The last battle of the Korean War, fought hours before the armistice was signed, with UN forces repelling a final large-scale Chinese offensive at the Hook.
Key Facts
- Dates
- 24–26 July 1953
- Estimated PVA casualties
- 2,000–3,000 killed
- Key position
- The Hook on the Jamestown Line
- Australian unit
- 2nd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (2 RAR)
- Post-armistice withdrawal
- 2 km each side within 72 hours
- DMZ width created
- 4 km
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
With armistice negotiations at Panmunjom nearing conclusion, the Chinese People's Volunteer Army sought a final battlefield victory over UN forces. The PVA aimed to break through to the Imjin River along the boundary between the US 1st Marine Division and the 1st Commonwealth Division, thereby turning the Marine flank before a ceasefire could take effect.
From 24 to 26 July 1953, PVA forces of the 137th Division launched two concerted night assaults against 'the Hook' on the Jamestown Line. Australian troops of 2 RAR and US Marines of the 7th Marine Regiment, supported by New Zealand artillery of the 16th Field Regiment and British Centurion tanks, repelled each assault with heavy indirect fire and small-arms fire, holding the position throughout the battle.
The UN defenders successfully held the Hook, inflicting an estimated 2,000 to 3,000 killed on PVA forces. Only hours after the battle ended, the Korean Armistice Agreement was signed, formally ending hostilities. Both sides then withdrew 2 kilometres within 72 hours, establishing the 4-kilometre Korean Demilitarised Zone that persists to this day.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Side B
1 belligerent