Battle of the Hook The Third Battle of the Hook ( ) was a battle of the Korean War that took place between a United Nations force , consisting mostly of British troops , supported on their flanks by American and Turkish units against a predominantly Chinese force . Background . By 1953 , elements of the United Nations forces were engaged in fierce fighting to prevent People ' s Volunteer Army forces from gaining ground , prior to a possible cease fire . This was to deny them additional bargaining power , during negotiations . One such action took place at a feature called " the Hook " , a crescent shaped ridge near Sami Creek , a tributary of the Imjin River near Kaesong . There had been two previous engagements at the Hook earlier in the Korean War when first the United States Marine Corps , and later the British Black Watch regiment , had successfully held the Hook against Chinese assaults . This ridge was a place of tactical importance in the Commonwealth sector : it was a potential attack point which the Chinese needed to take before assaulting Yong Dong , and opening up an invasion route to Seoul , the South Korean capital . On 13 May 1953 , the 1st Battalion the Duke of Wellington ' s Regiment ( the " Dukes " ) were moved from its position on Yong Dong , to relieve the Black Watch , who had been defending The Hook . During this period , the Black Watch had suffered 12 soldiers killed , 73 wounded and 20 missing . Over the next two weeks The Dukes were under constant sniper , mortar and artillery fire . This was then followed up in a major action over the 28 – 29 May following heavy initial Artillery and Mortar fire , after which the Chinese infantry attacked in force . Between 19 May and 29 May ' The Dukes ' suffered 15 killed in action , 95 wounded and 32 missing . They were relieved by the Royal Fusiliers later in the day of 29 May . Battle . The Chinese forces charged the forward British positions once the bombardment ceased . The Dukes were outnumbered by 5 to 1 . The fighting that ensued was bloody and akin to the battles that the ' Dukes ' had fought during World War I . Artillery shells rained down on the Hook , from both the Chinese and UN forces . The Chinese launched a second attack but were cut down by heavy artillery fire from UN forces . Further attacks occurred during the day , but all were defeated in heavy fighting . Just 30 minutes into 29 May , the Chinese forces launched another attack , but they were again beaten back . The Dukes began advancing up the line of the original trenches to dislodge the remaining Chinese forces in the forward trenches . The ' Dukes ' secured the Hook at 03 : 30 . For their action they were awarded the Battle Honour " The Hook " Chinese shelling . Between 19 May and 29 May , Chinese artillery fired over 20 , 000 shells onto the Hook position , and 11 , 000 of these shells were fired on the night of 28 May , with over 200 heavy calibre shells hitting the Hook positions in the one hour between 17 : 45 and 18 : 45 . United Nations shelling . 37 , 818 shells of all calibres were fired by British artillery and the US Army I Corps artillery , including 155 mm , 8 - inch , and 240 mm shells and 325 rockets from a US Rocket Battery . Firing directly upon the enemy , the Centurions of C Squadron , 1st Royal Tank Regiment used 504 20 - pdr shells ( the tanks also fired 22 , 500 rounds from their machine guns ) . Aftermath . Chinese casualties were estimated at 1 , 050 killed and over 800 wounded . Of these , 167 were actually counted . There were probably many others unseen , perhaps accounting for the casualty figure of approximately 2 , 000 published elsewhere . The ' Dukes ' suffered 3 officers and 17 other ranks killed , 2 officers and 84 other ranks wounded , with 20 men missing . There were other casualties from other supporting units listed below . In addition , there were a further 50 casualties from artillery and mortar attacks between 10 May and 28 May . Casualties from other supporting units : For their action , the Duke of Wellington ' s Regiment was awarded the Battle Honour The Hook 1953 . Later , the 1st Battalion ' s Headquarter Company was renamed " Hook Company " . Shortly after on 2 June 1953 , to mark the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II the division ' s artillery fired red , white and blue smoke shells onto the Chinese lines ( a " " feu de joie " " ) , followed by a salute from Centurion tank s which fired HE shells onto a single target . The Hook was defended on a fourth occasion immediately prior to the armistice by two Australian battalions during the Battle of the Samichon River . Further reading . 1DWR War Diaries in WO 308 / 53 , The National Archives , London