Combat· Korean War
Yudam-ni Chinese Night Assault
Yudam-ni was the farthest point of the Marine advance, the village on the west side of the reservoir where the 5th and 7th Marines had pushed before the trap closed.
On the night the Chinese Ninth Army Group launched its general offensive, division after division of Communist infantry poured out of the frozen hills against the Marine positions ringing the valley. The heaviest blows fell on the ridgelines north and west of the town, where Marines on Northwest Ridge and North Ridge fought through the subzero darkness against waves of attackers, losing some hilltops and holding others in close, desperate combat. By dawn the Marines had absorbed the full weight of the assault and still held the valley floor, though at heavy cost and now surrounded. The night revealed the scale of the Chinese commitment and set the stage for the breakout that would follow.
Record no. 615