The Battle of Kapyong was a Korean War battle fought between the British 27th Brigade and the Chinese 118th Infantry Division, from April 22 to April 25, 1951, in the Kapyong Valley, in northern South Korea, a couple of miles from the 38th parallel.
Led by the United States Eighth Army, UN forces had launched a counter-offensive in February, 1951, liberating Seoul by March 15, which had fallen to the North Korean army the year before, as they approached the 38th parallel, which was the established border between North Korea, under a Communist regime, and South Korea, under a UN-recognized democratic government.
As part of a massive Communist spring offensive launched to destroy the US I and IX Corps and recover the lost ground, the Chinese 118th Infantry Division attacked the 27th Brigade positions on the morning of April 22. The Communist assault was ferocious, punching holes in the UN forces lines as they overran South Korean defenses. On April 23, the Australian 3rd Battalion (3RAR) and the Canadian 2nd Battalion Princess Patricia’s Light Infantry bore the brunt of the offensive; however, after two days of fierce fighting, the Australians and Canadians had managed to hold off the Chinese attack, even though they were heavily outnumbered, permanently keeping their positions. Thus, the fall of Seoul to the Chinese had been prevented by the brave Australian and Canadian troops.
