When 687 Canadians Held Against 6,000 Chinese Soldiers | Battle of Hill 444

Описание: When 687 Canadian soldiers of the Royal 22nd Regiment faced 6,000 attacking Chinese forces on a frozen Korean hillside, military mathematics said they had no chance. But Sergeant Marcel Fontaine's mortar crew had different plans.

Operating in -32°C temperatures, Canadian mortar teams achieved what enemy commanders believed impossible: 94% accuracy rates over 847 rounds fired in a single night. They calculated trajectories using mental math learned in rural Quebec schoolhouses, dropping rounds through bunker slits from 2 kilometers away.

At 0327 hours, with Chinese forces penetrating the defensive perimeter, Major Léon Dutil made the most desperate decision of the Korean War: he called artillery fire directly onto his own positions. What happened next would earn the Canadians a nickname that spread through enemy ranks—"The Ghosts
SOURCES & RESEARCH:

This documentary is based on:

• Official After-Action Reports (February-March 1951)
• Royal 22nd Regiment Archives and War Diaries
• Canadian War Museum Collections
• Veterans Affairs Canada Oral History Project
• Interviews with Sergeant Marcel Fontaine (1984)
• Divisional Intelligence Summaries
• Chinese prisoner interrogation transcripts
• "Strange Battleground: The Operations in Korea and Their Effects on the Defense Policy of Canada" by John Melady
• "Deadlock in Korea: Canadians at War, 1950-1953" by Dan Bjarnason
• Personal accounts from the 50th Anniversary Reunion (2001)

ABOUT THIS CHANNEL:

Canada At War documents Canadian military history through detailed, respectful storytelling. We focus on lesser-known battles, individual acts of courage, and the human experience of war. Our documentaries are researched using primary sources, veteran testimonies, and official military records.

Many veterans of the Korean War never spoke publicly about their experiences. This documentary honors their service through careful historical research and the testimonies they entrusted to oral historians and family members.

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We strive for historical accuracy in all our documentaries. If you have additional information, veteran accounts, family stories, or factual corrections, please share them respectfully in the comments.

Historical research is an ongoing process, and veteran voices are invaluable to understanding these events fully.

© 2025 Maple leaf at war
This documentary is produced for educational purposes.

Special thanks to the Korean War Veterans Association of Canada, Veterans Affairs Canada, and the families who shared their stories to preserve this history