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Chail-li was the next major engagement for the Canadians.
This time, 25 CIBG gave the 2 RCR the difficult assignment of capturing
Hill 467, a height that towered over the village of Chail-li. Unlike
at Kap'yong, however, Canadian soldiers would not succeed in achieving
their objective.
In the early morning hours of 30 May 1951, the Canadians
attempted to scale the steep slopes of Hill 467, but with little success.
They did not realize that the hill was the linchpin of Chinese defences
in the area. It was extremely well fortified with trenches and weapons
nests. The Canadian guns could not dislodge the Chinese from their entrenchments.
The brigade commander, Brigadier J.M. Rockingham, soon realized that
his only option was to order the RCR to withdraw. A withdrawal under
fire is one of the most difficult military operations to execute successfully,
but 2RCR did so, bringing all their dead and wounded with them.
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National Archives of Canada (PA-128839, photo
by Paul E. Tomelin).
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Members of "B" Company, 1st
Battalion, Royal Canadian Regiment, Korea, 13 October 1952.
From left to right: Lance Corporal
Wally Jones, Private Allan Markus, and Private Doug McCallum.
The R.C.R. had been given the impossible task of capturing Hill
467 over Chail-li.
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