In support of the United Nations Command, Luxembourg sent 110 troops to fight in Korea. Of these, two were killed and 17 were wounded. Luxembourg decided to ally with the Belgians and form 1st Platoon A Company, and with the Belgians arrived in Korea on 31 January 1951. Many Luxembourgers decided to join the Belgian Volunteer Corps for Korea. [1] Luxembourg would fight at Imjin River, Haktang-ni, and Chatkol. Luxembourg contributed a 44-man rifle regiment called the Royal Luxembourg Regiment. The Luxembourgers left Korea in January 1953 (The Belgian Volunteer Corps did not leave Korea until the end of the war.) [2]
The Luxembourg Detachment attached to the Belgian Volunteer Corps arrived in Pusan (Busan) on 31 January 1951. They moved north and would help defend the Imjin River in the Northwestern sector of South Korea during the Chinese Spring Offensive. [3]
On the night of 22 April 1951, PVA forces were advancing around the Luxembourger-Belgian positions on Hill 194. These forces were ordered to take the two bridges that the Luxembourgers-Belgians depended on and cross the river. [4] The British 29th Brigade were trying to secure the crossing but were engaged by PVA (People's Volunteer Army) forces trying to cross the river. If the bridge was controlled by the PVA forces, the Belgian Volunteer Corps and Luxembourg Detachment would be at risk of being isolated from the rest of the 29th Brigade. [5] [6] An initial PVA patrol began attacking the Luxembourgish-Belgian positions on the Hill. On the morning of 23 April, the Luxembourgish and Belgians, with support from the Gloucestershire Regiment, began withdrawing from Hill 194. The Gloucestershire Regiment gave the Luxembourgers-Belgians time to retreat across the two bridges.
As PVA forces began to flood into the area, the 29th Brigade was ordered to retreat back to a new defensive position. While the 29th Brigade Command Post was trying to move back to the new defensive position, the Belgians and Luxembourgers occupied blocking positions west and southwest of the Command Post. [7]
The Luxembourg-Belgium Contingent arrived at Haktang-ni at 19:00 (7:00 p.m.) on 10 October 1951. On 11 October, the Chinese began firing artillery on the defense positions that the Contingent had set up. [8] [9] The Chinese began attacking the Luxembourg-Belgian detachments positions on the morning of 12 October. Several small assaults were repelled by the Belgian Volunteer Corps. Patrols were sent out between 08:00 and 15:00 (3:00 p.m.). The patrols found that nearby Hill 488 was being used as an observation post by PVA forces. On the morning of 13 October, as the fog lifted, the main PVA attack had begun.
The Chinese attacked the Heavy Weapons Company. At the same time the HQ position of the Volunteer Corps was overrun for a brief period of time. At 02:00, renewed PVA assaults began on the Heavy Weapons Company. The Reconnaissance Platoon moved in complete silence. They moved under the barbed wire when they were under fire by PVA machine guns and flamethrowers. At 04:00, the Chinese withdrew from their attack and back to their original positions. The Chinese would still send small assaults against the Luxembourg-Belgian Volunteer Corps. [10]
From 8–9 March 1953, Luxembourg-Belgian defenses were vulnerable at Outpost Carol. Outpost Carol was run by 7 soldiers and 2 machine-guns when it was overrun by 100 PVA soldiers. The Luxembourger-Belgian soldiers didn't get time to react because after Outpost Carol was taken, the Chinese launched an artillery barrage. [11]
On 13 March 1953, Outpost Alice was attacked at 00:15. It began with an artillery bombardment and then a massed PVA assault on Outpost Alice. When the soldiers at Outpost Alice were attacked, one soldier was lost in the retreat back to the front line. The missing soldier was eventually found and sent a Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (MASH).
Realizing on 7–8 April, Corporal Raymond Beringer of the Luxembourg Platoon, that a PVA breakthrough was possible. A company moved his machine gun to the top of his bunker to allow for a better field of fire. At the end of the battle on 9 April, 20 bodies of the PVA forces were found within 200 metres of the bunker. For this action, Corporal Beringer was awarded the American Bronze Star and recommended for the Silver Star.
On 27 July 1953, an armistice was signed between South Korea and North Korea. [12] Most UN divisions left Korea. About three divisions stayed in Korea to help rebuild South Korea. The Belgian Volunteer Corps was dismantled in 1955.
Battle/Event | Year |
---|---|
Arrival in Pusan | 31 January 1951 |
Training | 31 January - 20 April 1951 |
Battle of Imjin River | 22–25 April 1951 |
Battle of Haktang-ni | 10–13 October 1951 |
Battle of Chatkol | 8–13 March 1953, 8–9 April 1953 |
End of the Korean War | 27 July 1953 |
A memorial was erected at Dongducheon, South Korea to the Luxembourg Detachment of the Belgian Volunteer Corps, and the Volunteer Corps itself. [13]
The television show M*A*S*H (1972-1983), had an episode (A Full Rich Day, S03E12) which included a wounded Luxembourgish lieutenant being aided by the 4077. [14]
The Korean War was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea and South Korea and their allies. North Korea was supported by the People's Republic of China and the Soviet Union, while South Korea was supported by the United Nations Command (UNC) led by the United States. Fighting ended in 1953 with an armistice, with no treaty signed.
The Battle of the Imjin River, also known as the Battle of Solma-ri or Battle of Gloster Hill in South Korea, or as Battle of Xuemali in China, took place 22–25 April 1951 during the Korean War. Troops from the Chinese People's Volunteer Army (PVA) attacked United Nations Command (UN) positions on the lower Imjin River in an attempt to achieve a breakthrough and recapture the South Korean capital Seoul. The attack was part of the Chinese Spring Offensive, the aim of which was to regain the initiative on the battlefield after a series of successful UN counter-offensives in January–March 1951 had allowed UN forces to establish themselves beyond the 38th Parallel at the Kansas Line.
The Regiment van Heutsz is a line infantry regiment of the Royal Netherlands Army. The regiment was named after J.B. van Heutsz, a former Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies who successfully brought the Aceh War closer to an end, and was formed on July 1, 1950. It is notable for its service as part of the United Nations force sent to fight during the Korean War. It is still operational and has served tours as part of the ISAF Afghanistan mission.
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Australia entered the Korean War on 28 September, 1950; following the invasion of South Korea by North Korea. The war's origins began after Japan's defeat in World War II, which heralded the end to 35 years of Japanese occupation of the Korean Peninsula. The surrender of Japan to the Allied forces on 2 September 1945 led to the division of Korea into two countries, which were officially called the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the Republic of Korea (ROK). The DPRK was occupied by the Soviet Union, and the ROK, below the 38th Parallel, was occupied by the United States (US).
The Philippine Expeditionary Force to Korea (PEFTOK) (Tagalog: Ipinadalang Lakas ng Pilipinas sa Korea, Korean: 필리핀 한국 원정군; RR: Pillipin Hanguk wonjeonggun, Spanish: Fuerza Expedicionaria Filipina a Corea or FEFC) was the Philippine Army contingent of the United Nations forces that fought in the Korean War (1950–1953). The unit arrived in Korea in August 1950. It was composed of 1,468 troops, and was the fifth largest force under the United Nations Command. The PEFTOK took part in the Battle of Miudong (which was hailed as the first battle won by Filipino soldiers in a foreign soil) Battle of Yultong and the Battle of Hill Eerie. The unit operated alongside the United States 1st Cavalry Division, 3rd Infantry Division, 25th Infantry Division, and 45th Infantry Division.
The Battle of Triangle Hill, also known as Operation Showdown or the Shangganling Campaign, was a protracted military engagement during the Korean War. The main combatants were two United Nations (UN) infantry divisions, with additional support from the United States Air Force, against elements of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army (PVA) 15th and 12th Corps. The battle was part of UN attempts to gain control of the "Iron Triangle" and took place from 14 October to 25 November 1952.
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The Volunteer Corps for Korea was a Belgium–Luxembourg military force sent to assist South Korea during the Korean War. A battalion-sized unit, it arrived in Korea in 1951 and remained after the cease-fire until 1955. Over the course of its existence, 3,171 Belgians and 78 Luxembourgers served in the unit.
The Battle of Haktang-ni was a skirmish in which elements of the People's Volunteer Army attacked an advanced position held by the Belgium–Luxembourg Battalion along a ridge-line known as "Broken Arrow" or "Broken Arrow Hill" between 9 and 13 October 1951.
The Kingdom of Thailand was one of the 21 countries who responded to the United Nations request to send troops to aid South Korea during the Korean War 1950–1953.
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