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Battle of Battle Mountain
Part of the Battle of Pusan Perimeter
Date August, 1950 Location Masan, South Korea Result United Nations victory
Belligerents
United States	North Korea
Commanders and leaders
William B. Kean	Pang Ho San

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The Battle of Battle Mountain was an engagement between United States and North Korean forces early in the Korean War from August, 1950 in the vicinity of Masan and the Naktong River in South Korea. It was a part of the Battle of Pusan Perimeter, and was one of several large engagements fought simultaneously. The battle ended in a victory for the United States after large numbers of US reinforcements destroyed an attacking North Korean division.

Background

Outbreak of war

Following the 25 June 1950 outbreak of the Korean War after the invasion of the Republic of Korea (South Korea) by its northern neighbor, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea), the United Nations decided to commit troops to the conflict on behalf of South Korea. The United States, a member of the UN, subsequently committed ground forces to the Korean peninsula with the goal of fighting back the North Korean invasion and to prevent South Korea from collapsing. However, US forces in the Far East had been steadily decreasing since the end of World War II, five years earlier, and at the time the closest forces were the 24th Infantry Division, headquartered in Japan. The division was understrength, and most of its equipment was antiquated due to reductions in military spending. Regardless, the 24th was ordered to South Korea.

The 24th Infantry Division was the first US unit sent into Korea with the mission to take the initial "shock" of North Korean advances, delaying much larger North Korean units to buy time to allow reinforcements to arrive. The division was consequently alone for several weeks as it attempted to delay the North Koreans, making time for the 1st Cavalry and the 7th and 25th Infantry Divisions, along with other Eighth Army supporting units, to move into position. Advance elements of the 24th Infantry were badly defeated in the Battle of Osan on July 5, the first encounter between American and North Korean forces. For the first month after the defeat of Task Force Smith, 24th Infantry was repeatedly defeated and forced south by superior North Korean numbers and equipment. The regiments of the 24th Infantry were systematically pushed south in engagements around Chochiwon, Chonan, and Pyongtaek. The 24th made a final stand in the Battle of Taejon, where it was almost completely destroyed but delaying North Korean forces until July 20. By that time, the Eighth Army's force of combat troops were roughly equal to North Korean forces attacking the region, with new UN units arriving every day.

North Korean advance

With Taejon captured, North Korean forces began surrounding the Pusan Perimeter from all sides in an attempt to envelop it. The 4th and 6th North Korean Infantry Divisions advanced south in a wide flanking maneuver. The two divisions attempted to envelop the UN's left flank, but became extremely spread out in the process. They advanced on UN positions with armor and superior numbers, repeatedly pushing back U.S. and South Korean forces.

American forces were pushed back repeatedly before finally halting the North Korean advance in a series of engagements in the southern section of the country. Forces of the 3rd Battalion, 29th Infantry Regiment, newly arrived in the country, were wiped out at Hadong in a coordinated ambush by North Korean forces on July 27, opening a pass to the Pusan area. Soon after, North Korean forces took Chinju to the west, pushing back the US 19th Infantry Regiment and leaving routes to the Pusan open for more North Korean attacks. US formations were subsequently able to defeat and push back the North Koreans on the flank in the Battle of the Notch on August 2. Suffering mounting losses, the KPA force in the west withdrew for several days to re-equip and receive reinforcements. This granted both sides a reprieve to prepare for the attack on the Pusan Perimeter.

35th Infantry emplaces

Walker then ordered the 25th Infantry Division to take up defensive positions on the army southern flank west of Masan. By August 15, the 25th Infantry Division had moved into these positions. Rough terrain west of Masan limited the choice of the positions. The mountain barrier west of Masan was the first readily defensible ground east of the Chinju pass. The 2,000 feet (610 m) mountain ridges of Sobuk-san and P'il-bong dominated the area and protected the Komam-ni-Haman-Chindong-ni road, the only means of north-south communication west of Masan.

Northwest of Komam-ni was the broken spur of P'il-bong, dominated by 900 feet (270 m) Sibidang-san, along the Nam. Sibidang provided excellent observation, and artillery emplaced in the Komam-ni area could interdict the road junction at Chungam-ni. The 35th Infantry Regiment emplaced at Sibidang-Komam-ni, in the northern part of the 25th Infantry Division defense line. The 35th Regiment line extended from a point two miles west of Komam-ni to the Nam River and then turned east along that stream to its confluence with the Naktong. It was a long regimental line-about 26,000 yards (24,000 m).

The 1st Battalion held the regiment's left flank west of Komam-ni, 2nd Battalion held the regimental right along the Nam River. 3rd Battalion, redesignated from the 1st Battalion, 29th Infantry, was in reserve on the road south of Chirwon from where it could move quickly to any part of the line. To the south was the 24th Infantry Regiment and west of Chindong-ni, 5th Regimental Combat Team was on the division left. On division orders, 5th RCT at first held the ground above the Chindong-ni coastal road only as far as Fox Hill, or Yaban-san. General Kean soon decided, however, that the 5th Regimental Combat Team should close the gap northward between it and the 24th Infantry. When the 5th sent a South Korean unit of 100 men under American officers to the higher slope of Sobuk-san, North Korean troops already there drove them back. General Kean then ordered the 5th Regimental Combat Team to take this ground, but it was too late.

Notes

1. Varhola 2000, p. 3
2. ^ Alexander 2003, p. 52
3. Catchpole 2001, p. 15
4. ^ Varhola 2000, p. 4
5. Alexander 2003, p. 90
6. Alexander 2003, p. 105
7. Fehrenbach 2001, p. 103
8. Appleman 1998, p. 222
9. Appleman 1998, p. 221
10. Alexander 2003, p. 114
11. Catchpole 2001, p. 24
12. Catchpole 2001, p. 25
13. Appleman 1998, p. 247
14. Appleman 1998, p. 365
15. ^ Appleman 1998, p. 366

References

• Alexander, Bevin (2003), Korea: The First War we Lost, Hippocrene Books, ISBN 978-0781810197
• Appleman, Roy E. (1998), South to the Naktong, North to the Yalu: United States Army in the Korean War, Department of the Army, ISBN 978-0160019180
• Catchpole, Brian (2001), The Korean War, Robinson Publishing, ISBN 978-1841194134
• Ecker, Richard E. (2004), Battles of the Korean War: A Chronology, with Unit-by-Unit United States Causality Figures & Medal of Honor Citations, McFarland & Company, ISBN 978-0786419807
• Fehrenbach, T.R. (2001), This Kind of War: The Classic Korean War History – Fiftieth Anniversary Edition, Potomac Books Inc., ISBN 978-1574883343
• Gugeler, Russell A. (2005), Combat Actions in Korea, University Press of the Pacific, ISBN 978-1410224514
• Varhola, Michael J. (2000), Fire and Ice: The Korean War, 1950–1953, Da Capo Press, ISBN 978-1882810444

• Conflicts in 1950
• 1950 in Korea
• Battles of the Korean War
• Battles involving Korea
• Gyeongsangbuk-do
• Battles of the Korean War involving the United States