Battle of Chosin Reservoir The Battle of Chosin Reservoir , also known as the Chosin Reservoir Campaign or the Changjin Lake Campaign ( ; ) , was a decisive battle in the Korean War . Shortly after the People ' s Republic of China entered the conflict , the People ' s Volunteer Army 9th Army infiltrated the northeastern part of North Korea and surprised the US X Corps at the Chosin Reservoir area . A brutal 17 day battle in freezing weather soon followed . In the period between 27 November and 13 December 1950 , 30 , 000 United Nations ( UN ) troops ( nicknamed " The Chosin Few " ) under the command of Major General Edward Almond were encircled by approximately 67 , 000 Chinese troops under the command of Song Shi - Lun . Although Chinese troops managed to surround and outnumber the UN forces , the UN forces broke out of the encirclement while inflicting crippling losses on the Chinese . The evacuation of the X Corps from the port of Hungnam marked the complete withdrawal of UN troops from North Korea . Background . By mid - 1950 after the successful landing at Inchon by the US X Corps and the subsequent destruction of the Korean People ' s Army , the Korean War appeared to be all but over . United Nations ( UN ) forces advanced rapidly into North Korea with the intention of reuniting North and South Korea before the end of 1950 . North Korea is divided through the center by the impassable Taebaek Mountains , which separated the UN forces into two groups . The US Eighth Army advanced north through the western coast of the Korean Peninsula , while the Republic of Korea ( ROK ) I Corps and the US X Corps advanced north on the eastern coast . At the same time the People ' s Republic of China entered the conflict after issuing several warnings to the United Nations . On 19 October 1950 , large formations of Chinese troops , dubbed the People ' s Volunteer Army ( PVA ) , secretly crossed the border and into North Korea . One of the first Chinese units to reach the Chosin Reservoir area was the PVA 42nd Corps , and it was tasked with stopping the eastern UN advances . On 25 October , the advancing ROK I Corps made contact with the Chinese and halted at Funchilin Pass , south of the Chosin Reservoir . After the landing at Wonsan , the US 1st Marine Division of the X Corps engaged the defending PVA 124th Division on 2 November , and the ensuing battle caused heavy casualties among the Chinese . On 6 November , the PVA 42nd Corps ordered a retreat to the north with the intention of luring the UN forces into the Chosin Reservoir . By 24 November , the 1st Marine Division occupied both Sinhung - ni on the eastern side of the reservoir , and Yudami - ni on the west side of the reservoir . Faced with the sudden attacks by Chinese forces in the Eighth Army sector , General Douglas MacArthur ordered the Eighth Army to launch the Home - by - Christmas Offensive . To support the offensive , MacArthur ordered the X Corps to attack west from the Chosin Reservoir and to cut the vital Manpojin — Kanggye — Huichon supply line . As a response , Major General Edward M . Almond , commander of the US X Corps , formulated a plan on 21 November . It called for the US 1st Marine Division to advance west through Yudami - ni , while the US 7th Infantry Division would provide a regimental combat team to protect the right flank at Sinhung - ni . The US 3rd Infantry Division would also protect the left flank while providing security in the rear area . By then the X Corps was stretched thin along a front . Surprised by the Marine landing at Wonsan , China ' s Chairman Mao Zedong called for the immediate destruction of the ROK Capital Division , ROK 3rd Infantry Division , US 1st Marine Division , and US 7th Infantry Division in a telegraph to Commander Song Shi - Lun of the PVA 9th Army on 31 October . Under Mao ' s urgent orders , the 9th Army was rushed into North Korea on 10 November . Undetected by UN intelligence , the 9th Army quietly entered the Chosin Reservoir area on 17 November , with the 20th Corps of the 9th Army relieving the 42nd Corps near Yudami - ni . Prelude . Location , terrain and weather . Chosin Reservoir is a man - made lake located in the northeast of the Korean peninsula . The name Chosin is the Japanese pronunciation of the Korean place name Changjin , and the name stuck due to the outdated Japanese maps used by UN forces . The battle ' s main focus was around the long road that connects Hungnam and Chosin Reservoir , which served as the only retreat route for the UN forces . Through these roads , Yudami - ni and Sinhung - ni , located at the west and east side of the reservoir respectively , are connected at Hagaru - ri . From there , the road passes through Koto - ri and eventually leads to the port of Hungnam . The area around the Chosin Reservoir was sparsely populated . The battle was fought over some of the roughest terrain during some of the harshest winter weather conditions of the Korean War . The road was created by cutting through the hilly terrain of Korea , with steep climbs and drops . Dominant peaks , such as the Funchilin Pass and the Toktong Pass , overlook the entire length of the road . The road ' s quality was poor , and in some places it was reduced to a one lane gravel trail . On 14 November , a cold front from Siberia descended over the Chosin Reservoir , and the temperature plunged to as low as . The cold weather was accompanied by frozen ground , creating considerable danger of frostbite casualties , icy roads , and weapon malfunctions . Medical supplies froze ; morphine surettes had to be defrosted in a medic ' s mouth before it could be injected ; frozen blood plasma was useless on the battlefield . Even cutting off clothing to deal with a wound risked gangrene and frostbite . Batteries used for the Jeeps and radios did not function properly in the temperature and quickly ran down . The lubrication in the guns gelled and rendered them useless in battle . Likewise , the springs on the firing pins would not strike hard enough to fire the round , or would jam . Forces and strategies . Although the 1st Marine Division landed at Wonsan as part of Almond ' s US X Corps , Almond and Major General Oliver P . Smith of the 1st Marine Division shared a mutual loathing of each other that dated back to a meeting before the landing at Inchon , during which Almond had spoken of how easy amphibious landings are even though he had never been involved in one . Smith believed that there were large numbers of Chinese forces in North Korea despite the fact that higher headquarters in Tokyo had said otherwise , while Almond felt Smith was overly cautious . The mutual distrust between the two commanders made Smith slow the 1st Marine Division ' s advance towards the Chosin Reservoir against Almond ' s instructions . Along the way Smith established supply points and airfields at Hagaru - ri and Koto - ri . While the US X Corps was pushing towards the reservoir , the Chinese formulated their strategy based on their experiences in the Chinese Civil War . Working from the assumption that only a light UN presence would be at the reservoir , the 9th Army was to first destroy the UN garrisons at Yudami - ni and Sinhung - ni , then push towards Hagaru - ri . Believing that the bulk of the US X Corps would scramble to rescue the destroyed units , the 9th Army would then block and trap the main UN forces on the road between Hagaru - ri and Hungnam . The 9th Army initially committed six divisions for the battle , with most of the forces concentrated at Yudami - ni and Sinhung - ni . The flaw in the Chinese plan was a lack of accurate intelligence on the UN forces . Although the US X Corps was stretched thin over northeast Korea , the slow Marine advance allowed the bulk of the US 1st Marine Division , including the 5th , 7th and 11th Marine s , to be concentrated at Yudami - ni . Conversely , the strategically important Hagaru - ri , which contained an airfield and a supply dump , was not a priority for the Chinese despite being lightly defended by the 1st and the 7th Marines . Only the Regimental Combat Team 31 , an understrength and hastily formed regimental combat team of the US 7th Infantry Division , was thinly spread along the eastern bank of the reservoir . Those units would later take the brunt of the Chinese assaults . As for the UN strength , the 1st Marine Division had an effective strength of 25 , 473 men at the start of the battle , and it was further reinforced by the British 41 Royal Marine Commando and the equivalent strength of two regiments from the 3rd and the 7th Infantry Division . Thus the UN forces had an approximate strength of 30 , 000 during the course of the battle . The UN forces at Chosin were also supported by one of the greatest concentrations of air power during the Korean War , in which the 1st Marine Air Wing stationed at Yonpo Airfield and five aircraft carriers from the US Navy Task Force 77 were able to launch 230 sortie s daily to provide close air support during the battle , while the US Air Force Far East Combat Cargo Command in Japan reached the capacity of airdropping 250 tons of supplies per day to resupply the trapped UN forces . Although the 9th Army was one of China ' s elite formations composed of veterans and former POW s from the Huaihai Campaign , several deficiencies hampered its ability during the battle . Initially the 9th Army was intended to be outfitted in Manchuria during November , but Mao suddenly ordered it into Korea before that could happen . As the result , the 9th Army received almost no winter gear for the harsh Korean winter . Similarly , poor logistics forced the 9th Army to abandon heavy artillery , while working with little food and ammunition . The food shortage forced the 9th Army to station a third of its strength away from the Chosin Reservoir , and starvation and exposure soon broke out among the Chinese units as foraging was not an option at the sparsely populated reservoir . By the end of the battle , more Chinese troops died from the cold than from combat and air raids . As for the Chinese strength , it is normally assumed that the Chinese had 120 , 000 troops for the battle , due to the fact that the 9th Army were composed of 12 divisions with a nominal strength of 10 , 000 men per division . But during the course of the battle , the 9th Army employed only 10 divisions , while all divisions were at 65 to 70 percent strength at the start of the battle . Thus the actual Chinese strength for the battle was approximately 67 , 000 . Battle . On the night of 27 November , the PVA 20th and 27th Corps of the 9th Army launched multiple attacks and ambushes along the road between the Chosin Reservoir and Koto - ri . At Yudam - ni , the 5th , 7th and 11th Marines were surrounded and attacked by the PVA 59th , 79th and 89th Division . Similarly , RCT - 31 was isolated and ambushed at Sinhung - ni by the PVA 80th and the 81st Division . Finally , the PVA 60th Division surrounded elements of the 1st Marines at Kotor - ri from the north . Caught by complete surprise , the UN forces were cut off at Yudam - ni , Sinhung - ni , Hagaru - ri and Kotor - ri by 28 November . Actions at Yudam - ni . Acting on Almond ' s instruction , Smith ordered the 5th Marines to attack west toward Mupyong - ni on 27 November . The attack was soon stalled by the PVA 89th Division and forced the Marines to dig in on the ridges surrounding Yudam - ni . As night came , three Chinese regiments of the 79th Division attacked the ridges on the north and northwest of Yudam - ni , hoping to annihilate the garrison in one stroke . Close range fighting soon developed as the attackers infiltrated Marine positions , but the 5th and 7th Marines held the line while inflicting heavy casualties to the Chinese . As day broke on 28 November , the Chinese forces and the American defenders were locked in a stalemate around the Yudam - ni perimeter . While the battle was underway at Yudam - ni , the PVA 59th Division blocked the road between Yudam - ni and Hagaru - ri by attacking the defending Charlie and Fox Companies of the 7th Marines . The successful assault forced Charlie Company to retreat into Yudam - ni which left Fox Company trapped in Toktong Pass , a vital pass that controlled the road . On 29 November , several efforts by the 7th Marines failed to rescue Fox Company despite inflicting heavy casualties on the Chinese . Aided by artillery from Hagaru - ri and Marine Corsair fighter s , Fox Company managed to hold out for five days while enduring constant attacks by the PVA 59th Division . After the heavy losses suffered by the PVA 79th Division at Yudam - ni , 9th Army headquarters realized that the bulk of the 1st Marine Division was stationed at Yudam - ni , with a garrison strength that was double the initial estimate . Believing that any further assaults would be futile , Song Shi - Lun ordered the 9th Army to switch their main attacks toward Sinhung - ni and Hagaru - ri , leaving Yudam - ni alone from 28 November to 30 November . At the same time , the US Eighth Army on the Korean western front was forced into full retreat at the Battle of the Ch ' ongch ' on River , and MacArthur ordered Almond to withdraw the US X Corps to the port of Hungnam . Acting on the instruction of Almond and Smith , Lieutenant Colonel Raymond L . Murray and Colonel Homer L . Litzenberg , commanders of the 5th and 7th Marines , respectively , issued a joint order to break out from Yudam - ni to Hagaru - ri on 30 November . Faced with tough fighting between the blocking Chinese divisions and the withdrawing Marines , Smith remarked : " Retreat , hell ! We ' re not retreating , we ' re just advancing in a different direction . " For the breakout , the Marines formed into a convoy with a single M4A3 Sherman tank as the lead . The plan was to have 3rd Battalion , 5th Marines ( 3 / 5 ) as the vanguard of the convoy , with three battalions covering the rear . At the same time , 1st Battalion , 7th Marines ( 1 / 7 ) would attack towards Fox Company in order to open the road at Toktong Pass . To start the breakout , 3rd Battalion , 7th Marines ( 3 / 7 ) had to first attack south and capture Hill 1542 and Hill 1419 in order to cover the road from Chinese attacks . The breakout was carried out under the air cover of the 1st Marine Air Wing . On the morning of 1 December , 3rd Battalion , 7th Marines ( 3 / 7 ) engaged the PVA 175th Regiment of the 59th Division at Hill 1542 and Hill 1419 . The tenacious Chinese defenders soon forced the Marines to dig in on the slopes between the road and the peaks when the convoy passed 3 / 7 ' s position by the afternoon . With Hagaru - ri still not captured , the PVA High Command scrambled the 79th Division to resume attacks on Yudam - ni while the 89th Division rushed south towards Koto - ri . The Chinese struck at night , and the ferocious fighting forced the rear covering forces to call in night fighter s to suppress the attacks . The fighting lasted well into the morning of 2 December until all the Marines managed to withdraw from Yudam - ni . At the same time , 1st Battalion , 7th Marines ( 1 / 7 ) also tried to break the Chinese blockade at Hill 1419 on 1 December . Despite being badly reduced by combat , hunger and frostbite , the PVA 59th Division sent in its last five platoons and refused to yield . As night approached , 1 / 7 finally captured the peak and started to march through the hills on the east side of the road . Relying on the element of surprise , 1 / 7 managed to destroy several Chinese positions along the road . On the morning of 2 December , a joint attack by Fox Company and 1 / 7 secured the Toktong Pass , thus opening the road between Yudam - ni and Hagaru - ri . Although the road had been opened between Yudam - ni and Hagaru - ri , the convoy still had to fight through the numerous Chinese positions on the hills overlooking the road . On the first night of the retreat , the Chinese struck the convoy in force and inflicted heavy casualties upon 3rd Battalion , 5th Marines ( 3 / 5 ) . Although strong air cover suppressed most of the Chinese forces for the rest of the march , the cold weather , harassing fire , raiding parties , and road blocks slowed the retreat to a crawl while inflicting numerous casualties . Despite those difficulties , the convoy reached Hagaru - ri in an orderly fashion on the afternoon of 3 December , with the withdrawal completed on 4 December . East of the reservoir . Regimental Combat Team 31 ( RCT - 31 ) , later known as " Task Force Faith " , was a hastily formed regimental combat team from the 7th Infantry Division that guarded the right flank of the Marine advance towards Mupyong - ni . Before the battle , RCT - 31 was spread thin with main elements separated on the hills north of Sinhung - ni , the inlet west of Sinhung - ni , and the town of Hudong - ni south of Sinhung - ni . Although the Chinese believed RCT - 31 to be a reinforced regiment , the task force was actually under strength with one battalion missing , due to the bulk of the 7th Infantry Division being scattered over northeast Korea . On the night of 27 November , three regiments from the 80th Division attacked the northern hills and the inlets , completely surprising the defenders . The ensuing battle inflicted heavy casualties on the 1st Battalion , 32nd Infantry to the north of Sinhung - ni , while the 57th Field Artillery Battalion and the 3rd Battalion , 31st Infantry were almost overrun at the inlet . The Chinese also sent the 242nd Regiment of the 81st Division towards Hill 1221 , an undefended hill that controlled the road between Sinhung - ni and Hudong - ni . As the night ' s fighting ended , RCT - 31 was separated into three elements . Believing that the defenders were completely destroyed at the inlet , the Chinese stopped their attacks and proceeded to loot the US positions for food and clothing . As the morning came on 28 November , the 3rd Battalion , 31st Infantry counterattacked the PVA 239th Regiment at the inlet , sending the surprised Chinese back in a complete rout . In the afternoon , Almond flew into the perimeter of RCT - 31 , convinced that RCT - 31 was strong enough to begin its attack north and deal with whatever " remnants " of Chinese forces that were in their way . Almond ordered Colonel Allan D . Maclean , the commander of RCT - 31 , to resume the offensive north while presenting Silver Star s to three of Maclean ' s officers . In disgust , Lieutenant Colonel Don C . Faith , Jr . , the commander of the 1st Battalion , 32nd Infantry , threw his medal into the snow . On the night of 28 November , the PVA 80th Division attacked again with three regiments . At the inlet , the Chinese assault became a disaster as communications broke down while devastating fire from the anti - aircraft ( AA ) guns attached to the 57th Field Artillery Battalion swept the Chinese ranks . In the aftermath of the fighting , the PVA 238th and the 239th Regiment together had less than 600 soldiers . The attacks by PVA 240th Regiment , on the other hand , forced Maclean to order a retreat from the northern hills towards the inlet . On 29 November , the 1st Battalion managed to break through the Chinese blockade and reached the inlet , but Maclean disappeared as he mistook some Chinese soldiers as American . The Chinese finally stopped their attacks on the night of 29 November while waiting for fresh reinforcements . While RCT - 31 was under siege , Almond finally instructed the 1st Marine Division to rescue RCT - 31 by breaking out of Yudam - ni — an impossible order for Smith to implement . Only the 31st Tank Company tried to rescue RCT - 31 by attacking Hill 1221 , but without infantry support , the two armored attacks on 28 and 29 November were stalled by slippery roads , rough terrain , and close infantry assaults . By 30 November the US forces evacuated Hudong - ni in order to defend Hagaru - ri , leaving the rest of RCT - 31 completely stranded . On 30 November , Major General David G . Barr , the commander of the 7th Infantry Division , flew into the Sinhung - ni inlet and met with Faith , who by now had assumed command of RCT - 31 . Faith expressed the difficulties for a breakout , particularly the 500 wounded that RCT - 31 had to carry . On the same day , the PVA 94th Division arrived as reinforcements for the 80th Division . By midnight , four Chinese regiments renewed their attacks and Zhan Danan , the commander of the 80th Division , ordered the complete destruction of RCT - 31 before dawn . Again , the 57th Battalion ' s AA guns held the Chinese at bay , but the shell supplies were running desperately low . On the day of 1 December , Faith finally ordered RCT - 31 to breakout from Sinhung - ni and withdraw to Hagaru - ri . The breakout began as soon as the weather allowed the 1st Marine Air Wing to provide air cover on 1 December . As the soldiers formed a convoy and tried to leave the perimeter , the PVA 241st Regiment immediately swarmed over the American forces , with three other regiments closing in . Left with no choice , the covering aircraft dropped napalm right in front of RCT - 31 , causing casualties among both Chinese and US troops . The resulting firestorm wiped out the blocking Chinese company , allowing the convoy to advance . As the front of RCT - 31 made their way forward , heavy small arms fire caused many members of the rear guard to seek shelter below the road instead of protecting the trucks . Chinese fire also killed or wounded those already in the trucks as well as the drivers , who viewed the job as a form of suicide . Slowly , the convoy approached a roadblock under Hill 1221 in the late afternoon . Several parties tried to clear Hill 1221 , but after taking part of the hill , the leaderless soldiers continued out onto the frozen reservoir instead of returning to the column . As Faith led an assault on the roadblock , he was hit by a Chinese grenade and subsequently died of his wounds . The convoy managed to fight past the first road block , but as it reached the second at Hudong - ni , RCT - 31 disintegrated under Chinese attacks . About 1 , 050 soldiers out of the original 2 , 500 managed to reach Hagaru - ri , and only 385 survivors were deemed able - bodied . The remnants of RCT - 31 were formed into a provisional army battalion for the rest of the battle . Actions at Hagaru - ri . To support the Marine attack towards Mupyong - ni , Hagaru - ri became an important supply dump with an airfield under construction . Smith and 1st Marine Division headquarters were also located at Hagaru - ri . With the bulk of the 1st Marine Division gathered at Yudam - ni , Hagaru - ri was lightly defended by two battalions from the 1st and 7th Marines , the rest of the garrison being composed of engineers and rear support units from both the Army and the Marine Corps . The original Chinese plan called for the 58th Division to attack Hagaru - ri on the night of 27 November , but the division became lost in the countryside due to the outdated Japanese maps it used . It was not until the dawn of 28 November that the 58th Division arrived at Hagaru - ri . Meanwhile , from the fighting and ambushes that had occurred the previous night , the garrison at Hagaru - ri noticed the Chinese forces around them . Lieutenant Colonel Thomas L . Ridge , commander of 3rd Battalion , 1st Marines ( 3 / 1 ) , predicted the Chinese attack would come on the night of 28 November . Almost everyone , including rear support units with little combat training , was pressed into the front line due to the manpower shortage , and the entire perimeter was on full alert by 21 : 30 . It was not long before the PVA 173rd Regiment attacked the western and the southern perimeter , while the 172nd Regiment struck the hills on the northern perimeter . Despite the preparations , the understrength garrison was overwhelmed , with the Chinese opening several gaps in the defenses and reaching the rear areas . The resulting chaos , however , caused a breakdown in discipline among the Chinese soldiers , who began looting food and clothing instead of exploiting the situation . The defending Americans managed to destroy the Chinese forces in counterattacks , while a breakdown of communications between the Chinese regiments allowed the gaps to close . When the fighting stopped , the Chinese had only gained the East Hill on the northern perimeter . Another attack was planned for the night of 29 November , but air raids by VMF - 542 broke up the Chinese formations before it could be carried out . Given the critical manpower shortage at Hagaru - ri , Smith ordered a task force to be sent north from Koto - ri to open the road south of Hagaru - ri . In response , a task force was formed with 921 troops from the 41 Royal Marine Commando , G Company of the 1st Marines and B Company of the 31st Infantry . The task force was dubbed " Task Force Drysdale " after its commander Lieutenant Colonel Douglas B . Drysdale , who also commanded 41 Commando . On the afternoon of 29 November , Task Force Drysdale pushed north from Koto - ri while under constant attack from the PVA 60th Division . The task force ' s harrowing experience later earned the road the nickname " Hell Fire Valley " . As the Chinese attacks dragged on , the task force became disorganized , and a destroyed truck in the convoy later split the task force into two segments . Although the lead segment of the task force fought its way into Hagaru - ri on the night of 29 November , the rear segment was destroyed . Despite suffering 159 wounded and 162 dead and missing , the task force managed to bring in 300 badly needed infantrymen for the defense at Hagaru - ri . As more reinforcements arrived from Hudong - ni on 30 November , the garrisons attempted to recapture the East Hill . All efforts failed despite the destruction of a Chinese company . When darkness settled , the PVA 58th Division gathered its remaining 1 , 500 soldiers in a last - ditch attempt to capture Hagaru - ri . The reinforced defenders annihilated most of the attacking forces , with only the defences around the East Hill giving way . As the Chinese tried to advance from the East Hill , they were cut down by the 31st Tank Company . By 1 December , the PVA 58th Division was virtually destroyed , with the remainder waiting for reinforcements from the 26th Corps of the 9th Army . But much to the frustration of Song Shi - Lun , the 26th Corps did not arrive before the Marines broke out of Yudam - ni . The airfield was opened to traffic on 1 December , allowing UN forces to bring in reinforcements and to evacuate the dead and the wounded . With the Marines at Yudam - ni completing their withdrawal on 4 December , the trapped UN forces could finally start their breakout towards the port of Hungnam . Breakout . After a short period of rest , the breakout began on 6 December with the 7th Marines as the vanguard of the retreating column while the 5th Marines covered the rear . At the same time , the much - delayed PVA 26th Corps arrived at Hagaru - ri with its 76th and 77th Division relieving the 58th and 60th Divisions . As the 7th Marines pushed aside the PVA 76th Division south of Hagaru - ri , the 5th Marines took over the Hagaru - ri perimeter and recaptured the East Hill from the 76th Division . In a last effort to stop the breakout , the customary Chinese night attack returned with the 76th and 77th Division striking the Hagaru - ri perimeter from all directions . The Marines repulsed the Chinese attacks , inflicting heavy casualties . Meanwhile , the 7th Marines opened the road between Hagaru - ri and Koto - ri by capturing the high ground surrounding the road . But as soon as the marines pulled out , the 77th Division returned to the peaks and attacked the column . Chaotic fighting broke out within the column and the retreat was slowed to a crawl . The Marine night fighters , however , returned to subdue the Chinese forces , and the fighting destroyed most of the blocking troops . On 7 December , the rest of the column managed to reach Koto - ri with little difficulty with the last elements arrived at Koto - ri that night . After the failure of the 26th Corps at Hagaru - ri , the PVA High Command ordered the 26th and the 27th Corps to chase the escaping UN force with the 20th Corps blocking the escape route . But with most of the 20th Corps destroyed at Yudam - ni and Hagaru - ri , the only forces between Koto - ri and Hungnam were the remnants of the 58th and the 60th Divisions . In desperation , Song Shi - Lun ordered these troops to dig in at Funchilin Pass while blowing up the vital treadway bridge , hoping the terrain and obstacles would allow the 26th and the 27th Corps to catch up with the retreating UN forces . The PVA 180th Regiment that occupied Hill 1081 blew up the original concrete bridge and two improvised replacements in succession , believing the bridge was rendered irreparable . In response , 1st Battalion , 1st Marines ( 1 / 1 ) attacked Hill 1081 from the south , and the hill was captured on 9 December after the defenders fought to the last man . At the same time , the 7th Marines and RCT - 31 attacked the treadway bridge from the north , only to encounter defenders that were already frozen in their foxholes . With the path to Hungnam blocked at Funchilin Pass , eight C - 119 Flying Boxcar s flown by the US 314th Troop Carrier Wing were used to drop portable bridge sections by parachute . The bridge , consisting of eight separate long , sections , was dropped one section at a time , using a parachute on each section . Four of these sections , together with additional wooden extensions were successfully reassembled into a replacement bridge by Marine Corps combat engineers and the US Army 58th Engineer Treadway Bridge Company on 9 December , enabling UN forces to proceed . Outmaneuvered , the PVA 58th and 60th Divisions still tried to slow the UN advance with ambushes and raids , but after weeks of non - stop fighting , the two Chinese divisions combined had only 200 soldiers left . The last UN forces left Funchilin Pass by 11 December . One of the last engagements during the withdrawal was an ambush at Sudong by the pursuing PVA 89th Division , which Task Force Dog of the 3rd Infantry Division repulsed with little difficulty . The trapped UN forces finally reached the Hungnam perimeter by 21 : 00 on 11 December . Evacuation at Hungnam . By the time the UN forces arrived at Hungnam , MacArthur had already ordered the evacuation of the US X Corps on 8 December in order to reinforce the US Eighth Army , which by then was badly depleted and retreating rapidly towards the 38th parallel . Following his orders , the ROK I Corps , the ROK 1st Marine Regiment , the US 3rd Infantry Division and the US 7th Infantry Division had also set up defensive positions around the port . Some skirmishes broke out between the defending US 7th , 17th and 65th Infantry and the pursuing PVA 27th Corps , but against the strong naval fire support provided by US Navy Task Force 90 , the badly mauled 9th Army was in no shape to approach the Hungnam perimeter . In what US historians called the " greatest evacuation movement by sea in US military history " , a 193 - ship armada assembled at the port and evacuated not only the UN troops , but also their heavy equipment and roughly a third of the Korean refugees . One Victory ship , the " SS Meredith Victory " evacuated 14 , 000 refugees . The last UN unit left at 14 : 36 on 24 December , and the port was destroyed to deny its use to the Chinese and North Korean forces . The PVA 27th Corps entered Hungnam on the morning of 25 December . Aftermath . While the US X Corps was being evacuated from the eastern front , the US Eighth Army had already retreated to the 38th parallel on the western front in the aftermath of the Battle of the Ch ' ongch ' on River . With the entire UN front collapsing , the race to the Yalu was ended with the communist forces of China recapturing much of North Korea . The Korean War would drag on for another two and a half years before the armistice was signed on 27 July 1953 . Besides the loss of North Korea , the US X Corps and the ROK I Corps later reported a total of 10 , 495 battle casualties , of which 4 , 385 were from the US Marines , 3 , 163 were from the US Army , 78 were from the British Royal Marines and 2 , 812 were from South Koreans attached to American formations . Outside of the combat losses , the 1st Marine Division also reported 7 , 338 non - battle casualties due to the cold weather . Despite the losses , the US X Corps preserved much of its strength . About 105 , 000 soldiers , 98 , 000 civilians , 17 , 500 vehicles , and 350 , 000 tons of supplies were shipped from Hungnam to Pusan , and they would later rejoin the war effort in Korea . Smith was credited for saving the US X Corps from destruction , while the 1st Marine Division , the 41 Royal Marine Commando and the Army ' s RCT - 31 were awarded the Presidential Unit Citation for their tenacity during the battle . Fourteen Marines , two Soldiers and one Navy pilot received the Medal of Honor , and all of the UN troops that served at Chosin were later honored with the nickname " The Chosin Few " . On 15 September 2010 , the Veterans of the Korean War Chosin Reservoir Battle memorial was unveiled by the United States Marine Corps Commandant General James T . Conway at Camp Pendleton . China was also catapulted into the status of a major military power following the victory at Chosin , but the victory came with a staggering cost . With the escape of the US X Corps and the ROK I Corps , Mao ' s vision for Chosin was not realized , and the failure caused Song Shi - Lun to offer his resignation . At the same time , heavy casualties caused by both combat and poor logistical support destroyed much of the eight elite divisions under the 20th and the 27th Corps . Of those eight divisions , two divisions were forced to disband , and not until March 1951 did the 9th Army return to its normal strength and become combat effective . With the absence of nearly 40 percent of the Chinese forces in Korea in early 1951 , the heavy Chinese losses at Chosin ultimately enabled the UN forces to maintain a foothold in Korea . Operation Glory . During the battle , UN casualties were buried at temporary grave sites along the road . Operation Glory took place between July to November 1954 , during which the dead of each side were exchanged . The remains of 4 , 167 US Soldiers and Marines were exchanged for 13 , 528 North Korean and Chinese dead . In addition , 546 civilians who died in UN prisoner of war camps were turned over to the South Korean government . After Operation Glory , 416 Korean War " unknowns " were buried in the Punchbowl Cemetery . According to a Defense Prisoner of War / Missing Personnel Office ( DPMO ) white paper , 1 , 394 names were also transmitted during " Operation Glory " from the Chinese and North Koreans , of which 858 proved to be correct . The 4 , 167 returned remains were found to be 4 , 219 individuals , of whom 2 , 944 were found to be Americans , with all but 416 identified by name . Of the 239 Korean War unaccounted for , 186 are not associated with the Punchbowl unknowns . From 1990 to 1994 North Korea excavated and returned more than 208 sets of remains which possibly include 200 to 400 US servicemen , but very few have been identified due to the co - mingling of remains . From 2001 to 2005 , more remains were recovered from the Chosin Battle site , and around 220 were recovered near the Chinese border between 1996 to 2006 . Notes . Footnotes Citations