The Second Battle of Maryang-san (5 November 1951) was fought 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 ...

, in which British forces, possessing a hill top and surrounding area, were overwhelmed by Chinese forces.

Background

By this stage in the

the frontline had been consolidated with fortifications, and there was not much movement. Rather like World War One, strategic objectives would be hills or specific areas of land, rather than sweeping objectives or pushes. By September 1950, Australian and Canadian forces, as part of the

27th British Commonwealth Brigade The 27th Infantry Brigade was an infantry brigade of the British Army that saw service in the First World War, the Second World War, and the Korean War. In Korea, the brigade was known as 27th British Commonwealth Brigade due to the addition of Ca ...

left the area, and were replaced by the British 29th Infantry Brigade Group, then followed by the 28th British Commonwealth Brigade in April 1951. The

25th Canadian Infantry Brigade The 25th Canadian Infantry Brigade was Canada's primary combat-formation intending to be sent as part of the British Commonwealth Forces Korea. Originally composed of three infantry battalions and two armoured squadrons, several individual units ...

was the last to arrive and reinforce the area. The units were then all formed into 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 Arm ...

. In October 1951, the Chinese

People's Volunteer Army The People's Volunteer Army (PVA) was the armed expeditionary forces deployed by the People's Republic of China during the Korean War. Although all units in the PVA were actually transferred from the People's Liberation Army under the order ...

(PVA) had made efforts to attack and take the hill at the

First Battle of Maryang-san The First Battle of Maryang-san (3–8 October 1951), also known as the Defensive Battle of Maliangshan (), was fought during the Korean War between United Nations Command (UN) forces—primarily Australian and British—and the Chinese People' ...

. PVA forces were pushed back and defeated by Australian forces.

Action

The PVA first launched a large scale bombardment of the area, including rockets, on the night of 5 November. The barrage lasted 15 hours. The barrage was then followed up by a human wave attack of massed PVA troops, and the British were overrun. Some troops established a fighting withdrawal, and PVA troops captured the hill, taking British prisoners. The hill was defended by 400 British troops, but attacked by three battalions. Private

Bill Speakman William Speakman-Pitt, VC (21 September 1927 – 20 June 2018), known as Bill Speakman, was a British Army soldier and a recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and ...

was awarded Britain's

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...

at this battle for his bravery. Speakman had been conveying a supply of grenades to the British troops, on the left hand side of the hill. When the PVA attacked, Speakman took it on his own initiative to gather 6 men, and then began throwing grenades at the PVA. He engaged the enemy with grenades and guns, making repeated charges against them in different directions. When the men ran out of grenades, they began throwing bottles and metal tea pots from the kitchen supply. This gave time for his unit to withdraw. Even while wounded in the leg, he continued to charge at the PVA.

Background

Action

See also

References

Further reading