Battle of Taejon The Battle of Taejon ( 14 – 21 July 1950 ) was an early battle between American and North Korean forces during the Korean War . Forces of the United States Army attempted to defend the headquarters of the 24th Infantry Division . The 24th Infantry Division was overwhelmed by numerically superior forces of the Korean People ' s Army ( KPA ) at the major city and transportation hub of Taejon . The 24th Infantry Division ' s regiments were already exhausted from the previous two weeks of delaying actions to stem the advance of the KPA . The entire 24th Division gathered to make a final stand around Taejon , holding a line along the Kum River to the east of the city . Hampered by lack of communication , equipment and shortage of heavy weapons to match KPA firepower , the American forces being outnumbered , ill - equipped and untrained were pushed back from the river bank after several days before fighting an intense urban battle to defend the city . After a fierce three - day struggle , the Americans withdrew . Although they could not hold the city , the 24th Infantry Division achieved a strategic advantage by delaying the North Koreans , providing time for other American divisions to establish a defensive perimeter around Pusan further south . The delay imposed at Taejon probably prevented an American rout during the subsequent Battle of the Pusan Perimeter . During the action the KPA captured Major General William F . Dean , the commander of the 24th Infantry Division , and highest ranking American prisoner during the Korean War . Background . Outbreak of war . Following the invasion of the Republic of Korea ( South Korea ) by its northern neighbor , the Democratic People ' s Republic of Korea ( North Korea ) , the United Nations committed forces on behalf of South Korea . The United States subsequently sent ground forces to the Korean peninsula to contain the North Korean invasion and to prevent the collapse of the South Korean state . US forces in the Far East had steadily decreased since the end of World War II , five years earlier . When forces were initially committed , the 24th Infantry Division of the Eighth United States Army , headquartered in Japan , was the closest US division . The division was under - strength , and most of its equipment dated from 1945 and earlier due to defense cutbacks enacted in the first Truman administration . Nevertheless , the division was ordered into South Korea . The 24th Infantry Division was the first US unit sent into Korea to absorb the initial " shock " of North Korean advances , and disrupt the much larger North Korean units . The 24th Division effectively delayed the North Korean advance to allow the 7th Infantry Division , 25th Infantry Division , 1st Cavalry Division , and other Eighth Army supporting units to establish a defensive line around Pusan . Immediately preceding the Battle of Taejon , some of the Bodo League massacre s took place around Taejon , where between 3 , 000 and 7 , 000 South Korean leftist political prisoners were shot and dumped into mass graves by South Korean troops , partially recorded by a U . S . Army photographer . Delaying action . Task Force Smith , an advance element of the 24th Infantry Division was badly defeated in the Battle of Osan on 5 July , during the first encounter between American and North Korean forces . Task Force Smith retreated from Osan to Pyongtaek , where US forces were again defeated in the Battle of Pyongtaek . The 24th Infantry Division was repeatedly forced south by the North Korean force ' s superior numbers and equipment in engagements at Chochiwon , Chonan , Hadong , and Yechon . American soldiers were untrained and unprepared at the outbreak of the war , and this lack of training showed in engagements with North Korean units which were much more disciplined . Most of the Americans were out of shape , untrained , undisciplined and used to occupation duty in Japan . Most were raw recruits who had never seen combat before . On 12 July , the division ' s commander , Major General William F . Dean , ordered the division ' s three regiments , the 19th Infantry Regiment , 21st Infantry Regiment , and 34th Infantry Regiment , to cross the Kum River , destroying all bridges behind them , and to establish defensive positions around Taejon . Taejon was a major South Korean city south of Seoul and northwest of Pusan , and was the site of the 24th Infantry Division ' s headquarters . Dean formed a line with the 34th Infantry and 19th Infantry facing east , and held the heavily battered 21st Infantry in reserve to the southeast . The Kum River wrapped north and west around the city , providing a defensive line 10 to 15 miles from the outskirts of Taejon , which is surrounded to the south by the Sobaek Mountains . With major railroad junctions and numerous roads leading into the countryside in all directions , Taejon was a major transportation hub between Seoul and Taegu , giving it great strategic value for both the American and North Korean forces . The division was attempting to make a last stand at Taejon , the last place it could conduct a delaying action before the North Korean forces would converge on the unfinished Pusan Perimeter . Prelude . US 24th Infantry Division . The 24th Infantry Division ' s three infantry regiments , which had a wartime strength of 3 , 000 each , were already below strength on their deployment , and heavy losses in the preceding two weeks had reduced their numbers further . The 21st Infantry had 1 , 100 men left , having suffered 1 , 433 casualties . The 34th Infantry had only 2 , 020 men and the 19th had 2 , 276 men . Another 2 , 007 men stood in the 24th Infantry Division artillery formations . These counts placed the division ' s total strength at 11 , 400 . This was severely reduced from the 15 , 965 men and 4 , 773 vehicles that had arrived in Korea at the beginning of the month . Each of the regiments had only two battalions of infantry as opposed to the normal three . Large numbers of men had to be pulled from the lines for combat fatigue . Morale was extremely low for the soldiers , who were exhausted from days without sleep . Casualties among the division ' s commissioned officers were extremely high , forcing younger officers and non - commissioned officers to take leadership positions normally occupied by more experienced ones . In addition to casualties , shortages of equipment hampered the 24th Infantry Division ' s efforts . Losses in earlier fighting reduced artillery support to two battalions . Communications equipment , weapons , and ammunition was limited , large amounts of equipment had been lost or destroyed in previous engagements . Most of the radios available to the division did not work , and batteries , communication wire , and telephones to communicate among units were in short supply , with some company formations having only one radio for one squad . The division had no tanks : its new M26 Pershing and older M4A3 Sherman tanks were still " en route " . One of the few weapons that could penetrate the North Korean T - 34 tanks , the 3 . 5 inch M20 " Super Bazooka " firing M28A2 HEAT rocket ammunition , were in short supply . The paucity of radios and wire hampered communication between and among the American units . North Korean units . North Korean planners intended for three divisions to attack Taejon from three directions , supported by heavy armor . The North Korean 3rd Division was ordered to attack from the north , against the flank . The North Korean 4th Division would attack across the Kum River from the east and south , in order to envelop Taejon and the US 24th Infantry Division with it . Eventually they would also be supported by elements of the North Korean 105th Armored Division . Although the North Korean 2nd Infantry Division was ordered to attack from Chongju against the American right flank , it was slow to move and arrived too late to participate in the battle . The North Koreans advanced on the town with the 3rd and 4th Divisions supported by over 50 T - 34 tanks . Each North Korean division , normally operating with 11 , 000 men , was at 60 to 80 percent strength , giving them nearly a two to one numerical superiority over the American forces . Morale of the two divisions was low , owing to repeated air attacks on equipment and overall exhaustion from continuous combat . Political officers promised the divisions they would be able to rest in Taejon after they took the city . Battle . First North Korean attack . On the morning of 14 July , American soldiers from 3rd Battalion , 34th Infantry on the heights above the Kum River spotted T - 34s across the river . The T - 34s fired on the 3rd Battalion ' s position from across the river , to no effect . By mid - morning , North Korean infantry were spotted crossing the river by boat and mortar and artillery fire began hitting the 34th Infantry ' s lines . In the confusion and resulting poor communication , the North Korean infantry managed to move around the American lines . The 1st Battalion , further north , also came under heavy attack by advancing North Korean forces , and though it repulsed the attack with the help of artillery , it was forced to withdraw to safer positions . In the early afternoon , another attacking force , estimated 1 , 000 North Korean troops , crossed the river . The North Koreans captured an outpost of the 63rd Field Artillery Battalion , supporting the 34th Infantry with 105 - mm Howitzer guns . They turned a captured machine gun on the battalion ' s HQ battery and began to fire , taking it by surprise . Artillery fire aimed at the battery destroyed communications and vehicles , and inflicted heavy casualties . Its survivors retreated on foot to the south . Meanwhile , only away , a Battery of the battalion also came under attack by 100 North Korean infantrymen , resulting in similar casualties and retreat . B Battery was attacked by 400 North Koreans , but an advance of South Korean horse cavalry spared the battery from heavy losses , allowing it to make an organized retreat . The 63rd Field Artillery lost all of its guns and 80 of its vehicles , many still intact for North Korean forces to use . Later in the evening , 1st Battalion , 34th Infantry counterattacked the positions but was unable to take them back , in the face of machine gun and small arms fire , and was forced to withdraw by nightfall . After this failed attempt to retake the equipment , Dean ordered the positions where the captured equipment was located to be destroyed by an airstrike . With the 1st Battalion having taken heavy casualties and the 3rd Battalion forced to move to counter North Korean attacks , the northwest flank of the American line had been beaten back . The North Korean 4th Division began crossing the river , only slightly impeded by US aircraft attacking its boats . Second North Korean attack . Following the initial penetration , the 34th Infantry line moved south to Nonsan . The 19th Infantry moved its 2nd Battalion to fill some of the gaps left by the 34th , reinforced by Republic of Korea Army troops . The combined forces observed a large build - up of North Korean troops on the other side of the river . At 03 : 00 on 16 July , the North Koreans launched a massive barrage of tank , artillery and mortar fire on the 19th Infantry positions and North Korean troops began to cross the river in boats . The North Korean forces gathered on the west bank and assaulted the positions of 1st Battalion ' s C and E Companies , followed by a second landing against B Company . North Korean forces pushed against the entire battalion , threatening to overwhelm it . The regimental commander ordered all support troops and officers to the line and they were able to repulse the assault . However , in the melee , North Korean forces infiltrated their rear elements , attacking the reserve forces and blocking supply lines . Stretched thin , the 19th Infantry was unable to hold the line at the Kum River and simultaneously repel the North Korean forces . That evening , 2nd Battalion was moved to attempt to deal with the North Koreans in the rear but suffered casualties as well , and was unable to break the roadblocks . By 17 July , the 19th Infantry withdrew , and was ordered southwest to regroup and re - equip . Less than half of 1st Battalion returned , and only two of 2nd Battalion ' s companies remained intact . All three regiments of the 24th Infantry Division , having each been defeated and overwhelmed , were down to battalion - strength formations . The division ' s 19th and 34th Regiments had engaged the North Korean 3rd Infantry Division and the North Korean 4th Infantry Division between 13 and 16 July and suffered 650 casualties among the 3 , 401 men committed there . On 18 July , the Eighth Army Commander , Lieutenant General Walton Walker , ordered General Dean to hold Taejon until the 20th so that the 1st Cavalry Division and 25th Infantry Division could establish defensive lines along the Naktong River , forming the Pusan Perimeter . As the North Korean push against the US units forced them back , 31 US troops were killed in the Chaplain - Medic Massacre . Taejon surrounded . The North Koreans then moved against Taejon city . On 19 July , North Korean forces entered Taejon , the site of the 24th Infantry Division ' s headquarters . The North Korean 3rd Division formed a roadblock between Taejon and Okchon , cutting off the 21st Infantry in its reserve positions . The 21st Infantry would subsequently be unable to join the fight . However it would attempt to hold the route of escape for the rest of the division during most of the fight at Taejon . At the same time , tanks from the North Korean 105th Armored Division began to enter the city , followed by troops of the 3rd and 4th Infantry Divisions . There , the North Korean forces deployed , occupying key buildings throughout the city to establish sniper positions . American attacks against these positions later set fire to many of Taejon ' s wooden buildings . North Korean forces prioritised and attempted to eliminate American gun emplacements , food stores , and ammunition dumps , having received information on the location of these facilities through agents operating in the city . At Taejon , the battered 24th Infantry Division was ordered to make a stand . The 34th Infantry also moved to the city to oppose the North Korean forces , which assaulted it head - on while attempting to flank and cut off retreat from the rear . Dean began ordering elements of the division , including much of his headquarters , to retreat via train to Taegu , although he remained behind . By this time , several M24 Chaffee light tanks had been sent to reinforce the division from A Company of the 78th Tank Battalion . Regardless of the additional tanks , on 20 July , North Korean armored units pushed American forces back from Taejon Airfield , several miles northwest of Taejon , overwhelming the last American units defending the Kum River and forcing the remnants of the division into Taejon itself . At this point the city was surrounded and North Korean troops began setting roadblocks along the roads out of the city . For two days , the 34th Infantry fought the advancing North Koreans in bitter house - to - house fighting . North Korean soldiers continued to infiltrate the city , often disguised as farmers . The remaining elements of the 24th Infantry Division were pushed back block - by - block . Without radios , and unable to communicate with the remaining elements of the division , Dean joined the men on the front lines . At one point , he personally attacked a tank with a hand grenade , destroying it . Large columns of North Korean forces began marching on the city from the south roads , reinforcing those that had crossed the river . American forces pulled back after suffering heavy losses , allowing the North Korean 3rd and 4th Divisions to move on the city freely from the north , south , and east roads . The 34th Infantry Division repeatedly attempted to establish its defensive lines , and were repeatedly pushed back by the numerically superior North Koreans . Taejon falls . At the end of the day on 20 July , Dean ordered the headquarters of the 34th Infantry to withdraw . His command was reinforced by several more light tanks from the 1st Cavalry Division . As the tanks fought through a North Korean roadblock , Dean , with a small force of soldiers , followed them . At the edge of the city , the final elements of the 34th Infantry , leaving the city in 50 vehicles , were ambushed and many of their vehicles were destroyed by machine guns and mortars , forcing the Americans to retreat on foot . In the ensuing fight , Dean ' s jeep made a wrong turn and was separated from the rest of the American forces . Unable to turn back , Dean and his party attempted to retreat to American lines on their own , but 35 days later , alone and lost in the hills , Dean was captured by North Korean forces . For most of his incarceration , the North Koreans were not aware of his rank . Dean repeatedly attempted to make the North Koreans kill him for fear of divulging information under torture . North Korean leaders had threatened to harm Dean if he did not cooperate but he was never actually tortured . Eventually his rank was uncovered , but they were unable to gather any intelligence from him . When the last of the 34th Infantry ' s defenders left the city , the 21st Infantry , which had been protecting the road to Taegu , also withdrew , leaving Taejon in the hands of the North Korean forces . Aftermath . By the end of the battle , the Americans counted 922 men killed and 228 wounded with almost 2 , 400 missing , most of these men from the 34th Infantry . Evidence suggests that the North Koreans executed some of the missing and captured prisoners immediately after the battle . Although badly mauled , the 24th Infantry Division accomplished its mission of delaying North Korean forces from advancing until 20 July . By that time , American forces had set up the Pusan Perimeter to the southwest . On 22 July , the 24th Infantry Division was relieved by the 1st Cavalry Division . It was put under the command of Major General John H . Church , in the absence of Dean , whose whereabouts were unknown . After three weeks of fighting , the Division had suffered almost 30 percent casualties . Historians attribute the substantial tactical losses of the 24th Infantry division to a lack of training , equipment , and readiness , owing to extended time spent on occupation duty in Japan and without training . North Korean casualties could not be estimated because of lack of communications between units during the battle , which limited the value of American signals intelligence . North Korean armor suffered heavy losses . A total of 15 – 20 North Korean tanks were destroyed by anti - tank weapons and US aircraft , and North Korean prisoners estimated that 15 76 - mm guns , six 122 - mm mortars , and 200 artillerymen were lost . Losses among North Korean infantry were heavy , especially in the NK 3rd Division . The NK 3rd division was reported between 60 and 80 percent of its strength at the beginning of the battle and was reduced to 50 percent by its end , with total casualties ranging from 1 , 250 to 3 , 300 . By the time the battle ended , the United States had moved enough forces onto the Korean Peninsula to roughly equal the number of attacking North Korean forces . For its delaying actions in and around Taejon , the 24th Infantry Division was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation and the Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation . The Division went into reserve status while it rested and rebuilt , and the first unit of the division back into action , the 19th Infantry Regiment , moved to the front lines of the Pusan Perimeter on 1 August . The first two Medals of Honor for the Korean War were awarded for the Battle of Taejon . For his actions on the front lines , Dean was awarded the first Medal of Honor , although he remained a prisoner of the North Koreans until the end of the war ( released in September 1953 ) . A second soldier , Sergeant George D . Libby , received the Medal of Honor posthumously , for tending to wounded soldiers during the evacuation : he repeatedly passed over shelled roads to help evacuate them . He was killed while trying to evacuate more soldiers . Additionally , a chaplain , Herman G . Felhoelter , was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for an incident later known as the Chaplain – Medic massacre which took place during the battle near the Kum River . References . Sources . Online sources