The Korean War…..

The Forgotten War

An obscure country in the far reaches of Asia, Korea was all but forgotten by the American public and policymakers alike. After World War II, Korea was split into two parts.

North Korea was a Communist state headed by Kim Il Jung

Syngman Rhee was a leader in the Korean independence movement during the Japanese occupation, and served as South Korea's first president

Korea was divided along the 38th parallel.

Invasion:In the early hours of June 25, 1950, 135,000 North Korean troops invaded a sleeping South Korea. With Soviet-designed invasion plans, the well-equipped and well-trained force shocked and overwhelmed the ill-equipped and scattered South Korean army.

                                      

              

“….there is a chance that things may work out without the necessity of mobilization. Haven't been so badly upset since Greece and Turkey fell into our lap. Let's hope for the best. . . .

Lots and lots of love and many happy returns for the thirty-first year of your ordeal with me.”

Truman to his wife, June 26, 1950.

Within three days, the North Korean People's Army (NKPA) captured Seoul and effectively destroyed South Korea's army. The American expatriate community -- which included a U.S. military advisory force of 500 -- was caught completely off guard, and forced to evacuate.

 

The U.N. votes to send money and troops to support South Korea. The Soviet’s Delegate was absent-could not block. But…..

                                      

              

U.N. forces are pushed farther and farther South

Task Force Smith

General MacArthur intended Task Force Smith as "an arrogant display" of American military power. Numbering only 540 troops, most with little training and no combat experience, Task Force Smith was destroyed by NKPA troops who commanded a considerable advantage in numbers and armor.

For the next month, NKPA troops crushed small and inadequately prepared American troops and forced their retreat south. Despite the shocking losses of both men and morale, the U.S. contingent bought sufficient time for a troop buildup around the port of Pusan in the southeastern corner of the peninsula

                                                                                                                                                                                      

MacArthur in Japan

Defense of Pusan

After a demoralizing progression of defeat and retreat, American forces found themselves trapped in the southeastern corner of Korea. But the tide was changing. UN troops and materiel were flowing through the port of Pusan, and the NKPA has stretched its resources too far.

Gen. Walton Walker deftly coordinated the Pusan Perimeter defense line against a six-week relentless assault by the NKPA. Facing total defeat, American troops held the line

                                      

              

Inchon Landings

The Inchon invasion was the last brilliant operation of Gen. MacArthur's career.

While the bulk of the North Korean Army was kept occupied by Gen. Walton Walker's forces along the Pusan Perimeter, MacArthur planned an amphibious assault on Inchon that would trap the entire NKPA force in the South.

The 70,000 strong X Corps was mobilized from scratch in lightning speed. The Navy and Marines performed the operation perfectly - overcoming the extreme tides and geographic challenges - and the small force defending the city

The Tide Turns

Battle for Seoul:The battle for Seoul raged for four days. Marines engaged in fearsome street battles with the NKPA. Retaking the capital city proved to be both an important strategic and symbolic victory.

North to the 38th:While the X Corps were busy in the north, Gen. Walker's Eighth Army and ROK units steamrolled across South Korea, driving the NKPA into the waiting arms of the X Corps.

US troops are shown landing from helicopters during the Korean War of the 1950s. This war, which brought the USA into confrontation with communist North Korea, was the first in which the United Nations took a military role.

Race to the Yalu:The Allies poured into North Korea, capturing the port of Wonsan and Pyongyang and quickly arriving at the Chinese border. Victory was in sight — but the war was about to take a bloody turn.

Total victory appeared imminent. On Thanksgiving Day, American soldiers celebrated Thanksgiving in the frigid cold -- within sight of the Chinese border.

The first all-jet combat in history occurred on November 8, 1950. An F-80 shot down a MiG-15 in a 30-second dogfight.

The Chinese Counterattack

As the UN forces approached the Yalu River, victory appeared imminent. However, unbeknownst to the Allies, several hundred thousand Chinese soldiers had slipped undetected across the Yalu River into Korea. On November 25th, they struck the Eighth Army and, in MacArthur's words, an "entirely new war" had begun.

Eighteen divisions of the Chinese Communist Forces XIII Army -- 200,000 strong -- faced the Eighth Army in the west. For the next month, the Chinese attacked ferociously and the Eighth was forced to retreat to below the 38th parallel.

Chinese Troops moving into North Korea

As the X Corps retreated along the Chosin Reservoir to the port of Hungnam, the 1st Marine Division engaged in a brutal series of battles with the Chinese in below zero temperatures, triumphing against overwhelming odds.

By January 14, the Chinese offensive had pushed the Allies below Seoul to the 37th parallel. Morale plummeted, and winter was in full swing.

After Gen. Walton Walker was killed in a motor vehicle accident, World War II hero Gen. Matthew Ridgway assumed command of the Eighth Army. Ridgway restored confidence, and the UN forces not only held the line but also climbed steadily northward, recapturing Seoul. Soon battle lines were consolidated and each side settled into a long stalemate.

Battle-ravaged hill in South Korea

Truman fires MacArthurAs the stalemate continued, MacArthur pushes Truman to attack China using Nuclear Weapons. MacArthur frustrated over LIMITED WAR

Truman: No. Truman: You’re fired

Public criticizes Truman but Senate Investigation proves the U.S. could not afford open warfare with Soviets.

U.S. also had too much at stake in Europe to transfer troops to China and possibly Soviets.

Negotiations

After initial truce talks in July 1951, negotiations began in earnest on November 27, 1951 at Panmunjom. A cease-fire line was agreed upon: the point of contact, close to where the border is today.

But for the next two years, talks went back and forth, and no agreement seemed in sight. Thorny issues included the exchange of POWs. An armistice was finally signed in 1953 between the U.S., China and North Korea. South Korea refused to sign it, and an uneasy peace has reigned ever since.

                               

The Border between North and South is not far from the pre-war border.

U.S. decides on huge military buildup.

Power of Presidency expanded-war was never declared by Congress

37,000 Americans lost their lives

Korea is still divided today.

Communism contained?

Korean War’s Impact