The Battle of Chosin Reservoir marked a prominent moment in the Korean War. During the 17 days of fierce battle amidst freezing weather, 30,000 United Nations Command troops were surrounded by 120,000 People's Volunteer Army soldiers from China. These men were under direct orders from Mao Zedong to destroy the United Nations' forces.
The U.S. troops found themselves in the middle of the harshest winter recorded during the war. They were out of supplies, and their guns had frozen. Desperate for artillery, they placed their hope for survival on an artillery airdrop. But to their surprise, the one such drop contained nothing but Tootsie Rolls.
The Chinese had the U.S. X Corps trapped, or so they thought. However, the U.S. would ultimately pull off a daring breakout to accomplish the "greatest evacuation movement by sea in U.S. military history." The battle has since become even more legendary thanks to tales about how the Tootsie Rolls actually saved the U.S. soldiers.
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