3 RAR soldier with a KATCOM soldier in March 1954

KATCOM, or in full Korean Augmentation to Commonwealth Division or Korean Augmentation Troops to Commonwealth Division or Korean Attached Commonwealth Division, refers to significant numbers of South Korean soldiers who, during the

Korean War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Korean War , partof = the Cold War and the Korean conflict , image = Korean War Montage 2.png , image_size = 300px , caption = Clockwise from top: ...

, were attached to the 1st Commonwealth Division, similar to the

KATUSA Korean Augmentation To the United States Army (KATUSA Korean: 카투사) is a branch of the Republic of Korea Army that consists of Korean drafted personnel who are augmented to the Eighth United States Army (EUSA). KATUSA does not form an ...

system in the US Army. The system took effect from May 1952. South Korean troops were included within Commonwealth units as replacements simply to make up numbers during periods of troop rotation. Soldiers assigned as KATCOMs were given 16 weeks' standard basic training at the ROK Replacement Training Center with further specialist training on British and Canadian weaponry. On average, each British battalion received 94 South Korean soldiers, making a total of 1,000 South Koreans across the whole Commonwealth division. More broadly, KATCOM can also refer to South Korean troops serving in other UN contingents, notably the Belgian and Dutch contingents.

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External links

*{{cite news, title=KATCOM Sheds New Light on Wartime Control of Troops, url=http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2008/06/25/2008062561020.html, accessdate=26 May 2014, newspaper=The Chosun Ilbo, date=25 June 2008
영(英)군복 입고 싸운 '카트콤' 아시나요
British Commonwealth units and formations Military units and formations of the Korean War Expatriate military units and formations South Korea–United Kingdom relations

See also

References

External links