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In April 1951, Australian troops joined a United Nations force responding to North Korea’s invasion of South Korea, which had escalated into the Korean War with the involvement of China as an ally to the North.
Just a few weeks later, Chinese forces initiated a rapid assault in the Kapyong Valley aimed at reclaiming Seoul, a crucial city located merely 60 kilometers away.
The advancing Chinese army encountered formidable resistance as the hills overlooking a vital roadway were defended by the 3rd Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment (RAR) on one flank, and Canadian infantry on the opposite side.
These units, bolstered by support from US, New Zealand, and UK soldiers, withstood the intense Chinese assaults for over two grueling days.
Despite the UN force’s strength of approximately 2,800 well-trained troops equipped with artillery and tanks, they were up against a formidable Chinese force numbering around 20,000 soldiers.
The Australian and Canadian defenders faced large waves of the attacking enemy during night and day, with much of the fighting involving bloody close-quarter combat.
Commanders later ordered a strategic withdraw, but their heroic actions helped the UN forces achieve a decisive victory. Seoul was saved from falling once again into communist hands, and would not be threatened again for the remainder of the war.
The Australian and Canadian battalions were each awarded a United States Presidential Unit Citation for their part in the battle.
Australian War Memorial senior historian Craig Tibbitts says the Battle of Kapyong is one of the most famous actions in the country’s military history.
“The Allied force (27 Commonwealth Brigade supported by US tanks and air support), held key high ground in the path of the Chinese offensive and managed to hold it against overwhelming numbers long enough to make a difference.”
He says it was the most important battle for Australian troops in Korea.
However the battle came at great cost: The Australians had 32 men killed, 59 wounded and three taken prisoner; the Canadians suffered 10 fatalities and 23 wounded; the New Zealanders lost two men and three Americans were also killed.
Historians calculate Chinese army casualties to be 2000 to 5000 killed during the battle.
Overshadowed by longer, more costly battles waged in Vietnam and the Middle East since the 1950s – Korea is often regarded as the ‘forgotten war’.
In all, 17,000 Australian soldiers, sailors and air crew served in the conflict, with 339 killed and 1216 wounded. 
Earlier this year, the Royal Australian Mint issued a special 50-cent coin to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Kapyong.
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