Battle of Chosin Reservoir

Battle of Chosin Reservoir
Part of the Second Phase Offensive of the Korean War
Men advancing through the snow with a tank
A column of the US 1st Marine Division moves through Chinese lines during its breakout from the Chosin Reservoir with a M46 Patton medium tank.
Date27 November – 13 December 1950
Location40°29′N 127°12′E / 40.483°N 127.200°E / 40.483; 127.200 (Jangjin Reservoir)
Result Chinese victory
Territorial
changes
Chinese forces recover northeastern Korea; UN withdraw to and evacuate from Hungnam.
Belligerents

 United Nations (UNC)

 South Korea
 China
Commanders and leaders
Units involved
See order of battle See order of battle
Strength
~30,000[1] ~120,000[2]
Casualties and losses
  • US estimate:
  • 1,029 killed
  • 4,894 missing
  • 4,582 wounded
  • 7,338 non-battle casualties[3][a]
  • 15 tank losses[4]
  • Chinese estimate:
  • 13,900 casualties[5]
  • Chinese estimate:
  • 7,304 killed
  • 14,062 wounded
  • 30,732 non-battle casualties[6]
  • UN estimate:
  • 29,800 battle casualties
  • 20,000+ non-battle casualties[7]
  • Unofficial estimates:
  • ~60,000 casualties[8][b]
Battle of Chosin Reservoir is located in Korea
Battle of Chosin Reservoir
Location within Korea

The Battle of Chosin Reservoir, also known as the Chosin Reservoir Campaign or the Battle of Lake Changjin (Korean장진호 전투; Hanja長津湖戰鬪; RRJangjinho jeontu; MRChangjinho chŏnt'u), was an important battle in the Korean War.[c] The name "Chosin" is derived from the Japanese pronunciation "Chōshin", instead of the Korean pronunciation.[9][10][d]

The battle took place about a month after the People's Republic of China entered the conflict and sent the People's Volunteer Army (PVA) 9th Army[e] to infiltrate the northeastern part of North Korea. On 27 November 1950, the Chinese force surprised the US X Corps commanded by Major General Edward Almond in the Chosin Reservoir area. A brutal 17-day battle in freezing weather soon followed. Between 27 November and 13 December, 30,000[1] United Nations Command troops (later nicknamed "The Chosin Few") under the field command of Major General Oliver P. Smith were encircled and attacked by about 120,000[2] Chinese troops under the command of Song Shilun, who had been ordered by Mao Zedong to destroy the UN forces. The UN forces were nevertheless able to break out of the encirclement and withdraw to the port of Hungnam. Both sides suffered heavy casualties, especially the Chinese, with both battle casualties and non-battle casualties caused by the frigid weather. The withdrawal of the US Eighth Army from northwest Korea in the aftermath of the Battle of the Ch'ongch'on River and the evacuation of the X Corps from the port of Hungnam in northeast Korea marked the complete withdrawal of UN troops from North Korea.

  1. ^ a b Appleman 1990, p. 24.
  2. ^ a b Ye 2007, p. 259.
  3. ^ Appleman 1990, pp. 345–347.
  4. ^ Appleman 1990, p. 348.
  5. ^ Xue & Li Part Four 2000.
  6. ^ Department of Health, People's Liberation Army General Logistics Department 1988, p. 327.
  7. ^ Appleman 1990, p. 352.
  8. ^ Roe 2000.
  9. ^ Tertitskiy, Fyodor (21 November 2017). "Words, words: North and South Korea's differing romanization". NK News. Archived from the original on 6 October 2021. Retrieved 6 October 2021.
  10. ^ Down in the weeds.


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