Battle of Pusan Perimeter order of battle
This is the order of battle for United Nations and North Korean forces during the Battle of Pusan Perimeter in August and September 1950 during the Korean War. The engagement brought each side to muster substantial ground, air and sea resources to fight across southeastern Korea.
The UN brought to bear hundreds of units from member countries South Korea, the United States, and the United Kingdom. Several other nations augmented the large naval task forces with ships of their own, including Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and The Netherlands. Opposing the UN force was the entirety of the North Korean military.
UN forces proved superior to the North Koreans in organization and numbers, but UN forces also suffered from a lack of equipment and training, particularly in their ground forces. As the battles around Pusan Perimeter continued, UN forces and equipment continued to flood into Korea, giving them overwhelming advantages in their land, air, and sea components. Though many nations would eventually contribute forces to the Korean War, the majority of troops at the battle were American and South Korean only.
North Korean forces were inferior to the UN forces in number, but in several cases they were able to make up for this in superior training. North Korean air and naval forces were small and poorly trained and equipped, thus playing a negligible role in the battle. However North Korean ground troops were often well trained and well equipped with modern weapons. The protracted battle around the perimeter severely depleted these troops forcing the North Koreans to rely increasingly on conscripts and replacements, diminishing their advantage in the battle and leading them to an eventual defeat.
UN Forces
Ground
The United Nations forces were organized under the command of the United States Army. The Eighth United States Army served as the headquarters component for the UN forces, and was headquartered at Taegu. Under it were three weak US Divisions; the 24th Infantry Division was brought to the country early in July, while the 1st Cavalry Division and 25th Infantry Division arrived between July 14 and July 18. These forces occupied the western segment of the perimeter, along the Naktong river.The Republic of Korea Army, a force of 58,000, was organized into two corps and five divisions; from east to west, ROK I Corps controlled the 8th Infantry Division and Capital Divisions, while the ROK II Corps controlled the 1st Division and 6th Infantry Division. A reconstituted ROK 3rd Division was placed under direct ROK Army control. Morale among the UN units was low due to the large number of defeats at that point in the war. US Forces had suffered over 6,000 casualties over the past month while the South Korean Army had lost an estimated 70,000.
Troop numbers at the beginning of the battle were initially difficult to estimate for US and North Korean forces. Subsequent research indicates that the North Korean army had around 70,000 combat troops committed to the Pusan Perimeter on August 5, with most of its divisions far understrength. It likely had less than 3,000 personnel in mechanized units, and around 40 T-34 tanks at the front due to extensive losses so far in the war. MacArthur reported 141,808 UN troops in Korea on August 4, of which 47,000 were in US ground combat units and 45,000 were in South Korean combat units. Thus the UN ground force outnumbered the North Koreans 92,000 to 70,000.
Throughout September 1950 as the battle raged, more UN forces arrived from the US and other locations. The 2nd Infantry Division, 5th Regimental Combat Team, and 1st Provisional Marine Brigade and a British Army brigade arrived in Pusan later in the fighting, along with large numbers of fresh troops and equipment, including over 500 tanks. By the end of the battle, Eighth Army's force had gone from three under-strength divisions to four fully manned formations which were well equipped and well prepared for war. By the end of the battle, the 27th British Commonwealth Brigade had arrived to assist the American and South Korean units.
US 8th Army
Commander: Lieutenant General Walton H. Walker| Unit | Sub-units | Notes |
| 1st Cavalry Division Major General Hobart R. Gay |
| Reported a strength of 10,276 August 4 Stood at 14,703 by September 1. |
| 2nd Infantry Division Major General Laurence B. Keiser |
| Reported a strength of 4,922 in Korea on August 4 Stood at 17,498 by September 1. |
| 24th Infantry DivisionMajor General John H. Church |
| Reported a strength of 14,540 August 4 Stood at 14,739 by September 1. |
| 25th Infantry Division Major General William B. Kean |
| Reported a strength of 12,073 August 4 Stood at 15,007 by September 1. |
| 1st Provisional Marine Brigade Brigadier General Edward A. Craig |
| Reported a strength of 4,725 on August 5. Stood at 4,290 by September 1. |
| 27th Commonwealth BrigadeBrigadier Basil Coad |
| Arrived 26 August, having left one battalion in Hong Kong. Stood at 1,578 by September 1. |
ROK Army
Air
UN forces had a massive arsenal of air support at their disposal, provided by the US Air Force. This support was provided primarily by the Far East Air Forces and the Fifth Air Force, but US Navy and US Marine Corps aviation played a substantial role in supporting operations from the sea. UN Forces had complete control of the air and sea throughout the fight. and US Air Force and US Navy elements provided support for the ground units throughout the battle virtually unopposed. By the end of the battle the Eighth Army had more air support than General Omar Bradley's Twelfth United States Army Group in Europe during World War II.By the end of July, the US had shipped a large number of aircraft of all types to Korea. On 30 July, the Far East Air Forces had 890 planes-626 F-80's and 264 F-51's-but only 525 of them were in units and available and ready for combat.
The Far East Air Force commanded a large contingent of long-range heavy bomber aircraft, and these assets were based in Japan, far from the North Koreans' striking range. Generally, the massive striking power was too unwieldy for the UN to use against the dispersed North Korean units, and the airpower of FEAF's B-29 Superfortresses was passed over in favor of smaller and more versatile fighter bombers of the Fifth Air Force. Under orders from MacArthur, however, the FEAF bomber command conducted one mission during the Pusan Perimeter fights.
On August 16, in the midst of the fight around Taegu, conducted one large carpet bombing operation northwest of Waegwan, where up to 40,000 North Korean troops were believed to be massing. The bombers from 10,000 feet dropped approximately 960 tons of 500- and 1,000-pound bombs. The attack had required the entirety of the FEAF bombing component, and they had dropped 3,084 bombs and 150 bombs. This comprised the largest Air Force operation since the Battle of Normandy in World War II.
General Walker reported to General MacArthur the next day that the damage done to the North Koreans by the bombing couldn't be evaluated because of smoke and dust, and ground forces couldn't reach it because of North Korean fire. Information obtained later from North Korean prisoners revealed the enemy divisions the Far East Command thought to be still west of the Naktong had already crossed to the east side and were not in the bombed area. No evidence was found that the bombing killed a single North Korean soldier.
However, the bombing seems to have destroyed a significant number of North Korean artillery batteries. The UN ground and air commanders opposed future massive carpet bombing attacks against enemy tactical troops unless there was precise information on an enemy concentration and the situation was critical. Instead, they recommended fighter-bombers and dive bombers would better support ground forces. They subsequently canceled a second bombing of an area east of the Naktong scheduled for August 19.
Far East Air Force and 5th Air Force
Naval aircraft
The US Navy and Marine Corps aviation elements came to bear against the North Korean forces from five carriers during the battle: USS Valley Forge with Carrier Air Group 5, USS Philippine Sea with Carrier Air Group 11, HMS Triumph with two squadrons of the Fleet Air Arm, and two smaller carriers that supported Marine aircraft of the 1st Marine Aircraft Wing. Carrier Air Group 5 was the only Carrier-based air wing in the Far East at the time of the outbreak of war. Many of the pilots operating these aircraft were World War II veterans, however budget cuts following the end of the war had greatly reduced their training and readiness in the months before the war.Early in the war, these aircraft were used primarily to conduct raids and gather intelligence on North Korean ground targets, focused on disrupting North Korean supply to the front lines. However, as soon as UN forces retreated to Pusan Perimeter following the Battle of Taejon, the Naval aircraft were immediately re purposed for close-air support and airstrikes against North Korean ground troops on the front. These missions were significantly more risky and the aircraft suffered much higher losses due to North Korean ground fire.
| Unit | Sub-units | Notes |
 Carrier Air Group 5 |
| Based on USS Valley Forge |
| Carrier Air Group 11 | Based on USS Philippine Sea | |
 13th Carrier Air Group | Based on HMS Triumph | |
| Marine Aircraft Group 33 | Part of 1st Marine Aircraft Wing. Based on USS Badoeng Strait and USS Sicily |
Sea
The UN forces also had at their disposal a massive naval force of multi-national composition, which assisted in the defense of Pusan Perimeter at several crucial junctures. Ships of the fleet provided supporting artillery fire during pitched ground battles and provided a route of resupply and evacuation during other junctures. Multiple aircraft carriers provided bases for large contingents of aircraft that flew sorties and air strikes over North Korean ground forces.UN ships continued to stream into the theater during and after the Pusan Perimeter engagement, and they played varying roles in support of the battle. The fleet was split into three primary groups; Task Force 77 formed the primary Aircraft carrier and striking component of the fleet, Task Force 96 consisted of a variety of smaller ships concerned with coastal bombardment, and Task Force 90 formed an attack transport squadron to assist in the evacuation and movement of ground troops.
Overall command of the naval force was taken by the US Seventh Fleet, and the bulk of the naval power provided was also from the US. The United Kingdom also provided a small naval task force including an aircraft carrier and several cruisers. Eventually, Australia, Canada and New Zealand provided ships as well. The Republic of Korea Navy itself was almost negligible during the battle. The South Koreans had a very small navy consisting of a few dozen minesweepers, LSTs, PT boats and other small craft donated to them by other UN member states. Compared to the larger UN fleet these craft played a very small role in the engagement, but North Korean naval ships, which were also very small, tended to target the ROK fleet more often.
US 7th Fleet
Under Vice Admiral Arthur D. Struble, Task Force 77 formed the core Carrier striking force of the UN forces. The force contained the UN aircraft carriers as well as a number of attendant escorts. The lineup of the escorts differed as ships were assigned roles in Task Force 96 during the course of the battle.| Ship name | Class | Notes |
| USS Valley Forge | Essex-class aircraft carrier | Arrived in theater in early July with Carrier Air Group 5. |
| USS Philippine Sea | Essex-class aircraft carrier | Arrived in theater August 5 with Carrier Air Group 11. Served as Task Force 77 flagship. |
| HMS Triumph | Colossus-class aircraft carrier | 1st Aircraft Carrier Squadron, Far East Fleet. Arrived in theater July 1 with two squadrons of UK Fleet Air Arm. |
| USS Badoeng Strait | Commencement Bay-class escort carrier | |
| USS Sicily | Commencement Bay-class escort carrier | |
| USS Rochester | Oregon City-class heavy cruiser | |
| USS Saint Paul | Baltimore-class heavy cruiser | |
| USS Manchester | Cleveland-class light cruiser | |
| USS Worcester | Worcester-class light cruiser | |
| HMS Ceylon | Crown Colony-class light cruiser | Arrived in theater August 29. |
| HMS Belfast | Town-class light cruiser | Arrived in theater July 1. |
| USS Hollister | Gearing-class destroyer | |
| USS Borie | Allen M. Sumner-class destroyer | |
| USS John A. Bole | Allen M. Sumner-class destroyer | |
| USS Taussig | Allen M. Sumner-class destroyer | Arrived in theater July 2010 |
| USS Doyle | Gleaves-class destroyer | |
| USS Endicott | Gleaves-class destroyer | |
| USS Eversole | Gearing-class destroyer | |
| USS George K. MacKenzie | Gearing-class destroyer | |
| USS Gurke | Gearing-class destroyer | |
| USS Hamner | Gearing-class destroyer | |
| USS Henderson | Gearing-class destroyer | Arrived in theater August 19 |
| USS Herbert J. Thomas | Gearing-class destroyer | Arrived in theater July 1950 |
| USS Higbee | Gearing-class destroyer | Arrived in theater June 1950 |
| USS Ozbourn | Gearing-class destroyer | Arrived in theater August 1950 |
| USS Wiltsie | Gearing-class destroyer | Arrived in theater August 1950 |
| USS Fletcher | Fletcher-class destroyer | Arrived in theater July 3. |
| HMS Cossack | C-class destroyer | Arrived in theater June 29. |
| HMS Consort | C-class destroyer | Arrived in theater June 29. |
| HMS Unicorn | Unicorn class | 1st Aircraft Carrier Squadron, Far East Fleet. Arrived in theater August 29. Although able to operate as an aircraft carrier, she served in her usual role as an aircraft repair and maintenance carrier and was not actively engaged in combat. |
Task Force 96, under Vice Admiral C. Turner Joy, was the largest organization of UN forces by number of ships. The force consisted primarily of cruisers, destroyers, and other smaller ships, which were used to blockade North Korean waterways and conduct coastal bombardments. Ships in this role would also periodically switch to Task Force 77, acting as a screen and escort for the UN aircraft carriers. This force was also the most diverse of the forces, as ships from five nations would eventually be assigned to it.
| Ship name | Class | Notes |
| USS Helena | Baltimore-class heavy cruiser | |
| USS Juneau | Atlanta-class light cruiser | |
| HMS Jamaica | Crown Colony-class light cruiser | |
| HMS Kenya | Crown Colony-class light cruiser | Arrived in theater June 30. |
| HMS Belfast | Town-class light cruiser | Flagship of 1st Aircraft Carrier Squadron, Far East Fleet. Arrived in theater June 31. |
| USS De Haven | Allen M. Sumner-class destroyer | |
| USS Mansfield | Allen M. Sumner-class destroyer | |
| USS Lyman K. Swenson | Allen M. Sumner-class destroyer | |
| USS Soley | Allen M. Sumner-class destroyer | |
| USS Collett | Allen M. Sumner-class destroyer | |
| USS Samuel N. Moore | Allen M. Sumner-class destroyer | Arrived July 1950 |
| USS Strong | Allen M. Sumner-class destroyer | Arrived in theater July 1 |
| USS Shelton | Gearing-class destroyer | |
| USS Theodore E. Chandler | Gearing-class destroyer | |
| USS Wiltsie | Gearing-class destroyer | |
| USS Frank Knox | Gearing-class destroyer | Arrived in theater July 1950. |
| USS Ernest G. Small | Gearing-class destroyer | |
| USS James E. Kyes | Gearing-class destroyer | |
| USS Hanson | Gearing-class destroyer | |
| USS Keppler | Gearing-class destroyer | Arrived in theater August 1950 |
| USS Southerland | Gearing-class destroyer | Arrived in theater July 19. |
| USS Shields | Fletcher-class destroyer | |
| HMS Cockade | C-class destroyer | Arrived in theater July 1950. |
| HMS Charity | C-class destroyer | Arrived in theater July 1950. |
| HMS Comus | C-class destroyer | Arrived in theater July 1950. |
 HMAS Bataan | Tribal-class destroyer | |
 HMCS Sioux | V-class destroyer | |
| HMCS Cayuga | Tribal-class destroyer | |
| HMCS Athabaskan | Tribal-class destroyer | |
 HNLMS Eversten | S-class destroyer | |
| HMAS Shoalhaven | River-class frigate | |
 HMNZS Pukaki | Loch-class frigate | |
| HMNZS Tutira | Loch-class frigate | |
| HMS Mounts Bay | Bay-class anti-aircraft frigate | Arrived in theater September 1950. Served primarily as an escort during the Battle of Inchon. |
| HMS Whitesand Bay | Bay-class anti-aircraft frigate | Arrived in theater September 11. Served primarily as a troop transport during the Battle of Inchon. |
| HMS Black Swan | Black Swan-class sloop | Arrived in theater June 30. |
| HMS Alacrity | Black Swan-class sloop | Arrived in theater June 30. |
| HMS Hart | Black Swan-class sloop | Arrived in theater June 30. |
| HMS Alert | modified Bay-class frigate | An "Admiralty Yacht" or despatch vessel. Served as a headquarters ship. |
| HMHS Maine | Hospital ship | Served as the UN fleet's primary hospital ship |
| USS Remora | Tench-class submarine | Patrolled extreme north of Korean theater in the Soya Strait |
| USS Pickerel | Tench-class submarine | |
| USS Chatterer | YMS-1-class minesweeper | |
| USS Mockingbird | YMS-1-class minesweeper | |
| USS Osprey | YMS-1-class minesweeper | |
| USS Redhead | YMS-1-class minesweeper |
Task Force 90, under Rear Admiral James H. Doyle, was primarily concerned with amphibious operations in the theater. As such, it contained no combat ships, only attack transports and a large number of LSTs. The force consisted entirely of US ships. At least 15 LSTs were assigned to the force during the battle to support the attack transports.
| Ship name | Class | Notes |
| USS Mount McKinley | Mount McKinley-class command ship | |
| USS Cavalier | Bayfield-class attack transport | |
| USS Titania | Arcturus-class attack cargo ship | |
| USS Oglethorpe | Andromeda-class attack cargo ship | |
| USS Diphda | Andromeda-class attack cargo ship | |
| USS Alshain | Andromeda-class attack cargo ship | |
| USS Union | Tolland-class attack cargo ship | |
| USS Arikara | Abnaki-class tug | |
| USS Diachenko | Crosley-class high speed transport | |
| USS Horace A. Bass | Crosley-class high speed transport | |
| USS Kite | YMS-1-class minesweeper | Arrived in theater July 1950. |
Additionally, a number of other combat ships were used to ferry weapons and supplies to the growing UN force during the battle. These ships were not deployed in a combat role in this battle, though some would later be moved to combat service later on in the war.
| Ship name | Class | Notes |
| HMS Warrior | Colossus-class aircraft carrier | Carried additional aircraft for other carriers. |
| USS Boxer | Essex-class aircraft carrier | Carried aircraft for US Air Force units. |
| USS Segundo | Balao-class submarine | Ferried torpedoes and other weapons |
| USS Catfish | Balao-class submarine | Ferried torpedoes and other weapons |
| SS Luxembourg Victory | Liberty ship | Carried tanks for UN ground forces. |
| USNS Sgt. George D Keathley | Cargo ship |
North Korean Forces
Land
The North Korean People's Army forces were organized into a mechanized combined arms force of ten divisions, originally numbering some 90,000 well-trained and well-equipped troops in July, with hundreds of T-34 Tanks. However, defensive actions by US and South Korean forces had delayed the North Koreans significantly in their invasion of South Korea, costing them 58,000 of their troops and a large number of tanks. To recoup these losses, the North Koreans had to rely on less experienced replacements and conscripts, many of whom they took from the conquered regions of South Korea. During the course of the battle, the North Koreans raised a total of 13 infantry divisions and one armored division to the fight at Pusan Perimeter.From south to northeast, the North Korean units initially positioned opposite the UN units were the 83rd Motorized Regiment of the 105th Armored Division and then the 6th, 4th, 3rd, 2nd, 15th, 1st, 13th, 8th, 12th, and 5th Divisions and the 766th Independent Infantry Regiment.
North Korean People's Army
Air and Sea
The Korean People's Navy controlled a very small force of around 50 or 60 ships, all of which were small ships. The navy possessed a few torpedo boats and gunboats among others, some of which were donated by the Soviet Union, but these ships were no match for the UN naval forces. Following the Battle of Chumonchin Chan, a one-sided engagement in which UN forces ambushed and crushed a small North Korean flotilla, North Korean ships generally avoided UN ships completely, leaving the UN naval forces virtually unopposed. North Korean torpedo boats may have conducted isolated attacks against similarly small South Korean ships but they did not oppose larger UN ships during the fight around the Pusan Perimeter. They could also not find resupply from Soviet or China as neither had a large standing navy in the region. This is seen by historians as one of the largest disadvantages North Korea had during the battle, as it allowed the UN complete sea and air superiority.At the start of the Korean War in July, the Korean People's Air Force consisted of about 150 combat aircraft. This force was a mixture of Russian-built models and generally were in poor maintenance and repair. Fighter aircraft included Yakovlev Yak-7s, Yak-3s and a few Yak-9s, 70 in total. They controlled a handful of Ilyushin Il-10 for air-to-surface combat, and used Polikarpov Po-2 biplanes for training. These craft were poorly maintained and their pilots were eager but mostly untrained. However, the North Korean ground forces had much more modern equipment, including Anti-aircraft weapons and vehicles, which were more effective in threatening UN aircraft. North Korean aircraft engaged US aircraft in small, isolated dogfights throughout the battle, but the North Koreans were unable to muster a sufficient force of fighters to the front to seriously oppose the massive UN air component.