Transcript Korean War

Overview
Context…
 WWII ended in 1945
 We had been occupying Japan and helping them
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rebuild
The UN was new and the US wanted to lend its
support and gain “superpower” status
Many soldiers had just returned home from post-war
duties
Domino Theory
Fear of a 3rd World War
Divided Korea
 After World War II,
Japan’s former colony of
Korea was divided into
two occupation zones
along the 38th parallel
with the Soviet zone in
the north and the US
zone in the south
 Before the occupation
forces departed, an
anticommunist regime
was established in the
south and a communist
one in the north
US in Asia
 The US was uncertain as to the
extent of its commitment in Asia
 It knew its umbrella definitely
covered Japan, Okinawa, and the
Philippines, but it was unclear
about Taiwan, South Korea, and
Southeast Asia
 Believing the US did not intend
to protect South Korea, the
USSR allowed the North Koreans
to invade the south in 1950
Secretary of State Dean
Acheson’s speech to the
National Press Club
omitted South Korea from
the US “defensive
perimeter”
North Korea Attacks:
June 25, 1950
 North Korean army crossed the
38th parallel with an invasion force
totaling over 90,000 troops and 150
Soviet-built tanks
 By the night of June 28, Seoul had
fallen and the South Korean forces
were in disarray
 South Korea appealed to the
United Nations for assistance
 The UN passed a resolution
recommending that “the members
of the United Nations furnish such
assistance to the Republic of Korea
as may be necessary to repel the
armed attack and to restore
international peace and security to
the area.”
United Nations
 As a member of the UN Security Council, the Soviet Union
could have vetoed UN involvement in the war, but instead
Moscow was boycotting the Security Council at the time in
protest of the UN’s failure to seat a representative of the
newly established People’s Republic of China
 In the absence of the USSR, the UN passed a resolution
sending a military force to South Korea
 The force was predominately American with Douglas
MacArthur as the Supreme Commander (remember him
from rebuilding Japan?)
 There were also contributions from the UK, Canada and
other Commonwealth countries.
Force Comparison
 North Korean People’s
Army (NKPA)
 14 Divisions (9 in
invasion force)
 Soviet trained, armed
and advised
 150 tanks, almost 100
modern aircraft
 U.S. Armed Forces in 1950
 10 Army divisions (4 in
Japan)
 48 USAF air groups
 331 combatants (64 in
Pacific)
 2 Marine divisions (-)
Task Force Smith
 To stem the North
Korea advance, the
US deployed “Task
Force Smith,” a
delaying force of two
reinforced rifle
companies to Pusan
 MacArthur thought
this “arrogant display
of strength” would
cause the North
Koreans to take pause
and slow their
aggression
Elements of Task
Force Smith arriving
at Taejon
Task Force Smith
• Task Force Smith began
occupying defensive positions on
July 5 at 3:00 am
– At 7:00 they began seeing enemy
movement
– At 8:16 they began firing artillery
– At 2:30 the commander decided to
withdraw
• When LTC Smith arrived at
Ch’onan on July 6, he counted
185 men
– He began with 540
• After all stragglers returned, the
total loss to TF Smith was 35%
Implications of Task Force Smith
 Task Force Smith has become the
poster child for the cost of military
unpreparedness
 “No More Task Force Smiths”
 GEN Gordon Sullivan, Army Chief of Staff, 1991-1995
(administered the post Desert Storm Army downsizing)
- World War II peak Army strength was 8,268,000
- 89 combat divisions in June 1945
- June 1950 strength was about 591,000 (1/14 the peak
World War II size)
- 10 active combat divisions
- But to keep them fielded, one battalion from each
infantry regiment and one firing battery from each
field artillery battalion had been eliminated
- This move effectively reduced combat power by 1/3
• 108,500 troops under MacArthur
• 4 infantry divisions in Japan (7th, 24th, 25th and 1st Cavalry)
• Authorized peacetime divisions strength was 12,500 (13,500 for the 25th )
• Authorized wartime strength was 18,900
• 3 of the 4 divisions in Japan had about 11,000 men
• In addition to the missing infantry and artillery battalions each
Lacked three anti aircraft artillery batteries
• Lacked the regimental tank companies
• Had only a company of M24 Chaffee light tanks in place of the
divisional tank battalion
• Estimated the divisions could field 62% of normal infantry firepower, 69% of
normal anti-aircraft capability, and 14% of armored support
•
•*Remember that at home, the American public was told that this
was a “police action” to avoid fear of a WW3
• Mostly outdated World War II equipment and much
of it was unserviceable
– Of 18,000 jeeps only 8,000 were serviceable
– Of 13,780 2 1/2 ton trucks, only 4,441 were
serviceable
•Some men were wearing tennis shoes because of a
lack of boots
• ¼ of the small arms were defective
• Occupation duties took
precedence over training
• No unit training above the
company level had taken place
in Eighth Army before April
1949
• Limited maneuver area and
an annual personnel turnover
rate of 43% impeded training
• The four divisions were rated
as 65% to 84% combat ready
– Some senior officers felt
that 40% was more realistic
US troops parade across
the Yoshida Bridge
Pusan Perimeter:
June 27 to Sept 15
 The American forces were
unprepared for the North
Korean attack
 By the end of July, the
North Koreans had pushed
the U.N. forces to the
southeast corner of the
peninsula, where they dug
in around the port of
Pusan.
Inchon (Operation Chromite)
Sept 15
 MacArthur completely changed
the course of the war overnight
by ordering -- over nearly
unanimous objections -- an
amphibious invasion at the port
of Inchon, near Seoul
 The Americans quickly gained
control of Inchon, recaptured
Seoul within days, and cut the
North Korean supply lines
 American and ROK forces broke
out of the Pusan Perimeter and
chased the retreating enemy
north
Inchon and Selected Principles of War
 Surprise
 Inchon was an unlikely
landing site because of
strong tides and mud flats
 Maneuver
 Amphibious turning
movement
 Offensive
 Had to do something to
reverse Pusan situation and
gain the initiative
 Objective
 Landing at Inchon
facilitated capture of Seoul;
both the South Korean
capital and the site of
important road and railroad
intersections
Inchon and Selected Elements of
Operational Design
“The vulnerability of
the enemy is his
supply position.”
 Douglas MacArthur
Seoul railroad yards burning after Air Force
dropped napalm, September 26, 1950.
Inchon and Selected Elements of
Operational Design
Bombed North Korean
railcars Sept 21, 1950
Inchon and Selected Elements of
Operational Design
 Seoul was
decisive both for
its symbolic
value as the
capital and as the
most critical
node in the
supply line of the
enemy attack.
Seoul railroad yards burning after
Air Force dropped napalm,
September 26, 1950
Inchon and Selected Elements of
Operational Design
 Termination
 Knowing when to
terminate military
operations and how to
preserve achieved
advantages.
 Success led MacArthur to
continue attack into North
Korea; a strategic
miscalculation that
ultimately led to his relief.
Approaching the Yalu
 MacArthur continued to push
north, ignoring threats of Chinese
intervention
 On October 25, the Chinese army
attacked after having infiltrated
into North Korea
 After suffering setbacks, the U.N.
forces stabilized their lines by
November 5
 Chinese withdrew northward
 MacArthur launched a great
offensive toward the end of
November, which he optimistically
hoped would end the war in Korea
Counteroffensive
 MacArthur's “all-out offensive” to
the Yalu had barely begun when the
Chinese attacked en masse on the
night of November 25
 Roughly 180,000 Chinese troops
shattered the right flank of the
Eighth Army in the west, while
120,000 others threatened to destroy
the X Corps near the Chosin
Reservoir
 On November 28, MacArthur
informed the Joint Chiefs, “We face
an entirely new war.”
 U.N. retreat ended about 70 miles
below Seoul
Stalemate
 Beginning January 15, Ridgway led
the U.N. in a slow advance
northward
 U.N. re-recaptured Seoul (the
fourth and final time it changed
hands) on March 15, and had
patrols crossing the 38th parallel
on March 31
 In the meantime, MacArthur had
been steadily pushing Washington
to remove the restrictions on his
forces
 Truman declined for fear of
widening the war (fear of WW3)
and fired MacArthur for
insubordination on April 11
MacArthur’s Relief
 MacArthur repeatedly
made public statements
that were contrary to
official US policy
 In August, he sent a
speech to be read to the
VFW proposing
Formosa’s utility as a
base of operations
 He suggested that
Truman Administration
policies were
responsible for the
retreat of the Eighth
Army
MacArthur and Truman
meet at Wake Island, Oct
14, 1950
MacArthur’s Relief
 On Dec 6, 1950, Truman published an executive
order– aimed at MacArthur– requiring all
government officials to clear their public
statements on foreign and military policy with the
Administration
 Truman planned to use recent military successes to
invite the Communists to negotiate
 MacArthur broadcast an ultimatum to the enemy
which undermined Truman’s authority
 Sent a letter to Congressman Joseph Martin
further criticizing the Administration
MacArthur’s Relief
 “I deeply regret that it becomes my
duty as President and Commander
in Chief of the United States
Military Forces to replace you as
Supreme Commander, Allied
Powers; Commander in Chief,
United Nations Command;
Commander in Chief, Far East;
and Commanding General United
States Army, Far East. You will turn
over your commands, effective at
once, to Lieutenant General
Matthew B. Ridgway.”
“But once war is forced upon us,
there is no other alternative than to
apply every available means to bring
it to a swift end. War's very object is
victory, not prolonged indecision. In
war there is no substitute for victory.”
MacArthur’s Farewell Address
Apr 19, 1951
The
End
of
Mobile
War
 When Ridgway became
Commander in Chief, Far East,
Lieutenant General James Van
Fleet took command of Eighth
Army
 The Chinese attacked in April
and again in May, but Van
Fleet counterattacked
 By mid-June 1951, UN forces
had regained a line that was
for the most part north of the
38th parallel
 This last fighting ended the
year-long mobile phase of the
war
Negotiation and Stalemate
 On June 29,1951, Ridgway
broadcast a message to his
Communist counterpart
announcing his willingness
to negotiate
 Eighth Army transitioned
to an “active defense”
 Made several unsuccessful
attempts to break
Communist supply line
with air and artillery
Matthew Ridgway
Negotiation and Stalemate
 In spite of the
slowdown in major
maneuver, both sides
expended enormous
amounts of effort to
solidify their lines in an
“outpost war”
 Costly seesaw battles
like Bloody Ridge,
Heartbreak Ridge,
and Old Baldy
Heartbreak Ridge with Bloody
Ridge in background
Negotiation and Stalemate
 Negotiations difficult
 POWs a major obstacle
 The UN feared mistreatment of repatriated prisoners by
the Communists and wanted prisoners to decide for
themselves whether or not to return home
 The Communists insisted on forced repatriations as was
required by the Geneva Convention
Negotiation and Stalemate
 A poll by the Red Cross
in early April 1952
revealed that of 132,000
Chinese and North
Korean prisoners
screened, only 54,000
North Koreans and 5,100
Chinese wanted to go
home
 The Communists
accused the UN of
influencing the poll and
negotiations broke down
Negotiation and Stalemate
 A couple of factors combined to bring the war to a
close
 In early 1953, newly elected President Dwight
Eisenhower increased pressure on the Communists by
authorizing bombing of dams to flood the North Korean
countryside
 Eisenhower also made it be known the US was willing to
renew fighting at higher levels unless progress was made
on the peace talks
 On March 5, 1953 Soviet premier Joseph Stalin died
which brought on a power struggle in the USSR which
forced them to focus more on internal affairs
Negotiation and Stalemate
 On March 28, 1953 an agreement was reached on the
exchange of sick and wounded prisoners and on April 26
negotiations resumed
 Ultimately it was decided that prisoners who did not want
to return home would be turned over to a neutral
commission that would hold them for interview by their
respective countries before releasing them
 There was one more Communist offensive and an incident
in which South Korean President Syngman Rhee released
without authorization 25,000 friendly North Korean
prisoners, but finally on July 27, 1953 the armistice was
signed
Korean War and the Cold War
 Truman put limitations on
MacArthur because he had
concluded that Korea was not
worth risking a third world war
 Korea was part of the US policy
of containment, but stopped
short of initiating the policy of
“roll back”
 Contributed to the formation of
the Southeast Asia Treaty
Organization (SEATO) by
Australia, France, Great Britain,
New Zealand, Pakistan, the
Philippines, Thailand, and the
US in 1954
Secretary of State John Foster
Dulles advocated a policy of
rolling back Soviet gains and
“unleashing” Chiang Kai-shek
Post-war Korea
 The war ended with an
armistice, not a peace treaty
 The Demilitarized Zone (DMZ)
encompasses 2 kilometers on
either side of the 151 mile long
Military Demarcation Line
(MDL)
 Throughout the Cold War
tensions along the DMZ
remained high including an
incident in 1976 in which two
US Army officers were
murdered by North Koreans as
the Americans tried to cut
down a tree that was
obstructing the line of sight
between two UN checkpoints
Korea Today
 North Korea remains
communist and a nuclear
threat
 Its nickname, the “Hermit
Kingdom” reflects the closed
nature of its society
 South Korea is a fully
functioning modern
democracy with an economy
over 14 times greater than
North Korea’s
Panmunjom is the official
diplomatic headquarters at
the DMZ. North Korean
guards, in brown, face their
South Korean counterparts,
in blue.
Big Ideas to Remember:
 US/USSR division of power
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in Korea after WWII
North=communist
South=democratic
North invaded the South
South asked the UN for
help
We stepped in
“police action
1950-1953
“The Forgotten War”
Next…
 Vietnam