Suri-san Mountain Exploration for a Korean Battle Place

Yesterday, I and my wife dove to Suri-san mountain to explore the battle taken place in 31 Jan, 1951 and 2 Feb. 1951 between US Army 25th Div. 27th Reg. 3rd Bat. and Chinese forces.

This mountain had been my target to explore, but it was too high and looked too stiff to hike. I thought we rather approach the deep valley of the mountain to look around Suri-sa Temple. It was quite deeply located under the top of Suri-san mountain and good place to walk along with the creek and Kalchi-ho lake in autumn season of Korea.

We started at 10:00 and arrived at 11:00 at the parking lot of the mountain. A lot of vehicles were parked along with the road and around the lake up to the parking lot. We saw a cafeteria selling coffees and chocolates and considered to use its bathroom after hiking.

We walked along the road to the temple and arrived at the point to which the road was ended with its pavement and at which the mountain map was posted. We found the top of mountain, Hill 440 and 431 where a radar military camp was located, was just over the temple and would decide to challenge it after arrive the temple.
After 1 hour walking, we arrived at the temple where we used its bathroom. Then, we started from the temple, at 12:30, to the path leading to the Suri-san top as indicated in the sign post at the back of the temple. It was quite high from 250 meter height to the 400 meter ridge. If we could get the ridge it looked easy to conquer the top and the hills where the US Army fiercely fought off Chinese after Turkish force had been beaten.

It was fortunately not so difficult to climb along with the path formed in zig and zag style along the stiff hill side. We arrived at 13:30 at the mountain ridge which is linked with the top and the hills name as Winy Hill and covered by Turkish force on the western part of operational zone.  

We drank a bottle of water and kept on climbing on to the hill 440 and 432. We had to climb, along the narrow path neighbored with stiff mountain waist over the upper side of the temple, two(2) more hills to get the 440 hill. One(1) more hour climbing took us to the top which was protected by the military fence.

It was too windy so I could be sustained without a wind jacket. I understood why a part of this mountain ridge is called as Windy Hill. We had a snack packed at home there and could look down the Anyang valley toward the northward and a ridge stretched to Anyang city from the Suri-san top and Seulki-bong peak. We had climbed, before this visit in summer time, the hill 210 and 253 where the US Army 35th Reg. fought in this battle in time of Operation Thunder Volt. The 25th Div Commander Kean had experienced to fight against NK at Seobuk-san mountain in the battle of Jinju and Masan in Aug. to Sep. 1950 for the Nakdong line. He determined not to make any miscalculation of that battle again. The attack from these south hills to the north Suri-san top was designed and carried out by 35th Reg. 2nd Bat. under the divisional commander for prevention of enemy infiltration to rear of his division. The top is more accessible form Suri-san Forest Bath Pool to the western part of Kunpo railway station so that Chinese utilized this route to mobilize civilians carrying military stuffs at that time. The expressway Suwon and Kwangmyung is currently passed under this hills and mountain ridge.

We could explore, this time, the trails of different unit of US Army, 27th Reg. 3rd Bat who had thrown into this ridge by order of the divisional commander to recover the failure of Turkish attack.

On the resting point near the top, we had opportunity to talk with a man bring his small dog about the care of dogs. The dog was seven(7) years old and gentle, following his lord’s order to give a foot and sit.

It was more difficult to get back down from the hill to the temple because it was too stiff and slippery for my wife who had been hurt on her right leg bone. We managed to get back to the parking lot at around 16:30 and dropped by a restaurant for a dinner. 

   

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