Part One: Prelude to the Battle

July 15, 1950 - It is the second day of the Battle of Daejeon, and things are already confusing.

North Koreans have been sighted on the other side of the Geum River, since yesterday really, and have already begun to cross.  The 24th Infantry Division, under the command of William F. Dean, are desperately attempting to hold them back.  Their overall mission: stop the enemy until the Busan perimeter can be solidified, ideally until July 20th.

During the month of July, North Korean forces
moved steadily through battle after battle to Daejeon

North Korea has made steady and painful progress since it invaded on June 25th.  It captured Seoul by the end of the month, and then began driving south after that.  Since July 5th, ten days ago, "Task Force Smith" (a smaller advanced group) has fought the North Koreans, and have been steadily driven back from Osan (the first major engagement between the North Koreans and the USA), Pyeongtaek, Cheonan, and Jochiwon.  The North Koreans have tanks, well-trained soldiers, and momentum.  The USA is, at this point, poorly armed and poorly prepared for this first Cold War conflict.

Daejeon, 144 kilometers (90 miles) directly south of Seoul, a major rail hub, is the last stand, the last big city before Daegu and the southeastern part of the country.

Things were already getting chaotic in the first few hours of the battle.  John Toland, in his comprehensive book, In Mortal Combat Korea, 1950-1953, describes the scene:

On the morning of July 14, Colonel Pappy Wadlington's 34th Regiment troops at Kongju heard more tanks on the north side of the Kum River.  Then L Company lookouts reported that North Korean soldiers were crossing the river on two barges downstream.  By nine-thirty some five hundred enemy had come across.  L's commander, Lieutenant Archie Smith, unable to to locate the machine-gun and mortar sections supporting him, ordered withdrawal and set out to find 3rd Battalion headquarters.  When he reported what he had done, he was relieved of his command.  By this time the entire left flank of the 34th Regiment had disappeared and the North Koreans poured into the hole.  Soon enemy infantrymen, supported by accurate mortar fire, overran the regimental artillery headquarters.

Can the 24th Infantry Division hold for five more days?

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I have been fascinated by the Battle of Daejeon since I first moved to the city in 2014, and began teaching at Woosong University.  I knew general aspects about it even before I had arrived, that it was a major battle early in the war, and kept my eyes open for any historical evidence of it.

The Statue of William F. Dean on
Bomunsan Mountain

It took a little over eight months after we had moved in before we discovered something about the Battle of Daejeon.  On that particular day, May 9th, 2015, my wife and I had begun a hike up nearby Bomunsan Mountain, when we sighted a plateau above the bandstand, and went to investigate.  It turned out to be an elaborate monument commemorating General Dean and a group of soldiers.  General Dean is standing tall, hoisting a bazooka on his shoulders; the group of soldiers behind him seem frozen in terror, yet resolute, facing down the unseen enemy.  Behind the statue, there was a description of the battle in English.

My investigations, which began in earnest that day, have continued to unearth bits and pieces over the last few years.  There is a UN monument in the same mountain area, and at least one other significant monument that marks the battle, near City Hall in the center of town.  In the western part of the city, in the national cemetery, there is a train car which elaborates on the railroaders' bravery during the Korean War, and in front of the train station, there is another statue which also marks the sacrifice of railroad personnel.  I love stumbling upon these historical markers, and even seek them out as I continue to live in Korea.  

This year, 2020, seemed especially significant, because it has been 70 years since the Korean War.  By the time July 14th rolled into fruition (the day is also my birthday), I had hit upon an idea to commemorate this history of the significant local battle, with a blog.

It will be a 4-part blog, posted every two days, during the exact length of the battle.  Each blog will have a focus.  This first blog post sets things up (the prelude).  The next, on July 17th, will focus on places; the third on July 19th, will focus on faces; and the final piece, on July 21st, will examine the aftermath.

I don't mean to come at this event only in the manner of a historian (although I consider myself adept in that arena and will speak to it), but rather as a writer/artist/traveler who is fascinated in the details of history and what we remember and even what we forget.  I will relate what I have found, and what I haven't found, in all my explorations.

As far as the Battle of Daejeon is concerned, it seems to be largely the latter, and this both fascinates and saddens me, when I consider the enormity of the event which largely destroyed the city.  There are reminders of it, but there is no significant city-wide event to mark this battle, and most people seem to be ignorant of it.  I am one of the few people I know who actively commemorates it every summer, often with a simple Facebook entry and pictures.

Time for a "tankfie" at the War Memoria

Last year, a fellow professor and I traveled an hour north to Seoul to the War Memorial in Korea, to ask about details and/or expertise about the Battle of Daejeon, but discovered that there hadn't been any significant research from the museum.  The librarian there told us that it was too early in the war, and that it had mainly involved American soldiers, so it was difficult to get information.  That was an illuminating moment to me.  Left unsaid was the idea that it was also a bad time during the conflict, a moment in history when everything seemed to be going badly for the South Koreans.  Why unearth defeat?

These first few months of the war are certainly dramatic, the slow retreat all the way to Daegu/Busan, as well as the hardfought efforts of this American military unit, Task Force Smith, attempting to stem that tide, with little more than the idea of "slowing things down."  I can't even begin to imagine being given that sacrificial assignment.  A lot happened in 1950, before the war settled into a stalemate for most of the four years, and like all war stories, there is nobility and bravery, suffering and cruelty.

And truth be told, I have a "home" interest in this battle, as Daejeon (the Dirty D) is the only city that I have lived in South Korea.  This city in which I reside is built on the bones of this battle (to some degree), and I wonder a lot about that as I wander.  I want to know more about the places where it occurred, the people who took part, and the lessons taught by history.

And so it is for these reasons, that I have decided to blog about this, three more times, until the battle is over.  I will write the facts I know, the feelings I have, and the thoughts that occur to me along the way.  The deadline is ticking, the battle has begun, and I am ready to face the enemy.

I hope you will be brave enough to join me.