Third Battle of the Hook
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The Third Battle of the Hook () was a battle of 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 ...
that took place between a
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 ...
(UN) force, consisting mostly of British troops, supported on their flanks by
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and
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units against a predominantly
Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of va ...
force.


Background

By 1953, elements of the UN forces were engaged in fierce fighting to prevent 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) forces from gaining ground, prior to a possible ceasefire. This was to deny them additional bargaining power, during negotiations. One such action took place at a feature called 'the Hook', a crescent shaped ridge near the Samichon River, a tributary of the Imjin River near
Kaesong Kaesong (, ) is a special city in the southern part of North Korea (formerly in North Hwanghae Province), and the capital of Korea during the Taebong kingdom and subsequent Goryeo dynasty. The city is near the Kaesong Industrial Region close t ...
. There had been two previous engagements at the Hook earlier in the Korean War during 1952, when the
first First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1). First or 1st may also refer to: *World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement Arts and media Music * 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and rec ...
battle for the Hook took place. The
United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...
in October, and later the Scottish Black Watch regiment in November, had successfully held the Hook during the
second battle The second (symbol: s) is the unit of time in the International System of Units (SI), historically defined as of a day – this factor derived from the division of the day first into 24 hours, then to 60 minutes and finally to 60 seconds each ...
, against PVA assaults. This ridge was a place of tactical importance in 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 ...
sector: it was a potential attack route which the PVA needed to take before assaulting
Yong Dong Dong Yong (other names: 董勇, Tung Yung; born 15 December 1968, China) is a Chinese actor. He studied singing, opera and kung-fu. Biography Yong moved into television shortly after he graduated and has since become one of the most sought-af ...
, and opening up an invasion route 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 ...
, the
South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...
n capital. On 13 May 1953, the 1st Battalion the Duke of Wellington's Regiment ('the Dukes') were moved from its position on Yong Dong, to relieve the Black Watch, who had been defending The Hook. During this period, the Black Watch had suffered 12 soldiers killed, 73 wounded and 20 missing. Over the next two weeks 'The Dukes' were under constant sniper, mortar and artillery fire. This was then followed up in a major action over the 28–29 May following heavy initial
artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...
and mortar fire, after which the PVA infantry attacked in force. Between 19 May and 29 May 'The Dukes' suffered 15 killed in action, 95 wounded and 32 missing. They were relieved by the Royal Fusiliers later in the day of 29 May.


Battle

The PVA forces charged the forward British positions once the bombardment ceased. The Dukes were outnumbered by 5 to 1. The fighting that ensued was bloody and akin to the battles that the 'Dukes' had fought during
World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
. Artillery shells rained down on the Hook, from both the PVA and UN forces. The PVA launched a second attack but were cut down by heavy artillery fire from UN forces. Further attacks occurred during the day, but all were defeated in heavy fighting. Just 30 minutes into 29 May, the PVA forces launched another attack, but they were again beaten back. The Dukes began advancing up the line of the original trenches to dislodge the remaining PVA in the forward trenches. The 'Dukes' secured the Hook at 03:30. For their action they were awarded the Battle Honour 'The Hook'.


Chinese shelling

Between 19 May and 29 May, PVA artillery fired over 20,000 shells onto the Hook position, and 11,000 of these shells were fired on the night of 28 May, with over 200 heavy calibre shells hitting the Hook positions in the one hour between 17:45 and 18:45.


United Nations shelling

37,818 shells of all calibres were fired by British artillery and the US Army I Corps artillery, including 155 mm, 8-inch, and 240 mm shells and 325 rockets from a US Rocket Battery. Firing directly upon the enemy, the Centurions of C Squadron,
1st Royal Tank Regiment The 1st Royal Tank Regiment (1 RTR) was an Armoured warfare, armoured regiment of the British Army. It is part of the Royal Tank Regiment, itself part of the Royal Armoured Corps and operationally under 12th Armoured Infantry Brigade (United Kingd ...
used 504 20-pdr shells (the tanks also fired 22,500 rounds from their machine guns).


Aftermath

PVA casualties were 167 by body count, while their actual casualties were estimated at 1,050 killed and over 800 wounded. The 'Dukes' suffered 3 officers and 17 other ranks killed, 2 officers and 84 other ranks wounded, with 20 men missing. There were other casualties from other supporting units listed below. In addition, there were a further 50 casualties from artillery and mortar attacks between 10 May and 28 May. Casualties from other supporting units: * 20th Field Regiment RA – 2 men killed, 4 wounded. * 61st Light Regiment RA – 1 man killed, 7 wounded. * 1st Battalion King's Regiment – 7 men wounded. * 1st Battalion Black Watch – 1 man wounded (attached to 1DWR) *
KATCOM KATCOM, or in full Korean Augmentation to Commonwealth Division or Korean Augmentation Troops to Commonwealth Division or Korean Attached Commonwealth Division, refers to significant numbers of South Korean soldiers who, during the Korean War, wer ...
s – 1 man killed. * Total UN casualties – 24 killed, 105 wounded, 20 missing (149 total) For their action, the Duke of Wellington's Regiment was awarded the Battle Honour The Hook 1953. Later, the 1st Battalion's Headquarter Company was renamed "Hook Company". Shortly after on 2 June 1953, to mark the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II the division's artillery fired red, white and blue smoke shells onto the PVA lines (a ''"
feu de joie A feu de joie (French: "fire of joy") is a form of formal celebratory gunfire consisting of a celebratory rifle salute, described as a "running fire of guns." As soldiers fire into the air sequentially in rapid succession, the cascade of blank ro ...
"''), followed by a salute from Centurion tanks which fired HE shells onto a single target.Sarson ''Centurion tank 1943-2003'' p20 The Hook was defended on a fourth occasion immediately prior to the
armistice An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, as it may constitute only a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. It is derived from the La ...
by an
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n infantry battalion, a
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artillery regiment and two US infantry regiments, supported by British tanks, during the Battle of the Samichon River.


References


Further reading

* 1DWR War Diaries i
WO 308/53
The National Archives National archives are central archives maintained by countries. This article contains a list of national archives. Among its more important tasks are to ensure the accessibility and preservation of the information produced by governments, both ...
, London *


External links


Duke of Wellington's Regimental Museum, Korea
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hook, Battle Of The Battles of the Korean War Battles of the Korean War involving China Battles of the Korean War involving the United Kingdom Battles of the Korean War involving the United States Battles of the Korean War involving Turkey May 1953 events in Asia Battles and operations of the Korean War in 1953