Enemy Attacks During November
On the night of 2-3 November the Chinese mounted a strong
attack on the centre of the 25th Brigade's front. A forward
platoon of the 2nd RCR was forced to retire, but only after
causing the deployment of the better part of a battalion. The
surrounding hills, Lieut.-Colonel Keane's headquarters reported
to Brigadier Rockingham's, were "alive with Chinese". Observed
enemy movement and areas in which the Chinese were likely to
reorganize for a further attack were vigorously engaged by
artillery and mortars. Unable to exploit his initial success,
the enemy withdrew; and the platoon position which had been
overrun was reoccupied.
The enemy's next major attack fell on Hills 217 and 317, in
the sector held by the 28th Commonwealth Brigade. The two hills
eventually passed into Chinese hands after a bitter struggle. On
the night of 5-6 November, while the fighting on the 28th
Brigade's front was still in progress, the enemy launched
repeated attacks on a company of the 1st Patricias. The first
was broken up by artillery and mortars, and a second and third
repulsed by the fire both of supporting arms and the company's
own weapons. After the failure of his third attempt the enemy
retired.
The next action in which Canadian troops were involved was
another company raid by the Royal 22e R?giment on Hill 166, on
9 November. A detachment of the Assault Pioneer Platoon
accompanied the raiding force, and the Scout and Sniper Platoon
carried out a subsidiary action. Support for the raid included
Puerto Rican mortars of the 3rd U.S. Infantry Division. H Hour
was 9:30 in the evening. By half-past two the company, in
confused fighting, had reached a point within 100 yards of the
top of the hill, and the Scout Platoon was already on the final
objective. But now the enemy began to counter-attack; and the
whole force, having essentially completed its task, was
withdrawn.
On the 22nd the Commonwealth Division turned over its
right-hand sector - still the scene of heavy fighting - to the
3rd Division, which had relieved the 1st Cavalry Division. The
29th Brigade took over from the 1st ROK Division a portion of the
line west of the Sami-chon, the 28th became divisional reserve,
and the Canadian Brigade assumed responsibility for a front of
almost four miles extending north-east from the Sami-chon.
Brigadier Rockingham continued to employ three battalions
forward-the RCR now on the left, the Patricias in the centre, and
the Royal 22e on the right. The 22e's positions formed a
right-angled triangle whose base ran due east to Hill 210, the
hypotenuse extending northeastward to the saddle between Hills
227 and 355. At this time 227 was unoccupied, while Hill 355,
which dominated the centre of the Corps front, was held by a
battalion of the 7th U.S. Infantry Regiment.
Lieut.-Colonel Dextraze's companies completed occupation of
their new areas on the morning of 22 November. During the
afternoon the battalion came under shell fire, "D" Company, on
the right (or most northerly) position, receiving particular
attention. As the night passed, rain turned into wet snow, and
snow into mud; and only with the greatest difficulty were the
sappers of the 57th Field Squadron able to open and keep open the
road across the Nabu-ri valley to "A" and "D" Companies next day.
Enemy shells continued to fall on "D" Company, and in much
greater number on Hill 355. Late in the afternoon both positions
came under attack - that of the Royal 22e by two companies, the
Americans' by an estimated regiment. The Canadian company held
its ground, but by early evening the bulk of Hill 355 was in
enemy hands; and in the meantime the Chinese had reoccupied 227
as well. The loss of 355, if permanent, would constitute a
serious setback for the 1st Corps and, indeed, the whole Eighth
Army. Even the temporary presence of the enemy on this and on
Hill 227 placed the Royal 22e in a precarious situation, but
Colonel Dextraze calmly and confidently instructed all companies
to cling to their positions.
At six o'clock the commander of "D" Company, Captain
(Acting Major) R?al Liboiron, reported a second attack coming in;
this was repulsed with the help of artillery and tanks.
Throughout the night the company successfully withstood further
attacks on either flank. On Brigadier Rockingham's order the
Lord Strathconas, who already had two troops of tanks supporting
the 22e, moved up an additional troop after midnight. Early next
morning the 7th Regiment recaptured the greater part of Hill 355,
and later in the day the l5th Infantry Regiment (also of the 3rd
Division) secured the remainder. General Cassels and Brigadier
Rockingham, coming forward at mid-morning to observe the
situation, congratulated Colonel Dextraze on the successful stand
of his troops. These congratulations were somewhat premature;
for within a few hours the enemy, having returned to Hill 227,
struck again.
Two companies attacked at last light, dislodging one of
Major Liboiron's platoons and surrounding another. By half-past
nine, however, the Chinese had apparently withdrawn; and some
hours later the Scout and Sniper Platoon, led by Corporal
Leo Major (a DCM winner of the Second World War), occupied the
position which had fallen. But in less than half an hour the
enemy repeated his attack-this time 300 strong, outnumbering the
platoon twenty to one. Over the platoon wireless set came the
order, by Colonel Dextraze, to return to the battalion area.
Corporal Major promptly suggested that his group withdraw only a
short distance, and that the oncoming Chinese be engaged with
mortars. The C.O. agreed on both points. Mortar fire came down,
catching the enemy in the open and breaking up the attack. For
"personal courage, coolness and leadership" throughout the action
Corporal Major was awarded a bar to his DCM.
During the night of 24-25 November the situation on the
right had taken another turn for the worse: the Chinese had
recaptured a portion of Hill 355. Thus the Royal 22e again found
its flank exposed until next morning, when elements of the 7th
and 15th Regiments took back the lost ground. Prisoners taken by
the Americans identified their own formation as one of the 192nd
Division, and that on Hill 227 as the 568th Regiment, 190th
Division.
The daylight hours of the 25th were relatively quiet for the
Royal 22e, but in the evening "D" Company once more came under
attack. Unknown numbers of Chinese, coming in from Hill 227, were
beaten off by artillery and by the unit's 81-millimetre mortars.
This proved to be the last of seven attacks on the position in
three days, in which time the battalion had suffered 49
casualties, including 15 killed; about half of these were members
of "D" Company. Major Liboiron, who was awarded the DSO,
attributed his company's successful defence to "the will to fight
and good communications". Special mention must also be accorded
the supporting arms, the battalion mortars, and the Scout
Platoon.
Activity elsewhere on the Canadian Brigade's front between
the 22nd and the 26th consisted mainly of patrolling. On the
evening of 27 November, Brigadier Rockingham's headquarters
received from General Cassels' the information that no further
fighting patrols were to be dispatched, and that the artillery
would be restricted to defensive fire and counter-bombardment
tasks - the first suggestion of substantial progress in the
cease-fire negotiations.
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