Outpost Harry

Outpost Harry
Part of the Korean War
Date10–18 June 1953
Location
38°19′6.33″N 127°17′35.08″E / 38.3184250°N 127.2930778°E / 38.3184250; 127.2930778 near the Iron Triangle
Result Greek-American victory
Belligerents

 United Nations (UNC)

 China
Commanders and leaders
United States Eugene W. Ridings[1]
United States Russell F. Akers Jr.[2]
Kingdom of Greece Georgios Koumanakos[3]
China Xiao Xuanjin[4]
Units involved

United States 3rd Infantry Division[5]

China 74th Division[6]
Strength
Less than 5,000 13,000+
Casualties and losses
102 killed
553 wounded
44 missing[6]
1,450 killed
3,800 wounded
(estimated)[6]

Outpost Harry was a remote Korean War outpost located on a tiny hilltop in what was commonly referred to as the "Iron Triangle" on the Korean Peninsula. This was an area approximately 60 miles (100 km) northeast of Seoul and was the most direct route to the South Korean capital.

More than 88,000 rounds of Chinese People's Volunteer Army (PVA) artillery fell on Outpost Harry. Since the outpost was defended each night by only a single company of American or Greek soldiers, the PVA had anticipated an easy capture. Over a period of eight days repeated PVA infantry attacks were launched against the outpost. Five United Nations Command (UN): companies, four US and one Greek, took turns in defending the outpost.[citation needed]

Most of the fighting occurred at night, under heavy mortar fire, while the daylight hours were usually spent by the UN forces evacuating the dead and wounded, replacing the defending company, sending up resupplies and repairing the fortified positions. The daylight hours were punctuated with artillery, mortar and sniper fire, making repairs and reinforcement a more dangerous task. During the 4 to 5 days prior to the initial attack on the outpost, PVA artillery and mortar fire increased from an average of 275 to 670 per day during daylight hours.

The soldiers of the Greek Expeditionary Force, Sparta Battalion adapted its name and called it Outpost "Haros", the modern Greek equivalent to Charon, Greek mythology's ferryman to the underworld of Hades.

  1. ^ Villahermosa 2009, p. 286.
  2. ^ Markley, Martin (2014), The Battle of the Outposts, Tuscola, IL: Korean War Educator, retrieved 2014-08-23
  3. ^ Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs 2006, pp. 92–93.
  4. ^ Hu & Ma 1987, p. 205.
  5. ^ Hermes 1992, p. 469.
  6. ^ a b c d e War History Compilation Committee 1977, p. 243.