Battle of Kapyong
AWM Caption: Kapyong, South Korea. June 1952. A panoramic view from the left of A Company's, 1st Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment (1RAR), position at Kapyong facing the direction from which the Communists advanced.
During a visit to the Republic of Korea, the Australian War College Defence and Strategic Studies Course Senior Leaders visiting the sacred site of the Battle of Kapyong in Gapyeong.
During a visit to the Republic of Korea, the Australian War College Defence and Strategic Studies Course Senior Leaders visiting the sacred site of the Battle of Kapyong in Gapyeong.
During a visit to the Republic of Korea, the Australian War College Defence and Strategic Studies Course Senior Leaders visiting the sacred site of the Battle of Kapyong in Gapyeong.
During a visit to the Republic of Korea, the Australian War College Defence and Strategic Studies Course Senior Leaders visiting the sacred site of the Battle of Kapyong in Gapyeong.
During a visit to the Republic of Korea, the Australian War College Defence and Strategic Studies Course Senior Leaders visiting the sacred site of the Battle of Kapyong in Gapyeong.
AWM Caption: Hill Salmon, Korea, 1951-04-16. A member of C Company, 3rd Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment (3RAR), leans against the rear wall of a trench after the company's capture of Hill Salmon from Chinese troops. The butt of the soldier's .303 rifle is visible as the weapon rests on the parapet of the trench, pointing outwards in readiness for any attack. (Donor I. Robertson).
Details of the text of the PPCLI Monument at the Kapyong Canada Monument. I took the picture.
Raymond Douglas Aubert at the 2026 ANZAC Day Dawn Service at the National War Memorial, Adelaide.
Raymond Douglas Aubert at the 2026 ANZAC Day Dawn Service at the National War Memorial, Adelaide.
An American M4A3E8 Sherman tank driving up onto the low section of the island feature occupied by B Company, 3rd Battalion, The Royal Australian Regiment (3RAR). The road approach to Hill 504 is clearly visible in the background. Second Lieutenant Wilfred Millar's, 1st Platoon, Company A, 72nd US Tank Battalion was deployed on the island feature defended by B Company, 3RAR at the Battle of Kapyong. The road in the background is the one that the Chinese poured along on the night of 23 and 24 April 1951. High features in the background were occupied by A, D and C Companies.
Historical Overview
The Battle of Kapyong, also known as the Battle of Jiaping, was fought during the Korean War between United Nations Command (UN) forces—primarily Canadian, Australian, and New Zealand—and the 118th and 60th Divisions of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army (PVA). The fighting occurred during the Chinese Spring Offensive and saw the 27th British Commonwealth Brigade establish blocking positions in the Kapyong Valley, on a key route south to the capital, Seoul. The two forward battalions—the 3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment and 2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry were supported by guns from the 16th Field Regiment of the Royal Regiment of New Zealand Artillery along with two companies of US mortars, fifteen Sherman tanks from US 72nd Heavy Tank Battalion, two companies of the US 74th Engineer Combat Battalion and 1st Battalion, Middlesex Regiment. These forces occupied positions astride the valley with hastily developed defences. As thousands of soldiers from the Republic of Korea Army (ROK) began to withdraw through the valley, the PVA infiltrated the brigade position under the cover of darkness, and assaulted the 3 RAR on Hill 504 during the evening and into the following day. Five companies of the US and UK forces attached to 27th Brigade fled the battlefield without orders, expecting an imminent PVA breakthrough at the Kapyong Valley.
Quick Facts
UN (CAN/AUS)
- Commander: James Cassels
- Strength: 2800
- Casualties: 150
PR China (PVA)
- Commander: unbekannt
- Strength: 10000
- Casualties: 1000
Strategic Context
Blocking the central route to Seoul.
Related Literature
Historical Locations
Exact location not recorded in historical records