Second Korean Winter (1951-52)/Battle of Hill Eerie
From Month/Year
March / 1952
To Month/Year
March / 1952
Description In March 1952, Hill Eerie was the responsibility of the United States Army's 45th Infantry Division – Company K, 179th Infantry, commanded by Captain Max Clark.
On March 21, 1952, the twenty-six personnel of the third platoon, under the command of Lieutenant Omer Manley, set out to take over the outpost. Manley's men made up two rifle squads, a light-machine-gun squad and a 60-mm mortar squad.
Manley sent out two patrols to establish an ambush site around the hill. That night, both patrol squads sighted enemy activity. At 23:30, the Chinese attacked and a machine gun duel between the two sides ended after Captain Clark's troops on Hill 418 supported his men in the Eerie outpost with supporting machine-gun and mortar fire.
The battle continued on the morning of March 22 with the Chinese forces penetrating the outpost's perimeter and eventually overran Manley's men. Clark was then ordered to concentrate his artillery fire on Outpost Eerie after losing communications. At 01:30, Regimental Commander, Colonel Frederick A. Daugherty, ordered Clark to advance toward the hill and retake the hill.
Clark's men searched the area and found out that, of the 26 men who had defended the outpost, 8 were dead, 4 wounded, and 2 were missing (Lieutenant Manley and Corporal Joel Ybarra). They also recovered 31 enemy dead from around the hill and captured a wounded Chinese soldier. Later, Clark withdrew his troops to the main line of resistance.
