Battle of Chonan

Battle of Chonan
Part of the Korean War
Map of the 34th Infantry Regiment's delay action from July 5 to 8
Date July 7–8, 1950 Location Chonan, South Korea 36°48′36″N 127°08′51″E / 36.81000°N 127.14750°E / 36.81000; 127.14750 Result North Korean victory
Belligerents
United Nations  United States	North Korea
Commanders and leaders
William F. Dean Robert R. Martin † Robert L. Wadlington	Lee Kwon Mu
Units involved
34th Infantry Regiment	4th Infantry Division 16th Infantry Regiment 18th Infantry Regiment 105th Armored Division 107th Tank Regiment
Strength
2,000	12,000
Casualties and losses
~300 killed, wounded or missing (98–109 killed/missing)[1] and 60 captured	Unknown

The Battle of Chonan was the third engagement between United States and North Korean forces during the Korean War. It occurred on the night of July 7/8, 1950, in the town of Chonan in western South Korea. The fight ended in a North Korean victory after intense fighting around the town, which occurred throughout the night and into the morning.

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 victories at the Battle of Osan and the Battle of Pyongtaek the days before. The regiment emplaced north and south of Chonan, attempting to delay the North Koreans in an area where the terrain formed a bottleneck between mountains and the Yellow Sea.

The 3rd Battalion, 34th Infantry, set up a defensive perimeter north of the city and, by nightfall, was engaged in combat with superior numbers of North Korean troops and tanks. American forces, unable to repulse North Korean armor, soon found themselves in an intense urban fight as columns of North Korean troops, spearheaded by T-34 tanks, entered the town from two directions, cutting off U.S. forces. The fight resulted in the near destruction of the 3rd Battalion, 34th Infantry, and the death of the 34th Infantry Regiment's new commander, Colonel Robert R. Martin.