Battle of White Horse Hill

Battle of White Horse Hill
Part of the Korean War
White Horse Hill memorial
Date October 6–15, 1952 Location Northwest of Cheorwon, Korea 38°17′24″N 127°09′00″E / 38.29000°N 127.15000°E / 38.29000; 127.15000 Result United Nations victory
Belligerents
United Nations (UNC)  South Korea  United States	China
Commanders and leaders
Kim Jong-oh[1]	Jiang Yonghui[2]
Units involved
9th Infantry Division 7th Infantry Division Fifth Air Force	38th Corps[3] 334th Regiment 339th Regiment 340th Regiment 342nd Regiment
Casualties and losses
South Korean sources: 3,500[4] Chinese estimation: 9,300[3]	Chinese sources: 1,768 killed 3,062 wounded 562 missing[3] South Korean estimation: 10,000[4]

The Battle of White Horse Hill (Korean: 백마고지 전투, Chinese: 白马山战斗; pinyin: Bái Mǎ Shān Zhàn Dòu)took place during the Korean War. White Horse Hill (Hill 395) in the Iron Triangle, formed by Pyonggang at its peak and Gimhwa-eup and Cheorwon-eup at its base, a strategic transportation route in the central region of the Korean peninsula.

White Horse Hill was the crest of a 395-metre (1,296 ft) forested hill mass that extended in a northwest-to-southeast direction for about 2 miles (3.2 km), part of the area controlled by the U.S. IX Corps, and considered an important outpost hill with a good command over the Yokkok-chon Valley, dominating the western approaches to Cheorwon. Loss of the hill would force IX Corps to withdraw to the high ground south of the Yokkok-chon in the Cheorwon area, denying the IX Corps use of the Cheorwon road net and would open up the entire Cheorwon area to enemy attack and penetration.