When Communist China decided to intervene in the Korean War in December, 1950, hundreds of thousands of soldiers of the People’s Volunteer Army drove UN troops below the 38th parallel. Less than a month later, in late January, 1951, UN troops of General Matthew Ridgeway’s 8th army prepared to counter attack.
By September of 1944, the Western Allies had broken out of the Normandy beachehead, and suddenly and quickly moved across northern France . By September 7th, the 90th division was stretched across the northern sector on Patton’s Third Army’s left, advancing slowly northeast. As they did so the German defenders made a risky attack in an effort to spoil the allied advance, cutting through Allied lines in a surprise action at the small town of Mairy-Mannville.