"Following Brigade rapid advance from Chindong-ni to Sachon in which this Brigade attacked, overcame, and pursued the enemy, the 25th Infantry Division directed the withdrawal of this Brigade in order to hold a defensive position and mop up enemy resistance in the zone of action of elements of the 25th Division" 1st Provisional Marine Brigade order, August 13th 1950 The 1st Marine Brigade, consisting mainly of the 5th Marine Regiment, landed at Pusan on August 2nd, and was to go into action on the 7th. The plan was to launch a counter-attack on the very southern end of the North Korean front, to draw NKPA attention and reserves from their anticipated attack on the centre of the US line. The attacking forces were designated Task Force Kean, and consisted of the Marines, the 5th Regimental Combat Team (RCT) and two regiments of the 25th Infantry Division.
The attack would jump off from the coastal town of Masan and head towards Chinju, cutting off a large peninsula and threatening the right flank of the entire NKPA line. The 35th Regiment of the 25th Division would take the inland road through Pansong, the 5th RCT would accompany the Marines down to Chindong-ni and then cut across to Pansong, and the Marines would take the longer coast road through Kosong and Sachon - their first major objective. Facing TF Kean was the NKPA 6th Infantry Division, reinforced with the 83rd Motorcycle Regiment. This force was also about to put in an attack, hoping to stage an 'end run' on the weak left flank of the UN forces and roll up their line. The initial set-up advances of these two forces collided at Chindong-ni on the night of August 6th/7th. From then until the morning of the 9th the fighting swirled around the hills overlooking Chindong-ni. The NKPA positions here were eventually wiped out and the advance began to get under way. The Marines headed south along the coast road, and arrived at Taedabok Pass, a narrow defile 15km short of Kosong, on August 10th. The day was spent clearing the hills overlooking the pass of an ambush.
When the lead elements of the force arrived in Kosong the next morning, they surprised about 100 vehicles of the NKPA 83rd Motorcycle Regiment. Good co-operation between the ground troops and Marine Air Group 33 ensured their destruction, at a cost of two Corsairs down. The 24km from there to the village of Changchon were almost uncontested. The Marine Brigade was now fighting on two fronts 40km
apart, facing in opposite directions. Their leader, Brigadier-General Craig, commanded from a helicopter. At midnight on the 12th/13th, the rest of the Brigade received orders to withdraw back to the Chindong-ni area. As they started to move in the early morning, an all-out NKPA attack hit them. One platoon was overrun, and the pressure did not let up until dawn, when artillery and air power forced the attackers to retreat.
The Marines were finally free to withdraw from combat to prepare for MacArthur's masterstroke - the landing at Inchon.