Battle of Pyongtaek | |||||||
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Part of the Korean War | |||||||
Map of the 34th Infantry Regiment's delay action from July 5 to 8 | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
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Commanders and leaders | |||||||
George B. Barth Jay B. Lovless | Lee Kwon Mu | ||||||
Units involved | |||||||
34th Infantry Regiment |
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Strength | |||||||
2,000 | 12,000 | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
33 killed or missing[n 1] and 18 wounded[1] | Unknown |
The Battle of Pyongtaek was the second engagement between United States and North Korean forces during the Korean War, occurring on July 6, 1950, in the village of Pyongtaek in western South Korea. The fight ended in a North Korean victory following unsuccessful attempts by American forces to inflict significant damage or delays on advancing North Korean units, despite several opportunities to do so.
The United States Army's 34th Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division was assigned to delay elements of the North Korean People's Army's 4th Infantry Division as it advanced south following its victory at the Battle of Osan the day before. The regiment emplaced at Pyongtaek and Ansong attempting to form a line to hold the North Koreans in an area where the terrain formed a bottleneck between mountains and the Yellow Sea.
Half of the regiment's strength was ordered to retreat from its position before the North Korean force was encountered, leaving the flank open for the remaining force, 1st Battalion at Pyongtaek. The battalion encountered North Korean forces the morning of July 6, and after a brief fight, was unable to repel them effectively. The battalion then mounted a disorganized retreat to Cheonan several miles away, having failed to significantly delay the North Korean forces in their movement south.
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