First Battle of Maryang-san

Historical eventOctober 31951

First Battle of Maryang-san

The First Battle of Maryang-san, widely regarded as one of the Australian Army's greatest accomplishments during the Korean War, began.

75th anniversary in 2026

Everything on October 3Original source
Photo: Hobson, Phillip Oliver Hobson · Public domain

In context

When
Wednesday, October 3 195175 years ago
Category
Historical eventA dated happening — a battle, treaty, launch, discovery, disaster or decision — recorded on this calendar day.
Era
20th century · 1950s
Anniversary
75th in 2026
Recorded from
Wikipedia “On this day” feed

At a glance

Dates: From 1951-10-08.

Place: Imjin River, South Korea.

Type: battle.

Key figures / parties: United Kingdom.

What came before

Part of: Korean War.

Background Military situation Main article: Military history of Australia during the Korean War Following General of the Army Douglas MacArthur 's dismissal as Commander-in-Chief of UN forces in Korea, he was replaced by General Matthew B. Ridgway . Consequently, on 14 April 1951, General James Van Fleet replaced Ridgway as commander of the US Eighth Army and the UN ground forces in Korea. [ 1 ] The Chinese Spring Offensive during April and May 1951 ended in its defeat,

Prelude Opposing forces Main article: Operation Commando (1951) A British Centurion tank similar to those used at Maryang San In late-September and early-October—even while continuing the attack against Heartbreak Ridge , Van Fleet developed a plan for a limited offensive in the western section, known as Operation Commando, to advance 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) north of the 38th Parallel ,

What happened

The First Battle of Maryang-san, also known as the Defensive Battle of Maliangshan, was fought during the Korean War between United Nations Command (UN) forces—primarily Australian, British and Canadian—and the Chinese People's Volunteer Army (PVA). The fighting occurred during a limited UN offensive by US I Corps, codenamed Operation Commando. This offensive ultimately pushed the PVA back from the Imjin River to the Jamestown Line and destroyed elements of four PVA armies following heavy fighting.

October 3 through the years

Other entries on the same calendar day, in order.

  1. 1951First Battle of Maryang-san
  2. 1995Murder trial of O. J. Simpson
  3. 2003Siegfried & Roy
  4. 2008Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008
  5. 2009Azerbaijan
  6. 20132013 Lampedusa migrant shipwreck
  7. 2015Kunduz hospital airstrike
  8. 20212021 Milan Pilatus PC-12 crash
  9. 2022Svante Pääbo
  10. 2023Wab Kinew
  11. 2024Bengali language

Also in 1951

  • March 14Korean WarKorean War: United Nations troops recapture Seoul for the second time.
  • October 20College footballAfrican-American college football player Johnny Bright was the victim of an on-field assault, eventually leading to changes in NCAA footb…
  • October 20Johnny Bright incidentThe "Johnny Bright incident" occurs during a football game between the Drake Bulldogs and Oklahoma A&M Aggies.
  • July 13VuoristorataVuoristorata, one of the oldest still-operating wooden roller coasters in Europe, is opened at the Linnanmäki amusement park in Helsinki,…
  • June 14UNIVAC IUNIVAC I is dedicated by the U.S. Census Bureau.
  • January 4Korean WarKorean War: Chinese and North Korean troops captured Seoul from United Nations forces.
  • January 18United Nations Memorial CemeteryConstruction of the United Nations Military Cemetery (pictured) began in Busan, South Korea.
  • July 22Soviet space dogsSoviet space dogs: Dezik and Tsygan were launched into a sub-orbital spaceflight from Kapustin Yar and became the first dogs to fly in sp…

Everything we record for 1951 →

Sources

Cite this page

“First Battle of Maryang-san”, What's On This Date, https://whatsonthisdate.com/app/event/first-battle-of-maryang-san-1951-october-3, accessed October 29, 2026.

Cite the underlying source as well — the source links above go to the record this entry is adapted from.

Questions about this entry

When did First Battle of Maryang-san happen?

October 3 1951 — 75 years ago, on a Wednesday.

Where does this text come from?

Wikipedia “On this day” feed. Summaries are short adaptations that link back to the source, not reprints.

How do I cite this page?

Use the ready-made citation near the sources at the bottom of the page, and follow the source link to cite the underlying record as well.

Text adapted from Wikipedia under CC BY-SA 4.0 and from Wikidata (CC0). Images come from Wikimedia Commons; credit and licence are shown with each image. Editorial entries are © What's On This Date. Sources & licensing · How this site works.