Battle of Kapyong
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The Battle of Kapyong was waged during the Korean War. The battle began on April 22 and lasted until April 25, 1951.
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Legacy of the battle
To this day Kapyong stands as a model of consolidation, organized withdrawal under attack by superior force and courage and determination against superior numbers. Three units were awarded the United States Presidential Unit Citation in recognition of the courage and fortitude displayed in the Battle of Kapyong. The units that received the honor were two Commonwealth battalions, the 2nd Battalion of Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry and the 3rd Battalion of the Royal Australian Regiment, as well as "A" Company of the 72nd Heavy Tank Battalion, United States Army.
The objective
The North Korean spring offensive began on the evening of 22 April 1951 with the objective of recapturing Seoul. The allied positions were initially overrun by the People's 118th Brigade of the People's Republic of China, which, with vast superiority in numbers, attacked on a broad front. The defense mounted by the 27th Commonwealth Brigade ultimately halted the advance on Seoul and thwarted the plan of the North Korean forces to recapture the city.
Opening of the battle
Under heavy pressure all along the front the 6th Republic of Korea Division broke. A large force of Koreans and Americans were forced to retreat in disarray. A human sea of Chinese troops descended on the United Nations line. The South Korean and American units were forced to retreat through a gap in the line partly held by the Australians. The 27th Commonwealth Brigade’s mission was to block the two approaches to Kapyong. In only a few hours they managed to prepare defensive positions.
The main engagements
The Chinese onslaught, led by the 118th Chinese People's Volunteer Division, engaged the two forward battalions on the evening of 23 April. In the early part of the battle the 1st Battalion of the Middlesex Regiment and the 16th Field Regiment of the Royal New Zealand Artillery were all but cut off. The forward positions, held by the 2nd Battalion of Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry and the 3rd Battalion the Royal Australian Regiment, by force of arms permitted the 1st Battalion of the Middlesex Regiment to withdraw. It moved into place to provide a reserve. The 16th Field Regiment, Royal New Zealand Artillery, also managed to withdraw and combine with the 72nd Heavy Tank Battalion, United States Army. They provided close heavy gun support.
The initial Chinese attack at Kapyong engaged the Australians then switched to the Canadian front. Wave after wave of massed Chinese troops kept up the attack throughout the night of 23 April. The Chinese had managed to infiltrate the brigade position by the morning of the 23rd. This resulted in Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry being completely surrounded. It had to be resupplied by air drops during this desperate time. By the evening of April 23 the Australian 27th and 29th Brigades were facing the Chinese 118th Division. Throughout April 24 the battle was unrelenting. It developed into hand-to-hand combat with bayonet charges. This was some of the bloodiest and most ferocious hand-to-hand fighting of the Korean War. The Australians were ordered to make an orderly fall back to new defensive positions late in the day of April 24. The Canadians held their position and defended stoutly until eventually the Chinese assault collapsed. By the afternoon of 25 April the road through to the Canadians had been cleared of Chinese at which time the 2nd Battalion of Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry was relieved by units of the United States Army. The actions by the Australian and Canadian forces prevented a massive breakthrough that would certainly have resulted in the fall of Seoul.
The face of the battle
Two incidents, one involving the Australians and one involving the Canadians, indicate the overwhelming situation in which they took a stand. After a night of fierce fighting an Australian major managed to get through on a radio phone to a general of the 1st U.S. Marine Division. The general was incredulous, thinking it was an enemy agent speaking. He told the major that the unit no longer existed, that it had been wiped out the night before. The major replied “I've got news for you, we are still here and we are staying here.” The Canadians, whose position had been infiltrated, were in danger of being overrun. They called down artillery fire on their own position in order to dislodge the attacking Chinese soldiers.
The aftermath of the battle
Despite their enormous advantage in numbers the Chinese troops had been badly outgunned. Their courage and tenacity could not overcome the well-trained, well-disciplined and well-armed Australians and Canadians. In the end, the battlefield was a cluttered mass of corpses of the attackers, a silent testament to the ferocity of the fire that had rained down on them.
Australian losses were 31 killed, 59 wounded and 3 captured; Canadian losses were 10 killed and 23 wounded; New Zealanders lost 2 killed and 5 wounded. The Chinese losses are estimated at over 1,000 killed and an unknown number of wounded.
For his brilliant conduct of this engagement the Australian commander, Lieutenant-Colonel Bruce Ferguson, was awarded the Distinguished Service Order.
The 2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry and 3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment were both awarded the United States Distinguished Unit Citation for their actions during the Battle of Kapyong.