return to North Korea, including up to 3,000 soldiers. The attacking force of over 20,000 had been reduced to only 6,000 by the end of the fighting at Masan. The position around Masan remained locked in a bitter stalemate during the entire six weeks of the Battle of Pusan Perimeter. Each side attempted several offensives on the other in an attempt to force a withdrawal, but the KPA were unable to pierce the UN perimeter, and the UN troops were unable to overwhelm the KPA to the point they were forced to withdraw. The battle itself was tactically inconclusive, as neither side was able to decisively defeat the other, however the UN units achieved their strategic goal of preventing the KPA from advancing further east and threatening Pusan. Instead, they were able to hold the line against repeated attacks until the Inchon attack, and were thus successful in defeating the KPA in subsequent engagements. Desertion had continued to be a problem for the 24th Infantry, a de facto'' segregated unit. Statistics compiled found the 25th Infantry Division had to detain 116 deserters from the 24th Infantry throughout August, compared to 15 from the 27th Infantry and 12 from the 35th Infantry. The regiment had already been criticized for its poor performance at the Battle of Sangju several weeks earlier. In late August, Kean began investigating the unit's behavior, finding its poor performance was starting to bring other units of the division down as well. Kean considered the regiment a weak link in the chain, and after its poor performance at the battles of Battle Mountain and Haman, he suggested to Walker that the regiment be disbanded and its troops be used as replacements for other units in the field. Virtually all of the officers and enlisted men in the regiment were supportive of this idea, but Walker declined, feeling he could not afford to lose a regiment. Conversely, the 35th Infantry was widely praised for its actions at the Kum River line. The regiment had performed so well in repulsing the North Koreans that Kean nominated it for a Presidential Unit Citation. References Citations Sources Battle of Pusan Perimeter Battles of the Korean War Battles and operations of the Korean War in 1950 Battles of the Korean War involving South Korea Battles of the Korean War involving North Korea History of South Gyeongsang Province Battles of the Korean War involving