Combat· Korean War
CCF Spring Offensive First Impulse
The Chinese Spring Offensive was the Communists' great bid to reverse the United Nations gains and drive the allies back below the 38th Parallel, a massive assault by armies that vastly outnumbered the defenders.
When the first impulse struck near the Hwachon Reservoir, the blow fell on the units to the Marines' flank, but the division was quickly drawn into the fighting as the line bent under the pressure. The Marines conducted a fighting withdrawal toward successive defensive positions, their regiments and the attached Korean Marines trading ground for time while massed artillery and close air support tore into the attacking waves. It was during this battle that command of the division changed hands in a spare ceremony held almost within sound of the guns. The Marines blunted the assault in their sector and fell back in good order to the Soyang River, having broken the offensive's momentum without breaking themselves.
Record no. 628