page_title: Battle of Pusan Perimeter
section_title: Naktong Bulge
hierarchical_section_title: Battle of Pusan Perimeter / August push / Naktong Bulge
caption_attribution_description: English: PFC Harold R. Bates and PFC Richard N. Martin rest atop the third objective that U.S. Marines seized overlooking the Naktong River, South Korea, 19 August 1950. Photographed by Sgt. Frank C. Kerr, USMC. Note: Canteen in use, M1 Rifle carried by one Marine and M1 carbine with fixed bayonet carried by the other, who has a bayonet scabbard attached to his leg.
context_page_description: The Battle of the Pusan Perimeter was a large-scale battle between United Nations Command and North Korean forces lasting from August 4 to September 18, 1950. It was one of the first major engagements of the Korean War. An army of 140,000 UN troops, having been pushed to the brink of defeat, were rallied to make a final stand against the invading Korean People's Army, 98,000 men strong.
  UN forces, having been repeatedly defeated by the advancing KPA, were forced back to the "Pusan Perimeter", a 140-mile defensive line around an area on the southeastern tip of South Korea that included the port of Busan. The UN troops, consisting mostly of forces from the Republic of Korea Army, United States, and United Kingdom, mounted a last stand around the perimeter, fighting off repeated KPA attacks for six weeks as they were engaged around the cities of Daegu, Masan, and Pohang and the Nakdong River. The massive KPA assaults were unsuccessful in forcing the UN troops back further from the perimeter, despite two major pushes in August and September.
context_section_description: About 7 miles (11 km) north of the confluence of the Naktong and Nam Rivers, the Naktong curves westward opposite Yongsan in a wide semicircular loop. For most of this span, the Naktong river is around 1,300 feet (400 m) wide and 6 feet (1.8 m) deep, allowing infantry to wade across with some difficulty, but preventing vehicles from crossing without assistance. This perimeter was manned by a network of observation posts on the high ground where forces from the 24th Infantry Division monitored the river area. Forces in reserve would counterattack any attempted crossings by KPA forces. The division was spread extremely thinly; already understrength, it presented a very weak line.
caption: US Marines sit on a newly captured position overlooking the Naktong River, August 19
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