Timeline 1953

[Ed Evanhoe <evanhoe@arbuckleonline.com>]

KOREAN WAR TIMELINE 1953
Jan 25
Operation SMACK. Assault on Spud Hill by elements of the 31st Infantry 
Regiment (7th Infantry Division).
March 17
Hill 355 (Little Gibraltar), held by the 9th Infantry Regiment (2nd 
Infantry Division), is assaulted by Chinese.
March 23-24
Old Baldy/Pork Chop Complex. Held by 31st Infantry Regiment (7th Infantry 
Division). The 32nd Regiment (7th Infantry Division) relieves the 31st.
March 26-30
Outposts at the Nevada cities (Vegas-Reno-Carson), held by the 5th Marine 
Regiment, come under heavy attack. A Chinese regiment is destroyed.
April 16-18
Battle of Pork Chop Hill. The 17th and 31st Infantry Regiments (7th 
Infantry Division) hit hard and suffer heavy casualties.
April 20-26
Operation Little Switch exchanges sick and wounded POWs, including 149 
Americans.
May 13
Raid on Toksan Dam. A dramatic strike by 58th Fighter-Bomber Wing F-84s 
destroys a major irrigation system. Five miles of valuable rice crops are 
scoured and miles of highways and railroad tracks are destroyed. Further 
attacks on irrigation dams follow over the next two weeks.
June 15
USS Princeton launches 184 sorties, establishing a single-day Korean War 
record for offensive sorties flown from a carrier.
June 15
Navy and Marine Corps aircraft fly 910 sorties——the highest combined number 
for a single day.
June 30
FEAF Sabres destroy 16 MiGs, the largest number shot down in one day.
July 6-10
Battle of Pork Chop Hill. The 7th Infantry Division is ordered to evacuate 
its defensive positions after five days of fighting.
July 13-20
Battle of Kumsong River Salient. Last Communist offensive. CCF launches a 
six-division attack partly directed at the U.S. IX Corps (3rd, 40th, 45th 
Infantry Divisions). The 187th RCT is attached to 2nd Infantry Division 
during the fighting.
July 24-26
Final U.S. ground combat. Heavy enemy (3,000 men) attack is launched in the 
Berlin Complex ("Boulder City") area held by the 7th and 1st Marine 
Regiments. Last Marine ground actions of the war are fought on Hills 111 
and 119.
July 27
Last air kill of the war. F-86 pilot downs an enemy transport near the 
Manchurian border.
July 27
The United States, North Korea and China sign an armistice, which ends the 
war but fails to bring about a permanent peace. To date, the Republic of 
Korea (South) and Democratic Peoples' Republic of Korea (North) have not 
signed a peace treaty. A total of 33,651 service members died in battle 
during the Korean War; 27,709 U.S. Army; 4,269 U.S. Marines; 1,198 U.S. Air 
Force; and 475 U.S. Navy. 7,140 service members became prisoners of war. 
(Totals from 2000.  Will update)
Ed Evanhoe, PO Box 916, Antlers, OK, 74523-0916
Author: DARKMOON: Eighth Army Special Operations in the Korean War
Life member: Special Forces & Special Operations Associations
Web site:  http://www.korean-war.com