Battle of Chail-li

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Battle of Chail-li
Part of the UN May–June 1951 counteroffensive during the Korean War
Date30 May 1951
Location
Chail-li and surrounding area, Gyeonggi Province, South Korea
Result Chinese victory
Belligerents
Canada China
Commanders and leaders
Canada John Meredith Rockingham China Peng Dehuai
Units involved
25th Canadian Infantry Brigade People's Volunteer Army
Casualties and losses
5-6 killed
31-54 wounded		 Unknown

The Battle of Chail-li was a battle between Canadian and Chinese forces during the Korean War.[1]

Background

Units of the 25th Canadian Infantry Brigade were tasked with capturing Hill 467, a height overlooking the village of Chail-li.[2] Chail-li was held by Chinese forces at the time.[3] Chail-li was chosen as a target due to it being both a transportation hub in Haenam County and a stepping stone towards capturing Chorwon which housed a dam and power station.[4] Per a plan developed by Lieut.-Colonel R.A. Keane, the Battalion Commander of the 2nd Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment, "A" Company was tasked with seizing the village of Chail-li, north of Hill 467. "B" Company was tasked with taking Hill 162 which was in a valley of the Hantan River and west of Hill 467. "C" Company was tasked with taking Hill 269, between Hill 467 and Chail-li while "D" Company was tasked with capturing Hill 467 itself.[5]

Order of Battle

Canada

China

Battle

At 6 AM on 30 May 1951, the attack began.[9] "B" Company took Hill 162 without opposition while "A" Company managed to establish positions in and around the village of Chail-li itself.[10] Canadian soldiers of "D" Company of the Royal Canadian Regiment who attempted to scale the steep slopes of Hill 467 did so with little success.[2][11] Hill 467 was heavily fortified by the Chinese and well defended.[2] Canadian artillery also failed to knock out Chinese fortifications or dislodge Chinese soldiers from their positions.[2] Making matters worse for the Canadians was poor weather during the battle which hampered their assault.[12] The poor weather, which included heavy rain and strong winds, also canceled planned air support for the assault.[13] According to platoon commander John Woods, it began to pour rain by 5 AM, around the same time that the Canadians had begun their assault on the hill.[14] By late morning, the Chinese counterattacked with heavy small arms, mortar and artillery fire.[15] In the afternoon, Chinese tanks were reported to be present during a company sized counterattack on Canadian positions in the village of Chail-li itself.[16] Despite "C" Company managing to reach Hill 269, it was unable to provide support to "A" Company in the village of Chail-li or provide support to "D" Company on Hill 467 due to the distance between locations.[17] Eventually, Brigadier John Meredith Rockingham, the commander of the 25th Canadian Infantry Brigade, gave the order to withdraw due to viewing that the Royal Canadian Regiment would be unable to continue to hold the village of Chail-li or take Hill 467.[18] The withdrawal was conducted under Chinese fire and while the Canadians carried their wounded and dead back with them.[2]

Aftermath and Legacy

Casualties for Canadian forces vary. According to an army report that was published in 1956, the RCR alone suffered 6 killed in action and 25 wounded wounded in action. The report makes no mention of casualties suffered by other units who participated in the battle.[19] According to The Loyal Edmonton Regiment Military Museum, 5 Canadian soldiers were killed and 31 were wounded.[20] According to an article that was published by the Government of Canada on 15 July 2021, 6 Canadian soldiers were killed and 54 were wounded. However, the figures listed were only for actions on Hill 467 and not actions in the village of Chail-li itself or actions around the other hills.[21] Chinese casualties during the battle are unknown.

On 5 June 1951, both Hill 467 and the village of Chail-Li were captured by the American 65th Infantry Regiment.[22]

On the 72nd Anniversary of the battle, a plaque was installed in Chail-li to commemorate the Canadians who fought to capture the village. The plaque was written (with help from Sgt. Jonghyeon Jeon of the South Korean Army, and international relations officer David Suh for help with writing Korean text on the plaque) and installed by Gordon Strachan and Elizabeth MacHardy who's brother Pvt. William Leslie Strachan was killed during the battle.[23]

References

  1. "Tony Elliott (Primary Source)". The Canadian Encyclopedia. 24 March 2023. Retrieved 25 June 2026.
  2. "Chail-li". The Loyal Edmonton Regiment Military Museum. 2018. Retrieved 25 June 2026.
  3. "Canadians In Korea". Legion Magazine. 1 July 2003. Retrieved 25 June 2026.
  4. "Elburn Duffy". Korean War Legacy Foundation. Retrieved 25 June 2026.
  5. "CANADA'S ARMY IN KOREA THE UNITED NATIONS OPERATIONS, l950-53, AND THEIR AFTERMATH A SHORT OFFICIAL ACCOUNT BY THE HISTORICAL SECTION, GENERAL STAFF, ARMY HEADQUARTERS, OTTAWA" (PDF). 1956. Retrieved 25 June 2026. The plan of the battalion commander, Lieut.-Colonel R.A. Keane, was for "A" Company to seize the village of Chail-li, north of Hill 467; "B" Company to occupy Hill 162, in the valley of the Hantan River west of 467; "D" Company to take Hill 467; and finally "C" Company to capture Hill 269, between 467 and Chail-li.
  6. "Korean War Veteran Remembers "The Forgotten War"". Perley Health Foundation. 10 November 2021. Retrieved 25 June 2026. Along with other members of "C" Squadron of Lord Strathcona's Horse, an armoured regiment, Patterson was sent north of Seoul to the front lines. There, the Canadians attacked a steep hill near the village of Chail-li held by well-entrenched Chinese forces that had entered the war to fight with the communist north.
  7. "CANADA'S ARMY IN KOREA THE UNITED NATIONS OPERATIONS, l950-53, AND THEIR AFTERMATH A SHORT OFFICIAL ACCOUNT BY THE HISTORICAL SECTION, GENERAL STAFF, ARMY HEADQUARTERS, OTTAWA" (PDF). 1956. Retrieved 25 June 2026. The 2nd Regiment RCHA was in direct support of the battalion, while the divisional artillery was available to the Brigade as a whole.
  8. "Photograph of troops aboard the U.S.N.S. Marine Adder in Seattle Harbour". Canadian War Museum. The 57th Canadian Independent Field Squadron, Royal Canadian Engineers was raised at Camp Chilliwack, British Columbia on 14 August 1950 under Officer Commanding Major D.H. Rochester. The Squadron soon moved to U.S. Army base Fort Lewis, Washington, for combined training with the U.S. 115th Engineer Group prior to deployment to the Korean theatre. Members of the 57th embarked for Korea from Seattle aboard the USS Marine Adder in April 1951, arriving at Pusan Harbour in early May. Between 4 May 1951 and 3 May 1952, the Squadron and its subordinate units took part in several actions, including: the attack on Chail-li at hill Kakhul-bong, bridging and ferrying operations on the Imjin and Hantan Rivers, Op Commando (the UN attack on Hill 187), road maintenance and road construction until being relieved by the 23rd Field Squadron in early May 1952 and returning to Camp Chilliwack. The Squadron was disbanded in March 1965.
  9. "CANADA'S ARMY IN KOREA THE UNITED NATIONS OPERATIONS, l950-53, AND THEIR AFTERMATH A SHORT OFFICIAL ACCOUNT BY THE HISTORICAL SECTION, GENERAL STAFF, ARMY HEADQUARTERS, OTTAWA" (PDF). 1956. Retrieved 25 June 2026. The operation began at six o'clock in the morning of the 30th.
  10. "CANADA'S ARMY IN KOREA THE UNITED NATIONS OPERATIONS, l950-53, AND THEIR AFTERMATH A SHORT OFFICIAL ACCOUNT BY THE HISTORICAL SECTION, GENERAL STAFF, ARMY HEADQUARTERS, OTTAWA" (PDF). 1956. Retrieved 25 June 2026. "B" Company took Hill 162 without opposition, thus securing the battalion's left flank, and "A" Company established itself in and around Chail-li.
  11. "CANADA'S ARMY IN KOREA THE UNITED NATIONS OPERATIONS, l950-53, AND THEIR AFTERMATH A SHORT OFFICIAL ACCOUNT BY THE HISTORICAL SECTION, GENERAL STAFF, ARMY HEADQUARTERS, OTTAWA" (PDF). 1956. Retrieved 25 June 2026. "D" Company, however, met strong resistance on Hill 467 and suffered several casualties from machine-gun fire.
  12. "Elburn Duffy". Korean War Legacy Foundation. Retrieved 25 June 2026. He recalls that while the plan was a good one, the weather that day did not cooperate, so the outcome was not as they had hoped.
  13. "CANADA'S ARMY IN KOREA THE UNITED NATIONS OPERATIONS, l950-53, AND THEIR AFTERMATH A SHORT OFFICIAL ACCOUNT BY THE HISTORICAL SECTION, GENERAL STAFF, ARMY HEADQUARTERS, OTTAWA" (PDF). 1956. Retrieved 25 June 2026. Plans for air support had to be cancelled, owing to heavy rain and strong winds.
  14. "Remembering Korea: John Woods". Maclean's. 23 July 2013. Retrieved 25 June 2026. We bivouacked on the side of the road, and at five o'clock in the morning in the pouring rain we started our attack, which actually went in I think at six o'clock in the morning. And fairly early on we lost practically the whole of one platoon of the company.
  15. "Sarnia man killed attempting valiant rescue in Korean War". The Journal. 24 May 2018. Retrieved 25 June 2026. By late morning, the Chinese counter-attacked with heavy small arms, machine guns, and artillery and mortar fire. "D" Company began to withdraw with the Chinese in pursuit.
  16. "CANADA'S ARMY IN KOREA THE UNITED NATIONS OPERATIONS, l950-53, AND THEIR AFTERMATH A SHORT OFFICIAL ACCOUNT BY THE HISTORICAL SECTION, GENERAL STAFF, ARMY HEADQUARTERS, OTTAWA" (PDF). 1956. Retrieved 25 June 2026. Early in the afternoon the enemy, while continuing to hold the hill, counter attacked the village with a company of infantry supported by artillery and mortars; Chinese tanks also were reported.
  17. "CANADA'S ARMY IN KOREA THE UNITED NATIONS OPERATIONS, l950-53, AND THEIR AFTERMATH A SHORT OFFICIAL ACCOUNT BY THE HISTORICAL SECTION, GENERAL STAFF, ARMY HEADQUARTERS, OTTAWA" (PDF). 1956. Retrieved 25 June 2026. Although "C" Company had reached Hill 269, in between these two points, the distances were so great that it could not give effective aid to either "A" or "D" Company.
  18. "CANADA'S ARMY IN KOREA THE UNITED NATIONS OPERATIONS, l950-53, AND THEIR AFTERMATH A SHORT OFFICIAL ACCOUNT BY THE HISTORICAL SECTION, GENERAL STAFF, ARMY HEADQUARTERS, OTTAWA" (PDF). 1956. Retrieved 25 June 2026. Since it did not appear that the RCR could continue to hold Chail-li or to take Hill 467, Brigadier Rockingham ordered Colonel Keane to withdraw his companies to form a defensive position in the area of what had been the start line
  19. "CANADA'S ARMY IN KOREA THE UNITED NATIONS OPERATIONS, l950-53, AND THEIR AFTERMATH A SHORT OFFICIAL ACCOUNT BY THE HISTORICAL SECTION, GENERAL STAFF, ARMY HEADQUARTERS, OTTAWA" (PDF). 1956. Retrieved 25 June 2026. The day's action had cost the RCR six killed and 25 wounded.
  20. "Chail-li". The Loyal Edmonton Regiment Military Museum. 2018. Retrieved 25 June 2026. The shortened engagement at Chail-li proved almost as costly as the fight at Kap'yong: 5 Canadians died and 31 were wounded in the fighting.
  21. "Korea: 1951". Government of Canada. 15 July 2021. Retrieved 25 June 2026. Unlike their success at Kap'yong, Canadian troops suffered defeat at Chail-li. On May 30, 1951, Canada carried out an operation to scale Hill 467, not realizing that it was one of China's most well-defended territories. Once they discovered that their mission was an impossible one, Canada retreated. Withdrawal, usually a difficult feat, was successful; Canada's six casualties and fifty-four wounded soldiers were recovered and rescued from the scene, leaving no soldier behind.
  22. "CANADA'S ARMY IN KOREA THE UNITED NATIONS OPERATIONS, l950-53, AND THEIR AFTERMATH A SHORT OFFICIAL ACCOUNT BY THE HISTORICAL SECTION, GENERAL STAFF, ARMY HEADQUARTERS, OTTAWA" (PDF). 1956. Retrieved 25 June 2026. The hill and the village remained in enemy hands until 5 June, when it fell to the 65th U.S. Regimental Combat Team.
  23. "Battlefield plaques will commemorate Canadians' Korean War sacrifices". Stars and Stripes. 8 March 2024. Retrieved 25 June 2026.