The Battle of P'ohang-dong was an engagement between the United Nations Command (UN) and North Korean forces early in the Korean War, with fighting continuing from 5–20 August 1950 around the town of P'ohang-dong, South Korea. It was a part of the Battle of Pusan Perimeter, and was one of several large engagements fought simultaneously. The battle ended in a victory for the UN after their forces were able to drive off an attempted offensive by three North Korean Korean People's Army (KPA) divisions in the mountainous eastern coast of the country. Forces of the South Korean Republic of Korea Army (ROK), supported by the United States Navy and United States Air Force (USAF), defended the eastern coast of the country as a part of the Pusan Perimeter. When several divisions of the KPA crossed through mountainous terrain to push the UN forces back, a complicated battle ensued in the rugged terrain around P'ohang-dong, which contained the vital supply line to the main UN force at Taegu. For two weeks KPA and ROK units fought in several bloody back-and-forth battles, taking and retaking ground in which neither side was able to gain the upper hand. Finally, following the breakdown of the KPA supply lines and amidst mounting casualties, the exhausted North Korean troops were forced to retreat. The battle was a turning point in the war for KPA forces, which had seen previous victories owing to superior numbers and equipment, but the distances and demands exacted on them at P'ohang-dong rendered their supply lines untenable. Background Outbreak of war Following the invasion of South Korea by North Korea and the subsequent outbreak of the Korean War on 25 June 1950, the United Nations decided to enter the conflict on behalf of South Korea. The United States subsequently committed ground forces to the Korean peninsula with the goal of fighting back the North Korean invasion and to prevent South Korea from collapsing. However, US forces in the Far East had been steadily decreasing since the end of World War II five years earlier, and at the time the closest forces were the US 24th Infantry Division, headquartered in Japan. Advance elements of the 24th Division were badly defeated in the Battle of Osan on 5 July, the first encounter between US and KPA forces. For the first month after the defeat of Task Force Smith, 24th Division was repeatedly defeated and