105th Armored Division (North Korea)

105th Guards Seoul Ryu Kyong-Su Armored Division 근위 서울류경수 제105땅크사단 KPA Guards Badge.svg 50px Guards badge October 1948 – present North Korea North Korea KPA Ground Force Armored division Combined arms Tank warfare North Korea Korean People’s Army Koksan County, North Hwanghae Province 6,000 men (June 1950) Korean War Operation Pokpung First Battle of Seoul Battle of Osan Battle of the Pusan Perimeter Great Naktong Offensive UN September 1950 counteroffensive UN offensive into North Korea Guards Badge Major General Ryu Kyong-Su ko 류경수 Front:150px Back:150px Flag The 105th Guards Seoul Ryu Kyong-Su Armored Division is an elite armored military formation of the Korean People's Army. It was North Korea's first armored unit and took part with T-34-85 tanks in the Korean War. History Korean War In the first days of the Korean War, under the command of Major General Ryu Kyong-Su ko 류경수, the 105th Armored Brigade reached Seoul on 28 June. It was then raised to division status and renamed the 105th Guards Seoul Ryu Kyong-Su Armored Division before crossing the Han River to continue the attack southward. http://www.history.army.mil/books/korea/20-2-1/Sn02.htm Armed Forces of North and South Korea, Chapter II South to the Naktong, North to the Yalu Roy E. Appleman http://www.history.army.mil/books/korea/20-2-1/toc.htm United States Army in the Korean War 1992 United States Army Center of Military History CMH Pub 20-2-1 1961 2010-07-20 2019-10-18 https://web.archive.org/web/20191018234909/https://history.army.mil/books/korea/20-2-1/toc.htm dead The division was part of the North Korean advance from Seoul to Taejon and subsequent Battle of Pusan Perimeter between August and September 1950. The 107th Tank Regiment, equipped with T-34 tanks, defeated Task Force Smith during the initial advances of the Korean People's Army. The regiment then fought with the rest of the division in the Battle of Pusan Perimeter. After taking part in the Great Naktong Offensive, the 105th Armored Division was partly reconstituted and at the end of October and the first week of November 1950, it was committed to help the Chinese. The division used its tanks to provide fire support on a few occasions, but it played a negligible role in the fighting that followed and the U.S. Fifth Air Force destroyed most of its tanks behind the battle front. On November 7, U.N. aircraft reportedly destroyed six tanks, three armored cars, and 45 vehicles in Pakchon and the area eastward.Appleman, Roy E. "South to the Naktong, North to the Yalu", pg 720 http://www.history.army.mil/books/korea/20-2-1/sn39.htm dead https://web.archive.org/web/20100608150219/http://www.history.army.mil/books/korea/20-2-1/sn39.htm 2010-06-08 2010-07-20 Later service The 105th Armored Division is at present equipped with Chonma-ho and Pokpung-ho tanks.North Korea http://www.tanks-encyclopedia.com/coldwar/North_Korea/North_Korean_Tanks.php dead https://web.archive.org/web/20180930193359/http://www.tanks-encyclopedia.com/coldwar/North_Korea/North_Korean_Tanks.php 2018-09-30 2018-09-30 Tank Encyclopedia Formation and structure The division was established in October 1948 as the 105th Armored Battalion and given its unit colors by Kim Il Sung a month later.First Tank Unit of New Korea http://uriminzokkiri.com/index.php?ptype=cfonew&stype=0&ctype=0&lang=eng&mtype=view&no=32886 2021-02-12 Uriminzokkiri 2021-02-08 https://web.archive.org/web/20210208131011/http://www.uriminzokkiri.com/index.php?ptype=cfonew&mtype=view&no=32886&stype=0&ctype=0&lang=eng dead It increased to regimental strength in May 1949. By June 1950, the 105th Armored Regiment had become the 105th Armored Brigade with a strength of 6,000 men and 120 T-34 tanks. Its equipment – tanks, weapons and vehicles – was Soviet-made.https://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-buzz/north-koreas-105th-armored-division-kims-most-powerful-24730 North Korea's 105th Armored Division: Kim's Most Powerful Weapon to Win a War Mizokami Kyle March 3, 2018 The National Interest The brigade had three tank regiments – the 107th, 109th, and 203rd – and a mechanized infantry regiment, the 206th. The 83d Motorized Regiment was also part of the division during the Korean War. http://www.history.army.mil/brochures/KW-Outbreak/outbreak.htm The Korean War: The Outbreak United States Army Center of Military History CMH Pub 19-6 William J. Webb 2010-07-20 2010-06-12 https://web.archive.org/web/20100612073344/http://www.history.army.mil/brochures/KW-Outbreak/outbreak.htm dead Each tank regiment had three medium tank battalions, each having 13 tanks. Each tank battalion had three tank companies with four tanks to a company. Tank crews consisted of five men. Battalion, regimental, and divisional commanders each had a personal tank. The mechanized infantry regiment had a strength of about 2,500 men. Gudmundsson Bruce I. On armor Greenwood Publishing Group 2004 161 0-275-95020-4 The SU-76 self-propelled guns were equipped and tank crews of four men. References ArmDiv0105 Category:Divisions of North Korea in Korean War ArmDiv0105NK Category:Military units and formations established in 1948