The line was drawn in the sand and that line would be the Pusan Perimeter and the battle would be a race against time. North Korea’s objective was probe for a weakness in the UN defensive perimeter and breakthrough and take the sea port of Pusan, taking away the UN’s major supply artery of men and supplies. North Korea needed to reach its objective as soon as possible to prevent the UN from using the port of Pusan to build up its forces for a counter attack. If successful the Korean peninsula would quickly fall under communist rule and result in a North Korean victory. The UN’s objective was to maintain its defensive line until enough reinforcements and supplies could be brought onto the peninsula to counter attack and breakout.
The Battle
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The UN victory at the Battle of Pusan Perimeter had short term effects upon the war along with long term. In the short term, UN forces were no longer on the defensive in the manor of a withdraw/retreat and was able to establish a secure area for men and supplies to stage from for future operations. This also allowed the UN to gain a numeric superiority over the remaining North Korean forces. North Korean forces also faced an extended logistic line that could be easily harassed by UN air assets only weakening their ability to maintain their position on the Pusan Perimeter. Long term the victory allowed for UN forces to plan and execute a major counter offensive to break out of the Pusan Perimeter that also included an amphibious landing at Inchon. By not having to address engagements from North Korean forces on the Pusan Perimeter, UN command turned their attention to a counter attack that required detailed planning and bold execution to take advantage of the North Korean’s over extension of their logistics in both men and supplies. As a result UN forces were able to gain the momentum in the war and push opposing forces north up the peninsula pas the 38th parallel and almost in to …show more content…
The invasion was deemed unacceptable by the United Nations, which resulted in twenty-one nations providing aid in the defense of South Korea either with military might or supplies. UN command realized the importance in maintaining control of the sea port of Pusan and made a final stand against the North Korean invasion at the Battle of Pusan Perimeter. The importance of the sea port was not lost to the North Korean command and they time was against them if they wanted to gain control of the entire peninsula. If the sea port was not captured then the UN forces would be able to establish a foot hold on the peninsula and the war not be a decisive victory. The UN defense at the battle bought time for reinforcements and supplies to flood through the port and on the peninsula. North Korea’s inability to break the defensive perimeter and take Pusan, only exhausted their men and supplies all while over extending their logistic support. The Battle of Pusan Perimeter was a defining moment in the Korean War for both the UN and North Korean forces. If the perimeter would have collapsed, North Korean forces could have pushed UN forces in to the ocean claiming the Korean Peninsula. UN forces were able to hold the perimeter long enough to establish a counter offensive that allowed for a breakout and a push to the north only to be
It should be noted that North Korea’s communist ally and veto holder, the Soviet Union, was absent from this meeting in protest of the communist China’s exclusion from the Security Council. A United Nations defense force led by the United States, came to the of South Korea and in a rapid counter-offensive, they were able to push the North Koreans back past the 38th parallel close to Yalu River along the border with China. Warnings from Communist China that it would intervene should UN forces push past the 38th parallel were ignored by UN Commanders and true to their word, the Chinese Intervened on behalf of the North pushing UN and ROK forces back to the 38th parallel. In 1953, the war ended with an armistice that restored the border between the Koreas near the 38th Parallel and created the Korean Demilitarized Zone, a 4 Km wide buffer zone between the two Koreas (Edwards 2005).
He also disagreed with some governors claiming to bomb North Korea. The US rejected the request of the Nationalist Chinese for the battle because they did not want to trigger communist Chinese aggressiveness. (Rees) However, the first important battle of the Korean War, The Battle of Osan, involved 540 soldier Task Force Smith. This was a small forward element of the 24th Infantry Division, but it was unsuccessful. (Stokesbury) North Korean Army continued the winning streak and pushed back the South Korean Army and the Eight United States Army to Busan where it was southeast of Korea. (Stokesbury) United States base in Japan kept detaching materiel and soldiers to defend Pusan. (Stokesbury) There were also tank battalions directly sent from San Francisco. South Korea could get about 500 medium tanks for the battle by August. (Stokesbury) South Korean Army and United Nation Command forces could exceed 180,000 to 100,000 soldiers by September 1950. They were all prepared by that time and could push up.
During the pivotal 1950 battle, 15,000 U.S. soldiers and Marines, alongside another 15,000 UN soldiers, fought through a force of 120,000 Chinese soldiers to reach the sea some 78 miles away. During the campaign, U.S. forces successfully evacuated 98,000 refugees while inflicting heavy losses on the Chinese army. The Marine Corps led the push against a numerically superior Chinese force. Chosin also called Changjin, campaign early in the Korean War, part of the Chinese Second Offensive (November–December 1950) to drive the United Nations out of North Korea. The Chosin Reservoir campaign was directed mainly against the 1st Marine Division of the U.S. X Corps, which had disembarked in eastern North Korea and moved inland in severe winter weather to a mountainous area near the reservoir. The campaign succeeded in forcing the entire X Corps to evacuate to South Korea, but the Chinese did not achieve their particular objective of isolating and destroying the 1st Marine Division. Instead, in a deliberate retrograde movement that has become one of the most-storied exploits in Marine Corps lore, the Marines turned and fought their way down a narrow vulnerable road through several mountain passes and a bridged chasm until they reached transport ships waiting at the coast.Following the successful landing of the X Corps at Inch’ŏn in September 1950, the United Nations Command under the direction of U.S. Pres. Harry S. Truman’s administration and the UN General Assembly, pursued the remnants of the communist Korean People’s Army into North Korea. On the orders of Gen. Douglas MacArthur, commander of all allied forces in the UNC, the U.S. Eighth Army crossed the 38th parallel the prewar border on October 7 and advanced up the western side of the Korean peninsula toward P’yŏngyang, the capital of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. At the same time, MacArthur redeployed the X Corps on amphibious ships around the peninsula to Korea’s east coast. The X Corps commanded by Maj. Gen. Edward M. Almond included the 1st Marine Division Maj. Gen. Oliver P. Smith, the 7th Infantry Division Maj. Gen. David G. Barr, and the 3rd Infantry Division Maj. Gen. Robert H. Soule. The
In June 1950, 90,000 soldiers from the communist Korean People’s Army crossed the 38th Parallel into South Korea. The most important reason for a military response from the US was the document NSC 68, which stated that they must meet communism wherever it arises. Due to this document, it was the US assumption that the invasion on South Korea was not a Civil War due to the events in Korea, and the permanent divide in 1948. However, there was also US domestic policies, and Truman’s fear of being accused of being ‘soft on communism,’ as well as the US based organisation, the UN, which was a new institution, which Truman had to support. Furthermore, containment in Europe and Asia and the
Americas trooper along with South Korea's troopers pushed North Korea back. According to Cnn (Cnn.com) America sent 90% of the troops that were sent to help South Korea , the U.S. spent almost $67 billion during the Korean war,Along with 103,300 (roughly) soldiers were injured from the U.S. alone..and the soviet Union wasn't to happy with this (Josef Stalin their dictator).The U.S.S.R. sent in more troops to back up North Korea.Now the U.S.S.R and North Korea were against America and South Korea millions of people were killed in this battle/war on the both sides.
On June 25, 1950, communist North Korea invaded the United States ally South Korea. The United States and the United Nation forces headed to South Korea to help defend but are pushed back and practically pushed off the peninsula. General Douglas MacArthur stages a risky but successful counterattack at the port of Inchon. This counterattack helps South Korea push back North Korean forces back to the Yalu River. This causes communist China to enter the war. The war dragged on for many years and finally ended in 1953 with the help of the United States and the United
mmunism. After North Korea’s invasion of South Korea, it became evident that South Korea’s survival required outside intervention. The United States was to take action alone, but reconsidered due to the high risk of a Soviet and Chinese response and then referred the issue to the United Nations where member nations were asked to provide assistance to South Korea. Therefore, the Korean war was an international war in which the United States used the United Nations to Further its anti-communist policies due to the fact that communism was democracy’s greatest enemy.
As the Cold War continued on, communist North Korea unexpectedly invaded its Southern counterpart on June 25, 1950, which was encouraged by the Soviet Union. By September 14, 1950, the United States, alongside the United Nations, helped defend South Korea from further attacks (Document C). Consequently, this led to the U.S. and the United Nations forces nearly being pushed off of the Korean peninsula. However, soon after this the U.S. decide to take more immediate action with General MacArthur on July 25. General MacArthur devised a plan to counterattack North Korea at port Inchon, though it was risky it was successful in the end, due to it pushing North Korea back towards the Yalu River near China. Finally, on July 27, 1953, the ongoing war was over (Document C). The Korean War is a good example of containment because NOT
The United States obtained the general policy of containment from George Kennan. He sent what is known as the Long telegram. This is where the United States got the idea of containing Soviet expansion of communism. The United States policy of containment was present in the Truman Doctrine, the Marshall Plan, the Korean War, and the Berlin Airlift. Each event had a different version or practice of containing.
A difference between the wars were that the United Nations took a vital part in the Korean War. This made the Korean War in which an international organization played a major role. After the North Korean Invasion, the United Nations adjured member countries to come to the assistance of South Korea. Sixteen countries responded by sending troops, while forty-one countries sent food, equipment, and other supplies (Korean War). With the assistance of the U.N., South Korea was provided with core military strategic direction, fighting units, weapons, tanks, and medical assistance for the anti-communist war effort
The Korean War was a military victory for the United States because it pushed the North Koreans out of South Korea and preserved
President Truman and President Eisenhower had a crucial impact on America and the fate of Korea during the Korean War. The Korean War started on June 25, 1950 when North Korea invaded South Korea and ended on July 27, 1953, when the armistice was signed. It was fought between North Korea, who were under the Soviet Union influence of communism, and South Korea, who were under American influence of democracy. Both sides wanted to be the supreme leader of Korea. President Truman’s decision to join the Korean War had a huge cost on America and was the first real decision for the United Nations (UN). Because of how President Eisenhower decided to end the war, with an armistice, North and South Korea are still separated and without resolving the conflict. The impact of the war and of not having
The Republic of Korea (ROK) and US troops were pushed back to the “Pusan Perimeter”
On 25 June 1950, North Korea forces launched a surprise invasion on South Korea under the command of Kim Il-sung and the North Korean People’s Army. During this time, the North Korean People’s Army forced through the 38th parallel and pushed through the unprepared Republic of Korea forces to the Southeast Pusan peninsula. The approximately 125 mile defensive perimeter was where United Nation forces withdrew to by August, 1950 and held that Southeast position of the peninsula. While UN forces were outnumbered, commanders were in search for a new course of action that would help skew the war in favor of them. It was then General of the Army Douglas MacArthur first envisioned his plan for what would become the Battle of Inchon.
Some positive effects of sending United nation troops to fight in the Korean War include preventing a World War 3. South Koreans had little weapons and military because the Korean War took place soon after World War 2. Homes were destroyed and children were separated from their parents and left on the streets (Korean, 2011). Temperatures got as high as 104 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer and 40 degrees Fahrenheit in the winter. The South Koreans didn’t have the correct clothing to withstand the cold temperatures. North Korean troops were better trained and better equipped. North Korean troops almost pushed the UN troops out of South Korea in the first six weeks of fighting (Brownstone and Franck p.958). But without the UN forces, North Korea would have advanced and taken over South Korea. The United States provided the majority of the UN military forces which drove the North Koreans out of South Korea and still stand guard along the border today (Snippets, 2011). Without the help of the United States, a World War 3 would have occurred, and South Korea would have become a communist country.