Let the Bastards Come: The Battle for Kapyong Korea, 23 – 25 April 1951
About this ebook
The battle of Kapyong was fought during a heavy downpour in mountainous terrain, with Chinese units infiltrating the Australian lines which extended for seven kilometres. Given the small number of men involved and the long defensive line, several strong points were quickly established. The Australians almost alone, but with support from New Zealand gunners and some American tanks, for the first 24 hours held back the Chinese and were at times surrounded by large numbers of Chinese who launched ongoing human wave attacks against their isolated positions — but the line held with Australians leading bayonet counter charges against the Chinese. Within 24 hours, Canadian troops were committed to the battle and for 12 hours also faced significant attempts by the Chinese to surround their position – they too held their ground. The battle of Kapyong was truly a decisive battle of the Korean War, and for their heroic actions during the battle of Kapyong, the Australian and Canadian infantrymen and American tankers were awarded a rare US Presidential Unit citation.
About the author
David W. Cameron is a Canberra-based author specializing in Australian military and convict history, as well as human and primate evolution. He has published over 60 internationally peer-reviewed papers and book chapters. David received First Class Honours in Prehistoric Archaeology from the University of Sydney and completed his Ph.D. in Palaeoanthropology at the Australian National University.He has held prestigious research fellowships, including an Australian Research Council (ARC) Postdoctoral Fellowship at ANU’s School of Archaeology and an ARC QEII Fellowship at the University of Sydney’s Department of Anatomy and Histology. David has led and participated in numerous international fieldwork projects across Australia, the Middle East (Turkey, Jordan, Israel, UAE), Europe (Hungary), and Asia (Japan, Vietnam, India), and has contributed to conferences and museum studies worldwide.
