lost 53 men killed, 221 wounded, and 49 missing, a total of 323 battle casualties during the battles along the Hwanggan road. However, it was able to delay the North Korean division for five days in this effort. The KPA 2nd Division suffered heavily during this time to US artillery and armor, some estimates placing its losses above 3,000 men in the battles along the road. The US 1st Cavalry Division initially took the 27th Infantry's place on the line, but retreated without engaging the KPA 2nd Division after movement by the KPA 3rd Division threatened to take Kumch'on and block the 1st Cavalry's route of supply. The division was driven to the Naktong River by July 31, having taken 916 casualties at Hwanggan and Sangju in its first ten days on the line. Tactically, the North Koreans had been successful in pushing the US forces south and capturing the ground, but the American units had bought strategically valuable time to set up the Pusan Perimeter. The battle set the standard for the 27th Infantry, which performed unusually well in the fight. In contrast, other units of both the 25th Infantry and 1st Cavalry Divisions in their first engagements at Yongdong and Sangju performed very poorly, prompting Walker to order the US forces to stop retreating, and "stand or die." The US 27th Infantry was used as an emergency reserve during the Battle of Pusan Perimeter, where it particularly distinguished itself at the Battle of the Bowling Alley. The regiment's quality performance in the Hwanggan fight was crucial in the decision to make it a "fire brigade." References Citations Sources Battles and operations of the Korean War in 1950 Battles of the Korean War Battles of the Korean War involving North Korea Battles of the Korean War involving the United States Hwanggan History of North Chungcheong Province