Битва при Капёнге: Героическая оборона в Корейской войне.

1951 battle of the Korean War

The Battle of Kapyong (; 22–27 April 1951), also known as the Battle of Jiaping , was fought during the Korean War between United Nations Command (UN) forces—primarily Canadian, Australian, and New Zealand—and the 118th and 60th Divisions of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army (PVA). The fighting occurred during the Chinese Spring Offensive and saw the 27th British Commonwealth Brigade (27th Brigade) establish blocking positions in the Kapyong Valley, on a key route south to the capital, Seoul. The two forward battalions—the 3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (3 RAR) and 2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry (2 PPCLI), both battalions consisting of about 700 men each—were supported by guns from the 16th Field Regiment (16 NZFR) of the Royal Regiment of New Zealand Artillery along with two companies of US mortars, fifteen Sherman tanks from US 72nd Heavy Tank Battalion, two companies of the US 74th Engineer Combat Battalion and 1st Battalion, Middlesex Regiment. These forces occupied positions astride the valley with hastily developed defences. As thousands of soldiers from the Republic of Korea Army (ROK) began to withdraw through the valley, the PVA infiltrated the brigade position under the cover of darkness, and assaulted the 3 RAR on Hill 504 during the evening and into the following day. Five companies of the US and UK forces attached to 27th Brigade fled the battlefield without orders, expecting an imminent PVA breakthrough at the Kapyong Valley. Although heavily outnumbered, the 3 RAR and U. S. tanks held their positions into the afternoon of April 24 before they retreated from the battlefield to a reserve position near brigade headquarters, with both sides having suffered heavy casualties. The PVA then turned their attention to the surrounded 2 PPCLI on Hill 677, whose encirclement prevented any resupply or reinforcements from entering. The 2 PPCLI were ordered to make a last stand on Hill 677. During a fierce night battle on 24/25 April the PVA forces were unable to dislodge the 2 PPCLI and sustained enormous losses. The next day, the PVA withdrew back up the valley in order to regroup, and the 2 PPCLI were relieved late on 26 April. The fighting helped blunt the PVA Spring Offensive and the actions of the 2 PPCLI and 3 RAR at Kapyong were critical in preventing a breakthrough against the UN central front, the encirclement of US forces in Korea, which were at that point in general retreat, and ultimately, the capture of Seoul. The 2 PPCLI and 3 RAR battalions bore the brunt of the assault and stopped PVA divisional forces estimated at 20,000 in strength during the hard fought defensive battle. Today, the battle is regarded as the most famous and significant action fought by the Canadian and Australian armies in Korea, and the most famous battle fought by the Canadian Armed Forces since WWII.

The UN counter offensive between February and April 1951 had been largely successful, with the US Eighth Army pushing the PVA north of the Han River during Operation Killer, while Seoul was recaptured in mid March during Operation Ripper and UN forces once again approached the 38th Parallel. Regardless, the strained relationship between UN commander General Douglas MacArthur and US President Harry S. Truman led to MacArthur's dismissal as Commander in Chief, and his replacement by General Matthew B. Ridgway. Following the Battle of Maehwa San, the 27th British Commonwealth Brigade were assigned to a period in US IX Corps reserve as the UN forces had continued to push steadily northwards. By April 1951, the brigade consisted of four infantry battalions, one Australian, one Canadian and two British, including: the 3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment; 2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry; 1st Battalion, Middlesex Regiment; and 1st Battalion, Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders. Brigadier Basil Coad had departed for Hong Kong on compassionate leave on 23 March and the brigade was now under the command of Brigadier Brian Burke. In direct support was the 16th Field Regiment, Royal New Zealand Artillery (16 NZFR) with its 25 pounder field guns. 3 RAR was under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Bruce Ferguson. 2 PPCLI was commanded by Lieutenant Colonel James Stone. Deployed in the central sector, the brigade was part of US IX Corps which also included the US 24th Infantry Division, ROK 2nd Infantry Division, US 7th Infantry Division and the ROK 6th Infantry Division, under the overall command of Major General William M. Hoge. During this time, 27th Brigade was attached to the US 24th Division, advancing north through the Chojong valley in late March, reaching the Benton Line on 31 March. The brigade was then released, advancing with IX Corps up the deep and narrow valley of the Kapyong River, to the east. From 3 April, the 27th Brigade moved further up the river, advancing over the next 12 days as part of Operation Rugged. Although the valley was not held in strength by the PVA, it was skilfully defended by small groups of infantry dug in on the hilltops that overlooked it. Advancing along the flanking hills and ridges, the brigade captured successive positions, while encountering heavy resistance before reaching the Kansas Line on 8 April. The approach to the Utah Line was dominated by two hills—the 'Sardine' feature north, and 'Salmon', a further north. A Middlesex company was repulsed twice in attempts to capture Sardine on 14 April, before the task was allocated to 3 RAR. The following morning, Salmon was captured by C Company without firing a shot, amidst light resistance. PVA shelling after its capture resulted in two men wounded, while airstrikes then broke up an attempted PVA counter attack. Meanwhile, 2 PPCLI continued their advance on the right flank, capturing the 'Turbot' feature (Hill 795) on 15 April. Facing a spirited PVA delaying action on successive positions, the 2 PPCLI did not capture their final objective—the 'Trout' feature (Hill 826)—until the following morning.

After reaching the Utah Line, 27th Brigade was withdrawn from the front on 17 April, handing over its positions to the ROK 6th Division. Burke subsequently ordered his battalions into reserve positions north of the previously destroyed village of Kapyong, on the main road from Seoul to the east coast. Intelligence indicated that a new PVA offensive was imminent, and while the brigade settled in to rest, it remained on three hours' notice to move to support IX Corps. Having been on operations continuously for the past seven months, the 27th Brigade intended to relieve the bulk of its forces during its period in reserve. Two of the battalions—the Argylls and the Middlesex—would be replaced by two fresh battalions from Hong Kong. Advance parties from Brigade Headquarters and the Argylls departed for Seoul en route for Hong Kong on 19 April, while the remaining battalions were scheduled to depart two weeks later. 3 RAR would not be rotated and remained a part of the brigade for the entire war, operating on an individual reinforcement system instead. Meanwhile, planning began for Operation Dauntless, a drive into the Iron Triangle—a key PVA/Korean People's Army (KPA) concentration area and communications junction in the central sector between Chorwon and Kumwha in the south and Pyonggang in the north. Contingency planning also included precautions against a new major PVA offensive, in which the US Eighth Army would conduct a delaying defence on successive positions. With the immediate objective of capturing Seoul, the offensive commenced on 22 April on two broad fronts: the main thrust across the Imjin River in the western sector held by the US I Corps, involving 337,000 troops driving towards Seoul, and the secondary effort involving 149,000 troops attacking further east across the Soyang River in the central and eastern sectors, falling primarily on US IX Corps, and to a lesser extent, on US X Corps' sector. A further 214,000 PVA troops supported the offensive; in total more than 700,000 men. As part of the preparation, the battle hardened 39th and 40th Armies of the 13th Army Group were transferred to the 9th Army Group under the overall command of Song Shi Lun, and Commander Wen Yuchen of the 40th Army was given the mission of destroying the ROK 6th Division while blocking any UN reinforcements towards the Imjin River at Kapyong. Facing the offensive were 418,000 UN troops, including 152,000 ROK, 245,000 Americans, 11,500 British Commonwealth and 10,000 troops from other UN countries. Standing directly in the path of the main PVA attack towards Seoul in the I Corps sector was the 29th British Brigade. The brigade's stand on the Imjin River held off two PVA divisions for two days and ultimately helped prevent the capture of Seoul, but resulted in heavy casualties in one of the bloodiest British engagements of the war. The 29th Brigade suffered 1,091 casualties in their defence of the Kansas Line, and they destroyed a large portion of the PVA 63rd Army and inflicted nearly 10,000 casualties. Meanwhile, further east, in the IX Corps sector, the PVA 118th Division, 40th Army and the 60th Division, 20th Army prepared to attack the ROK 6th Division on the night of 22 April.

The ROK were holding positions at the northern end of the Kapyong Valley, having advanced since relieving the 27th Brigade. Regardless, left with only one hour to halt its advance and step up defences, the forward ROK units were only able to occupy a series of hill top positions while leaving the valleys and flanks exposed. Two PVA divisions—the 118th and the 60th Division—struck at 17:00, easily infiltrating through numerous gaps between the badly organised defensive positions. At 04:00, the decision was made to withdraw the 16 NZFR to prevent their loss. However, following reports that the ROK were making a stand, they were ordered back up the valley the next morning with the Middlesex accompanying them as protection. By dusk, it was clear that the ROK units had collapsed, and the guns were withdrawn again. Yet with the forward UN positions in both the US I Corps and US IX Corps sectors increasingly untenable as the PVA exploited gaps between formations, Van Fleet ordered a withdrawal to the Kansas Line in the mid morning. Hoge subsequently ordered the US Marines to form a new defensive position beyond the Pukhan River, between the Hwachon Reservoir and the new position to be occupied by the ROK 6th Division. Hoge's plan relied on the ROK reforming and offering some resistance, and although a rearguard of 2,500 men was belatedly established, it was in no condition to fight. Fearing a breakthrough, Hoge ordered the 27th Brigade, as the corps' reserve, to establish defensive positions north of Kapyong on the afternoon of 23 April as a precaution in the event the ROK were unable to hold, tasking them with blocking the two approaches to the village and to prevent the PVA from cutting Route 17, a key route south to Seoul and an important main supply route. The brigade was by now reduced to three battalions, as the Argylls had been withdrawn to Pusan just prior to the battle, in preparation for their embarkation. The Middlesex were also on stand by for embarkation and were kept in reserve. As such, with the width of the valley precluding the establishment of a continuous linear defensive line, Burke was forced to place his two available battalions on the high points on either side of it, with 3 RAR occupying Hill 504 to the east of the river and 2 PPCLI occupying Hill 677 to the west. Meanwhile, Sudok San (Hill 794) to the north west—a massive hill nearly high—was left undefended by necessity. Together, these three hills formed a naturally strong defensive position, well suited to blocking a major advance. With the 16 NZFR still forward supporting the ROK, US IX Corps placed a battery of howitzers from the US 213th Field Artillery Battalion and the twelve M2 mortars of B Company, 2nd Chemical Mortar Battalion, under the command of 27th Brigade. Fifteen Sherman tanks from A Company, US 72nd Heavy Tank Battalion, were also in support. Meanwhile, the 3 RAR occupied Hill 504, with D Company holding the summit itself, A Company the spur line which ran down to the north west, and B Company the small hill by the river, while C Company was in reserve on the rear spur. The afternoon was spent on the lightly scrub covered slopes digging in and building sangars where the rocky ground proved too hard. The US tank company commander—Lieutenant Kenneth W. Koch—deployed his platoons in support of the 3 RAR. The road skirted the eastern flank of Hill 504, and it offered the best area for the employment of armour. One platoon of five tanks occupied a northern outpost position forward of B Company to prevent the PVA using the road; another platoon occupied the high ground to the west, with B Company; while the final platoon and Koch's command tank was deployed near battalion headquarters, covering a ford by which the road crossed the Kapyong River, approximately south of B Company. The tanks were deployed without infantry support. By 20:00 that evening, a large number of ROK were retreating in disarray through a gap in the line held by the brigade, the majority of them moving through the 3 RAR positions. Racing down the north east running valley, the 354th Regiment reached the 3 RAR positions by about 22:00. Intent on capturing the important crossroads of Route 17 south of Kapyong, and most likely unaware of the location of the Australian blocking position, the PVA vanguard remained in the low ground, splitting as they approached a long, low north–south running ridge that rose like an island in the mouth of the valley. The battle started during the night of 23/24 April, and continued until late in the day on 27 April, as the PVA 118th Division and 60th Division, totaling perhaps 20,000 men under the command of Deng Yue—engaged the two forward battalions of 27th British Commonwealth Brigade. The initial PVA attack at Kapyong engaged the 700 men of 3 RAR on Hill 504, while in the early part of the battle, the Middlesex and the 16 NZFR gunners were all but cut off. However, the resistance of the 3 RAR ultimately allowed them to safely withdraw from the battlefield and the Middlesex then moved into a reserve position astride the western bank of the river. Using the retreating ROK troops to cover their movements, the PVA had infiltrated the brigade position in the initial stages of the battle, penetrating between A and B Companies, 3 RAR astride the road, and largely surrounding the latter before moving into the rear positions. Probes began on the A and B Company positions, and a number of assaults occurred during the night. Utilising indirect fires, the PVA charged forward in waves, only to be beaten back by the 3 RAR's Bren light machine guns, Owen submachine guns, rifle fire and grenades, before again regrouping and attacking again. A final assault on B Company was made just at dawn at 04:45 by about 70 PVA, and was again repulsed. Further up the ridge, A Company—under Major Ben O'Dowd—faced a tougher task, and came under heavy attack. The first probes began at 21:30, targeting 1 Platoon, which was the lowest of the three platoons on the west flank. The initial moves were then followed up by major PVA assaults from three sides over the next three hours. Despite suffering many casualties, the PVA continued their attack, closing in and attacking 1 Platoon with hand grenades. 1 Platoon also suffered numerous casualties, with more than half the platoon killed or wounded, including all three Bren gunners. Fighting back with small arms fire, they held against repeated assaults, which increased in frequency and strength as the PVA assaulted. By 01:00, O'Dowd ordered the survivors of 1 Platoon to withdraw through Company Headquarters into a new position in between 2 and 3 Platoons. The PVA attacks then continued against 3 Platoon, lasting until 04:30, although they were not made with the same weight as the previous assaults. These US units found a minor road and hiked ten miles east to Chunchon before resting. By dawn, it was clear that the PVA had succeeded in penetrating the perimeter through a gap between the 3 RAR platoons, and they began to engage them with machine guns from a defilade position covered from fire by a steep dip in the ridgeline, and concealed by thick scrub. In the growing light, 1 and 3 Platoon were soon pinned down and suffered a number of casualties as they attempted to gain better fire positions with which to engage their attackers. At 06:00, a fighting patrol was dispatched to make contact with Company Headquarters, and as the section passed over a false crest on their way down the spur line, they encountered the PVA positions by chance. Attacking immediately, six PVA were killed for the loss of one 3 RAR, and the threat to A Company was eliminated. O'Dowd then launched a counter attack with 3 Platoon, assaulting the PVA occupying the original 1 Platoon position. By 07:00, they had regained the feature and the PVA were forced to withdraw under heavy fire from the 3 RAR platoons on the high ground, who again exacted a heavy toll. The night's fighting had cost A Company dearly, however, and among the dead were the two 16 NZFR forward observers. In total, they suffered more than 50 casualties—half their original strength. Meanwhile, on the right flank, D Company—under Captain Norm Gravener—held the summit of Hill 504 and was not heavily engaged during the night, while C Company—commanded by Captain Reg Saunders—was attacked only once. Located to the rear, Battalion Headquarters found itself heavily pressed, however. Protected by a section of Vickers machine guns, two 17 pounder anti tank guns, the Assault Pioneer Platoon, and the Regimental Police under the Headquarters Company commander—Captain Jack Gerke, plus Koch's own commanding tank platoon—the fighting flared around 22:00 as the PVA infiltrated the position among the retreating ROK. They bypassed the headquarters and the US tanks nearby, surrounding the defenders and establishing blocking positions on the road to the south. During the night, the PVA attempted to mount the tanks and destroy them with grenades and satchel charges, but were driven off by fire. Later, one of the tanks received a direct hit from a 3.5 inch rocket, while the forward perimeter was struck heavily by attacking waves of PVA, and was forced back with heavy casualties. Receiving fire from PVA soldiers occupying several houses in the village of Chuktun ni, the Shermans engaged the roadblock and several houses, killing more than 40 PVA in one house alone. At this point, Ferguson requested further reinforcements from Burke, and at 04:00 Burke ordered a Middlesex company forward in support of Ferguson's battalion HQ. Ferguson's absence from the battlefield and the intermittent nature of communications with his field officers made it increasingly difficult for him to communicate, monitor, and control his units on the battlefield. Ferguson led his battalion HQ staff in the departure between 05:15 and 06:00, escorted by some of the US tanks. However, difficulties ensued with Ferguson's personal vehicles. A PVA mortar round blew the wheel off of Ferguson's own jeep, which was abandoned, while the tanks opened fire and drove off the attackers. Ferguson's subsequent vehicle, a converted two and a half tonne truck, became bogged down during the withdrawal and had to be destroyed. The two companies of the US 74th Engineer Combat Battalion encamped adjacent to 3 RAR on the hillside had witnessed Ferguson's departure. Mistaking his movement as a general retreat, they fled the battlefield on foot, abandoning their trucks and equipment. During Ferguson's withdrawal, two of the 3 RAR were left behind and were subsequently captured by the PVA. Signaller Private Horace Madden was later posthumously awarded the George Cross, following his death from malnutrition and ill treatment. Cpt. Gerke, in charge of 3 RAR battalion HQ defence, was unaware that Ferguson had removed himself and his staff from the battlefield, and was searching for Ferguson around the battlefield area, concerned about his disappearance. At 06:00, Gerke was approached by a jeep from Ferguson's new HQ location, who announced, "Bug out! Battalion HQ is back down the road." Communications between Ferguson's 3 RAR HQ and Burke's 27th Brigade HQ had failed early, while communications between Ferguson's HQ and the 3 RAR forward companies were also poor. This was mostly due to the large number of ROK retreating through their position, tearing out the line from the 3 RAR HQ, as well the effect of heavy vehicle traffic and gunfire on the exposed line. Likewise, direct radio communication with the forward companies on the 3 RAR command net with the new Type 31 VHF radios was obstructed by the rugged terrain due to the siting of 3 RAR headquarters in low ground relative to the forward companies and the requirement for line of sight. The forward companies were able to maintain communications with each other, but not with Ferguson's headquarters, while the company level nets also functioned well. Ultimately, contact was maintained between Ferguson and Burke through a radio set in the Middlesex Battalion Headquarters, while messages to O'Dowd and the forward companies engaged on the battlefield relied on line and a slow relay through C Company. These issues had only further complicated the conduct of the defence on the first night, with the co ordination of the battlefield arrangements falling to O'Dowd, who had now assumed field command of 3 RAR. The PVA attacks had been launched quickly and aggressively, placing their light machine guns on the flank in support and attempting to close to attack the 3 RAR perimeter with grenades. Contrary to some contemporary western accounts, the PVA did not use human wave tactics. Rather, using a tactic known as 'one point two sides', they used massed forces and infiltration to achieve local numerical superiority and to penetrate the gaps between the forward companies, before attempting to envelop the 3 RAR while drawing their fire to the front, away from their threatened flanks. They would normally attempt to close with UN defensive positions using darkness or poor visibility to cover their movement and to counter US air superiority, before attacking using massed force, coordinated with close fire support. However, although normally well planned and closely supported by machine gun, mortar, and artillery fire, PVA attacks in Korea were often inflexible in execution once launched. This was mostly due to the lack of radio communications below battalion level, with the PVA instead relying on whistle blasts, bugle calls, and runners for command and control, and although their and mortars had provided particularly effective indirect fire support, these problems were again evident during the fighting at Kapyong. Later, it was estimated that more than 500 PVA were killed by the 3 RAR and the US tanks that supported them.

As daylight broke, the 16 NZFR were now in place to offer artillery support One hundred and seventy three dead PVA were counted on the B Company perimeter by the 3 RAR before they departed. With B Company successfully occupying its new positions, Ferguson returned forward to the hillside below his forward companies as a passenger inside a Sherman tank, which afforded protection from small arms fire. During the drive back from his new battalion HQ position, Ferguson found himself assisting in the loading of the tank machine guns when necessary to return fire at the enemy. Just after 09:00, a group of PVA launched an attack at the top of the spur held by C Company. The attack was repulsed, and no further assaults were made against C Company during the day, although they endured sniper fire and mortar bombardment for several hours. With Burke now realising the importance of B Company's previous position to a planned counter offensive, two hours after their withdrawal, Ferguson ordered Laughlin to re occupy the position which they had just vacated. Ferguson summoned O'Dowd to meet him at the former battalion HQ area and advised him that Burke had ordered B Company to return to the hill they had vacated. However, a large PVA force was now detected occupying the old B Company position and 4 Platoon was effectively halted halfway to the objective. Before Laughlin could prepare his next move, he was ordered to withdraw by Ferguson, who was relaying orders from Burke pursuant to a new appraisal of the situation, and the attempted assault to dislodge the PVA and recover the hill was abandoned. Lance Corporal Henry Richey was posthumously mentioned in dispatches after being fatally wounded attempting to evacuate the last of the 12 Platoon casualties. Despite their previous failures, the PVA launched another series of attacks from 11:30 and these attacks continued for the next two hours, again targeting 12 Platoon under the command of Lieutenant John Ward. Failing to break through again, the PVA suffered heavy casualties before the assault ended. From 13:30, there was another lull in the fighting for an hour and a half, although D Company continued to endure PVA mortar, machine gun, and rifle fire. Believing that the battle may continue into the night, Gravener made the decision to pull 12 Platoon back in order to adopt a tighter company perimeter, lest his forward platoon be overrun and destroyed. The movement was completed without incident and, shortly after, the newly vacated position was assaulted by a large PVA force which had failed to detect the withdrawal. The PVA moved quickly as they attempted to establish their position on the northern end of the ridge, only to be heavily engaged by 3 RAR machine gun and rifle fire, and artillery. Burke's 27th Brigade HQ was reinforced on the afternoon of 24 April by the arrival of two battalions of the US 5th Cavalry Regiment. These had been dispatched earlier in the day to the Brigade, and one of the battalions was subsequently deployed to the southwest of Hill 677 in order to cover the Brigade HQ left flank. A second US battalion occupied a position across the river, southeast of the Middlesex, providing cover for Brigade HQ right flank. Likewise, despite heavy casualties in one of the 3 RAR companies and battalion headquarters, 3 RAR would emerge from the intense battle largely intact and would successfully withdraw to Brigade HQ. Meanwhile, one of the replacement British battalions, the 1st Battalion, King's Own Scottish Borderers, had also arrived during the 24th and it took up positions with the 3 RAR around Brigade Headquarters. However, these forces collected near Brigade HQ would not attempt to engage the PVA or to form a relief column to attempt to break the PVA control of access to the supply trail from Tungmudae for the embattled and surrounded Hill 677, as Burke would inform the 2 PCCLI on the evening of 24 April.

Although originally intent on holding until the 3 RAR could be relieved by the 5th Cavalry Regiment, Burke had decided during the morning to withdraw 3 RAR from Hill 504 and retreat to 27th Brigade HQ. This decision had prompted Burke to cancel B Company's assault. With the 3 RAR facing encirclement, and mindful of the fate that had befallen the Glosters, Burke had ordered a withdrawal back to the Middlesex area to new defensive positions in the rear of the brigade. Indeed, despite holding the PVA at bay throughout the morning and afternoon, the increasing difficulty of resupply and casualty evacuation made it clear that the 3 RAR would be unable to hold Hill 504 for another night in its exposed and isolated positions. Stone on Hill 677 overheard on the radio net Ferguson order O'Dowd, " withdraw as best you can to the Middlesex positions, I can no longer keep control." With the PVA dominating the road south, O'Dowd ordered his companies to withdraw along a ridge running south west from Hill 504, just east of the Kapyong River. The Middlesex position lay a further south west of the foot of the ridge and could be reached by the ford secured earlier by Gerke, which would act as the battalion check point for the withdrawal. Command of A Company was temporarily handed over to the second in command, Captain Bob Murdoch. Present at the Battle of Pakchon in November 1950, O'Dowd understood first hand the dangers of withdrawing while in contact. The challenge was to protect the forward platoons as they withdrew from being followed up by the PVA occupying the old B Company positions and from D Company's position after they broke contact. The 3 RAR would also have to clear the withdrawal route of any blocking forces, while at the same time, the evacuation of a large number of wounded and PVA prisoners would hamper their movement. As such, the timing of the withdrawal would be critical to its success. Consequently, the lead company would not move until mid afternoon so that the rearguard would be able to use the protection of darkness to break contact, while at the same time offering good observation and fields of fire during the daylight to support the initial moves. After 15:00, an airstrike was called in to dislodge the surviving PVA in front of D Company. However, the attack by two US Marine Corps F4U Corsairs was mistakenly directed at D Company themselves after their positions were wrongly marked by the spotter plane. Two men were killed and several badly burnt by napalm before the attack was broken off after the company second in command—Captain Michael Ryan—ran out under PVA fire waving a marker panel. The PVA quickly attempted to exploit the chaos, moving against D Company's long exposed eastern flank. 11 Platoon on the main ridge forward of the summit was subjected to a frontal assault. However, unaffected by the napalm, they broke up the PVA attack and inflicted heavy casualties on them. Regardless, further PVA attempts to infiltrate the 3 RAR positions continued into the afternoon. The withdrawal was scheduled to begin shortly following the misdirected airstrike, and was to be preceded by an artillery bombardment with high explosive and smoke at 16:00. The US tanks were subsequently moved forward to provide cover, and when the 16 NZFR artillery failed to fire at the appointed hour, they provided direct fire support. Still in contact, the 3 RAR began to pull back, fighting a number of well disciplined rearguard actions as the companies leapfrogged each other. Meanwhile, the 16 NZFR kept the PVA at bay, after it finally commenced firing. Murdoch had been concerned lest he and his men should be engaged when they reached the Kapyong River in an exhausted condition and with little ammunition. The 3 RAR were fortunate, and due to difficulties of communication and navigation along the ridge line in the dark, elements of A Company had become separated and the last two platoons descended to the river too early to strike the ford. However, reaching a deserted part of the bank, they realised their mistake and immediately turned west again, following the river bank to the ford. The PVA did not follow this sudden final turn and plunged on into the river, giving A Company an unexpected opportunity to break free. The pursuing PVA soldiers were subsequently detected by Stone and 2 PPCLI B Company on Hill 677 and were fired on. Fortunately for the 3 RAR, the 2 PPCLI heavy machine gun fire was accurately directed onto the PVA pursuers and did not hit them. The possibility of 2 PPCLI supporting fire had been foreseen earlier; however, problems with the radio relay between the 3 RAR and 2 PPCLI meant that there had been no guarantee that the withdrawing force would not be mistaken for PVA as they crossed the river. Only D Company—which had been holding the summit and had withdrawn last—was heavily engaged and was unable to move at the scheduled time. The PVA launched a determined assault, preceding it with heavy machine gun and mortar fire, before attempting to overrun the forward pits. D Company repelled the PVA assault and Gravener decided to begin to thin out his position before the situation deteriorated further. With one platoon covering their movement, D Company subsequently withdrew, closely pursued by the PVA. Finally, D Company succeeded in achieving a clean break after dark, and D Company was able to safely withdraw. By 23:30, the battalion was clear, completing its withdrawal at full speed, and suffering only minimal casualties. This provided Stone with an essential supply route and the ability to maneouvre 12 M3 Half tracks carrying heavy machine guns and mortars up to the summit of Hill 677, which he then positioned adjacent to his battalion headquarters. These engineering assignments were completed just before major PVA forces arrived on the battlefield. Now assembled on the summit of Hill 677, the 700 soldiers of 2 PPCLI spent the night of 23/24 April in their shallow pits listening to the sounds of the fighting on the 3 RAR front. However, by early morning PVA activity to encircle Hill 677 increased and, with the situation deteriorating on Hill 504 on their right flank, Stone withdrew B Company from their position on the north edge of the Hill 677 summit to strengthen this eastern flank if the 3 RAR were forced to withdraw. Under the command of Major Vince Lilley, B company subsequently moved to occupy positions east of battalion headquarters on the high ground overlooking the valley road. Stone's intuitions were proven to be sound when this position, which protected not only his 2 PPCLI battalion headquarters but the battalion's major concentrations of heavy machine guns and mortars, would prove crucial during the fierce climax of the upcoming night battle. With increasing fears that the 3 RAR would be overcome and leave his right flank exposed to attack, Stone had redeployed B Company to cover the area overlooking the valley of the Kapyong. B Company, 2 PPCLI completed its redeployment by 11:00, just in time. However, a company of American tanks from US 72nd Tank Battalion supporting 3 RAR noticed the B Company adjustment and mistook the movement for enemy troops. The US tanks opened fire on the 2 PPCLI, wounding one man, and then continued their retreat from the battlefield. The 2 PPCLI battalion now occupied a northward facing arc curving from the summit of Hill 677 in the west to the high ground on the east closest to the river. D Company defended the left flank of the battalion, removed at a substantial distance from the main positions of 2 PPCLI which were over on the battalion's centre and right, C Company the central forward slope, while A and B Company held the right flank. The high grass and severe terrain of Hill 677 limited the ability of each company to provide mutual support. At the same time, the numerous ravines on the edge of the 2000 feet (610 m) high hill afforded the attacking forces hidden avenues of approach to the summit of Hill 677 to within a short distance of the 2 PPCLI positions. During the retreat of 3 RAR from Hill 504, Stone ordered 2 PPCLI B Company to provide covering fire to assist the 3 RAR escape on the run, clearly visible from Hill 677. With the PVA chasing the 3 RAR in fast pursuit, B Company opened continuous heavy machine gun fire for about a ten minute period, exacting heavy PVA losses and enabling the 3 RAR to make good their escape. O'Dowd, the 3 RAR field commander, requested an end to the supporting fire, fearful of the possibility of unintended 3 RAR casualties. The two US artillery companies had fled on foot, leaving their mortars, guns, supplies, and 50 loaded trucks plus other vehicles behind on the battlefield. The two US mortar companies then hiked and traversed to the east before resting, apparently convinced that a major PVA breakthrough was imminent at Kapyong.

To prepare and plan their initial assaults on Hill 677, the PVA command were not able to pinpoint the 2 PPCLI defensive positions, having had no opportunity to carry out a thorough reconnaissance prior to the attack. However, the severe terrain and numerous ravines on the sides of Hill 677 provided the PVA with hidden access routes to the summit near the 2 PPCLI positions where the PVA formations would gather. The PVA formations were visible during the final mass assaults against the 2 PPCLI entrenchments. However, in the darkness, the 2 PPCLI rifle fire would prove to be ineffective, forcing them to resort to using large amounts of grenades followed by bayonets in hand to hand combat. The PVA had earlier detected the redeployment of B Company, 2 PPCLI and at 22:00 that evening, they commenced an assault on the defenders' right flank, the first of four attacks directed at 6 Platoon of B Company. Although the initial moves were beaten back by medium machine gun fire and mortars, a second PVA assault an hour later succeeded in overrunning the right forward section of 6 Platoon. The platoon successfully withdrew in small groups back to the company main defensive position, where they eventually halted the PVA advance. In this first wave of mass assaults of the PVA, the 2 PPCLI mortars had proven vital, their stability allowing for rapid fire out to with an ability to accurately hit narrow ridgelines at maximum range. During the successive attacks on 6 Platoon of B Company, Private W. R. Mitchell of 6 Platoon became prominent. Mitchell possessed his own Bren gun with which he launched single handed counter attacks against PVA formations, firing on the run and dispersing the enemy, thereby rescuing platoon sections which had been cut off. Despite being twice wounded by PVA shrapnel and a bullet, he persisted with his personal Bren gun forays, and later refused to leave combat for medical treatment, remaining in his position throughout the night. By the morning, he could barely stand for loss of blood. Mitchell was awarded the Distinguished Conduct Medal. The next morning, 51 PVA dead were counted around the B Company perimeter. One of the 6 Platoon sergeants during the thick of the action “hurled his bayoneted rifle like a spear when his ammunition gave out.” climbing silently through the ravine access south of the B Company position. This force assembled quietly without the usual PVA bugle and sound signals, and then moved en masse toward Stone's battalion headquarters, apparently according to a preconceived plan of attack. Lilley of B Company warned Stone of the impending assault, and Stone himself assumed command of the HQ combat forces for this engagement. Twelve M3 Half tracks from Mortar Platoon had already been positioned there by Stone before the battle, each armed with a .50 calibre and a .30 calibre Browning machine gun. Stone held fire until the PVA broke through the tree line and advanced to just from their front. The PVA's next plan of attack would focus on areas where the 2 PPCLI heavy machine guns were not a factor in defence. Shortly after the second major assault on B Company was repelled, another large PVA assault force was detected fording the Kapyong Valley river in the bright moonlight, some 2000 feet beneath the Kapyong summit height and about 800 metres distant. PVA success on this flank was intended to provide a spacious staging area to assemble an overwhelmingly large force for a final assault against the 2 PPCLI battalion HQ and principal machine gun/mortar positions. At 01:10, a large PVA force was detected forming up on a spur to the west towards Hill 865 and they were engaged by defensive fire. The huge PVA formation assaulted 10 Platoon of D Company, commanded by Lt. Michael George Levy, with supporting fire from PVA medium machine guns and artillery With the supporting artillery of the 16 NZFR's guns now fully engaged, firing at the 'very slow' rate to conserve ammunition, the weight of the PVA assaults soon prompted Stone to request it be increased to the 'slow' rate of two rounds per gun per minute, so that 24 rounds fell every 30 seconds within a target area of
Despite the determined resistance from D Company, the PVA attack succeeded in infiltrating the D Company perimeter through the gaps between platoons, and D Company was surrounded on three sides. The forward platoons of D company were completely overrun by PVA infantry. The company commander, Captain J. G. W. Mills, acting on a request from 10 Platoon leader Levy, in turn requested from Stone a supporting artillery barrage on three separate occasions targeted directly onto Levy's position. Levy had commanded his men to seek whatever cover they could in the shallow trenches which had been scraped out of the rocky ground. Stone approved the request, after first asking Mills, "Do you know what you are asking? ", and receiving an affirmative response. Stone then immediately contacted the 16 NZFR and arranged for barrages of shrapnel shells from 16 NZFR's guns, now located some distant. The 16 NZFR and their 25 pound guns fired an estimated 10,000 rounds in the course of the night battle in support of D Company. Barwise was awarded the Military Medal for his deeds. Meanwhile, on the right flank, B Company was able to re occupy the platoon position it had been forced to relinquish earlier the previous evening. another full scale PVA assault during that night would have been difficult for the 2 PPCLI to resist. Fortunately for the 2 PPCLI, such an assault did not materialize.

Although the PVA continued to mount small attacks, 2 PPCLI were now in control of the summit. Following the retreat of the 3 RAR battalion on the previous day, the PVA had established blocking positions on the supply road from the rear slope of Hill 677 to the village of Tungmudae. This was the trail which had been improved by Stone on 23 April just prior to the PVA assaults. PVA control of the rear slopes of Hill 677 had cut the 2 PPCLI off from resupply and prevented any form of military reinforcements or relief from reaching them. Anticipating that the battle would continue into the evening of the 25th or be renewed with intensity by another major assault by the PVA 118th and 60th Division forces, Stone made a request at 04:00 that food, ammunition, and water be airdropped directly onto Hill 677 and by 10:00 the required supplies—including mortar ammunition—were dropped by four American C 119 Flying Boxcars flying from an airbase in Japan. During the air drop, only four parachutes landed in PVA controlled areas with the remainder successfully recovered by 2 PPCLI. The principal PVA formations had thus retreated prior to any UN relief forces reaching the 2 PPCLI positions, fulfilling the grim assessment given by Burke to the encircled 2 PPCLI when he flew over them on the evening of 24 April. The remainder of 25 April was relatively quiet for 2 PPCLI, although they were subjected to periodic harassing fire from the PVA. D Company received heavy machine gun fire from Hill 865 to the west, in particular. Regardless, the PVA made no further attempts to attack, and confined themselves to limited patrolling activities across the front. Burke had already been removed from command on the morning of 25 April and replaced by Brigadier George Taylor, a senior officer who had served with great distinction in WWII. Taylor then ordered the US 5th Cavalry Regiment to launch an assault to recover Hill 504 on the afternoon of 25 April which resulted in substantial US casualties. The remaining PVA soldiers on that hill position offered some resistance until about 16:00. The following day on 26 April the 2 PPCLI launched an assault against the remaining PVA entrenched on the northern slopes of Hill 677, while several PVA concentrations were again broken up by heavy artillery fire and airstrikes. The 2 PPCLI were finally relieved on Hill 677 by a battalion of the 5th Cavalry Regiment on the evening of 26 April. US patrols north of the feature met no resistance, while the US forces were also able to patrol east along Route 17 to Chunchon without contacting the PVA. By last light on 27 April, the situation had been stabilised on the Kapyong Valley front. The 2 PPCLI now formed the rear guard of the 27th Brigade as they moved out of the Kapyong sector towards the Seoul region of the UN front on 28 April. This rear guard was given the sobriquet of "the Stone force", after their commander. Stone himself offered an assessment of the lesson emerging from the Battle of Kapyong, "Kapyong demonstrated that morale, spirit of the troops, is probably the most important factor in battle." At the 2 PPCLI last stand at Hill 677, in addition to the five high level medals awarded, there were eleven Mentioned in Dispatches, indicating a widespread combat response from the 2 PPCLI. Most importantly, Stone had devised, and had insisted upon over the objections of his superior generals, a rigorous six week training course in mountain combat at the Miryang mountains in southern South Korea immediately prior to assignment with 27th Brigade in February, which prepared his men for the confused and isolated night combats at Kapyong. Stone's final assessment of his battalion's performance at Kapyong was that "with [UN] units buckling all around them, the Patricia's did not give up an inch of ground." Stone claimed, "The front broke everywhere and we were the only battalion holding in the whole of Korea on our side at the time."

With vastly superior numbers, the PVA had attacked on a broad front, and had overrun a number of the UN positions. After a fierce fire fight the PVA had pushed the ROK 6th Division, 3 RAR and US tank and artillery forces at Kapyong. In addition, five companies (two US mortar companies, two companies of the US 74th Engineer Combat Battalion and a company of the Middlesex) had fled the battlefield by foot east to Chunchon in anticipation of a PVA breakthrough. All of these UN units withdrew from combat into a reserve position, and did not engage the PVA further in the battle. The 2 PPCLI, supported by long distance artillery fire from the 16th NZ Field Regiment, managed to survive a two day encirclement and resisted full assaults of the PVA 118th and 60th Divisions, causing the PVA to withdraw before the arrival of UN relief forces. The UN forces ultimately prevailed, albeit through a last stand by the 2 PPCLI, despite being outnumbered on the field of battle by a factor of five to one, or by a factor of greater than ten to one. Total UN casualties in the Battle of Kapyong were 59 killed and more than 111 wounded. In contrast, the PVA losses were far heavier, and may have included 1,000–5,000 killed and many more wounded. while the battle was still in progress and was immediately transported to Hong Kong. He was later assigned to Malaya. Stone was not nominated by Burke for an award for the battle. However eight months later, in December 1951, Stone was nominated by Brigadier Rockingham for his third Distinguished Service Order for Stone's period of command of 2 PPCLI throughout the year of 1951, and the award was made in February 1952. Stone had remained in the front line of combat leading his men, which was a necessary requirement for the DSO award. was vindicated, and Stone's previous experiences with mountain battles in Italy were employed to construct the 2 PPCLI defensive arrangements at Kapyong. In December 2016, Stone was posthumously (Stone died in 2005) designated as an official Korean War Hero by the Government of South Korea Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs. The citation stated that the 2 PPCLI battalion had "achieved a milestone victory when they won the Battle of Gapyeong (Kapyong) against formidable attacks from Chinese troops" and that "with their victory in the Battle of Gapyeong (Kapyong), Stone and his soldiers are remembered as the Legends of Gapyeong to this day." Mills, commander of D Company of 2 PPCLI, was nominated by Stone and awarded the Military Cross for endorsing and forwarding 10 Platoon commander Levy's requests for artillery fire to be directed upon Levy's own position, an act which may have been responsible for the 2 PPCLI survival and success at Kapyong. However, unknown to Stone, Mills was not present in the actual battle area, but was behind a protective ridge. He was reliant upon the judgment and directions from Levy, who was active in the trenches directing the D Company platoons and calling in the artillery strikes locations through Mills. Levy himself was not awarded a medal, which later became a point of controversy. However, in 2004 the Governor General of Canada awarded Levy an official grant of arms, flag and badge, with a personal coat of arms in recognition of his central role in the battle. In 2017, Levy was posthumously (Levy died in 2007) awarded the Ambassador of Peace Medal by the South Korean government. Following Kapyong, Stone appointed Levy to be his Chief Intelligence Officer for the battalion. Ferguson was nominated by Burke and awarded the DSO. Burke claimed that Ferguson had displayed bravery under fire. Ferguson did not nominate O'Dowd for an award. O'Dowd had assumed field command of the battalion and had designed and executed the 3 RAR escape. Ferguson was removed from command in July and was assigned to training duties in Australia. Koch was awarded both the American Distinguished Service Cross and the British Military Cross for the essential role his tanks had played in the fighting around Hill 504. The Royal Australian Regiment, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry and the Middlesex Regiment were subsequently granted the battle honour "Kapyong". Today, the battle is regarded as the most famous action fought by the Canadian and Australian armies in Korea, On the battlefield itself, a major park and memorial to the Canadian Army was built and dedicated in 1983, the (Kapyong) Gapyeong Canada Monument. There is also a major park and monument dedicated to the Australian Army participation in the battle, 1.3 kilometres distant from the Canadian monument in the same area.

By 29 April, the PVA Spring Offensive was halted by UN forces at a defensive line north of Seoul, known as the No Name Line. In total, it was a withdrawal of in the US I and IX Corps sectors, and in the US X Corps and ROK III Corps sectors. Although the main blow had fallen on US I Corps, the resistance by British Commonwealth forces in the battles at the Imjin River and at Kapyong had helped to blunt its impetus and prevented a potential encirclement of the U. S. forces in Korea, which were then in full retreat across the Korean front lines. The defence mounted by the 27th Brigade stopped the PVA from isolating US I Corps from US IX Corps, and prevented a potential surrounding of the UN forces. This also halted the PVA advance on Seoul and prevented its capture. The PVA had now nearly exhausted their resources of men and material, and were approaching the limit of their supply lines. Some PVA soldiers were now tired, hungry, and short of equipment and during the fighting at Hill 504 they had demonstrated a greater willingness to surrender than in previous encounters, with 3 RAR taking 39 prisoners, only eight of them wounded. There were no reports of PVA soldiers surrendering or being taken captive in the battle at Hill 677. Contingent on the rapid attainment of its objectives, the attempted PVA coup de main ultimately failed amid heavy casualties and they had little recourse but to abandon their attacks against US I and IX Corps. The PVA had suffered at least 30,000 casualties during the period 22–29 April. In contrast, US casualties during the same period numbered just 314 killed and 1,600 wounded, while Commonwealth, ROK and other UN contingents brought the total to 547 killed, 2,024 wounded and 2,170 captured, the disparity highlighting the devastating effect of enormous UN artillery firepower against massed infantry. Undeterred by these setbacks, the Second Phase of the Spring Offensive began on 16 May to the east of Kapyong, which ended in the UN success at the Battle of the Soyang River. 27th Brigade was reformed and renamed as the 28th British Commonwealth Brigade. Burke was removed from command during the battle, with Brigadier George Taylor taking over command of the new formation on 25 April. The new Commonwealth formation was pulled back into IX Corps reserve to the southwest of Kapyong, near the junction of the Pukhan and Chojon rivers, with the 2 PPCLI forming the rearguard of the manoeuvre. 3 RAR was transferred to 28th Brigade, while the 1st Battalion, The King's Own Scottish Borderers and the 1st Battalion, The King's Shropshire Light Infantry replaced the Argylls and Middlesex regiments. Later, 2 PPCLI was transferred to the newly arrived 25th Canadian Infantry Brigade on 27 May. After protracted negotiations between the governments of Australia, Britain, Canada, India, New Zealand and South Africa, an agreement had been reached to establish an integrated formation with the aim of increasing the political significance of their contribution, as well as facilitating the solution of the logistic and operational problems faced by the various Commonwealth contingents. For many of the 3 RAR, Kapyong was to be their last major battle before completing their period of duty and being replaced, having endured much hard fighting, appalling weather, and the chaos and confusion of a campaign that had ranged up and down the length of the Korean Peninsula. Most had served in the Second Australian Imperial Force (2nd AIF) during WWII and this combat experience had proven vital. Regardless, casualties had been heavy, and since the battalion's arrival from Japan in September 1950, the 3 RAR had lost 87 killed, 291 wounded and five captured.