Lessons Learned In The Battle Of Heartbreak Ridge

After World War II (WWII) Japan, having released control of South Korea, sought out to mimic the United States government infrastructure. In 1950, the United States and their allies, found themselves ill prepared fo With the development of new and faster airplanes, The United States and its allies found themselves ill prepared for the evolving combat of the early 1950s. Air Defense Artillery (ADA) Branch, laid its foundations while playing a significant role in combat operations throughout the Korean War. Like any war new weapons and tactics were developed to meet these new ever evolving threats. The lessons learned in this war would change the face of combat for years to come. The Korean War was against international communism itself.
Heartbreak Ridge was a demilitarized zone that divided North Korea from South Korea. This area was known by the veterans as “no-man’s land”, due to no one ever returning from the rocky slopes. When the 2nd Infantry Division commander, Brigadier General Thomas Shazo, derived an assault to overtake the ridge he was unaware how much the opposing force had prepared for an attack. It was a back and forth battle between both forces for the first few weeks. When one side would capture and secure an area, they would soon run out of ammo only to be overran by an immediate counterattack. The turning point in the battle was after America deployed their armor and artillery units to support the ground force. America constructed a plan to destroy all resupply points in an attempt to cripple the opposing force. North Korea and China were not prepared to stand against 30 M4 Sherman Tanks, air support, and a hail of artillery fire. America was able to accomplish their mission of destroying all supply depots and successfully disabled the opposing force on Heartbreak Ridge. This was a great success for the United Nations’, it gave them a high ground advantage over their opposing force. Heartbreak Ridge was never relinquished back to the opposing force after that significant
The regions identified stretched from the northeast to the southwest. The battle for one specific hill, originally designated “Hill 255”, would later be identified as the Battle of Pork Chop Hill. On June 7, 1952 Hill 255 was seized by Company I of the 180th after only an hour fire fight. It would go on to be a stronghold for the United Nations for the remainder of the war. On the morning of March 1, 1953, China fired over 8,000 rounds of artillery towards Hill 255. America was able to hold their ground while maintaining control of Pork Chop Hill. . During the course of the Battle of Pork Chop Hill, the Americans sustained a total of 243 casualties and 916 injuries. China on the other hand, sustained over 1,500 casualties and 4,000