Task Force Smith: How the 24th Infantry Division Saved South Korea at the Start of the Korean War

In July of 1950, the Korean War looked as if it was about to come to an unexpectedly quick conclusion. South Korean troops had been pushed far south before gradually falling into a defensive line around the port of Pusan. Across the Sea of Japan, American soldiers boarded transport planes at Itazuke Air Base, Japan, preparing to go into combat against an unfamiliar enemy. 

The youngest among them had barely turned 19. Few had fought in World War II. Their commander was one of the few veterans. Lt. Col. Charles Bradford Smith graduated from West Point and was a Captain at Schofield Barracks when Pearl Harbor was attacked.

Within days, Smith's makeshift battalion from the 24th Infantry Division would fight the first ground battle involving American troops in the Korean War. While their defeat and rout are often remembered as a deadly consequence of military budget cuts, Task Force Smith fought a desperate delaying action that gave American forces time to fortify their perimeter and save South Korea.

The Korean War and a Desperate Mission

North Korean forces stormed across the 38th parallel on June 25, 1950, overwhelming South Korean forces. Within three days, Seoul fell. The Republic of Korea Army collapsed under the assault from Soviet-equipped communist divisions driving south toward the port of Pusan.

Maj. Gen. William F. Dean, commanding the 24th Infantry Division in Japan, was the first to be put on alert. His units had spent five years on occupation duty and were not anticipating combat. But they were the closest American forces available. 

Dean summoned Smith to his headquarters and delivered straightforward orders: get to Taejon, push as far north as possible, and stop the North Koreans before they reached Pusan. Dean reportedly concluded with: "Sorry, I can't give you more information—that's all I've got. Good luck, and God bless you and your men."

Smith's force consisted of 406 riflemen from B and C Companies of the 1st Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment. Lt. Col. Miller O. Perry would bring 134 artillerymen from A Battery, 52nd Field Artillery Battalion, equipped with six 105mm howitzers. The infantry possessed half a communications platoon, half a heavy weapons platoon with six outdated M9A1 bazooka launchers, two 75mm recoilless rifles, two 4.2-inch mortars, and four 60mm mortars.

Perry's artillery battery carried 1,200 rounds—but only six armor-piercing shells capable of penetrating Soviet tank armor. Each soldier received 120 rounds of rifle ammunition and two days' rations. They had no anti-tank mines. While the soldiers were trained infantrymen, they were underequipped for the mission they were about to tackle.

The transport planes ferried the force across the ocean. Smith arrived in Korea mid-afternoon on July 1. By July 4, the full task force had assembled and moved north by rail and truck to defensive positions outside Osan. Other elements from the division arrived in increments in the following hours and days.

Holding the High Ground Above Osan

Smith immediately ordered his troops to hold the Seoul-Pusan highway north of Osan. His men dug in along ridgelines roughly 300 feet above the road, establishing a mile-long defensive front. One B Company platoon occupied high ground west of the highway. The remaining platoons spread east. 

Mortar teams positioned their weapons 400 yards behind the infantry. Perry's howitzers were deployed 2,000 yards to the rear, but one crew was put up front with the infantry and given the anti-tank rounds.

As the men dug foxholes and prepared their weapons, they wondered when the enemy would arrive and what would happen next. Early on July 5, around 7:30 a.m., North Korean armor appeared on the highway.

Thirty-three T-34 tanks from the 107th Tank Regiment approached the American line. Perry's gunners provided indirect fire while the infantry opened up with whatever they could. The high-explosive shells proved harmless against the Soviet made armor, designed to deflect German anti-tank rounds. The 75mm recoilless rifles scored several direct hits but caused no damage.

Second Lt. Ollie Connor demonstrated exceptional bravery that morning. He maneuvered to within 15 yards of a T-34's rear armor, its weakest point. Connor fired 22 bazooka rockets. Every round ricocheted off. Other troops were cut down attempting the same tactic.

Perry's forward gun crew quickly exhausted all six anti-tank shells, knocking out only two T-34s while disabling two more. Once those specialized rounds were gone, conventional artillery proved worthless. By 10 a.m., most of the tank column had pushed past American positions, crushing communication wires and destroying parked vehicles. Approximately 20 American soldiers lay dead or wounded. The forward howitzer was destroyed.

Task Force Smith had faced enemy armor and refused to fall back—even though they realized their weapons were obsolete.

The 24th Infantry Division Goes Into Combat

That same day, hours after Task Force Smith's engagement, elements of the 34th Infantry Regiment encountered the enemy tanks near Sojong-ni, about five miles south of Osan. Among them was Pfc. Kenneth Shadrick, a 19-year-old from Skin Fork, West Virginia, serving as an ammunition carrier for a bazooka team.

Army photographer Sgt. Charles R. Turnbull accompanied the team. Seeking dramatic war images, Turnbull asked Shadrick to count aloud—"one, two, three"—so he could capture the bazooka's muzzle flash. Shadrick complied, then he and his comrade fired at an approaching T-34. After the shot, the young soldier rose from his concealed position to observe where his round struck.

North Korean machine gun fire cut him down instantly. His comrades fell back, carrying his body with them as the only casualty of the skirmish. Turnbull's photograph captured Shadrick moments before death. War correspondent Marguerite Higgins, present when Shadrick's body reached the command post, was unaware of Task Force Smith’s losses earlier and incorrectly reported Shadrick as the first American soldier killed in Korea. 

Nevertheless, Shadrick became the war's first named and widely reported ground combat fatality. His photograph would become one of the conflict's most iconic images, capturing his heroic stand against North Korean tanks.

Task Force Smith is Overrun

Shortly before noon on July 5, approximately 1,000 North Korean infantrymen from two regiments of the 4th Division appeared on the highway. Their column stretched for miles and included three more tanks in support. Upon approaching American positions, the North Koreans opened fire while flanking forces moved around both sides of the defensive line.

For hours, Task Force Smith held their ground. Rifle and machine gun fire shredded frontal assaults, but the enemy kept charging. Around 12:30 p.m., North Korean troops seized high ground west of the highway and began hitting the isolated B Company platoon from multiple directions. Smith ordered them to withdraw across the road.

Ammunition was running low. Enemy forces were about to encircle the entire formation, forcing Smith to order a withdrawal at 2:30 p.m.

What began as an organized withdrawal quickly deteriorated. As the men pulled back into the woods, they came under fire from the pursuing North Korean troops. Enemy forces, sent to flank the Americans, began hitting them too.

As the infantry fell back, Perry’s artillerymen disabled their five remaining howitzers by removing sights and breechblocks. They too joined the retreating infantry.

One B Company platoon never received the withdrawal order. They held until they realized they were alone and surrounded. They abandoned most of their equipment and fled, leaving wounded soldiers behind with a medic who refused to leave.

Men became scattered, some dropped their weapons and sprinted away, a few refused to fall back and held their position to the last second. Others became disoriented and were never seen again.

By nightfall, only around 250 men had reached American lines. Others straggled in over the next few days. One group of survivors reached the American perimeter only minutes before the North Korean force did.

Following the withdrawal, Task Force Smith’s casualties numbered around 60 killed, 21 wounded, and 82 missing or captured. Thirty-two prisoners would later die in North Korean captivity. Task Force Smith lost 40 percent of its strength.

The Fighting Withdrawal

Behind Task Force Smith, the 34th Infantry Regiment established positions at Pyeongtaek. They too faced overwhelming odds and fell back. For two weeks, the 24th Infantry Division fought a series of increasingly desperate delaying actions—Chonan, Chongjum, Chochiwon, the Kum River crossing.

At Taejon between July 16-20, the division made its final stand. General Dean personally fought alongside his troops, manning a bazooka against enemy tanks. When North Korean forces overran the city, Dean became separated from his command. He evaded capture for 36 days before North Koreans took him prisoner. Dean would spend three brutal years in POW camps as the highest-ranking American prisoner of war. He would eventually receive the Medal of Honor for his leadership at Taejon.

In sixteen days, the 24th Infantry Division retreated nearly 95 miles. Over 3,600 casualties—30 percent losses, averaging 225 soldiers daily. On top of the loss of their commanding general, the division lost three regimental commanders, five battalion commanders, and nearly all heavy weapons.

By early August, American and South Korean forces had withdrawn behind the Naktong River to establish the Pusan Perimeter—a 140-mile defensive arc protecting the vital port. There would be no more retreats.

U.N. Forces Hold the Pusan Perimeter

Task Force Smith was forced the flee, but they bought Allied troops valuable time. So had the 24th Infantry Division over the previous two weeks. That time allowed reinforcements to be brought in through Pusan's docks and airfields.

The 25th Infantry Division, 1st Cavalry Division, 2nd Infantry Division, 5th Regimental Combat Team, 1st Provisional Marine Brigade, and the British 27th Commonwealth Brigade arrived through July and August. Over 500 tanks—with proper anti-tank ammunition—came ashore. Tons of vital supplies, ammunition, and modern weaponry were issued to the troops.

On August 1, Lt. Gen. Walton Walker formally established the Pusan Perimeter. He issued his famous order: "There will be no Dunkirk, there will be no Bataan. A retreat to Pusan would be one of the greatest butcheries in history. We must fight until the end."

From August 4 through September 18, approximately 140,000 UN troops repelled 98,000 North Korean attackers. Fierce battles erupted at the Naktong Bulge, Taegu, and Masan. Walker masterfully shuttled reserve forces to any sectors hit by the enemy while American aircraft decimated North Korean supply lines.

The perimeter held, due in part to Task Force Smith and the 24th Infantry Division, which bought the time necessary to establish and reinforce it. What might have been a complete North Korean victory in July became a stalemate in August, and the line had held.

On September 15, Gen. Douglas MacArthur's famous amphibious assault at Inchon led to the recapture of Seoul as his forces raced to cut off the North Korean supply lines. The next day, U.N. forces blitzed from the Pusan Perimeter, driving north. By the end of September, the battle to liberate all of South Korea had effectively been won. 

The 24th Infantry Division was refit and reinforced before rejoining the fight. On the drive north, the men found many of the missing troops, including the wounded soldiers left behind. Most had been bound, tortured, and executed by the communists. The medic who stayed behind was never seen again. The division would fight in heavy combat through the rest of the war.

Combat Lessons Forged in Blood

Task Force Smith's battle also led to widespread reforms in the U.S. Army. "No more Task Force Smiths" became an Army rallying cry and mindset going forward. Development and deployment of the 3.5-inch "Super Bazooka" accelerated—a weapon that could actually penetrate Soviet armor. Training standards were transformed, emphasizing genuine combat readiness and supply.

Defense budgets increased dramatically as policymakers realized the dangers of budget cuts during the Cold War. Even after the conclusion of the Korean War, the military maintained its troop numbers and readiness.

President Harry Truman invited Task Force Smith survivors to the White House in June 1952. "We couldn't fight a war without the infantry," Truman told them. "Had it not been for the fact that these two divisions to which you belong had caused the Communists to hesitate, we possibly would not have been able to hold our position with the Korean Republic."

Smith survived the war, later advancing to brigadier general before retiring in 1965. Second Lt. Ollie Connor later rose to lieutenant general, commanding Third Army before his retirement in 1972.

A Monument to Task Force Smith

Today, a memorial stands north of Osan honoring Task Force Smith's sacrifice. Each July 5, America and South Korea hold ceremonies there. The 1st Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment continues serving, now part of the 25th Infantry Division based in Hawaii.

The soldiers of Task Force Smith executed an impossible mission with inadequate weapons against an overwhelming force. They didn't stop the North Koreans, though the 540 Americans tried their best. But they did delay the enemy for nearly eight hours that first day, then for two weeks alongside the rest of the 24th Infantry Division.

Those hours allowed Pusan's port to receive the reinforcements that would hold the perimeter. The perimeter's defense enabled MacArthur to land at Inchon. Inchon led to South Korea's liberation.

While Task Force Smith is often cited as an example of unprepared and undersupplied troops being sent into combat, their efforts managed to turn the tide of the war. Their ordeal also taught the Army hard lessons about readiness, ensuring future soldiers would not endure what they had. 

While the Korean War ended with an armistice along the 38th Parallel, South Korea continues to exist today as one of America’s most important allies, thanks in part to the small American force who faced an overwhelming North Korean enemy.