Chaos along the Kumsong River Salient: two weeks before the end of the Korean War, Chinese Communist Forces launched a furious six-division assault on the Main Line of Resistance. The weeklong battle established the boundaries of Korea's present-day demilitarized zone

VFW Magazine, June-July, 2003 by Tim Dyhouse

By the beginning of July 1953, the Chinese Communist Forces (CCF) prepared to launch its largest offensive in two years. The target was what the Chinese perceived to be a soft spot in the allied lines in central Korea. CCF Marshal Peng De-huai boasted that the Chinese "had mastered the tactic of storming strongly fortified defenses in positional warfare." His overconfidence would cost the CCF some 28,000 casualties over seven days.

The CCF chose an area, the Kumsong River Valley, where the allied lines bulged out some three miles. Republic of Korea (ROK) forces initially held the center of the 20-mile-long front, with U.S. troops guarding the left flank at Sniper Ridge and the right flank at Christmas Hill. The bulge was known as the Kumsong River Salient.

U.S. forces included elements of the IX Corps--the 3rd, 40th and 45th divisions. The 187th Regimental Combat Team (RCT), attached to the 2nd Division, reinforced the line, and elements of the 1st Marine Division defended hills Reno, Vegas and Carson in the Nevada cities area.

On July 13 under the cover of overcast skies that hampered air cover and reconnaissance, the CCF threw some 80,000 troops at the ROK forces.

"Hostile artillery fired more rounds than it had at any time during the war," wrote 3rd Division unit historian W.F. Strobridge. "Fighting reached an intensity not seen on the Korean battleground since 1951."

Artillery units on both sides played a huge role in the battle.

"Charlie Battery, 92nd Armored Field Artillery Battalion, was the farthest north in that valley," Kenneth Hannel recalled. "I was one of the last GIs out of the valley on the morning of July 14. To my knowledge, only about 30% of our troops made chow that evening."

During the initial CCF attack, the 555th ("Triple Nickel") Field Artillery Battalion (FAB) was overrun while providing direct support for the ROK Capital Division.

"I was captured at 6 a.m. [July 14]," said Pfc. Dennis Pavlik of C Battery. "At 10 a.m., we started our march north, which lasted four weeks. We had a total of 40 captured, and as close as we could tell, 25 casualties from C Battery alone."

On that day, the 555th had 22 KIA, 19 WIA and 46 captured.

The intensity of the CCF advance prompted Gen. Maxwell Taylor to fly the 187th RCT in from Japan to bolster the left flank. He also moved the 3rd Division to the east to relieve the ROK Capital Division, which had been hammered by the CCF.

"The enemy offensive ran up against the 3rd Division and stopped," Strobridge wrote. "The 65th Regiment took an estimated 20,000 rounds of enemy artillery and kept its ground. Likewise, the 15th Regiment stood fast and inflicted tremendous casualties on the enemy."

'Never Got to the Top of the Hill'

Christmas Hill on the east flank was the site of intense fighting. E Co., 180th Regt., 45th Div., held the position until July 14, when it was relieved by K Company. During the early morning hours of July 15, some 1,500 Chinese attacked.

"A short round from our own artillery hit the ammo belt on our .50 caliber machine gun, and the ruptured shell blew up the gun," said Sgt. Dana Gruetzmacher, 4th Pit., K Co. "All we had was a .45 caliber pistol and about three dozen rounds. Luckily, the Chinese never got to the top of the hill. Our head count for the whole company was 43 alive and 80 dead or wounded."

When news of K Company's plight reached the rear, E Company was ordered back to Christmas Hill, where it retook some two-thirds of the slopes.

"I think there were either 21 or 23 of us that moved off the hill," said David Arrington of E Company. "There was no way for me to know how many were killed or wounded, only that this was all that was left. Most of King Company's people were lying head to foot in the trenches when we attacked. They had been destroyed."

Tankers increasingly joined the fray as the week wore on. July 18 was an especially intense day.

"The fighting for [Hill 812] from dawn until mid-afternoon was the hottest of my 10 months in class A zones," said 1st Lt. Nimrod Frazer of C Co., 140th Tank Bn., 40th Div. "There were several instances where we caught enemy troops in the open and brought 90mm fire on them."

Also on that day, A Co., 64th Tank Bn., 3rd Div., earned a Presidential Unit Citation by routing a mass of CCF troops assembling for battle.

'My Only Chance of Survival'

Acts of heroism abounded. Cpl. Gilbert G. Collier of F Co., 2nd Bn., 223rd Regt., 40th Div., earned the Army's last Medal of Honor of the Korean War on July 20. He saved the life of his patrol leader that day after the two had been separated from their platoon and were ambushed by a CCF patrol. After killing two enemy soldiers in the firefight, Collier ran out of ammunition. He then used his fists and bayonet to kill two of four Chinese soldiers trying to drag him away to captivity.

When his fellow soldiers later rescued him, Collier, who subsequently died of his wounds, told them with some of his last words, "I realized that my only chance for survival was to stand my ground and fight off the enemy."