Operation Polecharge was an offensive undertaken by

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

(UN) forces 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 ...

between 15–19 October 1951, following on from the successful

Operation Commando Operation Commando was an offensive undertaken by United Nations Command (UN) forces during the Korean War between 3–12 October 1951. The US I Corps (including four U.S. Divisions, the 1st Commonwealth Division and the Republic of Korea Army (R ...

which established the

Jamestown Line The Jamestown Line was a series of defensive positions occupied by United Nations forces in the Korean War. Following the end of the 1951 Chinese Spring Offensive and the UN May-June 1951 counteroffensive, the war largely became one of attritio ...

Background

involved five UN divisions of US

I Corps I Corps, 1st Corps, or First Corps may refer to: France * 1st Army Corps (France) * I Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * I Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French A ...

; the US 1st Cavalry Division, the US 3rd, US 25th Infantry Division, the

Republic of Korea Army The Republic of Korea Army (ROKA; ko, 대한민국 육군; Hanja: 大韓民國陸軍; RR: ''Daehanminguk Yuk-gun''), also known as the ROK Army or South Korean Army, is the army of South Korea, responsible for ground-based warfare. It is the l ...

(ROK) 1st Division and the

1st Commonwealth Division The 1st Commonwealth Division was the military unit that commanded Commonwealth land forces in the Korean War. The division was a part of the multinational British Commonwealth Forces Korea, with infantry units of the British Army, Canadian ...

. The operation was intended to form a line of defense just north of the 38th Parallel and ended on 15 October 1951, having successfully established the

. However, a few hills south of the line remained in the hands of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army (PVA) and threatened supply lines to

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 of ...

. Operation Polecharge was intended to seize control of these high positions.

Operation

The

5th Cavalry Regiment The 5th Cavalry Regiment ("Black Knights") is a historical unit of the United States Army that began its service on August 3, 1861, when an act of Congress enacted "that the two regiments of dragoons, the regiment of mounted riflemen, and the t ...

of the 1st Cavalry Division, together with the Belgian Battalion attached to the 3rd Infantry Division, was tasked with the capture of Hills 346, 272 and 230. The

8th Cavalry Regiment The 8th Cavalry Regiment is a regiment of the United States Army formed in 1866 during the American Indian Wars. The 8th Cavalry continued to serve under a number of designations, fighting in every other major U.S. conflict since, except Worl ...

would provide support if required.Korea Institute of Military History 2001, p. 219 The operation began on 15 October with the seizure of Hill 346 by the 5th Cavalry.Edwards 2010, p.212. On 18 October Hill 230 was captured after initial attacks, supported by the 8th Cavalry, were strongly rebuffed.Edwards 2006, p. 250. Hill 272 was also strongly defended by the PVA but fell to UN forces on 19 October, marking the successful conclusion of Operation Polecharge. During Operations Commando and Polecharge, the UN forces inflicted heavy losses on the PVA, in the order of 16,000 men, and forced the PVA to retreat north to their next line of defence, Yokkok-chon. The 1st Cavalry Division had suffered 2,900 casualties, including losses incurred during Operation Commando, and was withdrawn to Japan the following month.Blair 1987, p. 949.

Aftermath

Operation Polecharge saw the Jamestown Line secure as well as the elimination of the threat posed by the PVA to the UN's supply lines to Seoul. The conclusion of Operations Commando and Polecharge also marked the beginning of the static phase of the Korean War as well as the resumption of armistice negotiations at

Panmunjom Panmunjom, also known as Panmunjeom, now located in Paju, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea or Kaesong, North Hwanghae Province, North Korea, was a village just north of the ''de facto'' border between North and South Korea, where the 1953 Korea ...

.Malkasian 2001, p. 53.

Notes

References

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Polecharge Battles involving the United States Battles of the Korean War involving Belgium Military operations of the Korean War October 1951 events in Asia Battles and operations of the Korean War in 1951 Battles of the Korean War involving the United States Battles of the Korean War involving China History of Gyeonggi Province