The Philippines in the Korean War: 10th BCT 2, PEFTOK

10th BATTALION COMBAT TEAM (MOTORIZED)
Philippine Expeditionary Force to Korea (PEFTOK) (continued)

Tragedy, however, struck the UNC battalions on the 10th's flanks. The Chinese overran the Turkish battalion, exposing the 10th's right, and began to encircle Baker Company defending the right of the 10th. The Puerto Rican battalion holding the 10th's left flank staggered under the assault and withdrew fighting. The British stood up to the first Chinese assaults. After an initial repulse at the hands of the Gloucestershire battalion on the left of the British position, however, the Chinese forced a crossing of the Imjin River at Korangpo-ri. The Chinese then drove hard inland, surrounding the Gloucestershire battalion at its Solma-ri position and outflanking the other battalions of the brigade, which were forced back to escape encirclement.

The Field Artillery battery of the 10th BCT pounds communist positions.

Many of the UNC battalions holding the 10th's left and right flanks were in retreat by the morning of 23 April. With its flanks "in the air," the 10th stood alone in a salient almost surrounded by a torrent of assaulting Chinese. The most threatening penetration, however, occurred further east in the vicinity of the city of Hwach'on. The CPV routed the South Korean 6th Division in the US IX Corps area and poured southward threatening to cut off UNC units north of the Imjin River.

Steady On!
The 10th, however, continued the stubborn defense of its three-mile front, inflicting heavy casualties on the CPV. A Chinese regiment was beaten back. The battalion's cooks and clerks were rounded up to reinforce the line. At 4:00 a.m., the Chinese came to within a thousand yards of the Battalion command post before being driven off by Charlie Company. The Chinese, however, continued to attack and their persistence, despite terrible losses, being rewarded when one regiment overran the Tank Company platoon posted on a hill overlooking Yultong village.

They were immediately counterattacked and driven off the hill by the heavily outnumbered men of Tank Company (which didn't have any tanks). Capt. Conrado Yap, commanding officer of the Tank Company, was killed in this counterattack. His men had, however, retrieved the bodies of Lt. Jose Artiaga (Yap's closest friend) and the men of Artiaga's shattered platoon. Yap was posthumously awarded the Medal of Valor, the Philippines' highest award for heroism, while the Tank Company received a unit citation from the US Eighth Army for this valiant action. Artiaga received the Distinguished Service Cross for leading his grossly outnumbered men in the most dramatic saga of the Battle of Yultong.

At dawn on 23 April, the battalion supported by two of its light tanks counterattacked the surprised Chinese, who were regouping following the murderous night battle, killing many and driving the survivors out of its positions. The US 3rd ID ordered the battalion to withdraw, a disengagement the 10th accomplished while under constant attack from the Chinese and without other UNC units to cover its withdrawal.

There was, however, no rest for the exhausted 10th. Barely rested from its ordeal and with its men dog-tired, the battalion on the 24th was thrown into a tank-led British counterattack to free the trapped Gloucestershire battalion. The Filipinos attacked with their M-24 light tanks, one of which was knocked out by the Chinese. More Filipinos died. The 10th fought to within 1,500 meters of the trapped battalion, the closest approach by any of the UNC units involved in the rescue attempt, but were hamstrung by unfavorable terrain that allowed no room for maneuver. Standing firm against the British, Filipino, American, Puerto Rican and Belgian attackers, the Chinese eventually destroyed the Gloucestershire (or Gloster) battalion after a fierce four-day struggle. Only 50 of 750 Glosters escaped death or capture. The British fought to the last bullet against three Chinese divisions of the CPV 63rd Army.

"The Battle of Yultong" cost the 10th BCT 10 killed, 26 wounded and 14 men missing in action. Five more Filipinos were killed in the vain attempt to rescue the Gloucestershire battalion and others wounded. These light casualties in a major offensive testified to the courage and fighting skill of the men in the front line. CPV dead littered the battalion's positions. The 10th emerged from its first great battle intact and undefeated.

The UNC lost over 7,000 men during the first day of the Chinese counterattack. Balanced against this were CPV losses totaling more than 70,000, according to the UNC. The entire UNC line, however, fell back before the Chinese attack to a prepared defense line above Seoul. Withdrawing to this line brought the 10th more losses. On 26 April, a Chinese regiment surrounded and captured an entire Filipino platoon of 40 men in a sudden attack. The confused fighting during the nerve-racking withdrawal saw many examples of heroism from the ranks. Staff Sgt. Nicolas Mahusay gave his life in a heroic attack on enemy mortars that had pinned down the battalion. He was cut down by enemy fire after silencing the mortars and allowing the battalion to escape,

The small hamlet of Yultong in the mountains of North Korea became the scene of the bloodiest battle fought by any PEFTOK battalion in the Korean War. The Philippines commemorates the Battle of Yultong every year to honor all Filipinos who served in Korea.

Peace and war
During the UN counterattack in June, the 10th was once more in the fight, battering Chinese rearguards impeding its advance. The 10th led the Allied advance to the Taejo River where it killed 65 Chinese and secured the vital Chorwon Reservoir. The battalion then reverted to the reserve of the US 3rd ID. The commanding officer of the US 3rd ID, Maj. Gen. Robert Soule, said the 10th was the best UNC unit in his division. The brilliant battle fought by the battalion at Yultong earned it the nickname, "The Fighting Filipinos."

The repulse of the Chinese Spring Offensive in April and the second phase of this offensive in May brought the combatants to the peace table. Armistice negotiations to end the war began 10 July, first at Kaesong, then at Panmunjom, both in western South Korea. With the beginning of peace talks, the war of movement and big battles came to an end and was replaced by murderous small unit actions for strategic terrain. The CPV used the lull to reinforce and bring up its heavy artillery and anti-aircraft guns. As a result, artillery barrages by both the Chinese and the UNC were heavier than those in World Wars 1 and 2. Half of the Americans killed during the Korean War died during the truce negotiations.

Back Home
The 20th BCT, which was to replace the 10th, took over the Filipino front line on 6 September. On 27 September, the 10th was finally pulled out of the war. The Fighting Tenth, as it was now called, arrived in Manila on 23 October to a rapturous heroes welcome. It had lost 43 men killed in action, nine missing in action and presumed dead and 58 captured. A further 400 men were sent home due to battle and non-battle causes. On 5 May 1952, the battalion's dead returned to their homeland.