The Grist Mill

During the night of 5 August, the KPA 4th Guards Seoul Division made its initial assault into the “Naktong Bulge”. The North Koreans pressed forward nearly two miles before the 34th’s commander, Colonel Charles Beauchamp, realized what was happening and ordered the 1st Battalion, under Lt. Col. Harold “Red” …

1950-08-06

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During the night of 5 August, the KPA 4th Guards Seoul Division made its initial assault into the “Naktong Bulge”. The North Koreans pressed forward nearly two miles before the 34th’s commander, Colonel Charles Beauchamp, realized what was happening and ordered the 1st Battalion, under Lt. Col. Harold “Red” Ayres, to counterattack and restore the regiment’s position. The next morning, Ayres led C Company forward, where they encountered North Korean positions in the vicinity of Soesil village. Col. Ayres ordered C Company to seize a series of hills occupied by the KPA northwest of Soesil while he directed 60mm mortar fire in support. C Company was forced to break off the attack and fall back. The remnants took refuge in an abandoned grist mill while Col. Ayres and his staff frantically rushed back on foot to bring up the rest of the battalion. The company fought tenaciously in and around the grist mill, utilizing the .50-cal machine gun mounted on a nearby wreck to spray the surrounding hills.

Soesil, 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