Regimental Combat Team 31 | |
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Active | Aug 1950–Dec 1950 |
Country | United States |
Branch | 7th Infantry Division, U.S. Army |
Type | Regimental combat team |
Part of | United Nations Command |
Nickname(s) | "Frozen Chosin" |
Engagements | Korean War / Cold War
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Notable commanders |
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The Regimental Combat Team 31 (RCT-31), commonly referred to as Task Force Faith of the "Chosin Few", is a United States Army unit known for its role in the Battle of Chosin Reservoir during the Korean War where 90-95% of its force was killed, wounded, and/or captured on the eastern side of the reservoir.[1][2]
RCT-31 primarily consisted of infantry, artillery, and tank units from the 7th Infantry Division including the 31st Infantry Regiment, 57th Field Artillery Battalion, 13th Engineer Combat Battalion, 73rd Heavy Tank Battalion, and the 15th Antiaircraft Automatic Weapons Battalion. It was also augmented by KATUSA (also known as ROKs).[1]
The units of RCT-31 that were positioned at the Chosin Reservoir from 27 Nov–2 Dec 1950 consisted of 3rd Battalion/31st Infantry, 1st Battalion/32nd Infantry Regiment, A and B Batteries/57th Field Artillery Battalion, D Battery/15th Anti-aircraft Automatic Weapons Battalion, and 750 KATUSA soldiers.[1][2]
"Task Force Faith" is a nickname coined by a U.S. Army historian in the 1960s, and the unit was not known by that name during the Korean War. Historians have subsequently also referred to RCT-31 as "Task Force Ovenshine" and "Task Force MacLean" to distinguish the various periods of command.