TWENTY NINTH INFANTRY REGIMENTAL COMBAT TEAM

TWENTY NINTH INFANTRY REGIMENTAL COMBAT TEAM

JULY 25:  he RCT arrived this date and was attached to the 24th Infantry Division.

JULY 26:  The 3d Bn moved west toward Hadong in the afternoon arriving at Chinju.    

JULY 27:  The 3d Bn moved west from Chinju twoards Hadong.  The contacted a strong North Korean force with an estimated strength of over 1,200 men, reinforced by three tanks, two armored cars and two artilleery pieces.  North Korean troops, armed with machine guns were emplaced on high ground on both flanks.  The 3d Bn was forced to retreat, which quickly turned into a rout.  They withdrew to Chinju with half the Battalion missing and with over 100 men being treated at the aid station in Chinju.

     The 1st Bn was sent north from Chinju towards Anui to relieve the 1st Bn of the 19th RCT of the 24th Infantry Division.  They relieved all of the battalion except for "A" company which was trapped by North Korean road blocks.  The 34th RCT of the 24th ID were ordered to contact the 1st Bn, 29th RCT.

JULY 28:  The 3d Bn regrouped and was resupplied during the day.  The battalion had suffered 50 percent either missing or wounded as a result of the action on the previous day.  Additionally they had lost most of their equipment and crews served weapons (mortars, machine guns, recoilless rifles) and were completely ineffective as a fighting force.  The 1st Bn, supported by a battery of artillery pushed to the outskirts of Anui, where it was heavily attacked.  B Company was cut off from the rest of the battalion and trapped in the town.

JULY 29:  Company B relieved Co. A, 19th Infantry Regiment in the town and as A company was leaving, they ran into a North Korean roadblock and about 60 men were trapped.  They destroyed their vehicles and equipment and went into the mountains to the northeast and eventually met up with the 34th RCT, 24th Division.  Company B. was attacked from North, South and West,  so they waded across the river and headed east through rice paddies.  The head of the column, consisting of two officers and 16 enlisted men were cut off from the rest of the unit by heavy automatic weapons fire,  those men failed in an attempt to free the remainder of the column and went over the mountains and also joined the 34th RCT.  Because of intense enemy pressure, the 1st Bn less Co B was forced to withdraw to positions near Sanchong.

JULY 30:  The 3d Bn was reorganized and formed into two rifle companies, K and L.  K Co was attached to the 2d Bn, 19th Infantry.  L Co was attached to the 1st Bn, 19th Infantry.

JULY 31:  The 1st Bn was moving from a point southeast of Sanchong towards Tausong when an air dropped message ordered it to withdraw towards the east.  The 27th RCT, complete, arrived in Changnyong at about 1:30 PM.

AUGUST 1:  Both battalions became a part of "Task Force Mike" along with the 27th RCT of the 25th Infantry Division, 19th RCT of the 24th Division and the 89th Tank Battalion which had just been attached to the 24th Division.  Late in the day the 1st Bn, which was in good shape with the exception of Company B, joined the 19th RCT..

AUGUST 2:  The 29th RCT was relieved from attachment to the 24th Division and was attached to the 25th Division.

AUGUST 3:  The 29th RCT and the 19th RCT of the 24th Division was relieved by the 35th RCT of the 25th Division and was ordered to Masan to rest, re-equip and reorganize.  The relief by the 35th RCT was completed by 7:30 PM.

AUGUST 5:  A radio net was set up using thirteen LST's and an APA anchored off Masan and which were supporting the First Provisional Marine Brigade.  This net serviced all units operating in the Masan Area and also conntected to the Pusan net.

AUGUST 6:  At 2 PM the 1st Bn joined the 35th RCT, 25th Division as Division reserve.  At 10:30 PM the RCT arrived in the vicinity of Chindong-ni.