7th Infantry Division (South Korea)
Coordinates: 38°08′00.2″N 127°40′17.3″E / 38.133389°N 127.671472°E
| 7th Infantry Division | |
|---|---|
|
Shoulder Sleeve Insignia | |
| Active | 10 June 1949. ~ Present |
| Country |
 South Korea |
| Branch |
 Republic of Korea Army |
| Type | Infantry |
| Part of | II Corps |
| Garrison/HQ | Hwacheon County, Gangwon Province (South Korea) |
| Nickname(s) | The Seven Star Unit |
| March | 7사단가(Seventh Division Hymn) |
| Engagements | 28 battles fought During Korean war; notable battles Battle of YoungChen |
| Decorations | 11 Decorations of Presidential Honour |
| Battle honours | Korean War |
The 7th Infantry Division is a military formation of the Republic of Korea Army, currently employed on patrol duty in the Korean Demilitarized Zone around Hwacheon County, Gangwon Province.
Structure
- 7th Infantry Division HQ:
- Chemical Company
- DMZ Patrol Company
- Armor Battalion
- Signal Battalion
- Reconnaissance Battalion
- Engineer Battalion
- Support Battalion
- Medical Battalion
- 3rd Regiment
- 5th Regiment
- 8th Regiment
- Artillery Regiment
History
Korean war
The division first started from Youngsan, Seoul in June 10, 1949. The division first saw combat in September 14, 1949, in an operation on Jirisan Mt. to fight Communist guerillas. This division was, after the fall of Taejon, only had a few hundred survivors to participate in the Battle of Pusan Perimeter.[1] During the Battle of Pusan Perimeter, The 7th Infantry Division regrouped with the 3rd, 5th, and 8th infantry regiments to become what formation they have, and destroyed size of two divisions of North Korean army during the Battle of YoungChen.
On 26 November 1950, a column of retreating ROK Korean soldiers of the ROK 6th and 7th Divisions from Tokchon was attacked by a battalion of the Turkish Brigade who were the first to arrive at Wawon, after the Turks mistook the Koreans for Chinese. 125 Koreans were taken prisoner and many of them were slaughtered by the Turks. The event was wrongly reported in American and European media as a Turkish victory over the Chinese and even after news leaked out about the truth to the Americans, no efforts were made by the media to fix the story.[2][3][4]
After the Chinese intervention and attacks in November 1950, the U.S. 2d Infantry Division, the Turkish Brigade, and the ROK 6th, 7th, and 8th Infantry Divisions suffered substantial loss that they needed extensive rest and refitting to recover combat effectiveness.[5] After recovery, The 7th Division took part of the operation as II Corps's command such as Retaking of Hwacheon, Battle of Gumsung.
See also
References
- ↑ Webb, William J. The Korean War: The Outbreak. United States Army Center of Military History. CMH Pub 19-6.
- ↑ Appleman 2008, pp. 88-89.
- ↑ Leckie 1996, p. 203.
- ↑ Leckie 1962, p. 203.
- ↑ Stewart, Richard W. The Korean War: The Chinese Intervention. p. 14. CMH Pub 19-8.
Sources
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to 7th Infantry Division (Republic of Korea). |
- Appleman, Roy E. (2008). Disaster in Korea: The Chinese Confront MacArthur. Volume 11 of Texas A & M University military history series: Texas A and M University (illustrated ed.). Texas A&M University Press. ISBN 160344128X. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
- Leckie, Robert (1996). Conflict: The History of the Korean War, 1950-53 (illustrated, reprint ed.). Da Capo Press. ISBN 0306807165. Retrieved 18 April 2014.
- Leckie, Robert (1962). Conflict: The history of the Korean War 1950-1953. G. P. Putnam's Sons., New York. Archived from the original on Feb 19, 2008.