Battle of White Horse

Battle of White Horse
Part of the Korean War
Date October 6–15, 1952 Location Northwest of Cheorwon, Korea Coordinates: 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  France South Korea  United States	People's Republic of China
Commanders and leaders
Kim Jong-Oh	Jiang Yonghui
Units involved
9th Infantry Division	38th Corps
Casualties and losses
South Korean sources: 3,500 Chinese estimation: 9,300	Chinese sources: 1,768 killed 3,062 wounded 562 missing South Korean estimation: 10,000

 United Nations

The Battle of White Horse (Korean: 백마고지 전투 or Baengma-goji, Chinese: 白马山战斗; pinyin: Bái Mǎ Shān Zhàn Dòu), was another in a series of bloody battles for dominant hilltop positions during the Korean War. Baengma-goji was a 395-metre (1,296 ft) hill in the Iron Triangle, formed by Pyonggang at its peak and Gimhwa-eup and Cheorwon at its base, was a strategic transportation route in the central region of the Korean peninsula.

White Horse was the crest of a forested hill mass that extended in a northwestsoutheast direction for about two miles (3 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 the IX Corps to withdraw to the high ground south of the Yokkok-chon in the Cheorwon area, would deny the IX Corps use of the Cheorwon road net, and would open up the entire Cheorwon area to enemy attack and penetration.

During ten days of battle, the hill would change hands 24 times after repeated attacks and counterattacks for its possession. It was one of the most intense position-grasping battle for a small hill during the course of the Korean War. Afterwards, Baengma-goji looked like a threadbare white horse, thence its name of Baengma, meaning a white horse.

On October 3, 1952, a defecting Lieutenant from the 340th Regiment (114th Division People's Volunteer Army) under interrogation revealed that an attack on White Horse was imminent.

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