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Airdate: Kapyong

John Waters will narrate the History Channel's documentary, Kapyong, which tells the tale of a key battle in the Korean War.

John Waters will narrate the History Channel’s documentary, Kapyong, which tells the tale of a key battle in the Korean War.

Australian troops, together with NZ and Canadian forces, fought the Chinese in one of the most significant turning points in the Korean War.

This documentary will use reconstruction, archival imagery, maps and film, plus commentary by military historians from both sides of the war -including retired Chinese soldiers in Taiwan.

On Sunday, April 24 at 7.30pm, on the eve of the 60th anniversary of Kapyong, The History Channel remembers one of Australia’s most heroic battles of the Korean War with the world premiere of Kapyong.

Narrated by actor John Waters, Kapyong is the incredible story of how a small band of Australians, New Zealanders and Canadians in Korea stopped the Seoul-bound Chinese army dead in its tracks during the Korean War.

It is one of the most significant battles in Australia’s military history – but remarkably, the least acknowledged.

In this moving 60-minute documentary film, veterans of the all-but-forgotten conflict talk about a battle which, half a century later, is still deeply chilling.

On April 24, 1951, the Chinese People’s Volunteer Army pursued their enemy to the lines of Australian and Canadian troops

Here, sometimes at the length of a bayonet, often in total darkness, individual was pitted against individual in a struggle between a superpower and a cluster of other nations from across the world. They fought for a valley, the ancient and traditional invasion route to Seoul. If it fell, the southern capital and the war, was lost.

The United Nations troops had the military advantage of the high ground and artillery support – the Chinese relied entirely on vastly superior numbers. As a result, young men from both sides found a battle which was very close and very personal

The Battle of Kapyong became the turning point of China’s Fifth Offensive in that Korean spring. The aim of the offensive was to finally drive the Australian, New Zealand and Canadian troops out of South Korea and into the sea. What happened instead, changed the history of the Korean War. The Chinese were denied victory and forced back into negotiations.

Had China succeeded, another crushing defeat for the US could have triggered events that led to a nuclear holocaust in Asia – and World War Three.

Kapyong is a film about the reminiscences of veterans on both sides of the Battle of Kapyong – veterans from Australia, New Zealand and Canada and a retirement home for Chinese soldiers in Taiwan.

Their story is told through dramatic reconstruction, archival imagery, maps and archival film, complimented by the commentaries of military historians from both sides of the Cold War.

Kapyong is produced by John Lewis of Arcimedia and is exclusive to The History Channel.

It airs on Sunday, April 24 at 7.30pm on History, on the eve of the 60th anniversary of Kapyong.

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