Home By Christmas?

Even after the heavy casualties inflicted on the 8th Cavalry Regiment at Unsan and Yongbyon, UN Command still thought that the Communist Chinese did not intend to rescue the Kim Il Sung regime. When Chinese forces disengaged in early November, the UN concluded the Chinese were going on the defensive. …

1950-11-29

AP187

Even after the heavy casualties inflicted on the 8th Cavalry Regiment at Unsan and Yongbyon, UN Command still thought that the Communist Chinese did not intend to rescue the Kim Il Sung regime. When Chinese forces disengaged in early November, the UN concluded the Chinese were going on the defensive. MacArthur then reiterated the idea of getting the boys "home by Christmas."' launching a new offensive on 24 November, the day after Thanksgiving. With that in mind, Colonel Crombez had been recalled from his temporary assignment as "mayor of P'yongyang" to again lead the 5th Cavalry Regiment. At the same time, Peng Dehuai, the commander of Chinese forces in Korea, having assessed the American fighting capabilities as ''too reliant on logistics and technology," had been waiting to lure Eighth Army into an ill-advised attack. Taking advantage of the onset of harsh weather, he launched his own "Second Phase Offensive" on 25 November, with the western pincer focused on the Ch'ongch'on River valley, against the U.S. 2nd Infantry and ROK 7th Divisions, with the 1st Cavalry Division-still licking its wounds from Unsan-in reserve near Sunch 'on.

Samso-Ri, N. Korea

The Battle of the Ch'ongch'on River), also known as the Battle of the Ch'ongch'on, was a decisive battle in the Korean War, and it took place from November 25 to December 2, 1950, along the Ch'ongch'on River Valley in the northwestern part of North Korea. In response to the successful Chinese First Phase Campaign against the United Nations (UN) forces, General Douglas MacArthur launched the Home-by-Christmas Offensive to expel the Chinese forces from Korea and to end the war. Anticipating this reaction, the Chinese People's Volunteer Army (PVA) Commander Peng Dehuai planned a counteroffensive, dubbed the "Second Phase Campaign", against the advancing UN forces.

American

Communist Chinese

Scenario Type = Standard