Outpost Harry

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Outpost Harry
Part of the Korean War
Date 10–18 June 1953 Location 38°19′6.33″N 127°17′35.08″E / 38.3184250°N 127.2930778°E / 38.3184250; 127.2930778 near the Iron Triangle Result Greek-American victory
Belligerents
United Nations (UNC)  United States  Greece	China
Commanders and leaders
Eugene W. Ridings[1] Russell F. Akers Jr.[2] Georgios Koumanakos[3]	Xiao Xuanjin[4]
Units involved
3rd Infantry Division[5] 15th Infantry Regiment[6] Greek "Sparta" Battalion[6]	74th Division[6]
Strength
Less than 5,000	13,000+
Casualties and losses
102 killed 553 wounded 44 missing[6]	1,450 killed 3,800 wounded (estimated)[6]

Outpost Harry was a remote Korean War outpost located on a tiny hilltop in what was commonly referred to as the "Iron Triangle" on the Korean Peninsula. This was an area approximately 60 miles (100 km) northeast of Seoul and was the most direct route to the South Korean capital.

More than 88,000 rounds of Chinese People's Volunteer Army (PVA) artillery fell on Outpost Harry. Since the outpost was defended each night by only a single company of American or Greek soldiers, the PVA had anticipated an easy capture. Over a period of eight days repeated PVA infantry attacks were launched against the outpost. Five United Nations Command (UN): companies, four US and one Greek, took turns in defending the outpost.^{[citation needed]}

Most of the fighting occurred at night, under heavy mortar fire, while the daylight hours were usually spent by the UN forces evacuating the dead and wounded, replacing the defending company, sending up resupplies and repairing the fortified positions. The daylight hours were punctuated with artillery, mortar and sniper fire, making repairs and reinforcement a more dangerous task. During the 4 to 5 days prior to the initial attack on the outpost, PVA artillery and mortar fire increased from an average of 275 to 670 per day during daylight hours.

The soldiers of the Greek Expeditionary Force, Sparta Battalion adapted its name and called it Outpost "Haros", the modern Greek equivalent to Charon, Greek mythology's ferryman to the underworld of Hades.