The Korean War
Summary
The Korean War began when North Korea invaded South Korea because they felt like all of Korea should become communist. The United Nations and the United States came to the aid of South Korea. China and Russia came to the aid of North Korea. These two partnerships created the ultimate army group that would later fight against each other, creating the Korean War. Throughout the war there was many events that contributed to South Korea or North Korea. Some of these were the Landing At Inchon, China entering the war, the decisions of General MacArthur, and the battle of the Chosin Reservoir. The landing at Inchon contributed a big chunk of Korea to the South. The landing at Inchon was an amphibious invasion that resulted in the US and the United Nations cutting off all supplies going from North Korea to South Korea. Another main event that contributed to the Korean War was China entering the war. China came into the Korean War because they felt threatened that non-communism would spread into their country as a result of South Korea fighting too close to China's border. Both of these events played a big part in the Korean War, but in the end both armies didn’t win or lose. The Korean War was an impactful event in the Cold War. -Caleb Ely |
Summary
The Korean War first began with the invasion of South Korea by North Korea, but was quickly turned around by General MacArthur. Kim Il Sung, dictator of North Korea, wanted to unify the Koreas under a communist power. Stalin aided Sung, believing that the U.S. would not become involved. On June of 1950, North Korean troops invaded South Korea. This is what began the war, as well as provoked U.S. involvement. The North Koreans had almost captured all of South Korea, and nearly defeated all of the American troops embarrassingly fast, until the landing at Inchon. It was the brilliant idea of General MacArthur to land at Inchon because UN troops were able to cut off all of the North Koreans supplies, and push them back to the 38th parallel. General MacArthur played a very important role in the Korean War. Not only did he command all the UN troops, as well as the landing at Inchon, but he made the plan was to push the North Koreans all the way back to the Yalu River. Although the Yalu River is near the Chinese border, Truman and MacArthur believed that China would not intervene in the war. However, because of their fear of the UN forces, China intervened. China attacked the UN forces and pushed them back to the 38th parallel. After, MacArthur wanted to use nuclear bombs against China. Truman refused to allow this, and between this request, as well as MacArthur’s history of not following orders, he was ultimately relieved of duty. At this point, the war was nearly over. Although never a true victor, from the beginning of the war which invoked U.S. involvement, to the commander of the UN troops as well as a brilliant strategist General MacArthur, the U.S. achieved their goal of containing Communism, a goal they've had since the Truman Doctrine. -Nathan Vezina |
Summary
In June of 1950, North Korea, with help of the Soviets, attacked South Korea in order to spread communism into Southern Asia. The North Korean forces quickly drove into South Korean territory with great success. The American forces in South Korea were untrained as well as unprepared for a powerful invasion. The United States didn’t expect an invasion because of the Truman Doctrine, a U.S. foreign policy designed to contain communism and instill fear into these communist countries. The U.S. troops were quickly pushed to a southern area, named the Pusan Perimeter. The North Korean invasion was devastatingly fast and and quickly spread communism into South Korea. In a desperate need of help, President Truman appointed General Douglas MacArthur to take action. MacArthur proposed to land at Inchon, an area of northern South Korea. MacArthur’s plan was to cut off supplies of North Korea and begin to push troops back. On September 15, 1950, American forces landed in Inchon and began advancing north. General MacArthur's involvement was very important to successfully defend South Korea. -Cameron Zipper |
THE BATTLE AT INCHON
September 10-19, 1950, aircraft carrier USS Philippine Sea,
The Battle of Inchon was an amphibious invasion during the Korean War. It resulted in the US and the United Nations cutting off the supplies going from North Korea to South Korea. The town that all of the boats landed in was called Inchon. From there, the troop spread across South Korea cutting off all of North Korea’s provisions and troops. It was a huge success and reversed the war in favor of the United Nations. This plan was ingeniously commanded by the General of the Army, Douglas MacArthur. He was the main driving force behind the operation, overcoming the strong to a risky assault over extremely unfavorable terrain. -Caleb Ely |
GENERAL MACARTHUR
1880 - 1964, MacArthur's Medal Of honor,
General Douglas MacArthur was an American general and field marshal of the Philippine Army. He played a prominent role in World War II, and received the Medal of Honor for his service in the Philippines Campaign. After many awards and medals MacArthur was recalled to active duty in 1941 as a commander of United States Army Forces in the Far East. After that he led the United Nations Command in the Korean War until he was removed from command by President Harry S. Truman because he was reckless and insubordinate. -Caleb Ely |
THE BATTLE OF THE CHOSIN RESERVOIR
Nov 26, 1950 – Dec 13, 1950, US division Tank,
The Battle of Chosin Reservoir was a very important battle in the Cold War between South Korea and the United States versus China. Chinese troops surprised the United States troops by the Chosin Reservoir area in North Korea. The Purpose of the attack was to drive U.S. forces out of North Korea into a retreat. After the initial attack, there was a cold and brutal seventeen day battle. Nearly 30,000 United Nation’s troops were encircled by 120,000 Chinese troops. The battle ended with the retreat of the United States from North Korea and the end of the U.S. expansion into North Korea. The Battle of the Chosin Reservoir was a very important and pivotal battle in the Korean War. -Cameron Zipper |
Removal of General MacArthur
1951, MacArthur's hat In the beginning of the Korean War, General MacArthur led the U.S. forces in Korea. Although he was very successful general who devised brilliant strategies and military maneuvers that helped save South Korea from falling to the invading forces of communist North Korea, he was removed from his position by President Truman to prevent the war from lasting longer. MacArthur had many plans, such as pushing into North Korea completely to defeat communist forces, however that plan failed because the American troops were ambushed by the Chinese, and after, MacArthur wanted to bomb Communist China. Truman could not accept this request. Between these radical requests and MacArthur's history of not following orders well, Truman had to make the decision to remove him from his position. -Nathan Vezina |
China's Entry into the Korean War,
October, 1950, Type 50 Chinese Submachine Gun Concerned with the possibility of Chinese intervention, Truman had ordered MacArthur, general of American troops in Korea, not to approach the Yalu River, the border between North Korea and China. Both MacArthur and Truman believed that China would not intervene the war if they were to of stopped at the Yalu River. However, Mao, one of China's leaders, was fearful that the U.N. forces would continue through to China. On October of 1950, a quarter of a million Chinese troops crossed the Yalu River to assist North Korean armies, and engaged in the Korean War in an offensive manner after the U.S. troops crossed the 38th parallel. This was China's first physical act in the war, and what caused them to become fully involved. -Nathan Vezina |
Origins of the Korean War
June 25, 1950, The glasses of Kim-Il Sung, After WWII, the country of Korea was removed from Japanese power and split halfway at the 38th Parallel. North Korea, lead by Kim-Il Sung, was supported by the communist Soviets while South Korea, lead by Syngman Rhee, was supported by the United States. The main reason no conflict or invasion did initially occur the Truman Doctrine, an American foreign policy created by President Truman that stated that if the Soviet Union would invade any country in Europe, it would mean war. This doctrine did not affect Asia so therefore, North Korea thought they would be able to invade South Korea with no repercussion. On June 25, 1950, North Korea began its invasion into South Korea and began the Korean War. -Cameron Zipper |
CHINA'S ENTERY IN THE KOREAN WAR
The Chinese came out of the hills near Unsan, North Korea, blowing loud bugles at dusk on November 1, 1950. They threw grenades and shot many American soldiers with their low tech "burp" guns. The Chinese entered the war because they felt like South Korea was coming too close to their border, and that they might spread a non communist belief in China. For more information about China entering the Korean War click on the link below:
-Caleb Ely |
CURRENT EVENTS IN KOREA
Much like in the Cold War, the threat of nuclear attacks are still something to fear. While during the Cold War the main threat was the Soviet Union, the main threat today is North Korea. North Korea has claimed to have tested a total of five bombs, each having a larger explosion radius. It is believed that the country has the capability and the technology to launch a nuclear attack on countries as near as Japan, but not the United States yet. In 2003, North Korea withdrew from all treaties to eliminate the use of nuclear weapons in war. This means that the North Korean government is a large threat to the United Nation's safety, similar to the Soviet Union during the Cold War. -Cameron Zipper |
THE KIM FAMILY LEGACY
At the end of World War II, the Soviet Union occupied North Korea and created the Provisional People's Committee for North Korea, chaired by Kim Il-sung, in 1946. In 1948, the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea was proclaimed, and Kim Il-sung officially became the leader of the country. He had near control of the country, and after his death, his son Kim Jong-il succeeded him. The legacy continues to now as Kim Jong-un was elected after his father's death in 2014, and he still continues to have complete control over the country. -Nathan Vezina |