Jipyeong-ri is a village in Jije-myeon,

Yangpyeong County Yangpyeong County (''Yangpyeong-gun'') is a county in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. Climate Yangpyeong has a monsoon-influenced humid continental climate ( Köppen: ''Dwa'') with cold, dry winters and hot, rainy summers. Korean War Yangpy ...

Gyeonggi Province Gyeonggi-do (, ) is the most populous province in South Korea. Its name, ''Gyeonggi'', means "京 (the capital) and 畿 (the surrounding area)". Thus, ''Gyeonggi-do'' can be translated as "Seoul and the surrounding areas of Seoul". Seoul, 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 ...

History

Jipyeong-ri was the site of the Battle of Chipyong-ni during the

Korean War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Korean War , partof = the Cold War and the Korean conflict , image = Korean War Montage 2.png , image_size = 300px , caption = Clockwise from top: ...

, February 1951. A memorial has been erected at the site, which is split into three portions — South Korean, US, and French. The area was an important transportation and communication hub. The battle is sometimes known as the Gettysburg of the Korean War. The battle saw 5,600 South Korean, US, and French forces under the command of

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge ...

Paul L. Freeman Paul Lamar Freeman Jr. (June 29, 1907 – April 17, 1988) was a United States Army four-star general who served as Commander in Chief, United States Army Europe/Commander, Central Army Group from 1962 to 1965 and Commanding General, Continental ...

23rd Infantry Regiment The 23rd Infantry Regiment is an infantry regiment in the United States Army. A unit with the same name was formed on 26 June 1812 and saw action in 14 battles during the War of 1812. In 1815 it was consolidated with the 6th, 16th, 22nd, and ...

, defeat a numerically superior Chinese force in hard fighting. Surrounded on all sides, the 2nd Infantry Division’s 23rd Regiment with the attached French Battalion was hemmed in by more than 25,000 Chinese Communist Forces around Jipyeong-ri.

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

forces had previously retreated in the face of the Communist forces instead of getting cut off, but this time they stood and fought. The allies fought at odds of roughly 15 to 1. On the third day of fighting, units of 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 ...

punched a hole in the Chinese lines relieving the 23rd Regiment. The victory is considered so decisive that the Chinese began peace overtures soon after. Sergeant First Class

William S. Sitman William Samuel Sitman (August 9, 1923 – February 14, 1951) was a soldier in the United States Army during the Korean War. He posthumously received the Medal of Honor for his actions on February 14, 1951, during the Battle of Chipyong-ni. Sitm ...

, a

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor ...

recipient and Bellwood, Pennsylvania native was killed during the battle. Various older historical landmarks are located there, including the Jipyeong '' hyanggyo'' (village school) and a three-story stone pagoda from the

Goryeo Goryeo (; ) was a Korean kingdom founded in 918, during a time of national division called the Later Three Kingdoms period, that unified and ruled the Korean Peninsula until 1392. Goryeo achieved what has been called a "true national unifica ...

period.{{cite web, url=http://www.yp21.net/culture/history/04c_cultural02_24.asp , archive-url=https://archive.today/20110721042234/http://www.yp21.net/culture/history/04c_cultural02_24.asp , url-status=dead , archive-date=2011-07-21 , script-title=ko:지평리 삼층석탑(地平理三層石塔,유형문화재 제180호) , work=Yangpyeong County website , accessdate=2006-10-20 , language=ko

References

External links

at county government web site

in Gugeler, Russel A. ''Combat Actions in Korea''.

United States Army Center of Military History The United States Army Center of Military History (CMH) is a directorate within the United States Army Training and Doctrine Command. The Institute of Heraldry remains within the Office of the Administrative Assistant to the Secretary of the A ...

. CMH Pub 30-2.
War Memorial of Korea web link
Yangpyeong County

History

See also

References

Further reading

External links