Name were part of an advance force that would seize and hold an objective until the main force could arrive to take it over. By May 28, they moved north of the 38th parallel. The Korean War, Part 2 Most of the large hills were designated by numbers. The battles at Kakhul-bong and Chorwon Plain centered around those hills. Canadian positions had to patrol constantly to keep the enemy from sneaking up on them. By Mary Lynn Bushong Caption: René Levesque, 23rd Premier of Canada, worked as a war correspondent for the CBC during the Korean War. In this picture, he puts his mini-tape recorder on his head and fords a small stream as he works his way forward to RCR troops deeper in enemy territory in Korea. Cease-fire negotiations began during the summer of 1951. The talks dragged on for two years. During the summer, the Canadians were held in reserve, and they helped with patrols to protect the supply line through Chorwon to Seoul. Once the U.N. forces were again facing a possible victory, they stopped pushing. As soon as the Chinese were pushed north of the 38th parallel, heated debate set in on what to do next. Some wanted a complete military victory, while others wanted to negotiate for peace. General MacArthur lost his job over it when he disagreed with the U.N. and Truman's goal of negotiated peace. In October and November, the Chinese counterattacked. The Commonwealth Brigade suffered heavy attacks. Canadians hung onto their positions as tenaciously as they could. Hill 355 was especially important to the U.N. positions. If taken by the Chinese, it would expose other U.N. forces to attack. Possession of the hill see-sawed back and forth for four days; in the end, U.N. forces remained in control. The Chinese were not willing to give up. They were able to rebuild their troops for a counteroffensive. The Chinese struck at a Commonwealth Brigade position along the Kapyong River. The troops were trying to keep open the retreat for soldiers and were under attack themselves starting on April 23, 1951. For a short time the supply line was cut off. The Canadians continued to fight and called for supplies to be air dropped. The Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry were recognized for their valor. They held their position and inflicted heavy enemy damage with few casualties of their own. In February 1951, it was decided to send the rest of the promised Canadians in. The 25th Canadian Infantry Brigade landed in Korea in May. They were just in time to help the third march to the 38th parallel. The Canadians served with the 25th U.S. Infantry Division. They From September 11 to October 8, American and Commonwealth forces pushed north over the Imjin River. They moved to within easy view of the enemy's main line. Finally, on November 27 a temporary cease-fire was called. It ended when it became obvious that the Chinese were not honoring it. For the rest of the war, there were no more real battles. Instead, it was nothing more than a stalemate. Raids, bombardments, traps, and land mines formed the backbone of casualty causes. During October and November of 1952, Chinese attacks increased. An attack was made against Hill 355. The struggle was bitter, but the Canadians held the hill. November 27, orders were given to stop the fighting patrols due to negotiations for another cease-fire. They were only to respond to weapons fire, not initiate it. The remainder of the war was spent strengthening defenses in a "Twilight War." Some of the worst casualties were suffered by Canadian troops when they were assaulted by the enemy in early May 1953. 5. Why was the battle for hill 355 so fierce? Name Fighting finally ended on July 27, 1953, when the Korean Armistice was signed. It was the first time U.N. coalition forces were used to bring peace to a problem in the world. Canadians came third behind the U.S. and Britain in actual numbers of soldiers (27,000), but their contribution was much higher when compared to the actual percentage of the population. In spite of the Canadian troop involvement, the government was not very interested in recognizing their achievements. This has only begun changing in the last decade as the forgotten warriors are remembered. The Korean War, Part 2 Questions 1. The U.N. pushed for total victory in Korea. A. True B. False 6. Why did the November 1951 cease-fire not hold? 7. The Korean War did not change the fact that the country was split in half. A. False B. True 8. What is significant about the U.N. action in Korea? 2. How did the communist Chinese use the negotiation time? A. They went home. B. They rebuilt their troops for a counterattack. C. They made raids on the U.N. troops. D. None of the above 3. The main part of the Canadian troops arrived in time to help push the communist Chinese north of the 38th parallel for the third time. A. True B. False 4. United Nations coalition forces gave hills in Korea numbers rather than names. A. False B. True Why do you think the communist Chinese were so interested in getting involved in the Korean War? Name Has the U.N. done more harm than good, getting involved in international conflicts? Explain your answer.
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