The Punchbowl () was the name given to the bowl-shaped

Haean Haean is a township (''Administrative divisions of South Korea, myeon'') in Yanggu, Gangwon, Yanggu County, Gangwon-do (South Korea), Gangwon-do, South Korea. Haean sits in the distinctive Haean Basin (해안분지), which was nicknamed Punchbowl ...

Basin () in Yanggu County, Gangwon Province by UN Forces during the

Korean War The Korean War (25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953) was an armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula fought between North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea; DPRK) and South Korea (Republic of Korea; ROK) and their allies. North Korea was s ...

. The Punchbowl lies several km south of the

Korean Demilitarized Zone The Korean Demilitarized Zone () is a heavily militarized strip of land running across the Korea, Korean Peninsula near the 38th parallel north. The demilitarized zone (DMZ) is a border barrier that divides the peninsula roughly in half. It wa ...

History

The Punchbowl was captured by the

Korean People's Army The Korean People's Army (KPA; ) encompasses the combined military forces of North Korea and the armed wing of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK). The KPA consists of five branches: the Korean People's Army Ground Force, Ground Force, the Ko ...

(KPA) in the opening days of the Korean War. It was recaptured by UN forces in late September 1950 during the UN offensive that followed the Inchon landings and the breakout from the

Pusan perimeter The Battle of the Pusan Perimeter, known in Korean as the Battle of the Naktong River Defense Line (), was a large-scale battle between United Nations Command (UN) and North Korean forces lasting from August 4 to September 18, 1950. It was one ...

. UN Forces abandoned the region in mid-December 1950, during the withdrawal following the Chinese

People's Volunteer Army The People's Volunteer Army (PVA), officially the Chinese People's Volunteers (CPV), was the armed expeditionary forces China in the Korean War, deployed by the History of the People's Republic of China (1949–1976), People's Republic of Chi ...

intervention in the war. On 4 June 1951 the

1st Marine Division The 1st Marine Division (1st MARDIV) is a Marine (military), Marine Division (military), division of the United States Marine Corps headquartered at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, California. It is the ground combat element of the I Marine E ...

and the ROK 5th Infantry Division began to advance north of

Inje Inje County () is a Administrative divisions of South Korea, county in Gangwon-do (South Korea), Gangwon Province, South Korea. It has the lowest population density of any South Korean county. The county seat is Inje-eup, which located near the ce ...

towards the Punchbowl and the Hwacheon Reservoir. By 10 June the Marine/ROKA force had secured Line Kansas northeast of the Hwacheon Reservoir and the southern line of hills overlooking the Punchbowl. Following the breakdown of armistice negotiations in August 1951, the

United Nations Command United Nations Command (UNC or UN Command) is the multinational military force established to support the South Korea, Republic of Korea (South Korea) during and after the Korean War. It was the first attempt at collective security by the U ...

decided to launch a limited offensive in the late summer/early autumn to shorten and straighten sections of their lines, acquire better defensive terrain, and deny the enemy key vantage points from which they could observe and target UN positions. The

Battle of Bloody Ridge The Battle of Bloody Ridge was a ground combat battle that took place during the Korean War from 18 August to 5 September 1951. By the summer of 1951, the Korean War had reached a stalemate as peace negotiations began at Kaesong. The opposing ...

took place west of the Punchbowl from August–September 1951 and this was followed by the

Battle of Heartbreak Ridge The Battle of Heartbreak Ridge (; ), also known as the Battle of Wendengli (), was a month-long battle in the Korean War which took place between 13 September and 15 October 1951. After withdrawing from Bloody Ridge, the Korean People's Army (K ...

northwest of the Punchbowl from September–October 1951, meanwhile the

reinforced by the Korean Marine Corps Regiment captured the line of hills north of the Punchbowl in the

Battle of the Punchbowl The Battle of the Punchbowl (), was one of the last battles of the movement phase of the Korean War. Following the breakdown of armistice negotiations in August 1951, the United Nations Command (UN) decided to launch a limited offensive in the la ...

from 31 August-20 September 1951. The Yanggu War Memorial Hall () is located in Haean town. The 4th Infiltration Tunnel and the Eulji Observatory are located in the hills north of Haean town.

References

External links

Korean Tourism website for the Yanggu region of the DMZ
Basins of Asia Valleys of South Korea Korean War Landforms of Gangwon Province, South Korea Yanggu County, Gangwon History of Gangwon Province, South Korea {{Korea-War-stub

History

See also

References

External links