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Matthew Beckwith-Family
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Beckwith, John, S/SGT.
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Contact Info
Home Town Traverse City
Last Address 4335 Case Road Avon, Ohio
Date of Passing Jan 22, 2010
Official Badges
Unofficial Badges
Operation Showdown/Battle of Triangle Hill
From Month/Year
October / 1952
To Month/Year
November / 1952
Description The Battle of Triangle Hill was an armed encounter between US-led UN forces and Chinese troops, from October 14 to November 28, 1952, in Kimhwa, about 18 miles north of the 38th parallel, North Korea, during the Korean War. In an attempt to capture the Iron Triangle, an strategic area controlled by the Communists, the US 31st Infantry Regiment (7th Infantry Division) launched an attack on Triangle Hill in the early hours of October 14. Preceded by intense bombing carried out by US aircraft, the attack seemed have been successful at the beginning; however, the Chinese, who had built a system of tunnels through which they managed to bring up fresh troops, launched an infantry counter-attack that forced the Americans to fall back and lose the terrain they had gained.
On October 29, a South Korean infantry regiment launched another attack against the Chinese positions on Triangle Hill. Although the South Koreans were able to capture the hill, the next day the UN troops were subjected to a severe bombardment from Chinese heavy-caliber howitzers for several hours, and then elements of the Chinese 29th and 45th Divisions launched a counter-attack which overwhelmed the UN troops positions, forcing the South Koreans to pull back. The Battle of Triangle Hill raged on like this, with fierce combats, which included hand-to-hand fighting, until November 28, when the American commander, General James Van Fleet, decided to call off further offensives on Triangle Hill. Despite losing 12,000 men, the Chinese managed to keep possession of Triangle Hill.
