| Belgian Volunteer Corps for Korea | |
|---|---|
 A Luxembourgish soldier in Korea in 1953 | |
| Active | 1950–1955 |
| Countries |  Belgium Luxembourg |
| Allegiance |  United Nations |
| Type | Infantry battalion |
| Size | Total: |
| Part of | 29th Commonwealth Brigade 1st US Cavalry Division 3rd US Infantry Division |
| Engagements | |
| Decorations | 2ROK Presidential Unit Citations US Presidential Unit Citation Belgian Order of Leopold[3] |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Albert Crahay[4][5] Lt. Col. G. Vivario[6] Lt. Col. R. Gathy[7] |
TheVolunteer Corps for Korea (French:Corps de Volontaires pour la Corée;Dutch:Vrijwilligerskorps voor Korea) was aBelgium–Luxembourg military force sent to assistSouth Korea during theKorean War. Abattalion-sized unit, it arrived in Korea in 1951 and remained after the cease-fire until 1955. Over the course of its existence, 3,171 Belgians and 78 Luxembourgers served in the unit.[8]
Belgium, a country inWestern Europe, became a signatory member of theUnited Nations (UN) in 1945 in the aftermath ofWorld War II but had few pre-existing ties withEast Asia. TheBelgian Army operated a system ofnational service and already had sizeable commitments as part of thearmy of occupation inWest Germany.
At the time theKorean War broke out in June 1950 the country was in the midst of a political crisis known as theRoyal Question. This related to whetherKing Leopold III should be able to return to the throne after his actions inGerman-occupied Belgium in World War II but created a wider confrontation between left-leaning communist, socialist and trade-union circles which opposed the King's return and conservatives who supported it. The crisis brought the centre-rightChristian Social Party to power although a compromise solution was found in August 1950 under which the King abdicated in favour of his son.
Prime MinisterJoseph Pholien was opposed to the rise of communism abroad and wished to gain support from the United States. Both Belgian andLuxembourg governments decided to raise a volunteer-only formation to serve under UN command in the defence ofSouth Korea.
Over 2,000 Belgians volunteered for service in B.U.N.C. Of these, initially only 700 were selected for training atLeopoldsburg. After training, volunteers received their characteristic brown berets. Soldiers from Luxembourg who were trained alongside the Belgians were organised into 1st Platoon, A Company of B.U.N.C.[9]
The Belgian-Luxembourg Corps sailed fromAntwerp toPusan and arrived on 31 January 1951.[10] On arrival in Korea, some South Korean troops were made part of the Belgian contingent in order to bring the regiment up to correct battalion strength along the lines of the US "KATUSA" or Commonwealth "KATCOM" programme.
In April 1951, the Belgians fought in one of the key battles of the Korean War – theBattle of the Imjin River. The First Battalion was relieved by a new battalion fresh from Belgium in August 1951[11] which stayed until 1955.
At theBattle of the Imjin River in 1951, the Belgian battalion held a key pass alongside the BritishGloucestershire Regiment. For actions at the Imjin, the Belgians received a US Presidential Citation. During the battle,Albert Crahay, commander of the unit, was wounded by a Chinese phosphorus shell and was evacuated to a hospital in Japan.
B.U.N.C. continued to see action and went on to earn further battle honours atHaktang-Ni – one of the series of battles atBroken Arrow – in October 1951 when the Belgians took up position on an isolated hillside and suffered relentless Chinese attacks which they successfully repelled, killing over a hundred Chinese and losing only a handful of men themselves.
The last main action fought by the Belgian contingent was at theBattle of Chatkol in April 1953. Belgian forces held a defensive arc position in theIron Triangle for over 55 nights of Chinese assaults.
After the cease-fire, it was seen as unnecessary to keep BUNC up to the strength it had during the war and it was reduced to some 200 men on 30 December 1954, but, like other UN contingents, it was viewed as necessary to maintain a presence in Korea during the uncertain peace following the negotiations atPanmunjom and the last members of the unit finally left Korea on 15 June 1955.
| Dates in Command | Name of Commander (all held rank ofLieutenant-Colonel in Korea) | Notable event during command | Future career |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 28, 1950 – November 21, 1951 | Albert Crahay | First Commander of the Contingent;Battle of the Imjin River. Wounded by Phosphorus Grenade | Retired with rank ofLieutenant General. He also commanded the Belgian army of occupation in Germany. |
| November 21, 1951 – February 23, 1952 | Norbert Cools | Replaced for health reasons. | |
| February 23, 1952 – February 13, 1953 | Georges Vivario | Battle of Haktang-ni | Became Commander of the Joint General Staff and retired with the rank ofLieutenant General. |
| February 12, 1953 – July 12, 1953 | Robert Gathy | Battle of Chatkol | |
| July 12, 1953 – December 19, 1953 | Bodart | Armistice in theKorean War | |
| December 19, 1953 – May 27, 1954 | Brichant(Major)(temp.) | ||
| February 27, 1954 – August 14, 1955 | Pierlot | Belgian United Nations Command disbanded |
| Dates in Command | Name of Commander (all held rank ofLieutenant in Korea) | Notable event during command | Future career |
|---|---|---|---|
| October 1, 1951 – September 30, 1951 | Joseph "Jos" Wagener | 1st Luxembourgish Detachment, Operations around theHan River,Battle of the Imjin River | LaterLt. Col. |
| February 4, 1952 – February 3, 1953 | Rodolphe "Rudy" Lutty | 2nd Luxembourgish Detachment, Battle of King Post |
BELGIANS CAN DO TOO! was a slogan written across the windshield of Padre of the Unit's (Padre Vander Goten) Jeep during the battles around the"Iron Triangle." Seeing the exhaustion of the troops, the Padre copied the motto of the US15th Infantry Regiment ("Can Do") alongside whom the Belgians were serving at the time to try to raise morale. The phrase was made famous in Belgium and is thought to summarise the spirit and courage of the Belgian contingent.[14][15]
101 Belgian soldiers, 2 Luxembourgish soldiers and 9 South Korean soldiers attached to the Belgian contingent werekilled in action during the war. 478 Belgians and 17 Luxembourgers werewounded in action and 5 Belgians are still posted asmissing in action. 2 died inNorth Korean POW Camps.[16]
B.U.N.C. was awarded twoSouth Korean Presidential Unit Citations and oneAmerican Unit Citation.
The text of the US Presidential Unit Citation for actions atthe Imjin River:
The Belgian battalion with the Luxembourg detachment of the UN Forces in Korea is mentioned for exceptional execution of its missions and for its remarkable heroism in its actions against the enemy on theImjin, nearHantangang, Korea during the period from 20 till 26 April 1951. The Belgian battalion with the Luxembourg detachment, one of the smallest units of the UNO in Korea, has inflicted thirty-fold losses on the enemy compared to its own, due to its aggressive and courageous actions against the Communist Chinese. During this period considerable enemy forces, supported by fire by machine guns, mortars and artillery, repeatedly and heavily attacked the positions held by the battalion but, Belgians and Luxembourgers have continuously and bravely repulsed these fanatic attacks by inflicting heavy losses to the enemy forces...The extraordinary courage shown by the members of this units during this period has bestowed extraordinary honor on their country and on themselves
By order of
The Belgian-Luxembourg Corps served at three key battles of the Korean War – theBattle of the Imjin River andBattle of Haktang-ni 1951, and theBattle of Chatkol 1953.
The3rd Parachute Battalion maintains the traditions (including the flag and badge) of BUNC and is based inTielen.
25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 | |||||||||||||||
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Military operations Chinese and Soviet forces •South Korean, U.S., Commonwealth and United Nations forces |
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