Bullets For Breakfast

As July drew to a close, the elite KPA 6th Division moved rapidly to the southern coast in order to slip around the UN left flank, punch a hole through the anticipated weak American defenses, and occupy Pusan in a lightning stroke that would end the war in dramatic fashion. …

1950-08-03

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As July drew to a close, the elite KPA 6th Division moved rapidly to the southern coast in order to slip around the UN left flank, punch a hole through the anticipated weak American defenses, and occupy Pusan in a lightning stroke that would end the war in dramatic fashion. Unaware of the North Korean movements, Col. john Michaelis, commanding officer of the 27th Infantry Regiment ("Wolfhounds"), had established his rear Regimental HQ in a schoolhouse on the outskirts of the fishing village of Chindong-ni, astride the most southern coastal road. On 3 August, Michaelis awoke to the sound of gunfire peppering the building. During the night, lead elements of the 14th Regiment had infiltrated the ridgeline to the north and scattered the lax perimeter security troops.

Chindong-Ni, South Korea

The Battle of the Pusan Perimeter was a large-scale battle between United Nations Command (UN) and North Korean forces lasting from August 4 to September 18, 1950. It was one of the first major engagements of the Korean War. An army of 140,000 UN troops, having been pushed to the brink of defeat, were rallied to make a final stand against the invading Korean People's Army (KPA), 98,000 men strong. UN forces, having been repeatedly defeated by the advancing KPA, were forced back to the "Pusan Perimeter", a 140-mile (230 km) defensive line around an area on the southeastern tip of South Korea that included the port of Busan. The UN troops, consisting mostly of forces from the Republic of Korea Army (ROK), United States, and United Kingdom, mounted a last stand around the perimeter, fighting off repeated KPA attacks for six weeks as they were engaged around the cities of Daegu, Masan, and Pohang and the Nakdong River. The massive KPA assaults were unsuccessful in forcing the UN troops back further from the perimeter, despite two major pushes in August and September. North Korean troops, hampered by supply shortages and massive losses, continually staged attacks on UN forces in an attempt to penetrate the perimeter and collapse the line. The UN forces, however, used the port to amass an overwhelming advantage in troops, equipment, and logistics, and its navy and air forces remained unchallenged by the KPA during the fight. After six weeks, the KPA force collapsed and retreated in defeat after the UN force launched a counterattack at Inchon on September 15 and the UN forces in the perimeter broke out from the perimeter the following day. The battle would be the furthest the KPA would advance in the war, as subsequent fighting ground the war into a stalemate.

North Korean

American

Scenario Type = Standard