Operation Tomahawk

Operation Tomahawk
Part of Korean War
Date23 March 1951
LocationKorea
Result United Nations victory
Belligerents

 United Nations

  China
 North Korea
Commanders and leaders
United States Frank S. Bowen
Strength
United States 3,437
India 12		 unknown
Casualties and losses
United States 4 killed unknown

Operation Tomahawk (Filipino: Operasyon Tomahawk/Oplan Tomahawk) was an airborne military operation by the 187th Regimental Combat Team (RCT) on 23 March 1951 at Munsan-ni as part of Operation Courageous in the Korean War. Operation Courageous was designed to trap large numbers of Chinese People's Volunteer Army (PVA) and Korean People's Army forcess between the Han and Imjin Rivers north of Seoul, opposite the South Korean I Corps. The intent of Operation Courageous was for I Corps, which was composed of the U.S. 25th and 3rd IDs and the ROK 1st Division, to advance quickly on the PVA/KPA positions and reach the Imjin River with all possible speed.

Operation Tomahawk was the other half of the plan. This operation was designed to drop the 187th Airborne Regimental Combat Team about 30 kilometres (19 mi) north of the then current front line. They did so, parachuting from over a hundred C-119 Flying Boxcar transport aircraft. When they landed they linked up with Task Force Growdon, which was made up of armored elements from the 24th Infantry Division (United States)'s 6th Medium Tank Battalion and infantry elements from the U.S. 3rd Infantry Division. The forces advanced to their goal, meeting weak resistance—mostly minefields—because the PVA/KPA had retreated before they got there.

One hundred twenty C-119s and C-46s dropped 3,437 paratroopers of the 187th Regimental Combat Team and 12 officers and men of the 60th Indian Parachute Field Ambulance near Munsan-ni in the second largest airborne operation of the war.[2] The 187th RCT suffered 4 fatalities (3 KIA and 1 in an accident).[3]

References

  1. ↑ "India-ROK Defence Relations". Retrieved 2017-02-27.
  2. ↑ Korean War Timeline - 1951
  3. ↑ Korea War Casualty database

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