Battle of Chonan The Battle of Chonan was the third engagement between United States and North Korean forces during the Korean War . It occurred on the night of July 7 / 8 , 1950 in the village of Chonan in western South Korea . The fight ended in a North Korean victory after intense fighting around the town , which took place throughout the night and into the morning . The United States Army ' s 34th Infantry Regiment , 24th Infantry Division was assigned to delay elements of the North Korean People ' s Army ' s 4th Infantry Division as it advanced south following its victories at the Battle of Osan and the Battle of Pyongtaek the days before . The regiment emplaced north and south of Chonan attempting to delay the North Koreans in an area where the terrain formed a bottleneck between mountains and the Yellow Sea . The 3rd Battalion , 34th Infantry set up a defensive perimeter north of the city , and by nightfall was engaged in combat with superior numbers of North Korean troops and tanks . American forces , unable to repulse North Korean armor , soon found themselves in an intense urban fight as columns of North Korean troops , spearheaded by T - 34 tanks , entered the town from two directions , cutting off U . S . forces . The fight resulted in the near destruction of the 3rd Battalion , 34th Infantry as well as the death of the 34th Infantry Regiment ' s new commander , Colonel Robert R . Martin . Background . Outbreak of war . On the night of June 25 , 1950 , 10 divisions of the North Korean People ' s Army launched a full - scale invasion on the nation ' s neighbor to the south , the Republic of Korea . The force of 89 , 000 men moved in six columns , catching the Republic of Korea Army completely by surprise , resulting in a disastrous rout for the South Koreans , who were disorganized , ill - equipped , and unprepared for war . Numerically superior , North Korean forces destroyed isolated resistance from the 38 , 000 South Korean soldiers on the front , advancing steadily south . Most of South Korea ' s forces retreated in the face of the invasion , and by June 28 , the North Koreans had captured Seoul , South Korea ' s capital , forcing the government and its shattered forces to withdraw south . The United Nations Security Council voted to send assistance to the collapsing country . United States President Harry S . Truman subsequently ordered ground troops into the nation . However , U . S . forces in the Far East had been steadily decreasing since the end of World War II five years earlier . At the time , the closest forces were the 24th Infantry Division of the Eighth United States Army , which was performing occupation duty in Kyushu , Japan under the command of William F . Dean . However , the division was under strength , and was only two - thirds the size of its regular wartime size . Most of the 24th Infantry Division ' s equipment was antiquated due to reductions in military spending following World War II . In spite of these deficiencies , the 24th Infantry Division was ordered into South Korea , with a mission to take the initial " shock " of North Korean advances while the rest of the Eighth Army could arrive in Korea and establish a perimeter . Early engagements . From the 24th Infantry Division , one battalion was assigned to be airlifted into Korea via C - 54 Skymaster transport aircraft and move quickly to block advancing North Korean forces while the remainder of the division was transported to South Korea on ships . The 21st Infantry Regiment was determined to be the most combat - ready of the 24th Infantry Division ' s three regiments , and the 21st Infantry ' s 1st Battalion was selected because its commander , Lieutenant Colonel Charles B . Smith , was the most experienced , having commanded a battalion at the Battle of Guadalcanal during World War II . On July 5 , Task Force Smith engaged North Korean forces at the Battle of Osan , delaying over 5 , 000 North Korean infantry for seven hours before being routed and forced back . During that time , the 34th Infantry Regiment set up a line between the villages of Pyongtaek and Ansong , south of Osan , to fight the next delaying action against the advancing North Korean forces . 34th Infantry Regiment was similarly unprepared for a fight ; in the ensuing action , most of the regiment withdrew to Chonan without ever engaging the enemy . The 1st Battalion , left alone against the North Koreans , resisted their advance in the brief and disastrous Battle of Pyongtaek . The 34th Infantry was unable to stop North Korean armor , because equipment had not arrived that could penetrate the thick armor of the T - 34 tank . After a 30 minute fight , the battalion mounted a disorganized retreat , with many soldiers abandoning equipment and running away without resisting the North Korean forces . The U . S . forces at Pyongtaek and Ansong were unable to delay the North Korean force significantly or inflict significant casualties on the enemy . Battle . Opening moves . Having pushed back U . S . forces at both Osan and Pyongtaek , the North Korean 4th Infantry Division , supported by elements of the North Korean 105th Armored Division , continued their advance down the Osan – Chonan road , up to 12 , 000 men strong under division commander Lee Kwon Mu in two infantry regiments supported by dozens of tanks . They were well trained , well equipped , and had high morale following previous victories , giving them advantages over the poorly trained and inexperienced Americans . Following the retreat from Pyongtaek , the scattered 1st Battalion , 34th Infantry retreated to Chonan , where the rest of the 34th Infantry Regiment was located . Also at the town were elements of the 1st Battalion , 21st Infantry that had not made up Task Force Smith at the Battle of Osan . Brigadier General George B . Barth , 24th Infantry Division ' s artillery commander , ordered the 1st Battalion , 21st Infantry to hold positions south of town before Barth left for Taejon . The 1st Battalion , 34th Infantry was sent to join it . At the same time , L Company of the 3rd Battalion , 34th Infantry was ordered to probe north of the city and meet the advancing elements of the North Korean 4th Infantry Division . Major General Dean , commander of the 24th Infantry Division , telegraphed the command from Taejon , ordering the rest of 3rd Battalion , 34th Infantry to move up behind L Company . Regimental commander Colonel Jay B . Lovless moved north to join L Company , along with newly arrived Colonel Robert R . Martin , a friend of Dean ' s . Shortly before noon , 1st Battalion , 21st Infantry was ordered to withdraw southeast to Chochiwon to keep the railway and supply line to Chonan open . This left 1st and 3rd Battalions of the 34th Infantry alone in Chonan . By this time , most of the South Korean troops and civilians had abandoned the region , leaving only the U . S . forces to oppose the North Korean Army . At around 1300 , L Company of 3rd Battalion , 34th Infantry was north of Chonan when it was hit with North Korean small arms fire . Around this time , Martin received a message from Dean that around 50 North Korean T - 34 tanks were at Ansong , along with a significant number of North Korean trucks . Large numbers of troops were now located in the villages of Myang , Myon and Songhwan - ni , and moving to flank Chonan from both sides . Martin and Lovless returned to the 34th Infantry ' s command post , as the 3rd Battalion , 34th Infantry began setting up defensive positions several miles north of Chonan under the command of 34th Infantry Operations Officer John J . Dunn . The battalion briefly retreated when around 50 North Korean scouts began assaulting its positions , leaving behind several wounded men and equipment , including a wounded Dunn who was captured by the North Koreans . It was two hours before the main North Korean force advanced through this position . The battalion returned to Chonan in disorder . By 1700 , it re - established defensive positions on the northern and western edges of the town , around a railroad station . The 1st Battalion , still disorganized and under - equipped after its engagement at Pyongtaek the day before , remained in defensive positions south of the town . It would not see combat in Chonan . Around 1800 , Dean ordered Martin to take command of the 34th Infantry Regiment from Lovless . North Korean attack . Throughout the evening of July 7 , North Korean pressure developed from the west edge of town . Around 2000 a column of North Korean tanks and infantry approached the town from the east . The column was hit by shells from the 63rd Field Artillery Battalion , which was supporting the 34th Infantry with 105 mm Howitzer s firing white phosphorus and High Explosive Anti Tank shells . The 63rd Field Artillery Battalion was able to destroy two of the tanks , but by midnight the column had infiltrated Chonan . The 63rd Field Artillery continued to fire white phosphorus throughout the night , illuminating the terrain for the U . S . forces and preventing them from being overrun . After midnight , the North Korean force was able to cut off 80 men , including Martin , from the rest of the U . S . force , and Lieutenant Colonel Robert L . Wadlington , the regimental executive officer , took command and contacted Dean requesting additional ammunition . By 0220 on July 8 Martin had returned to the town and the supply road to Taejon was reopened . Within a few hours , a second column of infantry assaulted the town from the northwest . Five or six tanks at the head of the column infiltrated Chonan and began destroying all vehicles in sight , as well as any buildings suspected of harboring Americans . Around 0600 , infantry from the northwest column began flooding into the city and engaged in an intense and confused battle with the 3rd Battalion , 34th Infantry Regiment in the streets of Chonan . 3rd Battalion managed to destroy two of the tanks with rockets and grenades , but the column was able to cut off two companies of the 3rd Battalion from the rest of the force . Around 0800 , Martin was killed by a North Korean tank when he fired a 2 . 36 - inch bazooka at a North Korean T - 34 tank at the same time it fired its main cannon at the building he was in . He had been in command of the 34th Infantry Regiment for only 14 hours . The tank was undamaged by Martin ' s shot , as the weapon was obsolete and could not penetrate T - 34 armor . American withdrawal . After Martin ' s death , the 3rd Battalion , 34th Infantry began to buckle as increasing numbers of North Korean troops flooded into Chonan from the Northwest and eastern roads . The battalion suffered heavy casualties , but was saved by the continuous fire laid down by the 63rd Field Artillery Battalion . Between 0800 and 1000 , U . S . units began a disorganized retreat from the town , many soldiers deserting their units and running from the battle . Wadlington , now in command of the 34th Infantry , moved 3rd Battalion to a collecting point south of the town , where 1st Battalion , 34th Infantry was holding a blocking position and had not been engaged . As 3rd Battalion , 34th Infantry began to pull back to rally points , 1st Battalion began to come under mortar fire from North Korean forces , but withdrew without engaging them . As this was happening , General Dean arrived south of the town with Lieutenant General Walton Walker to observe the conflict , and the final elements of the 34th leave Chonan . Dean ordered the 34th Infantry Regiment to retreat to the Kum River . 3rd Battalion , 34th Infantry , now down to 175 men , had lost two thirds of its strength in Chonan , around 350 men . Most of the battalion ' s heavy equipment including mortar s and machine guns were also lost . The North Korean radio reported 60 Americans were taken prisoner in the town . The regiment began its retreat in the late afternoon , with North Korean forces moving on ridges parallel to the regiment . Most of the battalion moved out on foot and by truck , resting on the evening of July 8 before arriving at the Kum River July 9 and setting up new defensive positions . Aftermath . The 34th Infantry pulled back to the Kum River , its two battalions having been mauled in the battles of Pyongtaek and Chonan . It was able to delay North Korean forces for 14 – 20 hours , allowing the 21st Infantry Regiment to set up the next delaying action at Chonui and Chochiwon . The 34th Infantry subsequently set up defensive fortifications along the Kum River , resting for several days until it was engaged in the Battle of Taejon , and were principally in charge of the defense of the city as the weakened 21st Infantry and 19th Infantry were less prepared for the fight . The battle at Taejon resulted in the near destruction of the 24th Infantry Division . Although the force was badly defeated militarily , the 24th Infantry Division accomplished its mission of delaying North Korean forces from advancing until July 20 . By that time , American forces had set up a defensive perimeter along the Naktong River and Taegu to the southeast , known as the Pusan Perimeter . This perimeter saw the next phase of the battle and the ultimate defeat of the North Korean army in the Battle of Pusan Perimeter . Robert R . Martin , the 34th Infantry Regiment ' s commanding officer during the battle , was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his actions at Chonan , the first such decoration awarded during the Korean War .