China Strikes Back: UN Hopes Shattered at Chosin Reservoir
China launched a massive counterattack on November 26, 1950, sending roughly 120,000 Chinese People's Volunteer Army troops against 30,000 UN forces at the Chosin Reservoir in North Korea. Temperatures dropped to minus 35 degrees Fahrenheit. Chinese soldiers attacked in waves at night, using bugles and whistles to coordinate. The outnumbered Marines and Army troops fought their way out over 17 days, covering 78 miles to the port of Hungnam while under constant attack. The 'Frozen Chosin' retreat cost 6,000 American casualties from combat and 12,000 from frostbite. Chinese losses were far worse: an estimated 40,000 killed, many from the cold. The battle shattered MacArthur's plan to reach the Yalu River and end the war by Christmas. Instead, the war ground on for two and a half more years.
November 26, 1950
76 years ago
Key Figures & Places
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