This North Korean Axe Murder Nearly Sparked WW3

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The day began simply enough, with Captain Arthur Bonifas and Lieutenant Mark Barrett going on what seemed to be the most boring mission of their careers. They would lead a work detail of American and Korean soldiers on a task that seemed, on the face of it at least, to be something so routine, it wouldn’t even be interesting enough to write home about. In fact, the mission revolved around gardening, a hobby so mundane it’s more closely associated with retirees than soldiers. Little did anyone know that by the end of the day, both Bonifas and Barrett would be dead, hacked to death by an unexpected enemy. Who was responsible for this butchery? Was it one of their own men, or someone else?

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Further Reading:
https://www.warhistoryonline.com/featured/korean-axe-murder-incident.html
https://oregondigital.org/concern/documents/df72d572n
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-01-08/dmz-a-deadly-strip-of-land-between-koreas/103271906
http://www.tourdmz.com/rb/?r=eng&c=238/293/298
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/feb/16/north-korea-kim-jong-il-birthday
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-49394758

Credit:
Simple History Creator: Daniel Turner (B.A. (Hons) in History, University College London)
Video Directors: Anthony Barrett, Denis Blinov
Script: Tash Martell
Script Review: Peter Turner
Narrator: Chris Kane (https://vocalforge.com)
Artists: ShyShelly, Arya Ahumada Lydisma
Animators: Kuldip Bheda, Krunal, Mani Kumar, Bharghavi
Editor: Alec Urbany, James Dowse
Senior Production Manager: Umar Ijaz
Simple History Channel Manager: James Dowse

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44 COMMENTS

  1. I’m just here to read the comments! This is better than a comedy show.

    Real people getting hacked to death like the Hinterfendick Farmhouse killings in Germany during the 1800’s or that Jack Da Ripper whose real identity was Aaron Kosminski a Polish immigrant from the former Polish Lithuanian confederation enclave of Western Ukraine as it is known today, these remarks show how normal persons deal with insanity like Jack the Ripper, with comedic rhetoric.

  2. I was in the US Army, in South Korea, when this happened. We were confined to base, working extended shifts. It really did come close to war. It was not long until I was supposed to be going back stateside, and I was allowed to make a MARS call home. Before the radio connection was made I was told, "If anyone asks what is happening, just say everything's fine." That's when it got scary.

  3. Awesome summary, if you want a longer more detailed account of WW Tree Count Dankula has one on his Absolute Mad Lads series

    Anyone else getting AoE2 flashbacks refresh the lumber camps when they hear that chopping sound?

  4. I am guessing Kim Il Sung did not really plant that tree, but the North Koreans protected it and made up that story because the tree was useful in its view-obstructing value. I remember reading the Bonifas story in Rick Atkinson's book The Long Gray Line.

  5. Good video!! Was stationed in South Korea while in US Army from 1992-1993, A Company, 2nd Engineer Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division, Camp Castle, which is about a dozen or so miles south of the "D" (DMZ). My company took a tour of the UN area, and we were shown the axe murder area. When we visited there was a plaque dedicated to the 2 American soldiers killed and just a stump about ankle high was still in place. Also, part of the tour was going up to Propaganda Village and seeing the rather gy-normous North Korean flag flying above the village. Of course, there was a rather gy-normous South Korean flag opposite as well. Later on, we would go to Warrior Base for gunnery and listen to North Korean propaganda being played over loudspeakers across the border for a week and occasionally find leaflets littered around the area. Oh, the memories!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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