Battle of Pork Chop Hill
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| Battle of Pork Chop Hill | |||||||
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| Part of the Korean War | |||||||
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| Combatants | |||||||
| People's Volunteer Army | United Nations forces; mainly American | ||||||
| Korean War |
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| Pusan Perimeter – Inchon – Chosin Reservoir – Imjin River – Gloster Hill– Kapyong – Hill Eerie - The Hook - Pork Chop Hill - Bloody Ridge - Heartbreak Ridge |
The Battle of Pork Chop Hill refers to a pair of related Korean War engagements during the spring and summer of 1953. These actions, occurring as the conflict was drawing towards a negotiated armistice, were controversial in the United States because of heavy loss of life in battles for terrain of no apparent strategic or tactical value. The first battle was described in a book of the same name by S.L.A. Marshall, from which was made the film Pork Chop Hill.
Pork Chop Hill was the nickname for a United Nations military outpost in the "Iron Triangle" sector of Korea along the 38th parallel. The hill, 255 meters in elevation, had first been seized in October 1951 by the U.S. 8th Cavalry Regiment and defended by the Thai Battalion of the U.S. 2nd Infantry Division in November, 1952. Since December 29, 1952 the outpost was part of the defensive sector of the U.S. 7th Infantry Division. Pork Chop itself was one of a number of exposed hill outposts in front of the Main Line of Resistance (MLR), defended by a single company dug into sand-bagged bunkers connected by trenches.
Opposing the 7th Infantry Division were two divisions of the Communist Chinese Forces (CCF), the 141st Division of the 47th CCF Army, and the 67th Division of the 23rd CCF Army. These were veteran, well-trained units expert in night infantry assaults, patrolling, ambushes, and mountain warfare.
The opposing forces in this sector were roughly equal in size, the 7th Division totalling 11 infantry battalions (including attached battalions from Colombia and Ethiopia), a battalion of armor, and 6 battalions of artillery, while the CCF totalled 12 infantry, 10 artillery, and the equivalent of one tank battalion.
[edit] The First Battle of Pork Chop Hill
On March 23, 1953, a battalion of the CCF 141st Division seized an outpost near Pork Chop Hill called Old Baldy in a surprise night attack that quickly overwhelmed Company B of the Colombian Battalion. Two days of counterattacks by a battalion of the 7th's 32nd Infantry Regiment failed to retake the hill and the United Nations Command ordered it to be abandoned. This preliminary action exposed Pork Chop to attack from three sides, and for the next three weeks the hill was probed nightly by CCF patrols.
On the night of April 16, Pork Chop was manned by Easy Company of the U.S. 31st Infantry Regiment. Shortly before midnight the hill was struck with a massive artillery barrage, followed by a sudden assault by a battalion of the CCF 201st regiment. The hill was quickly overrun, although pockets of U.S. troops held out in isolated bunkers. Elsewhere in the sector other positions were also attacked, placing pressure on the entire 7th Division.
King and Love Companies of the 31st, in reserve behind the MLR, were ordered to counterattack and began their attack at 0430 of April 17. By dawn they reached the main trenches on top of the hill but suffered almost 50% casualties, and half of Love Company's men had not been able to leave the trenches of an adjacent outpost, Hill 200. King Company's commander requested reinforcement and George Company of the 17th Infantry was immediately sent forward, linking up with King Company at 0830. All three companies were subjected to almost continuous shelling by CCF artillery as they cleared bunkers and dug in again.
Through a series of miscommunications between command echelons, Division headquarters ordered George Company to withdraw at 1500 after they too had suffered heavy losses, and did not realize the extent of casualties among the other two companies. By the time the situation was clarified King and Love Companies were down to a combined 25 survivors. After twenty hours of steady combat they were pulled off the hill and replaced by two rifle companies of the 2nd Battalion, 17th Infantry.
During the night of April 17, the 201st CCF Regiment renewed its attacks and again inflicted heavy losses on the defenders. At dawn on April 18, an additional U.S. rifle company climbed the hill and the battle ended that afternoon. The 7th Division fired over 77,000 rounds of artillery and mortars in support of its companies and the Chinese had fired a similar amount.
U.S. losses were 104 dead and 373 wounded. CCF losses were estimated at several hundred dead and a thousand wounded.
[edit] The Second Battle of Pork Chop Hill
The 7th Division rebuilt its defenses on Pork Chop Hill in May and June, 1953, during a lull in major combat. Final agreements for an armistice were being hammered out and the UN continued its defensive posture all along the MLR, anticipating a cease-fire in place.
On the night of July 6, using tactics identical to those in the April assault, the CCF again attacked Pork Chop. The hill was now outposted by Able Company of the 17th Infantry, under the temporary command of its executive officer, 1st Lt. Richard T. Shea, Jr. Baker Company of the same regiment was immediately ordered to assist but within an hour Able Company reported hand-to-hand combat in the trenches. A major battle was brewing and Division headquarters ordered a third company to move up. The action was fought in a monsoon rain, making both resupply and evacuation of casualties difficult. The battle is notable for its extensive use of armored personnel carriers in both these missions.
On the second night the CCF made a new push to take the hill, forcing the 7th Division to again reinforce. Parts of four companies defended Pork Chop under a storm of artillery fire from both sides. At dawn of July 8 the rain temporarily ended and the initial defenders were withdrawn. A fresh battalion, the 2nd Battalion of the 17th, counter-attacked and re-took the hill, setting up a night defensive perimeter.
On both July 9 and July 10, the two sides attacked and counter-attacked. A large part of both CCF divisions were committed to the battle, and ultimately five battalions of the 17th and 32nd Infantry Regiments were engaged, making nine counter-attacks over four days. On the morning of July 11, the commander of the U.S. I Corps decided to abandon Pork Chop Hill to the CCF and the 7th Division withdrew under fire.
Four of the thirteen U.S. company commanders were killed-in-action. Total U.S. casualties were 243 killed, 916 wounded, and nine captured. 163 of the dead were never recovered. Of the Republic of Korea troops ("KATUSA") attached to the 7th, approximately 15 were killed and 120 wounded. CCF casualties were again estimated, 1,500 dead and 4,000 wounded.
As a result of the action, Lieutenant Shea and Cpl. Daniel D. Schoonover, a combat engineer, were both posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. Less than three weeks after the battle the armistice was signed and the conflict ended.
[edit] References
- McWilliams, Bill, On Hallowed Ground: The Last Battle For Pork Chop Hill (2004), ISBN 1-59114-480-9
- Marshall, S.L.A., Pork Chop Hill: The American Fighting Man in Action, Korea, Spring 1953 (1956), ISBN 0-425-17505-7
