Youth Remember the Korean War Armistice
A Brush with the Korean War - Hill 355
Aim
To familiarize students with the contributions and sacrifices made by Canadians at Hill 355 during the Korean War.
Learning outcomes:
Students will be expected to demonstrate an understanding of the experiences of Canadians at Hill 355 during the Korean War and our soldiers’ sacrifices and achievements.
Target audience
This activity is aimed at youth aged 12 to 18 years.
Materials
- Historical sheet: Canada Remembers Hill 355
- Video: Hill 355
- The war painting Incoming, by Edward (Ted) Zuber
A Brush with the Korean War online Art Gallery
This is a collection of paintings of the Korean War by Canadian artist Ted Zuber.
Daybreak, Gulf of Korea by Ted Zuber
Image 1 of 6
Naval power was valued throughout the Korean War. The start of the war led to three Royal Canadian destroyers, HMCS Cayuga, HMCS Athabaskan and HMCS Sioux, setting sail in the waters off Korea. The ships performed a variety of duties for the rest of the conflict. One of the most interesting roles was being part of the "Trainbusters Club." The mountainous terrain in Korea often forced rail lines to hug the coast, which made trains tempting targets for our warships patrolling off shore. Damaging trains and railway tracks made it harder for the enemy’s transportation of supplies. In this artwork, Ted Zuber has painted a ship firing at enemy trains. This was a difficult and dangerous task. On October 2, 1952, HMCS Iroquois was exchanging fire with an enemy on shore when the ship took a direct hit. Three Canadian sailors died and ten were wounded in the explosion–our navy’s only combat casualties in the Korean War.
Canadian War Museum 19890328-013Beaverbrook Collection of War Art
Freeze – Patrol Under Enemy Flare, by Ted Zuber
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The painting Freeze is of a soldier’s worst nightmare–suddenly being caught out in the open as a burst shell lights up the battlefield sky…and no place to hide. The group of Canadians are forced to stand perfectly still and silent, and pray they won’t suddenly hear gunfire that could potentially wipe out their entire unit. It’s a haunting piece, allowing us to really get a sense of the desperation these soldiers must have felt out there on cold night battles. This stunning painting has been selected to hang on banners in our nation’s capital this year to mark the 65th anniversary of the Korean War Amistice!
Canadian War Museum 19890328-012Beaverbrook Collection of War Art
Holding at Kapyong by Ted Zuber.
Image 3 of 6
Holding at Kapyong is one of Ted Zuber’s most popular war paintings. It shows the 2nd Battalion Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry being re-supplied by air on the morning after the Battle of Kapyong on April 25th 1951. Holding at Kapyong depicts a pivotal moment in the Korean War. If the airdrop had not been successful, the Patricia’s situation could have become disastrous. After fighting all night, they were tired and almost out of ammunition, food and medical supplies. They would have been vulnerable if the Chinese were to attack again. But it was successful, and it was at this very moment, they realized they would not die at Kapyong. It was a defining moment in Canada’s famous Korean battle.
Canadian War Museum 19900084-001Beaverbrook Collection of War Art
Incoming by Edward Zuber
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The painting Incoming by Edward Zuber depicting Canadian action at Hill 355 in October 1952. This painting shows soldiers of B Company, the Royal Canadian Regiment, reacting to a communist artillery attack on their section of the line on October 23, 1952. The 45-minute bombardment was one of the heaviest Canadians endured in Korea.
Canadian War Museum 19890328-008Beaverbrook Collection of War Art
Reverse Slope – A Moment of Leisure by Ted Zuber
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In the Korean War, soldiers were in their trenches every night, from dusk to dawn. During the day, they spent their time on the reverse side of the slopes, out of enemy sight. In this painting, soldiers catch a moment of leisure on a “reverse slope,” taking time to shave, read a letter from home, and have a nap.
Canadian War Museum 19890328-011Beaverbrook Collection of War Art
Welcome Party by Ted Zuber
Image 6 of 6
During the Korean War, one of the front-line sectors where our soldiers saw action was in the area nicknamed “the Hook.” This image shows the landscape as seen from the Canadian trenches there. Korea is a rugged land, with many ranges of high hills and deep valleys. The Hook was a curved piece of high ground which overlooked a river valley. Canadian soldiers spent much time building up its defences and repelling raids to ensure it did not fall into enemy hands. In the painting, there is a hill above the head of the middle soldier. The ground to the right of it had the Chinese trenches only 200 to 300 metres away. The image also depicts two Canadian soldiers approaching their new platoon sergeant who is standing outside a bunker awaiting their arrival. To their left, and frozen in the barbed wire, are two dead soldiers, the “welcome party.”
Canadian War Museum 19890328-004Beaverbrook Collection of War Art
Sequence of activities and anticipated time frame: [approximately 60 minutes]
- Introductory discussion (10 minutes)
- Reading activity: (10 minutes total)
- Viewing a video (3 minutes, 49 seconds)
- A brush with Hill 355 - image study (15 minutes)
- Follow-up discussion (15 minutes)
Introductory Discussion [10 minutes]
At the end of the Second World War, Japan’s empire was dismantled and the Soviet Union, seeking to gain influence in the region, occupied North Korea while the Americans moved into South Korea. The Soviets and the Americans eventually left, but not until a communist government had been established in the North and a democratic government in the South. Tensions between the two Koreas grew to a climax and on June 25, 1950, the military forces of North Korea crossed the 38th Parallel into South Korea. This marked the beginning of hostilities which were to rage on for more than three years, throughout the country known to its people as the Land of the Morning Calm.
Every war has specific battles or events that are familiar to most people. In the First World War some think of Vimy Ridge and Passchendaele. In the Second World War, some might think of the landings on D-Day and the Liberation of the Netherlands. In the Korean War, it is the actions at Hill 355 that stand out in Canadian memory.
Reading Activity [15 minutes]
Ask students to read the historical sheet Canada Remembers Hill 355 to become more familiar with our soldiers’ experiences at Hill 355 during the Korean War.
Viewing a video [3 minutes, 49 seconds]
What better way to learn about history than hear it directly from those who experienced it! Students will become familiar with Canadian soldiers’ experiences at Hill 355 by now watching the Land of the Morning Calm video Hill 355.
A brush with Hill 355 - image study
For hundreds of years, war artists have been painting and documenting the stories and experiences of war. In the Korean War, we had Ted Zuber. He was a parachutist who went to serve in Korea in 1952 as a sniper with the Royal Canadian Regiment. Although not an official war artist, he brought along a sketch book to record what he saw.
Once home, his sketches inspired him to create paintings about the Canadians’ wartime experience. These paintings became what are called his “Korean War Memoirs.” In addition to recalling his own combat experiences, Zuber talked to other Veterans who had fought there and studied aerial photographs, maps, and war diaries to help him “paint” the Korean War.
Share the image Incoming. This painting shows the soldiers reacting to the attack at Hill 355 in October 1952. The 45-minute continuous attack was one of the heaviest that Canadians endured in Korea.
Study the image. Look closely at the expressions on their faces. Having listened to the Veterans experiences, how do you think these soldiers were feeling during this battle? Fear? Anxiety? Bravery?
Discuss how the battle looked. The Canadians were greatly outnumbered and the enemy was hitting them hard. Our soldiers could have run away, panicked, or given up. Instead, they stayed and fought courageously against all odds.
Follow-up discussion [15 minutes]
Ask students to reflect on the following statement: The action at Hill 355 in October 1952 took a heavy toll. 18 Canadians were killed, 35 wounded and 14 men taken prisoner.
Then lead a discussion based on the following questions:
- Do you think the sacrifices of Canadians in uniform during the Korean War were worth it? Is war ever worth it? Does anyone win in war?
- What do you imagine the people of South Korea think about the Canadians who fought so hard and sacrificed so greatly to help their country so that they could have their rights and freedoms back?
- Do you think it is important to remember the Canadians who served in the Korean War?
- How should youth of today express how they remember events like the Korean War? Can you think of any special new ways to remember those who served?
Possible extension activities
There are a number of ways you could extend this lesson. For example, you could ask youth to imagine that they are war correspondents covering the Korean War and then have them file news reports on the events that took place there. These could be in the form of mock newspaper articles, radio broadcasts or newsreels. Alternately, they could imagine that they fought in Korea and were writing home to tell their family or friends what they had just been through. Or they could imagine that they are a loved one writing to a Canadian soldier in Korea asking if he is okay, what it was like and how he is feeling.
Inviting a Veteran who took part in the Korean War to be a guest speaker would be an exceptional opportunity to learn first-hand what it was like to serve in the cause of peace and freedom during the conflict. For more information visit the Memory Project Speakers Bureau website.
You may wish to further explore more of the Korean War experience with your students by having them view more of Ted Zuber’s artwork in our Brush with the Korean War online art gallery. He has several paintings of soldiers, not only in battle but also during quieter times, living on the front lines.
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