Korean War order of battle explained

This is the Korean War order of battle. Subsidiary commands are listed on sub-pages. Where no date is shown for a command, assume it present at the start of the war, on June 25, 1950.

Pro-Southern forces: United Nations and Republic of Korea

Republic of Korea Armed Forces (prior to June 25, 1950)

Republic of Korea Armed Forces
- Capital Guard Command, Seoul & Ongjin
  - 3rd Infantry Regiment
  - 8th Infantry Regiment
  - 17th Infantry Regiment
  - 18th Infantry Regiment
  - 1st Cavalry Regiment
- 1st Infantry Division, Kaesong
  - 11th Infantry Regiment
  - 12th Infantry Regiment
  - 13th Infantry Regiment
- 2nd Infantry Division, Daejeon
  - 5th Infantry Regiment
  - 16th Infantry Regiment
  - 25th Infantry Regiment
- 3rd Infantry Division, Daegu
  - 22nd Infantry Regiment
  - 23rd Infantry Regiment
- 5th Infantry Division, Gwangju
  - 15th Infantry Regiment
  - 20th Infantry Regiment
- 6th Infantry Division, Chuncheon & Wonju
  - 2nd Infantry Regiment
  - 7th Infantry Regiment
  - 19th Infantry Regiment
- 7th Infantry Division, Dongducheon
  - 1st Infantry Regiment
  - 3rd Infantry Regiment
  - 9th Infantry Regiment
- 8th Infantry Division, Gangneung & Jumunjin
  - 10th Infantry Regiment
  - 21st Infantry Regiment
- 9th Infantry Division, Seoul (from October 1950)
  - 28th Infantry Regiment
  - 29th Infantry Regiment
  - 30th Infantry Regiment

United Nations Ground Forces

General Headquarters United Nations Command (Korea) (UNC) - Formally activated 10 July 1950, before then allied forces were formally under American operational control.
- US Army Forces Far East
  - Eighth Army - Combination of ROK infantry divisions and UN forces
    - I Corps
    - IX Corps
    - X Corps: September 15, 1950 to December 24, 1950.
- United States ground forces (with attached UN units)
  - 2nd Infantry Division
    - French Battalion
    - Dutch Battalion (from early 1951)
  - 3rd Infantry Division
    - 65th Infantry Regiment (from September 1950)
    - Belgian Battalion (from February 1951)
      - Luxembourg Platoon (from February 1951)
    - Greek Battalion
  - 7th Infantry Division
    - Colombian Battalion
    - Ethiopian "Kagnew" Battalion
  - 24th Infantry Division
  - 25th Infantry Division
    - Turkish Brigade
    - 10th Philippine Battalion Combat Team
  - 40th Infantry Division
  - 45th Infantry Division
  - 1st Cavalry Division
    - Thai Battalion
  - 187th Airborne Infantry Regiment
  - 5th Infantry Regiment
- United Nations divisions under overall US command:
  - 27th British Commonwealth Brigade (from August 1950-July 1951)
  - British 28th Infantry Brigade (from April–June 1951)
  - British 29th Infantry Brigade (from November 1950-July 1951)
  - 1st Commonwealth Division (from July 1951)
- US Marine Corps
  - 1st Marine Division
    - Provisional Marine Brigade 1950
  - 1st Marine Aircraft Wing
- Republic of Korea Army
  - ROK I Corps
  - ROK II Corps

United Nations Naval Forces

Naval Forces Far East
- United States Seventh Fleet (from June 27, 1950)
  - Task Force 90
  - Task Force 95 (from September 12, 1950)
  - Task Force 96
- British Far East Fleet (from June 28, 1950)

United Nations Air Forces

US Far East Air Forces
- 31st Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron (Photographic) (from June 29-November 15, 1950)
- 91st Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron (Medium, Photographic) (from November 15, 1950)
- Fifth Air Force
- Far East Air Forces Bomber Command
- Twentieth Air Force

Australia

See main article: Order of battle of Australian forces during the Korean War.

Other

See main article: article and Medical support in the Korean War.

Swedish Red Cross Field Hospital (Svenska Röda Korset-sjukhuset)
Indian Army 60th Parachute Field Ambulance
Danish Red Cross Hospital Ship
Norwegian Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (NORMASH)
Italian 68th Red Cross Hospital (L’Ospedale N. 68 della Croce Rossa Italiana)

Pro-Northern forces: People's Republic of Korea and China

North Korean forces

Korean People's Army
- 1st NKPA Division
- 2nd NKPA Division
- 3rd NKPA Division
- 4th NKPA Division
- 5th NKPA Division
- 6th NKPA Division
- 12th NKPA Division
- 10th NKPA Division
- 13th NKPA Division
- 15th NKPA Division
- 105th Armoured Brigade
- 206th Mechanized Infantry Brigade

Notes:

NKPA infantry divisions 1 through 7 were regular force infantry divisions used in the attack on South Korea, while the 10th, 13th, and 15th were reserve units used for security.

Chinese forces

See main article: Chinese People's Volunteer Army order of battle.

People's Volunteers Army November 23, 1950

XIII Army Group - General Deng Hua
- 38th Army - General Liang Xingchu
  - 112th Division (334th, 335th, 336th Regts)
  - 113th Division (337th, 338th, 339th Regts)
  - 114th Division (340th, 341st, 342d Regts)
- 39th Army - General Wu Xinquan
  - 115th Division (343d, 344th, 345th Regts)
  - 116th Division (346th, 347th, 348th Regts)
  - 117th Division (349th, 350th, 351st Regts)
- 40th Army - General Wen Yucheng
  - 118th Division (352d, 353d, 354th Regts)
  - 119th Division (355th, 356th, 357th Regts)
  - 120th Division (358th, 359th, 360th Regts)
- 42nd Army - General Wu Ruilin
  - 124th Division (370th, 371st, 372d Regts)
  - 125th Division (373d, 374th, 375th Regts)
  - 126th Division (376th, 377th, 378th Regts)
- 50th Army - General Zeng Zesheng
  - 148th Division (442d, 443d, 444th Regts)
  - 149th Division (445th, 446th, 447th Regts)
  - 150th Division (448th, 449th, 450th Regts)
- 66th Army - General Xiao Xinhuai
  - 196th Division (586th, 587th, 588th Regts)
  - 197th Division (589th, 590th, 591st Regts)
  - 198th Division (592d, 593d, 594th Regts)
- 1st Motorised Artillery Division (25th, 26th, 27th Regts)
- 2nd Motorised Artillery Division (28th, 29th, 30th Regts)
- 8th Motorised Artillery Division (31st, 44th, 45th Regts)
IX Army Group - General Song Shi-Lun
- 20th Army - General Zhang Yixiang
  - 58th Division (172d, 173d, 174th Regts)
  - 59th Division (175th, 176th, 177th Regts)
  - 60th Division (178th, 179th, 180th Regts)
  - 89th Division (265th, 266th, 267th Regts)
- 26th Army - General Zhang Renchu
  - 76th Division (226th, 227th, 228th Regts)
  - 77th Division (229th, 230th, 231st Regts)
  - 78th Division (232d, 233d, 234th, Regts)
  - 88th Division (262d, 263d, 264th Regts)
- 27th Army - General Peng Deqing
  - 79th Division (235th, 236th, 237th Regts)
  - 80th Division (238th, 239th, 240th Regts)
  - 81st Division (241st, 242nd, 243d Regts)
  - 90th Div (268th, 269th, 270th Regts)
III Army Group - General Chen Geng
- 12th Army - General Zeng Shaoshan
- 15th Army - General Qin Jiwei
- 60th Army - General Wei Jie
  - 179th Division
  - 180th Division
  - 181st Division
XIX Army Group - General Yang Dezhi
- 63rd Army - General Fu Congbi
- 64th Army - General Zeng Siyu
- 65th Army - General Xiao Yingtang

Soviet Union

64th Fighter Aviation Corps

Other

Foreign Medical Continents
- Bulgarian Red Cross^[1]
- Czechoslovak Field Hospital (from 1952)^[2]

Sources

Book: Korean War Order of Battle: United States, United Nations, and Communist Ground, Naval, and Air Forces, 1950-1953. Gordon L. . Rottman. Ed . Evanhoe . Greenwood Publishing Group, Incorporated . December 2002 . 978-0-275-97835-8.
Book: Mossman, Billy C.. UNITED STATES ARMY IN THE KOREAN WAR EBB AND FLOW NOVEMBER 1950-JULY 1951. United States Army Center of Military History. WASHINGTON, D.C.. 1990. 2010-07-21. 2021-01-29. https://web.archive.org/web/20210129051533/https://history.army.mil/books/korea/ebb/fm.htm. dead.

Notes and References

Web site: Bulgaria's Experience in Peace Support Operations.
Web site: Czechoslovakia in Korean War. www.kilroywashere.org.

Korean War order of battle explained

Pro-Southern forces: United Nations and Republic of Korea

Republic of Korea Armed Forces (prior to June 25, 1950)

United Nations Ground Forces

United Nations Naval Forces

United Nations Air Forces

Australia

Other

Pro-Northern forces: People's Republic of Korea and China

North Korean forces

Chinese forces

Soviet Union

Other

See also

Sources

Notes and References