Kapyong

On April 24 1951 following a rout of the South Korean army the Chinese People Volunteer Army pursued their enemy to the lines of Australian and Canadian troops still digging fallback defences 39 kilometres to the rear Here sometimes at the length of a bayonet often in total darkness individual was pitted against individual in a struggle between a superpower and a cluster of other nations from across the world They fought for a valley the ancient and traditional invasion route to Seoul If it fell the southern capital and the war was lost The United Nations troops had the military advantage of the high ground and artillery support the Chinese relied entirely on vastly superior numbers As a result young men from both sides found a battle which was very close and very personal The Battle of Kapyong became the turning point of Chinas Fifth Offensive in that Korea spring Written by John Lewis