Battle of Bloody Ridge
By mid-1951, the Korean War was in a state of stalemate on an east-to-west front line just north of the 38th Parallel, where the United Nation and the Republic of Korea Army—known as the ROK—faced off against the Chinese People’s Volunteer Army or PVA, just as peace negotiations began at Kaesong, North Korea.
In an attempt to eradicate a PVA observation point that directed heavy and accurate artillery fire upon UN positions several miles to the west, U.S. X Corps commander Maj. Gen. Clovis E. Byers engaged the enemy on August 18th, at what would become known as Bloody Ridge.
5 Days of Bloody Ridge Warfare
Employing elements of the ROK 36th Regiment and the U.S. Eighth Army, five days of bloody fighting took place atop the three peaks that made up Bloody Ridge, and while ROK forces at first took the ridge, they were forced back under withering North Korean resistance.
Protected by strong bunkers and well-seeded minefields, the North Korean communist fighters would take cover when UN artillery fire and air support was sent in, only to re-emerge from their bunkers when U.S. and South Korean forces stormed up hillsides.
By August 27th, heavy casualties and collapsing morale within the ROK 36th Regiment led many into a panicked retreat, which in turn spread uncertainty through elements of the U.S. 9th Regiment. In response, Byers spread out his forces and firepower over the entire three-peak front, which effectively halted the flow of enemy reinforcements. Despite dogged resistance by North Korean forces, the three peaks of Bloody Ridge fell to UN forces on September 4th and 5th.
How Many Died in Battle of Bloody Ridge?
After nearly three weeks of bloody fighting and more than 2,700 casualties, the Eighth Army had won their objective, while casualties to North Korean forces were estimated at 15,000 or more, due primarily to strict hold your ground orders by North Korean military leaders that forbade troop withdrawals under any condition.
Pushed from Bloody Ridge by superior UN artillery and air support, the North Koreans would regroup at new positions just 1,500 yards away, atop a second hilltop that would soon earn the name Heartbreak Ridge.