8th Cavalry Regiment
Korean War
"Honor and Courage"
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It happened before dawn on 25 June 1950. Less than 5 years after the terrible
devastations of World War II, a new war broke out from a distant land whose
name means "Morning Calm". The decision of the United States to send immediate
aid to South Korea came two days after the fast moving North Korean broke
through the ROK defenses and sent tanks into the capital city of Seoul. In
addition to the Air Force, Navy an Marines, a 1,000 man battalion from the
24th Infantry Division, including many specialists and noncommissioned
officers transferred from the 1st Cavalry Division, arrived 30 June with a
promise that more help was on the way.
On 18 July the 1st Cavalry Division was ordered to Korea. Initially scheduled
to make an amphibious landing at Inchon, it was redirected to the southeastern
coast of Korea at Pohang-dong a port 80 miles north of Pusan. The North
Koreans were 25 miles away when elements of the 1st Cavalry Division swept
ashore to successfully carry out the first amphibious landing of the Korean
War. The 8th Cavalry Regiment, reinforced by division artillery and other
units, moved by rail, truck and jeep to relieve the 21st Regiment, 24th
Division near Yongdong. By 22 July, all regiments were deployed in battle
positions; in itself a remarkable logistical achievement in the face of
Typhoon Helene that pounded the Korean coastline.
The 1st Battalion, 8th Regiment was deployed north of Taegu, now the temporary
capital of South Korea and astride the direct line of enemy advance. In the
meantime the 2nd Battalion, 8th Regiment held positions on the road from Maju
to the southwest. Their baptism of fire came on 23 July. The 8th Regiment was
hit by heavy artillery fire and mortar barrage, and North Korean infantrymen
swarmed toward their entrenched positions. The next day the troopers suffered
their first severe combat losses. For more than 50 days between mid July and
mid September, the First team troopers and the UN Forces performed the
difficult, bloody task of holding on to the vital Pusan Perimeter.
The turning point in this bloody battle came on 15 September 1950, when
MacArthur unleashed his plan to go around the advancing North Korean Army,
Operation
Chromite - an amphibious landing at Inchon, far behind the North
Korean lines. In spite of the many negative operational reasons given by
critics of the plan, the Inchon landing was an immediate success allowing the
1st Cavalry Division to break out of the perimeter and start fighting north.
The routes North was heavily mined. Rather than have the engineering battalion
methodically screen and dig up the mines, 17 tanks of "A" Company, 70th Tank
Battalion were sacrificed to rapidly clear the mines along the routes. It was
during this massive offensive that the 3rd Battalion, 7th Cavalry Regiment,
"C" Company and the "I" & "R" Platoon of the 70th Tank Battalion made the
historical mission of "Task Force Lynch", the Pusan Perimeter Breakout through
106.4 miles of enemy held territory to link up with the 7th Infantry Division
at Osan.
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From 28 September to 03 October, major efforts concentrated on mopping up
operations of the large sector assigned to the 1st Cavalry Division. By 04
October, the division had re-instated the Northern offensive movements. On 05
October, the 1st Cavalry Division advanced north of Seoul for the purpose of
securing the US I Corps assembly area near the 38th Parallel. Led by "I"
Company, the 5th Cavalry Regiment crossed to the north side of the Imjin River
at Munsan-ni. On 07 October, the 16th Reconnaissance Company entered Kaesong,
and that evening elements of the 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment, arrived
there. By evening of 08 October the 7th and 8th Cavalry Regiments had secured
the I Corps assembly area in the vicinity of Kaesong. Some of the troops were
within small arms range of the 38th Parallel. On 09 October, the 1st Cavalry
Division crossed the 38th Parallel. On 19 October, troopers of the 1st Cavalry
Division crashed into Pyongyang, capturing the capital city of North Korea.
This event marked the third "First" for the division -
"First in Pyongyang".
In late October 1950, orders came from I Corps to saddle up the rest of the
division and move north. The Korean war seemed to be nearing a conclusion. The
North Korean forces were being squeezed into a shrinking perimeter along the
Yalu and the borders of Red China and Manchuria. By now, more than 135,000 Red
troops had been captured and the North Korean Army was nearly destroyed.
On 25 October 1950, the Korean War took a grim new turn. The sudden
intervention of Communist Chinese forces dashed hopes of a quick end to the
war. On 29 October, the 8th Cavalry Regiment and "B" Company, 70th Tank
Battalion advanced North from Pyongyong to Sukchon, Sinanju and to the
vicinity of Unsan, with the mission of relieving ROK elements of the I Corps
in the area. Later in the day of the 29th, the 8th Cavalry received orders to
attack all the way to the Yalu River. On 31 October, at about 1500 hours, the
Chinese Communist Forces cut the main road South. Meanwhile, the 5th Cavalry
Regiment, accompanied by "A" Company, 70th Tank Battalion was ordered North to
cover the withdrawal of the 8th Cavalry Regiment. Meanwhile, the 7th Cavalry
Regiment had been called up from Chinnampo to assist in the withdrawal. By 01
November, the 8th Cavalry Regiment had advanced to within 50 miles of the Red
China border and the three battalions had moved up to relieve part of the ROK
1st Division.
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Later in the morning of 01 November, patrols from the 1st and 2nd Battalions,
8th Cavalry, clashed with soldiers clearly identified as Red Chinese. Contact
with the Chinese had begun increasing that afternoon, starting in the sector
of the 1st Battalion, North of Unsan, then spreading west into the sector
covered by the 2nd Battalion. About 0100 hours, 02 November, Chinese forces
had cut the withdrawal route of the 1st and 2nd Battalion.
South of Unsan, the 3rd Battalion had dug in just North of the Nammyon River.
By 2:00, 02 November, the Chinese had blocked the last remaining road for a
possible retreat overland. By dawn, the entire regiment was completely
surrounded. Some men of the 1st and 2nd Battalions were able to break through
the Chinese roadblocks. The bulk of the 3rd Battalion were trapped by the
Chinese. The bitter fighting which raged for the next five days stands would
see many heroes and many memorable sacrifices, but it also stand for the most
painful chapter in the proud history of the 1st Cavalry Division. On 06
November, the 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment ceased to exist as a unit.
It died gallantly. More than 600 officers and men were lost at Unsan, most of
them from the 3rd Battalion.
In order to execute their battle plan, the Chinese and the nearly beaten
North Korean forces had a trio of powerful allies located half way around the
world. Three Britons, two working in the British Embassy in Washington, DC and
a third heading the American Department in London, were Soviet agents. The
three spies; H.A.R. "Kim" Philby, Guy Burgess and Donald Maclean, had access
to communications between MacArthur and the Pentagon because Great Britain had
sent its Commonwealth Brigade to be part of the UN military forces in Korea.
Copies of communications relative to military planning of UN military
organizations was sent directly to Moscow and relayed to Peking.
A massive confrontation with the Chinese seemed inevitable. But the Chinese
did the unexpected; they drew back into the frozen hills from which they had
suddenly materialized. On 24 November, General MacArthur launched a counter
attack of 100,000 UN troops. Taking a chance, General MacArthur believed it
necessary to push the Chinese back across the border. On 25 November, the 1st
Cavalry Division moved up to the Taedong River, positioning behind the front
lines. On 26/27 November, the enemy shook off heavy casualties and threw
great waves of troops at two battle weary ROK divisions. With reinforcements,
the Chinese were stopped at Sinchang-ni on 29 November. The counterattack gave
the UN time to set up new defensive lines and begin an orderly withdrawal from
North Korea.
By 28 December, the true extent of the enemy buildup had become clear. There
was at least 20 Red Chinese divisions poised for a drive on Seoul. Now there
was almost a million and a half Chinese and North Korean troops on the Korean
peninsula. The UN Command had less than less than 250,000 seasoned soldiers
to repulse this juggernaut.
The new year began unexpectedly quiet. The First Team defenders readied their
weapons, shored up their defenses and waited in the bitter cold. This time
there was no surprise when the Chinese artillery began pounding the UN lines
in the first few minutes of 1951. The units forward of the 38th Parallel were
hit by the Chinese crossing the frozen Imjin River. Ignoring heavy losses, the
Chinese crawled through mine fields and barbed wire. The United Nations Forces
abandoned Seoul and fell back to the Han River. The Chinese drive lost its
momentum when it crossed the Han and a lull fell over the front.
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On 25 January 1951, the First Team, joined by the revitalized 3rd Battalion,
8th Cavalry rebounding from its tragedy at Unsan, moved back into action. The
movement began as a reconnaissance in force to locate and assess the size of
the Red Army, believed to be at least 174,000. The Eight Army moved slowly and
methodically, ridge by ridge, phase line by phase line, wiping out each pocket
of resistance before moving farther North. The advance covered 2 miles a day,
despite heavy blinding snowstorms and subzero temperatures.
On 14 February, heavy fighting erupted around an objective known as Hill 578,
which was finally was taken by the 7th Cavalry after overcoming stiff Chinese
resistance. During this action General MacArthur paid a welcome visit to the
1st Team. The First Cavalry slowly advanced though snow and later, when it
became warm, through torrential rains. The Red Army was slowly; but firmly,
being pushed back. On 14 March, the 3rd Battalion, 8th Cavalry had crossed
the Hangchon River and on the 15th, Seoul was recaptured by elements of the
8th Army. New objectives were established to keep the Chinese from rebuilding
and resupplying their forces and to advance to the "Kansas Line", which
roughly followed the 38th Parallel and the winding Imjin River.
On 22 April, 21 Chinese and 9 North Korean divisions slammed into Line Kansas.
Their main objective was to recapture Seoul. The First Cavalry joined in the
defense line and the bitter battle to keep the Reds out of the South Korean
Capital. Stopped at Seoul, on 15 May, the Chinese attempted a go around
maneuver in the dark. The 8th Army pushed them back to the Kansas Line and
later the First Team moved deeper into North Korea, reaching the base of the
"Iron Triangle", an enemy supply area encompassing three small towns.
From 09 June to 27 November, the 1st Cavalry took on various rolls in the
summer-fall campaign of the United Nations. On 18 July, a year after it had
entered the war, the 1st Cavalry Division was assigned to a reserve status.
This type of duty did not last for long. On the nights of 21 and 23 September,
the 2nd and 3rd Battalions, 7th Cavalry repulsed waves of Red Chinese with
hand to hand fighting. But harder work followed when Operation "Commando", a
mission to push the Chinese out of their winter defense positions south of the
Yokkok River, was launched.
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On 03 October, the 1st Team moved out from Line Wyoming and immediately into
Chinese fire. For the next two days; hills were taken, lost and retaken. On
the third day, the Chinese lines began to break in front of the 7th Cavalry.
On 05 October, the 8th Cavalry recaptured Hill 418, a flanking hill on which
the northern end of Line Jamestown was anchored. On 10 - 11 October, the
Chinese counterattacked; twice, unsuccessfully against the 7th Cavalry. Two
days later, the 8th Cavalry took the central pivot of the line, Hill 272. The
southern end of Line Jamestown, along with a hill called "Old Baldy",
eventually fell to the determined 8th Cavalry troopers. The troopers did not
know it, but Line Jamestown would be their last major combat of the Korean
War. By December 1951, the division, after 549 days of continuous fighting,
began rotation back to Hokkaido, Japan. The final echelon of the 1st Team, the
8th Cavalry Regiment, left for Japan on 30 December. The First Team had
performed tough duties with honor, pride and valor with distinction.
On 27 November, the advance party from the division, left Korea and by late
January 1952, all units had arrived on Hokkaido, under the command of Major
General Thomas L. Harrold. Arriving in the port of Muroran, each unit was
loaded on trains and moved to the new garrison areas. Three camps were
established outside Sappro, the Islands capital city. Division Headquarters
and the 7th Cavalry Regiment were stationed at Camp Crawford. The 5th Cavalry
was stationed at Camp Chitose, Area I. The 8th Cavalry, the last unit to leave
Korea, was stationed at Camp Chitose, Area II. The division controlled a huge
training area of 155,000 acres. The mission of the division was to defend the
Island of Hokkaido and to maintain maximum combat readiness.
On 16 October 1952, the 8th Regiment began debarkation at Pohangdon, Korea.
History had repeated itself on this date, for the 8th Cavalry, three years and
two months earlier, had participated in the first amphibious landing of the
Korean conflict. For the next two months the regiment performed security
missions around the familiar cities of Pusan and Taegu, away from the main
fighting. On 12 December 1952, the 7th Regiment, the 77th Field Artillery
Battery and Battery "B", 29th Antiaircraft Battalion sailed for Pusan to
relieve the 8th Regiment. By 20 December, the 8th Cavalry Troopers were all
back in Hokkaido in time to celebrate Christmas.
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The Korean War wound down to a negotiated halt when the long awaited armistice
was signed at 10:00 on 27 July 1953. A DeMilitarized Zone (DMZ), a corridor -
4 kilometers wide and 249 kilometers long, was established dividing North and
South Korea. The nominal line of the buffer zone is along the 38th parallel;
however, the final negotiations of the adjacent geographical areas, gave the
North Korean Government some 850 square miles south of the 38th parallel and
the South Korean Government some 2,350 square miles north of it.
In September 1954, the Japanese assumed responsibility for defending Hokkaido
and the First Team returned to the main Island of Honshu. 1st Cavalry Division
Headquarters and the 5th Cavalry Regiment were located at Camp Schimmelpfennig.
The 7th Cavalry Regiment and the 29th AAA AW Battalion occupied Camp Haugen,
near Hachinohe. The 8th Cavalry Regiment was stationed at Camp Hachinohe. For
the next three years the division guarded the northern sections of Honshu
until a treaty was signed by the governments of Japan and the United States in
1957. This accord signaled the removal of all US ground forces from Japan's
main islands.
On 20 August 1957, the First Cavalry Division, guarding the northern sections
of Honshu, Japan was reduced to zero strength and transferred to Korea (minus
equipment). On 23 September 1957, General Order 89 announced the redesignation
of the 24th Infantry Division as the 1st Cavalry Division and ordered a
reorganization of the Division under the "pentomic" concept. In ceremonies
held on 15 October, the colors of the 24th Division were retired and the
colors of the 1st Cavalry Division were passed to the Commanding General of
the old 24th Division, Major General Ralph W. Zwicker. "The First Team" had
returned, standing ready to defend Korea against Communist aggression. As part
of the "pentomic" reorganization, the 1st Battle Group, 8th Cavalry was one of
the twenty subordinate units which were activated, organized and assigned to
the 1st Cavalry Division.
The 1st Cavalry Division took over the facilities of the former 24th Infantry
Division who were stationed at a Headquarters Compound located in the western
defense corridor located at Bong il Chong in the Paju City area. Previous
tenants, the 1st Marine Division, had relocated the summer villa and converted
the rice patties, at the entrance to the valley, into an attractive lake. By
the time the 1st Cavalry Division arrived, they were able to be billeted in
permanent Quonset huts which had been constructed during a major program to
improve the troops living conditions.
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The redesignated and reorganized First Cavalry was assigned the mission of
patrolling the "Freedom's Frontier" (DMZ). In addition to their assigned
duties of patrol along the southern border of the DMZ, training remained a
number one priority for the troopers and unit commanders. In January 1958, the
largest training exercise in Korea since the end of hostilities, Operation
Snowflake, was conducted. This exercise was followed by Operation Saber in May
and Operation Horsefly in August. In June 1965, the 8th Cavalry Regiment began
rotation back to the United States along with other units of the 1st Cavalry
Division.
NOTE - Although fighting was stopped, in July 1953, by the armed truce, North
and South Korea have remained officially in a state of war for forty-five
years, signified by the fact that over 1,000 UN personnel have been killed in
duty at the DMZ. As of today, because of communist obstructionist tactics,
years have gone by and no peace treaty has ever been agreed to and signed. An
ever present "alert" status is in effect, as evidenced by the presence of a
North Korean military force of 1.1 million troops stationed within miles of
the Demilitarized Zone facing the South Korean force of 660,000 troops
supported by 37,000 American soldiers stationed in the area.
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