On October 9, 1st Cavalry Division
crossed the 38th Parallel in force and began
driving north. ROK divisions had begun crossing the
38th on September 30 and all ROK divisions except
the 1st ROK were into North Korea before the 1st
American patrols had done so. October 11 7th Cav
crossed the Yesong River, and thus all three
regiments of 1st Cav were on the assault and NK
defenders of Kumchon were trapped in a pocket.
By October 14 Kumchon had fallen,
with hundreds of NK KIA and prisoners. These NK
troops were mostly in their first combat, but
fought well and with determination. They were
soundly beaten, but one cut-off group set up a
roadblock ambush of a column of artillery and
engineers which in retrospect was an omen of the
future. The NK killed dozens of US and ROK troops
and destroyed or damaged most of their vehicles. As
so often occurred in the coming months of battle
when the CCF entered, the troops caught in the
roadblock appparently made little effort to defend
themselves.
For now, however, this was a
victory. 1st Cav consolidated its positions and
moved on towards Pyongyang.
