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Basin and Korean War battlefield in Haean, Yanggu County, Gangwon Province, South Korea
The Punchbowl
(
Korean
:
펀치볼
) was the name given to the bowl-shaped
Haean
Basin
(
海岸盆地
) in
Yanggu
County,
Gangwon Province
by UN Forces during the
Korean War
. The Punchbowl lies several km south of the
Korean Demilitarized Zone
.
Marines of the 1st Marine Division relax in a position overlooking the Punchbowl.
Inspection by leading figures of UN Forces nearby the Punchbowl. (Left to right: Gen.
J. Lawton Collins
, Gen.
Matthew Ridgway
, Gen.
James Van Fleet
, X Corps commander Maj. Gen.
Clovis E. Byers
, Maj. Gen.
Paik Sun-yup
)
History
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]
The Punchbowl was captured by the
Korean People's Army
(KPA) in the opening days of the Korean War. It was recaptured by UN forces in late September 1950 during the UN offensive that followed the
Inchon landings
and the breakout from the
Pusan perimeter
. UN Forces
abandoned
the region in mid-December 1950, during the withdrawal following the Chinese
People's Volunteer Army
intervention in the war.
On 4 June 1951 the
1st Marine Division
and the ROK
5th Infantry Division
began to advance north of
Inje
towards the Punchbowl and the
Hwacheon Reservoir
.
[1]
By 10 June the Marine/ROKA force had secured Line Kansas northeast of the Hwacheon Reservoir and the southern line of hills overlooking the Punchbowl.
Following the breakdown of
armistice negotiations
in August 1951, the
United Nations Command
decided to launch a limited offensive in the late summer/early autumn to shorten and straighten sections of their lines, acquire better defensive terrain, and deny the enemy key vantage points from which they could observe and target UN positions. The
Battle of Bloody Ridge
took place west of the Punchbowl from August?September 1951 and this was followed by the
Battle of Heartbreak Ridge
northwest of the Punchbowl from September?October 1951, meanwhile the
1st Marine Division
reinforced by the
Korean Marine Corps Regiment
captured the line of hills north of the Punchbowl in the
Battle of the Punchbowl
from 31 August-20 September 1951.
The Yanggu War Memorial Hall (
楊口戰爭記念館
) is located in Haean town.
The
4th Infiltration Tunnel
and the Eulji Observatory are located in the hills north of Haean town.
See also
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References
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External links
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