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Kagnew Battalion

December 15, 2023

The Kagnew Battalions (Amharic: ቃኘው) were a number of military units from the Imperial Ethiopian Army which fought as part of United Nations Command in the Korean War (1950–53). The battalions rotated yearly, with the First Kagnew Battalion arriving at the front in 1951. The Third Kagnew Battalion which arrived in 1953, stayed through the signing of the armistice into 1954. Over the next two years more Ethiopians guarded the stalemate in Korea as part of the Fourth Kagnew Battalion and the Fifth Kagnew Company. Even though some publications indicate Ethiopians remained in Korea until 1965, in fact they remained a part of the United Nations Command until 1975.[3] Members of Kagnew Battalion were, with few exceptions, drawn from the Ethiopian Imperial Bodyguard Division.[1]

1st, 2nd and 3rd Kagnew Battalions
Ethiopian soldiers with the Kagnew Battalion, 7th Inf. Div. in Korea, 1953
Active1951–1965
Country Ethiopia
Allegiance United Nations
BranchArmy
TypeInfantry
Battalion
Size6,037 soldiers in total[1]
Part ofUS 7th Infantry Division
PatronEmperor Haile Selassie I
Engagements
DecorationsUS Presidential Unit Citation
Commanders
Notable
commanders		Col. Kebbede Guebre [2] Capt Mamo Habtewold

Altogether, 3,158 Ethiopians served in Kagnew Battalions during the war.[4]

Etymology edit

"Kagnew" (Amharic: Judge) was the name of Ras Makonnen's warhorse. Ras Makonnen was one of Emperor Menelik II's generals during the First Italo-Ethiopian War and Haile Selassie's father.[5]

Background edit

 
Chaplain of the Kagnew Battalion in Korea

At the outbreak of war in the Korean peninsula in 1950, the United Nations sent a plea to its member nations for military assistance. Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia, an ardent supporter of collective security, pledged to dispatch an infantry battalion.

The Armed Forces of the Ethiopian Empire at that time consisted of the Imperial Bodyguard Division, three army divisions, a budding air force and a provincial/territorial/reserve army. The Imperial Bodyguard Division (Kebur Zabagna) was the most elite military force in the empire with responsibility for safeguarding the royal household and maintaining internal security. Therefore, the battalions destined to Korea were drawn mostly from the officers and men of the Imperial Bodyguard Division. They were then given intensive training in the mountains of Ethiopia for acclimatization.

Performance in the Korean War edit

 
Ethiopian soldiers in Korea

The Kagnews served with great distinction, principally alongside the 7th Infantry Division, and by all accounts (including the enemy's) acquitted themselves well in battle, suffering 121 dead and 536 wounded during the course of the conflict.

 
Ethiopian gunners prepare a 75mm recoilless gun

One of the feats S. L. A. Marshall thought worth noting was an Ethiopian patrol at the Battle of Pork Chop Hill in 1953 when "...under full observation from enemy country, eight Ethiopians walked 800 yards across no-man's land and up the slope of T-Bone Hill right into the enemy trenches. When next we looked, the eight had become ten. The patrol was dragging back two Chinese prisoners, having snatched them from the embrace of the Communist battalion..."[6]

British military historian John Keegan notes that the Ethiopian units drawn from the Imperial Guard ("an over-privileged and somewhat pampered force") fought with some distinction in Korea between 1951 and 1954, although performing less competently in the Congo (1960–64).[7]

At least nine Silver Star Medals and dozens of Bronze Star Medals were also awarded to the Ethiopians by the United States.[8] Two members, Lieutenant Colonel Teshome Irgetu and 2nd Lt. Haptewold Mamo, were awarded the highest Ethiopian gallantry award, and became "Knights of the Order of Emperor Menelik II".

Post War edit

When the US established a military base in the newly-federated Eritrea in 1953, they renamed the base Kagnew Station in honor of the officers and men who served so admirably in Korea.

Kagnew's exploits have been covered in detail in Pork Chop Hill by S.L.A. Marshall. Commenting on the fighting dogma of the Ethiopians Marshall states, "Like Horatius at the bridge or the screaming eagles at Bastogne, it was a classic fight, ending in clean triumph over seemingly impossible odds". Pointing out that war correspondents who were drawn to the headline values of such operations as Little Switch the 163 war correspondents overlooked the equally interesting and unrivaled Ethiopian feats.[...][9]

 
Memorial for the Kagnew Battalion

When the Communist Junta of Mengistu Hailemariam came to power in 1974, it did everything to erase the "embarrassing" record of the Kagnew's service against the communists.[citation needed]

The Imperial Bodyguard Association has existed quietly since the division was dissolved by the Derg military junta and continues to celebrate the accomplishments of the officers and men not only of the Kagnew Battalion but of the Guard at large. It is currently under the leadership of Brigadier General Desta Gemeda (Ret.). The Korean War Veterans Association is under the leadership of Colonel Melesse Tessema (Ret.).[citation needed]

Publications edit

In 1954, Greek journalist Kimon Skordiles chronicled the exploits of the Ethiopian troops in his book Kagnew, the Story of the Ethiopian Fighters in Korea, even while his own countrymen were operating in the same theater of war. In 2008, the son of a Kagnew veteran translated that work into Amharic paying tribute to the officers and men of the three battalions, the Emperor who had the foresight to send them and authors S.L.A. Marshall and Kimon Skordiles for their efforts in ensuring that the feat of those that had served was not forgotten.

In 2019, Helion & Company published Emperor's Own: The History of the Ethiopian Imperial Bodyguard Battalion in the Korean War as part of their Asia@War series following the success of their Africa@War series. The book was distributed worldwide.

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b "Ethiopia: Association to Commemorate 61st of Korean War". allAfrica. Addis Ababa. Ethiopian News Agency. 25 April 2012. Retrieved 21 April 2023.
  2. ^ "Korean War Educator: Topics - National Archives Records - RIP 103". www.koreanwar-educator.org.
  3. ^ Abebe, Dagmawi (19 October 2019). The Emperor's Own : The History of the Ethiopian Imperial Bodyguard Battalion in the Korean War. Warwick, England. ISBN 9781912866311. OCLC 1112377558.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  4. ^ Varhola, Michael J. (2000). Fire and Ice: The Korean War, 1950–1953. pp. 134.
  5. ^ Edwards, Paul M. (2000). To Acknowledge a War: The Korean War in American Memory. p. 117.
  6. ^ Marshall, S. L. A. (1986). Pork Chop Hill : the American fighting man in action Korea, Spring, 1953. Nashville: Battery Press. p. 164. ISBN 0898390907. OCLC 13714497.
  7. ^ World armies. Keegan, John, 1934-2012. London: Macmillan. 1979. ISBN 0333172361. OCLC 5874355.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  8. ^ Abebe, Dagmawi (19 October 2019). The Emperor's own : The History of the Ethiopian Imperial Bodyguard Battalion in the Korean War. Warwick, England. p. 76. ISBN 9781912866311. OCLC 1112377558.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  9. ^ Marshall, S. L. A. (1986). Pork Chop Hill : the American fighting man in action Korea, Spring, 1953. Nashville: Battery Press. p. 163. ISBN 0898390907. OCLC 13714497.

Further reading edit

  • The History of the UN Forces in the Korean War-1 (Ethiopia, Philippines, South Africa, Thailand, Turkey) - ROK Ministry of National Defense Institute for Military History, 1972 (E-BOOK) 9 July 2023 at the Wayback Machine
  • The History of the UN Forces in the Korean War-1 (Ethiopia, Philippines, South Africa, Thailand, Turkey) - ROK Ministry of National Defense Institute for Military History, 1972 (PDF) 28 June 2023 at the Wayback Machine
  • The History of the UN Forces in the Korean War-6 (Summary) - ROK Ministry of National Defense Institute for Military History, 1977 (E-BOOK) 9 July 2023 at the Wayback Machine
  • The History of the UN Forces in the Korean War-6 (Summary) - ROK Ministry of National Defense Institute for Military History, 1977 (PDF) 28 June 2023 at the Wayback Machine


  • The Korean War and the UN Forces - ROK Ministry of National Defense Institute for Military History, 2015 (E-BOOK) 9 July 2023 at the Wayback Machine (in Korean)
  • The Korean War and the UN Forces - ROK Ministry of National Defense Institute for Military History, 2015 (PDF) 9 July 2023 at the Wayback Machine (in Korean)
  • The Statistics of the Korean War - ROK Ministry of National Defense Institute for Military History, 2014 (E-BOOK) 9 July 2023 at the Wayback Machine (in Korean)
  • The Statistics of the Korean War - ROK Ministry of National Defense Institute for Military History, 2014 (PDF) 11 January 2021 at the Wayback Machine (in Korean)
  • The History of the UN Forces in the Korean War - ROK Ministry of National Defense Institute for Military History, 1998 (E-BOOK) 9 July 2023 at the Wayback Machine (in Korean)
  • The History of the UN Forces in the Korean War - ROK Ministry of National Defense Institute for Military History, 1998 (PDF) 9 July 2023 at the Wayback Machine (in Korean)
  • The Summary of the Korean War - ROK Ministry of National Defense Institute for Military History, 1986 (PDF) 9 July 2023 at the Wayback Machine (in Korean)
  • The History of the Korean War-10: The UN Forces (Australia, Belgium, Luxembourg, Canada, Colombia, Ethiopia, France, Greece, Netherlands) - ROK Ministry of National Defense Institute for Military History, 1980 (E-BOOK) 24 June 2023 at the Wayback Machine (in Korean)
  • The History of the Korean War-10: The UN Forces (Australia, Belgium, Luxembourg, Canada, Colombia, Ethiopia, France, Greece, Netherlands) - ROK Ministry of National Defense Institute for Military History, 1980 (PDF) 5 June 2023 at the Wayback Machine (in Korean)


  • Kimon Skordiles, Kagnew, the Story of the Ethiopian Fighters in Korea, 1954.
  • S.L.A. Marshall, Pork Chop Hill, 1964
  • Dagmawi Abebe, Emperor's Own: The History of the Ethiopian Imperial Bodyguard Battalion in the Korean War, 2019
  • F. Ayele, The Ethiopian Army from Victory to Collapse, 2014, 21-22.

External links edit

 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ethiopia in the Korean War.
  • An Ethiopian hero of the Korean War, bbc.co.uk
  • Website with similar pictures of Kagnew Battalions
  • Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs (2012), The Eternal Partnership: Ethiopia and Korea (PDF), Sejong City, South Korea: Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs, retrieved 22 August 2014
  • Kagnew Battalion Blog

December 15, 2023
kagnew, battalion, amharic, ቃኘው, were, number, military, units, from, imperial, ethiopian, army, which, fought, part, united, nations, command, korean, 1950, battalions, rotated, yearly, with, first, arriving, front, 1951, third, which, arrived, 1953, stayed, . The Kagnew Battalions Amharic ቃኘው were a number of military units from the Imperial Ethiopian Army which fought as part of United Nations Command in the Korean War 1950 53 The battalions rotated yearly with the First Kagnew Battalion arriving at the front in 1951 The Third Kagnew Battalion which arrived in 1953 stayed through the signing of the armistice into 1954 Over the next two years more Ethiopians guarded the stalemate in Korea as part of the Fourth Kagnew Battalion and the Fifth Kagnew Company Even though some publications indicate Ethiopians remained in Korea until 1965 in fact they remained a part of the United Nations Command until 1975 3 Members of Kagnew Battalion were with few exceptions drawn from the Ethiopian Imperial Bodyguard Division 1 1st 2nd and 3rd Kagnew BattalionsEthiopian soldiers with the Kagnew Battalion 7th Inf Div in Korea 1953Active1951 1965Country EthiopiaAllegiance United NationsBranchArmyTypeInfantryBattalionSize6 037 soldiers in total 1 Part ofUS 7th Infantry DivisionPatronEmperor Haile Selassie IEngagementsKorean War Battle of Pork Chop HillDecorationsUS Presidential Unit CitationCommandersNotablecommandersCol Kebbede Guebre 2 Capt Mamo Habtewold Altogether 3 158 Ethiopians served in Kagnew Battalions during the war 4 Contents 1 Etymology 2 Background 3 Performance in the Korean War 4 Post War 5 Publications 6 See also 7 References 8 Further reading 9 External linksEtymology edit Kagnew Amharic Judge was the name of Ras Makonnen s warhorse Ras Makonnen was one of Emperor Menelik II s generals during the First Italo Ethiopian War and Haile Selassie s father 5 Background edit nbsp Chaplain of the Kagnew Battalion in KoreaAt the outbreak of war in the Korean peninsula in 1950 the United Nations sent a plea to its member nations for military assistance Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia an ardent supporter of collective security pledged to dispatch an infantry battalion The Armed Forces of the Ethiopian Empire at that time consisted of the Imperial Bodyguard Division three army divisions a budding air force and a provincial territorial reserve army The Imperial Bodyguard Division Kebur Zabagna was the most elite military force in the empire with responsibility for safeguarding the royal household and maintaining internal security Therefore the battalions destined to Korea were drawn mostly from the officers and men of the Imperial Bodyguard Division They were then given intensive training in the mountains of Ethiopia for acclimatization Performance in the Korean War edit nbsp Ethiopian soldiers in KoreaThe Kagnews served with great distinction principally alongside the 7th Infantry Division and by all accounts including the enemy s acquitted themselves well in battle suffering 121 dead and 536 wounded during the course of the conflict nbsp Ethiopian gunners prepare a 75mm recoilless gunOne of the feats S L A Marshall thought worth noting was an Ethiopian patrol at the Battle of Pork Chop Hill in 1953 when under full observation from enemy country eight Ethiopians walked 800 yards across no man s land and up the slope of T Bone Hill right into the enemy trenches When next we looked the eight had become ten The patrol was dragging back two Chinese prisoners having snatched them from the embrace of the Communist battalion 6 British military historian John Keegan notes that the Ethiopian units drawn from the Imperial Guard an over privileged and somewhat pampered force fought with some distinction in Korea between 1951 and 1954 although performing less competently in the Congo 1960 64 7 At least nine Silver Star Medals and dozens of Bronze Star Medals were also awarded to the Ethiopians by the United States 8 Two members Lieutenant Colonel Teshome Irgetu and 2nd Lt Haptewold Mamo were awarded the highest Ethiopian gallantry award and became Knights of the Order of Emperor Menelik II Post War editWhen the US established a military base in the newly federated Eritrea in 1953 they renamed the base Kagnew Station in honor of the officers and men who served so admirably in Korea Kagnew s exploits have been covered in detail in Pork Chop Hill by S L A Marshall Commenting on the fighting dogma of the Ethiopians Marshall states Like Horatius at the bridge or the screaming eagles at Bastogne it was a classic fight ending in clean triumph over seemingly impossible odds Pointing out that war correspondents who were drawn to the headline values of such operations as Little Switch the 163 war correspondents overlooked the equally interesting and unrivaled Ethiopian feats 9 nbsp Memorial for the Kagnew BattalionWhen the Communist Junta of Mengistu Hailemariam came to power in 1974 it did everything to erase the embarrassing record of the Kagnew s service against the communists citation needed The Imperial Bodyguard Association has existed quietly since the division was dissolved by the Derg military junta and continues to celebrate the accomplishments of the officers and men not only of the Kagnew Battalion but of the Guard at large It is currently under the leadership of Brigadier General Desta Gemeda Ret The Korean War Veterans Association is under the leadership of Colonel Melesse Tessema Ret citation needed Publications editIn 1954 Greek journalist Kimon Skordiles chronicled the exploits of the Ethiopian troops in his book Kagnew the Story of the Ethiopian Fighters in Korea even while his own countrymen were operating in the same theater of war In 2008 the son of a Kagnew veteran translated that work into Amharic paying tribute to the officers and men of the three battalions the Emperor who had the foresight to send them and authors S L A Marshall and Kimon Skordiles for their efforts in ensuring that the feat of those that had served was not forgotten In 2019 Helion amp Company published Emperor s Own The History of the Ethiopian Imperial Bodyguard Battalion in the Korean War as part of their Asia War series following the success of their Africa War series The book was distributed worldwide See also editUnited Nations Forces in the Korean War Medical support in the Korean WarReferences edit a b Ethiopia Association to Commemorate 61st of Korean War allAfrica Addis Ababa Ethiopian News Agency 25 April 2012 Retrieved 21 April 2023 Korean War Educator Topics National Archives Records RIP 103 www koreanwar educator org Abebe Dagmawi 19 October 2019 The Emperor s Own The History of the Ethiopian Imperial Bodyguard Battalion in the Korean War Warwick England ISBN 9781912866311 OCLC 1112377558 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint location missing publisher link Varhola Michael J 2000 Fire and Ice The Korean War 1950 1953 pp 134 Edwards Paul M 2000 To Acknowledge a War The Korean War in American Memory p 117 Marshall S L A 1986 Pork Chop Hill the American fighting man in action Korea Spring 1953 Nashville Battery Press p 164 ISBN 0898390907 OCLC 13714497 World armies Keegan John 1934 2012 London Macmillan 1979 ISBN 0333172361 OCLC 5874355 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint others link Abebe Dagmawi 19 October 2019 The Emperor s own The History of the Ethiopian Imperial Bodyguard Battalion in the Korean War Warwick England p 76 ISBN 9781912866311 OCLC 1112377558 a href Template Cite book html title Template Cite book cite book a CS1 maint location missing publisher link Marshall S L A 1986 Pork Chop Hill the American fighting man in action Korea Spring 1953 Nashville Battery Press p 163 ISBN 0898390907 OCLC 13714497 Further reading editThe History of the UN Forces in the Korean War 1 Ethiopia Philippines South Africa Thailand Turkey ROK Ministry of National Defense Institute for Military History 1972 E BOOK Archived 9 July 2023 at the Wayback Machine The History of the UN Forces in the Korean War 1 Ethiopia Philippines South Africa Thailand Turkey ROK Ministry of National Defense Institute for Military History 1972 PDF Archived 28 June 2023 at the Wayback Machine The History of the UN Forces in the Korean War 6 Summary ROK Ministry of National Defense Institute for Military History 1977 E BOOK Archived 9 July 2023 at the Wayback Machine The History of the UN Forces in the Korean War 6 Summary ROK Ministry of National Defense Institute for Military History 1977 PDF Archived 28 June 2023 at the Wayback Machine The Korean War and the UN Forces ROK Ministry of National Defense Institute for Military History 2015 E BOOK Archived 9 July 2023 at the Wayback Machine in Korean The Korean War and the UN Forces ROK Ministry of National Defense Institute for Military History 2015 PDF Archived 9 July 2023 at the Wayback Machine in Korean The Statistics of the Korean War ROK Ministry of National Defense Institute for Military History 2014 E BOOK Archived 9 July 2023 at the Wayback Machine in Korean The Statistics of the Korean War ROK Ministry of National Defense Institute for Military History 2014 PDF Archived 11 January 2021 at the Wayback Machine in Korean The History of the UN Forces in the Korean War ROK Ministry of National Defense Institute for Military History 1998 E BOOK Archived 9 July 2023 at the Wayback Machine in Korean The History of the UN Forces in the Korean War ROK Ministry of National Defense Institute for Military History 1998 PDF Archived 9 July 2023 at the Wayback Machine in Korean The Summary of the Korean War ROK Ministry of National Defense Institute for Military History 1986 PDF Archived 9 July 2023 at the Wayback Machine in Korean The History of the Korean War 10 The UN Forces Australia Belgium Luxembourg Canada Colombia Ethiopia France Greece Netherlands ROK Ministry of National Defense Institute for Military History 1980 E BOOK Archived 24 June 2023 at the Wayback Machine in Korean The History of the Korean War 10 The UN Forces Australia Belgium Luxembourg Canada Colombia Ethiopia France Greece Netherlands ROK Ministry of National Defense Institute for Military History 1980 PDF Archived 5 June 2023 at the Wayback Machine in Korean Kimon Skordiles Kagnew the Story of the Ethiopian Fighters in Korea 1954 S L A Marshall Pork Chop Hill 1964 Dagmawi Abebe Emperor s Own The History of the Ethiopian Imperial Bodyguard Battalion in the Korean War 2019 F Ayele The Ethiopian Army from Victory to Collapse 2014 21 22 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ethiopia in the Korean War Ethiopian Korean War Veterans website An Ethiopian hero of the Korean War bbc co uk Website with similar pictures of Kagnew Battalions Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs 2012 The Eternal Partnership Ethiopia and Korea PDF Sejong City South Korea Ministry of Patriots and Veterans Affairs retrieved 22 August 2014 Kagnew Battalion Blog Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Kagnew Battalion amp oldid 1183489019, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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