50 years ago today - 23 July 1950

[Ed Evanhoe <ede@oio.net>]

July 23, 1950

The first engagement of the battle for Yondong began around dawn when a 
North Korean mounted an attack against 1st Battalion, 8th Cavalry Regiment 
positions northwest of Yongdong. Three T-34 tanks were destroyed.  Another 
attack, coordinated with an attack on 2nd Battalion positions took place a 
couple of hours later.  This was repulsed but during the day, the North 
Koreans attacked frontally 4 times.  While these attacks tied down the two 
American battalions, a North Korean battalion infiltrated around 2nd 
Battalion positions and established a strong road block a mile an half to 
its rear.

2nd Battalion, 35th Infantry withdraw to new positions 5 miles north of 
Sangju.  Meanwhile the 27th Infantry relieves ROK troops in around the 
Hwanggan area. Once there the 1st Battalion, 27th moved up the road toward 
Poun taking up positions at Sangyong-ni, a village a short distance south 
of Poun. Thus the U.S. 25th Infantry Division now held the sector from the 
Seoul-Pusan highway to Sangju. and the ROK Army troops hold the front from 
northeast of Sangju, to Andong, to the east coast.

Shortly after dark, the 1st Battalion, 27th sent a 30-man patrol toward 
Poun. Near the town the patrol saw a large column of North Korean troops 
approaching and set up an ambush.  Once the lead unit was in the killzone, 
the small patrol opened up with every weapon, decimating the lead and 
following North Korean units.  The rest of the North Korean column drew 
back to prepare for counterattack.  While they did, the small patrol fell 
back to 1st Battalion lines. It lost six men missing in this action.

Ed Evanhoe, PO Box 916, Antlers, OK, 74523
Author: DARKMOON: Eighth Army Special Operations in the Korean War
Member: American Society of Journalists and Authors (ASJA)
Life Member:  Special Forces & Special Operations Associations
Co-list owner: KOREAN-WAR-L   Web site:  http://www.korean-war.com
PGP public key available on request