 Walker elected to stand north of the Chongchon and Taeryong rivers in response to the Chinese offensive , and the following day Coad received new orders to hold the left forward section of the bridgehead over the Chongchon . To halt the Chinese advance , the 27th British Commonwealth Brigade was ordered to defend the lower crossings of the Taeryong and Chongchon rivers as part of a rearguard , in conjunction with the US 24th Infantry Division further upstream on the right . The brigade concentrated in the Pakchon area . The Middlesex occupied the town and the high ground to the north and east , while 3 RAR and the Argylls held positions covering the western approaches to the Taeryong , with the latter designated as the brigade reserve . Yet the information available to the British and Australians suggested that the Chinese would likely attack from an easterly direction , and the dispositions adopted by Coad were later criticised for failing to take this into account . 3 RAR took up a defensive position 1 @.@ 5 kilometres ( 0 @.@ 93 mi ) west of the village , where it remained for the next two days . Meanwhile , B and C Companies of the Argylls formed a bridgehead over the Taeryong around the far @-@ side of the partially destroyed bridge near Kujin , while A Company occupied positions astride the road to the south . To the right , the US 24th Infantry Division covered the crossing over the Chongchon at Anju , while the South Korean II ROK Corps held positions further east . Forced to defend on a wide frontage , the UN positions were weakened by a 9 @.@ 5 @-@ kilometre ( 5 @.@ 9 mi ) gap between the 27th British Commonwealth Brigade and the nearest American formation — 2nd Battalion , US 19th Regimental Combat Team ( 2 / 19 RCT ) — on the brigade 's eastern flank . 
