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the (938), and (243), corps (105), division (97), had (85), kpa (82), pva (74), was (72), that (60), forces (58), march (57), line (55), rok (52), army (51), seoul (50), with (49), from (45), were (44), #operation (40), north (40), divisions (40), river (39), area (38), korea (37), 1st (37), ridgway (36), zone (36), for (35), hongcheon (35), this (33), above (32), korean (31), miles (31), would (30), its (30), two (30), ripper (29), chuncheon (29), war (28), west (27), east (26), ground (26), advance (25), into (23), but (22), which (21), through (21), their (21), not (21), offensive (21), south (20), 2nd (20), moved (19), infantry (19), during (19), front (19), general (19), edit (18), also (18), force (18), route (18), town (18), eighth (18), his (18), been (17), positions (17), while (17), 38th (17), left (17), han (17), units (17), all (16), time (16), battle (16), reached (16), cavalry (16), 3rd (16), attack (15), 24th (15), armies (15), united (14), intelligence (14), when (14), 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ritory almond was to pay particular attention to the two principal north south corridors in his zone one traced by the soksa ri pangnim ni segment of route 20 at the corps right the other by a lesser road running south out of p ungam ni in the left third of the corps zone responsibility for the remaining ground to the east was once again divided between rok iii and rok i corps believing that the rok sector needed to be strengthened particularly after the capital division lost almost 1 000 men in the ambush at soksa ri on 3 march ridgway had detached the rok i corps headquarters and the rok 3rd infantry division from x corps sending the division to rejoin rok iii corps and reestablishing rok i corps with the rok 9th and capital divisions in the coastal zone the rok 5th infantry division having reorganized after being hurt in the mid february offensive meanwhile rejoined x corps during the ripper advance the two rok corps were to secure route 20 in the coastal area rok i corps forces already were well above this lateral road in fact were already on or above the idaho line inland rok iii corps would have to move about 10 miles 16 km north through the higher taebaek ridges to get onto the idaho line some 5 miles 8 0 km above route 20 3 315 7 in the i corps zone at the west end of the army front general frank w milburn was to retain two divisions the rok 1st and us 3rd in his western and central positions along the lower bank of the han to secure the army flank and protect inchon where 500 to 600 tons of supplies were being unloaded daily thanks to task force 90 and the 2nd engineer special brigade east of seoul on the corps right the us 25th infantry division now commanded by brigadier general joseph s bradley was to attack across the han on both sides of its confluence with the southward flowing pukhan river above the han bradley s division was to clear the high ground bordering the pukhan to protect the left flank of ix corps and to threaten envelopment of pva kpa forces defending seoul 3 317 battle edit advance to the albany line edit the opening phase of operation ripper gave promise that the eighth army might reach its final ground objectives almost by default employing only a delaying action by small forces the pva kpa line units frequently offered stubborn resistance including local counterattacks but more frequently opposed approaching eighth army forces at long range then withdrew in the i corps zone the 25th infantry division made a model crossing of the han river before daylight on 7 march attacking with three regiments abreast following heavy preparatory fires on the northern bank of the river and in company with simulated crossings by other corps forces the division reached the northern shore almost unopposed joined quickly by tanks that forded or were ferried across the river and helped by good close air support after daybreak the assault battalions pushed through moderate resistance much of it in the form of small arms machine gun and mortar fire and a profusion of well placed antitank and antipersonnel mines for first day gains of 1 2 miles 1 6 3 2 km 3 321 averaging similar daily gains against opposition that faded after 10 march bradley s three regiments reached the albany line between the 11th and 13th the 35th infantry regiment first to reach the phase line cleared a narrow zone on the east side of the pukhan river on the west side the 24th and 27th infantry regiments occupied heights in the yebong mountain mass within 2 3 miles 3 2 4 8 km of the seoul chuncheon road and on line with the northern outskirts of seoul to the west 3 321 in the main attack ix corps advanced four divisions abreast in a wide zone at the corps left the 24th division attacked through the yongmun mountain mass while in narrower zones in the eastern half of the corps area the us 1st cavalry rok 6th and us 1st marine divisions moved toward hongcheon advancing steadily against light to moderate resistance all but the rok 6th infantry division which the cavalrymen and marines on either side gradually pinched out were on the albany line by dark on 12 march accompanying forces of the 1st marine division attacking astride route 29 above hoengsong was a recovery team from the 2nd infantry division detailed to search for the bodies of men and the equipment lost in that area by division forces who had been supporting the x corps operation roundup when the pva attacked in mid february by 12 march the team recovered more than 250 bodies mostly of men who had been members of support force 21 and retrieved the five 155 mm howitzers left behind when the support force withdrew the air strikes the support force commander had requested on the abandoned weapons either had not been flown or had not found their targets the team also retrieved the six m5 tractors left behind by the support force artillery evacuated four of the six tanks that had been lost and recovered a number of damaged trucks that were of value at least for spare parts 3 321 2 in the x corps zone the 2nd rok 5th and 7th divisions advanced abreast the 2nd moving through the p ungam ni corridor on the left the 7th along route 20 on the right and the rok 5th over the ridges in the center in a well fought delaying action kpa forces kept gains short until 11 march when they began to withdraw above the albany line against the diminishing resistance the 2nd and 7th divisions each placed a regiment on the phase line on 13 march at corps center the rok 5th division reached the line on the following day immediately east rok iii corps reached and at some points passed above route 20 by dark on 13 march with forces already well above the idaho line in the coastal zone rok i corps meanwhile made only minor adjustments to consolidate its forward positions as of the 13th a regiment of the rok 9th division and two regiments of the capital division occupied a line reaching northeastward from the hwangbyong mountain area to the coast near the town of chumunjin a problem meanwhile had arisen in rear of rok i corps when the kpa 10th division isolated behind eighth army lines since january opened a bid to return to its own lines though much reduced by efforts of the 1st marine division until mid february and the rok 2nd division thereafter to destroy the unit in the pohang andong yongdok area the division had maintained a formal organization of a headquarters and three regiments and with a surviving strength of about 2 000 had managed by the opening of operation ripper to slip north through the taebaek mountains to the irwol mountain region 30 miles 48 km northeast of andong easily withstanding further efforts of the rok 2nd division to eliminate it the division by 13 march reached the chungbong mountain area about 25 miles 40 km miles south of gangneung as the kpa unit approached the rok i corps rear general kim sent two regiments of the rok 9th division and a battalion of the capital division south to intercept it the two forces clashed briefly in the chungbong heights on the morning of the 13th to open what would become a cat and mouse affair lasting ten days 3 322 advance to the buffalo line edit during the evening of the 13th ridgway ordered the next phase of the advance to begin the following morning in the west the 25th infantry division was to advance toward a segment of the buffalo line bulging 4 miles 6 4 km above the seoul chunchron road in a zone confined to the west side of the pukhan river in the main attack ix corps was to make its major effort in the right half of the corps zone sending the 1st cavalry and 1st marine divisions to clear hongcheon and then to occupy the buffalo line above town to block route 29 leading northwest to chuncheon and route 24 running through the hongcheon river valley to the northeast only short advances were required in the western half of the ix corps zone by the 24th division at the left in conjunction with the i corps advance and by the rok 6th division at the right to protect the flank of the forces attacking hongcheon to the east x corps and rok iii corps were to continue toward the idaho line while on the flank rok i corps had only to maintain its forward positions in the coastal slopes while other corps forces concentrated on eliminating the kpa 10th division 3 322 3 against the continued advance according to estimates prepared by eighth army intelligence as the initial assault concluded the pva delaying forces backing away from the 25th infantry division and the four divisions of ix corps were expected to join their parent units in defenses in the next good system of high ground to the north located generally on an east west line through hongcheon presenting something of a barrier to this ground in the ix corps zone was the hongcheon river which flowed into the zone from the northeast to a bend below hongcheon town then meandered west to empty into the pukhan tarkenton expected the kpa forces in the higher ridges to the east to withdraw to positions on line with those of the pva in the ix corps zone but did not expect the kpa defending seoul and the ground west of the city all of whom were outside the zone of the ripper advance to abandon their positions along the han tarkenton also believed that pva kpa forces were now prepared or nearly so to make some form of strong counter effort and that they well might open it out of the hongcheon area when ridgway s forces arrived in that region but on this count as well as in his estimate of enemy defensive plans the continuation of operation ripper would prove tarkenton in error the evidence of a pva kpa buildup collected by the army intelligence staff was nonetheless valid at the same time it was incomplete and off the mark in the identification and location of units 3 323 kpa and pva buildup edit what the intelligence staff had reported in mid february as the entry of seven new pva armies into korea was largely the return of the three kpa corps and nine divisions that had withdrawn into manchuria for reorganization and retraining the past autumn beginning in january kpa vi corps with the 18th 19th and 36th divisions crossed the yalu river at ch ongsongjin 30 miles 48 km northeast of sinuiju avoiding route 1 in favor of lesser roads nearby corps commander lieurenant general choe yong jin took his divisions south into hwanghae province and assembled them in the namch onjom yonan area northwest of seoul on arriving there in mid february choe assumed command of the kpa 23rd brigade previously stationed in the area to defend the haeju sector of the yellow sea coast 3 323 eighth army intelligence identified and caught the southward movement of kpa vi corps by 1 march but remained in the dark even at midmonth about the reentry of kpa vii and viii corps crossing the yalu at sinuiju in january vii corps with the 13th 32nd and 37th divisions proceeded across korea in a drawn out series of independent movements by subordinate units to the wonsan area closing there by the end of february in the same time viii corps with the 42nd 45th and 46th divisions reentered korea at manp ojin and without the 45th division moved across the peninsula to the hungnam area the 45th division proceeded to inje just above the 38th parallel in eastern korea to join kpa iii corps as a replacement for the 3rd division which the iii corps had left in the wonsan area when it moved to the front once in wonsan vii corps commander lt gen lee yong ho assumed command of the 3rd division and also the 24th division which was defending the coast in that area similarly on arriving in hungnam with two divisions lt gen kim chang dok commander of viii corps accumulated two other units already in the vicinity the 41st division and 63rd brigade thus by the beginning of march kpa reserves in the hungnam wonsan area totaled two corps with eight divisions and a brigade as late as the middle of the month ridgway s intelligence staff was aware only of the two divisions and brigade that had been in the region for some time besides the recently arrived vi corps kpa reserves in western north korea included the iv corps whose location and composition eighth army intelligence at mid march had yet to discover operating in northeastern korea until late december the headquarters of the iv corps had then moved west to the pyongyang area since that time under the command of lieutenant general pak chong kok and operating with the 4th 5th and 105th tank divisions and the 26th brigade the iv corps had had the mission of defending the yellow sea coast between chinnamp o and sinanju 3 324 with the return of forces from manchuria kpa reserves by early march altogether numbered four corps 14 divisions and three brigades these and the units at the front including the 10th division currently attempting to return to its own lines gave the kpa an organization of eight corps 27 divisions and four brigades this force was not nearly so strong as its numerous units would indicate most divisions were understrength and many of those recently reconstituted were scarcely battle worthy before march was out in fact two divisions the 41st and 42nd would be broken up to provide replacements for others nevertheless the kpa had recovered measurably from its depleted condition in early autumn of 1950 there was also fresh leadership in to kpa high command in a recent change lieutenant general nam il replaced general lee as chief of staff nam about forty years old had a background of college and military training in the soviet union and world war ii service as a company grade officer in the soviet army a close associate of premier kim il sung nam had a solid political if not military foundation for his new post nam s headquarters was in pyongyang where in december lee had reassembled the general headquarters staff from manchuria and kanggye front headquarters the tactical echelon of general headquarters was again in operation apparently in the town of kumhwa located in central korea some 30 miles 48 km north of chuncheon general kim chaek the original commander of this forward headquarters had died in february now in command was lieutenant general kim ung who during world war ii had served with the chinese 8th route army in north china and more recently had led the kpa i corps in the main attack during the initial invasion of south korea a solid tactician he was currently the ablest kpa field commander the pva forces in korea also were under new leadership in either january or february peng dehuai had replaced lin piao as commander of the pva in company with the change in command a surge of fresh chinese units from manchuria had begun during the last two weeks of february the xix army group with the 63rd 64th and 65th armies crossed into korea at sinuiju and during the first half of march the group commander yang teh chih assembled his forces not far above the 38th parallel northwest of seoul in the kumch on kuhwa ri area between the yesong and imjin rivers also entering in late february wer...
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