Fighting on the Taeryong River, 25 October 1950 That afternoon Coad ordered 3 RAR to resume the lead and continue the advance towards Pakchon, the next major town north on the
Taeryong River. The Australians subsequently moved through the Middlesex, supported by tanks from D Company, 89th Tank Battalion. By 16:00 B Company 3 RAR had reached the village of Kujin, south of Pakchon, where the main west coast road diverged from the road to Pakchon, turning west across the Taeryong River to continue towards Chongju and the
Manchurian border. There the Australians discovered that the centre span of the concrete bridge had been demolished by KPA engineers, blocking their passage across the river. Forced to halt, the
3-inch mortars from Support Company 3 RAR were brought into a position to provide indirect fire support to the battalion. Meanwhile, using roughly made timber ladders from the debris of the bridge, two sections of 4 Platoon under the command of
Lieutenant Alan Morrison crossed the bridge covered by the remainder of B Company and the tanks in order to reconnoitre the far bank. On the other side of the river the road ran through a ridge which rose steeply above the water. After advancing to the foot of the ridge, 50 KPA came forward from the hills to surrender to the Australians, and almost immediately they came under heavy but inaccurate fire from other KPA concealed in the hills. The surrendering KPA then scattered into the scrub, while the Australians returned fire. A
United States Air Force (USAF)
LT-6G Mosquito light spotter aircraft scouting beyond the western bank subsequently reported the presence of two KPA companies to the north, overlooking the bridgehead. Having established that the KPA held the high ground, Green ordered Morrison to withdraw across the bridge in order to allow an airstrike to take place from 17:15, with the platoon bringing 10 KPA prisoners with them as they did so. Two USAF
F-80 Shooting Stars subsequently strafed the KPA positions across the river until 17:30. A and B Companies were then instructed to prepare to assault the KPA positions on the western bank; however, the approach of dusk prevented a second airstrike and a fire plan was subsequently arranged by the American artillery and the battalion mortars before a more substantial thrust across the river was launched by the Australians. In the meantime Green had also sent D Company into Pakchon to clear the town in order to protect the Australian right flank, and under the command of Major Walter Brown they reported entering the town at 17:00. D Company subsequently returned at 18:30, bringing 225 prisoners with them after leaving a platoon to guard the American engineers which had begun constructing a ford from a damaged underwater bridge for use the following day. Meanwhile, a KPA machine-gun sporadically engaged the Australians on their left, while strong concentrations of KPA troops were detected on the west bank.
3 RAR establishes a bridgehead, 25/26 October 1950 With the bridge considered important by the advancing Eighth Army, the Australians were determined to a force a passage across the river. However, with only a platoon from D Company holding a tenuous bridgehead at the Pakchon ford as dusk fell, Green could either cross the river the following morning via the ford, or he could attempt a lodgement across the bridge that night. He resolved to strengthen his position and at 19:00 A and B Companies were sent across the river to secure the bridgehead and prevent the KPA from being reinforced and consolidating their position on the western bank. Again using the broken span, the Australians crossed the river and scaled the bank in the moonlight, before establishing defensive positions on both sides of the road on the crest from the Taeryong. Achieving their objectives the Australians then spread out along the ridgeline, with A Company under Captain William Chitts on the left and B Company on the right commanded by Major George Thirlwell. Unchallenged, the Australians suspected that the KPA had withdrawn and, still largely without winter clothing, they then began to dig-in amid a sub-zero wind which blew in from Manchuria, away. Green deployed the remainder of the battalion on the eastern bank, with D Company to the north near Kujin, C Company to the east flanking the road to Sinanju and battalion headquarters located to the south in a paddy field. The American tanks were subsequently allocated to both C and D Companies and they provided rear security to the battalion during the night. Shortly afterwards, at 19:30, B Company detected a KPA force of around company-size preparing for a frontal assault, and called-in mortar fire to break up their formations, while a number of forward patrols had to be withdrawn by the Australians in order to prevent their encirclement. In response the KPA fired mortars at the Australian positions with limited effect. Half an hour later KPA shells hit the 3 RAR battalion headquarters and C Company positions on the other side of the river, however the rounds landed in the damp soil of the paddy field and failed to explode. Periodically they were also targeted by machine-gun fire, but it was mostly high and posed little threat. Perhaps also under the impression that the Australians had withdrawn, the KPA failed to press their attack. Yet they soon realised their mistake and heavy small arms fire began again at 22:30 with KPA activity against A and B Companies increasing significantly, which resulted in B Company suffering two killed and three wounded. The Australian right flank was now exposed and following a request from Thirlwell, Chitts detached 1 Platoon under Lieutenant John Wathen to bolster B Company. At 23:00 further artillery and mortar fire missions were ordered by the Australians against the KPA in response to renewed concentrations in preparation for an assault. Around the same time 8 Platoon C Company under Lieutenant Colin Townsend was sent across the bridge in the darkness to further reinforce B Company, and they dug-in on each side of the road leading to the bridge. Telephone lines had been laid by the Australians to their forward companies, and despite the fighting they remained intact throughout the battle. KPA activity continued throughout the night, and although this resulted in further casualties in A and B Companies, they were unable to penetrate the forward Australian positions. Among the dead was Wathen, whose platoon was attacked by the KPA after moving to cover the exposed B Company position, resulting in several other Australians also being wounded. Meanwhile, during the evening the 3 RAR Assault Pioneer Platoon had also discovered and destroyed a small KPA arms dump on the eastern bank of the river. The Australians subsequently attempted to evacuate their casualties from the forward companies, and although these had been relatively light the task proved perilous. With the bridge still down, the wounded had to be carried by hand on stretchers to the broken span and then lowered to a boat borrowed from the American engineers. The boat was then hauled by ropes back across to the eastern bank of the river where the casualties were load into jeep ambulances. Despite a number of difficulties the majority of the casualties were successfully evacuated by these means, even as the bridge occasionally came under small arms fire. However, at around 01:00, while evacuating the final casualty, the boat came under fire again from KPA snipers and sank after being swept against a concrete piling. A wounded soldier fell into the fast flowing Taeryong River and the 3 RAR battalion drum-major, Sergeant Thomas Murray, subsequently dived into the freezing waters and rescued him. Murray was later awarded the
George Medal for his actions. Although a KPA
SU-76 self-propelled gun had occasionally shelled Kujin with armour piercing rounds, there had been no reports of tanks being detected during the evening. However, at 04:00 on 26 October the KPA counterattacked the Australian companies with the support of
T-34 tanks. In the ensuing fighting a convoy of KPA vehicles, including a T-34 tank, two jeeps, a motorcycle and about 60 infantry moved down the road towards A Company with the intention of re-occupying the ridges overlooking the river crossing, likely unaware of the Australian dispositions. The Australians held their fire until the entire force was within their field of fire, before ambushing it at close range with small arms fire from
Bren light machine guns, rifles, grenades and mortars. The convoy was subsequently scattered and the KPA fled, abandoning their vehicles with only the tank successfully shooting its way out. Among the KPA dead was the commanding officer of the Reconnaissance Unit of the 17th Tank Brigade, Lieutenant Colonel Kim In-sik, who was carrying a number of marked maps and documents. These items were of considerable intelligence value and they revealed that the KPA were preparing a last line of defence at Chongju away, with infantry supported by tanks. Later another KPA T-34 tank and supporting infantry pressed to within of the B Company headquarters, before stopping and taking up a position between the ridges still unaware of the location of the Australians. An attempt by the Australian infantrymen to engage the tank with a new
M20 3.5-inch bazooka failed however after the weapon misfired, and it subsequently withdrew out of range. The tank then continued to fire randomly for the remainder of the night, without effect. In reserve, C Company was subsequently woken during the battle to send a number of their bazookas forward to replace those used by B Company as it was suspected that theirs were faulty due to being poorly maintained. However, in their first close engagement with KPA armour, it was possible that some of the Australians had simply forgotten to move the safety catches of their bazookas to the firing position in their excitement. Following firm directions the bazookas were used to good effect by 3 RAR in a number of encounters with tanks during the next few days. Regardless, despite using infantry mounted on tanks the KPA seemed unable to conduct the sort of organised or co-ordinated assault required to dislodge the Australians, and they were relatively untroubled for the rest of the night.
27th British Commonwealth Brigade consolidates, 26 October 1950 By dawn the Australians were still in possession of the bridgehead across the Taeryong. A large number of undamaged KPA vehicles were subsequently found in front of their positions and they were soon pressed into service. At 07:00 a further airstrike by USAF F-80s was called-in on the KPA holding the ridges to the west of the 3 RAR positions, and they were subsequently strafed and attacked with
napalm. With the way reported clear, C and D Companies crossed the river from the eastern bank later that morning. C Company subsequently took up a defensive position a few hundred metres forward of A Company on the left of the road, while D Company crossed the river at Pakchon and advanced to occupy a dominant hill on the battalion's right flank. In spite of harassment by the KPA during the previous evening which had cost D Company four casualties, the American engineers at Pakchon had continued to work on the underwater bridge and the Sherman tanks were able to cross there by 11:00 that morning, although the water was still considered too deep for wheeled vehicles. The battle continued during the morning; however, by 12:00 the KPA finally withdrew, abandoning the bridge to the Australians. Meanwhile, Coad put two companies from the Argylls across the Taeryong River on tanks at the Pakchon ford, and they met only slight opposition. The Middlesex then passed through them, moving south-west onto the main road in front of 3 RAR where they knocked out a KPA tank which was blocking their advance. By nightfall they had linked up with the Australians, consolidating their positions and securing a safe crossing for the remainder of the brigade, including the wheeled vehicles which followed that evening. KPA patrols attempted to harass the British and Australian outposts; however, despite their perimeter being shelled it proved to be a relatively quiet night for the 27th British Commonwealth Brigade. ==Aftermath==