The immediate UN objective was Triangle Hill, a forested ridge of high ground 2 kilometers north of
The immediate UN objective was Triangle Hill, a forested ridge of high ground 2 kilometers north of Gimhwa-eup. The hill was occupied by the veterans of the PVA’s 15th Corps. Over the course of nearly a month, substantial US and Republic of Korea Army (ROK) forces made repeated attempts to capture Triangle Hill and the adjacent Sniper Ridge. Despite clear superiority in artillery and aircraft, escalating UN casualties resulted in the attack being halted after 42 days of fighting, with PVA forces regaining their original positions.In October 1952, the U.S. 7th Infantry Division occupied a sector of the Main Line of Resistance (MLR) in central Korea near Kumhwa. Opposing the division, the Chinese 45th Division held elevations to the north, including Hill 598, also called Triangle Hill. Both sides were well dug-in. Battle lines had not changed significantly in almost a year.After peace talks began in November 1951, the Eighth Army assumed an “active defense” posture and combatants on both sides marked time awaiting the outcome of the talks.The “War of the Hills” had begun. For six months, this war played out as artillery/mortar exchanges and minor skirmishes that did little to change the situation. Then, in spring 1952, as frustration over the failure of peace talks increased, “active” defense gave way to active engagement. Operation Showdown began to take shape.The Battle of Triangle Hill was the biggest and bloodiest contest of 1952. After 42 days of heavy fighting, the Eighth Army had failed to gain the two hill masses that were its original goal. Although the PVA had suffered 11,500 casualties with many units decimated during the battle, its ability to sustain such losses had slowly exhausted the US Eighth Army over two months of attrition. -- source link
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