Chosin Reservoir : The Battle That Stalled a War
A column of the US First Marine Division move through Chinese lines , Battle of Chosin Reservoir . Photo by Corporal Peter McDonald , USMC
form of deployment and convinced Almond to make some concessions . First , Colonel Allan MacLean split from the 7th Infantry Division and replace the 7th Marines in the east . The second concession was to allow the Marines to construct an airfield at Hagaru , which Almond only allowed because only Marines would perform the labor . The date was November 27 , 1950 and the PVA forces were about to attack in force .
The PVA 9th Army crossed the border of China mainly on foot due to fears of being targeted by the US Air Force . Five divisions moved down from the north on both sides of the Chosin
Reservoir . Simultaneously three divisions moved around the reservoir to the south of Hagaru in order to attack Koto-ri and thereby cut US supply lines . In the evening of November 27 , the PVA launched attacks at Hagaru , Koto-ri , and Yudam-ni . Thanks in large parts to Smith ’ s preparations , the 5th and 7th Marines recognized the need to dig in for the evening and were prepared to do so . The PVA 59th Division attempted to block the road between Hagaru and Yudam-ni , but Company F , referred to as Fox Company , 7th Marines were defending the Toktong Pass . US forces were able to hold out against
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