Bloody Gulch massacre
| Bloody Gulch massacre | |
|---|---|
| Location | South Korea |
| Date | August 12, 1950 (KST) |
| Target | US Army prisoners of war |
|
Attack type
|
mass execution |
| Deaths | 75 |
| Perpetrators | North Korean Army soldiers |
The Bloody Gulch massacre was a war crime that took place in the Korean War on August 12, 1950 in "Bloody Gulch", west of Masan, South Korea. After a very successful attack on two undefended US Artillery Battalions that killed or wounded hundreds of US troops, members of the North Korean People's Army (KPA) 13th Regiment executed seventy-five captured US Army prisoners of war during one of the smaller engagements of the Battle of Pusan Perimeter. The troops were from the 555th Field Artillery Battalion (24th Infantry Division) and the 90th Field Artillery Battalion (25th Infantry Division).
Following the invasion of the South Korea by North Korea on June 25, 1950, the United Nations voted to use force to defend South Korea. The United States, a member of the UN, subsequently committed ground forces to the Korean peninsula with the goal of fighting back the North Korean invasion and to prevent South Korea from collapsing.
The 24th Infantry Division was the first US unit sent into Korea. The unit was to take the initial "shock" of North Korean advances, delaying much larger North Korean units to buy time to allow reinforcements to arrive. The division was consequently alone for several weeks as it attempted to delay the North Koreans, making time for the 1st Cavalry and the 7th and 25th Infantry Divisions, along with other Eighth United States Army supporting units, to move into position. Advance elements of the 24th Infantry, known as Task Force Smith, were badly defeated in the Battle of Osan on July 5, the first encounter between American and North Korean forces. For the first month after this defeat, the 24th Infantry was repeatedly defeated and forced south by superior North Korean numbers and equipment. The regiments of the 24th Infantry were systematically pushed south in engagements around Chochiwon, Chonan, and Pyongtaek. The 24th made a final stand in the Battle of Taejon, where it was almost completely destroyed but delayed North Korean forces until July 20. By that time, the Eighth Army's force of combat troops were roughly equal to North Korean forces attacking the region, with new UN units arriving every day.
...
Wikipedia