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HomeMy WebLinkAbout1950KOREA1953panel "e sacrices we have made, and those we shall yet support are not oered vicariously for others, but in our own direct defense." General Mahew B. Ridgway, e Korean War , 1967. I n the early morning hours of 25 June 1950, North Korea launched a general oensive against the Republic of Korea (ROK) with the single purpose of unifying the peninsula by force of arms and creating a Communist state. Indeed, the North Korean high command had engineered a brilliantly synchronized military invasion of the ROK, which included the use of deception, surprise, speed, and shock action. With the equivalent of eight divisions and spearheaded by Soviet-built T-34 tanks, the North’s Korean People’s Army (NKPA), which was well-equipped, well-led, and well-trained, stormed across the 38th parallel. Oriented on the capture of the South’s capital city of Seoul, the enemy's main eort employed a dual axis of advance, utilizing the two traditional overland invasion routes that lead directly to the South Korean capital. Out-numbered and out-gunned, the ROK Army was hard-pressed to impede the initial momentum of the NKPA invasion. e ROK had no tactical air force, no heavy artillery, no tanks, and no eective anti-tank weapons that could counter North Korea’s thickly-armored T-34 main bale tank. With the capture of Seoul on 28 June 1950, the North Korean high command predicted that popular uprisings in the South would occur and for all practical purposes, victory would be secured. Much to the chagrin of the North Korean leaders, these uprisings never materialized and the ROK government displaced to Daejon and remained operational. In a race against time, the United Nations (UN) Security Council Resolutions of 25 and 27 June 1950, provided the legal basis for UN intervention in the conict. In particular, the NKPA had been defeated. ROK forces crossed the 38th Parallel on 1 October and UNC forces advanced to the Yalu River by November, capturing most of North Korea. However, the war entered a third phase as forces of the “Chinese People’s Volunteers” initiated what was to be a second war against United States, South Korean, and UNC forces. By December 1950, the Chinese had recaptured Seoul. Lt. Gen. Mahew B. Ridgway led a major counter- aack in January to recapture Seoul opening the fourth campaign of the Korean War. By the summer of 1951, the Korean War entered a new phase. e military situation on the ground had developed into a posi- tional and stalemated conict. Instead of aempting to reunify the peninsula, the war became a holding action. It was mutual- ly advantageous for the belligerents to initiate negotiations and to transfer a stalemated military situation to the conference table. e Korean truce talks began on 10 July 1951. Aer two years of intricate, verbose, and exasperating dialogue, and two years of arition warfare when most of the casualties were inicted, an armistice was nally consummated on 27 July 1953. at armistice produced a heavily defended 4-kilometer wide Demilitarized Zone separating North Korea from South Korea that still remains in force today. e Korean War became the rst major action between free world and communist forces. e United States paid a heavy price for the deterioration of its readiness aer World War II. ere were 6.8 million American men and women who served during the Korean War period. ere were 54,200 American deaths in service during the period of hostilities, 27 June 1950 to 27 July 1953. Of these, 33,700 were bale deaths. ere were 7,140 American POW’s during the Korean War. Of these, 4,418 returned to the United States, 2,701 died, and 21 refused repatriation. ere have been 131 recipients of the Medal of Honor among Korean War veterans. An estimated 86,300 Korean War veterans were women, making up 7 percent of the estimated number of all female veterans. Never again would the United States be found totally unprepared for communist aggression. Americans remain commied to serve in Korea and the U.S.-ROK Alliance stands as the lynch pin of security in Northeast Asia. e ROK became a vibrant democracy, one of the world’s leading economies, and America’s seventh largest trading partner. ese developments are a tribute to the sacrices of the American ghting men and women who dedicated themselves to defeating aggression in a place far from their homes and families to enable the continued security of a free world. Robert M. Collins, Department of the Army, (Ret.) rst resolution condemned the North Korean invasion as a breach of peace, insisted upon the immediate cessation of hostilities, and, for the NKPA to withdraw north of the 38th parallel. e second resolution urged member nations to assist the Republic of Korea in repelling North Korean aggression and to restore international peace and security in the area. President Harry Truman ordered General Douglas MacArthur, Commander-in-Chief, U.S. Far East Command, to provide whatever assist- ance was needed to repel this invasion. Gen. MacArthur commied U.S. air and naval forces in that eort. e rst force sent in was Task Force Smith – named aer Col. Charles Smith. Elements of the 21st Infantry Regiment fought a delaying action three miles north of Osan-ni against two North Korean infantry regiments with signicant tank support. e Bale of Osan represents a dening moment in the Korean War as it heralded the entry of United States ground forces into the conict. A third U.N. resolution, on 7 July 1950, established a military command and designated the United States as the executive agent. On 24 July 1950 in Tokyo, the U.S. established General Headquarters, United Nations Command (UNC) and een nations other than the U.S. and South Korea provided combat forces to the UNC. Four nations provided medical support. South Korean President Syngman Rhee placed all South Korean forces under Gen. MacArthur’s operational control. North Korea’s superior numbers and speed of aack enabled it to push UNC forces south to the Naktong River by early August. UNC forces held the “Pusan Perimeter” successfully until Gen. MacArthur’s Incheon Landing (Operation Chromite)initiated the second phase of the Korean War. e defense of the Pusan Perimeter was characterized by a series of intense bales in which the Eighth Army clung precariously to a foothold in the southeastern corner of the Korean peninsula that was barely more than a beachhead. Operation Chromite, the successful amphi- bious assault that led to the virtual collapse of the entire Korean Peoples' Army occurred on 15 September 1950. For all practical purposes, the CAMPAIGNS There were 10 campaigns for Korean service during the period 1950 - 1953. e Korean Service streamer is light blue with a white center stripe and a narrow white stripe on each edge. e medium blue and white are the colors of the United Nations referring to the U.N. mission. U.N. DEFENSIVE 1950 U.N. OFFENSIVE 1950 CCF INTERVENTION 1950-1951 FIRST U.N. COUNTEROFFENSIVE 1951 CCF SPRING OFFENSIVE 1951 U.N. SUMMER-FALL OFFENSIVE 1951 SECOND KOREAN WINTER 1951-1952 KOREA SUMMER-FALL 1952 THIRD KOREAN WINTER 1952-1953 KOREA SUMMER 1953 BELLIGERENTS UNITED NATIONS Republic of Korea, United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Belgium, Canada, Colombia, Ethiopia, France, Greece, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Philippines, South Africa, ailand, Turkey VERSUS NORTH KOREA AND ALLIES Democratic People’s Republic of Korea People’s Republic of China, Soviet Union STATISTICS Total U.S. Soldiers 6,800,000 U.S. Bale Deaths 33,700 Other Deaths 20,500 Non-mortal Woundings 103,284 Living Veterans 2,307,000 F4Us (Corsairs) circle the USS Boxer. Museum of the American G.I. Archives. U.S. Army uniform by H. Charles McBarron. Soldiers ring Browning automatic ries (B.A.R.)    1950 KOREAN W A R 1 9 5 3 President Harry S. Truman 1945 - 1953 Portrait by Greta Kempton  Medic, nurses and doctor prepare for surgery at a Mobile Army Surgical Hospital (MASH) unit. 5th AF F-86 Sabre jet, 51st Fighter Interceptor Wing. Museum of the American G.I. Archives. U.S. Marine Pershing tanks. Photographer Sgt. Frank C. Kerr. Machinist's Mate James F. Cooper in WWII became Dr. Cooper serving as Medical Ocer for Destroyer Squadron 20 in Korea. He retired as Lt. Com. Medical Corps in 1960 and contines his medical practice in College Station, Texas. 1st Lt. Carl L. Hinchen, Okla- homa, B-29 Superfort pilot, 98th Bomb Wing. © 2010 e Memorial for All Veterans of the Brazos Valley, Inc. Le-Write InkCol. Edward E. Harrison served during WWII, Korea, and Vietnam. Since retirement , he is a municipal court judge in Brenham, Texas and an advocate for preserving the history of Bualo soldiers . “Airborne” garrison cap patch United States 48-star ag "We Go Together," or Katchi Kapshida, references the United States and Republic of Korean forces ghting side by side. Gen. MacArthur greets Gen. Paik Sun Yup, ROK’s rst four star general. Painting by Don Stivers. eir iendship continues as Gen. Paik visits Gen. MacArthur in New York City, 1958. Ocial ag of the Republic of Korea during the Korean War. General Mahew B. Ridgway Portrait by Clarence L. MacNelly, 1972.