Hill 303 massacre

Hill 303 massacre
Bodies of massacre victims gathered near Waegwan, South Korea, many with their hands still bound
Location	Hill 303, Waegwan, South Korea
Coordinates	35°59′N 128°24′E / 35.98°N 128.4°E / 35.98; 128.4Coordinates: 35°59′N 128°24′E / 35.98°N 128.4°E / 35.98; 128.4
Date	August 17, 1950 14:00 (KST)
Target	U.S. Army prisoners of war
Attack type	mass execution
Deaths	42 prisoners executed
Non-fatal injuries	4–5 prisoners wounded
Perpetrators	North Korean army soldiers

The Hill 303 massacre (Korean: 303 고지 학살 사건) was a war crime that took place during the Korean War on August 17, 1950, on a hill above Waegwan, South Korea. Forty-one captured United States Army prisoners of war were shot and killed by troops of the North Korean army during one of the smaller engagements of the Battle of Pusan Perimeter.

Operating near Taegu during the Battle of Taegu, elements of the U.S. Army's 2nd Battalion, 5th Cavalry Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division were surrounded by North Korean troops crossing the Naktong River at Hill 303. Most of the U.S. troops were able to escape but one platoon of mortar operators misidentified North Korean troops as South Korean army reinforcements and was captured. North Korean troops held the Americans on the hill and initially tried to move them across the river and out of the battle, but they were unable to do so because of heavy counterattack. American forces eventually broke the North Korean advance, routing the force. As the North Koreans began to retreat one of their officers ordered the prisoners to be shot so they would not slow the North Koreans down.

The massacre provoked a response from both sides in the conflict. U.S. commanders broadcast radio messages and dropped leaflets demanding the senior North Korean commanders be held responsible for the atrocity. The North Korean commanders, concerned about the way their soldiers were treating prisoners of war, laid out stricter guidelines for handling enemy captives. Memorials were later constructed on Hill 303 by troops at nearby Camp Carroll, to honor the victims of the massacre.