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Successful United Nations delay action. | combatant1 = * * * * * * * * * | combatant2 = | commander1 = Matthew Ridgway Thomas Brodie Kang Mun Bong Albert Crahay Joseph Wagener Robert Soule Dionisio S. Ojeda | commander2 = Peng Dehuai Yang Dezhi Fu Chongbi〔 Zeng Siyu〔 Xiao Yingtang〔 | units1 = 29th Infantry Brigade 1st Infantry Division〔 Belgian battalion Luxembourg platoon 3rd Infantry Division 10th Battalion Combat Team | units2 = 19th Army Group * 63rd Army * 64th Army * 65th Army * 8th Artillery Division | casualties1 = Unknown * 141 killed, 1,169 wounded, missing or captured * 12 killed * 5 killed | casualties2 = 15,000+ (estimated) | campaignbox = }} :'' For the similarly named battle during the Seven-Year War, see Battle of Imjin River (1592). The Battle of the Imjin River, also known as the Battles of Solma-ri ((朝鮮語:설마리 전투)) or Battle of Gloster Hill () in South Korea, or as Battle of Xuemali () in China, took place 22–25 April 1951 during the Korean War. Troops from the Chinese People's Volunteer Army attacked United Nations (UN) positions on the lower Imjin River in an attempt to achieve a breakthrough and recapture the South Korean capital Seoul. The attack was part of the Chinese Fifth Phase Campaign, also known as the Chinese Spring Offensive, the aim of which was to regain the initiative on the battlefield after a successful UN counter-offensive in March 1951 had allowed UN forces to establish themselves beyond the 38th parallel at Line Kansas. The section of the UN line where the battle took place was defended primarily by British forces of the 29th Infantry Brigade, consisting of three British and one Belgian infantry battalions (Belgian United Nations Command) supported by tanks and artillery. Despite facing a greatly superior enemy numerically, the brigade held its general positions for three days. When the units of the 29th Infantry Brigade were ultimately forced to fall back, their actions in the Battle of the Imjin River together with those of other UN forces, for example in the Battle of Kapyong, had blunted the impetus of the Chinese offensive and allowed UN forces to retreat to prepared defensive positions north of Seoul, where the Chinese were halted. "Though minor in scale, the battle's ferocity caught the imagination of the world",〔.〕 especially the fate of the 1st Battalion, The Gloucestershire Regiment, which was outnumbered and eventually surrounded by Chinese forces on Hill 235, a feature that became known as Gloster Hill. The stand of the Gloucestershire battalion, together with other actions of the 29th Brigade in the Battle of the Imjin River, has become an important part of British military history and tradition. ==Background== The battle took place during the Chinese Spring Offensive, aimed at recapturing Seoul. The Commander-in-Chief of the Chinese and North Korean Communist Forces in the Field, General Peng Dehuai, issued an operational directive that summarizes the initial objectives of the offensive: "First of all, we will mass our forces to wipe out the 6th Division of the Puppet Army, the British 27th Brigade, the American 3rd Division, the Turkish Brigade, the British 29th Brigade and the 1st Division of the Puppet Army ()." In order to achieve the objective, Peng planned to converge on Seoul with the III, IX and XIX Army Groups, which had a combined strength of around 270,000 men. The XIX Army Group was positioned on the left flank of the UN line. Its 63rd and 64th Armies were to cross the Imjin on a front and then to attack southeast towards Seoul. Three divisions of the 63rd Army, the 187th, 188th and 189th Divisions, attacked the British 29th Infantry Brigade’s positions on the Imjin river from 22–25 April 1951. further to the east, other Chinese forces assaulted UN forces which included the 27th British Commonwealth Brigade. That battle became known as the Battle of Kapyong.〔.〕 At the time of the Chinese attack, the 29th Infantry Brigade, commanded by Brigadier Tom Brodie, consisted of the 1st Battalion, The Gloucestershire Regiment (also called "The Glosters"), under Lieutenant-Colonel James P. Carne; the 1st Battalion, The Royal Northumberland Fusiliers (RNF), under Lieutenant-Colonel Kingsley Foster; the 1st Battalion, The Royal Ulster Rifles (RUR), under the temporary command of Major Gerald Rickord; and the Belgian battalion, under Lieutenant-Colonel Albert Crahay (700 men), to which Luxembourg's contribution to the UN forces was attached. The British soldiers were a mixture of regular soldiers, reservists and conscripted National servicemen. Their supporting units included 45 Field Regiment Royal Artillery (RA), tanks from the 8th King's Royal Irish Hussars and the 170th Independent Mortar Battery, Royal Artillery, which were attached to the brigade. The 29th Brigade was under the command of the US I Corps and was one of several UN formations responsible for holding the western flank on the lower Imjin river, the others being the 1st Republic of Korea (ROK) Division and the US 3rd Infantry Division (see map). The right flank of the ROK 12th Regiment, the nearest position of the ROK 1st Division, was a mile to the southwest of the Gloucestershire Regiment, while the US 3rd Infantry Division was east of the 29th Brigade. The deployment of UN forces meant that the 29th Brigade, with its four battalions, had to cover a front of . Gaps between units had to be accepted because there was no possibility of forming a continuous line with the forces available. "Brigadier Brodie determined to deploy his men in separate unit positions, centred upon key hill features" On the left flank, the Glosters were guarding a ford over the Imjin, known as Gloster crossing; the RNF were deployed near the centre, around two miles northeast of the Glosters; the Belgians, occupying a feature called Hill 194 on the right, were the only element of the 29th Brigade north of the river. Their connection with the rest of the brigade depended on two pontoon bridges about half a mile apart. These bridges connected the Belgians with Route 11, the 29th Brigade’s main line of supply and communication, and thus made vehicular movement between the north and south banks of the river possible. The Royal Ulster Rifles served as the brigade’s reserve and were deployed along Route 11 (see map showing the situation at 9 a.m., 25 April, below for different routes in the area). The scattered deployment was one aspect which complicated the defense of the 29th Brigade’s position. Another was the lack of heavy artillery. Fire support was provided by 45 Field Regiment, RA, equipped with 25 pounders, under the command of Lieutenant-Colonel MT Young, and by 4.2 inch mortars of 170 Heavy Mortar Battery, RA. No heavier artillery support was available. Further support was provided by Centurion tanks of C Squadron, 8th Hussars, under the command of Major Henry Huth and by 55 Squadron, Royal Engineers. However, defensive preparations were not carried out very extensively because the British expected to hold the position for only a short time. Neither minefields, deeply dug shelters nor extensive wire obstacles had been constructed. The British position on the Imjin river "was deemed safe" but vulnerable in case of an attack. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Battle of the Imjin River」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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