The Myth of the Isolated Defense Battle - (3) The Place of Destiny

[Nam Dohyun, Military Columnist] Although Peng Dehuai, who had reoccupied Seoul during the third offensive, was unable to advance for nearly a month due to depleted supplies, he coincidentally shared a similar idea with Ridgway. He decided to create a breakthrough in Hoengseong on the central front, where the UN forces' defense was relatively lax, and began a large-scale reinforcement of his forces. Many supplies that crossed the Yalu River flowed into the front lines at night, evading the eyes of the UN Air Force. As time passed and it became late January, they were able to launch another offensive.

At that time, the structure of the front lines was so severely restricted that both sides inevitably considered the same location as the place to secure the initiative in the war. Ultimately, the Hongcheon?Hoengseong axis on the central front, where both sides' intentions converged, was destined to erupt into a massive bloodbath. The first strike was carried out by the US 10th Corps, which was responsible for the central front, on January 31. The objective was Hongcheon, a key transportation hub in the Yeongseo region. If the US forces had not advanced north at this time, the Chinese Communist forces were going to move south anyway.

The U.S. 10th Corps is moving to capture Hongcheon. Even if they did not initiate the attack, the Chinese forces are expected to launch an offensive soon, so a major clash on the central front had already been anticipated.

The advancing US 10th Corps achieved visible results by pushing the front line more than 30 kilometers north. However, they were blocked from advancing further by the fierce defense of the Chinese 198th Division, which had secured the southern entrance at the Ssam-machi Pass. Meanwhile, the US 2nd Division’s 23rd Regiment, responsible for the left flank of the 10th Corps, also began advancing and captured Jipyeong-ri in Yangpyeong County on February 3, a strategic point connecting the western and central sectors.

Although the goal of recapturing Hongcheon failed, Ridgway self-assessed that the large-scale counterattack, the first since the Chinese Communist forces' intervention, had lifted the front line and successfully boosted frontline morale. He optimistically believed that by launching another attack to retake Hongcheon and pushing the front line back to near the 38th parallel, the Chinese Communist forces would naturally have to abandon Seoul. However, this rosy outlook did not last long.

Peng Dehuai, who had discreetly prepared while refraining from responding to the UN forces' movements, took action on February 11 as the UN offensive began to slow. This was the so-called fourth Chinese Communist offensive, with the main force attacking the sector held by the Republic of Korea’s 8th and 3rd Divisions in northern Hoengseong. The 8th Division suffered a devastating defeat in just four hours, effectively disintegrating and creating a large gap in the center of the front line. It was a retreat without any countermeasures.

Unable to withstand the pressure, the US 10th Corps had no choice but to retreat back to the starting point of their advance ten days earlier to prevent the collapse of the front line. The 23rd Regiment, which had captured Jipyeong-ri, also attempted to withdraw near Yeoju, which seemed a natural course of action. However, Ridgway judged that abandoning Jipyeong-ri would negatively affect the western front, where UN forces had made some progress and advanced to the southern bank of the Han River, and ordered the position to be held.

Colonel Paul Freeman, who led the historic Battle of Jipyeong-ri, was later promoted to general and served as the Commander of United States Forces Europe.

However, Peng Dehuai was equally aware of the importance of Jipyeong-ri that Ridgway had focused on. Since this offensive was not limited to the Hoengseong area but aimed to push the entire front south of the 37th parallel through the collapse of the central front, it was necessary to pressure the UN forces on the western front to retreat as well. Therefore, the Chinese Communist forces also sought to capture Jipyeong-ri, the key point for this purpose. In fact, the terrain in eastern Korea was so rugged that the strategic points to be held were obvious.

Ultimately, Jipyeong-ri, isolated deep in enemy territory, became the site of a historic battle that would determine the fate of the Republic of Korea. However, Colonel Paul L. Freeman Jr., the regimental commander who received the order to hold the position, was in a bleak situation. The defending US 23rd Regiment numbered about 5,600, but the Chinese Communist 39th Army, which appeared around Yangpyeong County, numbered more than ten times that?about 60,000?with four regiments totaling around 20,000 completely encircling Jipyeong-ri. The outcome was almost certainly decided.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.