In 2025, the Chinese Communist Army, with a strength of about 2 million troops, had entered Korea for battle at different times, suffering heavy losses. However, they only dared to claim they fought the 30,000 American troops and the United Nations forces to a draw, while internally claiming victory. From the arrogant surprise attacks at the beginning to being pinned down at the 38th parallel and repeatedly stunned, the battles of the Korean War still hold significance today.
Continuing from the previous part:
On October 25th, the South Korean army advanced towards the Changjin Lake area. A captured Chinese soldier revealed that there were 4,000 to 5,000 Chinese troops ambushed nearby. Despite facing resistance, the South Korean army continued its slow advance.
On October 28th, the South Korean army’s advance was blocked, resulting in significant casualties. The next day, the South Korean army encountered stubborn resistance, capturing 16 Chinese soldiers who revealed the presence of the 42nd Army’s 124th Division nearby. On October 30th, after fierce fighting with the Chinese troops, the South Korean army chose to withdraw slightly and promptly reported the information about the Chinese troops.
The 16 captured Chinese soldiers were interrogated again, claiming they had not eaten for 3 days and had crossed the Yalu River in mid-October, marching on foot at night. Most of them belonged to the 370th Regiment’s mortar platoon, carrying mortars on horses. However, 3 out of 4 mortars were destroyed, and the fourth had been recalled. They disclosed that their entire division had crossed into Korea, with most of them originally part of former Nationalist Army troops stationed near Beijing, who surrendered and were incorporated into the Chinese army. This information was immediately relayed to MacArthur.
On October 31st, the South Korean army captured 7 more Chinese soldiers who revealed that another division of the Chinese army was near Changjin Lake. These Chinese soldiers mostly had Japanese rifles, but mortars, machine guns, and Thompson submachine guns were of American make, with some artillery unable to be deployed to the front lines due to the rugged terrain.
On October 25th, the South Korean 1st Division captured Unsan. Unsan was a town in northwestern Korea surrounded by mountains to the north, with rivers on the east and west and a road to the south controlled by a ridge, serving as a crucial point of entry and exit for the UN forces.
The Chinese army launched a pincer attack on Unsan. The 40th Army’s 120th Division attacked the South Korean 1st Division, while the main force of the 40th Army and the 38th and 42nd Armies’ 1 division attacked the South Korean 6th and 8th Divisions east of Unsan.
On the morning of October 25th, the South Korean 1st Division’s 15th Regiment encountered the 120th Division of the Chinese army, initially mistaking them for remnants of the North Korean army, only to discover a Chinese army of 10,000 north of Unsan after capturing a Chinese soldier. The South Korean army immediately established defensive positions on the hills around Unsan. A stalemate ensued on the night of October 25th.
The next day, the 39th Army arrived, surrounding the South Korean 1st Division. The US Air Force airdropped supplies to the South Korean army and sent the 6th Medium Tank Regiment and the 10th Anti-Aircraft Artillery Battalion for support, helping the 1st Division break the siege, with the battle halting on October 28th.
The significant presence of the Chinese army heightened concerns for the commander of the South Korean 1st Division, but due to the generally optimistic attitude within the UN forces at the time, his warnings were not taken seriously. General Walker, the commander of the US 8th Army, ordered the 8th Cavalry Regiment of the 1st Cavalry Division to replace some South Korean forces and resume the northward offensive. Unsan became an exposed part of the UN forces’ frontline, with only the US 8th Cavalry Regiment and the South Korean 15th Infantry Regiment stationed there.
On November 1st, the Chinese 39th Army launched attacks on Unsan from different directions, with US and South Korean forces lacking manpower and facing wide gaps in defense lines. An American patrol first encountered the 343rd Regiment of the Chinese 115th Division. The Chinese army launched a full-scale assault in the evening. The 117th Division attacked the South Korean 15th Infantry Regiment, while the 116th Division’s 4 regiments attacked the gap between the 1st and 2nd battalions of the US 8th Cavalry Regiment.
After a battle into the night, the South Korean 15th Infantry Regiment collapsed, and the ammunition of the US 1st and 2nd battalions was running low, forcing a retreat.
The Chinese 116th Division’s 347th Regiment penetrated the gap in the US defense line and entered the town of Unsan. The 348th Regiment infiltrated the southern road junction in Unsan, setting up ambushes late at night to intercept the retreating US and South Korean forces, with most of the soldiers retreating into the mountains and reuniting days later.
The US 3rd Battalion of the 8th Cavalry Regiment failed to withdraw in time and was isolated. The Chinese army disguised as South Korean soldiers and launched a night assault on the US camp, resulting in a pitched battle where the entire 3rd Battalion was surrounded. The US 5th Cavalry Regiment attempted to rescue, but was ambushed by the 343rd Regiment of the Chinese army, suffering significant casualties before being forced to withdraw.
After several days of intense fighting, the US 3rd Battalion successfully broke through on November 4th, with less than 200 survivors.
The Chinese launched another attack on the South Korean army, with the US and South Korea jointly fighting on the frontline, marking the first official conflict between China and the US. The US forces were at a disadvantage and opted to retreat after the engagement, with one battalion being surrounded in an outpost and sustaining heavy losses.
After the Chinese 117th Division captured Unsan, they continued their southward advance. The British Commonwealth 27th Brigade was tasked with serving as the rear guard of the UN forces, along with the US 24th Infantry Division, defending the lower reaches of the Daedong and Cheongcheon Rivers.
From November 4th to the 5th, the Chinese and North Korean forces launched attacks on a regiment of the US 24th Infantry Division, forcing a retreat. Subsequently, the Chinese and North Korean forces engaged the British Commonwealth 27th Brigade in battle.
An Australian company first captured and held a high ground in the Pukchon area, but chaotic command and retreat during night battles left the British flank exposed. The Australians were ordered to retake the high ground, eventually repelling the Chinese army after a fierce fight.
The Australian effort halted the Chinese 117th Division’s advance, resulting in heavy casualties, but Major Walsh, the company commander, was subsequently relieved due to lack of experience and ineffective command. The Australian company had made significant contributions in battles against the North Korean forces, with the commanding officer succumbing to severe injuries on November 1st, and Major Walsh took over just days before. Although he was quickly relieved of his duties, the Australian company fought bravely against the Chinese army.
After heavy casualties, the Chinese forces abruptly halted their advance the following day, with the majority quickly retreating northward.
On November 7th, as the Chinese forces retreated, the US 24th Infantry Division and the British Commonwealth 27th Brigade conducted limited pursuit and probing attacks. The Australians cleared out some remaining enemies and found a large number of dead Chinese soldiers who had perished in previous battles. The new commander of the Australian company demonstrated excellent leadership, leading them to engage in extensive patrols, repeatedly clashing with small Chinese and North Korean units.
By the end of October, 18 Chinese divisions had entered Korea under the command of Peng Dehuai, supporting the remaining North Korean forces in their offensive against the UN forces.
Despite their numerical advantage, the Chinese forces were expected to continue their southward advance. However, due to food and ammunition shortages, they unexpectedly withdrew, concluding their first battle after entering Korea.
In the battles at Unsan, the US suffered 1,149 casualties, with 449 killed; the South Korean army suffered 530 casualties. In the battle at Pukchon, the Australian company had 14 killed and 84 wounded.
The Chinese forces engaged in battles with the South Korean, US, and Australian armies, totaling up to 10,700 casualties, but the Chinese falsely claimed to have annihilated over 15,000 enemies.
The sudden Chinese attacks and withdrawals caught the UN forces off guard. MacArthur did not receive accurate intelligence about the Chinese forces and continued to believe that China would not extensively intervene in the Korean War, leading him to plan the “Home by Christmas” offensive.
With the sudden appearance of the Chinese forces, the UN forces’ offensive in the western front was halted, but the momentum on the eastern front remained steady.
On October 29th, the US 1st Marine Division and some army units landed at Wonsan in eastern Korea, advancing northwards along the eastern front with the South Korean army, crushing the Korean forces one by one.
On November 8th, the US 31st Regiment defeated a segment of the Chinese 126th Division’s 376th Regiment, seizing the territory of the eastern slope of Baekdusan.
As the US and South Korean troops advanced, with little resistance encountered by the leading units, they occupied the town of Pungsan near the Yalu River and surrounding areas. US carrier-based aircraft preemptively bombed the Korean forces in Pungsan.
By this time, the Yalu River had begun to freeze, with nearby bridges destroyed. American soldiers could observe Chinese soldiers on the opposite bank.
On November 16th, a US patrol clashed with roughly 200 Chinese troops, driving them back. In late November, severe cold hit northeastern Korea, causing frostbite among many American troops, yet they continued pushing west and north.
The North Korean forces, supported by the Chinese troops, resumed activities and suddenly launched a counterattack. Around November 12th, approximately 6 to 7 regiments of North Korean troops, supported by tanks, attacked south from north of Moran River and north of Kapsan. Heavy cruisers of the US Navy conducted naval bombardment, with helicopters joining the battle, destroying 2 North Korean tanks and damaging another, but the North Korean forces pressed on, forcing a withdrawal of the UN forces. Ultimately, under intense aerial bombardment, the North Korean forces found themselves in a dire situation.
After four days of fierce fighting, the North Korean forces were severely weakened, allowing the South Korean army to advance slowly once again. The local temperature had dropped to minus 16 degrees Celsius. With aerial artillery support from the US Navy, the South Korean army surrounded the northeastern Korean town of Chongjin and captured it on November 26th.
Thirty B-29 bombers from the US dropped 40,000 incendiary bombs on Hyesanjin, disrupting the railway and road transportation hub along the Tumen River at the North Korean border.
On November 6th, after the temporary withdrawal of the Chinese forces, MacArthur assessed the changing situation in Korea. He stated that the Chinese intervention in the Korean Peninsula was “one of the most aggressive international illegal acts in history,” and the failure of the North Korean forces was decisive. He also remarked that the US forces successfully avoided the traps set by the Chinese forces, with commanders making timely adjustments, minimizing losses.
He outlined the next task as destroying the enemy within Korean territory, unifying the Korean Peninsula, and called for coordinated efforts to launch a large-scale offensive, continuing the march towards the Yalu River.
On November 15th, MacArthur ordered the occupation of the Changjin Lake area first and then the westward capture of a strategic road and railway intersection to cut off the enemy’s supply lines.
The US military carried out 120 aircraft sorties daily, focusing on destroying bridges and communication lines within a 24-kilometer range along the Yalu River in northern Korea, subsequently targeting the Yalu River bridges and North Korean supply and communication centers. MacArthur believed these actions “successfully severed the enemy’s support line from the north, severely restricting further reinforcements and severely limiting basic supplies.”
The UN forces advanced on two major fronts, unaware that the Chinese forces continued to amass in Korea, setting the stage for a fierce battle to come.
(To be continued)