page_title: Battle of the Samichon River
section_title: Prelude
hierarchical_section_title: Battle of the Samichon River / Prelude
caption_attribution_description: English: AWM Caption:Unidentified men from B Company, 3rd Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment (3RAR), moving along a trench to the starting point awaiting for the order to move off on patrol. Steel helmets were considered too noisy so the men a wearing a variety of hats and sweat rags. The men are armed with Owen Machine guns and Short Magazine Lee Enfield (SMLE) .303 rifles. The man second from the front, carrying an Owen gun, wears a pack full of spare ammunition magazines on his chest.
context_page_description: The Battle of the Samichon River was fought during the final days of the Korean War between United Nations forces—primarily Australian and American—and the Chinese People's Volunteer Army. The fighting took place on a key position on the Jamestown Line known as The Hook and saw the defending UN troops, including the 2nd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment from the 28th British Commonwealth Brigade and the US 7th Marine Regiment, fight off numerous assaults by the PVA 137th Division during two concerted night attacks, inflicting numerous casualties on the PVA with heavy artillery and small arms fire. The action was part of a larger, divisional-sized PVA attack against the US 1st Marine Division, with diversionary assaults mounted against the Australians. With the peace talks in Panmunjom reaching a conclusion, the Chinese had been eager to gain a last-minute victory over the UN forces and the battle was the last of the war before the official signing of the Korean Armistice.
context_section_description: The peace talks resumed in early July as Rhee's position apparently softened, yet this proved the impetus for a final PVA offensive as they sought to further influence the talks and improve their defensive positions at the same time. On 14 July elements of five PVA armies struck six South Korean divisions around the Kumsong salient. By 20 July the ROK Capital Division and much of the ROK 3rd Division had been practically destroyed, exposing serious weaknesses despite two years of American training. The ROK fell back and the UN line was penetrated to a depth of 9.7 kilometres (6.0 mi). Only American intervention restored the situation and ultimately nine ROK and US divisions were required to stem the PVA offensive and regain some of the lost ground. Following a counter-attack by ROK II Corps a new defensive line was established south of the Kumsong River. Meanwhile, in conjunction with the main offensive at Kumsong, the PVA 19th Army Group had conducted a series of limited offensives against US I Corps, with the 46th Army conducting assaulting 1st Marine Division outposts from 7 to 27 July. PVA losses were heavy nonetheless, and they sustained more than 28,000 casualties for only temporary gain.
  During the second week of July, West had re-shuffled his brigades to allow the 29th British Infantry Brigade to recuperate in the 1st Commonwealth Division's central sector. The 28th British Commonwealth Brigade, under the command of an Australian officer, Brigadier John Wilton, subsequently took over the battered defences on The Hook on 9–10 July 1953, on the division's left. The brigade was the strongest in the division, consisting of the two Australian battalions—2 RAR and 3 RAR—and two British battalions—the 1st Battalion, Durham Light Infantry (1 DLI) and 1st Battalion, Royal Fusiliers (1 RF)—as well as supporting artillery and armour in direct support. Among the latter was the 16th Field Regiment, Royal New Zealand Artillery (16 RNZA) and C Squadron of the British 1st Royal Tank Regiment equipped with Centurion tanks. The 25th Canadian Brigade was subsequently handed the responsibility for the equally exposed positions on Hills 355 and 159 on the right. The ROK 1st Division held the line on the 1st Commonwealth Division's right flank, while the 1st Marine Division, under the overall command of Major General Randolph Pate, held the Nevada Complex on the left flank, having taken over the line on 7–8 July. On the American right, the 7th Marine Regiment under Colonel Glenn C. Funk occupied a linear defensive position, with two battalions forward and one back. The 5th Marine Regiment occupied the central sector, while the 1st Marine Regiment held the rear in divisional reserve. Indirect fire support was provided by the 11th Marine Regiment. Meanwhile, by May 1953 the PVA 1st, 46th, 63rd, 64th and 65th Armies of the 19th Army Group were operating against the US I Corps under the overall command of Huang Yongsheng.
  Wilton deployed the stronger Australian battalions forward, with 2 RAR occupying the left forward position on The Hook, while 3 RAR was deployed on the right, overlooking the Samichon River. 1 DLI was on the opposite side of the Samichon, while 1 RF was held in reserve as a brigade counter-penetration force. 2 RAR was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel George Larkin, while 3 RAR was under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Arthur MacDonald. Larkin deployed 2 RAR with three companies forward, and one back in reserve as a counter-attack force. In the centre, The Hook was held by B Company, while C Company held the left and A Company the right, with D Company in reserve. MacDonald deployed 3 RAR with two companies forward and two in depth. A Company occupied Hill 146, on the boundary with 2 RAR, B Company held the south-eastern tip of the ridge, and C and D Companies were held in reserve. British Centurion tanks were also deployed forward to support the Australians. Directly confronting the Australians on The Hook was the PVA 137th Division, 46th Army which had been in the line since February 1953, under the command of Cheng De
caption: 3 RAR night fighting patrol moving along a communication trench, July 1953.
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