The Battle of Jangsari () or Operation Jangsa Landing () was an amphibious invasion and battle of the Korean War. The official report name for the operation was 'Operational Order 174' ().
Background In September 1950, UN Forces planned to launch an all-out offensive along the entire Pusan Perimeter, in coordination with the Inchon landing.
The main objective of the Jangsari operation was to block the supply route and therefore achieve disruption of the North Korean Korean People's Army (KPA) forces around Pusan Perimeter by hit-and-run tacticsAction Report - Operation 174 from National Archives of Korea and to draw KPA forces away from the Inchon landing.
Battle Landing The landing force consisted of 'Independent 1st Guerrilla Battalion' comprising approximately 772 student volunteer soldiers specially trained and armed with Russian-type weapons, led by Republic of Korea Army Captain Lee Myung-heum.
On 15 September, at about 02:00 in the morning in the middle of Typhoon Kezia, the battle group landed from LST Munsan. The entire beach and the adjacent Hill 200 was captured by 14:50 at the cost of about 150 casualties (60 Killed in action, 90 Wounded in action)독립 제1유격부대 The LST Munsan, was stranded in the landing. The landing took place in the rear of the KPA 5th Division. Its mission was to harass the enemy rear while the ROK 3rd Division attacked north from Pohang.
Also on 15 September, UN Forces began the Inchon Landing. On 16 September, UN Forces began their Pusan Perimeter offensive.
Defence On the evening of 15 September, the KPA 12th Regiment sent a battalion to engage the Independent 1st Guerrilla Battalion. The U.S. Navy 7th Fleet bombardment task force had to rush to its assistance and place a ring of naval gunfire around it on the beach, where KPA fire had driven the battalion, saving it from total destruction.
Withdrawal On 18 September, approximately 725 survivors of the Independent 1st Guerrilla Battalion, were evacuated by the ROK Navy's LST Jochiwon. 39 dead were left behind and a further 32 members of the 5th Platoon, 2nd Company covered the withdrawal, were unable to be evacuated.
Honor In 1960, Douglas MacArthur sent the letter to commander Lee Myung-heum꽃다운 영혼과 뜨거운 구국혼, 당신들을 잊지 않겠습니다장사상륙작전, 잊혀진 영웅들을 찾다 (He later changed his name to Lee Jong-hoon)Dear Chairman Lee Jong Hoon:
I was delighted to receive your letter of recent date telling of the formation of the 772 Volunteer Comrade Club. The operation they performed in support of the Incheon Landing was a brilliant one and worthy of the highest commendation. The valor and sacrifice of its members will always be a shining example for the youth of Korea. Please extend to its members my heartiest greetings and affectionate regards. I shall always remember them as loyal and devoted comrades-in-arms.
With best wishes, Most sincerely,
Douglas MacArthur
Memorial Since 1960, comrade club had a memorial service.盈德上陸戰(영덕상륙전)11周(주) 戰歿將兵慰靈祭(전몰장병위령제)
On 14 July 1980, the surviving Independent 1st Guerrilla Battalion formed the Jangsa Landing Operation Guerrilla Comrades Association. (), 51 years since the Jangsa landing operation, the comrades association held a national fund-raising campaign together with the monk of Cheongunsa Temple in Yangpyeong, Gyeonggi-do and established memorial monument on September 14 1991.최초공개 - 장사동상륙작전 중 좌초한 문산호(汶山號) 선장·선원 명단
On 6 March 1997, the forgotten battle of the Korean War was revealed to the public when the members of the 1st Marine Division Special Reconnaissance Unit, who were searching the shore in front of Jangsari, discovered LST Munsan in the tidal flat under the sea.영덕앞바다서 좌초 문산함…47년만에 인양
A 2,000 tons replica of the LST Munsan was constructed as the Jangsa Landing Operation Commemorative Park, which opened on 16 November 2020.
In the popular culture The Battle of Jangsari
References The Jangsa's Landing Operations during the Korean War
External links
Official website of Memorial Museum The Jangsa's Landing Operations during the Korean War - South Korean Institute for Military History US Army Combinded Arms Center - Over the Beach US Army Amphibious Operations in the Korean War (pp. 183–186) 비사(秘史), 1950년 9월 장사 상륙작전 - South Korean Ministry of National Defense TV