It’s winter 1950 in the middle of the Korean war. UN forces prepare for the “Home by Christmas”
offensive and the aim is to advance to the Chinese border and unite the Korean peninsula
under the South Korean government. The tide of communism will have been pushed back
and the troops can go home as heroes and enjoy Christmas with their families.
The US X Corps (the troops that performed the amphibious landing at Incheon) performed another
amphibious attack on the port of Wonsan on the East coast of Korea. They then advanced North
and past the port of Hungnam. From here, any advance further to push to the Chinese border
would have to go through narrow mountainous passes. The path chosen by US X Corps was
to advance to Jangjin lake around 60 km North of Hungnam and 120km from the Chinese border.
From their march North, MacArthur planned to move west to Kanggye and outflank the North
Korean and Chinese People’s Volunteer Army forces facing the US 8th army to the west.
However, Communist China was amassing around 350,000 troops to push the UN forces back.
Much like their American counterparts, the Chinese were confident.
Though they knew that the Americans had superior firepower and aircraft,
the perception was that the men themselves were weak and would falter in hand-to-hand combat.
Seeing the US X Corps move North, the overall head of the PVA in Korea, general Peng Dehuai
sent the PVA 9th army stationed in Manchuria to destroy them. Though the 9th army didn’t have the
right clothes and equipment to fight to their full potential, destroying the US X Corps was too good
a target to miss. It would mean the dissolution of almost half of the UN forces in Korea.
The Jangjin lake is not called Jangjin in english. The battle rather has another
name - the battle of the Chosin reservoir. During Japanese colonisation of Korea,
a dam was constructed to power the local industry creating the large reservoir. The
Japanese pronounced the name of the lake as Chosin which was subsequently passed on to the Americans.
This advance towards the Jangjin or Chosin reservoir was not missed by the Chinese.
The lake was surrounded by mountains on all sides with only narrow passes to withdraw.
Blocking these exits would create a killing field where the Communist forces could completely
destroy the Americans. Not all of the US X Corps were around the Jangjin reservoir
and were spread out across North East Korea. They hoped that this attack would
draw in troops and concentrate them so that they could be decisively defeated.
Both sides were right to be confident and both were wrong to underestimate their enemy. This was
to be no ordinary matchup. The Chinese 9th army group was led by one of the founding generals
of the People’s Republic of China and the “God of Guerrilla warfare” Song Shilun. Their troops were
also veterans of the Chinese civil war. On the other side, the 1st marines division of US X corps
had participated in the landings at Guadalcanal, the 7th infantry division at Okinawa during the
Pacific War. They also had support from the royal marines and elements of the South Korean army.
They had aircraft stationed at Yonpo airfield near Hungnam and on the carriers of US Task Force 77.
Through November 1950, units of the US X Corp advanced through the narrow pass
that led to the lake, past the villages of Chinhung, Koto, Hagaru, Sinhung and to Yundam,
setting up garrisons along the way. American troops enjoyed a hearty thanksgiving meal
before what they thought would be the end of the war.
However, 120,000 PVA soldiers were preparing to attack and destroy the UN troops.
Four days later, on the night of the 27th of November 1950 the 20th and 27th armies of the
Chinese PVA launched their first strike by cutting off the withdrawal route between Hagaru village
and Koto village. The PVA 58th division of the 20th army attacked the 1st marine division at
Hagaru village and the PVA 60th division of the 20th army attacked the 1st marines
at Koto village. At Yundam village, the PVA 79th division of the 27th army and 89th division of the
20th army attacked the 5th, 7th and 11th marines regiments while the PVA 59th division of the 20th
army cut off the road between Yundam village and Hagaru village by attacking Fox company of the 7th
marines at Sinhung village. On the eastern side of the reservoir, regimental combat team 31 (also
known as Task force Faith or MacLean) was isolated by PVA 80th and 81st divisions of the 27th army.
By the next day, the UN forces had been isolated in pockets and cut off from each other.
To make sure the crucial village of Hagaru, with its airstrip that could accommodate C-47 transport
planes, held, Task force Drysdale, made of royal marines, pushed North from Koto on the 29th of
November. They were constantly harassed by the PVA 60th division and suffered heavy casualties.
But, they managed to reach Hagaru and provided much needed reinforcements.
Meanwhile, on the other side of North Korea, there was bad news for the UN troops. The US
8th army was decisively defeated by the PVA 13th army and started their retreat. Trying to advance
to the Chinese border and outflank them was no longer an option and MacArthur ordered a breakout
and retreat. The Marines, who had thought the war would soon be over, were demoralised. This wasn’t
helped by the -30 to -40 degree weather which was killing as many men as the fighting itself.
General Smith, who was the commanding general of the 1st marines, stated "Retreat,
hell! We're not retreating, we're just advancing in a different direction.". And so they did.
After realising that the marines were concentrated at Yundam, the PVA spent a
few days after the first assault blocking the path for their retreat - the Toktong pass. The marines
formed a convoy with a Sherman M4A3 at its head. Despite the night attacks and cold weather,
by a week after the first attacks on the 4th of December,
the 5th and 7th marine regiments managed to push through the roadblock and retreat to Hagaru.
On the Eastern side of the reservoir, around the village of Hudong, elements
of regimental combat team 31, were surrounded and were being hounded by the Chinese troops.
Despite being understrength, they managed to deal heavy casualties
on the attacking PVA troops with their M16 and M19 anti-aircraft guns. With the aid of napalm
dropped by F4U Corsairs, they managed to retreat to Hagaru, though they suffered severe casualties.
Commander of US X Corps, General Almond, proposed to evacuate the troops by air once they gathered
at Hagaru, leaving their equipment behind. Smith, commander of the 1st marines, protested
and suggested dropping in much needed fuel and ammunition to push back to the port of Hungnam,
where they could retreat by sea with their heavy equipment. Those who were unfit to fight
would be airlifted out. This plan would also draw Chinese attention away from the scattered elements
of US X Corps across North East Korea and give them a better chance of retreating South.
Smith’s plan was chosen and the troops at Jangjin would march to the port of Hungnam.
And so, on the 6th of December, the 1st marine division pushed South to Hungnam with the 7th
marines at the front and the 5th at the rear. At the same time, the PVA 26th army had arrived with
its fresh 76th and 77th divisions. To prevent the breakout, the 76th and 77th launched night attacks
but these were repulsed, dealing heavy casualties on the Chinese side. The marines pushed through
and reached Koto by the next day. Song ordered the battered remnants of the 20th army to hold
the Funchilin pass and blow up the Treadway bridge to block any further withdrawal while the 26th and
27th armies attacked from the rear. When the marines pushed through to the crossing, eight
C-119 flying boxcars dropped in portable bridges and proceeded on the 9th of December. The 58th
and 60th divisions were now completely exhausted with only 200 soldiers left. All the UN forces had
left the mountains by the 11th of December and reached the Hungnam perimeter by the evening.
Neither side decisively won the engagement at the Jangjin reservoir. UN forces undoubtedly faced
the further setback having initially planned to push to the Chinese border
but now in a position where they would have to retreat from North Korea. The Chinese had
a greater deal of success and had caused a full retreat from North East Korea, but they failed to
destroy the marines despite outnumbering them and also suffered around 2 or 3 times more casualties.
The UN forces had proven that they could hold up in close combat against much greater odds.
It also showed the importance of US superiority in airpower and supplies. The US X Corps were
supported by aircraft from Yonpo airfield near Hangnam and US Task force 77. They
played a crucial role not only in providing close air support
but dropping in supplies and equipment, such as the portable bridge.
In one incident, the 1st marine division called urgently for 60mm mortar shells
by airdrop when they ran out of ammo, codeword “Tootsie rolls”, but were sent boxes of
real chocolate Tootsie rolls. Because the men were also fighting the intense cold, these high calorie
treats were an unexpected lifesaver and could also be warmed in the mouth, moulded and used to cover
up bullet holes in vehicles where the cold would freeze it again and it would become rock solid.
Almost half of the forces committed to the battle were lost on both sides. The UN forces
that managed to escape were dubbed the ‘Chosin few’. However, the escape was far from over.
The Chinese forces were coming down to Hungnam and around 105,000 troops and 400,000 tonnes of cargo.
The area was also ravaged by the conflict and so 200,000 refugees were desperate to
join the evacuation. Another Herculean effort was needed to save the troops in North Korea
and sustain the fight for the Korean peninsula.