Ethiopia's contribution to the Korean War is a testament to international solidarity and the courage of its soldiers. Ethiopia was one of the sixteen nations that sent troops to fight on the allied side during the Korean War.
Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie I was an early proponent of collective defense.
When North Korea invaded South Korea in 1950, the United Nations made a plea for an international force, and Haile Selassie sought for his country to set an example and participate.
Map of Ethiopia
Decision to Deploy
In August 1950, a decision to deploy Ethiopian forces to South Korea was finalized.
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After consultations with the US Army, it was decided that the force should be one infantry battalion.
An appeal for volunteers in the Ethiopian army received tremendous response and the Kagnew battalion was hand selected by Brig.Gen. Mulugetta Bulli.
The Kagnew battalion’s name was chosen by the Emperor and referenced the horse of Gen. Ras Makonnen, a cousin of the previous Emperor and Haile Selassie’s father.
In Ethiopian chivalry, the names of a knight and his horse were interchangeable.
Once selected, the Kagnew soldiers began a grueling eight-month training course.
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A mountain range in Ethiopia was found to be similar to the Korean peninsula’s topography, and the training was done there.
At the conclusion of the training, the battalion’s first deployment numbered 1,122 men (85 officers and 1,037 enlisted) and was split into four companies plus a small GHQ unit.
The Emperor's Battalion - Ethiopian Troops Korean War
Journey to Korea
The first Kagnew battalion departed Africa on 12 April 1951 from the city of Djibouti, at that time part of France’s Afars & Issas Territory colony.
The battalion was transported to the war aboard the WWII-veteran troopship USNS General J.H. McRae.
During WWII, this ship had been a Squier class US Navy vessel, USS General J.H. McRae (AP-149) but by the time of the Korean War it had been stripped of guns and transferred to the Military Sea Transportation Service.
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The General J.H. McRae reached Busan on 6 May 1951.
USS General J.H. McRae (AP-149)
Integration and Training
Initially, the US Army had planned to lump the Ethiopians in with Colombia’s contingent for retraining.
For clarity the US Army designated all non-American units in Korea by an English name.
The battalion was designated EEFK (Ethiopian Expeditionary Force - Korea) in US Army documents.
The battalion was assigned to the US Army’s 7th Infantry Division.
Combat Engagements
The Kagnew battalion’s first combat was at the “Kansas Line” defensive perimeter during the late summer of 1951.
In September 1951, the Kagnew battalion took part in the US Army’s successful operation “Cleaver”, an offensive to liberate hills near Samhyon.
In January 1952, the Kagnew battalion took part in the Punchbowl engagement.
By this time, the battalion was so well regarded in the US Army that it was being assigned it’s own operations, in this case operation “Clamor”, which ran until the end of February.
The second Kagnew battalion repeated the weapons acclimation training course of the first.
It saw combat for the first time in June 1952 as part of the Iron Triangle battle.
In April 1953, the second turnover occurred and the third Kagnew battalion relieved the second.
Because of experiences shared from the first two deployments, the familiarization training time was halved and completed in May 1953.
The third Kagnew battalion won the battle of Yoke-Uncle, a hilltop engagement where the Ethiopians destroyed an entire Chinese battalion.
The Kagnews were awarded the Hwarang Order of Merit by the South Korean government for this battle.
Following the July 1953 armistice, the Kagnew battalion withdrew to the US Army’s Camp Casey facility in South Korea.
In April 1954, the third Kagnew battalion rotated out and was replaced by a much smaller token Ethiopian force to monitor the armistice.
Ethiopia continued sending tiny infantry contingents to South Korea until 1956.
Map of the Korean War
Equipment and Uniforms
During the planning stage in 1950, it was debated if the Kagnew battalion would bring firearms they were familiar with, or be rearmed with American guns after their arrival.
It was decided against bringing these Mauser-type rifles with the battalion.
The 7.92x57mm cartridge was not standard to the American or Commonwealth logistics streams, and considering the varieties of British and American rifle calibers already in the theatre, the last thing wanted was a new cartridge.
The M1 Garand was the standard American battle rifle during both WWII and the Korean War, and it was also the main weapon of the Kagnew battalion.
Another WWII-veteran firearm used by the Kagnew battalion was the M1 carbine.
A small number of M1918 Browning Automatic Rifles (BAR) were used by the Kagnew battalion.
The M1917A1 was the first heavy machine gun issued to the Kagnew battalion.
Later in the Korean War, the M2HB .50cal joined or replaced the M1917A1 as the Kagnew battalion’s heavy machine gun.
The M18 recoilless rifle was the initial anti-armor weapon issued to the Kagnew battalion.
The Kagnew battalion’s GPMG (general purpose machine gun) was the M1919A4, another American WWII design.
The Kagnew battalion’s mortar was the M2, a 60mm weapon.
The Kagnew battalion did not have any organic artillery; instead, assets of the 7th Infantry Division supported it as needed.
Once in the theatre, it was decided to re-equip the Kagnew battalion with the American M1 steel pot helmet.
The Kagnew soldiers wore M45s on their journeys to and from Korea and the first deployment wore them in non-combat settings as well.
For combat, standard US Army OD green fatigues were issued, but with Ethiopian rank insignia.
An “ETHIOPIA” rocker was worn on the shoulder.
