© Copyright 2020 Center for the National Interest All Rights Reserved. After having already been mauled in the series of withdrawals from Osan to the Kum River, the 24th Infantry lost almost 1,000 more men killed, nearly 230 wounded and another 2,400 missing. The 24th Division, the first US division committed, took heavy losses in the Battle of Taejon in mid-July, which they were driven from after heavy fighting. Losses among North Korean infantry were heavy, especially in the NK 3rd Division. The KPA progressed southwards, pushing back US forces at Pyongtaek, Chonan, and Chochiwon, forcing the 24th Division's retreat to Taejeon, which the KPA captured in the Battle of Taejon; the 24th Division suffered 3,602 dead and wounded and 2,962 captured, including its commander, Major General William F. Dean. ISBN. American attacks against these positions later set fire to many of Taejon's wooden buildings. A second soldier, Sergeant George D. Libby, received the Medal of Honor posthumously, for tending to wounded soldiers during the evacuation: he repeatedly passed over shelled roads to help evacuate them. If the city of Taejon were to fall as rapidly as the previous towns and cities, Kim might drive the U.S. troops into the sea at Pusan and win the war. The 24th Infantry Division was overwhelmed by numerically superior forces of th
List of ranks in the fire, police, jail, and corrections services of the Philippines, People of the American Civil War by state, Articles incorporating text from Wikipedia, Battles of the Korean War involving the United States, Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation, "Heroism of General Dean is revealed when a North Korean relates details", http://books.google.com/?id=F0gEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA42&dq=%22William+F.+Dean%22#v=onepage&q=%22William%20F.%20Dean%22&f=false, "South to the Naktong, North to the Yalu: United States Army in the Korean War", http://www.history.army.mil/books/korea/20-2-1/toc.htm, "Children 'executed' in 1950 South Korean killings", http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=2008-12-06_D94TJ7800, "Korea bloodbath probe ends; US escapes much blame", http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5hQ42T_O__Wo3uB0UaKWKoNvnLDewD9GS9RI01?index=2, https://military.wikia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Taejon?oldid=4143267. [10] The 24th Infantry Division was repeatedly forced south by the North Korean force's superior numbers and equipment [11]in engagements at Chochiwon, Chonan, Hadong, and Yechon. The Battle of Taejon (14–21 July 1950) was an early battle of the Korean War, between American and North Korean forces.
If you are accessing TIME.com on a public computer, you are advised not to click on the "Remember me" option. [11], The first two Medals of Honor for the Korean War were awarded for the Battle of Taejon.
All rights reserved. That decision would bolster his troops—but cost him dearly. However, in the melee, North Korean forces infiltrated their rear elements, attacking the reserve forces and blocking supply lines. Through it runs a double-tracked trunk-line railroad, which twists 125 During the action, the KPA captured Major General William F. Dean, the commander of the 24th Infantry Division, and highest ranking U.S. prisoner during the Korean War. Within a week, the 24th Infantry Division had been pushed back to Taejon where it was again defeated in the Battle of Taejon. [29] The North Koreans captured an outpost of the 63rd Field Artillery Battalion, supporting the 34th Infantry with 105-mm Howitzer guns. Artillery fire aimed at the battery destroyed communications and vehicles, and inflicted heavy casualties. The 21st Infantry would subsequently be unable to join the fight. He was killed while trying to evacuate more soldiers. The Battle of Taejon had been a tactical loss for the United States but it had been a strategic victory that prevented the North to win the war in July 1950. As it turned out, that defense—and the casualties the 24th ID had been able to inflict on the North Koreans in the process—proved to be decisive. Dean was a veteran of World War II and knew Taejon’s urban terrain did not favor the defense, but he had no choice. [3] Each of the regiments had only two battalions of infantry as opposed to the normal three. The United States subsequently sent ground forces to the Korean peninsula to contain the North Korea… Osprey Publishing. [10][11] American soldiers were untrained and unprepared at the outbreak of the war, and this lack of training showed in engagements with North Korean units which were much more disciplined. Serving with the 24th Infantry Division, Sergeant Libby was attempting to withdraw from Taejon after the Battle of Taejon when the truck he was riding in was disabled by North Korean fire. [47] The North Korean 3rd Division formed a roadblock between Taejon and Okchon, cutting off the 21st Infantry in its reserve positions. [59] In the ensuing fight, Dean's jeep made a wrong turn and was separated from the rest of the American forces. [29][37], Following the initial penetration, the 34th Infantry line moved south to Nonsan. One of the missing had been the division commander. For more information, please visit TIME's Privacy Policy. Although they could not hold the city, the 24th Infantry Division achieved a strategic advantage by delaying the North Koreans, providing time for other American divisions to establish a defensive perimeter around Pusan further south. The Battle of Taejon (July 14–21, 1950) was an early battle of the Korean War, between American and North Korean forces. During the action the KPA captured Major General William F. Dean, the commander of the 24th Infantry Division, and highest ranking American prisoner during the Korean War. [73], By the time the battle ended, the United States had moved enough forces onto the Korean Peninsula to roughly equal the number of attacking North Korean forces.
[48] However it would attempt to hold the route of escape for the rest of the division during most of the fight at Taejon.
Forces of the United States Army attempted to defend the headquarters of the 24th Infantry Division. ISBN, Millett, Allan R. (2010). The defense began to break down in any coherent fashion and North Korean troops continued the relentless onslaught into the city, unopposed from the North, East, and West. For a while he fought on, destroying an enemy tank with a hand grenade with a small band of soldiers he had gathered (he would later be awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his heroism). The Battle of Taejon (14–21 July 1950) was an early battle of the Korean War, between American and North Korean forces. Political officers promised the divisions they would be able to rest in Taejon after they took the city. [6], Immediately preceding the Battle of Taejon, some of the Bodo League massacres took place around Taejon, where between 3,000 and 7,000 South Korean leftist political prisoners were shot and dumped into mass graves by South Korean troops,[7] partially recorded by a U.S. Army photographer. By 17 July, the 19th Infantry withdrew, and was ordered 25 miles (40 km) southwest to regroup and re-equip. When forces were initially committed, the 24th Infantry Division of the Eighth United States Army, headquartered in Japan was the closest US division. [56] Without radios, and unable to communicate with the remaining elements of the division, Dean joined the men on the front lines. [15] The 34th Infantry had only 2,020 men and the 19th had 2,276 men. [13], On 12 July, the division's commander, Major General William F. Dean, ordered the division's three regiments, the 19th Infantry Regiment, 21st Infantry Regiment, and 34th Infantry Regiment, to cross the Kum River, destroying all bridges behind them, and to establish defensive positions around Taejon.
He received the Medal of Honor for his actions on July 20 and 21, 1950, during the Battle of Taejon in South Korea.
Taejon was a major South Korean city 100 miles (160 km) south of Seoul and 130 miles (210 km) northwest of Pusan, and was the site of the 24th Infantry Division's headquarters. [19] Morale was extremely low for the soldiers, who were exhausted from days without sleep. Para obtener más información sobre cómo utilizamos tu información, consulta nuestra Política de privacidad y la Política de cookies. The battlefield was turning into an inferno. southwestern Korea. [25] Eventually they would also be supported by elements of the North Korean 105th Armored Division. [64], By the end of the battle, the Americans counted 922 men killed and 228 wounded with almost 2,400 missing, most of these men from the 34th Infantry. Task Force Smith retreated from Osan to Pyongtaek, where US forces were again defeated in the Battle of Pyongtaek. [21], In addition to casualties, shortages of equipment hampered the 24th Infantry Division's efforts. [65] Evidence suggests that the North Koreans executed some of the missing and captured prisoners immediately after the battle. The 24th Infantry Division was overwhelmed by numerically superior forces of the Korean People's Army (KPA) at the major city and transportation hub of Taejon. [24] The 1st Battalion, further north, also came under heavy attack by advancing North Korean forces, and though it repulsed the attack with the help of artillery, it was forced to withdraw to safer positions. [28], Map of the US 34th Infantry Regiment's defense at the Kum River, On the morning of 14 July, American soldiers from 3rd Battalion, 34th Infantry on the heights 2 miles (3.2 km) above the Kum River spotted T-34s across the river.
At one point, he personally attacked a tank with a hand grenade, destroying it. In 2016 the USS Midway hosted one of the premier events honoring the 75th Anniversary of Pearl Harbor. McFarland & Company. With major railroad junctions and numerous roads leading into the countryside in all directions, Taejon was a major transportation hub between Seoul and Taegu, giving it great strategic value for both the American and North Korean forces. [16] The division was attempting to make a last stand at Taejon, the last place it could conduct a delaying action before the North Korean forces would converge on the unfinished Pusan Perimeter. He received the Medal of Honor for his actions on July 20 and 21, 1950, during the Battle of Taejon in South Korea. The USS Midway is a living, floating museum, housing an extensive collection of aircraft, many of which were built in Southern California. Learn more about the benefits of being The 24th Infantry Division would continue to fight in delaying actions such as this one for two more weeks until it was overwhelmed at the Battle of Taejon, however by that time the Pusan Perimeter would be in place, and other US divisions would be able to hold the line for several more months during the Battle of Pusan Perimeter until the Inchon Landings, when American forces would finally defeat the North Korean Army, ending the first phase of the war. At 03:00 on 16 July, the North Koreans launched a massive barrage of tank, artillery and mortar fire on the 19th Infantry positions and North Korean troops began to cross the river in boats. The T-34s fired on the 3rd Battalion's position from across the river, to no effect. The Battle of Taejon (14–21 July 1950) was an early battle between American and North Korean forces during the Korean War. "The Korean War". Daniel L. Davis is a senior fellow for Defense Priorities and a former lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army who retired in 2015 after twenty-one years, including four combat deployments. [63], When the last of the 34th Infantry's defenders left the city, the 21st Infantry, which had been protecting the road to Taegu, also withdrew, leaving Taejon in the hands of the North Korean forces. Robinson Publishing. [24], North Korean planners intended for three divisions to attack Taejon from three directions, supported by heavy armor.
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