Shilo Stag

Canada’s military history is filled with courage and sacrifice — look no further than the Battle of Kap’yong which saw Canadian troops in an entirely defensive position, but it nonetheless represents a significant turning point in the Korean War.

The heroism and resilience of heavily-outnumbered Canadian troops, who battled enemy forces over several days in the Kap’yong River Valley of Korea, turned the tide of a massive Chinese offensive.

While most Canadians are well-versed in the facts around milestones of the First and Second World Wars, such as the Battle of Vimy and D-Day, Kap’yong is not as well-known despite its many dramatic elements.

Not the least of these is the fact that 2PPCLI, approximately 700-strong, held a position against a massive Chinese force of 5,000.

North Korean forces had been pushed back to positions near the Chinese border by the time 2PPCLI had joined the fight in late 1950.

However, in one of the many sudden turns of fortune that characterized the Korean conflict, the Chinese intervened in support of the North Koreans and re-captured much lost territory in a counter-offensive launched on April 22, 1951.

South Korean troops were overwhelmed and the 27th British Commonwealth Infantry Brigade, with 2PPCLI as its Canadian contingent, was tasked with covering their retreat through the Kap’yong River valley.

The Royal Australian Regiment and 2PPCLI were on opposite sides of what was known as Hill 677 and it was the Australians who faced the first Chinese wave.

The Canadians dug in during that initial round of fighting and prepared to bear the brunt after the Australians withdrew on April 24. There was heavy fighting April 24 and 25.

In one skirmish, a Canadian company of 100 held off four times as many Chinese troops. Pte Wayne Mitchell would later be awarded with a Distinguished Conduct Medal for charging the enemy several times despite having been wounded.

The situation became so desperate that one company commander, Capt J.G.W. Mills, requested artillery fire on his own position. A New Zealander battery fired more than 2,000 shells and repelled the Chinese while doing no harm to the safely entrenched Canadian troops.

The Canadians continued to hold the hill despite being surrounded and were kept supplied via air drops. By holding their positions, the Canadian and Australian troops bought UN forces sufficient time to regroup and paved the way for the ultimate defeat of the Chinese offensive.

When the Canadians were finally relieved by the 1st US Cavalry Division, they had suffered just 23 casualties and 12 fatalities. Chinese casualties are estimated at 2,000.

A member of 2nd Battalion Royal 22e Regiment, reads in a slit trench during the Korean conflict on 28 May, 1951. Photo Paul Tomelin, DND/Library and Archives Canada.

Members of 2PPCLI on patrol in Korea in March 1951. Photo Library and Archives Canada

This monument is dedicated to 2PPCLI for their actions during the Battle of Kapyong on April 24 and 25, 1951. These actions saw them decorated with the United States Presidential Unit Citation. It was erected on Nov. 7, 1975 as part of the Canadian Korean War Memorial Garden in Korea. Photo Capt Suhan Kwon.

Painting titled Holding at Kapyong by artist Edward Zuber. Photo from Beaverbrook Collection of War Art/Canadian War Museum