Download Brother Nations, Korea and Turkey

Brother Nations, Korea and Turkey
A History of Turkish Soldiers’
Participation in the Korean War
Ministry of Patriots & Veterans Affairs,
Republic of Korea
2
A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
Reflections on the Historical Significance of the Hellenic Armed Forces’ Participation in the Korean War
3
｜Foreword｜
Every human being wants to lead a happy life without war, but war is an inescapable reality in human history. Whether we like it or not, we are affected by war. Ironically enough, we cannot think about peace without the power to preserve it.
The year 2007 marks the 57th anniversary of the Korean War. The Korean War was
a heartbreaking war which brought about fratricidal tragedies to both South and North
Koreas. It was also the most tragic war for Korean people which turned the Korean
Peninsula into ruins.
The tragedies of the Korean War have left deepest scars and wounds upon Korea
and upon the hearts of Korean people. Not only a great number of noble lives were
sacrificed during the war, but, even half a century after the war, its tragic griefs and pains
are still felt in the hearts of those families who were separated during the war.
In this war, we Korean people, together with the Allied countries, desperately
fought against the Communist aggressions, and ultimately succeeded in protecting the
Republic of Korea as well as those values and beliefs cherished by the democratic
societies. Particularly notable were those soldiers of the U.N. forces who sacrificed their
noble lives with a firm belief in the values of democracy and with an indomitable will to
defend democracy. With such a belief in their hearts, these soldiers fought for “a country
they never knew and a people they never met.”
As a member nation of the United Nations, our brother nation, Turkey, participated
in the Korean War by dispatching one brigade-size unit in October 1950. The exploits
which Turkish soldiers had demonstrated in a variety of battles at the Korean front will be
long remembered in the history of the Korean War.
Particularly notable were the splendid exploits which Turkish soldiers had achieved
at the battles of Gimryangjang (Yongin) and Nevada Outposts (northeast of Panmunjeom). Turkish soldiers’ success at these battles played a very crucial role in bring about
an earlier armistice agreement which suspended hostilities of the Korean War.
From the beginning of the war to the Armistice Agreement in July 1953, the
Republic of Turkey dispatched a total of fifteen thousand troops, the third largest number
of troops among the Allied countries who participated in the Korean War. Together with
Korean people, these Turkish soldiers fought against the Communist aggressions for the
freedom and peace in Korea. The Turkish soldiers’ sacrifice at the Korean War is a historic
example which graphically demonstrates a warm brotherhood between Turkey and Korea.
Out of these fifteen thousand Turkish soldiers, some three thousand soldiers were
either killed or wounded in action during the Korean War. Their valor and their noble
sacrifices will be long remembered by Korean people.
With the sacrifices of these soldiers, Korea recovered from the ruins of the war,
and has now achieved an economic miracle to become one of the world’s top 10
economic states. Despite the adverse conditions of a divided nation, Korea also has
succeeded in bringing about peace and prosperity on the one hand, and in safeguarding a
democratic society which the whole world recognizes on the other.
Now, the Republic Korea, as a responsible state in an international society, has
become one of the countries which have made important contributions to the cause of
world peace. As one country which has produced one of the United Nations Secretary
Generals, Korea is also acting as one of the central agents in the world diplomacy. Such
international activities of Korea is a solid proof that neither Turkish soldiers’ sacrifices
in the Korean War nor Turkish people’s friendship and trust toward Korean people were
never in vain.
We, the people of Korea, will never forget the sacrifices and help which the U.N.
soldiers, including Turkish warriors, had shown 57 years ago in the hard times of the
Korean War.
The publication of Brother Nations, Korea and Turkey: A History of Turkish
Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War is, of course, one way to pay tribute to the
noble sacrifices of Turkish soldiers. Based on the blood-forged ties between Turkey and
Korea, this book is also intended to help open an much more cooperative relationship
for the future of the two nations.
In this sense, it is expected that this book will not only provide a chance for us to
renew the values of freedom, peace, and democracy, it will also help consolidate
friendship between Turkey and Korea.
The year 2007, “Year of Korea-Turkey Friendship,” marks the 50th anniversary of
diplomatic ties between Korea and Turkey. Based on the blood-forged ties between the
two countries, the future relationship between Korea and Turkey is expected to be much
closer and more cooperative.
Finally, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to those who have spared no
efforts in publishing this book and providing help for a successful completion of this
book as well.
September, 2007
Minister of Patriots and Veterans Affairs
The Republic of Korea
Kim Jung-bok
Contents
Ⅰ
Reflections on the Historical Significance of the Turkish Armed Forces’
Participation in the Korean War
Ⅱ
The ROK-Turkey Relations Before and After the Korean War
1. The Prehistoric Era: The Huns and the Han[Korean] Race·20
2. The Period of Three Kingdoms: TuChueh and Goguryeo·22
3. Three Kingdoms - Post Three Kingdoms: Turks’ Conversion to Islam and
Their Severance of Relations with Koreans·26
4. The Goryeo Era: Turks-Uigurs and Goguryeo·28
5. End of Goryeo - Early Yi Dynasty: Turks and Uigurs·31
6. The Yi Dynasty Era: Severance of Relations with Korea,
and the Glory of Osman Turk·32
7. The Period of Japanese Occupation: Unfortunate Relationship, Tatars and Koreans · 36
8. Establishment of the Republic of Korea Government,
and Reestablishment of Korea-Turkey Diplomatic Relationship·38
Ⅲ
Instability on the Korean Peninsula just before the Korean War
1. Chaotic Domestic Politics after Independence·44
2. Soviet and Chinese Aid to North Korea’s War Preparation·49
3. South Korea’s Lack of Preparation for the War·52
Ⅳ
North Korean Invasion and Participation of the UN Forces
1. The Surprise Attack by North Korea·56
2. UN Participation in the Korean War to Defend Peace·58
3. The Process of US Involvement in the War·61
4. Establishment of the UN Command, and the Urge to Send Ground Troops·62
Ⅴ
The Turkish Forces’ Engagement in the Korean War and Major Battles
1. The Republic of Turkey’s Decision to Participate in the Korean War,
and Troop Formation·68
2. The Turkish Brigade’s Deployment in Korea and Its Major Battles·72
3. The 2nd Turkish Brigade Replaces the 1st Turkish Brigade·103
4. The 3rd Turkish Brigade’s Battle of Nevada Outposts (May 28 ~ 29, 1953)·105
5. Concluding Remarks on the Turkish Brigade’s Participation in the Korean War·110
Ⅵ
Friendly Relationship between ROK and Turkey after the Korean War
1. Activities of the Turkish Brigade from the Armistice Agreement to
Its Withdrawal from Korea·114
2. The Significance of the Turkish Forces’ Participation in the Korean War·117
3. The Korean War Memorial Project after the War·120
4. Improvement and Expansion of Exchanges between Korea and Turkey·124
Ⅶ
Prospects for the ROK-Turkey Relationship in the 21st Century
Ⅷ
Participation and Support of the UN Forces
1. Background of UN Forces’ Participation·150
2. Major Activities of the United Nations·152
3. Medical and Material Support Activities of UN Members·199
4. The Meaning of UN Forces’ Participation in the World History·203
Appendix
Ⅰ
Reflections on the Historical Significance of the Turkish
Armed Forces’ Participation in the Korean War
The Korean War is a heartbreaking fratricidal war between South
Korea and North Korea, and it is also an international war fought for
those who supported the ideologies of democracy and communism.
Initiated by Kim Il-sung and backed by Stalin of the Soviet Union,
the Korean War pushed Koreans to the verge of ruin. The war, however,
taught Koreans many lessons. Notable among these lessons were: the
global society eagerly desired to keep the values of freedom and peace,
and allied forces were ready to sacrifice their noble lives for these values
even in a foreign territory far away from their countries.
When the Korean War broke out, the Security Council of the United
Nations met on June 25, 1950, and called for immediate cessation of
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A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
hostilities and withdrawal of North Korean forces to the 38th Parallel.
Two days later when North Korea ignored the warning to suspend
hostilities, the UN determined to send forces to secure international
peace and security on the Korean Peninsula. As a result, sixteen nations
dispatched combat troops, with five other nations sending military
medical units in response to the UN resolution. The UN forces
sacrificed their lives to guard the universal values of democracy and
world peace. Now fifty-seven years after the war, the values of their
courage and sacrifice are getting more and more concretely testified.
The North Korean regime, having threatened peace and security on
the Korean Peninsula in 1950, now infringes upon the fundamental
human rights, causes starvation in North Korea, and faces a crisis of its
own destruction. The Soviet Union, which had supported North Korea,
had already given up its creed of communism in the 1990s mainly
because of the contradictions of its own political structures, and its old
regime has started to fall apart from within. China, recognizing the
harmful effects of the extreme communist ideology, has taken steps to
reform its economic and social systems for its own prosperity on the one
hand, and to promote the international cooperation on the other.
Since 1950 the Republic of Korea(ROK), realizing the importance
of freedom and human rights, has actively participated in all sorts of
activities to help keep international peace. The outcome of such
activities clearly demonstrates that the sixteen Allied troops who had
fought for Korea during the Korean War did not sacrifice their noble
lives for nothing. Their sacrifices served as a stepping stone for the
development of the Republic of Korea.
At this point of Korean history, we must clearly remember the
sacrifices of those soldiers from the sixteen Allied countries. Inscribed
Reflections on the Historical Significance of the Hellenic Armed Forces’ Participation in the Korean War
11
on the Korean War Memorial in Washington D.C. is the maxim
“Freedom is not Free.” As the maxim says, the freedom we now enjoy
was not given without any cost; it was obtained with the precious
sacrifices of those who firmly stood to protect it. At the same time, we
need to look back over the conflicts of the past in detail if we want to
avoid any unnecessary sacrifices in the inescapable wars of the future.
Such an examination of the conflicts of the past is one way not to make
the same mistakes again in the future.
The UN forces jumped into the Korean War as crusaders for
freedom and peace, fighting bravely in an unfamiliar climate. Thanks to
their sacrifices, Koreans were able to defeat the communist invasion and
maintain the current state of peace on the Korean Peninsula.
After the war, Korea received a variety of aids from the UN
member countries and from all sorts of international societies as well.
With these aids, Korea could readily recover from the ruins of the war.
Since then, Korea has not only maintained political and economic
relations with those UN member nations, but it also has established
strong military relations with them. And as a result, Korea has now
become a crucial UN member nation in the international societies.
Now, the Korean War is getting more and more vague in our
memories. At this point in our history we should ponder over the
significance of the Korean War, and renew the meanings of those Allied
sacrifices, asking the following question: “Why did they sacrifice their
noble lives here in Korea?” At the same time, we should consolidate our
relationship with those Allied countries as future companions to make
the world a better place to live.
As a part of this effort, the Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs
is trying to renew the noble ideals and values of those sixteen UN Allied
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A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
People boarding a ship after crossing a rubber bridge.
countries and the five nations who provided medical support during the
Korean War. Not only the ideals and values but the ROK relations with
these countries will also be closely examined, and the results will be
published in a book. Such an effort is expected not only to ruminate the
hard times of the past and but also to help develop better relations with
these countries.
The book which will be published this year, The Participation of
the Turkish Armed Forces in the Korean War, is written so that the
people of both countries can renew the significance of the relationship
between the Republic of Korea and the Republic of Turkey. In order to
understand the full extent of both nations’ relationship, this book not
only deals with the political situations of the Korean Peninsula from the
end of World War II to the outbreak of the Korean War, it also covers the
backgrounds and activities of the UN member nations including the
Turkish Armed Forces’s participation in the Korean War and the ROK-
Reflections on the Historical Significance of the Hellenic Armed Forces’ Participation in the Korean War
13
Turkey relationship after the war.
Such an examination is expected to
shed light on the significance of the
Turkish Armed Forces’ participation
in the Korean War. It is also expected
to renew the blood ties of both
nations and help contribute to
forming solid partnership in
international societies in the future.
Right after World War II, the
Republic of Turkey had to face the
communist threats just like Korea. At
that time Turkey was gradually
recovering from the nightmares of
World War II, but the Turkish people were also under constant pressure
from the increased threats of communist powers along the Balkan
Peninsula and the Dardanelles Straits. That is, Turkey at that time was
not in a situation to pay attention to Korea. Upon hearing the news that
Korean was in a difficult situation due to the North Korean Communist
invasion of South Korea, however, Turkey expressed its willingness to
support the United Nations’ resolutions to help Korea. In other words,
upon receipt of the UN Secretary General’s request for support, the
Turkish government decided to dispatch armed forces as far as the
internal situations of Turkey allowed its dispatch of armed forces.
During the course of the Korean War, Turkey dispatched one
brigade-size infantry unit composed of 5,455 soldiers, the cumulative
number totaling 14,936. To be more specific, the Turkish 1st Infantry
Brigade was composed of three infantry battalions, one artillery
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A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
battalion of 105mm howitzers, and one support element. Upon arrival at
Busan on October 17, 1950, the Turkish Brigade started its mission at
the Korean front.
The Turkish Brigade was first attached to the US IX Corps and
carried out its rear area security mission. One month after, however, the
Turkish troops were committed to the frontline operations. One year
after in November, 1951, the Turkish 1st Infantry Brigade was relieved
by the Turkish 2nd Infantry Brigade, and the Turkish 2nd Infantry
Brigade was again relieved by the Turkish 3rd Infantry Brigade in
August, 1952. During the course of the Korean War, the Turkish forces
were engaged in a series of bloody battles on the Korean Peninsula,
including the fierce battle for Gunwuri, the battle for Gimryangjang near
Yongin, the battle for Jangseungcheon north of Yeoncheon, and the
battel for securing Nevada Outposts northwest of Goryangpo. After the
Armistice Agreement was signed on July 27, 1953, the Turkish forces
returned home with only one infantry company left behind in Korea.
The withdrawal of the Turkish Honer Guard in July, 1971, marked the
last of the Turkish forces’ stationing at the Korean front.
Looking back over the Allied countries who participated in the
Korean War, we are obliged to show our deepest respect for the Turkish
people who willingly dispatched their troops and sacrificed their sacred
lives for the people of Korea. We also sincerely hope to maintain good
relationships with the Allied countries in the future, particularly with the
Turkish people who volunteered to help us in times of great conflicts at
their home front. Once again, we express our solemn gratitude to those
Turkish soldiers who sacrificed their noble lives far away from their
home country as crusaders for freedom and peace in Korea.
Reflections on the Historical Significance of the Hellenic Armed Forces’ Participation in the Korean War
15
Ⅱ
The ROK-Turkey Relations Before and After
the Korean War
The Republic of Turkey is a country with a unique blend of
Eastern and Western civilizations. Divided by the Bosporus Strait into
the European Continent and the Asian Continent, and located on the
western tip of the Asian Continent, Turkey is often described as “a
flower of the Mediterranean,” “a bridge between the East and the
West,” or “a holy country of history.”
The ancestors of Turkish people of today, who had originally been
living in Central Asia, are considered to have migrated toward the west.
The course of Turkish westward migration was marked by the rise and
fall of sixteen monarchies, and it was not until around the 10th century
18
A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
that Turkish people had settled on the Anatolian Peninsula. During the
course of crossing the Arab territory on their westward migration in the
Middle Ages, most of the Turkish people converted to the religion of
Islam, and began to use the Arabic alphabets.
Surprisingly enough, Turkish people retain up to modern times
most of those customs and nature worship which were handed down
from their ancestors, and many of these customs are quite similar to
Korean customs. For instance, both the Korean and the Turkish
languages belong to the same Ural-Altaic language family, sharing the
same rules of sentence structures, vowel harmonies, and inflectional
endings.
In terms of territorial affiliation and ethnic identity, however,
Turkish people have quite different historical background from that of
Koreans. Unlike Korean people who have maintained almost the same
ethnic and territorial identities in their national history, the history of
Turkish people is characterized by a continuous stream of westward
migration from Central Asia, so that their territorial history is one thing
and their ethnic history is another. For this reason, the history of race is
emphasized among the Turks as the central element of their national
history, and, along with this racial history, the territory in which they
are currently rooted is quite emphasized in their national history.
The history of the Turks is a typical example of homogeneous race
who had migrated through the wide areas of Asia and Europe to the
present-day Turkey. However, the territorial history of Turkish people
covers the whole of those thirteen major centers of civilization
dominated by the Mesopotamian, the Orient, the Greek and the Roman,
the early Christian, the Byzantine, and the Islamic civilizations.
Considering these characteristics, a noted historian Arnold Toynbee
The ROK-Turkey Relations Before and After the Korean War
19
praised Turkey as “the living outdoor museum of human civilization.”
The Turkish people who had once enjoyed the powers and glories
of the Ottoman Empire are quite proud of their history, and it is not so
surprising that they place a great deal of weight on the “History of
Turkey” course in their school curriculum. When they talk about their
TuChueh Era in their history text, they even elaborate on the Goguryeo
Dynasty as their friendly nation. Not only the Turkish language is quite
similar to the Korean language, but some foods, cultures, customs,
people’s sentiments, and even Mongolian spots are shared by both
Koreans and Turks.
When we think about Turkey, we usually associate the country
with Istanbul, a country of the Mediterranean Sea, and our brotherly
nation. When asked why Turkey is our brotherly nation, we usually do
not know the details of its origin. At this point, it is considered quite
appropriate to look back over the long history of Korea-Turkey
relations quite in detail.
1. The Prehistoric Era: The Huns and the Han[Korean] Race
The origin of Turkey dates back to the Turks’ first settlement in the
region northeast of Central Asia around 2,000 B.C., and the recorded
history of Turkey started from the Huns(4th to 1st century B.C.). The
Turks are recorded in the ancient Chinese history as the tribes of Huns,
while the Kingdom of Teoman Yabug established in 220 B.C. was
labelled as the Huns by the Chinese people. The Huns were composed
of a variety of tribes, but the dominant tribe among these was the Turks.
The home of the Turks was in Central Asia, and the Turks of today is
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A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
on the direct line of descendent
from the tribe which is described
as “TuChueh” in the Chinese
history. For this reason, the Turks
are translated into “TuChueh” in
Chinese characters.
In other words, the Huns are
the ancestors of the TuChueh.
The Huns are the very tribe who
A Combat Scene of the Huns’ Cavalry
Soldiers (Dunhuang Mural Painting)
The Three Kingdoms and the Northern Races
Goguryeo
Wa
Baekje Shilla
The ROK-Turkey Relations Before and After the Korean War
21
not only helped transmit the civilizations of the Iron Age to China and
Korea but troubled the Chinese Emperor Jinsihwang so often that the
Emperor constructed the Great Wall of China to block the Huns’
aggressions. There is not any recorded history on the ancestors of the
Huns, and the Huns maintained sometimes cooperative relationships,
and other times enemy relationships, with China for a long time.
Around the 1st century B.C. the Huns began to decline, moved to the
west, constructed a union of small tribes, landed on the European
Continent around the end of the 4th century, and emerged as the
powerful Huns. In the academic circle, it is an established opinion that
the Huns mentioned in the Chinese history were the same Huns that
had precipitated a great migration of the European peoples.
As mentioned above, both the Korean and the Turkish languages
belong to the same Ural-Altaic language family. And just like the
Turkish people, Koreans are also originated from the Northern horseriding race. Taking these two facts into consideration, both ancient
Koreans and ancient Turks must have been neighbors who had once
been living on the grasses in Central Asia.
2. The Period of Three Kingdoms: TuChueh and
Goguryeo
The Turkish people of today are directly descended from the race
who is described as “the TuChueh” (6th~8th C) in the Chinese history.
When China was divided into the Wee and the Jin States after the Age
of Three Kingdoms, the TuChueh took advantage of such a state of
disorder in China, and regimented their powers. As a result, the
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A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
TuChueh came to emerge as a forceful power in the history around the
6th century. In the TuChueh Era, General Tonyuk invented alphabets of
the Sogdian language family of the Central Asia, and with these alphabets the TuChueh began to record their own history. These alphabets
are the ancient Turkish language, and the evidence of their powers are
witnessed in the inscriptions on the stone monuments which are scattered over the areas of the Orhon River north of Mongol, the upper
stream of the Yenisei River in the southern Siberia, and the northwestern area of Mongol.
After emerging as a forceful power in Central Asia, the TuChueh
had to face another super power in China, the Sui Dynasty. At this time
the Sui Dynasty, upon destroying the nomads in Central Asia and
unifying tribal states in China, emerged as a new super power in this
area. In order to cope with the expanding Sui Dynasty, the TuChueh
Dynasty allied itself with Goguryeo. In other words, the Turks used to
have a diplomatic relation with Koreans even from the time of the
Three Kingdoms in Korean history. During this time, the relationship
between TuChueh and Goguryeo was not merely that of friendly
nations formed by a simple diplomatic agreement; it relationship was
more like that of the tooth
and the gum, fighting
against the Sui Dynasty.
Inscribed on a stone
monument on the bank of
the Orhon River is the fact
that Goguryeo dispatched
a messenger of condolence
when King Muqan of the
Portrait of Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty
The ROK-Turkey Relations Before and After the Korean War
23
TuChueh Empire died in the year 572.
A picture of an envoy from Goguryeo
is also sketched on the ancient tomb
mural painting in a Central Asian
region governed by the TuChueh.
Judging from these facts, TuChueh and
Goguryeo must have had quite a close
relationship.
When Emperor Yang of the Sui
Dynasty succeeded in uniting the
whole territory of China under his
sway, he also tried to take hold of
neighbor countries in Eastern and
Central Asia in order to expand his
Soldier of the Ancient Times
(A Work of Restoration)
power of domination. Particularly
important for the Sui Dynasty was to
have a complete control of the Silk Road, but the TuChueh established
a friendly relationship with Goguryeo and posed a threat to the Sui’s
attempt to control over the Silk Road. Confronted with such an
obstacle, Emperor Yang decided to conquer Goguryeo, a weaker nation
than the TuChueh Empire, and then mobilized his armed forces in the
year 612 to attack Goguryeo. However, Emperor Yang’s army were
completely defeated at the Battle of Salsu River by General Ulchi of
Goguryeo, which eventually brought about the fall of the Sui Dynasty.
The Tang Dynasty which succeeded the Sui Dynasty was also very
much concerned about the TuChueh’s alliance with Goguryeo. When
the Tang Dynasty was at the height of its prosperity, King Taejong of
Tang mobilized all of its armed forces and attacked Goguryeo.
24
A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
Map of Goguryeo’s Attack on the Yoseo Area during the Sui Dynasty
Mt. Bukhan
Ungjin
(Gongju)
Seorabeol
Goguryeo was eventually overthrown and, after the fall of Goguryeo,
TuChueh was also threatened by the Tang forces. Later on, the
remnants of Goguryeo people founded the Kingdom of Balhae with the
help of the Mohe or Malgal.
Even though the TuChueh was destroyed by the Tang Dynasty, the
TuChueh was the first in the world history to unify the wide steppe
areas of Central Asia into a big empire. The TuChueh also had their
own alphabets, developing a high level of civilization.
The ROK-Turkey Relations Before and After the Korean War
25
3. Three Kingdoms - Post Three Kingdoms: Turks’
Conversion to Islam and Their Severance of Relations
with Koreans
With the fall of TuChueh, the Uigurs of the Turk family line came
to the fore in the world history. Some of the Turks who had been
fighting against China in Central Asia began to move westward
gradually. Earlier than the Turks’ westward movement, of course, the
Huns in Central Asia had migrated to the west and established the
Empire of the Huns which had quite an influence on the European
history. However, the Turks’ movement to the west brought forth a big
change in the world history. Quite naturally, the Turks’ movement to
the west brought about breaking off relations with the Korean race.
Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms of China
26
A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
Instead of providing military assistance to the Tang Dynasty, the
Uigurs tried to have a secure hold on the Silk Road and enjoyed
reigning over the whole area of Central Asia as a super power. With an
influence from the Sogd of the Iranian family line, the Uigurs accepted
A Territorial Overview during the Parhae Era
The ROK-Turkey Relations Before and After the Korean War
27
Manichaeism as their state religion. The Sogdian alphabets had also
influenced the Uigurs to create their own Uigur alphabets.
When the Uigurs moved to the west, they came to contact a newly
established Islam civilization which began to flourish from the 7th
century in the Middle East. Around this time the whole region of
Central Asia, free from the Chinese influence, was gradually turning to
Islam, because at the Battle of Talas the Tang Dynasty had been
completely defeated by the Abbas Empire of the Islamic family line.
As nomadic tribes in Central Asia converted to Islam one after
another, the Uigurs were occupying the region west of China so that the
Islamic influence began to be felt even on the western boundaries of
China. Around this time, Chinese people used a Chinese character,
hwae(¸fi), to identify every aspect of Islamic entities. For instance, they
used the word hwae-kyo(hae religion) for the religion of Islam; hwaein(hae person) for the believers of Islam or muslims; and hwaeryeok(hae calendar) for the Islamic calendar or hegira. Just like Chinese
people, we Koreans also use Korean character ‘hwae’ for Islamic
entities. The origin of such a language usage dates back to the influence
of the Uigurs.
4. The Goryeo Era: Turks-Uigurs and Goguryeo
During the Goguryeo Era, Koreans and the Uigurs had been
friendly nations only in a diplomatic sense. Toward the end of the
Goryeo Era, however, both peoples began to have direct contacts. Such
direct contacts had been possible mainly because the Mongolians
newly emerged as a big power from among the nomadic tribes in
28
A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
A Map of the 11th Century Political Situations of the Northeast Asia
The ROK-Turkey Relations Before and After the Korean War
29
Central Asia, and began to control the world. As a result, the Turks and
the Uigurs actively cooperated in the Mongolian conquest of the world
from its initial stage, so that when the building of the Mongol Empire
was completed the Turks and the Uigurs were treated as the upper-class
nobilities among the so-called “color-eyed” races.
In contrast to the social standing the Turks and the Uigurs were
enjoying, Koreans were attacked by the Mongols toward the end of the
Goryeo Dynasty and fell to the state of a subject country. Since that
time on, the Mongolian customs and cultures swept into the Korean
Peninsular, and along with this influx of Mongolian civilizations a great
number of Turks and Uigurs came into Korea and exploited their
positions to enjoy power and riches in Korean society.
In Korea, the Turks and the Uigurs were named as “hwea-hweain”(which means “Islamic people”) since they believed in Islam. A
Conquest of the World by the Mongol Empire
30
A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
good example is the expression of “hwea-hwea abi”(which means
“Islamic father”) in the lyrics of Goryeo popular song. At that time, the
Mongols held the prince of Goryeo Kingdom as a hostage, educated
him in accordance with the Mongolian customs, had him married to a
Mongolian princess, and then sent the married couple back to Goryeo.
When the princess of the Yuan Dynasty, who was married to the
prince of Goryeo Kingdom, eventually became the Queen of King
Chungryeol of the Goryeo Kingdom, a great number of chamberlains
accompanied the queen and most of the chamberlains were from the
Turks and the Uigurs. Among these chamberlains, a Uigur named
Samga was so much fascinated by the Goryeo customs that he asked
King Chungryeol to accept him as a naturalized Goryeo citizen. King
Chungryeol accepted his request, had him marry a Goryeo woman, and
granted him a Korean family name “Duksoo Jang” as well as a new
Korean name “Jang Sunryong.”
5. End of Goryeo - Early Yi Dynasty: Turks and Uigurs
Upon the fall of the Mongolian Yuan Dynasty, the Ming Dynasty
was newly founded in China. At this time in the Korean Peninsular, the
Yi Dynasty was also newly founded so that the new dynasty was able
to be out of the Yuan control. At this time, however, the Yi Dynasty had
to be controled by the newly founded Ming Dynasty in one way or
another.
Despite the fall of the Mongolian Yuan Dynasty which supported
the Turks and the Uigurs, the Turks and the Uigurs were still living in
Korea establishing their own communities around the City of Gaeseong,
The ROK-Turkey Relations Before and After the Korean War
31
capital of Goryeo Dynasty. Since most of them were believers in Islam,
Koreans at that time called them “hwea-hwea group.” They had their
religious service at a place called “yeagung,” so that “yeagung” is the
first mosk to appear in a recorded Korean history.
According to The Chronicles of the Choseon Dynasty, these people
(“hwea-hwea group”) presented themselves at the royal court, prayed
for the prosperity of the Yi Dynasty, and recited the holy book of Islam,
the Koran. In particular, King Seajong of the Yi Dynasty liked the
Muslim practice so much that he regularized this gathering, naming
their gathering as “hwea-hwea morning session” and calling their
prayer as “hwea-hwea prayer.”
When Confucianism was firmly established as the official religion,
however, the Yi Dynasty proclaimed in 1427 an edict that the customs
and religious practices of the Turks and the Uigurs be banned in Korea.
After this edict, the Turks and the Uigurs who had settled in Korea
during the Mongol Empire came to be married to Koreans, assimilating
themselves to Korean customs and ways of life. In this way, they mixed
their blood with Koreans and came to lose their identities as Turks and
Uigurs.
6. The Yi Dynasty Era: Severance of Relations with
Korea, and the Glory of Osman Turk
The Confucianism at the time of the Yi Dynasty strictly rejected
any influx of cultures and civilizations other than those of China.
Accordingly, excepting the earlier years of the Yi Dynasty the exchange
of cultures and civilizations between Koreas and the Turks was com-
32
A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
pletely cut off during most of the Yi Dynasty period.
The Turks had once constructed a great empire in Central Asia,
sometimes reigning over the Chinese territory and sometimes bothering
China with aggressions. At the time of the Yi Dynasty, the glories that
the Turks had so far enjoyed were gone, and the Turks went back to the
steppe area in Central Asia, established a small-scale city state, and led
a nomadic life. In this way, the Turks seemed to have been forgotten in
the world history. To look at the influence they had in human civilization, however, the Turks did not disappear from the stage of world
Political Situations of the Northeast Asia during the
Early Years of the Yi Dynasty
The ROK-Turkey Relations Before and After the Korean War
33
history. By this time, their theater of activities had already been moved
to the west. The Turks who had accepted Islam on a large scale took part
in the great project of constructing the Islamic world. At their initial
stage of participation, they made inroads into the Islamic world as mercenary soldiers.
Very soon, however, the Turks transformed themselves into a
forceful ruling power. The Turks not only constructed the Seljuk Turk
Empire and the Ottoman Turk Empire, they also founded such empires
as the Harazmsha Empire which incited Genghis Khan to conquest the
world, the Ghaznavid Empire which upheld the Persian literature up to
the rank of world literature, the Mamluk Empire of Egypt which was
the only state to repel successfully Mongol aggressions, and the Timur
Empire which flooded with blood Central Asia, India, Middle East, and
Europe. In this way, the Turks had been the supporters as well as guardians of the Islamic world.
Particularly notable were the Seljuk Turk Empire and the Ottoman
Turk Empire. The Seljuk Empire occupied Israel and blocked the
Christian pilgrimage to the Holy Land, which eventually led to the
Holy War, the Crusades. The Ottoman Empire advanced up to the
European Continent, and extinguished the Byzantine Empire which was
the Eastern Roman Empire. In other words, extinguishing the Byzantine Empire meant putting an end to the Roman history. Besides, the
reign of the Ottoman Turk Empire covered a vast area from Europe and
Africa to Asia, so that Europeans were always in great fear of the Ottoman Empire.
Osman I, who was from a noble family of the Seljuk Turk Empire,
was the leader of the Ottoman Turks and established his own power
around the area of Burusa to attack the Byzantine Empire. By attacking
34
A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
the Byzantine Empire, Osman I laid the groundwork for a great empire,
and eventually in 1453 he succeeded in occupying Constantinople, the
capital of the Byzantine Empire, and extinguished the Byzantine Empire. After this, he consolidated the Ottoman Empire, ruling over three
continents as one of the world’s most powerful empires in human history.
One of the basic tenets of the Ottoman Empire was to accept a
variety of religions and cultures into a unified empire. Until today, a
great number of Jewish Turks are still living in Constantinople, and
they are owners of such giant businesses as Wakou, Allarco, Propilco.
The Hurryet, one of the biggest Turkey daily newspapers in Turkey.
The Ottoman Empire had a long history from the year 1299 to
1924, the years of its foundation and downfall being quite similar to
those of the Yi Dynasty of Korea. Ever since the Ottoman Empire was
defeated in a war with Austria, the energies that had so far upheld the
glories of the Empire began to grow weaker. Since then on, the resources of the Empire were exhausted by some 200 years of persistent
European attacks. Following years of decline, the Ottoman Empire
entered World War I through the Ottoman-German Alliance in 1914,
and was ultimately defeated. This defeat marked the fall of the great
Ottoman Empire.
In other words, during the Yi Dynasty of Korea the Turks who had
once been our neighbors as well as blood relations moved far away
from Korea to Europe, building a great empires and ruling over a greater part of the world. For this reason, the Turks and Koreans had to be
estranged from each other during the Yi Dynasty.
The ROK-Turkey Relations Before and After the Korean War
35
7. The Period of Japanese Occupation: Unfortunate
Relationship, Tatars and Koreans
After the First World War, Turkey was in a state of imminent
national crisis. At such a crisis Atatürk Pasha(which means “farther of
Turks,” whose real name was Mustafa Kemal) launched the Turkish
War of Independence from 1918 to 1923. With this war, he recovered
much of the Anatolian Peninsula and in 1923 officially founded the
Republic of Turkey, thus ending 623 years rule of the Ottoman Empire.
Because of Turkey’s entanglements in the Western powers,
however, the relationship between Turks and Koreans had once been
aggravated. The Turks, who had remained in Central Asia, formed a
small-scale city state and led a peaceful nomadic life. Just like we
Koreans who fell into the Japanese rule, Turks also came to be ruled by
Russia since the 18th century. The Russian oppressions upon them
were so cruel that the Turks had formed a friendly relationship with
Japan. In other words, Turks and Japanese people had formed a peculiar form of relationship to cope with the Western world powers.
A very close diplomatic relationship was established between the
Ottoman Empire and Japan during the Meiji period of Japanese history.
During the Russo-Japanese War of 1905, the Ottoman Empire had
dispatched Osman fleet to form a united front against the Russian attack.
Around this time, Abdullah Sid Abrahim was dispatched to Choseon as
a confidential agent around the year 1909, observed the social and
political situations of Korea under Japanese rule, and reported in detail
what he had observed in Korea. In this report which was published in a
book form, one can notice a variety of aspects such as the realities of
Japanese oppressive rules, the incompetencies of Choseon officials, and
36
A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
a variety of Choseon
cultures.
When the RussoJapanese War ended with
Japan’s
victory,
the
Ottoman Empire paid
more attention to Japan.
When the Bolshevik
Revolution occurred in
Russia in 1917, some of
the Turk-Tatar people felt
A scene right after the Naval Battle of Incheon.
(Russian warships are on fire and foreign warships
are rescuing wounded soldiers.)
quite uneasy and migrated
to the Korean Peninsular with the Japa-nese support.
The Turk-Tatar people who migrated to Korea were mainly
engaged in small scale trades, tailor shops, or dry goods stores. Under
protection of the Governor-General Office in Choseon, and with their
own stable income as well, these Turk-Tatar people enjoyed quite a
high level of social standing in Korea and formed their own social
communities.
Particularly notable were the Turk-Tatar people who settled in
Uljiro and Sogongdong areas in Seoul. With their skill of tailoring
which they had learned from the West, they transformed these areas to
a mecca for tailor business up to the time well after the Korean
liberation from the Japanese rule. They also had their own schools and
mosques in their communities, and they even had their own cemetery
near the City of Seoul. After the Korean liberation, however, the TurkTatar people who had so far enjoyed Japanese supports had to face cold
glares from Koreans on the one hand, and felt quite uncomfortable
The ROK-Turkey Relations Before and After the Korean War
37
about international situations on the other. For these reasons, some of
them went back to Turkey and others to Australia or Canada.
The First World War not only sapped the national strength of both
Turkey and Russia, it also diplomatically isolated them from international societies. For this reason, they established a friendly relationship, and in 1925 concluded a nonaggression treaty between the two
countries. The Turks who had established the Republic of Turkey in
1923 made an extensive and drastic reform under the leadership of
Mustafa Kemal Pasha, and at the same time they also set about the
work of modernization. When World War II broke out, Turkey took the
neutralist line and watched the development of world situations.
Toward the end of the war, however, Russia came to break the nonaggression treaty so that they had to fight against each other. (The ancient
histories between Korea and Turkey are excerpts from the writings of
Doctor Shin Yangsup.)
8. Establishment of the Republic of Korea
Government, and Reestablishment of Korea-Turkey
Diplomatic Relationship
When the Second World War was over, the United States of
America became hostile to Russia which had once been a member state
of the Allied Nations. Under such a circumstance, the United States
took into consideration the importance of Turkey’s geopolitical
situation, and began to support the Republic of Turkey. When the
whole of the Balkan Peninsula, excepting Greece, was communized
after World War II, the United States tried to block the communist
38
A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
expansion in this area. For this purpose, the United States proclaimed
the Truman Doctrine in March 1947 and initiated the so-called
Marshall Plan with a specific purpose to combat the communist
expansion on the one hand, and, on the other, to aid European countries
which were in ruins after the war. Under these circumstances, Turkey
began to receive quite a large amount of military and economic
assistance from the United States of America.
On the part of the Republic of Turkey, they had a good reason to
take an anti-communist policy line. Historically, there were a lot of
conflicts between the Ottoman Turk Empire and Russia. Besides,
Central Asia which had once been a homeland of their ancestors was
not only under the rule of the Soviet Union, but their fellow Turks
currently living in the region were also suffering a great deal of
difficulties because of the Soviet rule. For these reasons, the Republic
of Turkey, adopting an anti-communist line, willingly approved the
newly established Korean government in 1949 when the Republic of
Korea government was officially established in 1948.
When North Korea was communized, South Korea took an anticommunist line just like the Republic of Turkey. When attacked from
North Korea with a support from the Soviet Union, however, South
Korea had to confront a national crisis. Under such a circumstance, the
Republic of Turkey willingly accepted the United Nation’s resolution to
participate in the Korean War. In other words, Turkey’s participation in
the Korean War renewed the military relationship between the two
nations which had been stopped ever since the ancient GoguryeoTuChueh military relationship. In such a renewed state of military
relationship between the two countries, the Republic of Turkey
recruited volunteer soldiers to dispatch 5,000 troops to Korea when the
The ROK-Turkey Relations Before and After the Korean War
39
Korean War broke out.
Upon hearing the news that a war broke out in their “Brotherly
Nation,” 15,000 Turkish young men volunteered to participate in the
Korean War. The number of volunteers were well over the number of
troops the Government of Turkey had originally planned to recruit.
When the dispatch of troops was somewhat delayed, highschool
students in Turkey demonstrated against their government’s delaying of
troop dispatch to Korea, protesting “Why Not Send Troops to Our
Brotherly Nation?” With such an enthusiasm, the Republic of Turkey
came to participate in the Korean War.
40
A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
Ⅲ
Instability on the Korean Peninsula just
before the Korean War
1. Chaotic Domestic Politics after Independence
The Korean War broke out against the background of the division
of Korea into North and South, and the division of Korea was a byproduct
created in the process of reforming the world order on the one hand, and
the Cold War confrontation between US and USSR after World War II on
the other. The origin of the Korean War, however, can be traced back to
the Japanese colonization.
Chosun, which had functioned as an united nation for a long time,
was forced to be a colony of the Japanese super power in the late 19th
century. After Japan took over Chosun, Korean people established the
44
A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
Establishment of the Government of the Republic of Korea(August 15th, 1948)
overseas Provisional Government, organized a corps of Independence
Fighters, and devoted to all sorts of anti-Japanese arms activities. In this
way, Korea was able to gain independence, but not without help from
allied forces.
In the process of fighting for freedom, Korea was divided. To be
more specific, communism came to be involved in the process of fighting
for Korean independence, and communists divided the fighters into two
camps–those who supported communism and those who opposed it. In
1945 Korean people were excited about their independence, but behind
the joys of the independence were lurking the unreconcilable ideological
differences created by communism. These ideological differences
ultimately led to the Korean War.
Though the US and the Soviet Union did not recognize the
Provisional Korean Government, they agreed upon the matter of granting
independence to Korean people in due time. This agreement put a damper
on the Korean people’s joy of
independence, and it served as
a seedbed for the tragedy of
Korean people.
When the US demanded
unconditional surrender from
Japan, it was agreed between
the US and the USSR that the
Soviets would take care of
disarming Japanese soldiers to
the north of the 38th Parallel,
while the US would take care
Cairo Conference
46
A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
of the southern part of the 38th
Parallel. In this way, Korea was physically separated with the Soviets
appointing Kim Il-sung and his communist party to lead the nation in the
North.
In December, 1945, at a conference in Moscow, the US and the
USSR decided to grant independence to Korea after a five-yeartrusteeship, and set up a review committee to consider the establishment
of the Provisional Government.
Growing internal frictions, however, severly hurt South Korea to
the point where it was unable to support its population. Nationalists
opposed the trusteeship, but communists approved it. Those following the
Soviet orders caused the country to fall into a state of chaos when the leftwing gained power in the North and the right-wing in the South.
To make matters worse, in the South the abuse of the monetary
system during the last years of Japanese occupation caused severe
inflation on the one hand, and, on the other, most of the factories stopped
production of goods needed in everyday life because all Japanese
engineers went back to Japan. Besides, South Korea produced only eight
percent of the total electricity produced in Korea, so that South Korea had
to rely heavily on the North for the supply of electricity. In this
circumstance, when opposition of the trusteeship grew stronger in the
South, the North stopped supplying electricity to the South to put pressure
on the issue of trusteeship. As a result, the South had to suffer severe
hardship of electric power shortage. Moreover, after the independence a
host of people poured into South Korea from abroad and from North
Korea, so that the population of the South grew very rapidly. This in turn
led to food shortage and placed extreme economic pressure on the South.
During this period of time, the Soviet Union made Kim Il-sung
communize the North, and went on to make plans to communize the
Instability on the Korean Peninsula Just before the Korean War
47
South by means of subversions.
This expansionist strategy of the
Soviet Union clashed with the
blockade policy of the US, and
intensified the Cold War confrontation between the US and the
USSR. Such an intensified
confrontation led not to an
establishment of a unified
Kim Il-sung and Soviet officers
Provisional Government for
Korea but to an irrecoverable rift
between North and South.
Eventually, the US offered to hold a meeting between the four
countries concerned, but the Soviet rejected the offer. So the US took the
matter to the UN to find a solution. The UN placed the Korean matter on
the agenda as a subject for discussion. Finally, the UN decided on ‘the
provisions of independence procedure for Korea’ presented by the UN
political committee, and this decision enabled Korea to establish an
independent government in Korea.
In accordance with the UN decision, UN Temporary Commission
on Korea(UNTCOK) was established with V.K.K. Menon of India
appointed as chairman. However, the Soviet Union blocked members of
UNTCOK to enter North Korea. Then, the UN decided to hold an election
in South Korea where a free election was possible. As a result, the South
held a general election on May 10, 1948, and five days later the Republic
of Korea was born on August 15. The UN then officially declared South
Korea as a legitimate nation to the world.
North Korea also followed suit by passing the constitution of the
48
A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
Democratic People’s Republic of Korea through the Council of
Democratic People’s Commission on May 1, 1948. The North did not
take immediate actions to establish a nation for strategic reasons, and
waited for a proper time to take actions. On September 9, 1948, North
Korea also took actions to establish a nation of its own. As a result, there
came to be two independent governments in Korea, and this state of
governments aggravated the division of Korea. Eventually, such a tragic
division, coupled with the implications of the Cold War confrontation, led
to the Korean War.
After the removal of the US and the USSR military forces from the
Korean Peninsula, the UN tried to reunify the two Koreas by sending UN
Commission composed of members from such countries as Australia, the
Republic of China, the Republic of El Salvador, France, India, the
Philippines, Turkey, etc. The US Commission in Korea kept an eye on the
38th Parallel until the Korean War broke out, and then pointed out the fact
that the UN decisions were not faithfully carried out in Korea. Particularly,
they were afraid that the current situations in Korea would lead to a
military confrontation between North and South, posing a serious threat to
the security of the Korean Peninsula,
2. Soviet and Chinese Aid to North Korea’s War
Preparation
In 1949 a year and a half before the invasion of the South, Kim Ilsung had already expressed his idea of invading South Korea to Stalin,
and the Soviet also supported the North with 4,000 troops, not including
military advisories.
Instability on the Korean Peninsula Just before the Korean War
49
The details concerning the war were talked over in the Moscow
conference between Kim and Stalin in March 1949. On the fifth of the
same month, Kim Il-sung, accompanied by Park Hun-young, visited
Moscow to talk about financial support and the increase of the military
power. At this conference they talked about many issues concerning
politics, economy, cultures, and particularly about military affairs. The
matter of invading the South was also discussed.
Kim Il-sung asked Stalin’s opinion on Kim’s scheme of unifying
Korean Peninsula by force, and Stalin stated in his answer to this question
that it would be impossible to make a preemptive attack without gaining a
certain degree of superiority over the South Korean military forces.
The outcome of Kim and Stalin’s conference ended up with
borrowing forty million dollars from the Soviet Union which would be
needed to buy weapons. Later, they received 15,000 rifles, 139 artillery
pieces, 87 T-34 Tanks, 94 aircraft, and other military supplies. When the
war drew close at hand, they received the support of 200 aircraft and 250
tanks, which were far more advanced than those of the South.
After that, the North reached
an agreement with China to invade
the South and on April 28, 1949,
Kim Il-sung visited China and met
important figures such as Gao
Gang, Zhu De, Zhou Enlai and
even Mao Tse-Tung. They talked
about the war and the matter of
committing the Chinese forces to
Celebration of the Establishment of
North Korean Army
50
A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
North Korea.
As a result, North Korea was
able to strengthen its military forces, and Kim Il-sung, encouraged by such
a military reinforcement, decided to launch his first attack. When the US
troops withdrew from the South, the 38th Parallel became meaningless. In
the military confrontation on the 38th Parallel, the North proved itself
superior. What’s more, North Korea declared that since South Korea
refused to accept the North’s peace treaty on the battle line, they had no
alternative but to invade.
In October 1949, when the Communist party won the civil war in
China, Kim Il-sung reasoned that it was a prime time to convince China
and the Soviet Union to liberate South Korea. He sent message to Stalin
that the people of the South trusted him, asking for Stalin’s military
support. Kim also told Stalin that he could not fall asleep at night because
he was too much preoccupied with the unification of Korea.
Kim Il-sung secretly visited Moscow in early April 1950 to discuss
such important topics with Stalin as plans for unification of Korea, the
economic prospects of North Korea, and the problems of the communist
party. At this conference, Stalin said that the international community
tended towards supporting them and would approve of Kim’s plan to
invade South Korea. He also suggested the matter of invading the South
be discussed with China. So, Kim Il-sung visited Mao Tse-Tung on May
13 and discussed invasion of the South with Mao. He returned to North
Korea on May 16, 1950.
Later, the North Korea’s Chief of the General Staff, Kang Kun, and
the new Soviet military advisor, General Vasilevsky, mapped out the
detailed plans for the invasion. They devised a three-step plan to be
carried out over three months. The agreement was delivered to Stalin
through ambassador Shtykov on June 16, 1950, and the launching of the
invasion was set for June 25, 1950. Right before the war, Soviet military
Instability on the Korean Peninsula Just before the Korean War
51
Plan of North Korea to Attack South Korea
advisors checked on the state of North Korea’s preparation for the attack,
and then they stayed back in the rear to conceal any traces of the Soviet
Union’s involvement in the invasion.
3. South Korea’s Lack of Preparation for the War
Around the time the Korean War broke out, the South Korean
52
A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
government was preoccupied with outlawing communism and eliminating
red guerrillas and the leftists who stood in the way of establishing a stable
society. At that time, however, South Korea went through a severe
economic difficulties in spite of US support. This economic difficulty was
an important element of the instability of the South Korean society.
South Korea’s military forces also required military aids from the
US, but the request for military aids was refused. This caused a severe gap
in the military strength between North and South. What was worse for
South Korea, on January 12, 1950, the US announced in the Acheson
speech that South Korea and Taiwan were no longer included in
America’s Pacific defense line. Upon hearing the announcement, South
Kore came to have doubts on America’s will to help defend Korea’s
security.
Under such a security environment, the South Korean armed forces
on the front line had to be prepared for possible North’s military
provocations along the 38th Parallel, and the forces in the rear had to be
mobilized to root out communist guerrillas. What was worse, inside the
Korean armed forces there were communist infiltrators, so that these
infiltrators also had to be eliminated. Ultimately, the South Korean Army
was in dire straits because of the triple difficulties mentioned above.
Besides, the South Korean troops were numerically inferior to those of the
North. For these reasons, the safety of the country and national defence
were in a seriously risky state.
In the first National Assembly election held on May 30, 1950,
however, 90% of the populations went to the polls. Though the ruling
party won only 25% of the votes, they accepted the results of the election,
showing that democracy was taking roots in South Korea.
Instability on the Korean Peninsula Just before the Korean War
53
Ⅳ
North Korean Invasion and Participation of
the UN Forces
1. The Surprise Attack by North Korea
At dawn, on June 25, 1950, North Korean armed forces advanced
southward under cover of foggy valleys and mountains. T-34 tanks led the
way with the North’s artillery fires and missile fires along the 38th
Parallel. The serenity of the dawn along the waist line of the Korean
Peninsula was greatly disturbed by the roaring sounds and flashes from
these fires.
The Korean War began in this way. The news was spread abroad
through diplomatic channels or correspondents, and the world’s attention
was drawn to the Korean Peninsula.
56
A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
When the state of peace that had
been unstably maintained in the Korean
Peninsula was broken in a moment by
the North Korea’s invasion, US
Ambassador to Korea, John J. Muccio,
reported the fact to the US government. President Rhee Seung-man also
judged that South Korea could not counter North’s invasion on its own
forces, so that he ordered the South Korean Ambassador to the US, Jang
Myun, to request support from the US.
On that very same day, the Korean National Assembly also
requested the US President and US Congress that they would provide
effective and timely support for South Korea. The UN Commission in
Korea also announced that North Korea should halt military actions,
retreat back to the 38th Parallel, and seek a peaceful solution. At the same
time, the UN General Assembly urged the North to stop its attack on June
26, 1950.
Worldwide Newspaper Reporting on the Outbreak of Korean War
& North Korean Army Marching to Seoul
2. UN Participation in the Korean War to Defend Peace
(1) Activities of the UN Commission in Korea
After World War II, the global society recognized the need to create
a safety device for world peace. As a result, on October 24, 1945, 51
nations formed the United Nations.
After independence from the Japanese hold, the divided Korea was
not able to realize its dream of unification mainly because of the US’ and
USSR’s differences in opinion on the methods of unification. In other
words, the political situations of the Korean Peninsula came to a standstill.
At this time, the UN intervened, and organized in May 1948 the United
Nations Temporary Commission on Korea(UNTCOK) to monitor the
election process. Then the UN recognized South Korea as the only legal
government, and went on to oversee the activities to maintain peace on the
Korean Peninsula.
Taiwan, Australia, El Salvador, France, India, the Philippines, and
Turkey were active members of the UN Commission in Korea. Because
of the interests and efforts of these member countries, the UN was able to
respond quite readily to the North Korea’s attack on South Korea.
When the UN resolution to send
troops to Korea was made, each country
decided to join the war with each nation’s
security risks in mind. Most of the UN
member nations reasoned that the North
Korea’s provocation could pose threat to
their own nations in one way or another if it
UN Security Council
58
was left unchecked. The UN’s ultimate
A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
cause for the participation in the war, however, was ‘to protect freedom
and world peace.’ And the UN’s decision to participate in the Korean War
can be interpreted as putting into action the UN principle that the UN
would take actions en mass to check any illegal military actions that
would threaten freedom and world peace.
(2) UN Resolution to Stop North Korea’s Invasion
The UN Security Council called an emergency session at 4:00 a.m.,
on June 26, 1950(local time). They urged the North to stop the invasion
and move back to the 38th Parallel.
UN General-Secretary Trygve H. Lie, quoting the report made by
the UN Commission in Korean, stated that the UN should take proper
actions in order to secure the peace and safety of Korea. The US
representative to the UN proposed that the Korean representative attend
the UN Security Council, so that Ambassador Jang Myun was able to
appeal at the Security Council for South Korea.
Later, the United Kingdom slightly revised the US proposal to help
Korea and put the revised proposal to a vote. It was passed with 9 in favor,
0 opposed, 1 abstention. At that time, the UN Security Council was
composed of five permanent members(US, USSR, England, France, the
Republic of China) who held veto powers and eleven non-permanent
members. When the Korean resolution was introduced, the Soviet Union
was absent so that the UN could pass the resolution without the Soviet
Union’s veto. The UN resolution to help Korea marked the first official
act to stop illegal aggressions for the peace of the world, and in the case of
the Korean War the main objective of the UN resolution was to stop the
North’s aggression and to push them back north of the 38th Parallel.
North Korean Invasion and Participation of the UN Forces
59
(3) UN Resolution to Provide Military Support for Korea
Despite the June 26 resolution, North Korea continued their
invasion. So, the UN Commission in Korea asked the UN to take
additional measures for South Korea. Under such a circumstance, the US
decided to present a proposal to the UN Security Council. Contained in
the proposal were the request to allow naval and air support for Korea and
an appeal to provide UN member nations’ assistance to Korea.
In accordance with the US proposal to the UN, the UN Security
Council was called on June 28, 1950. At this council, the US
representative Warren R. Austin explained in detail the current situations
in Korea and the major actions the
US had taken so far. After eight
hours of conference, the resolution
was passed with 7 in favor, 1
opposed, 2 abstention. At this
time, the Soviet also did not attend
the meeting.
Conference on the UN Security Council
The main point of the
resolution of June 28 was to
secure the military support of the UN to drive back the North Koreans.
This was the first collective security measure taken after the establishment
of the UN, which sanctioned military actions against those nations that
disturb world peace. As the UN forces joined the Korean troops, the war
turned to be no longer a war between South Korea and North Korea, but a
war between North Korea and the UN.
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A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
3. The Process of US Involvement in the War
(1) Decision to Provide Naval and Air Support
Before the UN resolution to send troops
to Korea was passed, the US President Truman
opened a National Security Council with his
top-level military leaders to make a
counterattack plan against the North, and
immediately prepared to send troops to Korea.
At this meeting, Truman mentioned that
North Korea’s invasion of the South was
somewhat like the beginning of World War II,
US Forces Landing on Busan
and that if the North’s provocation were left
unchecked another world war could break out which would break down
the founding principles of the UN. For this reason, the US decided to
approve military actions for Korea. In accordance with this decision, the
Far East Command headquarters was ordered to mobilize the noncombatant Navy and Air Force troops to provide transport support on June
26, and the next day Brigadier General John H. Church and his crew were
dispatched to South Korea to look at the situations.
(2) The US’ Decision to Send Ground Troops
On June 27, 1950, despite a series of military actions taken so far,
the situation in Korea grew rapidly worse. General MacArthur reported
that Seoul would soon be fallen into the enemy’s control. The ROK
government also asked for emergency military support from the US. Upon
North Korean Invasion and Participation of the UN Forces
61
receiving MacArthur’s report and the
ROK government’s request, the US
called the National Security Council
again to take proper actions.
During this meeting, the US
decided to ignore the measures of
General MacArthur Visiting Korea
limited operation of the Far-East
Naval and Air Forces in order to make these Naval and Air Forces help
fight North Korean armed forces. The US also decided to provide full
support to the ROK armed forces. Besides these decisions, President
Truman also announced publicly that he ordered the Far-East Naval and
Air Forces to provide full support for the ROK troops because North
Korea had failed to respond to UN warnings.
As a part of this measure, General MacArthur himself had an on-thespot look at the front line along the 38th Parallel. Based on his observation,
he then made a proposal to send ground troops to Korea, which was
approved soon after. He ordered the US 8th Army commander to send the
24th Division which was stationed at that time in Kyushu, Japan, and the
advance party, Task Force Smith, arrived in Busan on July 1. When Task
Force Smith left for Daejeon and the main-force units of the division arrived
later on, the US ground forces’ operation set to work on a full scale.
4. Establishment of the UN Command, and the Urge to
Send Ground Troops
(1) Eastablishment of the UN Command
While the ROK troops were defending the front line against North
62
A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
Korea in July 1950, the US Army, Navy, and Air Forces joined the war.
Soon after this followed the British Navy, Australian naval and air forces,
and the New Zealand naval forces. As more and more nations were
prepared to take part in the Korean War, the matter of command and
control of the US forces loomed as an important issue.
The solution was found on July 3, 1950, when the UN Secretary
General Lie proposed that the US, who had the heaviest burden in terms of
military support, should take the command of the UN forces. At last, on
July 7, 1950, the UN Security Council passed the proposal for “the
establishment of the UN Command” which was originally proposed by
England and France and prepared by the US. The purpose of the UN
Command, of course, was to maintain unity in the military activities of the
UN member nations.
The main contents of UN Command agreement can be summed as
follows: The authorities of the UN Security Council to take military
actions against the North’s provocations will be delegated to the President
of the United States, and the military forces from the UN member nations
will be under the unified command of the US forces.
-The Main Point of Establishing the UN CommandThe UN National Security Council, concluding that the North’
invasion of South Korea is a destruction of peace, is agreed that (1)
All nations providing military and other supports are to be under
command of the UN Command which the US will be in charge of, (2)
The US should appoint the commander of the UN Command, (3) The
commander has the authority to sanction the use of the UN flag
along with the flags of the UN member countries in times of
military operation, (4) The US should make reports based on the
operations done by the UN Command and present it to the UN
Security Council.
North Korean Invasion and Participation of the UN Forces
63
After signing the agreement, the UN Secretary General delivered
the UN Command flag to the US Ambassador to Korea. US General
MacArthur was appointed as the first Commander of the UNC, and at the
same time he was also given the following guideline–all operations of the
US would fall under the authority of the UN Security Council.
In accordance with this guideline, General MacArthur ordered
Lieutenant General Walker to take charge of the ground troops in Korea.
Upon receiving this command, Lieutenant General Walker came from
Japan to Daegu, established the command post there, and began to
command not only US ground troops but also UN ground troops.
In spite of the establishment of the UN Command, however, by
July 1950 many nations did not send ground troops, providing only air
and naval support. The difficulty of transport and the slow process of
decision making seemed to account for the delayed support of the UN
member nations’ ground forces.
(2) The Request for UN Ground Troops
The UN Command, established by the approval of many of the UN
member nations, took direct responsibility of ROK. However, the US took
the initiative in commanding the UN forces, because in actuality the US
determined not only the size of troops but also combat capabilities.
When other countries wanted to participate in the war, they had to
obtain approvals from both the US Department of State and the UN
Secretary General Lie. At the initial stage of the war, the US Secretary of
State hoped that, as more and more nations would join the war, the Korean
War would be not so much a war between the the US and the USSR, but
rather a war between democracy and communism.
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A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
The UNC Commander
General MacArthur presented a
sort of guideline to each
member nation: if the participating member nation wants to
make a realistic contribution to
the war, each member nation
should send at least 1,000 men,
or a battalion, plus they should
carry sixty days’ rations in a
state of full equipment, plus
each home country should take
charge of continued logistic
support. The UN assumed that
Serving UN Flag to General MacArthur
this guideline was somewhat
unrealistic, but it wanted more nations to join the UN forces and fight for
Korea.
The US National Security Council insisted that other Asian nations
(such as the Philippines, Thailand, India, Pakistan) should participate in
the war, stating that such a participation would convey important political
meanings to other Asian nations who were craving for peace and freedom.
Most of the UN member nations agreed that North Korea had
threatened world peace. However, their reactions to the UN decision to
retaliate against North Korea differed. Some did support the united action
of the UN, but others refused to give any indications of military support.
Other countries also wanted to send troops but the number of troops was
too small to be accepted by the UN Command.
North Korean Invasion and Participation of the UN Forces
65
Ⅴ
The Turkish Forces’ Engagement in the
Korean War and Major Battles
1. The Republic of Turkey’s Decision to Participate in
the Korean War, and Troop Formation
Just before the end of Wold War II on February 22, 1945, the
Republic of Turkey declared war against Germany. With this
declaration, Turkey joined the Allied Forces and adopted its proWestern foreign policy. At the outbreak of the Korean War, the United
Nations Security Council adopted on June 28, 1950 a resolution
recommending that the U. N. member nations furnish assistance to the
Republic of Korea in order to repel the communist attack and restore
peace and security in Korea. In the middle of July the same year, the
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A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
A Map Showing the Location of Korea and Turkey
UN Secretary General requested Turkey to send troops to Korea. By
willingly accepting the UN Secretary General’s request, the Republic of
Turkey came to participate in the Korean War.
Considering the urgency of the Korean War, the Government of
Turkey called an emergency meeting of the Cabinet on July 18, 1950.
Included in this meeting were top-level armed forces personnel, and at
this meeting they decided to send a brigade size armed forces to Korea.
On July 25, 1950, the government’s decision was unanimously
approved by the Grand National Assembly of Turkey. Upon this
approval, on August 3, 1950 the Turkish Army immediately began the
work of dispatch troop formation which was tentatively named “the
Turkish Dispatch Brigade to Korea.” The Turkish Brigade was mainly
composed of soldiers either from the 241st Regiment, 28th Infantry
Division stationed at Ayas (17 kilometers west of Ankara), or soldiers
from the 2nd Artillery Battalion (Battalion Commander, LT Colonel
The Turkish Forces’ Engagement in the Korean War and Major Battles
69
Tashin Kurtay), 2nd Cavalry Brigade. And the shortages in dispatch
troops were supplemented with recruits. In addition, recruited from the
4th Military District, Turkish VIII Corps, were such supporting
elements as engineering, transportation, ordnance, communications,
and medical units. With these supporting units, the Turkish Brigade
came to have enough combat capabilities to conduct independent
operations of its own. On September 10, 1950, Brigadier General
Tashin Yazici, who was commander of the 2nd Armored Brigade at that
time, was assigned to the Brigade Commander, and LT Colonel
Selahattin Tokay was assigned to the Brigade Chief of Staff.
Table of Organization of the 1st Turkish Brigade
70
A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
After the troop formation,
“the 1st Turkish Brigade” had
completed a short period of
military training by September
13, 1950, and the brigade
assembled at Etimesqut on
September 14. At that time, the
number of the brigade troops
totaled 5,090. Upon completion
of the final inspection at
Etimesqut on September 19,
Turkish troops moved by train
and on September 20 arrived at
Iskendrun, a port city on the
The 1st Turkish Brigade landed on the
Port of Busan
Mediterranean Sea.
Upon completion of a brief send-off ceremony at the port of
Iskendrun, each echelon of the Turkish troops boarded the American
troopship and set sail for Korea in accordance with its own
transportation schedule. The first echelon (1,882 men) boarded the
troopship General Mcrae on September 25, the second echelon (2,461
men) General W. Haan on 26th, and the third echelon (740 men)
Private Johnson on 29th, respectively. While they were on their voyage
to Korea, Turkish soldiers had a military education on tactics and
handling American weapons from the U.S. Army instructors. After the
long 21-day voyage, the advance party of the 1st Turkish Brigade
arrived in Busan on October 17, 1950.
The Turkish Forces’ Engagement in the Korean War and Major Battles
71
2. The Turkish Brigade’s Deployment in Korea and Its
Major Battles
(1) Adjustment to the Korean Front and Commitment to
Counterguerrilla Warfare (September 20 ~ November 20,
1950)
Upon arrival at the port of Busan in October 1950, the 1st Turkish
Brigade directly moved to the UN Reception Center near Daegu. Here,
the brigade was attached to the U.S. 25th Infantry Division, IX Corps
of the Eighth U.S. Army reserve. The mission assigned to the Turkish
Brigade was to protect the Daejeon-Daegu main supply route. To be
more specific, the U.S. IX Corps at that time was scheduled to be
committed to the front early November 1950. In the meantime, the U.S.
IX Corps wanted the Turkish Brigade to have a period of adjustment in
Korea. For this purpose, the U.S. IX Corps assigned the Turkish
Brigade a temporary mission to protect the Daejeon-Daegu main
supply route.
While executing the security mission, the Turkish Brigade went
through the U.S. made weapons training and a live fire exercise in
order to get ready for the actual fighting at the front. A group of five
U.S. liaison officers, who had accompanied the brigade from Turkey,
helped issue new equipment to the Turkish soldiers and contributed a
lot to training the soldiers on the methods of handling the equipment.
On October 25, 1950, the advance of the U.N. Forces was blocked
by the Chinese intervention. Then, on November 2 Lt. Gen. Walton H.
Walker, Eighth U.S. Army Commander, ordered the IX Corps to
advance to the front. At that time, the IX Corps was deployed south of
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A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
the Han River to protect the lines of communications. In accordance
with General Walker’s order, the Turkish Brigade, attached to the U.S.
IX Corps, was also scheduled to move to the Gunuri area situated 80
kilometers north of Pyongyang by November 12, 1950.
By this time, however, the North Korean troops’ line of retreat was
blocked on their march to the North, so that they conducted guerrilla
operations around the areas of Icheon, Pyonggang, Cheolweon,
Yeoncheon, Gaeseong, and Keumseong. As the North Korean troops
intensified their guerrilla operations, the tensions of the rear area grew
tight. At this point, the Eighth U.S. Army Commander committed part
of the IX Corps (which was scheduled to move to Gunuri) to these
areas to conduct a counterguerrilla warfare against the North Korean
troops. On November 10, 1950, the Eighth U.S. Army Commander
ordered the U.S. 25th Infantry Division to fight the counterguerrilla
warfare, with the Turkish Brigade attached to the division. Upon receipt
of this order, the advance party of the Turkish Brigade left Daegu on
November 12, and established the brigade command post as soon as
they got to Jangdan. From November 13 to 16, the whole of the
brigade’s main body moved to the Jangdan area by train, transporting
one or two trainloads of troops every day.
Upon arrival at Jangdan, the U.S. 25th Infantry Division
Commander assigned the Turkish Brigade the security mission to
protect the 50 kilometers of the Munsan-Gaeseong-Sibyeonri main
supply road on the one hand, and the mission to wipe out the enemy
guerrilla forces around the area on the other. From November 16 to 20,
1950, the brigade carried out the assigned security mission to protect
the supply route and the mission to wipe out the enemy guerrilla forces.
However, the enemy guerrilla activities around this area were quite
The Turkish Forces’ Engagement in the Korean War and Major Battles
73
negligible, so that the
brigade was not engaged
in any serious conflict.
During this period,
the Turkish Brigade was
supplied with two L-18
light airplanes, and these
planes
Turkish soldiers came to be well acquainted with
Korean boy scouts upon their arrival in Korea.
enabled
the
Turkish troops to carry
out independently the
mission of observation and reconnaissance. On the day of the brigade’s
arrival at Jangdan, however, two Turkish soldiers were killed—one by
the enemy stray bullet on his post of duty, and another by the overturn
of the transport vehicle.
(2) The Battle of Gunuri and the Withdrawal from
Pyeongyang (November 26 ~ December 1, 1950)
Carried out between November 26 and December 1, 1950, the
battle of Gunuri was the first battle that the 1st Turkish Brigade fought
against the enemy ever since its arrival in Korea. To be more specific, it
was a battle fought against the Chinese 112nd, 113rd, and 114th
Divisions, 38th Army. At this battle, the Turkish Brigade had to face
the Chinese “human-wave” assaults. Without any combat support from
other units, the brigade was engaged in hand-to-hand fighting at this
battle for its survival, so that the Turkish troops had to fight desperate
bloody battles. For instance, the Turkish troops were engaged in a
series of bitter battles against Chinese forces such as the battle of
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A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
Waweonri from November 26 to the evening of November 28, the
battle of Sinribri from the evening of November 28 to the afternoon the
next day, the battle on the Bongori-Gunuri road from the evening of
November 29 to the dawn of the next day, and the battle on the GunuriPyeongyang retreat route from the morning of November 30 to
December 1, 1950.
1) The Waweonri Battle
Located 80 kilometers north of Pyeongyang on the Cheongcheon
River, Gunuri was a place of strategic importance. With the rough
Myohyang Mountain Ranges on the east, Gunuri was situated on the
plains at the mouth of the Cheongcheon River which flowed from
Hweacheon to Anju.
After the counterguerrilla warfare in the Jangdan area, the Turkish
Brigade moved north on November 22, 1950, and assembled at a place
2.5 kilometers south of Gunuri on November 26. Assembled at a place
near Gunuri, the Turkish Brigade was ordered to defend the GunuriDeokcheon route. With a mission to protect the right flank of the U.S.
IX Corps, the ROK II Corps was taking charge of the GunuriDeokcheon route, but the enemy force repulsed the ROK II Corps
troops along the Gunuri-Deokcheon route. Between Gunuri and
Deokcheon, there was only one road running east and west across the
mountain areas of more than 1,000 meters high. Narrow and winding,
the road ran about 60 kilometers. Particularly, a section of 20-kilometer
road between Waweonri and Alilryeong and Yongdeokri was very
narrow and ran through rough mountains and high cliffs, so that it was
very difficult for vehicles to turn back or pass by each other on this
road.
The Turkish Forces’ Engagement in the Korean War and Major Battles
75
Upon receipt of the order to advance toward Gunuri, the Turkish
Brigade moved toward Waweonri on November 26, with Task Force
Dora leading at the front under the command of Deputy Brigade
Commander Dora. Totally unaware of the combat situations in the
Deokcheon area, the brigade spent the night at Waweonri and headed
toward Alilryreong the nest day. Just about the time the lead element of
the Turkish Brigade was crossing the Alilryeong Pass, the brigade
received an order from Maj. Gen. John B. Coulter, U.S. IX Corps
Commander, to stop its advance to Deokcheon, cross the Alilryeong
Pass, and establish a defensive line near the Yongdeokri area. At that
time, the brigade’s advance to the Deokcheon area was behind the
schedule, so that only the 1st Battalion had crossed the Alilryeong Pass,
with the rest of the brigade troops still not arriving at the top of the
Pass. In the case of the 2nd Battalion, the unit troops got lost on the
way and were wandering on the western slope of the Alilryeong Pass.
Under these circumstances, Brigadier General Tashin Yazici, 1st
Turkish Brigade Commander, estimated that he was facing three
difficulties. The first difficulty was to assemble the whole of the
dispersed Turkish troops at the designated time at the designated place,
that is, at Yongdeokri over the Alilryeong Pass. The second difficulty
was to retreat to the rear by crossing over the Alilryeong in case of the
enemy assault. The last one lay in the artillery units’ difficulty to take
up positions in the rough mountainous terrain. Taking these three
difficulties into consideration, the commander judged that it would be
best to establish a defensive line along the western slope of the
Alilryeong Pass. For this reason, the Turkish Brigade stopped its
advance to the Deokcheon area and retreated back to the Waweonri
area.
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A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
After about ten hours of forced march, the Turkish units retreated
back to Waweonri and were taking a rest along the road south of
Seongbulgol Bridge. About this time, however, the Chinese troops
made a surprise attack on the Engineer and the Reconnaissance
Platoons which were retreating at the rear of the brigade. Because of
this attack, the Engineer Platoon leader Lt. Muzaffer and the
Communications Platoon leader Lt. Tahir Un were killed in action. and
Capt. Loenzo, U.S. Army military advisor to the Turkish Brigade, fell
into enemy hands.
At this point, the Turkish Brigade Commander Tashin Yazici
ordered the combat readiness of the 3rd Battalion, directing the 2nd
Battalion to strengthen the security of the brigade’s right flank. Upon
receipt of a combat readiness report from the 3rd Battalion, the Brigade
Commander immediately ordered the 11th Company, 3rd Battalion, to
go into action to the rescue of the reconnaissance unit which was
attacked by the enemy. Upon receipt of the order from the Brigade
Commander, the 11th Company immediately dashed to the spot south
of Seongbulgol Bridge, but at this point the company advance was
blocked by the enemy.
Around this time, the Chinese troops attacked the right and the left
flanks of the 1st Turkish Brigade from two directions—one along the
road and another through the mountain areas. To counter these enemy
attacks, the brigade had the 2nd Battalion occupy Hills 400 and 450 to
block the enemy attack on the left flank of the brigade, and had the 3rd
Battalion occupy Seongbul Bridge and Hill 446 to block the enemy
attacks on the front as well as on the right of the brigade. After repeated
engagements with the enemy, the 2nd and 3rd Battalions succeeded in
occupying the objectives. With this success, the 2nd and 3rd Battalions
The Turkish Forces’ Engagement in the Korean War and Major Battles
77
of the Turkish Brigade were able to establish quite a strong defense
line, while the 1st Battalion was making preparations against the enemy
attack at Seokgancheom 1 kilometer southwest of Waweonri.
At 1400 hours on November 28, 1950, however, the Chinese
troops launched a massive attack on the defense sector of the 2nd
Battalion. Particularly when the battalion size enemy concentrated its
attack on the gap in the boundary area between the 2nd and 3rd
<Operational Map 1> The Battle of Waweonri (Nov. 26~28, 1950)
78
A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
Battalions, part of the brigade’s defensive positions began to crumble.
With both wire and radio communications broken down, the Deputy
Brigade Commander, Colonel Dora, went directly to the brigade
headquarters situated 2 kilometers in the rear area, reported the current
situations, and requested the Brigade Commander to have the battalions
retreat to an area favorable for defense.
At the request of Colonel Dora, the Turkish Brigade Commander
Brig. Gen. Tashin Yazici made an estimate of the current situation.
Judging from the magnitude of the enemy assault, at least two divisions
of Chinese troops seemed to be involved in the assault. There was also
a possibility that part of the enemy forces had already penetrated into
the rear in order to interdict the retreat of the Turkish troops. In
addition, the current defensive positions in a narrow valley which was
encircled with rough mountains seemed to be inappropriate for carrying
out the brigade’s primary mission to defend the exposed right flank of
the U.S. XI Corps. Taking these circumstances into consideration, the
Turkish Brigade Commander accepted Colonel Dora’s request, and
made up his mind to
retreat. The Brigade
Commander decided to
establish the next defense
line at Sinribri located 5
kilometers to the rear, and
issued a retreat order to
the rear at 1500 hours on
the
November
28.
According to the retreat
order, the frontline unit
The observation plane of the Turkish Brigade Air
Unit which was founded on November 11, 1950 at
Daegu
The Turkish Forces’ Engagement in the Korean War and Major Battles
79
which suffered heaviest casualties was the first to retreat, and then
followed the next unit. While retreating to Sinribri, each unit was also
supposed to maintain contact with the enemy. In the meantime, the
education and training company which had remained in the Gunuri area
took up the position north of the brigade, and provided covering fire for
the retreating troops.
2) The Battle of Sinribri
On their way to Sinribri, Turkish soldiers had to fight a desperate
battle in the bitter cold wave of 20 degrees below zero. In such a
circumstance, the Turks took up defensive positions at Sinribri, but the
conditions were getting worse. There were not any friendly forces
around them, nor were there any supporting units. They suffered
solitude, hunger, and bitter cold. In addition, they had experienced in
their first battle that the enemy surprise raid was always followed by an
incessant attack in waves. Because of this battle experience, they were
seized with fear about enemy attacks in waves which followed after the
surprise raid. In such a state of panic, the Turks spent the whole day
and night of November 28, and they came to see the 29th of November
come around. At this time, the U.S. IX Corps Headquarters at
Pyeongyang ordered that the 1st Turkish Brigade be attached to the
U.S. 2nd Infantry Division by 2400 hours of November 28, 1950.
However, the brigade did not get any order from the U.S. IX Corps
Headquarters, not did the brigade get any specific assignment from the
U.S. 2nd Infantry Division Commander. What is worse, they could not
contact the division because all the means of communication were in a
broken state.
The Turkish Brigade established a defensive position about 2
80
A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
kilometers in length along the road near Sinribri. At zero hours on
November 29, the Chinese troops launched a surprise attack on both
sides of the brigade defense sector. Along with this attack, the enemy
troops infiltrated into the brigade defensive positions, dressed as
civilian refugees. The major targets of the enemy strike were the
vehicle and ammunition depots at Sinribri, and the military units
deployed in the rear area of Sinribri such as the artillery battalion, the
mortar company, and the 3rd Battalion. The enemy assault was so
overwhelming that the brigade defensive positions were instantly
engulfed into flames. The soldiers who were in their sleeping bags
either in the tents or under the vehicles woke up in dismay, got on the
nearest vehicles with no time to get any directions or orders from
above, and began to retreat to the Bongori area individually and
without any order. Even the artillery vehicles for hauling howitzers or
the mortar vehicles were all packed with soldiers like the bean sprouts
in a bean sprouting jar, and these vehicles hurriedly competed to get out
of the area. Of course, the howitzers and mortars were abandoned. In a
night as dark as pitch, the soldiers who didn’t get on any vehicle on
their way to the Bongori area were desperately trying to take those
vehicles passing nearby, but some soldiers were hit or run over by the
vehicles so that, to make the matters worse, the accident caused a lot of
confusion.
It was one hour after the Chinese assault that the Turkish Brigade
headquarters at a school building in Bongori was notified of the retreats
of those Turkish units stationed in the Sinribri area. By the time the
brigade headquarters was notified of the retreat, the road in front of the
headquarters was in utter confusion with a mixture of retreating
vehicles and soldiers, while the hazy sounds of gunfire was still heard
The Turkish Forces’ Engagement in the Korean War and Major Battles
81
from the far distance in the Sinribri area. The Brigade Commander tried
to contact the frontline units by wire or by radio in order to get some
information on the 1st and 2nd Battalions left behind on the front, but
there was no answer.
By the time the Turkish units at Sinribri were making a disorderly
retreat due to the Chinese surprise attack, the 2nd and 3rd Turkish
Battalions which were deployed at the front east of Sinribri were also,
raided by the Chinese troops, engaged in a fierce battle with the enemy.
In such a messy circumstance, the Turkish Brigade Commander
planned to assemble as many soldiers as possible, establishing
defensive positions east of Bongori. Then, he decided to take the next
step of military action as soon as the 2nd and 3rd Battalions were
reached. In the meantime, the Brigade Commander took a variety of
immediate measures to tackle the messy situation. He committed the
military police platoon to restore order in the Turkish Brigade, and had
all the soldiers on board the vehicle get down from it. He assembled the
retreating troops and organized a unit of 150 soldiers into one company.
Then, he kept on committing these companies to the hills east of the
brigade. He also dispatched a group of officers in order to make the
troops heading toward Gunuri return to the present position. By this
time, the Brigade Commander’s request for support which he had made
to the U.S. 2nd Infantry Division was also accepted, so that the 3rd
Battalion of the U.S. 38th Regiment, reinforced with one tank platoon,
advanced up to the area north of Bongori and established a defensive
position in that area.
Once the order in the Turkish Brigade was restored, the Brigade
Commander had the ammunitions and provisions at the Gunuri area
transported to the Bongori area. At the same time, he kept on trying to
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A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
contact the frontline battalions by wire or by radio. However, the
frontline units could not be reached either by wire or by radio. At that
time, the 1st and 2nd Battalions in the frontline area came under a wave
of Chinese attacks, so that they were engaged even in hand-to-hand
fighting with the enemy troops. It was a desperate life-and-death battle.
In such a battle, when one of the Turkish units was enveloped by the
enemy troops, the commander of the unit rushed into the enemy at the
front of his troops with his bayonet fixed, and then his troops ran after
him toward the enemy camp. In this way, they secured their route of
retreat. In other words, the Turks distinguished themselves with
<Operational Map 2> The Battle of Sinribri (Nov. 28~29, 1950)
The Turkish Forces’ Engagement in the Korean War and Major Battles
83
demonstrating their brave
fighting spirit of the horseriding people which had been
lying hidden deep in their
hearts.
It was in the afternoon of
November 29 that the
Night patrols of the 10th Turkish Company,
departing the “Jatgol” position near Gimhwa.
frontline elements that had
secured the retreat route by
hand-to-hand combat could
barely complete retreating to the Bongori area where the brigade
headquarters was stationed. At the battle of Sinribri, the Turkish
Brigade had to fight a hand-to-hand fight for 24 hours straight through
against the Chinese troops which had penetrated on a large scale into
the right flanking area of the Eighth U.S. Army sector. Having blocked
the enemy attack for 24 hours with hand-to-hand fighting, the Turks
succeeded in penetrating the enemy envelopment, and accomplished
their retreat. However, they had to suffer heavy casualties. At this
battle, the 1st Battalion suffered a total of 41 casualties, including 16
killed, 16 wounded, and 8 missing. The casualties for the 2nd Battalion
were confirmed to be 18 wounded, but as for the casualties for other
units there is not any way to count them since no other record was left
behind.
3) The Bongori-Gunuri Withdrawal
Just a couple of minutes after the frontline units at Sinribri had
completed assembling at Bongori, the lead unit of the Chinese pursuit
elements arrived at the position north of the village where the 3rd
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A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
Battalion, U.S. 38th Regiment, and the 1st Turkish Brigade were
stationed. In addition, a regiment-size Chinese force also penetrated
deep into the Allied zone from both sides of the Bongori-Gunuri road.
When the U.S. battalion in charge of the northern sector was
enveloped by the enemy troops around 1700 hours on November 29,
1950, the battalion just came down the mountain and retreated without
any notice to the Turkish Brigade. The enemy machinegun fires from
the northern hills where the U.S. battalion should have defended
threatened the Turkish Brigade headquarters. At the same time, the
crackling sounds of enemy rifle fires were also heard from the road
which was linked to Gunuri.
Very soon, however, the Turkish Brigade Commander noticed that
a series of vehicles packed with U.S. soldiers were moving toward
Gunuri. Then, he made a judgment that it would be almost impossible
for the Turkish Brigade to defend the current position without any
support from other units. With this judgment, he issued orders to his
subordinate battalion commanders to retreat to the rear. The 2nd and
3rd battalions departed first, and then followed the 1st battalion with
the U.S. tank platoon.
Starting from 900 meters west of Bonori, the 4 kilometers of the
retreat route ran along the winding and narrow hilly road. After the
Turkish Brigade Artillery Battalion and part of the Turkish Brigade
troops passed through this retreat route, the Turkish Brigade infantry
troops were about to take this route. Just about this moment, the
infantry troops came under the enemy machinegun and artillery fires.
Faced with such a surprise attack, the Turkish troops broke up into
separate groups, each group being smaller than a company size unit.
Some of these groups retreated through rough mountain terrain around
The Turkish Forces’ Engagement in the Korean War and Major Battles
85
the road, but other groups just broke through the enemy forces with
hand-to-hand fighting. When the advance of the brigade’s lead
elements came to be delayed, the 1st battalion troops who were
following in the rear with the U.S. tank platoon were also attacked by
the enemy. Because of this attack, they took up a hill and had to fight
against the enemy, not advancing any further.
Under such a circumstance, around midnight on November 29 the
U.S. military advisor succeeded in reaching by radio the U.S. artillery
battalion at Gunuri and requested fire support. Heavily supported by
fire from the U.S. artillery units and the U.N. air forces, the Turkish
troops could secure their route of retreat. The Turkish troops assembled
at the outskirts southwest of Gunuri between 0400 and 0500 hours on
November 30, 1950, and here they joined the 38th Regiment, U.S. 2nd
The Turkish soldiers are awarded the orders of military merits from Lt. Gen.
Walker after the battle of Gunuri.
86
A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
Infantry Division. At that time, the U.S. 38th Regiment was left behind
with a double mission to defend the eastern sector of Gunuri and to
cover the retreat of the Turkish Brigade, while other units of U.S. 2nd
Infantry Division had already retreated to the rear. In accordance with
the 2nd Division Commander’s order which was transmitted to the
Turkish Brigade Commander through the U.S. 38th Regiment
Commander, the Turkis troops, together with the 38th Regiment,
retreated to the division assembly area 15 kilometers in the rear area. In
the course of retreat from Bongori to Gunuri, the 2nd Turkish Battalion
shared the U.S. vehicles and succeeded in retreating to the Anju area.
Other troops of the Turkish Brigade dispersed and retreated to the
assembly area. Only remnant troops of the 1st and 3rd battalions were
left behind.
4) The Gunuri-Pyeongyang Withdrawal
At dawn on November 30, 1950, the 2nd Battalion, U.S. 9th
Regiment, departed the division assembly area in order to open up the
Gunuri-Suncheon main supply route, part of which had been blocked
by the Chinese attack. The Turkish troops, upon completion of making
preparations for movement, were waiting at the division assembly area
with the U.S. 38th Regiment. The 38th Regiment was scheduled to
depart as a main lead element of the division when the main supply
route was reopened.
The 2nd Battalion, U.S. 2nd Infantry Division, advanced to a point
1.2 kilometers short of the blocked road. At this point, however, they
was attacked by enemy troops, so that they could not advance any
further.
In such a circumstance, the U.S. 2nd Division Commander
The Turkish Forces’ Engagement in the Korean War and Major Battles
87
immediately dispatched the 9th U.S. Regiment, the 3rd ROK Regiment,
and the Turkish Brigade, but could not succeed in securing the retreat
route. At that time, when the Turkish Brigade Commander Brigadier
General Tashin Yazici, made sure that the retreat route was blocked, he
turned back at the entrance of the narrow passage with his staff
members, and then headed toward Pyeongyang via Anju. The Turkish
Brigade Commander judged that on his way to Pyeongyang he might
encounter either Turkish vehicles or U.S. vehicles. Then, he thought, he
could go back to the road block with these vehicles to the rescue of the
Turkish soldiers, and safely retreat to the Anju area. But the Brigade
Commander’s judgment did not bring any result. As mentioned above,
the Turkish Regiment Commander, Colonel Dora, had already retreated
to the south with part of the brigade troops during the Bongori-Gunuri
retreat operation. The Brigade Commander himself had also went away
toward Pyeongyang, proclaiming to secure support for his troops. With
no other high ranking officers left in the area, only a U.S. colonel
officer temporarily took command of the Turkish troops who were left
behind at the road block.
Now, the U.S. 2nd Infantry Division Commander, judging that
there should be no more delay in military actions, ordered the movement of the division’s main force. The enemy, which had secured the
ridge lines running along on both sides of the road, increased the
number of mortar fires from one to four, and concentrated some forty
mortar shells at one point at a time. In addition, the enemy concentrated, or poured like torrential rains, its machinegun fires on the slowly
retreating column of the U.S. 2nd Infantry Division.
In spite of heavy enemy fires, the Turkish Brigade and the U.S 2nd
Infantry Division troops were passing through a valley, the valley being
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A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
surrounded with rough hills on both sides. At this time, the Chinese
forces concentrated indiscriminate strikes from both sides of the hills
on the Turkish and the U.S. troops. The Chinese forces launched the socalled “whipping attack” on friendly troops. Under such an attack, both
Turkish and the U.S. troops were in utter confusion. The combat at this
valley was characterized by every individual soldier’s bloody and
desperate struggle to survive at any cost. There was not any organized
chain of command. When a soldier on a tank, shot dead by the enemy
fire, fell off the tank, the next tank following it just passed by. When
they saw the wounded Turkish soldiers in a deadly situation, they just
had to pass by because there was no room left on the vehicle to hold the
wounded soldiers. As for the Turkish troops, they barely succeeded in
getting out of the hellish valley. The Turkish Brigade suffered a great
number of casualties and Captain Ahmet Tuncer, a substitute for the 1st
Battalion Commander, was killed in action.
The group of Turkish troops, who had been heading toward
Pyeongyang via Anju along with the Turkish Brigade Commander,
arrived at Pyeongyang on November 30, 1950. When the Brigade
Commander got to Pyeongyang, he found that the Turkish troops, who
had dispersed and retreated from Bongori on an individual basis, were
assembling at Pyeongyang one by one. The Turkish Artillery Battalion
also had already been deployed in an area south of Daedong Bridge.
The Turkish Field Support Unit was stationed in Pyeongyang in order
to house those Turkish soldiers who were moving south from the road
block on the Gunuri-Suncheon main route toward the Suncheon area.
After looking around these Turkish troops, the Brigade Commander
went to the Headquarters, U.S. XI Corps, in Pyeongyang and made a
visit to the Corps Commander Gen. John B. Coulter. Here, the Corps
The Turkish Forces’ Engagement in the Korean War and Major Battles
89
Commander appreciated the exploits of the Turkish troops, saying that
because of their exploits the main force of the XI Corps could successfully retreat. Then, the Corps Commander added that one Turkish
colonel officer went away toward Seoul along with hundreds of
soldiers against the Corps Commander’s efforts to hold him back. The
troops heading toward Seoul were no other than those of the Turkish
unit which Colonel Dora commanded. Upon hearing this news from the
U.S. IX Corps Commander, the Turkish Brigade Commander reached
Colonel by radio, and ordered him back to the Turkish Brigade along
with the unit’s personnel and equipment.
On December 1, 1950, Colonel Dora’s troops and those Turkish
troops who retreated from the road block returned to the Turkish
Brigade. On the same day, the Turkish Brigade and the U.S. 2nd
Infantry Division were ordered to move to Gaeseong for troop maintenance.
With this order of movement to Gaeseong, seven days of the
nightmarish battle of Gunuri came to a close. At this battle, the Turkish
Brigade suffered a 15 percent casualty rate and lost 70 percent of its
organic equipment including 105mm howitzers. At this battle, however,
the Turkish Brigade succeeded in blocking the Chinese troops with
hand-to-hand fighting. Bigger than a division-size force, the Chinese
troops moved to the rear of the Gyeongui axis. The main objective of
the Chinese force was to block the Eighth U.S Army main force which
was supposed to retreat along this axis. In other words, the Turkish
Brigade’s success in blocking the Chinese troops contributed a lot to
securing the U.N. forces’ battle lines.
After the battle of Gunuri, the 1st Turkish Brigade arrived at
Gaeseong on December 5, 1950, and on December 17 got to Sosa 18
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A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
kilometers west of
Seoul. Here at Sosa, the
brigade remedied the
brigade’s deficiencies
in the command and
control system which
were exposed at the
battle of Gunuri and
during its withdrawal
from Pyeongyang. At
the same time, the
brigade reorganized
The Turkish Brigade Commander, Brig. Gen. Tahsin
Yazici, is showing a Turkish student’s writing in blood
which was delivered from his home country.
itself including the
brigade headquarters. Particularly important in this reorganizations was
the 241st Infantry Regiment. Reassigning Colonel Dora as the
Regiment Commander, the Turkish Brigade Commander reorganized
the 241st regiment, as before, into three infantry battalions and one
mortar company. With this reorganization, regiment commanders came
to take charge of operations, while the brigade commander was taking
charge of logistics and supply support. In addition, the deputy company
commandership was abolished, and the company master sergeant took
the concurrent role of the company supply sergeant. The education and
training company was also reorganized into the replacement company,
and the battalion communications platoon was newly established. Four
medical orderlies were also newly added to each company.
Upon completion of the unit reorganization, on December 10 the
Turkish Brigade was attached to the U.S. 25th Infantry Division which
was at that time defending the Imjin River west of Munsan, so that the
The Turkish Forces’ Engagement in the Korean War and Major Battles
91
brigade departed for the Gimpo Peninsula on December 14. The
Turkish Brigade was engaged in defending this area until January 4,
1951. After this assignment, the brigade moved to Cheonan via the
Suweon-Osan route. Here at Cheonan, the brigade, together with the
U.S. 25th Infantry Division, was ordered into corps reserve.
(3) The Battles of Gimryangjang and Hill 151 (January 25 ~
27, 1951)
The Battles of Gimryangjang and Hill 151 were engagements the
1st Turkish Brigade fought against the 447th Regiment, 149th Division
of Chinese 50th Army, and 448th Regiment, 150th Division of Chinese
50th Army. So far, the U.N. forces had to retreat to the rear due to the
Chinese massive “human wave” assaults. After the United Nations
forces managed to block the Chinese New Year’s Eve attacks quite
successfully, however, the U.N. forces’ fight against the enemy changed
from the current reconnaissance operations to deliberate counterattacks
starting from January 15, 1951. For this purpose, Lt. Gen. Methew B.
Ridgeway, Eighth U.S. Army Commander, ordered to probe the exact
location and the scale of the Chinese defensive line. After this, he
ordered the U.N. forces to launch a massive offensive action against the
Chinese troops for double purposes—to get rid of the enemy’s pressure
on the U.N. forces’ mideast defense sector on the one hand, and to
boost the morale of the depressed U.N. troops on the other.
In accordance with the Eighth U.S. Army Commander’s order of
attack, the U.S. 25th Infantry initiated Operation WOLFHOUND
starting from January 15, 1951. At the same time, Operation
THUNDERBOLT was also initiated on the same day. In Operation
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A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
THUNDERBOLT, each of the corps commanders, with troops larger
than one reinforced division size unit, was ordered to maintain a close
contact with his friendly units, and launch a counterattack successively
against the enemy forces.
Operation THUNDERBOLT was designed to discover enemy
dispositions and intentions with a show of force. The operation had the
additional objective of dislodging any enemy forces south of the Han
River. Engaged in this operations were the U.S. I and IX Corps, but the
units were ordered to avoid becoming heavily engaged. To accomplish
this, each corps would commit only a single U.S. division and one
ROK regiment. The day when Operation THUNDERBOLT was
initiated was also the same day when the U.N. forces converted the
retreat operations, which were forced by the Chinese massive attacks,
into a deliberate counterattack.
The Eighth U.S. Army Commander established five phase lines at
the front sector of each corps, the width between phase lines being 8
kilometers. The purpose of these phase lines was to maintain contact
between unit forces on the one hand, and to secure safe advance of the
attacking troops on the other. Besides, the authority to permit troops to
cross the phase lines was delegated to the corps commander. In order to
provide fire support to the fullest extent, the U.S. Fifth Air Force was
ordered to provide close air support for two days starting from January
25. Bombardments from cruisers and two destroyers of the U.S. 95th
Mobile Fleet, which was stationed at sea off Incheon, were also
arranged for this operation.
In order to advance to the final objective, the Han River, the
attacking forces of each corps occupied the line of departure which
extended from the West coast to the Osan-Yeoju area. Located in the
The Turkish Forces’ Engagement in the Korean War and Major Battles
93
forward area of the defense line, the area along the line of departure had
already been cleared through Operation WOLFHOUND.
On January 25, 1950, the 35th Regiment, 25th Infantry Division,
U.S. I Corps, occupied the front left area between Roads 1 and 39, and
the Turkish Brigade, attached to the U.S. 25th Infantry Division,
occupied Road 55 in the front right area. Upon occupying these areas,
the 35th Regiment and the Turkish Brigade started attacks against the
enemy. In the early stage of the attack, the enemy opposition was light
because the areas had already been cleared through Operation
WOLFHOUND, so that they easily succeeded in occupying the first
phase line of Operation THUNDERBOLT. According to the testimony
of the prisoners of war, at that time two divisions, Chinese 50 Army,
were positioned 48 kilometers in the forward area, and the enemy’s
forward positions were located just 3 to 8 kilometers north from the
present site. The enemy position coincided with the second phase line
of Operation THUNDERBOLT, which ran along Road 20 from
Suweon to the Han estuary north of Yeoju. When the U.S. I Corps
launched its attack along the second phase line, the enemy resistance
began increasingly to be stiffened. As a result, the Turkish Brigade in
the front right area had to fight a fierce battle against the Chinese troops
near Singal.
The 1st Turkish Brigade, attached to the U.S. 25th Infantry
Division, launched an attack against the Chinese troops on January 25,
1950. The major objectives of the Turkish attack were occupying
Gimryangjang (currently, Yongin) located 20 kilometers east of
Suweon, and Hill 151 located 8 kilometers north of Gimryangjang.
The Turkish Brigade had to cover a wide front of 12 kilometers
along the Anseong-Songjeon line. The Brigade Commander ordered
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A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
<Operational Map 3> The Battles for Gimryangjang and Hill 151(Jan. 24~27, 1951)
The Turkish Forces’ Engagement in the Korean War and Major Battles
95
the 2nd Battalion to attack Gamryangjang, and the 1st and 3rd
Battalions to attack Hill 151. At that time, the Chinese troops, having
established quite a strong defensive position along this line, were also
waiting for the U.N. forces’ attack.
At the battle of Gamryangjang, a very bloody battle between the
Turkish and the Chinese troops dragged on for quite a long time. At this
battle, the Turkish troops attempted to break through the fixed battle
line and the Chinese force, with an order to defend the current position
at any cost, stiffened its resistance quite strongly against its enemy.
Aided by the close air support of U.S. Air Forces, the Turkish troops
dashed into the center of the city, fought a fierce hand-to-hand battle,
and succeeded in capturing Gamryangjang before the sunset of January
26, 1950.
On January 25, 1950, the 1st and 3rd Turkish Battalions occupied
the intermediate object, Hill 185, and then directed toward the final
objective, Hill 151. On January 26, when they were about to pass by
the Gomaeri area, they were welcomed by the residents who failed to
flee away. With this welcoming cheers, they approached Hill 151, but
they had to encounter unexpected stiff resistance from the enemy. At
this time, the lead element of the attack force, 3rd Battalion,
remembered the ignoble dishonor which had been inflicted upon their
Islamic ethics at the battle of Ugunri by their willful retreat to the rear
area without any order from above. In order to restore this dishonor, the
Turks bravely attacked through torrential showers of enemy fires.
According to the information identified later after the battle was over,
the enemy had constructed a very strong fortification which would
stand even the strongest U.N. force’s direct artillery gunfires, and every
entrenchment was emplaced with enemy machine guns. Besides, every
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A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
all-round defense position
was also emplaced with
mortars.
On January 26, 1950,
the Turks, with the
friendly artillery fire
support, assaulted the
enemy shouting their God
“Allah,” captured the hill,
and repelled the Chinese
The Turkish troops attacking Mt. Suri for three
consecutive days, supported by M-4 tanks, D
Company, U.S. 89th Tank Battalion, which was
attached to the Turkish Brigade.
troops. With the success
in this battle, the 3rd Turkish Battalion came to restore the dishonor of
the Gunuri Battle.
At the battles of Gimryangjang and Hill 151, the Turks
distinguished themselves with their bravery to the extent that one
Turkish soldier repelled every forty enemy soldiers in their hand-tohand fighting. As a result, “the Turk’s true valor” came to be known
widely to the world. In the three-day battle, the identified Chinese
casualties counted a total of 474 killed—77 killed at the battle of
Gimryangjang, and 397 killed at the battle of Hill 151. Most of the
enemy troops killed in action had broken jaws struck by the butt ends,
and deep scars stabbed by bayonets.
The battles of Gimryangjang and Hill 151 served as an occasion to
identify the hand-to-hand battle with the Turkish troops, and their
braveries shown at these battles were valued as a paragon of soldierly
actions among other U.N. forces. The member countries of the United
Nations who participated in the Koran War praised highly of the
Turkish soldiers’ braveries, saying that they were “Turkish soldiers’
The Turkish Forces’ Engagement in the Korean War and Major Battles
97
exploits which would be remembered long in human history.” The
thirty minutes of the victorious Turkish soldiers’ hand-to-hand fighting
situations at the battle of Hill 151 was reported quite vividly to the
world over by a U.P.I. correspondent. For their exploits shown in these
battles, the Turkish Brigade was awarded the US Presidential Unit
Citation on July 6, 1951, and the Korean Presidential Unit Citations in
September 1952.
(4) The Battle of Jangseungcheon (April 22 ~ 23, 1951)
The battle of Jangseungcheon was an engagement the 1st Turkish
Brigade fought in the front area of Jangseungcheon 5 kilometers
northeast of Yeoncheon against the 179th Division, Chinese 47th Army,
from April 22 to 23, 1951. After the battle of Gamryangjang, the
Turkish Brigade, still attached to the U.S. 25th Infantry Division,
participated in the counteroffensive operations of the U.N. forces which
were conducted in the Ansan-Yangsuri-Twoegaeweon-Pocheon area.
By the early April of 1951, the brigade advanced to the so-called Line
KANSAS north of 38th Parallel Line along the Imjin River-JeongokHwacheon Reservoir-Yangyang area.
The U.N. forces’ advance to Line KANSAS meant the recovery of
the prewar boundary and securing strategically important terrains
advantageous to defense. Upon securing Line KANSAS, the U.N.
forces established strong defensive positions along this line in order to
impose armistice upon the enemy. The U.S. I Corps, to which the
Turkish Brigade was attached, established defensive positions in the
western part of the country along the Imjin River-Hantan River line.
While the U.N. forces were occupied with strengthening defensive
98
A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
positions, the Communist forces were also establishing their own
defensive positions north of the 38th Parallel. At the same time, the
enemy forces were concentrating personnel and material in the strategically important area of the country—the so-called Iron Triangle of
Pyonggang, Cheolweon, and Gimhwa area. However, the depth along
the enemy defensive line was not so deep enough, and the enemy forces
did not establish defensive positions in the rear area. Judging from
these facts, the enemy forces were more likely to attack than they were
to defend.
Based on such a judgment, Lt. Gen. James A. Van Fleet, Eighth
U.S. Army Commander, established Line WYOMING along the
Yeoncheon-Godaesan-Wasuri-Hwacheon Reservoir area. The purpose
of Line WYOMING was to deepen the strategic depth of Line
KANSAS in the central part of the country on the one hand, and to
control the Cheolweon-Gimhwa area for blocking the enemy’s offensive on the other. According to the Eighth U.S. Army Commander’s
plan, the U.S. I and IX Corps were supposed to seize Line WYOMING.
As part of this operation, the 1st Turkish Brigade opened its attack
on April 5, 1951 for the purpose to seize Line WYOMING, and
advanced to the area near Jangseungcheon by April 21. However, the
Turkish troops encountered stiff resistance of the Chinese forces on
April 22, so that the Turks could not advance any further. They established hasty defensive positions in the hilly area south of Daegwangri.
The day of April 22, 1951, was the date when the so-called
Chinese “Spring Offensive” began, the fifth offensive the Chinese
forces made ever since its involvement in the Korean War. The Chinese
Spring Offensive was an offensive in which the greatest number of
Chinese troops were mobilized, and it was also the last offensive they
The Turkish Forces’ Engagement in the Korean War and Major Battles
99
made during the Korean War. From April 22, 1951, the Chinese forces,
committing 36 divisions of main effort to the area west of Hwacheon,
launched assaults against the U.N. forces all across the front.
Faced with the Chinese Spring Offensive, the U.N. forces planned
to take advantage of superior artillery and air fire powers and superior
mobility as well, exacting a maximum amount of damages upon the
<Operational Map 4> The Battle of Jangseungcheon (April 22 ~ 23, 1951)
100
A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
enemy, and withdrawing successively along the preplanned phase lines.
Starting from 1900 hours on April 22, the Chinese troops
concentrated a preassault bombardment for 40 minutes at the Jangseungcheon area south of Daekwangri, where the Turkish Brigade was
deployed. Because of this bombardment, the brigade’s artillery
positions and communications facilities were badly mauled, but the
Turks managed to block the main defense line with hand-to-hand
fighting against the 179th Division, Chinese 60th Army, which came
into the camp of the Turkish Brigade. Along with the frontal attack, the
enemy troops tried their standard enveloping operation, committing one
regiment size of troops to the boundary area between the Philippine
forces on the left and the 24th Regiment of U.S. 25th Infantry on the
right. Around midnight the Turkish Brigade was ordered to retreat to
the position on Line KAMSAS south of the Hantan River, but the
strategically important Namihyeon area on the retreat route had already
been blocked by the Chinese troops. As a result, the Turkish troops
suffered heavy loss in their course of withdrawal.
At the battle of Jangseungcheon, the Turkish Brigade suffered
quite a heavy casualties, including 66 killed, 35 wounded, and 105
missing. For the Chinese troops, however, it is estimated that they
suffered about 3,000 casualties in their battle against the U.S. 25th
Infantry Division to which the Turkish Brigade was attached. In spite of
a great deal of dangers in blocking the retreat route, the Turkish troops
succeeded in delaying enemy forces on the main defense line with
hand-to-hand fighting. Such a delaying action helped friendly forces on
the right to retreat successively and safely.
After this battle, the Turkish Brigade was engaged in battles in
such areas as Mt. Suri, Twoegyaeweon, Mt. Bulam, Pocheon, and
The Turkish Forces’ Engagement in the Korean War and Major Battles
101
Gimhwa up to July
19, 1951. After this,
the brigade moved
to the Naegokri area
near Twoegaeweon
northeast of Seoul.
So far, the brigade
had been engaged
The Turkish mechanized strike force rushed into Udan
and Sangsuri in the Iron Triangle.
in a mobile warfare
by joining such
major actions as the
Northward Drive, the January 4th Retreat, the Counteroffensive, the
Chinese Spring Offensive, and the 2nd Counteroffensive. After its
deployment in the Naegokri area, however, the brigade came to be
engaged in a sort of positional warfare which was a reenactment of the
World War II trench warfare.
By the time the battle was converted into a positional warfare on
July 18, 1951, the 1st Turkish Brigade had so far suffered a great deal
of casualties, including 423 killed, 1,118 wounded, and 293 missing.
The total strength of the Turkish Brigade counted 4,687, including
4,472 Turkish soldiers, 17 U.S. advisors, 50 Korean interpreters, and
148 laborers.
During this period of time, the Turkish Brigade captured 38 North
Korean POWs and 308 Chinese POWs. It is also estimated that the
brigade had inflicted more than ten thousand casualties on the enemy.
Besides, during this period the Turks captured a large amount of
weapons and equipment including two 105mm howitzers, three 75mm
howitzers, 26 machine guns, and 158 rifles.
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A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
3. The 2nd Turkish Brigade Replaces the 1st Turkish
Brigade
While the Turkish troops were engaged in unit training and
maintenance at Naegokri near Twoegaeweon, the 2nd Turkish Brigade
had replaced the 1st Turkish Brigade which had so far gone through
fierce battles at the front. On July 2, 1951, the first echelon of the 2nd
Turkish Brigade arrived at Incheon, while the first echelon of the 1st
Turkish Brigade departed Incheon for home on July 15. On September
13, the second echelon of the 2nd Turkish Brigade arrived at Incheon.
Meanwhile, the 2nd Turkish Brigade had a joint service period with the
1st Brigade for its adaption to the Korean front. Upon the completion of
the joint service, Brig. Gen. Namc Arguc assumed command of the
Turkish Brigade from Brig. Gen. Tashin Yazici on November 16, 1951.
On November 18, 1951, the third echelon of the 2nd Turkish Brigade
arrived at Incheon.
Affected by the armistice talks, the front line situations at that time
lapsed into a complete lull. During this period, fighting for South and
North just tapered off to patrol clashes or small scale battles for
outposts. Excepting these conflicts, both sides were engaged in building
strong defensive positions with trenches, barbed wires, mines, and
hidden fire networks. These defensive positions were so strong that
both sides could not think about penetrating enemy camps without
suffering a great loss.
During this period of time, the Turkish Brigade was also engaged
in reconnaissance patrol and constructing defensive positions. Upon
completion of the defense mission on the Western Front, the brigade
moved to the Central Eastern Front on February 23, 1952, and took up
The Turkish Forces’ Engagement in the Korean War and Major Battles
103
positions from the right of
Danjang Ridge to the left of
Gachilbong. At this defense
line, the 2nd Turkish
Brigade was engaged in
battles for outposts until the
brigade was relieved by the
3rd Turkish Brigade in July
The Turkish scouts deliver mortar fires at the
enemy in a no man’s land 2 kilometers northwest
of Cheolweon.
1951. Particularly, the battle
of Outpost Sandbag Castle
was a very bloody one, and
at this battle the Deputy Brigade Commander, Colonel Nuri Panmir,
was killed in action.
The Turkish troops were not only very brave at the battle front, but
they also demonstrated the virtue of benevolence with a rifle in one
hand and with a token of love in another hand. To be more specific,
they took care of a great number of orphans at Suweon.
After the fierce battles at the front from 1951 to 1952, a great
number of refugees were assembling at the accommodation facilities
near Suweon. At this time, the Medical Company of the Turkish
Brigade was stationed at Suweon. Among the refugees, there were a
great number of child orphans aged 4 to 5 years who lost their parents,
and these orphans were so hungry that they were crying on the street.
Noticing these orphans, the Turks at first took one or two orphans to
their camp, and provided them with food and shelter. As time passed,
the number of orphans began to increase, so that the camp itself
became quite a huge accommodation facility for the orphans. The
Turks installed lodgings for the orphans with their tents, and provided
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A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
the orphans with the foods transported by trucks from the front.
In 1952, the 2nd Turkish Brigade Commander, Brig. Gen. Namc
Arguc, established Ankara Orphanage at Suweon, and had the Turkish
take care of the war orphans housed in this facility. In 1955 Ankara
Orphanage was expanded to Ankara Institution by the 5th Turkish
Brigade Commander Mete Yurduakul, and it continued taking care of
orphans up to the time of the Turkish troops’ withdrawal in 1960.
4. The 3rd Turkish Brigade’s Battle of Nevada Outposts
(May 28 ~ 29, 1953)
The Battle of Nevada Outposts was an engagement the 3rd Turkish
Brigade fought at Gorangpo near Gaeseong against the 358th and 360th
Regiments, Chinese 120th Infantry Division, just before the armistice
from May 28 to 29, 1953.
The 3rd Turkish Brigade, under Brig. Gen. Sirri Acar’s command,
took over the 2nd Brigade’s mission on August 20, 1952, and continuedly carried out its combat missions under operational control of
the U.S 25th Infantry Division. When the U.S 25th Infantry Division
was relieved by the U.S. 1st Marine Division on May 2, 1953, the
Turkish Brigade moved to the Girangpo area.
When the truce talks were in a state of deadlock because of the
issue of exchange of prisoners in early 1953, the front line units kept an
eye on the results of the truce negotiations, with the war lapsing into a
state of lull. In the meantime, both sides of the belligerents were
occupied at strengthening those battle lines reestablished by the fierce
hill fights which continued up to the end of 1952. At the same time,
The Turkish Forces’ Engagement in the Korean War and Major Battles
105
both sides were trying to find a new strategy for securing favorable
defense lines as well as favorable terms for concluding the war.
During this period of time, the Communist forces were reinforced
to a great extent. A total of 1,8000,000 Communist troops were
deployed along the front line, including 1,350,000 Chinese troops and
450,000 North Korean troops. Their fire powers were also greatly
reinforced, and their fighting positions were strengthened. They also
had enough war materials in store. If they had a mind to attack, the
Communist forces had enough capabilities to launch a massive
offensive.
The Communist forces wanted to publicize to the world the fact
that with their final offensive they secured the maximum amount of
territory without provoking the U.N. forces’ retaliation, and that in this
sense they won “a final victory.” The Communist forces also worked
out a strategic plan to strike a grave blow at the Korean Armed Forces
for the specific purpose to calm down both the Korean Government’s
insistence on northward drive and the Korean people’s anti-armistice
movement.
In accordance with this strategic plan, the Chinese forces selected
the Geumseong Bulge north of Hwacheon and concentrated their attack
on this area. At this time, the ROK II Corps was in charge of this area.
Before this attack, the Chinese forces launched assaults on the outposts
across the entire front. Their assaults on the outposts were either a
preparatory assault for the main attack or a feint attack (or movement)
for the support of the main attack. At the Western Front where the
Turkish Brigade was deployed, the Chinese 19th Army launched its
attacks, so that there were also desperate battles for outposts across the
front.
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A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
<Operational Map 5> The Battle of Nevada Outposts
The Turkish Forces’ Engagement in the Korean War and Major Battles
107
The 3rd Turkish Brigade took over its area of operational
responsibility from the 7th Marine Regiment, U.S. 1st Marine Division.
In this area of responsibility were seven important outposts, including
Ava, Carson, Elko, Vegas, Berlin, and East Berlin. Among these
outposts, the three outposts (Vegas-Reno-Carson) which were named
after the cities in the State of Nevada in the United States were very
important for the U.N. forces, because they provided key vantage
points from which one could observe far into the enemy’s rear area.
On May 28, 1953, the 120th Division of Chinese 46th Army,
together with a concentration of heavy fire, attacked and seized the
outposts at the so-called Nevada Outposts, Vegas, Elko, and Carson.
At that time, a company-size unit was defending Outpost Vegas, and a
platoon-size unit was taking care of other outposts. After the Battle of
Outpost Vegas in which the outpost changed hands five times until the
evening of May 29, the Turkish Brigade finally succeeded in securing
Outpost Vegas. Outpost Carson fell to the enemy, and Outpost Elko
could barely be defended by the Turks until it was handed over the U.S.
troops. Later, however, Outpost Elko also fell to the enemy. During this
series of battles, both sides suffered heavy combat loss. When the
Chinese force continued its attacks without minding the number of
casualties, however, the U.S. 25th Division Commander, Maj. Gen.
Samuel T. Williams, made a judgment that Outpost Vegas did not have
such a strategic value as to deserve any more casualties. Based on such
a judgment, the Division Commander ordered the withdrawal of troops
from the outpost, so that all of the outposts at the Nevada hills came to
be in the enemy hands. With the fall of these outposts, the battles of
Nevada Outposts came to a close.
During the two days of battle, the Turkish Brigade had 65,000
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A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
rounds of fire support from 7
artillery battalions, and with
this fire support the brigade
successfully fought against
two Chinese regiments. In
this battle, the brigade
inflicted heavy casualties on
the enemy with 3,000 killed
and 5 captured. However,
the brigade also suffered
Right after Operation COMMANDO, Captain
Algor and Lt. Oglu are talking about the defense
plan of Line JAMESTOWN.
heavy casualties, including
151 killed, 239 wounded, and 2 missing.
After the Battle of Nevada Outposts, the battle situations at the
Turkish Brigade’s front lapsed into a lull. There was only an every day
ritual of artillery strikes or patrol clashes which inflicted three to four
casualties. Afterwards, the U.S. 25th Infantry Division was relieved by
the U.S. 1st Marine Division on July 7, 1953. At this time, the Turkish
Brigade was also relieved by the U.S. 7th Marine Regiment, and
moved to Yonghyeonri 5 kilometers southeast of Uijeongbu. Here, the
brigade was ordered into the U.S. I Corps reserve. Here at
Yonghyeonri, the 3rd Turkish Brigade was occupied with the troop
education and training on the one hand, and was successively relieved
by the 4th Turkish Brigade on the other.
The Turkish Forces’ Engagement in the Korean War and Major Battles
109
5. Concluding Remarks on the Turkish Brigade’s
Participation in the Korean War
The Turkish troops suffered a total of 3,626 casualties during the
Korean War, including 724 killed in action, 2,493 wounded, 175
missing, and 234 prisoners of war.
During the war, however, the Turkish troops distinguished
themselves with their valor in such bloody battles as the battles of
Ugunri, Gimryangjang, and Nevada Outposts. Because of their valor
which would be long remembered in the history of war, they were
highly praised with the complement that “no other soldiers were as
brave as the Turkish soldiers.”
One of the Turkish military traditions was the belief that “the war
ends with hand-to-hand fighting.” In accordance with this military
tradition, the Turkish soldiers had their military training focusing on the
close combat against the enemy with their bayonets on.
The Turks believed that their God has the power to control the
final dash and the final hand-to-hand fighting, and that these actions
were carried out in a state of perfect selflessness. They also believed in
the Islamic creed that dying gloriously on the battlefield would be
rewarded by their God with the highest position in an after-death life.
With such beliefs in their minds, the Turkish soldiers sublimated their
fighting spirit and enacted it on the battle field with hand-to-hand
fighting.
The 1st Turkish Brigade was awarded the Korean and the US
Presidential Unit Citations for their exploits shown in the battles of
Gimryangjang and Hill 151, and was awarded another US Presidential
Unit Citation for their exploits shown in the battle of Ugunri. The 3rs
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A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
Turkish Brigade was
awarded the Order of
Military Merit from the
US Government for their
exploits shown in the
battle of Nevada Outposts.
In addition, from the
Korean Government 10
Turkish soldiers were
An athletic meeting on the Turkish “Young
People’s Day.”
awarded the Order of
Military Merit Ulchi; 10 Turkish soldiers, Hwarang; and 22 Turkish
soldiers, Chungmu. From the U.S. Government, 5 Turkish soldiers
were awarded the Order of Military Merit Silver Star; and 7 Turkish
soldiers, Bronze Star.
At last, the three years and one month of the Korean War came to a
close on July 27, 1953. After the armistice, the Turkish troops, who had
distinguished themselves with outstanding merits at a great number of
Koran battle fields, continued their security mission at Yonghyeonri
near Uijeongbu. The main force of the Turkish troops went back to
Turkey in the summer of 1954. On July 6, 1966, the last Turkish
company returned home, with only a squad-size honor guard left
behind them. On June 27, 1971, even the eleven members of the
Turkish honor guard left Korea for their home, and with this the
Turkish participation in the Korean War came to a close.
The Turkish Forces’ Engagement in the Korean War and Major Battles
111
Ⅵ
Friendly Relationship between ROK and
Turkey after the Korean War
1. Activities of the Turkish Brigade from the Armistice
Agreement to Its Withdrawal from Korea
By the terms of Armistice Agreement which was signed at 10:00
on July 27, 1953, the armistice or cease-fire came into effect from
22:00 the same day. Three days after cease fire at the front, both South
and North moved their troops 2 kilometers back from the current
positions, and established their main defense line at “the battle position
after the armistice.” As for the 3rd Turkish Brigade, they were stationed
at Yonghyeonri near Uijeongbu as a corps reserve, and devoted
themselves to the military training against the Communist force’s
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A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
reinvasion.
Along with military training, the 3rd Turkish Brigade was successively relieved by the 4th Turkish Brigade. The 3rd Turkish Brigade
was first relieved by the first echelon of the 4th Turkish Brigade who
arrived on July 17, 1953. After this, the first echelon of 1,354 3rd
Brigade troops went back to their home country, and then followed the
second echelon of 1,702 troops on August 15, and the third and last
echelon of 1,935 troops on August 20.
After this, the Turkish Brigade periodically replaced its troops on
the one hand, and carried out its rear area security mission at Yonghyeonri on the other. In the summer of 1954, however, the main element
of the Turkish troops started to go back to their home country, and on
July 6, 1966 the troops of the last Turkish company also went back to
their home country with only a squad-size honor guard left behind
them. Afterwards, even the eleven members of the Turkish honor guard
left Korea for their home on June 27, 1971. With the Turkish honor
guard’s withdrawal, the Turkish participation in the Korean War came
to a close.
After the Armistice Agreement, the Turkish troops were willingly
engaged in the post war rehabilitation activities. For instance, they repaired roads, constructed bridges, took care of war orphans, and provided volunteer medical services. One of the most important achievements
they made in Korea, however, was the propagation of Islam on the
Korean Peninsula. The Turkish soldiers who were believers in Islam
came to implant the teachings of Islam in the Korean people in the
course of their rehabilitation activities. In other words, they completed
what their ancestors had started nearly 500 hundred years ago around
the end of Goryeo Dynasty—the Islamic missionary work.
Friendly Relationship between ROK and Turkey after the Korean War
115
The Muslim brothers of the Turkish troops, Zubercoch and Abdul
Rahman, were engaged in battles against the communists on the one
hand, and, an the other, they pitched tents and used them as Masjid
(Islamic temple) where they preached Islamic doctrine to the Korean
People. With the support of the Turkish military, a temporary Masjid
was constructed at Imundong in Seoul. In addition, Turkish people
pitched 3 tents and opened Cheongjin Academy. At this academy, 120
needy young people who could not attend middle school received
middle school education along with the education on the teachings of
Islam.
Influenced by the Turkish missionary activities, Koreans also quite
actively participated in the Islamic missionary activities. Notable among
them were Kim Jin Kyu and Yoon Du Young who started Islamic missionary activities in September 1955 with the support of the Turkish
soldier, Abdul Rahman.
Ever since the Republic of Turkey approved the newly established
Republic of Korea Government on August 14, 1949, the so-called “proKorean” policy had been the keynote of Turkish diplomacy. For this
reason, it is not so surprising that Turkey has always been supporting
the standpoints of Korean Government in international society. At a time
when Turkey was still participating in the Korean War, Turkey became
a member nation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization(NATO) in
February 1952, and established the NATO Southeast Headquarters at
Izmir southwest of Turkey. The official diplomatic relations between
Turkey and Korea was established when General Jeong Il Kweon was
appointed first ambassador to Turkey on July 17, 1957. On August 23,
1971, capital cities of both countries, Ankara and Seoul, established sisterhood relationship, and “Korean Garden” was set up within the
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A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
Turkish Government office
building. In addition, the
Turkish
Korean
War
Veterans Association was
founded in May 1973.
During the Korean
War, a cumulative number
of 14,936 young Turkish
soldiers were dispatched to
The Turkish Army Medical Corps officers are
providing first-aid treatment to the wounded soldiers
the Korean front, “the
outpost of freedom and democracy,” for the glory of their country and
Turkish Army on the one hand, and, on the other, for the realization of
United Nations’ noble ideal of world peace. In order to obtain these
purposes, a total of 3,545 Turks were sacrificed, including 991 killed in
action (including 290 wounded, who died later), 2,147 wounded, and
409 missing (including 244 prisoners of war, who were later
repatriated). During the course of the Korean War, the Turks fought
bloody fights at such battles as the battles of Gunuri, Gimryangjang,
and Nevada Outposts, and their sprit of sacrifice for humanity which
they demonstrated at these battles will be long remembered by their
posterity.
2. The Significance of the Turkish Forces’ Participation
in the Korean War
When the Korean War broke out, the Turkish Government dipatched the Turkish Brigade to Korea for the peace and security of
Friendly Relationship between ROK and Turkey after the Korean War
117
Korean people. From the start of the war and up to the time when the
Turkish Brigade returned to their home country in 1956, the Turks had
testified their true friendship and their love for Korean people with their
noble sacrifice at the battle field as well as in the rear area. The size of
the dispatched Turkish unit was that of a brigade. Together with Canada
and Great Britain, Turkey was also a country which dispatched a
brigade size troops to Korea. During the war, Turkey mobilized a
cumulative number of about 15,000 troops, and out of these as much as
3,545 soldiers sacrificed their lives for Korean people.
Traditionally, the Turkish Government had stressed the principle of
“peaceful negotiation” as a method of resolving international conflicts.
When the Korean War broke out, however, the Turkish Government,
respecting the UN resolutions, willingly dispatched its troops to Korea.
The courage and the will to preserve freedom, which the Turkish soldiers had demonstrated in the Korean War, not only served as a driving
force to sustain the Republic of Korea, but made a great deal of contributions to strengthening the solidarity of free world.
Particularly notable was the valor the Turks demonstrated at the
battles of Gimryangjang and Hill 151 in the Gyeonggi Province around
the end of October 1951. The battles were part of Operation WOLFHOUND, and at that time the Turkish Brigade was attached to the U.S.
IX Corps. At these battles, the Turks inflicted about 1,900 casualties on
the Chinese troops. For their exploits shown at these battles, not only
the 1st Turkish Brigade was awarded the US Presidential Unit Citation(
July 1951) and the Korean Presidential Unit Citation(September 1952),
but the capabilities of the Turkish Armed Forces also came to be
known to the world.
Turkey’s participation in the Korean War provided a very im-
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A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
portant chance to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization(NATO),
whose key member states were composed of European countries. With
Turkey’s participation in the Korean War, in other words, the European
member nations could be sure of Turkey’s will to fight for freedom
against the Communist block, so that they came to approve Turkey’s
joining the NATO.
The number of casualties the Turkish troops suffered during the
Korean War ranked the third largest, after those of American and
British troops. Even after the withdrawal of Turkish troops from Korea,
the Government of Turkey left behind in Korea one honor guard unit
until 1971, supporting the United Nations’ activities for promoting
peace in the world. In a variety of international conferences such as the
political talks in Geneva, the Republic of Turkey strongly supported the
standpoints of Korean Government. In such a way, the Republic of
Turkey has been trying to demonstrate that the Turkish troops did not
sacrifice their noble lives in vain during the Korean War.
With Turkish troops’ participation in the Korean War, Korea came
to experience the will of Turkish people and respect their culture,
understanding Turkey in a newlight. More importantly, Turkish troops’
participation also served to open a new chapter in establishing a cooperative relationship between Korea and Turkey. Seen from the Turkish
perspective, the Turkish participation in the Korean War not only
helped to secure one of the most promising friendly nations in Asia, but
it also served to enhance the national prestige of Turkey in Asian countries.
Up to now, Turkish people still call Korean people “Kan Kardeshi”
(blood-tied brothers), and they put “Koreli” in front of the names of
Korean War veterans or their descendents.
Friendly Relationship between ROK and Turkey after the Korean War
119
3. The Korean War Memorial Project after the War
The Republic of Turkey is not only a blood-tied ally of Korea with
its participation in the Korean War, but also the first Middle Eastern
country to have a diplomatic relationship with Korea. Though located
far away from Korea, Turkey is our neighbor country in a historical and
political sense to the extent that Turkey was, after America and Taiwan,
the third country to have Korean diplomatic establishments abroad. The
Turkish Brigade, under the banner of the United Nations, fought against the aggressors for the freedom in Korea and for the world peace
as well.
For the present, the capital city of Turkey, Ankara, has Korean
Garden as well as the Korean War Memorial Monument which were
established to commemorate the Turkish soldiers’ participation in the
Korean War. In the United Nations Memorial Cemetery in the city of
Busan are also placed the remains of
those 462 Turkish soldiers who
were sacrificed during the Korean
War. In the United Nations Memorial Park in Korea is also standing
high a monument which the Turkish
Government constructed in 1959 to
commemorate those Turkish soldiers who died in the Korean War.
In addition, in 1973 Turkey and
Korea agreed to construct a memoPicture of the Turkish Korean War
Memorial Monument in the United
Nations Memorial Park.
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A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
rial park in both countries after the
country name of the other party. Of
course, strengthening friendly
relations between the two
countries was the major
purpose of its construction.
As a result, they came to have
the Turkish Memorial Park in
Korea, and the Korean
Memorial Park in Turkey
respectively. In case of Korea,
the Turkish Korean War
Memo-rial Monument was
constructed at Dongbaekri,
Guseonguib in the city of
Yongin. Inscribed on the
monument is the following
message:
“The
Turkish
The Turkish Korean War Memorial Monument
Infantry Brigade, under the banner of the United Nations, fought
against the aggressors for the freedom in Korea and for the world peace
as well. Here, it should be stressed that those 3,043 Turkish soldiers
who sacrificed their noble lives in action did not shed their blood in
vain.”
The Turkish Korean War Veterans Association was also founded in
May 1973, with its headquarters in the capital city of Turkey, Ankara,
and its 46 branch offices across the nation. “Turkish Veterans’ Day”
(September 19) was also established in Turkey in 1984, particularly
with the efforts of the Turkish Korean War veterans. For the Turkish
people, their participation in the Korean War not only meant a national
pride in keeping freedom in Korea, but it also served a good chance to
Friendly Relationship between ROK and Turkey after the Korean War
121
make known to the world over the incredible combat capabilities of the
Turkish Army.
Every year on “Turkish Veterans’ Day,” a variety of activities are
held to celebrate the Turkish soldiers’ victory at the battle of Gimryangjang on the one hand, and to commemorate those Turkish soldiers who
had sacrificed their noble lives for Korea on the other. At a Korean War
Memorial Event held at Ankara, Denis Ozmen, Turkey’s Ambassador
to Korea, once said in his address that “Fifty years ago Turkish and
Korean soldiers were united to fight against the aggressors for the
freedom in Korea,” and the ambassador also emphasized the “unchanging friendship between the two nations.”
The Foreign Minister of the Republic of Korea, Ban Ki-moon,
visited Turkey on April 20, 2004, and, guided by the Turkish Korean
War veterans, paid an official visit to the Korean War Memorial
Monument in commemoration of those Turkish soldiers who sacrificed
their lives for Korea. On the part of the Ministry of Patriots and
Veterans Affairs, the Republic of Korea, they sent delegations including
Deputy Minister Kim Jongseong
and Retired General Paik Sun
Yup to the memorial event of the
2004 Turkish Veterans’ Day. At
this time, the Korean delegates
also had interviews with Turkish
dignitaries including the Chief of
The ROK Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon
visits the Korean War Memorial Monument
at Ankara, and, guided by the Turkish
Korean War veterans, looks at the list of the
Korean War dead carved on the monument.
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A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
General Staff of the Turkish
Armed Forces.
President Rho Moo-hyun
was the first president of the
Republic of Korea who visited
Turkey from April 14 to 17,
2005. During his visit,
President Rho paid a visit to
the National Cemetery of
Turkey and the Korean War
Memorial Monument in
Turkey, holding wreath-laying
ceremonies at each of his
visits. President Rho also had
President Roh Moo-hyun is delivering a
speech after the wreath-laying ceremony at
the the Korean War Memorial Monument at
Ankara.
a summit talk with President of the Republic of Turkey during this
visit. President Rho also didn’t forget to pay a visit to the Korean
Memorial Park in Ankara, about 1 kilometer from the center of the city,
and held a wreath-laying ceremony at the Korean War Memorial
Monument to commemorate those Turkish soldiers who sacrificed their
lives for Korea.
At the time when President Rho visited the Korean Memorial Park
in Ankara, a group of 50 Turkish Korean War veterans including
Turkish Commander of the Capital Defense Command and President of
the Turkish Korean War Veterans Association lined up on both sides of
the street to greet President Rho. Right after this greeting, President
Rho and First Lady Kwon Yang-suk headed toward the Korean War
Memorial Monument which was constructed for the 765 souls of the
Turkish soldiers who died in the Korean War. At this monument,
President Rho and his attendants held a wreath-laying ceremony and
paid a silent prayer tribute to the war dead.
Upon the wreath offered by President Rho and First Lady Kwon
was decorated a live-flower pattern of the national flag of Korea. After
Friendly Relationship between ROK and Turkey after the Korean War
123
this, the national anthems of Korea and Turkey sounded high up over
the Korean Memorial Park. Particularly when the national anthem of
Turkey was played, the Turkish Korean War veterans, most of whom
were well over 70 years of age, joined in one body to sing their national
anthem with colorful decorations on their chests. The highlight of the
summit talks between President Roh Moo-hyun and President Ahmet
Necdet Sezer was a declaration of the year 2007 as “Year of KoreaTurkey Friendship,” because the year 2007 marks the 50th anniversary
of diplomatic ties between Korea and Turkey. With this declaration,
they also agreed to host a variety of events for the 50th anniversary of
diplomatic relations between Korea and Turkey.
4. Improvement and Expansion of Exchanges between
Korea and Turkey
Ever since the Turkish troops’ participation in the Korean War,
Korea and Turkey have maintained, and developed, quite a strong
relationship as “brother nations” or “blood-tied nations.” Particularly,
Turkey has a lot in common with Korea in language, ways of life,
history, and culture. From the standpoint of Korea’s economy, Turkey
also has emerged as a new, important investment market for Korean
businessmen mainly due to Turkey’s geographical importance which
links European and Asian commerce, its outstanding labor force, and
its advantage to make inroads into European markets.
Based on such a background mentioned above, Korea and Turkey
are now trying to build up a partnership relation on matters of politics,
economy, culture, and national defense. Particularly notable in the rela-
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A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
tionship between the two countries is the tendency that a variety of very
active interactions are currently developing in the civilian sector. So far,
the main emphasis in the relationship between the two countries has
been focused on discussions and conferences on a governmental level,
but the role of civilians is now getting more and more important in the
relationship between the two countries.
Currently, 15 Korean business enterprises including Hyundai Motor
Company and LG Electronics have their branch offices in Turkey,
carrying on business activities very actively. Every year, approximately
40 thousand Korean tourists enjoy their trips in Turkey. Besides,
Korean residents in Turkey, Korean Businessmen and their families,
and Korean students studying in Turkey all have a very important
influence on the relationship between the two countries.
It is widely known that Turkey is a big market for Korean defense
industry, with Korea exporting ammunitions to Turkey and transferring
to Turkey the technology of manufacturing self-propelled guns. Ever
since the establishment of military attache corps in 1957, both countries
have so far promoted high level of exchange visits between defense
ministers, joint chiefs of staff, and chiefs of the general staff of both
countries.
Of course, the significance of President Rho’s visit to Turkey lay in
the fact that it was the first presidential visit ever since the 1957
establishment of diplomatic relation between the two nations. However,
a more important significance of President Rho’s visit to Turkey lay in
the fact that it was a presidential visit made to a Middle Eastern
country. In 1980 President Choi Kyu-ha made the first presidential visit
to a Middle Eastern country, Saudi Arabia. With his visit to Turkey, at
any rate, President Rho paid a high tribute to the Turkish people for
Friendly Relationship between ROK and Turkey after the Korean War
125
their participation in the
Korean War. At the same
time, his visit also contributed a lot to strengthening
economic and commercial
ties between the two counPresident Roh Moo-hyun talks with Turkish
Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
tries.
At his visit, President
Rho had summit talks not
only with President Ahmet Necdet Sezer but also with Prime Minister
Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The major topics discussed at these talks
included such national concerns of both countries as realistic plans to
promote mutual cooperation, matters on the Korean Peninsula, and
request for Turkish cooperation on the activities of the ROK Zaytun
Division dispatched to Iraq.
Politically, the Republic of Turkey adopts a mixture of the
presidential system and the parliamentary cabinet system.
Geographically, Turkey is located at a strategic place which connects
three continents of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Rich in history, culture,
and tourist inheritance, Turkey is also a country of potential growth
with its superb manpower. With its dispatch of a great number of troops
to Korea during the Korean War, the relationship between Turkey and
Korean is not merely a “friendly nation” but a “blood-tied brother
nation.” Besides, the economy of both Turkey and Korea is complementary in nature, so that both countries have a great potential for
economic cooperations. It is also expected that Turkey will join the
European Union in September this year, so that in the future Turkey
will provide for Korea a very important overseas production base for
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A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
European markets.
After the summit talk,
President Rho Moo-hyun
and President Ahmet Necdet
Sezer were quite satisfied
with the 50 years of efforts
of both countries to promote
close relationship ever since
the 1957 diplomatic establishment between the two
After the expanded summit talk with
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer, President
Roh Moo-hyun is making announcement on
the result.
countries. At this summit talk, they also agreed to strengthen mutual
cooperation between the two countries in a variety of areas including
trade, investment, IT technology, and cultural exchange. President
Ahmet Necdet Sezer put a particular value on the recent expansion of
economic and trade relations between Korea and Turkey, and then
expressed his hopes for a solution to the trade imbalance between the
two nations and Korea’s greater investment increase in Turkey. At
President Ahmet Necdet Sezer’s request, President Rho said that he
would boost up the activities for purchasing Turkish goods to solve the
problem of trade imbalance, and that for this purpose he would also
send a great number of Korean purchasing delegation to Turkey in the
latter half of this year. As for the investment in Turkey, President Rho
said that he would do his best to promote Korean investments in
Turkey.
In order to facilitate economic cooperations in trade and investment on the civilian sector, presidents of both countries also established
a joint economic committee on the governmental level. Particularly
notable was the agreement to establish the “Korea-Turkey IT Coop-
Friendly Relationship between ROK and Turkey after the Korean War
127
eration Center.” To be more specific, Information and Communication
Minister Chin Dae-je of Korea and Turkish Transportation Minister
Binali Yildirim agreed, during this presidential visit, to cooperate in the
information technology (IT) field, which includes high-speed Internet
services and in the establishment of an e-government. In addition, the
two ministers also signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU)
designed to set up a Korea-Turkey IT Cooperation Center to facilitate
Korean IT companies’ advance into Turkey. President Rho also
expressed his hope for both countries’ cooperation in trading railway
vehicles.
At this summit talk, President Ahmet Necdet Sezer promised to
provide a continued support for the activities of the ROK Zaytun
Division dispatched to Iraq, and he also made sure that he would do
everything in his power to support the activities of the ROK Zaytun
Division in Iraq. In addition, the two presidents also talked about the
political situation of the Korean Peninsula, and shared the opinion that
the stability on the Korean Peninsula was of utmost importance not
only for the peace of the Northeast Asia but also for the world peace.
At the same time, President Ahmet Necdet Sezer reaffirmed the
Turkish Government’s support for the Korea Government’s principle of
peaceful solution of the North Korean nuclear problem, and for the
Korean Government policy to promote peace and prosperity.
In his visit to Korea in 2005, Mr. Ouz, director of the East Asian
Division, Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Republic of Turkey, talked
about the relationship between Turkey and Korea as follows: “By
March next year, we are going to have the 50th anniversary of
diplomatic relationship between Korea and Turkey. To be frank, it is
true that so far there has not been much of a relationship between the
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A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
two nations. Fortunately enough, however, the 2002 and 2006 World
Cups have brought the two countries closer than ever. From now on,
we should try to be ‘brother countries’ in a real sense.”
Mr. Ouz, director of the East Asian Division, also said that
“Turkey is the center of the world which connects Asia with Europe, so
that Korean markets would quite naturally be expanded to a greater
extent if Korea increases trade and investment in Turkey. Mr. Ouz also
added that in order to commemorate the 50th anniversary of KoreaTurkey diplomatic relationship, he is currently working on a variety of
plans such as the dispatch of Turkish military band to Korea, goodwill
matches of Taekwondo and football, and hosting Korean food festivals
in Turkey.
Then, Mr. Ouz went on to say as follows: “The idea that Turkey is
a ‘brother country of Korea’ came to be widely recognized among
Korean people ever since the Turkish people’s waves of cheering for
Korean soccer players in the Turkey-Korea third-place match during
the 2002 FIFA World Cup. Long before the 2002 World Cup, however,
Turkish people have regarded Korea as a brother nation. Recently, we
see in a Korean TV drama that General Yeongaesomun of the
Goguryeo Dynasty is married to a princess of the TuChueh(Dolkwol)
Empire which allied itself with Goguryeo. The ‘TuChueh’ is no other
than the “Turk,” another name for the Turkey.” Mr. Ouz also added:
“The 2004 Turkish Government’s publicity budget targeting Korean
markets amounted to only 400 million dollars, but the 2005 publicity
budget for Korean markets has been increased to one million dollars.
Next year, the Turkish Government’s publicity budget for Korean
markets will be greater than that of Japanese markets.”
Friendly Relationship between ROK and Turkey after the Korean War
129
Overview of the Turkey-Korea Relations
Major Features of the Turkey-Korea Relations
▶ Diplomatic Relations
- 1957. 3. 8. Establishment of Diplomatic Relations
- 1957. 6. 17. Establishment of the Korean Embassy in Turkey (3rd
Embassy after America, Taiwan)
- 1957. 10. 11. Establishment of the Turkish Embassy in Korea
▶ Exchanges of Visitors
▶ Turkish High-level Visitors to Korea
1958. 4. Prime Minister Menderes
1982. 12. President Evren
1986. 11. Prime Minister Ozal
1991. 5. Prime Minister Akbulut
2004. 2. Prime Minister Erdogan
▶ Korean High-level Visitors to Turkey
1997. 5. President Choi Kyu-ha
1990. 7. Prime Minister Kang Young-Hun
1996. 5. Prime Minister Lee Su Sung
2004. 4. Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon
▶ Civilian Visitors
Korean Visitors to Turkey: Approximately 56,000
(Statistics of the Turkish Ministry of Culture & Tourism)
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A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
Turkish Visitors to Korea: 8,600
▶ Relationship with North Korea
2001. 6. 27. Establishment of Diplomatic Relations
(North Korean Ambassador to Turkey holds also the post of North
Korean Ambassador to Bulgaria.)
▶ Turkish Policy Line on South and North Koreas
As a participant in the Korean War, Turkey recognizes South Korea
as a blood-tied ally.
Turkey supports the South Korean policy to promote peace and
prosperity in the Korean Peninsula.
▶ Turkish Policy toward the Korean Peninsula
A. Traditionally, a Blood-tied Ally
- In August 1949, Turkey approved the Korean Government as
the only, and legitimate government in the Korean Peninsula.
Upon this approval, Turkey participated in the Korean War.
- For these reasons mentioned above, Turkey recognizes South
Korea as a blood-tied ally, and strongly supports Korean policy
toward North Korea.
B. Turkish Posture toward the Korean Dispatch of Troops to Iraq
- Turkey welcomes the dispatch of Korean troops to the northern
area of Iraq, where Turkey has an interest of vital importance.
Particularly, Turkey welcomes the dispatch of troops from a
traditionally allied country like Korea.
Friendly Relationship between ROK and Turkey after the Korean War
131
C. Turkey Wants Economic Cooperation with Korea
- Turkey places a high value on the Korean economic development, and wants increased economic cooperations with Korea.
- Particularly, after the official visits of President Evren(December 1982) and Prime Minister Ozal (November 1986), they
placed a high value on the Korean economic development, and
said that the model of Turkish economic development should
be that of Korea.
D. Turkey’s Support for Korea in the International Society
- Turkey strongly supports the standpoints of Korean Government on such international stages as the United Nations (UN)
and the International Atomic Energy Agency(IAEA).
Korea-Turkey Economic Relations
A. Status of the Korea-Turkey Trade
- After 1990, the trade volume increased annually more than
15%.
- In 1997, the trade volume marked $1 billion for the first time.
- In 2003 the trade volume marked $1.45 billion; and in 2005,
$2.45 billion.
(unit: million dollars)
Korea’s Trade Volumes with Turkey
Year
Export
Import
Balance
132
2000
12.0
0.5
11.5
2001
7.0
1.3
5.7
A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
2002
8.7
1.3
7.4
2003
13.7
0.8
12.9
2004
23.5
1.0
22.5
B. Major Trade Items and Status of Investments(2004)
- Korea’s unilateral investment in Turkey is a common practice,
while Turkey’s investment in Korea is insignificant.
- The amount of Korean investment in Turkey(as of December
2004, statistics provided by the consular offices in Turkey) is
about $260 million.
Korea’s Major Trade Items with Turkey
No.
1
Korea’s Export Items to Turkey
Items
Amount(%thousand)
(%)
Transportational Machinery
875,291
37.1
2
Electric-Electronics Products for
Industrial Use
223,166
9.5
3
Textile Goods
200,869
8.5
4
Machinery for Industrial Use
162,628
6.7
5
Electric-Electronics Products for
Domestic Use
158,801
6.7
No.
1
2
3
4
5
Korea’s Export Items to Turkey
Items
Amount(%thousand)
(%)
Agricultural Products
21,107
20.3
Iron-Steel Products
12,358
11.9
Non-ferrous Metal Products
8,960
8.6
Marine Products
7,737
7.4
Textile Goods
7,263
7.0
C. Korean Companies in Turkey
- Korea-Turkey Joint Venture Investments
• Hyundai Motor Company: Car Assembly Plant
(Total $200 million)
• LG Electronics: Air-Conditioning Plant (Total $50 million)
Friendly Relationship between ROK and Turkey after the Korean War
133
• Mando Machinery: Automobile Shock Absorber Plant
(Total $14 million)
• Han Il E-Wha: Automobile Accessory Plant (Total $6 million)
• CJ(Cheiljedang Corporation): Feed Mill Plant (Total $4 million)
• Kimsoi: Dye Manufacturing Plant (Total $2 million)
• CASS: General Trade (Total $1.5 million)
- Regional Distribution of Korea-Turkey Joint Ventures
• Istanbul: CASS, Daewoo International, Samsung Corporation,
OCI Corporation, LG Electronics, LG-BEKO, Hyosung,
Hyundai Corporation, Hyundai Motor Company, Han Il EWha, Samsung Electronics, Samsung Electro-Mechanics, LG
Phillips (Total 13 corporations)
• Bursa: Mando Machinery, CJ
• Adana: Kimsoi
Korean Residents in Turkey
A. Total Number of Korean Residents in Turkey
- The estimated number is 800 as of January 2005.
• 70% of the total, 580, live in Istanbul.
• Korean businessmen and their spouses is 56.
(Istanbul 51, Izmir 3, Bursa 2)
B. Korean Resident Organizations
- Korean Society in Turkey
• Founded in May 1989
• President: Kim Sang Jin (Private Business)
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- Korean Businessmen Association in Istanbul
• President: Lee Jae Kyung (Representative, Samsung ElectroMechanics Branch Office in Istanbul)
- Korean Saturday School in Istanbul
• Founded in February 1988 by the Korean Society in Turkey
• Principal: President of the Korean Society in Turkey
• Academic Year 2004: Total 43, including 8 teachers
(elementary school students 39, middle school students 4)
Turkish Views on Korea and Korean People
A. Korea is one of the countries Turkish people love best.
- For Turkish people, Korea is not merely a friendly nation; Korea
is for them a brother nation, or a blood-tied brother nation(Kan
Kardeshi, in Turkish).
- The Turkish people’s sense of affinities toward Koreans is
stronger than yheir sense of affinities toward Europeans, treating
Koreans as a first-rate people.
• The Turks have a strong sense of history that Koreans and Turks
belong to the same Ural-Altaic race, sharing not only blood but
also culture and history.
• Particularly during the Korean War, Turkey dispatched to Korea
the 3rd biggest number of troops (cumulative number of troops,
about 15,000), and came to have a blood-tied relationship with
Korea.
• The Turks have a strong sense of pride that the Turkish soldiers
in the Korean War did not sacrifice their noble lives in vain,
with 721 killed in action, 2,147 wounded.
Friendly Relationship between ROK and Turkey after the Korean War
135
B. The 2002 FIFA World Cup has brought Korea and Turkey closer.
- During the 2002 FIFA World Cup, Korean people’s waves of
cheering for Turkish soccer players, and the Turkish people’s
waves of cheering for Korean soccer players in the Turkey-Korea
third-place match came to engrave a strong sense of love upon
the hearts of Turks and Koreans as well.
C. Turkish people expect cooperation between the two countries.
- Turkish people place a high value on the Korean economic development, believing that the economic development model of
Turkey should follow that of Korea. They expect Korea’s greater
cooperation for their economic development.
- The Turks expect Koreans to have a deeper understanding of
their love of Korea and Koreans. They also want close cooperation between the two countries. (Particularly, they count on
Korea’s practical economic cooperations such as a solution for
trade imbalance between the two nations, and Korea’s greater
investment increase in Turkey.)
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Ⅶ
Prospects for the ROK-Turkey Relationship
in the 21st Century
Turkey is the cradle of ancient civilization. Ever since the downfall
of the Roman Empire in the West, the city of Constantinople, whose
name was changed to Istanbul in 1930, had been for thousands of years
the home of the Byzantine Empire and the Greco-Roman civilization.
During the sixteenth century, Turkey used to have a great empire whose
reign covered three continents of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Located in
a place of strategic importance which connects East and West, Turkey
has currently a population of around 70 million people. To take into
consideration those Turkish people living around Turkey, however, the
number of Turkish people amounts to as much as 150 million. In size,
Turkey is also a big country, 3.5 times as big as the Korean Peninsular.
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A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
For the present, we are
witnessing a very rapid change
not only in global environment
but also in such areas as
politics, economy, society,
culture, and arts. Due to such a
rapid change, international
cooperations and exchanges of
cultures are expected to be
expanded and strengthened in
the 21st century. In the area of
politics, the age of multipolarized world politics is now
After the expanded summit talk, President Roh Moo-hyun and President
Ahmet Necdet Sezer are shaking hands.
emerging, so that in the future
the roles of international cooperative organizations, rather than
individual nations, will be more important to catch up with the current
trends toward globalization. Seen from the standpoints of local as well
as global economy, the importance of information and knowledge
industries will be increased, and at the same time the role of multinational enterprises will be also more important. At the same time, in
the future more attention will be focused on culture industry.
In accordance with such an overall trend of the 21st century, the
role of culture is expected to be of great importance in the sector of
economy, so that the so-called “economics of culture” or “culture
economics” will be highly developed. In the social sector, the society
will be increasingly pluralized, and with the increasing trend of social
specialization occupations will be diversified and the middle class in
the social strata will be expanded. In our daily life, more attention will
Prospects for the ROK-Turkey Relationship in the 21st Century
141
be focused on culture and arts, with people’s satisfaction and happiness
in life depending much more on culture and arts rather than on material
things, and with people’s tastes for culture being greatly diversified. For
these changes in our everyday life, the 21st century is often defined as
“the age of culture.”
Seen from this context of globalization and diversification, the
future of Korea-Turkey relationship is expected to be greatly expanded
and strengthened. It is also expected that, in the 21st century, mutual
investments between the two countries will be greatly expanded,
particularly in the sector of high-tech and high-touch industries. As a
result of these mutual investments, both Greece and Korea will have
chances to approach different local markets, both countries benefiting a
lot from this approach.
For the promotion of Turkey-Korea economic cooperation, a variety of approaches are recommended. The existing program of holding
trade fairs and sending trade delegates is one method. Together with
this program, industrial exhibitions and joint researches on the fields of
common interest are also recommended. Such an approach is expected
to open up new fields of interest and share strategic research work for
building a better environment of economic relationship. This approach
is also expected to increase exchanges of necessary information and
chances of contact between business and economic organizations of
both countries.
Beside these economic cooperations, an extensive program of culture exchanges between the two nations is also required, with its objective orienting toward mutual understanding of each country’s cultural
life. In order to achiever such a program of culture exchanges, sociocultural exchanges and cooperations between Turkey and Korea should be
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A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
carried out, based on the two countries’ existing framework of relationship. So far, Turkey and Korea have maintained friendly relationship,
and it seems that in the future there will not be any significant change
in such a relationship. Besides, the sociocultural exchanges between the
two countries have so far been greatly influenced by the relative degree
of political and economic relationships between the two nations. For a
closer political and economic cooperation between the two nations,
however, a substantial degree of sociocultural exchanges and cooperations needs to be strengthened in the future.
What is more important, the sociocultural exchanges and cooperations between Turkey and Korea should be promoted from a more
future-oriented point of view. Accordingly, a variety of projects need to
be continuously developed in such activities as joint program developments for the two nations, establishment of culture fund for cultural
cooperation between the two countries, establishment of inter-collegiate
sisterhood relationships, and exchange programs for young people.
Particularly, Korea should pay attention to the activities of the European committees which deal with cultural policies based on a broader
regional unit beyond the national basis. Considering these activities of
the European committees, Korea is expected to benefit a lot from Turkey’s
experience when Korea advances toward the European markets.
For a more effective management of cultural and artistic exchanges
between the two nations, the development of one-stop operating system
is urgently needed. Furthermore, a Turkey-Korea Cooperation Fund
should also be established, which would facilitate sociocultural exchanges between the two nations.
To sum up, in the 21st century both Greece and Korea should try to
cooperate in the international society on the basis of their cooperative
Prospects for the ROK-Turkey Relationship in the 21st Century
143
political and diplomatic relations, maximize mutual benefits through
economic cooperations, transfer the most up-to-date technology through
large scale joint research projects, and understand characteristic culture
traits of both nations through sociocultural exchanges. In the whole
process of these exchange activities, both countries should try to maintain a sense of mutuality or balance. Particularly important is the future
role of Turkey in the international society. Located at an important
strategic place which connects Europe and Asia, Turkey is expected in
the future to maintain a close relationship with Korea and tackle every
problem as Korea’s true partner not only in the European Union but
also in Asian and African countries.
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A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
Ⅷ
Participation and Support of the UN Forces
1. Background of UN Forces’ Participation
The scale of the troops and supplies sent by the US for the Korean
War was of course overwhelming compared to that of other countries.
Because of the overwhelming American scale of troops and arms and
logistic support, the US took the initiative in making operational decisions
for the UN forces. When the UN Secretary General took into consideration
the urgent situations developing in Korea and urged the UN member
nations to send troops to the Korean front on July 14, 1950, the number of
participant nations greatly increased. However, most of the nations who
promised to send troops were situated geographically too far away from
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A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
Korea, so that it took them more than two months for their troops to arrive
in Korea.
Excluding the US, the first to promise military support was the
British Commonwealth. The United Kingdom notified that they would send
a Naval special task force, and on 29 July Australia expressed their intention
to send the naval and air elements. The Netherlands proposed a support of
destroyers, and Taiwan promised the support of ground troops. However,
the United States refused to accept the proposal of Taiwan for political and
defense reasons. If Taiwan dispatched troops to Korea, the US was afraid
that the defense capabilities of Taiwan would be greatly weakened.
As member nations of NATO, England, France, the Netherlands,
Belgium, and Luxembourg took strict precaution against the Soviet’s
desire to control Europe. These countries believed that the US should take
on a bigger role in NATO since the end of World War II, so that, when the
Korean War broke out, they decided to fight with the US against North
Korea with an expectation that, when they fight for the US, the US would
make a substantial contribution to NATO in return.
Canada, member nation of NATO and neighboring country of the
US, judged that behind the North’s invasion of South Korea there was
Soviet’s desire of expansion. For this reason, Canada also decided to take
part in the war in order to help deter the Soviet’s expansion, and to
reinforce alliances between allied nations including the United States.
Turkey and Greece were under constant pressure from those
communist powers along the Balkan Peninsular and the Dardanelles
Straits, and the Soviet Union was supporting these communist powers.
Under such a circumstance, Turkey and Greece were getting help from the
United States in order to protect themselves from those communist
powers. At the time of the Korean War, these two countries hoped that by
Participation and Support of the UN Forces
151
aiding the UN in cutting off the expansion of communism in the Asian
region, they would be able to get more military support from the US.
Australia and New Zealand were cautious about communists’
expansion in the region of South East Asia. They also believed that
fighting against the communists in Korea under the UN flag would be the
best way to deter the expansion of communism.
Compared with Australia and New Zealand, the Philippines and
Thailand felt the threat of communists more seriously mainly due to their
geographical positions. At the time of the Korean War, the Vietnamese
communists were expanding their powers with the support of China, and
the communist rebel groups in the Philippines intensified their subversive
activities during this period of time. In other words, the communist
activities in Vietnam and the Philippines created a strong sense of threat in
the minds of people living in the Philippines and Thailand.
Those countries located far away from Korea such as Ethiopia, the
Republic of South Africa, and Columbia in South America also
participated in the Korean War. When they decided to help Koreans in the
war, these countries put more significance in the role the UN activities
than in deterring communism.
Most countries who joined the UN forces during the Korean War
were worried about the expansion of communism around them, and they
saw the North’s invasion of South Korea as a stepping stone for a more
serious communist threat in the future.
2. Major Activities of the United Nations
The United States of America
The US military forces were several times bigger than those of the
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A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
other UN member nations combined together both in the number of troops
and in combat power. The US Army sent the 24th Division, the 25th
Division, the 1st Armored Division, the 2nd Division, the 3rd Division,
the 7th Division, the 1st Marine Division, the 40th Division, and the 45th
Division—a total of 9 divisions, 2 battle regiments, and numerous
supporting units.
During the three years of the Korean War, the US deployed
300,000 troops at its peak. In 1952 when the number of the UN forces
reached the peak, 50% of the ground troops were the ROK forces, 40%
were the US forces, and 10% were the forces of other UN member
nations. It can also be said that most of military operations executed
during the war were carried out by the US military forces. The role the US
military forces played during the war was quite a decisive one, and the
Participation and Support of the UN Forces
153
number of military operations the US
military forces executed were too extensive
to be counted one by one.
As for the US naval activities, the 7th
Task Force Smith of the US 24th Division
Fleet under command of the Far East Naval
Force took charge of most naval operations.
For these operations, a variety of US naval
vessels were employed such as aircraft
carriers, destroyers, cruisers, warships,
submarines, and supporting vessels. The US
Navy succeeded in blocking up North
Korean coast on July 4, 1950, 10 days after
the outbreak of the Korean War, and since
Bombing by US Air Force
then on secured the command of the sea.
Later on, the US Navy came to play an
important role in turning the war situations to our advantage with such
diverse military activities as air strikes, bombardment from naval guns,
transporting troops and other supplies from the US. Particularly in
operations of landing at Incheon and withdrawing from Heungnam, the
US Navy demonstrated their highly skilled battle capabilities.
As for the US Air Force, the 5th Air Force and the Strategic
Bombing Command, under command of the Far East Air Force, operated
air strikes to drain up the battle capabilities of the communist forces, and
executed close air support operations to help the UN ground troops to
carry out their duties more successfully. The US Air Force inflicted heavy
losses on both North Korean and Chinese forces during the war, so that it
was the most frightening entity to communists from the start of the war to
the end.
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A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
Participation of the US Forces
Service
Army
Navy
Air Force
Unit
Period
Remarks
8th Army HQ
1st Corps.
9th Corps.
10th Corps.
1st armored division
2nd division
3rd division
7th division
24th division
25th division
40th division
45th division
1st Marine division
1950. 7 ~
1950. 9 ~
1950. 9 ~ 1954. 8
1950. 9 ~ 1954. 4
1950. 7 ~ 1951.12
1950. 7 ~ 1954. 9
1950.11 ~ 1954. 1
1950. 9 ~ 1971. 4
1950. 7 ~ 1952. 1
1953. 7 ~ 1957.10
1950. 7 ~ 1954.10
1952. 1 ~ 1954. 3
1951.12 ~ 1954. 5
1950. 9 ~ 1955. 3
Far East Navy
7th Fleet
90th Maneuvering Forces
95th Maneuvering Forces
1950.
1950.
1950.
1950.
Far East Air Force
5th Air Force
1950. 6 ~ 1953. 7
1950. 6 ~ 1954. 6
2nd deploy in 1957. 10
2nd deploy in 1965. 7
Move to Japan
2nd sending
7 ~ 1953. 7
7 ~ 1953. 7
6 ~ 1953. 11
6 ~ 1953. 7
Major Equipment of the US Forces
Division
Tanks
Quantity
777
Aircrafts
Air Force
Marine/Navy
1,838
564
Warships
5
Casualties of the US Forces(as of 1954)
(Unit : person)
Service
Sub-Total
Dead
Wounded
Missing
POW
Total
523,083
54,246
468,659
739
4,439
Army
Navy
Air Force
Marine
484,762
6,130
7,725
29,466
37,133
4,501
7,084
5,528
442,971
1,576
368
23,744
664
22
53
-
3,944
31
220
194
Participation and Support of the UN Forces
155
Major Battle of the US Forces
156
A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
The United Kingdom
The United Kingdom dispatched the second largest number of
troops to Korea. The participation of the United Kingdom was done
before the UN forces were established. The British Army first sent the
27th Brigade which was activated with two battalions from Hongkong
and other supporting units, and upon arrival in Korea the brigade was
immediately committed to the battle of the Nakdong Bulge. Later on, the
27th Brigade took part in advancing northward to the Yalu River. And
later the United Kingdom dispatched one more brigade, the 29th Brigade.
The 29th Brigade suffered a lot of casualties at the battle of
Seolmari near the Imjin River when China launched the 5th phase of
attack. Despite these sacrifices, the 29th Brigade made a great contribution
to the operations of the US Eight Army. To be more specific, on April 22,
1951, when the defense line of the ROK 1st Division broke down, the
Gloucester Battalion of 29th Brigade on the right
of the ROK 1st Division suffered a lot of
casualties. Despite these casualties, however, the
29th Brigade held the Seolmari area for three
days, so that the brigade was able to save allied
units on both sides of the area.
As more troops of the British Commonwealth came in on July 28, 1951, these units
were organized into the 1st Commonwealth
Division. This Division was made up of the units
from 6 countries: United Kingdom, Australia,
Canada, New Zealand, Belgium, and Luxemburg. Such a composition was quite unique in
Participation and Support of the UN Forces
157
Participation of the UK Forces
Unit
Remarks
1953. 7~
established at DeokJung
27 division
1950. 8~1951. 4
renamed to the 28th brigade
28th brigade
1951. 4~1953. 3
29 brigade
1950. 11~
1 battalion of Middlesex brigade
1950. 8~1951. 5
assigned to 27th brigade
1st battalion of argyll and sutherland
higlanders brigade
1950. 8~1951. 4
assigned to 27th brigade
1st battalion of Royal Northumberland
fusiliers brigade
1950.11~
assigned to 29th brigade
1st battalion of Gloucester brigade
1950.11~
assigned to 29th brigade
1st battalion of Royal Ulster Fifles brigade
1950.11~
assigned to 29th brigade
1st battalion of King’s own scottish
borderers brigade
1951. 4~
assigned to 28th brigade
1st battalion of King’s Shropshire Light
infantry brigade
1951. 5~1952. 9
assigned to 28th brigade
1st battalion of Royal Norfolk brigade
1951.10~1952.11
assigned to 28th brigade
1st battalion of Leicestershire brigade
1951.10~1952. 6
assigned to 28th brigade
1st battalion of Welch brigade
1951.11~1952.11
assigned to 29th brigade
1st battalion of Black Watch brigade
1952. 6~1953. 7
assigned to 29th brigade
1st battalion of Royal Fusiliers brigade
1952. 8~1953. 8
1 battalion of Duham light infantry brigade
1952. 9~1953. 9
assigned to 28th brigade
1st battalion of King’s Liverpool brigade
1952. 9~1953.10
assigned to 29th brigade
1st battalion of Duke of Welington brigade
1952.10~1953.11
assigned to 29th brigade
1st battalion of Royal Scots brigade
1953. 7~unknown
1 battalion of Essex brigade
1953. 8~〃
1 battalion of Royal Warwickshire brigade
1953. 9~〃
1 battalion of King’s own royal brigade
1953.10~〃
1 battalion of North Staffordshire brigade
1953.11~〃
th
th
st
st
st
st
st
st
158
Period
1 division of British Commonwealth
st
A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
Major Equipment of UK Forces
Name of Warship
Aircraft
Carrier
Triumph, Ocean, Theseus, Glory, Unicorn
Cruiser
Belfast, Jamaica, Ceylon, Kenya, Newcastle, Birmingham
Destroyer
Frigate
Etc.
Cossack, Consort, Comus, Concord, Constance, Cockade, Charty
Mounts Bay, Morecambe, Black Swan, Whitesand Bay, Carddigan Bay,
St. Brides Bay, Alarcrity, Modeste, Hart, Sparrow, Crane, Amethyst
Maine(hospital boat), Tyne(supply ship), Ladybird(headquarter ship),
Subsidiary headquarter ships
Casualties of the UK Forces
(Unit : person)
Sub-Total
Dead
Wounded
POW
Total
4,731
1,078
2,674
979
Army
Navy
Marines
Air Force(ship plane)
4,521
67
115
28
977
44
30
27
2,589
19
66
-
955
4
19
1
the military history of the world.
On June 29, 1950, the UK Navy sent one aircraft carrier, two
cruisers, two destroyers, and three frigates, and helped the US naval
Participation and Support of the UN Forces
159
Major Battles of the United Kingdom Forces
160
A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
operations on the East Sea. Later, a total of about 17,000 Navy soldiers of
the UK participated in the Korean War, and 50 British warships took turns
to carry out naval operations until the end of the war.
Turkey
Excepting the United States and the United Kingdom, Turkey and
Canada were the only two countries that dispatched brigade-level units.
Turkey once announced that they would remain neutral in the
international affairs. By the end of World War II, however, Turkey took on
a pro-west political policy, and, right after the outbreak of the Korean War,
supported wholeheartedly the UN resolution of military support for Korea.
What’s more, Turkey took immediate measures to dispatch more than
4,500 troops to Korea, receiving
welcome from the UN members.
The Turkish Brigade that was
dispatched to Korea was mainly the
Turkish Army units, and included in the
brigade were such branches as infantry,
engineering, transportation, medical
corps, and ordnance. Thus, the brigade
could conduct its own independent
operations. During the 2nd phase of
Chinese attack in November 1950, the
Turkish Army took part in Gunwuri
Battle as a right-wing of the US 2nd
Division, and in this battle suffered
heavy casualties. Particularly impressive
in the battle was the Turkish soldiers’
Participation and Support of the UN Forces
161
Participation of the Turkish Forces
Unit
Period
Remarks
1st brigade
2nd brigade
3rd brigade
1950. 9~1951. 8
1951. 8~1952. 8
1952. 8~1953. 9
assigned to the US 25th division
assigned to the US 25th division
assigned to the US 25th division
Casualties of the Turkish Forces
Army
(Unit : person)
Sub Total
Dead
Wounded
Missing
POW
Total
3,623
721
2,147
175
234
Officer
Noncom
Soldier
157
138
3,328
37
26
658
81
66
2,000
3
1
171
6
3
225
bravery; when they were on the point of capture by the enemy they refused
to become prisoners and attacked forward with their bayonets fixed.
Soon after Kunuri Battle, the Turkish Brigade recovered from the
loss they suffered at Kunuri, and the brigade was assigned to the US 25th
Division. Afterwards, whenever they were engaged in battles, the brigade
demonstrated a strong will to fight as well as the Turkish forces’ solidarity.
The Turkish Brigade took part in Operation Wolfhound and Operation
Thunderbolt conducted by the US forces. Of course, the Turkish Brigade
suffered casualties in these operations, but they inflicted 10 times more
casualties on the enemy. Such a victory contributed a lot to giving a boost
to the UN forces.
During the joint operations with the US forces, the Turkish Brigade
had to go through a lot of difficulties. Among those difficulties, the
communication problem was the most serious one, particularly when the
battle situations changed rapidly and inaccurate interpretations brought
grave losses to them.
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A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
Major Battles of the Turkish Forces
Participation and Support of the UN Forces
163
Canada
A neighboring country to America and a member nation of NATO,
Canada apprehended that behind the North’s invasion of South Korea
there was lurking the Soviet’s desire of expansion. For this reason, Canada
announced that the North Korea’s invasion should be repelled with
combined efforts of the UN nations. Five days after the war broke out, the
House of the Commons of Canadian government came to an unanimous
agreement on helping Korea, saying that “we would give full support to
any of the Canadian government’s measures taken to demonstrate the
efficiency of the collective security.”
On this day, the Prime Minister Luis Roland also said that “we
should take collective security actions under the UN authority.”
Canada sent a brigade-level military forces as Turkey did. In midFebruary 1951, the 2nd Battalion(PPCLI) was the first unit committed to
Korea, and upon arrival in Korea the battalion was engaged in war as part
of the 27th Commonwealth Brigade. The 25th Canadian Infantry Brigade
sailed for Korea in April 1951 and came into the line towards the end of
May. Upon arrival in Korea, the 25th
Brigade was deployed as a unit of the
newly established 1st Division of
British Commonwealth.
In matters of military doctrine,
the Canadian armed forces had much in
common with the British armed forces,
and unlike the Turkish soldiers the
Canadian soldiers didn’t have any
communication problems at the Korean
164
A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
Participation of the Canadian Forces
Unit
Time
the 25 brigade
2nd battalion of Princes patricia’s
light infantry
1951. 5~1954. 12
1st battalion
2nd battalion
2nd battalion of the royal canadian regiment
1st battalion
3nd battalion
2nd battalion of the Royal 22 regiment
1st battalion
3nd battalion
1951. 10~1952. 11
1952. 10~1953. 10
1951. 5~1952. 4
1952. 4~1953. 3
1953. 3~1954. 3
1951. 5~1952. 4
1952. 4~1953. 4
1953. 4~1954. 4
th
Remarks
1950. 12~1951. 11
Canadian Warships
Division
Warship
Cayuga
Athabaskan
Sioux
Destroyer
Crusader
Haida
Huron
Iroquois
Nootka
Period
First : 1950. 7~1951. 3
Second : 1951. 7~1952. 6
Third : 1954. 1~1954.11
First : 1950. 7~1951. 5
Second : 1951. 9~1952. 6
Third : 1952.11~1953.11
First : 1950. 7~1951. 1
Second : 1951. 4~1952. 2
Third : 1954.12~1955. 9
First : 1952. 6~1953. 6
Second : 1953.11~1954. 8
First : 1952.11~1953. 6
Second : 1954. 2~1954. 9
First : 1951. 3~1951. 8
Second : 1953. 6~1954. 2
Third : 1954.10~1954.12
First : 1952. 6~1952.11
Second : 1953. 6~1954. 1
Third : 1954. 8~1954.12
First : 1951. 1~1951. 7
Second : 1952. 2~1952.11
Participation and Support of the UN Forces
165
Casualties of the Canadian Forces
(Unit : person)
Service
Sub Total
Dead
Wounded
Missing
POW
Total
1,557
312
1,212
32
1
1,543
309
1,202
32
-
Officers
72
11
59
2
-
Soldiers
Sub Total
Army
1,471
298
1,143
30
-
Navy
13
3
10
-
-
Air Force
1
-
-
-
1
Major Battles of the Canadian Forces
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A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
front. The 2nd Battalion of the Canadian forces played a big role in
blocking the Chinese attack at the battle of Kapyong, demonstrating its
excellent combat capabilities and its strong will to fight.
Thailand
Excepting for the four countries mentioned above, most of the UN
member nations sent battalion-level units to Korea.
Thailand was the first to assist Korea among Asian countries. On
June 30, 1950, five days after the war broke out, they demonstrated their
will to support the UN resolution by sending 4 tons of rice. The Secretary
General of UN praised Thailand for the Thai support, saying that “we
extend our gratitude for the Thai government’s support for the UN
resolution and its decision to send food to Korea.”
Traditionally, Thailand used to hold the policy of neutrality.
However, the Thai decision to participate in the war provided an
exemplary challenge to the Soviet propaganda which publicized that “only
Western imperialists wound dispatch troops to Korea.” The Thai decision
also clearly demonstrated the fact that “the united efforts of the UN to stop
North Korea’s aggressions
were made to secure the blessings of freedom for mankind.”
When the dispatch of
troops to Korea got delayed,
Thailand came to a conclusion
that the Thai military forces
would send a battalion-size unit
of 1,000 soldiers. Besides this
battalion unit, Thailand also
Participation and Support of the UN Forces
167
Participation of the Thailand Forces
Army
Thailand Division
Period
Remarks
1950. 11~1972. 6
Attached US Division
Warship
Period
Navy
Frigate Ship
Transport Ship
Prasae
1950. 11. 7~1951. 1. 7
Bangpakong
1950. 11. 7~1952. 2. 16
Prasae II
1951. 12. 29~1955. 1. 21
Tachin
〃
Sichang
1950. 11. 7~1951. 7. 15
Air Force
Type of Aircraft
Terms of Participation
C-47
1951. 6. 18~1964. 11. 6
Transport Plane
Casualties of the Thailand Forces
(Unit : person)
Total
Dead
Wounded
Missing
POW
Total
1,273
129
1,139
5
-
Army
Navy
1,269
4
125
4
1,139
-
5
-
-
sent 2 frigates, and the C-47 transport aircraft belonging to Royal Thailand
Air Force for the support of naval and air operations.
The bravery of the Thai battalion unit was explicitly demonstrated
in the Battle of Pork Chop Hill. In this battle, the Chinese forces attacked
the hill three times, but Thai soldiers successfully defended the hill to the
last with hand-to-hand fighting and counter strikes. With this battle, the
Thai soldiers came to have a nickname, “Little Tiger.”
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A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
Major Battle of the Thailand Forces
Participation and Support of the UN Forces
169
Australia
The proposal of Australian government’s military assistance to
Korea was approved unanimously in the Australian Congress. After
World War II was over, Australia maintained 15,000 military forces. Out
of these troops, they willingly decided to dispatch one battalion. During
World War II, Australian armed forces carried out combined operations
with the US forces in the Pacific area. They also had many military
experiences in Europe. Particularly, Australia was a member nation of the
UN Commission in Korea. In early 1950, other UNC member nations sent
only one officer, but Australia sent two officers and these officers were on
the UNC Military Investigation Team. For this reason, these two officers
were quite well aware of the situations of Korea around the outbreak of
the Korean War.
When the 3rd Battalion of Royal Australian Regiment(RAR) arrived
in Korea on September 27, 1950, the North Korean advance had been halted
and NK forces were retreating to the North. Upon arrival in Korea, the 3rd
Battalion(RAR) immediately joined the northward advance operations of the
UN forces. At the battle of Sariwon, they defeated North Korean troops who
were withdrawing from the area with hand-to-hand fighting. The soldiers of
the US 24th Infantry Division noticed how the Australian troops were
fighting, and spoke highly of
their will to fight. Afterwards,
they demonstrated their capabilities in such battles as Battle of
Youngyuri, Battle of Pakchun,
Battle of Kapyong, and Battle of
Maryang Mountain.
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A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
Participation of the Australian Forces
Unit Name Terms of Participation
3rd Battalion
1st Battalion
2nd Battalion
1950. 9~1953. 2
1952. 3~1953. 3
1953. 3. 17~27
Remarks
Assigned to the Commonwealth of Nations 28th Brigade
〃
〃
Marine War Vessels of the Australian Forces
Name
Light War Vessel Ship
Destroyer
Frigate
Period of participation
Sydney
1951. 8~1952. 6
Bataan
First : 1950. 7~1951. 5
Second : 1952. 2~1952. 8
Warramunga
First : 1950. 8~1951. 8
Second : 1952. 2~1952. 7
Anzac
First : 1951. 8~1951. 9
Second : 1952. 9~1953. 6
Tobruk
First : 1951. 8~1952. 6
Second : 1953. 6~1954. 2
Culgoa
1953. 4~1953. 6
Shoalhaven
1950. 7~1951. 5
Murchison
1951. 5~1952. 2
Condamine
1952. 8~1953. 4
Casualties Australian Forces
Total
Dead
(Unit : person)
Total
Army
Marine
Air Force
1,584
1,526
11
47
Total
339
293
5
41
Death in Battle
306
276
2
28
Death during Capture
1
1
-
-
Accident, etc.
32
16
3
13
1,216
1,210
6
-
29
23
-
6
Wounded
POW
Participation and Support of the UN Forces
171
Major Battles of the Australian Forces
172
A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
New Zealand
When the Korean War broke out, New Zealand, member nation of
the British Commonwealth, agreed to “send war vessels according to the
UN Security Council Resolution.” Then two RN LOCH-class frigates
sailed for Korea on July 3, 1950, and arrived in Korea on July 30, 1950.
Upon arrival in Korea, New Zealand troops supported UN naval
operations, and later eight New Zealand war vessels took turns to
participate in the Korean War until the truce agreement was signed.
Besides, on July 26, 1950, the New Zealand Government
announced it would raise a volunteer military force to serve with UN
forces in Korea. Known as ‘Kayforce,’ a total of 1,044 men were selected
from among volunteers. Kayforce arrived at Busan on December 31,
1950. Initially attached to the 27th Commonwealth Brigade, Kayforce
went into action on January 29, 1951. In July 1951, Kayforce became part
of the newly formed Commonwealth Division.
New Zealand Artillery Fire Support
Participation and Support of the UN Forces
173
In Korea, the New Zealand artillery assisted British Middlesax
Infantry Battalion and Canadian Infantry Battalion with timely fire
support around the end of January 1951. Besides, the New Zealand
Government also dispatched marines, and made quite a contribution to the
UN operations.
Participation of the New Zealand Forces
Unit
Terms Participation
Remarks
The 16th field batteries
1950. 12~1954. 11
Direct assistance from the Commonwealth
of Nations 28th Brigade
Marines of New Zealand
Division
Name
Period of Participation
Pukaki
1950. 7~1950. 12
Tutira
1950. 7~1951. 5
Rotoiti
First : 1950. 10~1951. 11
Second : 1952. 1~1953. 3
Hawea
First : 1951. 3~1952. 3
Second : 1952. 8~1953. 8
Taupo
1951. 8~1952. 10
Kaniere
1953. 3~1954. 3
Frigate
(Unit : person)
Casualties of the New Zealand Forces
174
Division
Total
Dead
Wounded
Missing
POW
Total
103
23
79
1
-
Army
Marine
102
1
22
1
79
-
1
-
-
A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
Major Battles of the New Zealand Forces
Participation and Support of the UN Forces
175
France
Among European countries, France, the Netherlands, and Belgium
dispatched the infantry battalion-level troops to Korea.
Consisting of 39 officers, 172 non-commissioned officers and more
than 800 enlisted personnel, the French Battalion departed Marseilles on
September 25, 1950, arriving at Busan on November 30, 1950. Once
equipped with US weapons and vehicles, the battalion was attached to the
23rd Infantry Regiment, 2nd US Army Division, with whom it served
until the end of hostilities on July 27, 1953. Particularly, the French
Battalion demonstrated their bravery at the battle of Chipyongri in
February 1951, and after this battle the US soldiers of 23rd Infantry
Regiment came to recognize French soldiers’ combat capabilities.
Lieutenant Colonel Monclaude was a man with a special career.
During World War II, he served as a general of the French Army. He was
LTG at that time. After the war he was retired from the French Army.
When the Korean War broke out and the French government decided to
dispatch troops, however,
he volunteered to command
the French Battalion. His
suggestion was accepted,
so that he became the
commander of the French
Battalion. His rank was
Lieutenant Colonel, but
members of the UN headquarters and the US 8th
Army knew his career. So
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A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
everyone called him “General Monclaude.”
The French Battalion fought with the US 23rd Regiment, blocked
the Chinese forces’ southward advance, and played an important part in
establishing the bases for counterattack through such battles as Battle of
Wonju, Battle of Twin Tunnels, and Battle of Heartbreak Ridge.
Participation of the French Forces
Name
Army
French Battalion
Marine Ship La Grandire
Period of Participation
Remarks
1950. 11~1953. 10
assigned the US 2nd Division
unknown
Casualties of the French Forces
(Unit : person)
Division
Total
Dead
Wounded
Missing
POW
Army
1,289
262
1,008
7
12
Participation and Support of the UN Forces
177
Major Battles of the French Forces
178
A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
The Netherlands
The Netherlands and Belgium Battalions were well-trained and had
a strong sense of responsibility. Many of the soldiers from these countries
also could speak English, so that their communication with US troops was
smooth.
The Netherlands Battalion arrived in Korea on October 24, 1950,
and finished adaptation training by the end of December 1950. Then the
battalion was assigned to the US 2nd Division and took part in fierce
battles in the central forward area. Particularly important was the
battalion’s engagement with the NK 5th Army at the battle of Wonju. At
this battle, the Dutch soldiers killed or captured 1,100 North Korean
troops. It was an astonishing military achievement.
The Netherlands Battalion drove back the enemy that surrounded
Participation and Support of the UN Forces
179
them from Hwoengseong and secured Hwoengseong Bridge. That helped
the withdrawal of the US 2nd Division. Traditionally, the Netherlands was
famous for its marine power. In addition to the Netherlands Army unit, the
Royal Netherlands Navy sent six ships for the Korean War. During the
war, the Dutch naval forces carried out such missions as escorting aircraft
carriers, anti-infiltration patrols, destroying enemy costal guns, and
supporting ground troops with artillery fire. They carried out these
missions with the US Far East Navy on the East and West Seas.
Participation of the Netherlands Forces
Unit Name
Terms of Participation
Remarks
Army Netherlands Battalion
1950. 11~1954. 12
assigned to the US 2nd Division
Evertsen
Van Galen
Piet Hein
Marine
Van Nassau
Dubois
Van Zijil
1950. 7~1951. 4
1951. 4~1952. 3
1952. 3~1953. 1
1953. 1~1953. 11
1953. 11~1954. 9
1954. 9~1955. 1
assigned to the West Sea Supportive Battle Corp
〃
〃
〃
〃
〃
Casualties of the Dutch Forces
180
(Unit : person)
Division
Total
Dead
Wounded
Missing
POW
Total
586
119
463
3
1
Army
Marine
584
2
117
2
463
-
3
-
1
-
A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
Major Battles of the Netherlands Forces
Participation and Support of the UN Forces
181
Belgium
The 1st Belgium Battalion arrived in December 1950 and was
attached to the US 3rd Infantry Division in January 1951. It was replaced
by the 2nd Belgium Battalion in August 1951. The 2nd Belgium Battalion
remained in Korea until June 1955. Assigned to the British 29th
Regiment, US 3rd Division, the Belgium Battalion demonstrated excellent
combat capabilities in battles. During the offensive in February 1951, the
Belgium soldiers were in charge of Gumgul Mountain, northern part of
the Imjin River, while the British Fusilier Battalion was in charge of the
left side. On the right side was a steep cliff of the Imjin River, and beyond
the cliff was the 65th Regiment, US 3rd Infantry Division.
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A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
At that time, the Belgium Battalion was in a difficult situation. The
British Fusilier Battalion was attacked by the Chinese forces and was
nearly isolated. At that moment, Lieutenant Colonel Crehigh composedly
defended Gumgul Mountain and secured the withdrawal route, so that the
Belgium Battalion was able to withdraw safely to Jeongok area where the
US 65th Regiment was encamped.
The Belgium Battalion secured the Gumgul Mountain stronghold
and blocked the Chinese forces’ advance for two days, which enabled the
British 29th Brigade to withdraw safely to the rear area without suffering
heavy casualties. Because of such an outstanding battle at the Gumgul
Mountain stronghold, the Belgium-Luxemburg Battalion was awarded
official commendations from the US President, the Commander-in-chief
of the US 8th Army, and the Belgium Minister of Defense.
Participation of the Belgium Forces
Unit Name
Belgium Battalion
Terms of Participation
Remarks
1951. 1~1955. 6
assigned to the US 3rd Division on 1951. 3
assigned to the British 29th Regiment on 1951. 4
assigned to the US 3rd Division on 1951. 8
Casualties of the Belgium Forces
(Unit : person)
Total
Dead
Wounded
Missing
POW
441
104
336
-
1
Participation and Support of the UN Forces
183
Major Battles of the Belgium-Luxemburg Forces
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A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
Luxemburg
The Luxemburg Platoon was the smallest among the UN forces,
smaller than the minimum requirement of 1,000 troops for combat
deployment. Luxemburg was an exceptional case.
Luxemburg has only a population of 200,000, so that they couldn’t
dispatch a large number of troops. So they discussed the dispatch of troops
with the government of Belgium and declared that they would dispatch
their troops by including the Luxemburg Platoon to the Belgium
Battalion. Ultimately, Luxembourg sent a 44-man volunteer infantry
platoon to Korea in November 1950. This unit severed as part of the
Belgium Battalion that was assigned to the US 3rd Infantry Division
throughout the war.
Participation of the Luxemburg Forces
Unit Name
Terms of Participation
Remarks
Luxemburg Platoon(First)
1951. 1~1951. 8
assigned to the Belgium Battalion
Luxemburg Platoon(Second)
1952. 3~1953. 1
〃
Casualties of the Luxemburg Forces
(Unit : person)
Total
Dead
Wounded
Missing
POW
17
2
15
-
-
Participation and Support of the UN Forces
185
Greece
Geographically, Greece was a
place of strategic importance
connecting Europe and Asia. After World War II, Greece suffered many
internal wars with communist insurgents in Greece who were supported
by the communist block including the Soviet Union. At that time, Greece
had many things in common with Korea, so they continued friendly
relations with Kora.
Greece dispatched 840 infantrymen of the Royal Hellenic Battalion
and one transport plane squadron. The battalion arrived in Busan on
December 9, 1950. Once equipped and trained, this battalion was assigned
to the 7th Cavalry Regiment, US 1st Cavalry Division. Greek soldiers
demonstrated their combat capabilities when they were defending Hill 381
near Icheon. Later they did wonderful jobs in securing KoyangdaeDaenori Hills near the Imjin River, which were the enemy’s strategic
stronghold.
Participation of the Greek Forces
Unit Name
Terms of Participation
Remarks
Army
Army - infantry company
1950. 11~1954. 12
1950. 12. 13 assigned to the US 1st regiment of horse
Air Force
Air Force the 13th Formation
1950. 11~1955. 5
1950. 12 assigned to the US 21st squadron
1951. 12 assigned to the US 6461st transportation battalion
Casualties of the Greek Forces
186
(Unit : person)
Division
Total
Dead
Wounded
Total
643
184
459
Army
Air Force
631
12
172
12
459
-
A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
Major Battles of the Greek Forces
The 13th Greek Air Transport Flight (Seven C-47s) supported the
battle of the Changjin Reservoir after they arrived in Japan on December
1, 1950. They supported the US Marine, and played an important role in
Participation and Support of the UN Forces
187
sending back casualties to the rear area. At that time, the 13th Flight used
Gotori and Hagaluri landing strips, but the landing strips were in a terrible
condition.
The Philippines
Among Asian and African countries, the Philippines and Ethiopia
dispatched battalion-size troops. But their weapons were in poor condition
and they had little training, so that it took some time for them to complete
adaptation training.
After independence, the internal situations of the Philippines were
quite unstable because of the frequent engagements with communist
insurgents in the Philippines. However, the government of the Philippines
declared to dispatch 17 tanks first and then a regiment later. On September
2, 1950, the Philippines Battalion held a ceremony for the overseas
dispatch of troop at Lazare Memorial Stadium for the first time in their
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A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
history. The Philippines was the third UN country to dispatch its ground
troops to Korea, following America and England.
The Philippines Battalion was armed with US equipment and also
got adaptation training. They arrived in Korea on September 20, 1950, and
finished ten days’ adaptation training. At first they were committed to the
rear area to sweep guerilla, but later they were sent to the front.
The Philippines Battalion was assigned to the US 65th Regiment
and distinguished itself in attacking Mountain Gunja near the Imjin River.
In the battle of Mountain Gunja, one rifleman of the Philippines battalion
destroyed enemy’s machinegun amid the rain shower of the enemy’s
machinegun fire, one machinegun gunner continued delivering fire
support to the end even though he was badly wounded, and one medical
orderly successfully evacuated casualties at the risk of his life. They were
model soldiers not only for the Philippines soldiers but also for other
soldiers of the UN forces.
Participation of the Philippines Forces
Unit Name
Terms of Participation
Remarks
The 10th Combat Unit
The 20th Combat Unit
The 19th Combat Unit
The 14th Combat Unit
1950. 9~1951. 9
1951. 9~1952. 6
1952. 6~1953. 4
1953. 4~1954. 4
assigned to the US 3rd Division
assigned to the US 43th Division(1952. 4)
assigned to the US 43th Division(1952. 6)
assigned to the US 43th Division(1953. 4)
(Unit : person)
Casualties of the Philippines Forces
Division
Total
Dead
Wounded
Missing
POW
The 7th Combat Unit
468
112
299
16
41
Participation and Support of the UN Forces
189
Major Battles of the Philippines Forces
190
A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
Ethiopia
Ethiopia was attacked by Italy in 1935. Because of such an
experience, Ethiopia showed a strong determination that UN must show
collective action in order to keep world peace. Although Ethiopia was not
rich, they decided to follow the UN decision to dispatch troops to Korea.
The Ethiopia Battalion arrived in Korea on May 6, 1951. Upon
arrival in Korea, the Ethiopian soldiers were armed with US equipment,
and got eight weeks of adaptation training. It took quite a long time for the
soldiers to adapt to a new modern weapons system and unfamiliar tactics,
but they were quite enthusiastic about their training.
Three days after the Ethiopia Battalion was committed to the front,
they had the first engagement with the Chinese forces at Bongdangdeokri
Participation and Support of the UN Forces
191
in Hwachon area. They
won the 4-hour battle, and
through the battle the
Ethiopian soldiers came to
have confidence in combat.
After that, they played a
part in blocking Chinese
attack in the central forward
area.
Participation of the Ethiopian Forces
Unit Name
Terms of Participation
Kagnew the first Battalion
Kagnew the second Battalion
Kagnew the third Battalion
1951. 5~1952. 7
1952. 7~1953. 4
1953. 4~Unknown
Remarks
assigned to the 32 Regiment of the US 7th Division
assigned to the 32th Regiment of the US 7th Division
assigned to the 32th Regiment of the US 7th Division
th
Casualties of the Ethiopian Forces
192
(Unit : person)
Division
Total
Dead
Wounded
Missing
POW
Army
657
121
536
-
-
A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
Major Battles of the Ethiopian Forces
Participation and Support of the UN Forces
193
Columbia
Upon receiving the UN resolution to dispatch troops to Korea,
Columbia declared to dispatch one battalion. However, their financial
difficulties at home delayed actual dispatch of troops and they had to
negotiate with the US on matters of weapon, training, and supply.
Columbia first sent naval war vessels, and later sent ground troops to
Korea on June 16, 1951. Among the UN member nations, these troops
were the last to arrive in Korea.
Although the scale of Columbian forces was small(a frigate ship,
an Army Battalion), it is noteworthy that Columbia was the only country
in Latin America that dispatched troops to Korea.
The Columbia Battalion was assigned to the US 24th Division, and
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A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
the Columbian soldiers had the first engagement at the battle of Heukuntoryung. At this bloody battle, the battalion suffered 11 casualties. Later at
the battle of Kumsung, the battalion commander was wounded and the
battalion also suffered heavy casualties, but they finally succeeded in
securing the target area. Afterwards, at the battle of Bolmo Hill they
fought against the Chinese forces’ massive attack, and succeeded in
defending the outpost line.
Participation of the Columbian Forces
Unit Name
Terms of Participation
Remarks
Columbia Battalion
1951. 6~1955. 10
assigned to the US Division
Marine War Vessels of the Columbian Forces
Frigate
Name
Period of Participation
Almirante Padilla
First : 1950. 11. 7~1951. 1. 7
Second : 1955. 3~1955. 10
Capitan Tono
First : 1952. 4~1953. 1
Second : 1954. 4~1955. 3
Almirante Brion
1953. 6~1954. 4
(Unit : person)
Casualties of the Columbian
Division
Total
Dead
Missing
POW
Wounded
Total
809
143
69
30
567
War Damage
Non-War Damage
678
131
131
12
69
-
30
-
448
119
Participation and Support of the UN Forces
195
Major Battles of the Columbian Forces
196
A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
The Republic of South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is located on the southern tip of the
African Continent. The Republic of South Africa used to be very
supportive of any kind of UN activities, so
that when the Korean War broke out they
issued a statement in support of the UN
Security Council Resolution on July 1, 1950.
In matters of supporting methods, they
discussed the matters with the US, got
approval of their plan of support from the
Congress, and finally decided to dispatch a fighter squadron. The
Squadron departed Durban Port on September 4, 1950, and after 40 days
of voyage they arrived in Yokohama, Japan, on November 5, 1950.
The Republic of South Africa dispatched air force only. The role of
South African 2nd Fighter Squadron was mainly flying ground attack and
interdiction missions as one of the squadrons making up the USAF’s 18th
Fighter Bomber Wing. For their mission, they used 16 F-51D Mustangs
supplied from America.
The first operational sortie was flown to northern side of the
Participation of the Republic of South Africa Forces
Unit Name
Terms of Participation
Remarks
South African 2nd
Fighter Squadron
1950. 9~1953. 10
assigned to the 18th Combat
Flying Battalion (1950. 11)
Casualties of the Republic of South Africa
(Unit : person)
Division
Total
Dead
Wounded
Missing
POW
Air Force
42
34
-
-
8
Participation and Support of the UN Forces
197
Major Battles of the Republic of South Africa Forces
198
A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
Cheongchun River in the western forward area. It was a time when the
UN forces were retreating southward, and the squadron’s objective was to
strike enemy’s assembly areas and field supply installations. They had
miserable accidents just right after they began their mission. Two of their
combat planes had crashes while landing mainly because of the bad
conditions of the landing strips. Afterwards, the South African Forces
carried out successfully their interdiction mission by bombing railroads,
bridges, overhead bridges, tunnels, and railway switchyards which were
spread all over North Korea.
3. Medical and Material Support Activities of UN
Members
After the outbreak of the Korean War, the UN member nations who
participated in the war decided to dispatch troops to Korea with each
country considering its national security problems in its own way. Those
five countries who supported Korea with medical units responded to the
UN resolution in accordance with the principle stipulated in the UN
Charter that “we member nations will
unite our strength to maintain
international peace and security.”
Sweden: Located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe,
Sweden used to hold the policy of
neutrality. When the Korean War
broke out, however, the Swedish government decided to dispatch one
200-bed mobile field hospital unit. The field hospital unit left Stockholm
Participation and Support of the UN Forces
199
on July 28, 1950, and arrived at Busan on September 23, 1950.
The Swedish medical unit supported Korea for six and a half years
until they withdrew in April 1957. During the war a total of 1,124
Swedish men and women served at the hospital in Busan. They stayed
longer than any other army in the UN forces, and provided invaluable
medical assistance.
India: India also used to hold the policy of neutrality. When the Korean
War broke out, however, they decided to
send the 60th Parachute Field Ambulance
Platoon, a mobile army surgical hospital(MASH). Commanded by Lieutenant
Colonel A. G. Rangaraj, it joined UN forces
at Pyongyang on December 4, 1950, just in
time to take part in the 8th Army’s withdrawal out of North Korea. On
December 14, 1950, it formally became a medical evacuation unit for the
27th British Commonwealth Brigade. It supported this unit throughout the
war. The Indian medical unit gained the respect of Commonwealth troops
for its high-quality medical care and the courage of its soldiers under fire,
and it was awarded official commendations from the ROK government
several times.
Denmark: When the Korean War began, the Danish government decided
to furnish a fully-equipped and staffed hospital ship as its contribution to
the UN effort, so in July 1950 ordered the
conversion of the 8,500 ton Motor Vessel
Jutlandia to fill this requirement. Commanded by BG Kai Hammerich, the
Jutlandia sailed from Copenhagen in
200
A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
September 1950, arriving at Busan in October 1950 where it served
basically as an evacuation hospital. The Jutlandia went back to Denmark
every eight months for maintenance and was dispatched again to Korea.
Norway: When the United Nations asked
its member nations to assist South Korea,
the Norwegian government decided to
send the 1st (Norwegian) Army Surgical
Hospital, known as NORMASH. The
Surgical Hospital departed Norway on
May 31, 1951, and upon arrival in Korea
the unit supported the US 1st Corps in Dongduchon. During its stay, the
medical staff of the unit performed over 9,000 operations and treated
approximately 90,000 personnel.
Italy: When Korean War broke out, Italy was one of the NATO member
nations but was not a member of the United Nations. At that time the
internal situation of Italy was also very
insecure because of frequent changes in
the Italian Cabinet. When the Red Cross
requested help, Italy decided to send its
Italian Red Cross Hospital 68 to Korea.
The hospital unit arrived in November
1951. Italy was the last country that sent medical unit, and Italy was the
only non-member state of the United nations that sent troops to Korea.
Countries That Provided Material Goods: As well as medical
support, many countries and international organizations supplied goods to
Korea. When the Korean War broke out, Europe suffered from World War
Participation and Support of the UN Forces
201
II and countries in South America were economically in difficult
situations. Because of these reasons, many countries in Europe and South
America could not provide military assistance to Korea. Despite these
difficulties, however, many countries volunteered to help Korea with
material supplies.
Among the UN member nations, the following countries helped
Korea with material support: Brazil, Taiwan, Cuba, Ecuador, Iceland,
Lebanon, Liberia, Mexico, Nicaragua, Pakistan, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay,
Venezuela and so forth (not including those countries who participated in
the war or sent medical units). In addition, many international
organizations also helped Korea with material supplies.
202
A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
4. The Meaning of UN Forces’ Participation in the
World History
(1) The Historical Meaning of UN Forces’ Participation in the
Korean War
In accordance with the UN decision to support Korea, 21 members
of the United Nations participated in the Korean War to safeguard
international peace and security under the UN flag for the first time since
its foundation in 1945. Under command of the US forces, the UN forces
fought battles, repeatedly moving northward or southward from the
Nakdong River up to the Yalu River. The UN forces’ participation in the
Korean War has important meanings in the world history.
The first significance of the UN forces’ participation in the Korean
War lies in the fact that it was the first collective action that was taken to
actualize the fundamental principle of the United Nations. In other words,
the Korean War served as an opportunity to test “the principle of collective
security” stipulated on the UN Charter. At that time, a total of 21 countries
participated in the war. Out of these countries, 16 countries including the
United States dispatched combat troops, and the other 5 countries sent
medical units. About 40 member nations helped Korea with material
supplies.
The meaning of the UN forces’ participation in the war cannot be
estimated simply by the size of troops the member nations dispatched to
Korea. For the first time since the end of World War II, the UN forces’
participation itself was a meaningful effort to regain peace from “peace
destroyers” by collective actions of an international organization. Just in a
situation when the tragedies of the World War II were still vivid in the
Participation and Support of the UN Forces
203
people’s memory, members of the UN nations were united to proclaim
that “we have to stop at any cost the threats of peace destroyers by
collective actions based on the principle stipulated on the UN Charter.”
The UN Forces saved Korea in a situation when Korea was
confined within the “Busan Perimeter,” a small area in the southeast of the
Korean Peninsula. At this time of critical moment, the UN forces took part
in the war and changed the military situation overnight. Afterwards, the
UN forces played a decisive role in driving back the communists’
aggressions.
Many countries joined the UN forces in accordance with the UN
resolution to help Korea. This fact provided people around the world with
a good chance to think about what the communists were doing.
During the Korean War, many countries supported either South or
North Korea based on their ideologies—democratic capitalism or socialist
communism. So the Cold War tensions between East and West, which
came into existence during World War II, were rudely shattered when
North Korean troops, spearheaded by Russian-built tanks, invaded the
Republic of Korea. After the Korean War, the Cold War tensions were
more aggravated throughout the world.
On the other hand, Korea was devastated because of the Korean
War. After the war, however, Korea was able to lay a foundation for
economic development due to the assistance from the United Nations.
During the war the administrative body of the Korean government was
almost paralyzed, so that the ROK government had to depend on the UN
Command for relief administration of the afflicted people. The UN Civil
Security Command took charge of procurement of relief supplies, relief
activities for refugees, and support for medical and educational facilities.
204
A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
(2) The Lessons of the UN Forces’ Participation
The member nations of the UN forces, except America, were all
limited in the number of troops and in combat power. However, these
member countries demonstrated the fact that well-trained forces can
contribute a lot to the overall UN military operations by showing highly
cohesive, proud, and disciplined combat capabilities.
During the course of the Korean War, the UN forces came to
realize the importance of understanding languages, histories, cultures, and
customs of foreign countries. In order to solve the problem of
communication, they employed interpreters. Still, however, they had a lot
of difficulties in commanding those units composed of soldiers from
different countries.
The UN forces were composed of multinational nationalities with
different customs and cultures. Because of the differences in religion and
in eating customs, the UN forces had some difficulties in supplying food
for soldiers. For instance, Turkish soldiers were Muslim, so that they
didn’t eat any pork. Indians believed in Hindu, so that they didn’t like
beef. The forces of France, Belgium and the Netherlands liked breads and
potatoes, while Thai soldiers wanted rice and spicy-hot soy paste mixed
with red pepper.
Those sixteen countries who formed the UN forces had different
cultural and historical experiences, different eating habits, and different
religious taboos. Therefore, food supply based on American or European
standard dissatisfied non-American, non-European forces. These
problems were gradually settled when soldiers from different countries
came to understand each other. Besides, measures were also taken to
respect different customs and cultures.
Participation and Support of the UN Forces
205
The UN forces also had
difficulty in commanding troops
because not only the situations of
home countries but also the cultural
and historial backgrounds of
component soldiers were different
from each other. It was not an easy
task for a UN commander to
combine different forces from
different nations into combat teams
and to carry out combined operations
in an effective way.
Among others, some UN
forces had a hard time in adapting to
cold winter and rugged mountains in
Korea. Turkey and Greek forces
adapted relatively readily to Korean
environment, but Thai and Indian
forces from hot countries had
difficulty in adapting to the Korean
weather and mountainous areas.
All of these soldiers came to
Korea as members of the UN forces
and safeguarded “peace and
security” of Korea at the risk of their
precious lives. Their distinguished
services and noble sacrifices will forever be remembered in the minds and
hearts of Korean people.
206
A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
Participation and Support of the UN Forces
207
1. The Participation of the UN Forces
210
ㅔ
No
Country
Forces
Arrival Date
Battle Participation Date
1
US
Navy⋅Air force
Army
27. Jun. 1950
1. Jul. 1950
5. Jul. 1950
2
UK
Air force⋅Navy
Army
7. Jul. 1950
29. Aug. 1950
5. Sep. 1950
3
France
Navy
Army
29. Jul. 1950
29. Nov. 1950
10. Dec. 1950
4
Canada
Air force(Cargo)
Navy
Army
28. Jul. 1950
30. Jul. 1950
18. Dec. 1950
15. Feb. 1951
5
Australia
Air force⋅Navy
Army
7. Jul. 1950
28. Sep. 1950
5. Nov. 1950
6
Netherlands
Navy
Army
15. Jul. 1950
24. Nov. 1950
3. Dec. 1950
7
Greece
Air force
Army
25. Nov. 1950
9. Dec. 1950
27. Jan. 1951
8
Philippines
Army
19. Sep. 1950
6. Mar. 1951
9
New Zealand
Navy⋅Air force
Army
7. Jul. 1950
28. Sep. 1950
5. Nov. 1950
10
Turkey
Army
17. Oct. 1950
10. Nov. 1950
11
Thailand
Army
Navy
Air force(Cargo)
10. Nov. 1950
7. Nov. 1950
23. Jun. 1951
23. Nov. 1950
12
Belgium
Army
31. Jan. 1951
6. Mar. 1951
13
South Africa
Air force
4. Oct. 1950
4. Oct. 1950
14
Luxemburg
Army
31. Jan. 1951
13. Mar. 1951
15
Columbia
Navy
Army
30. Apr. 1951
15. Jun. 1951
1. Aug. 1951
16
Ethiopia
Army
5. May. 1951
15. Aug. 1951
17
Sweden
Hospital
23. Sep. 1950
23. Sep. 1950
18
India
Hospital
20. Nov. 1950
20. Nov. 1950
19
Denmark
Hospital Ship
2. Mar. 1951
2. Mar. 1951
20
Norway
Hospital
22. Jan. 1951
22. Jun. 1951
21
Italy
Hospital
16. Nov. 1951
19. Nov. 1951
A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
2. Turkish Forces' Unit Organization and Commanders
✳ Period of the Korean War Participation, and Number of Troops
− Period : 1950. 10. 19.(Arrival at Busan)～1971. 6. 27.(The Last Unit's Return to
Turkey)
− Cumulative Total of Troops : 14,936(1950. 10. 19.～1953. 7. 27.)
✳ Major Battles
− The Battle of Gunuri : 1950. 11. 26.～31.
− The Battles of Gimryangjang and Hill 151 : 1951. 1. 25.～27.
− The Battle of Nevada Outposts : 1953. 5. 28.～29.
✳ The Greek Forces' Major Awards
− Unit Citation
Classification
Battle
Battle Period
Date of Award
Korean Presidential
Unit Citation
Gimryangjang and Hill 151
1951. 1. 25.～27.
1952. 9. 17.
US Presidential
Unit Citation
Gimryangjang and Hill 151
1951. 1. 25.～27.
1951. 7. 6.
US Presidential
Unit Citation
Gunuri
1950. 11. 26.～31.
1951. 2.
US Legion of Merit
Nevada Outposts
1953. 5. 28.～29.
1954. 11. 30.
− Korean Government's Korean War Service Medals : All of the 16,502 Turkish
soldiers were awarded.
− UN War Service Medals : All participants were awarded.
✳ Korean Order of Military Merits
− Ulchi Medal : 10
− Hwarang Medal : 10
− Chungmu Medal : 22
✳ US Order of Military Merits
− Silver Star : 5
− Bronze Star : 7
− Air Medal : 1
Appendix
211
✳ Major Statistics on Turkish Soldiers' Casualties
Unit
1st
Brigade
2nd
Brigade
3rd
Brigade
Total
KIA
Officer
Noncom
Private
Total
25
16
369
410
8
2
111
121
4
8
178
190
37
26
658
721
WIA
Officer
Noncom
Private
Total
46
38
1,059
1,143
20
17
463
500
15
11
478
504
81
66
2,000
2,147
MIA
Officer
Noncom
Private
Total
3
1
171
175
POW
Officer
Noncom
Private
Total
4
3
218
225
Noncombat
Loss
Officer
Noncom
Private
Total
9
14
109
132
Class
Total
212
ㅔ
A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
3
1
171
175
2
9
18
79
106
7
9
6
3
225
234
12
10
86
108
30
42
274
346
3,623
Remarks
Total
Combat
Loss :
3,043
✳ Turkish Commanders Dispatched to Korea
The 1st Turkish Brigade
Brig Commander
Lt Gen
Tahsin Yazici
1950. 9. 25.～1951. 12. 5.
1st Bn Commander
Maj
Imadetin Kuranel
1950. 9. 25.～1951. 4. 11.
2nd Bn Commander
Maj
Mithat Uluunlu
1950. 9. 25.～KIA(1951. 5. 17.)
3rd Bn Commander
Maj
Lutfu Bilgin
1950. 9. 25.～KIA(1951. 5. 23)
Art Bn Commander
Maj
Tahsin Kurtay
1950. 9. 25.～1951. 8. 15.
The 2nd Turkish Brigade
Brig Commander
Lt Gen
Namc Arguc
1951. 8. 16.～1952. 9. 12.
1st Bn Commander
Maj
Tahir Alaybeyii
1951. 6. 5.～1952. 8. 7.
2nd Bn Commander
Maj
Enver Saltic(Atak)
1951. 8. 16.～1952. 9. 12.
3rd Bn Commander
Maj
Yekta Koran
1951. 8. 16.～1952. 9. 12.
Art Bn Commander
Maj
Kerim Kirtes
1951. 6. 5.～1952. 8. 7.
The 3rd Turkish Brigade
Brig Commander
Lt Gen
Namc Arguc
1951. 8. 16.～1952. 9. 12.
1st Bn Commander
Maj
Tahir Alaybeyii
1951. 6. 5.～1952. 8. 7.
2nd Bn Commander
Maj
Enver Saltic(Atak)
1951. 8. 16.～1952. 9. 12.
3rd Bn Commander
Maj
Yekta Koran
1951. 8. 16.～1952. 9. 12.
Art Bn Commander
Maj
Kerim Kirtes
1951. 6. 5.～1952. 8. 7.
Appendix
213
3. The list of the Turkish Army who died in battle
No
Armed
Service
1
ARMY
GIRESUN
1ST LT
SERIF YAVUZ
2
ARMY
IZMIR
SGT
TAHIR ORCUN
3
ARMY
ICEL
PVT
ZEKERIYA INAN
4
ARMY
ADANA
PVT
ZULKAR ESEN
5
ARMY
GIRESUN
PVT
ZUHTU YENIAY
6
ARMY
MANISA
PVT
ZEYNEL SEPETCI
7
ARMY
KAHRAMAN MARAS
PVT
ZAIM FIRAT
8
ARMY
GUMUSHANE
PVT
YUSUF YILMAZ
9
ARMY
AFYON
PVT
YUSUF OZEK
10
ARMY
KOCAELI
PVT
YUSUF OZCAN
11
ARMY
TRABZON
PVT
YUSUF KAYIK
12
ARMY
IZMIR
PVT
YUSUF KAVAK
13
ARMY
CANKIRI
PVT
YUSUF KARAASLAN
14
ARMY
HATAY
PVT
YUSUF HAYDAR
15
ARMY
BOLU
PVT
YUSUF GOKALP
16
ARMY
BALIKESIR
PVT
YUSUF DALGIN
17
ARMY
HAKKARI
PVT
YUSUF ALGIN
18
ARMY
ZONGULDAK
PVT
YUNUS UCAR
19
ARMY
BURSA
PVT
YUNUS TARIM
20
ARMY
USAK
SGT
YLMAZ CAN
21
ARMY
ELAZIG
CPL
YASAR TURKMEN
22
ARMY
ISPARTA
PVT
YASAR TURK
23
ARMY
ERZURUM
PVT
YASAR BIRGUL
24
ARMY
SIVAS
PVT
YAKUP YILMAZ
25
ARMY
IZMIR
PVT
YAKUP BILIR
26
ARMY
BALIKESIR
PVT
YAHYA TEKIN
27
ARMY
YOZGAT
PVT
VEYSEL SAHIN
28
ARMY
KOCAELI
PVT
VEYSEL KARALI
214
ㅔ
Unit
A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
Rank
Name
No
Armed
Service
29
ARMY
ADANA
PVT
VELI BOZ
30
ARMY
GAZIANTEP
PVT
VAKKAS KARTAL
31
ARMY
KONYA
PVT
VAHDETTIN OZKAYA
32
ARMY
BURSA
CPL
TEVFIK YILMAZ
33
ARMY
USAK
PVT
TEVFIK DINCER
34
ARMY
ADANA
PVT
TEVFIK DINC
35
ARMY
ORDU
PVT
TEVFIK ARSLANTAS
36
ARMY
IZMIR
SGT
TEVFIK ARPACI
37
ARMY
GUMUSHANE
PVT
TASTAN AKBAL
38
ARMY
ISTANBUL
39
ARMY
ARTVIN
40
ARMY
IZMIR
41
ARMY
MANISA
42
ARMY
ERZINCAN
PVT
TAHIR KACMAZ
43
ARMY
IZMIR
PVT
TAHIR BAYIR
44
ARMY
ZONGULDAK
PVT
TACETTIN OZCAN
45
ARMY
ANTALAY
PVT
SULEYMAN UNAL
46
ARMY
SAKARYA
SGT
SULEYMAN TURAN
47
ARMY
ANKARA
PVT
SULEYMAN SAHIN
48
ARMY
IZMIR
SGT
SULEYMAN GUVERCIN
49
ARMY
ISPARTA
SMAJ
SULEYMAN ERYUREK
50
ARMY
IZMIR
PVT
SULEYMAN DONAT
51
ARMY
GAZIANTEP
PVT
SULEYMAN DEVECI
52
ARMY
IZMIR
SGT
SULEYMAN CEPNI
53
ARMY
ADANA
PVT
SULEYMAN BIRKESER
54
ARMY
ANKARA
PVT
SULEYMAN BACAK
55
ARMY
BURDUR
PVT
SUKRU SAHIN
56
ARMY
SAMSUN
PVT
SUKRU MEMIS
57
ARMY
CORUM
PVT
SUKRU KIRICI
Unit
Rank
Name
1ST LT
TARIK OKUR
SGT
TAHSIN VONA
PVT
TAHSIN GOKSU
2ND LT
TAHIR UN
Appendix
215
No
Armed
Service
58
ARMY
AMASYA
PVT
SUKRU GUNDOGDU
59
ARMY
ANKARA
PVT
SEZAI AKTAS
60
ARMY
MARDIN
PVT
SEYDO SARI
61
ARMY
ISTANBUL
PVT
SEVKET TAMAK
62
ARMY
IZMIR
SGT
SEVKET KIRILAN
63
ARMY
ZONGULDAK
PVT
SEVKET DERE
64
ARMY
KOCAELI
PVT
SEVKET CANDEMIR
65
ARMY
ESKISEHIR
PVT
SERVER KURUM
66
ARMY
SINOP
PL 1ST LT
SERIF SUMNU
67
ARMY
IZMIR
SGT
SERIF GOREN
68
ARMY
IZMIR
PVT
SERAFETTIN ZIKOS
69
ARMY
BURSA
PVT
SERAFETTIN KUPELI
70
ARMY
BURSA
PVT
SERAFETTIN BAYRAM
71
ARMY
HATAY
PVT
SEMSI ERDOGAN
72
ARMY
ZONGULDAK
PVT
SELIM YURTSEVEN
73
ARMY
ICEL
PVT
SELAHATTIN YILMAZ
74
ARMY
IZMIR
SGT
SELAHATTIN TOPALOGLU
75
ARMY
CANKIRI
CAPT
SELAHATTIN OSKAY
76
ARMY
BOLU
PVT
SELAHATTIN KAR
77
ARMY
KARS
PVT
SELAHATTIN GUMUS
78
ARMY
ISTANBUL
1ST LT
SELAHATTIN EREGEMEN
79
ARMY
TEKIRDAG
CPL
SELAHATTIN CELIKIGNE
80
ARMY
DIYARBAKIR
PVT
SELAHATTIN BURCOGLU
81
ARMY
MUGLA
PVT
SELAHATTIN ALTUN
82
ARMY
BURSA
CPL
SELAHATTIN ALTINCIOGLU
83
ARMY
MARDIN
PVT
SEHMUZ DOGAN
84
ARMY
BOLU
PVT
SEFER CAMLI
85
ARMY
ISTANBUL
SFC
SEDAT BORA
86
ARMY
ZONGULDAK
SGT
SATILMIS ODABAS
216
ㅔ
Unit
A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
Rank
Name
No
Armed
Service
87
ARMY
CANKIRI
PVT
SATILMIS CATALKAYA
88
ARMY
ZONGULDAK
PVT
SATI CETIN
89
ARMY
KASTAMONU
PVT
SALIM YUKSEL
90
ARMY
AMASYA
PVT
SALIM TUTAK
91
ARMY
KOCAELI
PVT
SALIM DEMIR
92
ARMY
IZMIR
PVT
SALIH SERDAR
93
ARMY
KONYA
PVT
SALIH ERSIRMA
94
ARMY
HATAY
PVT
SALIH ASLAN
95
ARMY
YOZGAT
PVT
SAKIR UNAL
96
ARMY
ZONGULDAK
PVT
SAKIR DOGAN
97
ARMY
ELAZIG
PVT
SAIT TASDEMIR
98
ARMY
ORDU
PVT
SAIT OZDEMIR
99
ARMY
ELAZIG
PVT
SAHIN KARATAS
100
ARMY
IZMIR
PVT
SADIK TASIR
101
ARMY
CANKIRI
PVT
SADIK TASCI
102
ARMY
MANISA
PVT
SADIK ODEN
103
ARMY
BURSA
PVT
SADIK KARACA
104
ARMY
IZMIR
SGT
SADIK ELBIR
105
ARMY
ANKARA
PVT
SADETTIN KARABAY
106
ARMY
ORDU
SGT
SABRI PEHLIVAN
107
ARMY
KUTAHYA
PVT
SABRI AYDIN
108
ARMY
IZMIR
SMAJ
SABAN OKTAY
109
ARMY
MANISA
PVT
SABAN KARADEMIR
110
ARMY
CANKIRI
PVT
SABAN CEPEL
111
ARMY
BURSA
1ST LT
RUSTU URER
112
ARMY
ANKARA
PVT
RUSTU BOZKOYUNLU
113
ARMY
SINOP
CPL
RIZA YALCINKAYA
114
ARMY
KIRSEHIR
PVT
RIZA UNAL
115
ARMY
YOZGAT
PVT
RIZA OZEREN
Unit
Rank
Name
Appendix
217
No
Armed
Service
116
ARMY
ERZINCAN
PVT
RIZA KARTAL
117
ARMY
IZMIR
PVT
RIZA ERDAL
118
ARMY
ORDU
PVT
RIFKI SAHIN
119
ARMY
AYDIN
PVT
RIFAT TOPRAKTAS
120
ARMY
ZONGULDAK
2ND LT
RIDVAN TERZI
121
ARMY
DIYARBAKIR
PVT
RESUL ERTAS
122
ARMY
DIYARBAKIR
SGT
RESUL AYDIN
123
ARMY
NIGDE
PVT
REMZI OZKAYNAK
124
ARMY
BURSA
PVT
RECEP YILDIZ
125
ARMY
BURSA
PVT
RECEP TORLAK
126
ARMY
CORUM
PVT
RECEP OZDEMIR
127
ARMY
ZONGULDAK
PVT
RECEP ARIPEK
128
ARMY
ICEL
FI OF
129
ARMY
BOLU
PVT
RASIM KARAPINAR
130
ARMY
ANKARA
SGT
RASIM KAMKAYA
131
ARMY
IZMIR
PVT
RAMAZAN SANCAK
132
ARMY
MARDIN
PVT
RAMAZAN EDIZ
133
ARMY
ZONGULDAK
PVT
RAMAZAN CETIN
134
ARMY
ORDU
PVT
RAMAZAN CENGEL
135
ARMY
SINOP
CPL
RAMAZAN CELIKKAYA
136
ARMY
MUS
PVT
RAIF ADANUR
137
ARMY
BALIKESIR
PVT
RAFET SAYAN
138
ARMY
ESKISEHIR
PVT
RAFET DEMIRBAS
139
ARMY
MUS
PVT
PASA BAYKAL
140
ARMY
GAZIANTEP
PVT
OVEYIS OZTURK
141
ARMY
ANKARA
CPL
OSMAN YORUK
142
ARMY
ANKARA
PVT
OSMAN YAVUZ
143
ARMY
ANKARA
PVT
OSMAN YASAR
144
ARMY
HATAY
PVT
OSMAN TURAN
218
ㅔ
Unit
A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
Rank
Name
RASIT METE
No
Armed
Service
145
ARMY
YOZGAT
PVT
OSMAN TORUN
146
ARMY
IZMIR
PVT
OSMAN OZAKSU
147
ARMY
SAKARYA
PVT
OSMAN KOSE
148
ARMY
BURSA
PVT
OSMAN KAYIKCI
149
ARMY
SAMSUN
2ND LT
OSMAN GORAL
150
ARMY
ICEL
PVT
OSMAN GEZER
151
ARMY
IZMIR
SGT
OSMAN EROL
152
ARMY
KAHRAMAN MARAS
CPL
OSMAN ERDEN
153
ARMY
DENIZLI
PVT
OSMAN DOGAN
154
ARMY
TEKIRDAG
PVT
OSMAN DINC
155
ARMY
IZMIR
PVT
OSMAN DERICI
156
ARMY
TOKAT
SMAJ
OSMAN COSKUN
157
ARMY
BURSA
PVT
OSMAN CEYLAN
158
ARMY
MUGLA
PVT
OSMAN BAKAR
159
ARMY
RIZE
PVT
OSMAN AVCI
160
ARMY
NIGDE
PVT
OSMAN ALTUG
161
ARMY
DENIZLI
PVT
OSMAN AKIN
162
ARMY
ANKARA
PVT
OSMAN ACIKGOZ
163
ARMY
MUGLA
PVT
OSHAN SAPANCI
164
ARMY
DENIZLI
PVT
OMER SARIKAYA
165
ARMY
ORDU
PVT
OMER PEKIYI
166
ARMY
VAN
PVT
OMER OZKAYA
167
ARMY
ELAZIG
SMAJ
OMER OGUZHAN
168
ARMY
SIIRT
PVT
OMER KIYAS
169
ARMY
TRABZON
PVT
OMER HOTOGLU
170
ARMY
MUS
PVT
OMER ER
171
ARMY
NIGDE
SMAJ
OMER DIKER
172
ARMY
CANKIRI
SGT
OMER COGALAN
173
ARMY
ANKARA
PVT
OMER ALISCI
Unit
Rank
Name
Appendix
219
No
Armed
Service
174
ARMY
175
Rank
Name
ISTANBUL
PVT
OHANNES BUYUKANDONOGLU
ARMY
IZMIR
CPL
NUSRET DUSENKALKAR
176
ARMY
IZMIR
SGT
NURI SOLAK
177
ARMY
ISTANBUL
COL
NURI PAMIR
178
ARMY
ERZINCAN
PVT
NURI CANAYAKIN
179
ARMY
BURSA
SGT
NURETTIN MUTLU
180
ARMY
BALIKESIR
SGT
NIZAMETTIN HANEY
181
ARMY
KOCAELI
PVT
NIYAZI TEMEL
182
ARMY
IZMIR
PVT
NIYAZI BARUTCU
183
ARMY
IZMIR
SGT
NIHAT SARIKAYALI
184
ARMY
AYDIN
CPL
NEVZAT YIGIT
185
ARMY
AYDIN
PVT
NEVZAT AYDOGDU
186
ARMY
BURSA
2ND LT
NEDIM TUGALTAY
187
ARMY
ERZINCAN
PVT
NECMI SONKA
188
ARMY
ANKARA
SFC
NECMI ORAR
189
ARMY
HATAY
PVT
NECMETTIN BALOGLU
190
ARMY
AYDIN
PVT
NECIP KESEN
191
ARMY
CANKIRI
CPL
NECIP EREN
192
ARMY
SIVAS
PVT
NECIP DOGAN
193
ARMY
KOCAELI
PVT
NECATI YILMAZ
194
ARMY
AYDIN
PVT
NECATI SIMSEK
195
ARMY
ADANA
PVT
NAZIM TOPALOGLU
196
ARMY
KONYA
SMAJ
NECATI SANIKCI
197
ARMY
IZMIR
SGT
NECATI PARLAR
198
ARMY
KOCAELI
PVT
NECATI MERT
199
ARMY
BALIKESIR
PVT
NAZMI ZENGINOGLU
200
ARMY
ARTVIN
PVT
NAZIM TASTAN
201
ARMY
IZMIR
PVT
NAZIM KARAGOZ
202
ARMY
IZMIR
PVT
NACI SUTCU
220
ㅔ
Unit
A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
No
Armed
Service
203
ARMY
AGRI
204
ARMY
BURSA
205
ARMY
ZONGULDAK
206
ARMY
ISTANBUL
207
ARMY
ELAZIG
1ST LT
MUZAFFEF ARCA
208
ARMY
MUGLA
PVT
MUSTAFA YILMAZ
209
ARMY
ORDU
PVT
MUSTAFA YILDIZ
210
ARMY
KAHRAMAN MARAS
CPL
MUSTAFA YANIK
211
ARMY
ORDU
PVT
MUSTAFA TORUN
212
ARMY
IZMIR
CPL
MUSTAFA TASKIN
213
ARMY
BALIKESIR
SGT
MUSTAFA TASCI
214
ARMY
CORUM
SFC
MUSTAFA SOZERI
215
ARMY
BURSA
PVT
MUSTAFA SARI
216
ARMY
ORDU
PVT
MUSTAFA SAHRA
217
ARMY
AMASYA
PVT
MUSTAFA RECBER
218
ARMY
KONYA
SGT
MUSTAFA NAZLI
219
ARMY
ESKISEHIR
PVT
MUSTAFA MORIPEK
220
ARMY
IZMIR
SGT
MUSTAFA KURUMLUOGLU
221
ARMY
DENIZLI
CPL
MUSTAFA KUCUKBILGE
222
ARMY
BALIKESIR
PVT
MUSTAFA KOSAN
223
ARMY
ISPARTA
CPL
MUSTAFA KOCAGONCU
224
ARMY
ADANA
PVT
MUSTAFA KARAKUS
225
ARMY
BURSA
PVT
MUSTAFA KANKULAK
226
ARMY
ERZINCAN
PVT
MUSTAFA IRK
227
ARMY
BALIKESIR
CPL
MUSTAFA INAN
228
ARMY
ADANA
PVT
MUSTAFA GURBUZ
229
ARMY
IZMIR
PVT
MUSTAFA GEDIK
230
ARMY
ISPARTA
SMAJ
MUSTAFA ERSAL
231
ARMY
IZMIR
SGT
MUSTAFA ERMAN
Unit
Rank
1ST LT
Name
NACI GOKCE
PVT
MUZAFFEF ILKTEN
SMAJ
MUZAFFEF EREN
PL 1ST LT
MUZAFFEF ERDONMEZ
Appendix
221
No
Armed
Service
232
ARMY
KONYA
PVT
MUSTAFA EKER
233
ARMY
ICEL
PVT
MUSTAFA DUZGUN
234
ARMY
GAZIANTEP
PVT
MUSTAFA DERICI
235
ARMY
IZMIR
PVT
MUSTAFA DAVAS
236
ARMY
IZMIR
PVT
MUSTAFA DAGDELEN
237
ARMY
BOLU
PVT
MUSTAFA COSKUN
238
ARMY
SINOP
PVT
MUSTAFA CIRAK
239
ARMY
SAMSUN
PVT
MUSTAFA CETINKAYA
240
ARMY
ZONGULDAK
PVT
MUSTAFA CETINALP
241
ARMY
ICEL
SGT
MUSTAFA CETIN
242
ARMY
IZMIR
SGT
MUSTAFA CETIN
243
ARMY
IZMIR
PVT
MUSTAFA CELIK
244
ARMY
ERZURUM
PVT
MUSTAFA CELIK
245
ARMY
ADANA
PVT
MUSTAFA CAN
246
ARMY
ADANA
PVT
MUSTAFA CAKMAK
247
ARMY
ADANA
PVT
MUSTAFA ATES
248
ARMY
HATAY
PVT
MUSTAFA ASLAN
249
ARMY
HATAY
PVT
MUSTAFA ARSU
250
ARMY
HATAY
SGT
MUSTAFA APAN
251
ARMY
KASTAMONU
PVT
MUSTAFA ALIBAS
252
ARMY
IZMIR
CPL
MUSTAFA AKBAS
253
ARMY
IZMIR
PVT
MUSTAFA AGACKIRAN
254
ARMY
ANKARA
PVT
MUSIR ESME
255
ARMY
ADANA
PVT
MUSA TOPPINAR
256
ARMY
BURDUR
PVT
MUSA SERT
257
ARMY
HATAY
PVT
MUSA SELLI
258
ARMY
MUGLA
SGT
MUSA PEHLIVAN
259
ARMY
GAZIANTEP
PVT
MUSA OZCAN
260
ARMY
SIVAS
PVT
MUSA GULPINAR
222
ㅔ
Unit
A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
Rank
Name
No
Armed
Service
261
ARMY
BALIKESIR
PVT
MUSA AKDUMAN
262
ARMY
SIIRT
PVT
MURAT TAS
263
ARMY
BOLU
SGT
MURAT ODABAS
264
ARMY
ORDU
PVT
MURAT KURU
265
ARMY
YOZGAT
PVT
MURAT KOSE
266
ARMY
KONYA
PVT
MUHSIN YASAR
267
ARMY
EDIRNE
SGT
ISMAIL OLGUN
268
ARMY
MANISA
PVT
MUHITTIN TUZCULAR
269
ARMY
IZMIR
SGT
MUHITTIN ERGIN
270
ARMY
BURDUP
SMAJ
MUHARREM YAVUZ
271
ARMY
IZMIR
PVT
MUHARREM ODEMISLI
272
ARMY
SIVAS
PVT
MUHARREM GULER
273
ARMY
MUGLA
PVT
MUHARREM COSKUN
274
ARMY
DIYARBAKIR
MAJOR
275
ARMY
KASTAMONU
PVT
MEVLUT PISKIN
276
ARMY
HATAY
PVT
MEHMET UVURAL
277
ARMY
ANKARA
PVT
MEHMET USTUNER
278
ARMY
IZMIR
SGT
MEHMET TOMAR
279
ARMY
YOZGAT
PVT
MEHMET TALAS
280
ARMY
CANKIRI
PVT
MEHMET SONMEZ
281
ARMY
IZMIR
SGT
MEHMET SOLMAZ
282
ARMY
CANKIRI
PVT
MEHMET SOLMAZ
283
ARMY
MANISA
PVT
MEHMET SOLCAN
284
ARMY
ERZURUM
PVT
MEHMET SIMSEK
285
ARMY
GIRESUN
PVT
MEHMET SAHIN
286
ARMY
ESKISEHIR
PVT
MEHMET SAHIN
287
ARMY
ELAZIG
CPL
MEHMET OZMEN
288
ARMY
ZONGULDAK
PVT
MEHMET OZKOC
289
ARMY
IZMIR
PVT
MEHMET OZCAN
Unit
Rank
Name
MIKTAT ULUUNLU
Appendix
223
No
Armed
Service
290
ARMY
ICEL
SGT
MEHMET OZ
291
ARMY
ZONGULDAK
PVT
MEHMET ONAT
292
ARMY
ERZURUM
2ND LT
MEHMET OGEN
293
ARMY
GAZIANTEP
PVT
MEHMET KURT
294
ARMY
KAHRAMAN MARAS
PVT
MEHMET KOYEGITMEZ
295
ARMY
ANKARA
PVT
MEHMET KOROL
296
ARMY
SIIRT
PVT
MEHMET KOC
297
ARMY
MUGLA
PVT
MEHMET KIZILTAS
298
ARMY
GIRESUN
SFC
MEHMET KESKIN
299
ARMY
NIGDE
PVT
MEHMET KAYA
300
ARMY
HATAY
PVT
MEHMET KAYA
301
ARMY
GUMUSHANE
PVT
MEHMET KARTAL
302
ARMY
CANKIRI
PVT
MEHMET KARA
303
ARMY
ISTANBUL
PVT
MEHMET KACMAZ
304
ARMY
AYDIN
PVT
MEHMET GUNDUZ
305
ARMY
KAHRAMAN MARAS
PVT
MEHMET GUDELEK
306
ARMY
CORUM
PVT
MEHMET GOZUBUYUK
307
ARMY
ISTANBUL
PVT
MEHMET GONULLU
308
ARMY
BALIKESIR
1ST LT
MEHMET GONENC
309
ARMY
DENIZLI
PVT
MEHMET GOKTAS
310
ARMY
KONYA
PVT
MEHMET EROL
311
ARMY
KONYA
PVT
MEHMET EGILMEZ
312
ARMY
HATAY
PVT
MEHMET DUSER
313
ARMY
IZMIR
SGT
MEHMET DONMEZISIK
314
ARMY
MUGLA
CPL
MEHMET DONMEZ
315
ARMY
ERZURUM
PVT
MEHMET DEMIRTAS
316
ARMY
ADIYAMAN
PVT
MEHMET DEMIRBAY
317
ARMY
IZMIR
PVT
MEHMET CIMEN
318
ARMY
GAZIANTEP
PVT
MEHMET CELIK
224
ㅔ
Unit
A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
Rank
Name
No
Armed
Service
319
ARMY
GAZIANTEP
PVT
MEHMET CELIK
320
ARMY
SINOP
PVT
MEHMET CELIK
321
ARMY
IZMIR
PVT
MEHMET CAPACI
322
ARMY
IZMIR
SGT
MEHMET CANUCURAN
323
ARMY
IZMIR
SGT
MEHMET CALLIER
324
ARMY
KAYSERI
PVT
MEHMET CAKIR
325
ARMY
ESKISEHIR
PVT
ISMET KORUR
326
ARMY
ICEL
PVT
MEHMET CAGLAR
327
ARMY
BURSA
PVT
MEHMET BASARAN
328
ARMY
HATAY
PVT
MEHMET AZAZI
329
ARMY
ICEL
PVT
MEHMET AVCI
330
ARMY
HATAY
PVT
MEHMET ARSLAN
331
ARMY
ZONGULDAK
SGT
MEHMET ARSLAN
332
ARMY
ZONGULDAK
PVT
MEHMET ALTINTAS
333
ARMY
HATAY
PVT
MEHMET ALIS
334
ARMY
IZMIR
SGT
MEHMET ALACA
335
ARMY
BOLU
COOK
MEHMET AKMAN
336
ARMY
GAZIANTEP
PVT
MEHMET AKGUN
337
ARMY
IZMIR
PVT
MEHMET AFFAN
338
ARMY
SAMSUN
PVT
MECIT KONUS
339
ARMY
ANKARA
SGT
MASHAR TURKER
340
ARMY
HAKKARI
PVT
MAHMUT KARA
341
ARMY
KAYSERI
PVT
MAHMUT COSKUN
342
ARMY
TRABZON
1ST LT
MAHMUT BOZDAG
343
ARMY
MALATYA
PVT
MAHMUT BEKTAS
344
ARMY
MARDIN
PVT
MAHMUT AYDIN
345
ARMY
ANKARA
PVT
MAHMUT ALICI
346
ARMY
URFA
PVT
MAHMUT AKINCI
347
ARMY
IZMIR
PVT
MAHIR OZDEMIR
Unit
Rank
Name
Appendix
225
No
Armed
Service
348
ARMY
349
Rank
Name
MARDIN
PVT
M SADIK DEGER
ARMY
DIYARBAKIR
PVT
M SABRI OLCAY
350
ARMY
KAYSERI
PVT
M KEMAL PATATOGLU
351
ARMY
IZMIR
PVT
M EMIN ZORBILEN
352
ARMY
AYDIN
PVT
M EMIN YUKSEL
353
ARMY
IZMIR
PVT
M DURMUS GULER
354
ARMY
HATAY
PVT
M ALI KESNIK
355
ARMY
DIYARBAKIR
PVT
M ALI GUNDUZELI
356
ARMY
AFYON
CPL
M ALI CAVDAR
357
ARMY
ERZURUM
PVT
LUTFI ZOR
358
ARMY
ERZINCAN
MAJOR
359
ARMY
ADANA
PVT
KUDDUSI KUSDEMIR
360
ARMY
VAN
PVT
KOROGLU CELIK
361
ARMY
TOKAT
SFC
KERIM SEN
362
ARMY
ISTANBUL
SGT
KENAN DOGANGIL
363
ARMY
ISTANBUL
PVT
KEMALETTIN INCE
364
ARMY
MALATYA
PVT
KEMAL UYANEL
365
ARMY
KONYA
PVT
KEMAL SERIN
366
ARMY
DIYARBAKIR
PVT
KEMAL KARACADAG
367
ARMY
ISPARTA
1ST LT
KEMAL KARABAS
368
ARMY
ERZINCAN
MAJOR
KEMAL ERTEN
369
ARMY
VAN
PVT
KEMAL ELCI
370
ARMY
BURSA
PVT
KEMAL CEVEN
371
ARMY
ORDU
PVT
KAZIM TEZCAN
372
ARMY
DENIZLI
PVT
KAZIM PALA
373
ARMY
ISTANBUL
PVT
KAZIM KURT
374
ARMY
ISTANBUL
CAPT
KAYA ALDOGAN
375
ARMY
YOZGAT
PVT
KASIP OPOZ
376
ARMY
BOLU
CPL
KAMIL YETKIN
226
ㅔ
Unit
A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
LUTFI BILGIN
No
Armed
Service
377
ARMY
MANISA
PVT
KAMIL TOP
378
ARMY
BURSA
PVT
KAMIL MENTES
379
ARMY
BURSA
PVT
KAMIL KOC
380
ARMY
KONYA
CAPT
KAMIL ATALAY
381
ARMY
IZMIR
PVT
KAMIL AKSU
382
ARMY
KONYA
PVT
KADIR KARABICAK
383
ARMY
DENIZLI
PVT
KADIR TURKMEN
384
ARMY
IZMIR
SGT
KADIR KUTLU
385
ARMY
CANKIRI
PVT
KADIR KELLECI
386
ARMY
BOLU
PVT
KADIR BAGLAN
387
ARMY
KARS
SMAJ
KADIM ULUK
388
ARMY
AYDIN
PVT
IZZET TOSUN
389
ARMY
KASTAMONU
PVT
IZZET TOPRAK
390
ARMY
HATAY
PVT
ISPIR BICER
391
ARMY
IZMIR
PVT
ISMAIL YALCIN
392
ARMY
CANKIRI
PVT
ISMAIL TOPAL
393
ARMY
AYDIN
CPL
ISMAIL PIDECI
394
ARMY
CANKIRI
PVT
ISMAIL OREN
395
ARMY
BALIKESIR
PVT
ISMAIL MALI
396
ARMY
RIZE
PVT
ISMAIL KURT
397
ARMY
USAK
PVT
ISMAIL KILIC
398
ARMY
KONYA
PVT
ISMAIL KARAYILAN
399
ARMY
ADANA
PVT
ISMAIL KARAKUS
400
ARMY
SIVAS
PVT
ISMAIL ISKIN
401
ARMY
ADANA
PVT
ISMAIL GORELI
402
ARMY
IZMIR
PVT
ISMAIL DERELI
403
ARMY
IZMIR
PVT
ISMAIL DEGER
404
ARMY
SAKARYA
PVT
ISMAIL CAMUR
405
ARMY
KONYA
PVT
ISMAIL COSKUN
Unit
Rank
Name
Appendix
227
No
Armed
Service
406
ARMY
BURSA
PVT
ISMAIL CELEBI
407
ARMY
ZONGULDAK
PVT
ISMAIL ARIK
408
ARMY
ANKARA
PVT
ISMAIL ALAKARA
409
ARMY
AFYON
PVT
ISA DEMIR
410
ARMY
IZMIR
PVT
ISA CELIK
411
ARMY
SAKARYA
PVT
ILYAS KILIC
412
ARMY
CANKIRI
PVT
ILYAS KAHVECI
413
ARMY
KOCAELI
PVT
IBRAHIM YILDIZDAL
414
ARMY
IZMIR
PVT
IBRAHIM UNLU
415
ARMY
IZMIR
PVT
IBRAHIM TURAN
416
ARMY
ADANA
PVT
IBRAHIM TOY
417
ARMY
ZONGULDAK
CPL
IBRAHIM TEZEREN
418
ARMY
AYDIN
PVT
IBRAHIM SUMER
419
ARMY
ANKARA
PVT
IBRAHIM SAKARYA
420
ARMY
ADANA
PVT
IBRAHIM POLAT
421
ARMY
IZMIR
SGT
IBRAHIM PARAPAN
422
ARMY
BINGOL
PVT
IBRAHIM OZDEN
423
ARMY
HATAY
PVT
IBRAHIM ORTAK
424
ARMY
IZMIR
PVT
IBRAHIM KOKEN
425
ARMY
CANKIRI
PVT
IBRAHIM KARATEKIN
426
ARMY
BALIKESIR
PVT
IBRAHIM HIZARCI
427
ARMY
ICEL
PVT
IBRAHIM HARKLI
428
ARMY
MARDIN
PVT
IBRAHIM GUMUSTEN
429
ARMY
KAYSERI
PVT
IBRAHIM GULTEKIN
430
ARMY
ZONGULDAK
CPL
IBRAHIM ERGUL
431
ARMY
ADANA
PVT
IBRAHIM CAKIR
432
ARMY
ERZURUM
PVT
IBRAHIM BULUT
433
ARMY
NIGDE
PVT
IBRAHIM BITIRGEN
434
ARMY
HATAY
SGT
IBRAHIM BALLI
228
ㅔ
Unit
A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
Rank
Name
No
Armed
Service
435
ARMY
CANKIRI
SGT
IBRAHIM AK
436
ARMY
HATAY
PVT
IBIS BATO BAHADIR
437
ARMY
BURSA
PVT
I HAKKI AVCI
438
ARMY
GUMUSHANE
CPL
HUZUFE YILMAZ
439
ARMY
TEKIRDAG
PVT
HUSNU PEHLIVANOGLU
440
ARMY
AYDIN
PVT
HUSEYIN YILDIZ
441
ARMY
SINOP
PVT
HUSEYIN YILDIZ
442
ARMY
SAMSUN
PVT
HUSEYIN UNLU
443
ARMY
KONYA
PVT
HUSEYIN TUGAY
444
ARMY
ADIYAMAN
PVT
HUSEYIN TEMEL
445
ARMY
IZMIR
PVT
HUSEYIN SEYYAR
446
ARMY
IZMIR
PVT
HUSEYIN SAHIN
447
ARMY
IZMIR
SGT
HUSEYIN NALCI
448
ARMY
BURSA
1ST LT
449
ARMY
KAHRAMAN MARAS
PVT
HUSEYIN KOSE
450
ARMY
KAHRAMAN MARAS
PVT
HUSEYIN KOSE
451
ARMY
BALIKESIR
PVT
HUSEYIN KENAR
452
ARMY
ERZINCAN
PVT
HUSEYIN KELKA
453
ARMY
CANKIRI
PVT
HUSEYIN KADIM
454
ARMY
ZONGULDAK
PVT
HUSEYIN INAN
455
ARMY
TUNCELI
CPL
HUSEYIN GURBUZ
456
ARMY
MUGLA
PVT
HUSEYIN GONCU
457
ARMY
ANKARA
PVT
HUSEYIN GOCMEN
458
ARMY
HATAY
PVT
HUSEYIN GENC
459
ARMY
SINOP
PVT
HUSEYIN GENC
460
ARMY
MARDIN
PVT
HUSEYIN DEMIR
461
ARMY
TRABZON
SGT
HUSEYIN CAKIR
462
ARMY
IZMIR
SGT
HUSEYIN BOZAN
463
ARMY
AYDIN
PVT
HUSEYIN BALKAN
Unit
Rank
Name
HUSEYIN KOSUCU
Appendix
229
No
Armed
Service
Unit
Rank
464
ARMY
ZONGULDAK
PVT
HUSEYIN ATALI
465
ARMY
IZMIR
PVT
HUSEYIN AKTURK
466
ARMY
ZONGULDAK
PVT
HUSEYIN ABACI
467
ARMY
AYDIN
CPL
HIKMET YETIM
468
ARMY
CORUM
1ST LT
HIDIR OZDEMIR
469
ARMY
TUNCELI
SGT
HIDAYET BAGANA
470
ARMY
ANKARA
PVT
HIDAYET SEN
471
ARMY
CANKIRI
PVT
HAYRETTIN AKPINAR
472
ARMY
KAYSERI
PVT
HAYDAR YANAR
473
ARMY
ERZINCAN
CPL
HAYDAR YALCIN
474
ARMY
CANKIRI
PVT
HAYDAR TOPUZ
475
ARMY
ERZURUM
PVT
HAYDAR TALI
476
ARMY
ISTANBUL
PVT
HAYDAR OZTEKIN
477
ARMY
ERZINCAN
SGT
HAYDAR DUGAN
478
ARMY
RIZE
CPL
HASIM CUCAL
479
ARMY
SINOP
PVT
HASAN YILDIRIM
480
ARMY
ADANA
PVT
HASAN TUKENMEZ
481
ARMY
HATAY
PVT
HASAN TATLI
482
ARMY
IZMIR
PVT
HASAN SOYKARA
483
ARMY
IZMIR
CPL
HASAN OZYILMAZ
484
ARMY
CORUM
PVT
HASAN OZULU
485
ARMY
ADANA
PVT
HASAN OZENC
486
ARMY
ANKARA
PVT
HASAN OCAL
487
ARMY
CORUM
SGT
HASAN MADARA
488
ARMY
HATAY
PVT
HASAN KUS
489
ARMY
ADANA
PVT
HASAN KURULDUK
490
ARMY
KASTAMONU
PVT
HASAN KAYA
491
ARMY
ZONGULDAK
PVT
HASAN KASKIN
492
ARMY
ADANA
PVT
HASAN KARACA
230
ㅔ
A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
Name
No
Armed
Service
493
ARMY
IZMIR
PVT
HASAN KACAR
494
ARMY
IZMIR
CPL
HASAN GURVARDAR
495
ARMY
IZMIR
2ND LT
HASAN GUNSUR
496
ARMY
MUGLA
PVT
HASAN GOKTEPE
497
ARMY
BILECIK
SGT
HASAN ERKEK
498
ARMY
MALATYA
PVT
HASAN DURDU
499
ARMY
ZONGULDAK
PVT
HASAN CIGDEM
500
ARMY
KONYA
PVT
HASAN CELIK
501
ARMY
KASTAMONU
PVT
HASAN CATIK
502
ARMY
ISTANBUL
SFC
HASAN BILEN
503
ARMY
IZMIR
PVT
HASAN BABACAN
504
ARMY
IZMIR
CPL
HASAN AYDIN
505
ARMY
HATAY
SGT
HANEFI BAYIR
506
ARMY
NIGDE
PVT
HAMZA CEVIK
507
ARMY
HATAY
PVT
HAMUS SELKAYA
508
ARMY
ANKARA
PVT
HAMIT OZTURK
509
ARMY
AYDIN
PVT
HAMIT CIHAN
510
ARMY
HATAY
PVT
HAMIS BOZAGAC
511
ARMY
IZMIR
PVT
HAMDI OZKAN
512
ARMY
ORDU
PVT
HAMDI CELIK
513
ARMY
GUMUSHANE
PVT
HAMDI ADSIZ
514
ARMY
KOCAELI
PVT
HALIM KIZILKAYA
515
ARMY
MANISA
SGT
HALUK OZKAN INAY
516
ARMY
ISTANBUL
PVT
HALIT DOLDURAY
517
ARMY
KARS
PVT
HALIT BULUT
518
ARMY
BOLU
PVT
HALIS AKGUL
519
ARMY
BOLU
PVT
HALIL YONGACI
520
ARMY
IZMIR
PVT
HALIL YILDIZ
521
ARMY
CANKIRI
PVT
HALIL UZUN
Unit
Rank
Name
Appendix
231
No
Armed
Service
522
ARMY
ADANA
PVT
HALIL SAHIN
523
ARMY
IZMIR
SGT
HALIL PARLAR
524
ARMY
CANKIRI
PVT
HALIL OKUR
525
ARMY
ADANA
PVT
HALIL KURU
526
ARMY
IZMIR
PVT
HALIL KUCUK
527
ARMY
BURSA
PVT
HALIL KARAKAS
528
ARMY
IZMIR
PVT
HALIL GUMUS
529
ARMY
IZMIR
PVT
HALIL GEDIGUZEL
530
ARMY
KARS
DR 1ST LT
HALIL ERDOGAN
531
ARMY
HATAY
SGT
HALIL DANISMAN
532
ARMY
ELAZIG
CPL
HALIL DAG
533
ARMY
MARDIN
PVT
HALIL CETIN
534
ARMY
ISTANBUL
CAPT
HALIL CAYAN
535
ARMY
ANKARA
SGT
HALIL BAYER
536
ARMY
IZMIR
PVT
HALIL AVCI
537
ARMY
BURDUR
1ST LT
HALIL AKDEMIR
538
ARMY
RIZE
SGT
HALIL ERASLAN
539
ARMY
SAMSUN
PVT
HAKKI AKTAS
540
ARMY
ANTALYA
PVT
HAKKI AKBULUT
541
ARMY
ERZINCAN
PVT
HAKIR USLU
542
ARMY
URFA
PVT
HACI EROGLU
543
ARMY
BURDUR
PVT
H IBRAHIM SERTTAS
544
ARMY
IZMIR
PVT
H IBRAHIM OZDEMIR
545
ARMY
BURSA
PVT
H IBRAHIM MENTES
546
ARMY
ANKARA
PVT
H IBRAHIM KAYNAK
547
ARMY
KONYA
PVT
H HUSEYIN UNLU
548
ARMY
IZMIR
PVT
H HUSEYIN EREN
549
ARMY
IZMIR
CPL
H AVNI DEMIRKIRAN
550
ARMY
GUMUSHANE
SGT
GENCAGA BALIK
232
ㅔ
Unit
A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
Rank
Name
No
Armed
Service
551
ARMY
KIRSHIR
PVT
GALIP ER
552
ARMY
MUS
PVT
FEYYAZ CELIKER
553
ARMY
BALIKESIR
PVT
FEVZI BAYRAM
554
ARMY
ERZURUM
SGT
FEVZI AKTAS
555
ARMY
HATAY
PVT
FEVZI AKKAN
556
ARMY
ELAZIG
PVT
FAIK YORUK
557
ARMY
ELAZIG
PVT
FAIK KIRAK
558
ARMY
SINOP
SGT
FAHRI GUNGORMUS
559
ARMY
AYDIN
PVT
FAHRETTIN TOPCU
560
ARMY
MALATYA
SMAJ
FAHRETTIN SEMEN
561
ARMY
SAMSUN
1ST LT
FAHRETTIN GUVEN
562
ARMY
ISTANBUL
PVT
FAHRETTIN AKMUSTAFAOGL
563
ARMY
IZMIR
SGT
FAHRETTIN AKKARACA
564
ARMY
BOLU
PVT
FADIL EREN
565
ARMY
BURDUR
PVT
ETHEM ORTAC
566
ARMY
BURSA
PVT
ETEM SENEL
567
ARMY
KIRSHIR
CAPT
ESAT OZTUZUN
568
ARMY
ICEL
CPL
ERGUN EREN
569
ARMY
AYDIN
SGT
ENVER SISKO
570
ARMY
HATAY
PVT
ENVER OZBILEN
571
ARMY
KAHRAMAN MARAS
PVT
EMIRHAN KARACA
572
ARMY
ICEL
PVT
EMIN CICEK
573
ARMY
AMASYA
CPL
EKREM SALAK
574
ARMY
ERZURUM
CPL
DURSUN HINISLI
575
ARMY
IZMIR
PVT
DURMUS ALI CAM
576
ARMY
NIGDE
PVT
DURMUS OZATAMER
577
ARMY
ICEL
PVT
DURMUS KURT
578
ARMY
ADANA
PVT
DURMUS KARAKUS
579
ARMY
AYDIN
PVT
DURMUS LHAN
Unit
Rank
Name
Appendix
233
No
Armed
Service
580
ARMY
ANKARA
PVT
DURMUS ERCOBAN
581
ARMY
MUGLA
PVT
DURMUS DUZGUN
582
ARMY
ZONGULDAK
PVT
DURMUS CARSAMBALI
583
ARMY
ANKARA
PVT
DURAN GULER
584
ARMY
ANTALYA
PVT
DURALI ESEN
585
ARMY
BALIKESIR
PVT
DEMIR ERKESKIN
586
ARMY
ADANA
PVT
DEDE KAZANCI
587
ARMY
KIRSHIR
PVT
DEDE ATASOY
588
ARMY
ISTANBUL
PVT
DAVUT GURBIYIK
589
ARMY
DIYARBAKIR
PVT
CUMA GUZEL
590
ARMY
KAHRAMAN MARAS
PVT
CUMA GOK
591
ARMY
ISTANBUL
CAPT
CEVAT OLHON
592
ARMY
ISTANBUL
1ST LT
CEVAT BAYRAK
593
ARMY
DIYARBAKIR
PVT
CEVAT ALAN
594
ARMY
IZMIR
SGT
CETIN ENGERI
595
ARMY
HATAY
PVT
CEMAL SAFA
596
ARMY
IZMIR
PVT
CEMAL BOZOGLAN
597
ARMY
SAKARYA
CPL
CAFER KILICHAN
598
ARMY
KOCAELI
PVT
BILAL KIR
599
ARMY
ANKARA
PVT
BILAL HANLAS
600
ARMY
ARTVIN
SMAJ
BILAL AYDEMIR
601
ARMY
IZMIR
PVT
BEKIR YAY
602
ARMY
CANKIRI
PVT
BEKIR SAHIN
603
ARMY
KONYA
PVT
BEKIR OZKURSUN
604
ARMY
TOKAT
PVT
BEKIR OZDEMIR
605
ARMY
ICEL
PVT
BEKIR KARA
606
ARMY
KONYA
PVT
BEKIR DEMIREL
607
ARMY
CANKIRI
CPL
BEKIR BARUT
608
ARMY
URFA
PVT
BEKIR AVCI
234
ㅔ
Unit
A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
Rank
Name
No
Armed
Service
609
ARMY
BURSA
1ST LT
610
ARMY
DENIZLI
PVT
BYRAM TAVSAN
611
ARMY
AFYON
PVT
BYRAM KARATAS
612
ARMY
AFYON
SGT
BYRAM GUN
613
ARMY
ADANA
PVT
BYRAM GISI
614
ARMY
ORDU
PVT
BYRAM CAP
615
ARMY
ADANA
PVT
BYRAM GULER
616
ARMY
SAMSUN
CPL
BAHRI KURNAZ
617
ARMY
HATAY
SGT
BAHRI GOLGE
618
ARMY
IZMIR
SGT
BAHATTIN ISIK
619
ARMY
NIGDE
PVT
AZIZ TURAN
620
ARMY
KARS
PVT
AZIZ KAYA
621
ARMY
TRABZON
PVT
AZIZ ALEMDAR
622
ARMY
BURSA
CPL
AZIZ AKSOY
623
ARMY
IZMIR
PVT
ASIM ISMIOGLU
624
ARMY
HATAY
PVT
ASAF SASAOGLU
625
ARMY
GUMUSHANE
PVT
ARIF SEVEN
626
ARMY
BURDUR
SFC
ARIF OZBEK
627
ARMY
ANTALYA
PVT
ARIF KOC
628
ARMY
IZMIR
PVT
ARIF KARABIYAK
629
ARMY
GIRESUN
PVT
ARIF KANLI
630
ARMY
SINOP
PVT
ARIF BOGA
631
ARMY
HATAY
SGT
ALI RIZA KARALI
632
ARMY
IZMIR
PVT
ALI RIZA IYIM
633
ARMY
BURSA
PVT
ALI RIZA CAN
634
ARMY
GAZIANTEP
PVT
ALI OSMAN DURMUSLAR
635
ARMY
NIGDE
COL
ALI IHSAN ICER
636
ARMY
CORUM
PVT
ALI YILMAZ
637
ARMY
AYDIN
PVT
ALI YILMAZ
Unit
Rank
Name
BEDRETTIN CIGDEM
Appendix
235
No
Armed
Service
638
ARMY
SAKARYA
PVT
ALI YASA
639
ARMY
ADANA
PVT
ALI YAMUKLAR
640
ARMY
HATAY
PVT
ALI TEK
641
ARMY
ELAZIG
SFC
ALI SELCUK
642
ARMY
SAMSUN
PVT
ALI SAHIN
643
ARMY
SINOP
PVT
ALI PIRISTINA
644
ARMY
KIRKLARELI
PVT
ALI OZEL
645
ARMY
KOCAELI
SGT
ALI ORMANLI
646
ARMY
AYDIN
PVT
ALI OGAN
647
ARMY
DENIZLI
SGT
ALI MERAL
648
ARMY
ICEL
PVT
ALI KUNT
649
ARMY
AYDIN
PVT
ALI KILIC
650
ARMY
GIRESUN
PVT
ALI KESKIN
651
ARMY
GAZIANTEP
SGT
ALI KELESICIOGLU
652
ARMY
ICEL
PVT
ALI KEKLIK
653
ARMY
KAHRAMAN MARAS
PVT
ALI KABAKLI
654
ARMY
AYDIN
PVT
ALI KABAK
655
ARMY
URFA
PVT
ALI HAN
656
ARMY
ICEL
SGT
ALI ERTEK
657
ARMY
GUMUSHANE
PVT
ALI ERGUL
658
ARMY
ERZURUM
PVT
ALI EREN
659
ARMY
MALATYA
PVT
ALI EMEKSIZ
660
ARMY
ANKARA
SGT
ALI COBAN
661
ARMY
SIVAS
PVT
ALI CICEK
662
ARMY
ICEL
PVT
ALI CAN
663
ARMY
ORDU
PVT
ALI CALISKAN
664
ARMY
RIZE
SMAJ
ALI BILGI
665
ARMY
SIIRT
PVT
ALI BELKIS
666
ARMY
GAZIANTEP
PVT
AHMET ZOR
236
ㅔ
Unit
A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
Rank
Name
No
Armed
Service
667
ARMY
AYDIN
668
ARMY
669
670
Unit
Rank
Name
SFC
AHMET YERMEZ
TRABZON
1ST LT
AHMET TURKKAN
ARMY
ERZURUM
CAPT
AHMET TUNCEF
ARMY
BURSA
PVT
AHMET TAS
671
ARMY
ICEL
PVT
AHMET SENER
672
ARMY
ADANA
PVT
AHMET SARI
673
ARMY
AYDIN
PVT
AHMET SAKAOGLU
674
ARMY
NIGDE
PVT
AHMET OZBEK
675
ARMY
MARDIN
PVT
AHMET GULHAN
676
ARMY
MUGLA
SGT
AHMET ORHAN
677
ARMY
AYDIN
SGT
AHMET MERSIN
678
ARMY
ERZURUM
PVT
AHMET KURT
679
ARMY
KUTAHYA
PVT
AHMET KORKMAZ
680
ARMY
ICEL
SGT
AHMET KESKIN
681
ARMY
KOCAELI
PVT
AHMET KARATEPE
682
ARMY
IZMIR
PVT
AHMET INCI
683
ARMY
SAMSUN
PVT
AHMET GOKALP
684
ARMY
TRABZON
PVT
AHMET FIL
685
ARMY
ADANA
PVT
AHMET ELITAS
686
ARMY
CANKIRI
PVT
AHMET ECEVIT
687
ARMY
HATAY
PVT
AHMET DOGRUSOZ
688
ARMY
ICEL
PVT
AHMET CIVAN
689
ARMY
BOLU
CPL
AHMET CETIN
690
ARMY
IZMIR
PVT
AHMET BILGILI
691
ARMY
ELAZIG
PVT
AHMET CANKAYA
692
ARMY
HATAY
PVT
AHMET BIYIKLI
693
ARMY
AYDIN
PVT
AHMET BERKER
694
ARMY
USAK
SGT
AHMET BAYRAM
695
ARMY
HATAY
PVT
AHMET ASKAR
Appendix
237
No
Armed
Service
696
ARMY
HATAY
PVT
AHMET ASKAR
697
ARMY
GAZIANTEP
PVT
AHMET AKAY
698
ARMY
GUMUSHANE
PVT
ADIL TOP
699
ARMY
ADANA
PVT
ADIL DOGAR
700
ARMY
HATAY
PVT
ADIL DEMIRLER
701
ARMY
BURSA
PVT
ADEM SAHIN
702
ARMY
HATAY
SGT
ABIT CAMLICA
703
ARMY
AFYON
PVT
ABDURRAHMAN SENA
704
ARMY
HATAY
CPL
ABDURRAHMAN CAN
705
ARMY
CANKIRI
SMAJ
ABDURRAHIM ESIT
706
ARMY
MUS
PVT
ABDULVAHAP KARA
707
ARMY
VAN
PVT
ABDULMECIT KALKICI
708
ARMY
DIYARBAKIR
PVT
ABDULLATIF CELIK
709
ARMY
YOZGAT
PVT
ABDULLAH ZERAN
710
ARMY
HAKKARI
PVT
ABDULLAH OZBEK
711
ARMY
GAZIANTEP
CPL
ABDULLAH KURT
712
ARMY
TOKAT
PVT
ABDULLAH KILIC
713
ARMY
HATAY
PVT
ABDULLAH KESER
714
ARMY
AFYON
PVT
ABDUL KIZIL
715
ARMY
CANKIRI
PVT
ABDULLAH CAKIR
716
ARMY
VAN
SGT
ABDULLAH AVRAS
717
ARMY
MANISA
PVT
ABDULLAH ARIKAN
718
ARMY
HATAY
CPL
ABDULKERIM DONMEZ
719
ARMY
ZONGULDAK
SMAJ
ABDI OZKAN
720
ARMY
ANKARA
CPL
ABDI BAL
721
ARMY
MARDIN
SGT
A.TEVFIK HADI OZCELIK
722
ARMY
KIRKLARELI
CPL
A.KADIR BAKAN
723
ARMY
TOKAT
PVT
A.DURAN CELIK
724
ARMY
BALIKESIR
PVT
KADIR KURT
238
ㅔ
Unit
A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
Rank
Name
4. The UN Forces’ Scale of Participation & Loss
(1) Scale of Participation of the UN Forces
Country
Army
Navy
Air Force
US
Infantry Division7, Marine
Far East Fleet, 7th Fleet Far East Air Force 66
Division 1, Regiment
261 Warship 17(Carrier 1) Squadron
Combat forces 2：302,483
UK
Infantry brigade 2, Marine Carrier 1, Destroyer 2,
Commando 1：14,198
Frigate 1
Australia
Infantry Battalion 1：819
Destroyer 3
Canada
Infantry brigade 1：6,146
Frigate 1
New Zealand
Combat flight squadron1,
Cargo flight 1
Infantry Battalion 3：2,282 Destroyer 1
Netherlands
-
Cargo Squadron 1
Artillery Battalion 1：1,389 Destroyer 1
-
France
Infantry Battalion 1：1,119
-
-
Philippines
Infantry Battalion 1：1,496
-
-
Turkey
Infantry brigade 1：5,455
Thailand
Infantry Battalion 1：1,294
-
Cargo flight 1
Greece
Infantry Battalion 1：1,263
-
Cargo flight 1
South Africa
-
-
Combat flight squadron1
Belgium
Infantry Battalion 1：900
-
-
Frigate 2
-
Luxemburg
Infantry Platoon 1：44
Columbia
Infantry Battalion 1：1,068
Ethiopia
Infantry Battalion 1：1,271
-
-
Total
341,227
-
-
India
Medical Unit：70
-
-
Italy
Medical Unit：72
-
-
Norway
Medical Unit：105
-
-
Sweden
Medical Unit：154
-
-
341,628
-
-
Grand Total
Frigate 1
-
Appendix
239
(2) Loss of the UN Forces
Country
Total
Dead
Wounded
Missing
POW
Total
776,360
178,569
555,022
28,611
14,158
Korea
621,479
137,899
450,742
24,495
8,343
US
137,250
36,940
92,134
3,737
4,439
UK
4,908
1,078
2,674
179
977
Australia
1,584
339
1,216
3
26
768
120
645
-
3
1,557
312
1,212
1
32
103
23
79
1
-
1,289
262
1,008
7
12
398
112
229
16
41
Turkey
3,216
741
2,068
163
244
Thailand
1,273
129
1,139
5
-
Greece
738
192
543
-
3
South Africa
43
34
-
-
9
Belgium
440
99
336
4
1
Luxemburg
15
2
13
-
-
Columbia
639
163
448
-
28
Ethiopia
657
121
536
-
-
Norway
3
3
-
-
-
Netherlands
Canada
New Zealand
France
Philippines
240
ㅔ
A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
(3) POW Exchange
Country
Wounded POW
POW
Total
North Korea
5,640
70,183
75,823
China
1,030
5,640
6,670
Total
6,670
75,823
82,493
US
149
3,597
3,746
UK
32
945
977
Turkey
15
229
243
Philippines
1
40
41
Canada
2
30
32
Columbia
6
22
28
Australia
5
21
26
France
-
12
12
South Africa
1
8
9
Greece
1
2
3
Netherlands
1
2
3
Belgium
-
1
1
New Zealand
-
1
1
Japan
-
1
1
South Korea
471
7,862
8,321
Total
684
12,773
13,444
Appendix
241
Translated and Supervised by Suh Suk-Bong
<Career>
Suh Suk-Bong, Colonel & Ph.D.
Graduated from Korea Military Academy, 1972; BS in English Language and Literature,
Seoul National University, 1976; MA in American Studies, The University of Michigan,
1979; Ph.D. in American Studies, The University of Iowa, 1986.
Currently, Colonel & Professor, English Department, Korea Military Academy.
Brother Nations, Korea and Turkey
A History of Turkish Soldiers’ Participation in the Korean War
Ministry of Patriots & Veterans Affairs, Republic of Korea
17-23 Youido-dong, Youngdeungpo-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea 150-874
Date of Initial Publication : October, 2007