Combat· Korean War
Yongdung-po Battle
Yongdung-po was the heavily built-up industrial suburb on the south bank of the Han, directly blocking the southern approach to Seoul, and its capture was the signature regimental action of the 1st Marines under Colonel Lewis "Chesty" Puller.
The Marines fought through a dense landscape of factories, warehouses, and dikes against North Korean infantry and armor, in close, confused combat among the buildings and along the elevated roadways. A famous episode saw a single Marine company hold an exposed position astride a dike through the night, breaking repeated counterattacks, including by enemy tanks, until the town was cleared. With Yongdung-po taken, the southern door to Seoul stood open and the converging attack on the capital could close in. The Marines supplied the assault infantry and the armor-and-air teamwork that reduced the strongpoint.
Record no. 609