The Battle of Heartbreak Ridge

The Battle that Restarted Peace Talks, 1951

The Location

The battle of Heartbreak Ridge lasted a little over a month, starting on 13 September 1951 and ending on 15 October 1951. The fighting took place in about a 7-mile area that included three mountain peaks with steep valleys. This area is just north of the current boundary between the countries, at the 38^th parallel. United Nations forces had recently pushed the communist forces back from Bloody Ridge to the south. In a holding action, the North Korean and Chinese forces retreated to Heartbreak Ridge. This elevated position allowed them the best chance at defense and also became a position from which they staged men and equipment for incursions into the south.

The UN forces began the offensive to take Heartbreak Ridge in order to prevent its use by the communists.

The Fighting

To hold the position, the communists had dug an impressive network of trenches along the ridge. The American forces would conduct their assaults on the ridge during twilight and nighttime hours. This was done so they could use the U.S. Air Force’s ability to drop bombs, Army artillery, and tanks to soften up the enemy prior to the next attack on the ridge. These assaults went on for weeks, with the fighting going back and forth between the two sides. The result was often simply the exchange of minor positions along the ridges, which depleted each side’s manpower and expended large amounts of ammunition.

The Breakthrough

The stalemate ended when the Americans eventually used their armor effectively to support the assaults. Victory was assured by the U.S. military’s destruction of the resupply depots used by the communists. These depots were located in the Mundung-ni Valley west of Heartbreak Ridge. However, the Chinese had anticipated this move and sent reinforcements to protect the valley containing the depots. On 11 October 1951 three dozen American M4 Sherman tanks moved forward under effective air cover and massive artillery barrages, rapidly entering the valley. The Chinese forces were destroyed under the pressure of such a coordinated attack. On 12 October 1951 the tank assault continued. With the last of the supply depots overrun, the communist troops on Heartbreak Ridge lost their lines of supply. The following day American and French troops extinguished all remaining resistance on the ridge. During the battle, American and French forces suffered over 3,700 casualties, while the Chinese and North Koreans lost a much higher number of men—over 25,000 in total.

The Outcome

Heartbreak Ridge remained in the control of United Nations forces for the remainder of the conflict. The communists staged a number of costly and unsuccessful counterattacks trying to regain control of the ridge. The U.N. countries expended many casualties to hold this prized ground, but it proved to the opposing side that they could not win the war. Since they no longer held this key piece of territory from which to initiate their assaults on the south, they knew their attempts to unify the peninsula through force had failed. Consequently, both sides returned to the truce talks.