View source for Operation Tomahawk

{{Short description|1951 airborne military operation during the Korean War}}
{{Infobox Military Conflict
| partof            = [[Korean War]]
| date              = 23 March 1951
| place             = Korea
| result            = United Nations victory
| combatant1        = {{flag|United Nations}}<br />
*{{flagcountry|United States|1912|size=23px}}
*{{flagcountry|Third Philippine Republic|1936|size=23px}}
*{{flagcountry|India|size=23px}}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.indembassy.or.kr/pages.php?id=64
 |access-date=2017-02-27 |title=India-ROK Defence Relations}}</ref> ([[India in the Korean War#60th Parachute Field Ambulance|Medical support]])
| combatant2        = {{Flagcountry|PRC|size=23px}}<br /> {{Flagcountry|North Korea|1948|size=23px}}
| commander1        = {{flagicon|United States}} [[Frank S. Bowen]]
| commander2        = 
| strength1         = {{flagicon|United States|1912}} 3,437<br />{{flagicon|India}} 12
| strength2         = Unknown
| casualties1       = {{flagicon|United States|1912}} 19 killed, dozens wounded, one C-119 destroyed
| casualties2       = 136 killed, 149 captured
| campaignbox       = {{Campaignbox Korean War}}
| conflict          = Operation Tomahawk
}}
[[File:187th Regimental Combat Team, Operation Tomahawk.png|thumb|'''187th Regimental Combat Team, during Operation Tomahawk 23-March-1951''']]
'''Operation Tomahawk''' was an [[Airborne forces|airborne]] [[military operation]] by the [[187th Regimental Combat Team]] (187th RCT) on 23 March 1951 at [[Munsan|Munsan-ni]] as part of [[Operation Courageous]] in the [[Korean War]]. Operation Courageous was designed to trap large numbers of Chinese [[People's Volunteer Army]] (PVA) and [[Korean People's Army]] (KPA) forces between the [[Han River (Korea)|Han]] and [[Imjin River]]s north of [[Seoul]], opposite the [[Republic of Korea Army]] (ROK) [[I Corps (South Korea)|I Corps]]. The intent of Operation Courageous was for US [[I Corps (United States)|I Corps]], which was composed of the US [[25th Infantry Division (United States)|25th]] and [[3rd Infantry Division (United States)|3rd Infantry Divisions]] and the ROK [[1st Infantry Division (South Korea)|1st Division]], to advance quickly on the PVA/KPA positions and reach the Imjin River with all possible speed.

Operation Tomahawk was the other half of the plan. This operation was designed to drop the 187th RCT about {{convert|30|km|mi}} north of the then current front line. They did so, [[parachuting]] from over a 120 [[C-119 Flying Boxcar]] and [[C-46]] transport aircraft. When they landed they linked up with ''Task Force Growdon'', which was made up of armored elements from the US [[24th Infantry Division (United States)]]'s 6th Medium Tank Battalion and infantry elements from the US [[3rd Infantry Division (United States)|3rd Infantry Division]]. The forces advanced to their goal, meeting weak resistance—mostly [[minefield]]s—because the PVA/KPA had retreated before they got there. 136 of the PVA/KPA forces were killed in action, and 149 were captured during the operation. The 187th RCT suffered 19 fatalities and dozens of wounded.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Korea War Casualty database |url=http://www.koreanwar.org/html/2013_kccf1_search_by_calendar_date_by_unit_results.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161127220950/http://www.koreanwar.org/html/2013_kccf1_search_by_calendar_date_by_unit_results.html |archive-date=2016-11-27 |access-date=2016-11-27}}</ref><ref name=":0" />  
[[File:Operation Tomahawk, U.S.A.F. Fairchild C-119 of the 315th Air Division (Combat Cargo) fly in formation over a Fifth Air Force base in Korea, 23 March 1951.jpg|thumb|left|USAF C-119s at Taegu Air Base]]
One hundred twenty C-119s and [[Curtiss C-46 Commando|C-46]]s dropped 3,437 paratroopers of the 187th RCT and 12 officers and men of the [[Indian Army]] [[Parachute Regiment (India)|60th Parachute Field Ambulance]] (PFA) near Munsan-ni in the second largest airborne operation of the war.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://korea50.army.mil/history/chronology/timeline_1951.shtml |title=Korean War Timeline - 1951 |access-date=2007-03-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070716182341/http://korea50.army.mil/history/chronology/timeline_1951.shtml |archive-date=2007-07-16 |url-status=dead }}</ref> The 187th Regiment airborne were also known as "Rakkasans", a Japanese term translating to "falling parachute man".<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.usarpac.army.mil/Our-Story/Our-News/Article-Display/Article/3339642/operation-tomahawk-the-last-airborne-operation-of-the-korean-war/ | title=Operation TOMAHAWK; the Last Airborne Operation of the Korean War }}</ref> This marked the first time 105 mm howitzers and other heavy equipment had been successfully dropped.  One C-119, possibly hit by enemy bullets, caught fire and crashed on the way back.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.airandspaceforces.com/article/1000korea/ | title=Air War Korea, 1950-53 }}</ref> 

Operation Tomahawk was the second and last United States airborne operation during the Korean war.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Operation TOMAHAWK; The Last Airborne Operation of the Korean War |url=https://www.usarpac.army.mil/Our-Story/Our-News/Article-Display/Article/3339642/operation-tomahawk-the-last-airborne-operation-of-the-korean-war/http://www.usarpac.army.mil/Our-Story/Our-News/Article-Display/Article/3339642/operation-tomahawk-the-last-airborne-operation-of-the-korean-war/ |access-date=2023-04-29 |website=U.S. Army Pacific |language=en-US}}{{dead link|date=April 2025|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref>  The United States Army would not have another full scale combat jump until 1967 during the Vietnam War, known as [[Operation Junction City]]. <ref>{{Cite web |title=Battlefield:Vietnam {{!}} Timeline |url=https://www.pbs.org/battlefieldvietnam/timeline/index2.html |access-date=2023-04-29 |website=www.pbs.org}}</ref>

==References==
<references/>

==External links==
*A period piece written by ''Time'' on 2 April 1951 at [https://web.archive.org/web/20070930101439/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,814500,00.html?promoid=googlep Again at the Parallel]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20060614035842/http://ausa.org/webpub/DeptArmyMagazine.nsf/byid/KGRG-6FJHGT The Korean War in March 1951]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20000601135800/http://www.army.mil/cmh-pg/reference/code.htm List of operations and code names in the Korean War]
*[http://www.cacti35th.org/regiment/history/korea/1951-02-03.htm 35th Infantry Regiment in Korea] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060213144438/http://cacti35th.org/regiment/history/korea/1951-02-03.htm |date=2006-02-13 }}

{{coord missing|South Korea}}
{{Philippine involvement in Korean War}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tomahawk, Operation}}
[[Category:Battles and operations of the Korean War in 1951]]
[[Category:1951 in South Korea]] 
[[Category:Battles of the Korean War]]
[[Category:Battles of the Korean War involving North Korea]]
[[Category:Battles of the Korean War involving South Korea]]
[[Category:Battles of the Korean War involving China]]
[[Category:Battles of the Korean War involving India]]
[[Category:Battles of the Korean War involving the Philippines]]
[[Category:Battles of the Korean War involving the United States]]
[[Category:Military operations of the Korean War]]
[[Category:March 1951 in Asia]]
[[Category:Aerial operations and battles of the Korean War]]