The might of the strongest 'steel spear' armored division in North Korea

The North Korean army is considered to have outdated equipment, however they possess a formidable "steel spear": the 105th Armored Division, a unit with a long tradition of fighting.clashed and caused great damage to American soldiers during the 1950-1953 Korean War, according toNational Interest.

The predecessor of the 105th Armored Brigade was the 15th Tank Training Regiment, established by the Soviet Union in 1948 with many veterans who had served in the Soviet Red Army and the Chinese army. From the two original T-34 tanks, the 15th Regiment was upgraded to the 105th Brigade with 120 T-34-85s in service.

The most powerful variant of the legendary T-34 series, the T-34-85 was equipped with an 85mm D-5T anti-tank gun, superior to the previous T-34 versions that used 76mm guns. This tank had significantly thinner armor than the contemporary American M26 Pershing, but could penetrate enemy frontal armor from a distance of more than 900m.

The 105th Brigade was organized into three tank battalions, the 107th, 109th, and 203rd, each with 40 tanks. In addition, the 308th Armored Battalion was equipped with 16 SU-76 self-propelled guns and infantry support from the 206th Mechanized Infantry Regiment.

During the Korean War, the 105th Brigade's opponent was the Republic of Korea Army, which was mainly infantry and had no equivalent armored force. The Republic of Korea and its American advisors had only 37 M8 Greyhound armored vehicles, 140 outdated 57mm anti-tank guns and 1,900 60mm Bazookas, which could hardly penetrate the armor of the T-34-85 tank.

The 105th Brigade did not fight in a concentrated formation, but dispersed into battalions to support the North Korean infantry. Battalions of this unit crushed the ROK 1st and 7th Infantry Divisions without losing a single tank. Only a few T-34-85s were damaged by enemy anti-tank missiles.

North Korean armor captured the South Korean capital of Seoul after only four days of fighting, but lack of support kept them pinned down north of the Han River until July 3. As a result of this achievement, the 105th Brigade was increased to division size and renamed the 105th Armored Division "Seoul".

As it advanced deep into South Korean territory, the 105th Division encountered the first American combat force, "Task Force Smith," airlifted from Japan, consisting of companies from the 1st Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 24th Infantry Division.

Task Force Smith consisted of just over 400 soldiers and a few 105mm howitzers from its attached artillery battalion. It had no tanks, no air support, and poor communications. In addition to its infantry weapons, the task force had two 75mm recoilless rifles, two 106mm mortars, and four 60mm mortars. Each soldier was equipped with 120 rounds of ammunition and two days' rations.

The anti-tank firepower of the Smith Special Unit consisted only of Bazookas, which could hardly destroy the T-34-85 tanks. Some officers and non-commissioned officers had fought in World War II, but most of the troops had no combat experience.

When faced with 33 T-34-85 tanks of the 107th Armored Regiment and the 16th and 18th Infantry Regiments, the Smith Special Forces unit suffered a disastrous defeat and fell into a state of panic, unable to stop the advance of the North Korean tanks. The Americans only eliminated 4 tanks, in return they suffered up to 150 casualties.

The 105th Armored Division continued to advance south before its advance was halted by American air fire. At the Pusan ​​Perimeter, the 105th's tanks split up to support the infantry. Although they suffered few combat losses, several T-34-85s were damaged during the southward advance.

At this point, UN forces began using heavy weapons and repelled the North Korean attack. At Obong-Ni Mountain, four US M26 tanks destroyed three T-34-85s without any losses. North of Tabu-dong, US infantry and tanks destroyed 13 T-34-85s and five SU-76s of the 107th Armored Regiment in two days of fighting. In September, North Korea mobilized 100 tanks for the final attack on the Pusan ​​Perimeter but failed.

The US Army and Marines landed at Ichon to cut off the North Korean forces besieging Pusan, forcing the small tank force of the 105th Division to hold out against multiple counterattacks by UN forces from Pusan. By the end of the Pusan ​​campaign, the powerful armored force of the 105th Division had been almost completely destroyed.

In 1951, the 105th Armored Division was reorganized as a mechanized division, but did not participate in combat. By the early 1960s, this unit was restored to its armored status, and was named the 105th Guards Armored Division "Seoul".

Today, the 105th Division remains the most modern and reliable force in the Korean People's Army. The unit is composed of two tank brigades and one mechanized infantry brigade, and is part of the 820th Armored Corps' combat formation.

The main equipment of the 105th Division is the Pokpung-ho (Tiger Storm) tank. This is the most modern tank model in North Korea's inventory, possessing many features on par with modern tanks such as the American M1 Abrams or the South Korean K1. The Tiger Storm was designed and manufactured by North Korea, integrating some technologies from the Soviet T-62, T-72 and Chinese Type-88 tanks. The 105th Division is the only unit of the North Korean army to operate this type of tank, with a total of 250.

North Korea focused on equipping a very strong firepower to compensate for the defensive weakness of the Typhoon Ho. Early vehicles were equipped with a 115mm 2A20 gun, similar to the T-62 tank. But from the Typhoon Ho II version, all tanks used a 125mm 2A46 smoothbore gun.

North Korea has developed its own 125mm armor-piercing shell for the Tiger Storm, but experts say it is unlikely to be able to compete with the kinetic energy penetrator rounds of the US and South Korea, due to the difference in scientific level. Pyongyang has revealed a Tiger Storm version that carries anti-tank missiles on the turret. This is a clear advantage, allowing it to destroy enemy tanks beyond the effective range of the penetrator rounds.

In addition, the 105th Division also received Chonma-ho (Heavenly Horse) tanks, which are believed to be copies of the T-62 tanks transferred from Syria. The Pegasus series has also been gradually upgraded by North Korea, with the latest versions having capabilities nearly equivalent to the Soviet T-62M tanks.

Equipped with modern equipment, well-trained and with a fighting tradition, the 105th Division is considered the strategic spearhead of North Korea in any military conflict. Although somewhat inferior to the US and South Korean forces, this division is still considered a serious threat and cannot be underestimated.