Battle of Chaegunghyon
Part of Korean War
Date3–4 January 1951
Location
Yangju
Result United Nations victory
Belligerents
 United Kingdom  China
Commanders and leaders
Hank Carson
Units involved
United Kingdom Royal Ulster Rifles
Casualties and losses
147 Dead 30–50 Dead, 1 Prisoner

The Battle of Chaegunghyon or the Battle of Happy Valley was a conflict in the Korean War fought in Yangju by China and against Britain[1] The Battle of Chaegunghyon took place on the night of 3–4 January 1951 and held back the advancing Chinese and North Korean forces helping to facilitate the evacuation of Seoul.[1]

Chaegunghyon is currretly near Samha-ri, Jangheung-myeon, Yangju[2]

Background

In December 1950, having been swept from North Korea by a shock Chinese offensive, defeated UN forces stood at bay in the South. On New Year's Day, 1951, the Chinese stormed over the border and South Korean forces disintegrated. Britain's crack 29th Infantry Brigade was thrust into the line near Yangju and Koyang, 12 miles northwest of Seoul.[3]

Amid blizzards, the brigade dug a shaky line over the hills. On the left flank, reinforced by ten 8th Hussars Cromwell tanks (Cooper Force), stood the Royal Ulster Rifles (RUR). By 3 Jan there was nothing between them and the onrushing Chinese.[3]

Before dawn that day, indistinct figures appeared in front of the RUR trenches. A patrol descended into the valley and men on the hills heard a staccato burst . . . then silence. The patrol had blundered into the main assault force and from nowhere the Chinese broke cover and charged. Two RUR platoons were overrun.[3]

Galway native and acting battalion commander Major Tony Blake orchestrated the firepower of tanks, artillery and US jets in an immediate riposte. Second Lieutenant Mervyn McCord was part of a patrol that counter-attacked their old position after a napalm strike.[3]

The men took the ridge without casualties and stood around congratulating themselves until a major arrived, roaring: "This is not a funfair!" Meanwhile, ‘B’ Company prepared to retake the other lost peak.[3]

"We lined them up," said Captain Robin Charley, a Belfast man who had volunteered for Korea. "That attack went in exactly by the book — just like at the School of Infantry!"[3]

The Ulstermen were ecstatic at having beaten off the previously undefeated Chinese. To their right, the Royal Northumberland Fusiliers had also fought a bloody, but successful battle. Elsewhere, though, the front had buckled. UN forces were falling back. Seoul was to be abandoned.[3]

The RUR would be the last UN unit to withdraw, the US division on its left had already departed.[3]

Memorial

A memorial was subsequently erected on the battlefield to the memory of those who fell at Chaegunghyon. It was later transported back to Ireland in H.M.S. Belfast and re-erected at the Royal Ulster Rifles barracks in Ballymena, Co. Antrim. These barracks were closed in March 2008 and, following a request from the British Korean Veterans' Association, Belfast City Council gave permission for the memorial to be relocated to the grounds of the City Hall, near the cenotaph.[4][5]

References

  1. 1 2 "Unveiling Ceremony of the Information Panel at the site of the Battle of Happy Valley – Department of Foreign Affairs". www.dfa.ie. Retrieved 16 February 2023.
  2. ↑ "양주 삼하리 해피밸리 전투지역... 안보관광지 등으로 활용해야
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "The Korean War: Slaughter at Happy Valley | QRH Museum". www.qrhmuseum.com. 26 November 2021. Retrieved 16 February 2023.
  4. ↑ THE ROYAL ULSTER RIFLES AND THE BATTLE OF HAPPY VALLEY
  5. ↑ 양기화의 영문학 기행

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