 31 and other army units including an army tank company and combat engineers, joined Smith's forces and participated in the breakout.
Nine members of RCT 31 were awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the Army's second highest award for valor.

Task Force Drysdale

In mid-November 1950, the roughly 300 men of 41 Independent Commando, Royal Marines Battalion, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Douglas B. Drysdale, were attached to the U.S. 1st Marine Division. This marked the second time that U.S. Marines and Royal Marines had served together.^[1] (The first time was during the Boxer Rebellion.)
41 Commando had been at Koto-ri with Colonel Chesty Puller’s 1st Marine Regiment when the Chinese attacked. On the morning of November 29, Major General O.P. Smith, Commanding General of the 1st Marine Division, ordered Puller to send a task force to open up the road between Koto-ri and Hagaru-ri, where the majority of the division was. The breakthrough force was composed of Drysdale’s 41 Royal Commando, Captain Carl Sitter's G Company, 3rd Battalion 1st Marines (G/3/1), B Company, 31st Infantry Regiment, and various Headquarters and Services Marines. All totaled, the task force was around 900 men and 140 vehicles.^[2]
The task force struck out of Koto-ri at 09:30 on November 29, and by 16:30 they had advanced only halfway to the objective, because of stiff enemy resistance—halfway to Hagaru-ri the Chinese ambushed the task force and cut it to pieces. The units of the Task Force had become bogged down, separated and were not in radio contact in an area later named "Hell Fire Valley" by Lieutenant Colonel Drysdale. After being reinforced by tanks from D Company, 1st Tank Battalion, Drysdale contacted Smith at Hagaru-ri and was told to “Press on at all costs.” Drysdale responded by stating, “Very well, then: we’ll give them a show.”^[3] He passed word that they were going to run the gauntlet to Hagaru-ri.

Later that evening, most of the men from 41 Commando, Sitter's Marines, and the tanks from D Company arrived at Hagaru-ri, with a wounded Drysdale entering the division command post to announce “41 Commando present for duty.” In the confusion along the road, roughly 400 members of Task Force Drysdale were still left stranded and out of radio contact in Hell Fire Valley and completely surrounded by Chinese forces. For his leadership and valor, Captain Sitter was awarded the Medal of Honor, one of eleven Chosin Marines so honored.^[4]
The stranded forces were composed of about 60 Royal Marines, most of B Company 31st Infantry Regiment, and the assorted Headquarters and Services Marines, strung out in four pockets along roughly two-thirds of a mile. Most of these men were killed, wounded or taken prisoner. A few were able to pass through Chinese lines and make it back to Koto-ri. During the night, army Lieutenant Alfred J. Anderson of B Company, 1/31 Infantry, regrouped those of his company that he could find into a defensive perimeter. Twice, he closed with enemy soldiers and killed them at arm's length, deflecting their weapons with one arm as he used his pistol. Early on the morning of November 30, Anderson received orders to withdraw those troops under his control. He led them back safely to Koto-ri.^[4]
Of the 900 men of Task Force Drysdale, approximately 300 arrived at Hagaru-ri, 300 were killed or wounded and about 135 were taken prisoner, with the rest making it back to Koto-ri. Seventy-five of the 141 vehicles were also destroyed. Some considered the mission poorly conceived and doomed from the start. Major General Smith was not so quick to write it off however, saying that it was at least a partial success because it delivered over 300 seasoned infantrymen and a tank company to the beleaguered defenses at Hagaru-ri.^[6]

Final phases of the battle

In their withdrawal, U.S. troops were either attacking—conducting numerous assaults to clear Chinese roadblocks and overlooking hill positions — or under furious Chinese attack. The sub-zero temperatures inflicted even more casualties than the Chinese (who also suffered greatly from the extreme cold). U.S. forces enjoyed total air supremacy, with Navy, Marine, and Air Force fighter-bombers flying hundreds of sorties a day against the encircling Chinese. Over 4,000 wounded were flown out and 500 replacements flown in during the operation, contributing considerably to its success. The Marines and soldiers were able to destroy or effectively disable all seven Chinese divisions that tried to block their escape from the reservoir. Despite the effort of many Marines, whose plight attracted world-wide attention and was seized on by the western media as a "moral victory" in the midst of defeat, the strategic situation was highly unfavorable for UN forces, and it was decided to withdraw the entire X Corps from North Korea. The Marines, the rest of X Corps, and thousands of civilian refugees were evacuated by ship from the port of Hungnam, which was then destroyed to deny its use to the communists.

Aftermath

The UN forces in northeast Korea quickly withdrew to form a defensive perimeter around the port city of Hungnam, where a major evacuation was carried out in late December 1950. All together, 193 shiploads of men and material were evacuated from Hungnam Harbor, and about 105,000 soldiers, 98,000 civilians, 17,500 vehicles, and 350,000 tons of supplies were shipped to Pusan in orderly fashion. ^[7]
While the Chinese were able to expel the UN forces from the reservoir, U.S. forces inflicted heavy casualties on the Chinese as they fought for their own survival. After their departure from North Korea, the Marines were returned to the South, where they continued to fight as part of UN forces until the armistice in July 1953.
To this day, the U.S. Marines consider the Battle of the Chosin Reservoir to be one of the proudest parts of their own history despite the heavy losses. The Marines mauled the Chinese divisions they faced so badly that they had to be withdrawn from the front, and marched out in an orderly fashion and intact. However, often overlooked is that the U.S. Army's RCT 31 accomplished at least part of its mission. It successfully guarded the right flank of the 1st Marine Division, protecting it from Chinese attack for four days. If not for the presence of the task force, the Chinese 80th and 81st Divisions might have captured the key Marine base and air-strip at Hagaru-ri before the Marines had concentrated sufficient units to defend it. This would have blocked the only escape route of the Marines and other army units, potentially leading to a significantly different outcome. Likewise, the Chinese People's Volunteer Army considered the battle an honor, although they were not prepared for the horrible casualties they incurred. This campaign, with the simultaneous victory against U.S. forces to the west, was the first time in a century a Chinese army was able to defeat a Western army in a major battle, despite the heavy losses.

Notable U.S. participants and Battle Honors awarded

U.S. Marine Corps

★ Major General Oliver Smith, USMC, in command of the 1st Marine Division, awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.

★ Brigadier General Chesty Puller, USMC, in command of the 1st Marine Regiment, was awarded a (fifth) Navy Cross.

★ Col Homer Litzenberg, USMC, in command of the 7th Marine Regiment, was awarded the Navy Cross.

★ Col Raymond Murray, USMC, in command of the 5th Marine Regiment, was awarded the Navy Cross.

★ LtCol Olin Beall, USMC, awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for rescuing survivors of RCT 31.

★ Col Robert Taplett, USMC, in command of 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, was awarded the Navy Cross.

★ Lt Col Ray Davis, USMC, in command of the 1st Battalion 7th Marines, was awarded the Medal of Honor.

★ Capt William E. Barber, USMC [1] USMC, in command of Fox Company 2nd Battalion 7th Marines, awarded the Medal of Honor.

★ Capt Milt Hull, USMC, in command of Dog Company 2nd Battalion 5th Marines, awarded the Navy Cross.

★ Capt Edward Stamford, USMC, awarded the Silver Star for actions as the Marine forward air controller of RCT 31. He initially was recommended for the Medal of Honor.

★ 1st Lt Ralph Abell, awarded the Navy Cross after taking over for Capt Barber as CO of F/2/7.

★ SSgt Robert Kennemore, USMC, awarded the Medal of Honor.

★ Private First Class Hector A. Cafferata, Jr., USMC, awarded Medal of Honor.

★ William G. Windrich Sgt, USMC, awarded the Medal of Honor and Purple Heart.

U.S. Army

★ George R. Cody Captain, US Army, HMC 31 Inf., posthumously awarded Distinguished Service Cross for actions east of the Reservoir (RCT 31).

★ J.C. Barnes 2nd Lt., US Army, 48 FAB and FO to 1/32 Inf., awarded Distinguished Service Cross for actions during breakout.

★ Lt Col. Don Faith, US Army, posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for actions as a commander of RCT 31 (Task Force Faith).

★ James H. Godfrey Cpl., US Army, D/32 Inf., awarded Distinguished Service Cross for actions east of Reservoir (RCT 31).

★ Harold B. Haugland Sgt., US Army, D/15 AAA Bn., awarded Distinguished Service Cross for actions east of Reservoir (RCT 31).

★ Charles Garrigus Sgt., US Army, 1/32 Inf., posthumously awarded Distinguished Service Cross for actions east of Reservoir (RCT 31).

★ Robert E. Jones (US Army) Maj., US Army, S-3 of 1/32 Inf., awarded Distinguished Service Cross for actions east of Reservoir (RCT 31).

★ John E. Gray Lt., US Army, M/31, awarded Distinguished Service Cross for actions east of Reservoir (RCT 31).

★ Earle Jordan Capt., US Army, M/31, awarded Distinguished Service Cross for actions east of Reservoir (RCT 31).

★ Lt Col. John Page, US Army, X Corps Artillery, was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for actions at Koto-ri and during the breakout.

★ Robert G. Schmitt Lt., US Army M/31, posthumously awarded Distinguished Service Cross for actions east of Reservoir (RCT 31).

★ Stanford O. Corners Sgt., US Army Med/A/57 FAB, awarded Distinguished Service Cross for actions east of Reservoir (RCT 31).

★ Alfred J. Anderson Lt., US Army, B/31, awarded Distinguished Service Cross for actions at Hell's Fire Valley.

★ Cecil G. Smith Lt., US Army, A/32, awarded Distinguished Service Cross for actions during breakout.

★ George H. Paine Sgt., US Army, H/31, awarded Distinguished Service Cross for actions at Koto-ri.
In addition to the above, many more Marines and soldiers were awarded the Silver Star or the Bronze Star with V for Valor for actions during the battle or the breakout.

Notes

1. Russ ''Breakout'', p.231.
2. Russ ''Breakout'', p.231-2.
3. Russ ''Breakout'', p.234.
4. Russ ''Breakout'', p.233-45.
5. Russ ''Breakout'', p.233-45.
6. Russ ''Breakout'', p.247.
7. Schnabel p. 304; Doyle James H., and Arthur J. Mayer. "December 1950 at Hungnam." ''Proceedings, U.S. Naval Institute'' 105 (April 1979): 44-65.

References

★ Escaping the Trap, , Roy, Appleman, , 1990, ISBN 0-89096-395-9

★ Don't Tread on me: A 400-year history of America at War, from Indian Fighting to Terrorist Hunting, , H.W., Crocker, Crown Forum, 2006, ISBN 1-40005-363-3

★ This Kind of War, , T.R., Fehrenbach, Brassey's, 1963, ISBN 1-57488-259-7

★ A Bright Shining Lie: John Paul Vann and America in Vietnam, , Neil, Sheehan, Random House, 1988, ISBN 0-67972-414-1

★ Wayne E. Webb(1998). ''Cannon and Rifle: The Story of King Battery in Korea...1950''

Further reading

★ The Epic of Chosin Benis M. Frank

★ Changjin Journal

External links

★ The Chosin Few

★ Chosin Reservoir ‘50 Wild Bill Wilder

★ The Korean War: The Chinese Intervention Center for Military History