The battle ended in a victory for the UN after their forces were able to drive off an offensive by Korean People's Army (KPA) divisions attempting to cross the Naktong River and assault the city.

However, the UN commander, General Douglas MacArthur, after an inspection trip to South Korea, realised US Army ground forces would need to be committed.

MacArthur decided to have his US and ROK troops to dig in around Pusan and hold on until he could assemble a powerful force (the X Corps) to make an amphibious counterattack at Inchon on the northwestern coast of South Korea, near Seoul, later on in 1950.

[8] For the first month after the defeat at Osan, the 24th Division was repeatedly pushed back and forced southeastward by larger numbers of KPA troops equipped with rugged Soviet-made T-34 tanks.

[14] UN forces were pushed back repeatedly before finally halting the KPA advance in a series of battles around the edges of the Pusan Perimeter.

[20] Right at the center of the Pusan Perimeter, Taegu stood at the entrance to the Naktong River valley, an area where KPA forces could advance in large numbers in close support.

The division reassembled to the east and launched a concerted night attack, broke the ROK defenses, and began an advance that carried it 20 mi (32 km) southeast of Naktong-ni on the main road to Taegu.

Its other two regiments, the 48th and 50th, departed from Kumch'on later and began crossing the Naktong between Indong and Waegwan before dawn of August 8, constructing underwater bridges for their vehicles.

The KPA 15th Division seized Hills 201 and 346 on the east side of the river at the crossing site before advancing eastward into the mountains toward Tabu-dong, 7 mi (11 km) away.

[28] On the next day, the ROK 1st Division regained the high ground at the crossing sites, driving the KPA forces further eastward into the mountains.

That afternoon, General Gay ordered the five American tanks to move along the Waegwan road until they could fire onto the hill from the northwest into its reverse slope.

White phosphorus shells fired from the 61st Field Artillery Battalion caught KPA troops in a village while they attempted to retreat, and they were then routed by US infantry, suffering over 200 killed.

The division was ordered to cross the Naktong River in the vicinity of Tuksong-dong, penetrate east, and cut the main supply route of the UN troops from Pusan to Taegu.

The KPA were apparently attempting to control high ground east of Yongp'o in order to provide protection for the main crossing that was to follow.

[33] In the three days from August 10 to 12, the Naktong River had dropped 3 ft (0.91 m) in depth and it was only shoulder-deep at many places due to the lack of rain and the torrid weather.

[30] By noon, large groups of KPA were trying to recross the river to the west side as American artillery continued hammering them, causing heavy casualties.

[37] In the fight, the only major one to take place along the Naktong at a prefabricated crossing site, the 25th and 27th Regiments of the KPA 10th Division suffered crippling losses.

Early in the morning on August 14, a KPA regiment crossed the Naktong 6 mi (9.7 km) north of Waegwan into the ROK 1st Division sector through an underwater bridge.

The artillery and the air attacks killed and wounded an estimated 500 enemy troops on Hill 303, with survivors fleeing in a complete rout.

[44] Angered, General of the Army Douglas MacArthur, commander of UN forces in Korea, broadcast a warning to North Korean leaders they would be held accountable for the atrocity.

[41][45] However intercepted documents show the KPA command was also concerned with the conduct of its troops and issued orders to limit killing of Prisoners of War.

Under the command of Brigadier General Paik Sun Yup,[46] this division fought an extremely bloody defense of the mountain approaches to Taegu.

This assault, together with increasingly heavy pressure against the main force of the ROK 1st Division in the Tabu-dong area, began to endanger the UN control of Taegu.

[27] The shells, falling near the railroad station, damaged the roundhouse, destroyed one yard engine, killed one Korean civilian, and wounded eight others.

The Korean Provincial Government subsequently ordered the evacuation of Taegu, and President of South Korea Syngman Rhee moved the national leaders to Pusan.

[48] Stratemeyer did not think his aircraft could successfully carpet bomb an area larger than 3 mi (4.8 km) square but he complied with MacArthur's order anyway.

[49] At 11:58, on August 16, the first of the 98 B-29 Superfortresses of the 19th, 22nd, 92nd, 98th and 307th Bomber Groups arrived over the target area from their Far East Air Force bases in Japan and Okinawa.

The UN ground and air commanders opposed future massive carpet bombing attacks unless there was precise information on an enemy concentration and the situation was critical.

American forces in established positions were able to decimate KPA units crossing the Naktong in the open with their artillery fire and air attacks.

[52] The exact numbers of soldiers captured and executed compared with those killed in combat are difficult to determine, because of conflicting accounts of how many prisoners were actually held on Hill 303.