Peng Dehuai

November 1–2, 1950 · 3,500 total casualties

Unsan was the first major engagement between US and Chinese forces and a dramatic warning that was largely ignored. MacArthur dismissed the Chinese presence as token. The engagement previewed Chinese tactical methods — mass night infiltration, encirclement, and human wave assaults — that would soon devastate UN forces across the entire front.

November 27 – December 13, 1950 · 62,843 total casualties

Chosin became a defining legend of the US Marine Corps — an epic of courage and endurance against overwhelming odds in brutal conditions. The Marines not only survived but inflicted catastrophic losses on the encircling Chinese forces. The successful evacuation at Hungnam saved an entire corps and 100,000 Korean refugees.

January 4, 1951 · 20,000 total casualties

The second fall of Seoul marked the nadir of UN fortunes in Korea and demonstrated the transformative effect of massive Chinese intervention. However, Ridgway's calm, methodical leadership steadied the demoralized UN forces, laying the groundwork for the counteroffensive that would recapture Seoul for a final time in March 1951.

February 13–15, 1951 · 5,400 total casualties

Chipyong-ni is considered the 'Gettysburg of the Korean War' — the battle that stopped the Chinese offensive and proved that well-led UN forces could defeat massed Chinese attacks when they stood and fought. It shattered the myth of Chinese invincibility and restored UN offensive initiative.

August 25 – October 15, 1951 · 28,700 total casualties

Heartbreak Ridge epitomized the bitter futility of the war's second phase — men dying by the thousands for hills that would be traded back in negotiations. The battle's terrible cost influenced the decision to shift to a more defensive posture and accelerated pressure for an armistice agreement.

March 23 – July 16, 1953 · 5,800 total casualties

Pork Chop Hill became the symbol of the war's tragic endgame — men dying for positions that both sides knew would be negotiated away. The battle illustrated the brutal logic of limited war: fighting to maintain bargaining positions rather than for decisive victory, with ordinary soldiers bearing the cost.

May 28–29, 1953 · 3,500 total casualties

The Battle of the Hook was one of the largest actions fought by Commonwealth forces in Korea and demonstrated the multinational character of the UN coalition. The British defense prevented a Chinese breakthrough in the west and contributed to the stalemate that finally brought both sides to conclude the armistice two months later.