The Colombian Battalion was an

infantry battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions are e ...

of the

Colombian Army The National Army of Colombia ( es, Ejército Nacional de Colombia) is the land warfare service branch of the Military Forces of Colombia. With over 361,420 active personnel as of 2020, it is the largest and oldest service branch in Colombia, ...

that served under

United Nations Command United Nations Command (UNC or UN Command) is the multinational military force established to support the South Korea, Republic of Korea (South Korea) during and after the Korean War. It was the first international unified command in history, an ...

during the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

from 1951 to 1954. The first Colombian military unit to serve in Asia, the battalion was attached to the U.S. 7th Infantry Division and 25th Infantry Divisions.

Background

The election of President

Laureano Gómez Laureano Eleuterio Gómez Castro (20 February 1889 – 13 July 1965) was a Colombian politician and civil engineer who served as the 18th President of Colombia from 1950 to 1953. In November 1951 poor health led him to cede presidential powe ...

in 1950 sparked renewed interest in building up

Colombia–United States relations The relationship between Colombia and the United States evolved from a mutual cordiality during the 19th and early 20th centuries to a recent partnership that links the governments of both nations around several key issues; this includes fighting ...

. Gómez wanted greater U.S. economic support in exchange for direct involvement as an ally, and a means to erase any lingering impressions caused among U.S. policy makers of his previous attitude of anti–U.S. and pro–German sentiment during the World Wars. Gómez emphasized the importance of the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...

security charter and the concept of collective security. As such, he pushed the military to form an expeditionary force that could be deployed on behalf of the United Nations. The overall strength of the battalion was 5,100 infantry soldiers and 300 sailors on board the frigates , , and .

Korean War

Following the outbreak of the Korean War, the Colombian Battalion was deployed to

Busan Busan (), officially known as is South Korea's most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.4 million inhabitants. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economic, cultural and educational center of southeastern South Korea, w ...

on 15 June 1951 under the command of Colonel Jaime Polanía Puyo. The battalion participated in Operation Thunderbolt, the

Battle of Old Baldy The Battle of Old Baldy refers to a series of five engagements for Hill 266 in west-central Korea. They occurred over a period of 10 months in 1952–1953, though there was also vicious fighting both before and after these engagements. Backgr ...

, the

Battle of Triangle Hill The Battle of Triangle Hill, also known as Operation Showdown or the Shangganling Campaign (),Chinese sources often mistranslates Shangganling Campaign as the Battle of Heartbreak Ridge. was a protracted military engagement during the Korean ...

and the recapture of Kumsong ( :ko:금성군 (강원도)). The Battle of Old Baldy was particularly notable for the battalion, as the unit lost (killed or wounded) 20% of its deployed strength in the engagement.United States Army Center of Military History, Korea 1951–1953, US Government Printing Office, Washington DC, 1996, p. 278

Casualties

The Colombian Battalion suffered men 163 killed in action, 448 wounded, 60 missing, and 30 captured over the course of the conflict.

Gallery

File:Batallón Colombia-3.jpg File:Batallón Colombia-4.jpg File:Batallón Colombia-5.jpg File:Batallón Colombia-6.jpg File:Batallon colombia-7.jpg File:Batallón Colombia-8.jpg, Colombians in Hawaii File:Batallón Colombia-9.jpg File:Batallón Colombia-10.jpg, Colombian soldiers with a Chinese prisoner File:Batallón Colombia-11.jpg, bombardment by Colombian soldiers File:Batallón Colombia-12.jpg, chaplain along with battalion soldiers File:Batallon colombia-13.jpg File:Batallón colombia-14.jpg File:Batallón Colombia-16.jpg File:Batallón Colombia en entrenamiento.jpg, soldiers in training File:Batallón Colombia entrenamiento2.jpg, soldiers in training File:General-Ruiz-novoa.jpg, photo of Alberto Ruiz Novoa commander of the battalion

References

{{Korean War 1951 establishments in Colombia Military units and formations established in 1951 Military units and formations disestablished in 1954 Military units and formations of Colombia in the Korean War Battalions of the Korean War