Key Battles:
Pusan Perimeter
Inchon Landings
Battle of the Chosin Reservoir

Pusan Perimeter

4 August-15 September, 1950

The Pusan Perimeter was a UN established defense line south and east of the Naktong River, based on the port of Pusan. As the invading North Korean Army drove south, the UN intention was to create a secure area in which the defeated South Korean Army could be rallied while the build up of UN troops continued.

On August 4th, 1950 70,000 North Korean troops with 100 T-34's attacked the Pusan Perimeter guarded by 87,000 Americans, 91,500 South Koreans and 1,500 British troops with 600 tanks. Time was against the North Koreans. Their goal was a quick victory before US could send more troops and equipment. However, led by Gen. Walker the now 140,000 strong 8th Army broke through North Korean lines on September 16, 1950 and headed for Seoul. As for the North Koreans, with the coinciding landing at Inchon things went from bad to catastrophic. They had suffered some 40,000 casualties(killed or taken prisoner) at Pusan and began retreating north.

Inchon Landings

15 September

On September 15, 1950 Joint Task Force Seven, with more than 320 warships including 4 aircraft carriers, carried the nearly 70,000 man strong force of X Corps into the dangerous tides of Inchon harbor. Preceded by heavy naval bombardment and under a blanket of fighting aircraft, led by the veteran 5th Marines, elements of the 1st Marine Division were landed 100 miles behind the North Korean lines and fought their way on to take Seoul, by 9/25. The newly reinforced 7th Infantry Division protected its flank. The stroke was decisive.

Conceived and directed by our brilliant general Douglas MacArthur, the assault at Inchon was a strategic masterpiece. The invasion had suddenly positioned some of our finest fighting men across the main NK lines of supply, and retreat, far in the rear of their attacking armies. Within two weeks, the North Korean army was largely destroyed or made ineffective.

Battle of the Chosin Reservoir

27 November-15 December, 1950

X Corps landed behind the North Korean lines at Inchon on September 15, 1950. Within two weeks, the North Korean army (NK) was largely made ineffective. The way to the Yalu, and total destruction of North Korea's military power, seemed virtually unopposed. But all was not as it seemed, China was preparing to strike.

The US had supported Chang Kai-sheck's Nationalists in the Chinese civil war, and did not have diplomatic relations with the Chinese Communist government. Neither did China have a seat at the UN. China sent warning that if UN forces crossed the 38th parallel, she would come into the war. But, the warning was necessarily indirect, coming through the Indian ambassador. Without a doubt this led to some confusion in the minds of our political and military leaders as to China's true intentions.

But China was just emerging as a communist power, and wanted to test her strength on the world scale. She had also resolved to keep North Korea as a buffer between the West and the open expanse of the Manchurian plains. As UN forces became separated in pursuit of the retreating PLA, with Eighth army attacking in the north and west, and X Corps in the east, the Chinese marshalled their fighting forces, and moved weapons and supplies into the central mountains, behind the advancing UN troops. They moved tens of thousands of infantry into position, as well. In spite of UN air surveillance of the Yalu, China made these moves unobserved.

By November 24, from left to right on line, Eighth Army consisted of: I Corps, with the 24th Division, the British 27th Brigade, and the ROK 1st Division; IX Corps, with the 2nd and 25th Divisions and the Turkish Brigade; and ROK II Corps, with their 6th, 7th and 8th Divisions. 1st Cav was in reserve. In all, about 135,000 troops. In the east, X Corps had about 100,000 men: the 1st Marine Division (22,000), and the Army's 7th Division, with the under-strength 3d Infantry Division Division in reserve at Wonsan; and the ROK I Corps, consisting of the 3rd and Capital Divisions, operating along the east coast.

Facing Eighth Army was the CCF 13th Army Group, of about 180,000 men. In addition, effective NK strength had again grown to about 100,000. In the east, the CCF faced X Corps with Song Shilun's 9th Army Group, consisting of 4 armies, of 12 divisions and about 120,000 men. One of the lessons the Chinese had learned was from the only defeat their first probes had undergone, the destruction of the 124th division by the 7th Marines. The main objective of the entire 9th Army Group was the destruction of the 1st Marine Division.

On Friday, November 25, following a tremendous artillery barrage, Walker's Eighth Army jumped off from the Chongchon River. To reach the Yalu, and end the war. The Marine assault from Yudam-ni was delayed until November 27. Eighth Army's advance seemed to go well, for a day. Opposition was so light, and the desire to reach the Yalu and end the war so great, that General Walker's divisions were speeding along without protecting their flanks, or maintaining artillery support capability for advanced units. On the night of November 25-26, the CCF struck. Following their evaluations of the initial fighting, they struck the ROK II Corps. By morning, they had torn an 80-mile penetration of our lines, exposing the entire Eighth Army right flank, in particular the 2nd Division. The Turkish Brigade was virtually thrown in the gap, and destroyed. By evening, November 27, the reserves of the 1st Cav and the British Brigade were thrown in as well not to press on to the Yalu, but to assist in the withdrawal of all Eighth Army forces.

In the east, the 1st Marine Division and the 31st Regimental Combat Team were locked in vicious battle against enormous odds. For Eighth Army, the results had been catastrophic. On November 29, Walker ordered a general withdrawal, starting the longest retreat in U.S. Army history. Within 6 weeks, Eighth Army fell back 275 miles, abandoning huge amounts of material and suffering almost 10,000 casualties. Retreating across the Chongchon River, then below the 38th parallel, pausing momentarily at the frozen Imjin, then abandoning Seoul. The Chinese advance finally ran out of logistical steam 45 miles south of Seoul at Pyontaek, and UN forces formed a fairly stable defense base.

On November 30, X Corps ordered the Marines to withdraw. So began an incredible breakout and 13-day fighting retreat by about 20,000 troops, spread out loosely over a narrow, mountainous, one-lane supply road, covering about 78 miles to the Sea of Japan and Hungnam. For the first 35 miles, from Yudam-ni to the Army's 3rd Infantry Division positions at Chinhung-ni, the Marines were on their own, battling continuously with 10 CCF divisions.

The 1st Marine Division took full advantage of its artillery and air support but it also time and again fought the Chinese man-to-man, hand-to-hand, night and day, while cut off from the rear and with transportation at a dead stop. In the bitterly cold, sub-zero winds of Chosin, as in steaming jungles of an earlier war, the Marines never lost their will to fight, or their capability of fighting effectively.

Heavily outnumbered, the Marines successfully defended against every attack, and in turn successfully attacked the Chinese wherever they had cut off the MSR. The Marines not only fought their way out, they brought out their wounded, and most of their dead and equipment.

Chosin was a major defeat.We were driven from the field of battle. Of the 25,000 of our troops who faced the 120,000 Chinese at Chosin, 6,000 were killed, wounded or captured, and at least 6,000 others suffered frostbite. During their 13 day walking battle back, 1st Mar Div suffered 718 dead, 192 missing and 3,508 wounded, plus their frostbitten casualties. But the Chinese paid a terrible price for their victory. Marine records say they killed 25,000 Chinese and wounded 12,500 others. The Army estimated an additional 5,000 Chinese casualties. In addition, an estimated 30,000 Chinese were frostbitten. Thousands of Chinese studded the mountains of Chosin, squatting with rifles slung on their shoulders, packs slung on their backs, sheathed in snow, frozen to death. 72,500 casualties in total, 60% of their 120,000 man army, to defeat 25,000 of our troops.

VIII.Pictures

Korea Map	Inchon Landing Map	Pusan Perimeter Map	North Korean Prisoner	North Korean Prisoners
T-34 hit by US M-26 tank	Destroyed T-34's	More Destroyed T-34's	Even More Destroyed T-34's	Dead North Koreans & Chinese Troops

Sources Used