In 1953, almost three years into the Korean War, China, North Korea,
and the United Nations Command had finally advanced in armistice negotiations.
Previous talks had dragged on for many months, and there was still avid
discussion on prisoners of war exchanges and the border demarcation between the two Koreas.
As these negotiations took place, Pork Chop Hill became one of many
hill outposts defended along the U.N.'s main line of resistance,
used by both sides to gain political leverage. The outpost, which had significant propaganda value,
was protected by single companies or platoons in bunkers connected by trenches.
During the spring and summer of 1953, the Chinese People's Volunteer Army and the United Nations,
primarily backed up by U.S. forces, fought two bloody battles to control Pork Chop Hill.
Each side won one of the engagements.
The events at Pork Chop Hill are historically regarded with great controversy because of
the significant number of lost soldiers over no strategic military advantage. Over 1,700 men from
both sides perished on the second battle for the hill, mere days before the armistice was signed.
The battle for Pork Chop Hill is an inspiring tale of bravery from the soldiers defending the
outpost. However, it's also a grim reminder of the value given to propaganda over human lives.
The First Battle
Hill 255, nothing more than a mound of dirt, stood along the 38th Parallel, dividing North and South
Korea. Its peculiar contour on the map, similar to a loin cut, earned it the nickname Pork Chop Hill.
Marshal Peng Dehuai was the head of the Chinese People's Volunteer Forces in Korea.
Every time an armistice negotiation took place,
Peng would send the Chinese to the front lines to test the United Nations' will.
On March 23, 1953, the PVA took Old Blady, an outpost near Pork Chop Hill,
which had been fought over several engagements during the last 10 months.
The attack took the 31st Infantry's Colombian Battalion by surprise,
right in the middle of a rotation between the B and C companies.
Due to a lack of reinforcements, the U.N. decided to abandon the battle for the outpost. This
decision left Pork Chop Hill exposed from three sides, an advantage the PVA immediately noticed.
On the night of April 16, 1953, the 201st Regiment from the PVA marched into the
hill with sustained artillery fire, quickly infiltrating the trenches held by U.S. soldiers.
The Chinese Army had also managed to effectively isolate the platoons.
Company K and Company L from the U.S. forces counterattacked the following day, but Pork Chop
Hill had already been overrun by the enemy. By the time they managed to reach the top of the outpost,
the companies had lost 50% of the soldiers. Combined, they only counted 25 survivors.
Other companies were called to reinforce the counterattack by
clearing bunkers and digging them again, amidst a shower of bullets.
On April 17,
25-year-old Colonel Joseph Clemons commanded 135 soldiers into the rear slope of the hill.
His task was to clear out the enemy from bunkers and trenches until the reinforcements arrived.
According to The Washington Post, he said to his men [QUOTE]: "Hit the hill hard and
get to the top as fast as the men can go. Success depends on speed. We must close before daylight."
And so Clemons and his men advanced through heavy artillery and grenade explosions.
One after another, the soldiers fell while Clemons called on the radio for ammunition and water.
With no more supplies and only 25 men left without injuries, the Colonel radioed for support.
A unit arrived, surprisingly, with two photographers tasked with documenting the
U.S. victory. Incredulous, Clemons sent the photographers back with a message, [QUOTE]:
"We must have help or we can't hold the hill."
At that moment, the Far East Command understood that the U.S. forces were at high
risk of losing power over the hill. Further reinforcements were sent late on the 17th,
managing to regain control of the hill and driving back the Chinese Army.
The 36-hour long battle ended on the afternoon of April 18.
Over 115,000 rounds were fired during the battle, setting a mark for artillery effort.
The United States lost 104 soldiers, and 373 were wounded.
Only 14 of Clemons' soldiers made it out of the hill.
Clemons was awarded the Silver Star for his heroic actions at Pork Chop Hill.
His commendation states, [QUOTE]: "Rarely in combat history has a force of the size
committed on Pork Chop taken such losses . . . and nevertheless continued to hold their position."
After the battle, the American forces focused on reconstructing their trenches and bunkers.
Large ammunition crates were put in position,
and proximity fuse artillery fire was available to cover the area in shrapnel if required.
Meanwhile, the Chinese acquired valuable knowledge in mountain warfare.
They were ready to conduct a new assault for Pork Chop Hill.
The Second Battle
After their failed attempt in April,
the Chinese Army planned a larger and fiercer second offensive for Pork Chop Hill.
This attack was seen as punishment against the American troops. Just a few days before,
the U.N. and Chinese delegates had tried to reach a ceasefire agreement.
However, South Korea eschewed such consensus, infuriating the Communist delegates,
who blamed the United States for failing to control the South Korean leader, Syngman Rhee.
The PVA's plan was to separate the 1st and 2nd platoon guarding Pork Chop Hill
and reach two of the hill's highest points by opening trenches and cutting defenses.
To advance all the way to the top of the hill, the soldiers would shoot
rapid-fire and attack the company defending the second-largest crest.
Simultaneously, two PVA platoons were to take over
the hill by penetrating the rear and the evacuation landing zone.
On July 6, the unyielding battle for Pork Chop Hill began.
Parachute flares were shot up, alerting the American troops of the incoming attack.
Some young soldiers had never faced such a large group of enemies. Adding to their fear,
loudspeakers warned American soldiers to surrender since the PVA would take no prisoners.
Private Angelo Palermo recalled that the enemy was a, [QUOTE]: "moving carpet of yelling,
howling men, whistles and bugles blowing, their officers screaming, driving their men."
The Chinese infantry had been trained to attack without carrying any rifles or machine guns.
Instead, they threw grenades at their enemy and picked up
the guns they dropped while fleeing the explosions. The PVA also carried bazookas,
flamethrowers, and sulfur sticks to drive the Americans out of the trenches and bunkers.
Ed Garrick, who fought with the American troops during the battle, described [QUOTE]:
"The hill was very steep and there was an eight-foot trench along the top.
Tree roots stuck out in the trench and we tied cans to the roots so at
night when somebody came down the trench you could hear them coming.
If you stuck your head above the trench you were likely to get a sniper bullet between your eyes."
The U.S. army was severely outnumbered. For every American soldier defending the trenches,
four or five Chinese men were there to attack them.
Private Harvey Jordan witnessed a Soviet-made tank that struck a nearby fortified bunker,
from where riflemen and a squad leader were attacking. Jordan
tried to fire back at the enemy, but his gun had been damaged by the explosion.
His South Korean counterparts attempted to keep the Chinese off with an attack of hand grenades,
but the shrapnel of one of them hit his eye and rendered him unconscious.
Private George Sakasegawa was also in a nearby bunker trying to fend
off the enemy when a grenade caused injuries to his buttocks and legs.
With this successful and aggressive tactic, the Chinese quickly advanced their hill's occupation,
dividing the 1st and 2nd platoon and isolating Company A's command post.
In only 11 minutes, the Chinese had managed to
reach the rear of the outpost and cut off all communications.
A handful of American soldiers took cover at bunker 53, which faced intense attack.
Lieutenant David Willcox stabbed and shot at a dozen enemies before finding refuge in the bunker.
The men sandbagged the entrance and survived the onslaught for two and a half days.
Soldiers defending other trenches and bunkers weren't as lucky.
Many men were defeated in hand-to-hand combats against the Chinese.
Damaged radios and telephone lines made it impossible to summon reinforcements.
Lieutenant Dick Inman of Baker Company and part of
the 2nd platoon tried to win back control of bunker 54,
which stored the supplies. However, the men had no more ammo, and their weapons were jammed.
In a valiant effort to provide covering fire from a higher position, Inman dashed along the trench
with nothing more than a carbine in his hand. But his plan failed. Inman was fatally wounded,
and his fellow soldiers were forced to leave him behind as they ran for safety.
Nearby, Master Sergeant Howard Hovey threw grenades against the enemies from outside
the trenches. Such action allowed Americans to escape the command post and set a new
one near the evacuation landing zone. Eventually, Hovey was mortally wounded.
Despite the arrival of reinforcements, the grueling and relentless fighting wore down
the U.S. forces. The situation, as many soldiers later described, was desperate.
After five days of intense fighting, the United States decided to pull
its soldiers from Pork Chop Hill. By then, the Chinese had sacrificed a full division
in its effort to take over the hill but didn't seem willing to pause the attack.
The withdrawal of the troops required careful planning to avoid an attack from the enemy.
Tanks and armored personnel carriers were placed to make
the Chinese think that the Americans were preparing a massive strike.
By July 11, all soldiers had been retrieved by covered armored personnel carriers.
Although the Chinese took possession of the hill, their victory was short-lived.
The Americans waited for them to take full control of the outpost,
then dropped several bombs and opened fire against them. Pork Chop Hill had also been
booby-trapped by U.S. engineers, and the explosions destroyed the bunkers and trenches.
The United States sustained 243 casualties. Allied soldiers from Thailand, Colombia,
and Korea were also lost during the battle. The Chinese Army lost 1,500 soldiers.
The armistice was signed on July 27, 1953, and the war came to an end. However, the tactical
benefit of the battle for Pork Chop Hill was never clear. The outpost held no real strategic value,
and the United States finally decided to withdraw because of how near the armistice was.
As author David Halberstam described in his book "The Coldest Winter,"
Pork Chop Hill was [QUOTE]: "almost a symbol of the emptiness of the last stages of the war,
so much to be invested for so little gain."