We'll Stay Here And Fight It Out - Steel Panthers: Main Battle Tank

We'll Stay Here And Fight It Out* * * Date: February 14,1951 * Chip'yong-ni, Korea* * Chinese Attack-U.S. Defend* * Design: C. Berry* * * Looking to make a stand against the Chinese Communist Forces following the withdrawal from North Korea at the end of 1950, Lt. General Matthew B. Ridgeway; commander of the Eighth Army, ordered the 23rd Regimental Combat Team to defend the small crossroad town of Chipyong-ni despite a Chinese counter-offensive that threatened to surround the position. The commander of the 23rd RCT, Colonel Paul Freeman called his unit commanders together and informed them that "we'll stay here and fight it out" and began to dig the regiment into the hills around Chipyong-ni.* * During the daylight hours of 13 February, patrols and air recon indicated Chinese forces were closing in from the north, east and west. After darkness had fallen, bugles sounded out of the frozen night and fierce attacks were launched against various positions around the perimeter. The 23rd repulsed these attacks and held out until daylight when the Chinese withdrew into the surrounding hills.* * The day of the 14th resulted in several skirmishes around the perimeter but no determined attacks until after nightfall when multiple assaults began again. At 0315, the 2nd Battalion's G Company, holding the southern part of the perimeter alonside the French Battalion to the west and F Company on the east, was attacked by the Chinese 344th Regiment. Amid the flickering light of starshell illumination, the combat devolved into a close-in, foxhole to foxhole fight with G Company's 2nd Platoon eventually being pushed from their positions with heavy losses. This breakthrough endangered B Battery, 305th Field Artillery which was dug in below G Company's hilltop position with it's howitzers sited to the north and east.* * Artillerymen of Battery B and the remnants of G's 2nd Platoon counter-attacked with the assistance of the battery's quad 50 caliber halftrack but could not dislodge the Chinese. Battalion HQ appealled to Col. Freeman for reinforcements to seal the breach. Reaching into his meager reserves, Freeman sent a platoon of Rangers, a platoon from F Company and one of his four tanks to restore G Company's position.* * The composite counter-attack force struck at the enemy penetration at 0615 hours. Hand-to-hand fighting raged fiercely as the Chinese attempted to hold their gains. The counter-attack force suffered mounting casualties and each attempt to move forward was repulsed until daylight allowed napalm laden airsrikes finally forcing the Chinese to withdraw.* * * Sources:* * Korean War History of the 2nd Infantry Division-2nd Infantry Division (2id), Korean War Veterans Alliance http://www.2id.org/koreanwar.htm *