July 14th, 1950 - The Battle of Taejon

Conflict: Korean War

Combatants: South Koreans and Americans vs. North Koreans

Location: South Korea

Outcome: North Korean victory

The Battle of Taejon began on this day in 1950 when North Korean tanks fired on American positions and infantry crossed the Kum River. American troops continued to fight a delaying action against the communist forces until, on July 21st, their position was overrun. In the withdrawal, Major General William F. Dean was captured by the North Koreans.

Taejon by unknown artist

Points of Interest:

• While attempting to escape with his division, Dean managed to supervise the destruction of a NKA T-34 tank before being separated from his men and captured.

• William F. Dean spent over 37 months as a POW and was awarded the Medal of Honor; the first such medal to be awarded in the Korean War.

Major General William F. Dean by an unknown photographer

________________________________________________________________________________________________

Sources:

Dupuy, Trevor N., Johnson, Curt, & Bongard, David L. (1992). The Harper's Encyclopedia of Military Biography. New York: Castle Books (HarperCollins).

Dupuy, R. Ernest & Dupuy, Trevor N. (1993). The Harper's Encyclopedia of Military History. New York: HarperCollins.

Dvorchak, Robert J. (1993). Battle for Korea: A History of the Korean Conflict Fiftieth Anniversary Edition. China: The Associated Press.

Eggenberger, David (1985). An Encyclopedia of Battles: Accounts of Over 1,560 Battles from 1479 B.C. to the Present. New York: Dover Publications, Inc.