After around a month of fighting in the area known as the Punch Bowl, the Battle of Heartbreak Ridge has ended. Neither side made any serious advances on the other, so the battle became more of a battle “for” Heartbreak Ridge. It was difficult for us to make any damage upon enemy forces because we did not have the higher vantage point that the North Koreans and Chinese had. The U.S. Army destroyed the ridge into what looked like a bomb site with an overkill of tanks, airstrike, and artillery. After significant damage had been done to the hill, the 23rd Infantrymen scurried up the hill taking fire from the enemy.
The battle was tough. It was extreme trench warfare going up the hillside and soldiers were using every last resource to kill their enemy. The battle consisted of bombs, bullets, mortars, grenades, knife fights, and hand to hand combat. My troops proved exhausted as I saw them sliding down the hill with no energy just to get more ammunition and start their next attempt up the hill again. After around two weeks, the 23rd Infantrymen were lessened to the point that they could no longer fight. In response to the previous failure, soldiers built better roads in the Mundung-ni Valley below Heartbreak Ridge. Tanks could now head up and down the valley and destroy North Korean and Chinese forces hiding on the ridge (Bos). In only a few days, tanks had destroyed enemy bunkers and killed almost all enemy troops. After the battle the numbers astonished me; we eliminated around 25,000 troops from the Chinese and North Korean forces. I am proud of my American and ally forces and believe we can celebrate after this tough battle.
Image Caption: American soldiers shoot across the Mundung-ni Valley at Heartbreak Ridge. http://kcm.kr/dic_image/c3252309d5cb15d2a8c2fff14c4c75b6.jpg
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