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The Korean War, from June 25, 1950 to July 27, 1953, was a conflict between communist North and anti-communist South Korea. This was also a proxy war of a kind between the United States and the Soviet Union. Principal combatants were North and South Korea, the United States and China although many nations sent troops under the aegis of the United Nations.

The invasion of South Korea came as a complete surprise to the US, Dean Rusk of the State Department had told Congress on June 20 that no war was likely . Interestingly a CIA report of early March had predicted an invasion in June. US officials had previously publicly stated that America would not fight over Korea, and that the country was outside of American concern in the Pacific. This attitude may have encouraged the North or given Syngman Rhee in the South a motive to gain US support.

On hearing of the invasion Truman agreed with his advisors, unilaterally, to use US airstrikes against the North Korean forces and also ordered the Seventh Fleet to protect Formosa. The US gained a United Nations mandate for action because the Soviets were boycotting the Security Council while Chiang Kai-shek's representative held the Chinese seat. Without the Soviet veto and with only Yugoslavia opposed the UN voted to aid South Korea. The US would have fought whatever the outcome, and MacArthur later told Congress "I had no connection with the UN whatsoever".

The US forces were suffering from demobilization which had continued since 1945. Excluding the Marines, the infantry divisions sent to Korea were at 40% of paper strength and the majority of their equipment was found to be useless.

In initial stages of the war, North Korea troops overwhelmed South Korean and American forces and drove them to a small area in the far South around the city of Pusan. This became a desperate holding action called the Pusan Perimeter. American general Douglas MacArthur, as UN commander in chief for Korea, ordered a invasion far behind the North Korean troops at Inchon. United Nations troops drove the North Koreans back past the 38th parallel and continued on toward the Yalu River border of North Korea and China. This brought the Chinese into the war.

The Chinese had issued warnings that they would react if the UN forces encroached on the frontier at the Yalu River. Mao sought Soviet aid and saw intervention as essentially defensive - "if we allow the US to occupy all of Korea... we must be prepared for the US to declare... war with China" he told Stalin, Zhou Enlai was sent to Moscow to add force to Mao's cabled arguments. Mao delayed his forces while waiting for Russian help, the planned attack was postponed from the 13th to the 19th of October. Soviet assistance was limited to providing air support no nearer than sixty miles to the battlefront - the MiG-15s in Chinese colours were an unpleasant surprise to the UN pilots, they held local air superiority until the newer F-86 Sabres were deployed. The Soviet role was known to the US but they kept quiet as "the last thing we [the US] wanted was... a more serious confrontation with the Soviets".

The Chinese assault repelled the United Nations troops back to the 38th parallel, the pre-conflict border. The battle of Chosin Reservoir in winter was a terrible defeat for the United Nation troops, mainly American Marines. The situation was such that Truman mentioned that atomic weapons may be used, much to the alarm of his allies. MacArthur was removed from command by President Harry S Truman in 1951. The rest of the war involved little territory changes and lengthy peace negotiations. A cease fire established a demilitarized zone (DMZ) around the 38th parallel which is still today defended by North Korean on one side and South Korean and American troops on the other. No peace treaty has yet been signed 50 years later.

Korea was officially a police action not a war in US parlance. 600,000 Koreans had died and perhaps a million Chinese. US troops suffered about 50,000 fatalities, roughly equal to the Vietnam conflict but in a much shorter time. However later neglect of remembrance of this war in favor of the Vietnam War and World War II has caused the Korean War to be called the Forgotten War.

However the war was instrumental in re-energising the US military-industrial complex from their post-war slump. The defense budget was boosted to $50 billion, the Army was doubled in size as was the number of Air Groups and they were deployed beyond American soil in Europe, the Middle East and elsewhere in Asia, including Vietnam where covert aid to the French was made overt. The Cold War became a much stronger state of mind for American policy makers.

Japan was a key beneficiary of the war. The US material requirements were organised through a Special Procurements system, which allowed for local purchasing without the complex Pentagon procurement system. Over $3.5 billion was spent with Japanese companies, peaking at $809 million in 1953 and still significant in 1955, other foreign non-military investment was less than 5% of this. US Aid Counterpart Funds gave Japan, by 1956, the most modern shipyards in the world and a 26% share in lauched tonnage. Left-wing organisations were closed down and the zaibatsu went from being distrusted to being encouraged - Mitsui, Mitsubishi and Sumitomo were amongst the zaibatsu tht thrived, not only on orders from the military but through American industrial experts, including W. Edward Denning. Japanese maufacturing grew by 50% between March 1950 and 1951. By 1952 pre-war standards of living were regained and output was twice the level of 1949. The 1951 peace treaty returned Japanese sovereignty (excluding Okinawa and the Ryukyu islands) and the non-belligerency clause in the constitution was being considered a "mistake" by 1953.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. This history article licensed under GFDL.

 

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. This history article licensed under GFDL.

• 1950
• 1951
• 1952
• 1953
• The Air War

 

To learn more about the Korean War - Use these online Internet resources

Regional > Asia > North Korea > Society and Culture > History

Regional > Asia > South Korea > Society and Culture > History

Society > History

• Aces of the Korean War - Brief bios and combat stories of U.S. fighter aces of Korean War, like Jabara, McConnell, Fischer, Risner, mostly F-86 Sabre jet pilots.
• Aces of the Korean War - Brief bios and combat stories of U.S. F-86 and other fighter aces of Korean War, like Jabara, McConnell, Fischer, Risner..
• The American Merchant Marine During the Korean War - Discusses how the United States Merchant Marine supported the war effort in Korea. Includes a detailed bibliography, a list of Merchant Ships in the war zone, and histories of several ships and crews that sailed in the war zone.
• UNITED STATES ARMY IN THE KOREAN WAR - by James F. Schnabel
• Army Quartermaster Korean War History - Selected articles describing the role played by the US Army Quartermaster Corps in the war.
• Bibliography of Strategy in the Korean War - A list of books and articles on Korean War strategy. Compiled by Joan Hyatt, Bibliographer
• Planning Air Operations: Lessons from Operation Strangle in the Korean War - By Lt Col Michael A. Kirtland
• Black Combat Units In Korean War Action - Short history of the last racially segregated US Army units that saw action in Korea. Includes table of organization and the accomplishments of these units.
• Britain in the Korean War - Comprehensive and well laid out guide to the British contribution to the war. Includes accounts from veterans.
• Canadian Veterans 1998 Pilgrimage to Korea - Canadian veterans visited the war zone on the 45th anniversary of the Korean ceasefire. Site provides a daily report, a timeline, and map of the visit and biographies of the visiting veterans.
• Casualties of the Korean War - Statistics on North Korean, South Korean, American, Chinese and other nations' casualties and fatalities during the Korean conflict.
• China's Decision to Enter the Korean War - An article analyzing Beijing's motivations for intervening in the Korean conflict.
• China's Role in the Korean War - A chronology of significant events for China and its army during the conflict.
• The Chosin Few - Information for veterans of the battle at the Chosin Reservoir during the winter of 1950.
• The Chosin Few - Information and imagery on the American soldiers who fought at the Chosin Reservoir in Korea in 1950. Includes maps and links to related resources.
• Chronological Events of the Korean War - A timeline of critical military and political events during the Korean conflict.
• Coalition of Families --- Index Frame Map - Information on American servicemen missing from the Korean and other conflicts of the Cold War. Includes news on this issue, recovery and identification of remains, research and documents, Congressional actions, and American foreign policy on this issue.
• Colonel Tofte's Demise - Colonel Hans Tofte headed up the CIA's spy operations in Korea during the war and who falsified reports about the successes of American covert operations against North Korea.
• Combat Actions in Korea - A history of US Army's tactical operations during the Korean War. The focus is on the combat action at the level of platoons, companies and batteries.
• Combat Support in Korea - A report on the role of combat support units in Korea. Covers the Corps of Engineers as well as transportations, logistics, signals, medics, ordnance and security units.
• The Effectiveness of Air Interdiction During the Korean War - A study on the effectiveness of air strikes against North Korean and Chinese field units during the early months of the war and its decisiveness in shaping the course of the war.
• Examining the Korean War - Resources for researching the Korean War. Includes reviews of books on the war, an oral history of Korean veterans, maps of the conflict, and links to further related materials.
• Eyewitness: A North Korean Remembers - A perspective on the Korean conflict from the North Korean side. Young Sik Kim was a participant of the Korean War and recalls his youth growing up in North Korea and living though the war.
• Flood Recovery at the 2d Infantry Division Museum - The preservation of artifacts at this museum in Camp Red Cloud near Seoul.
• The Forgotten War ... Korea - Statistics on American casualties during the Korean War and on the contributions of other nations to the United Nations war effort in Korea. Includes photo galleries.
• Friendly Fire Notebook - There were many instances where American forces in Korea mistook other other US soldiers for the enemy and opened fire on their own people. This site records such friendly fire incidents during the Korean War.
• General Douglas MacArthur - A biography of the highly controversial general Douglas MacArthur. Discusses his career and his actions during the Korean War.
• Glossary of Military Terms - A extensive online dictionary of military terms, phrases, abbreviations, and slang. Helpful for understanding the terms used on some Korean War websites.
• Highlights of Mobilization, Korean War - A U.S. Army study of plans for mobilizing and transporting American troops and equipment to Korea as well as the mobilization of American industry to military production.
• Join the Navy and See the World. - A young sailors experiences before and during the Korean war and the Invasion of Inchon in September 1950.
• Kids and Korea - Educational resources for children concerning the Korean War. Includes a bibliographies and Web links. Information on the Illinois Korean War Memorial.
• Korea - Guerrilla Operations Outline - An outline of guiding principles for conducting guerilla operations used by American-backed Anti-Red partisans in North Korea during the war.
• Korean Combat Action Reports for Carrier Air Groups - Full-text reports on the combat missions flown by US Navy Carrier Air Groups and Air Task Groups during the Korean War.
• Korean Historical Documents - Historical documents relevant to the Korean War and the pre-War and post-War periods.
• Korean Vignettes: Faces of War - Historical photographs and art from the Korean War. Includes personal stories, image galleries, and links to related sites.
• The Korean War - Detailed history of the forces sent by many of the U.N. member states that participated in the conflict in Korea
• Korean War, 1950-53 - An exhaustive bibliography of books, documents, and periodicals related to the war in Korea. Covers subjects such as communist activities, strategy, military operations, political considerations, nuclear issues, negotiations, and prisoners of war.
• Korean War - U.S. Navy Order of Battle - Order of battle of U.S. Navy and Marine aircraft that served in Korea. Includes carrier, carrier-based squadrons and ground-based squadron deployments during the war.
• Korean War Comrades Remembered - Personal accounts from the conflict. Includes links to related sites.
• Korean War Factook - A searchable chronology of critical military and political events during the war with coverage of special topics such as casualties, UN forces, and Victoria Cross recipients. Includes maps, links, and bibliography.
• Korean War FAQ - Answers to frequently asked questions about the history of the Korean War. Provides information on military and political dynamics of the conflict from a Chinese perspective.
• Korean War Commemoration web site - Official, public access web site for the United States of America's Commemoration of the 50th Anniversary of the Korean War - By U.S. Army
• Korean War Commemoration web site - Lesson Plans, visual aids and teacher activity guides.
• The Korean War Veterans Memorial - National Park Service
• The Korean War, Fresh Perspective - A brief article by Harry G. Summers, a noted American strategist, providing fresh insights on the Korean War and its long-term impact on American foreign and military policy.
• Korean War Project - A non-profit Corporation devoted to the study of the Korean War. Photography, recollections, message centers, POW/MIA information, Casualty Databases - a meeting place for Veterans and Families.
• Korean War 50th Anniversary - Public information on events commemorating the Korean. Includes biographies, bibliographies, interviews, fact sheets, medal of honor recipients, chronology, images, commemorative events and communities, and other educational materials.
• Korean War US POW's in Soviet Jails - A news story on American prisoners of wars captured during the Korean War and sent to Soviet prisons and labor camps.
• Korean War Veterans Association - Information on 50th anniversary events, Korean war memorials, key US Army Announcement, medals and award, state level casualty lists, veterans' efforts to revisit Korea. Includes chat room and links related sites.
• Korean War Veterans National Museum & Library Home Page - A national museum for Korean War veterans. Includes information on Korean veterans, reunions, unit histories, an image gallery, a list of Korean War books, and Korean War-related facts and statistics.
• Korean War Web Sites - Links to websites on the Korean War. Includes museums, memorials, veterans associations, unit histories, combat action reports, casualties, African-American soldiers, retrospective studies of the war and combat effectiveness.
• Korean War.net - Articles and documents on Korean War topics such as the No Gun Ri incident, U.S. weapons and equipment, Australia's and Turkey's role in the war, and anti-guerrilla operations. Also includes interviews on the 50th anniversary of the war, an image gallery and links to related resources.
• Lessons from Operation Strangle in the Korean War - Operation Strangle was an aerial campaign to destroy the North Korean rail system during the Korean War. This is an article on how to draw lessons from this campaign for planning air operations in future wars.
• Liberation and the Korean War - Information on the liberation and division of Korea, the origins and events of the conflict, and its consequences for Korea and international politics.
• History of Korea - Short history summary.
• The MacArthur Memorial - A museum about the life and military career of General Douglas McArthur. Includes an online exhibit about Korea and the campaign he fought there.
• MHI Digital Library Chronological List - A digital library of primary source documents related to the Korean War from US Army's Military History Institute.
• 2nd Infantry Division - The 2nd Infantry Division of the US Army served in Korea. Includes information for members on the division's veterans association as well as an extensive history of the unit's role in the Korean War, casualties, and medal recipients.
• On the American Intervention In Korea, 1950 - The Soviet view of the 1950 American intervention in the Korean War from Andrei Gromyko, the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the USSR.
• Once More Into the Fire - An account of West Point graduates who served in the Korean War and the hard lessons of war they learned during the fighting.
• Origins of the Korean War - A discussion of the causes of the Korean War and North Korean motives for invading South Korea. Includes links to biographies of both countries' leaders, the events and outcomes of the war, and a bibliography.
• Out in the cold: Australia's involvement in the Korean War - Impressive online exhibition from the Australian War Memorial.
• Racism Played Role in All-Black Unit's Failure - The story of how racism between white officers and black soldiers in the segregated 24th Infantry regiment impeded the unit's combat effectiveness during operations in Korea during 1950 and led to the disbanding of the regiment in 1951.
• Remembering the Korean War - A US Army official history of the Korean War. Topics include combat action, combat support, summaries of campaigns, and Medal of Honor recipients. Includes maps, images, and links to related studies and documents.
• Report of The United Nations Commission on Korea, 1950 - A United Nations report analyzing events preceding the Korean War and the first months of the conflict.
• Review of Dark Moon - A review of and excerpts from Ed Evanhoe's Dark Moon, an history of the American guerrilla and intelligence operations in Korea. Includes a chronology of covert actions during the Korean War.
• Soviet Aces in the Korean war - History of Soviet fighter pilots who secretly fought on the North Korean side. Provides pilots' names and their total kills.
• State-Level Casualty Lists - Korean Conflict - A list of American casualities in the Korean War organized by states. Can be searched alphabetically by last name or by state.
• Statistical Data on Strength and Casualties for Korean War and Vietnam - A statistical report on the strength of the US Army in the Korean theater of operation and the casualties suffered by those forces during the two wars. Includes information on the Vietnam war.
• 50th Anniversary of the Korean War Commemoration Committee - Information on schedules for the related events, chronology of the Korean War, memorial Project, etc. Test in Korean and English.
• 13th Bomb Squadron - The 13th Squadron of the US Air Force, a bomber unit using B-26 Invaders, performed many types of attack missions in the Korean War. Includes a squadron history, personal stories, scrapbook, and the technical specifications of the B-26.
• 15th Field Artillery Regiment in the Korean War - History of the "Fighting Fifteenth", including decorations and casualties.
• 40th Infantry Division War Veterans - Website for veterans of the 40th Infantry Division of the US Army. Includes information on reunions, a memorial, books, soldiers' stories, a chat room, and links to related websites.
• Time Travel to the Korean war
• Two Walk The Golden Road - Excerpts from a book by Zhou Ming-fu and Wilson Powell, soldiers on opposite sides in the war.
• United States Army in the Korean War: policy and direction - the first year - An explanation of US policy during the Korean War and the strategies and command methods needed to carry out that policy during the first year of the war.
• U.S. Forces Korea : 50th Anniversary of the Korean War - General information, maps, photographs, artwork, and bibliography on the conflict as well events commemorating the war. Includes links to battle studies, travel tips for veterans, United Nations Command participation, New Zealand Korean War chronology, and veterans' FAQs.
• US Navy and Marine Corp Aircraft in the Korean Conflict - Listing of all types of US Navy and Marine aircraft that served in Korea during the war. Provides brief history, technical specifications, and three-view diagrams of the aircraft that saw action in the Korean War.
• Valour Remembered - Canadians in Korea - History of the Canadian military operations during the Korean conflict. Includes background information on the war, Canadian troops in action, and Canadian air and naval support.
• When Black is Burned - A oral history study of African-American soldiers serving in the US Army during the Korean War and the desegregation of Army units.
• White Tigers - A review of Colonel Ben S. Malcom White Tigers, a study of North Koreans fighting a partisan campaign against the communist regime and supported by US Army intelligence. Includes to links to guerrilla operations manual and a brief summary of covert actions.
• Who Was Rhee Syngman? - A biography of the life and political career of South Korea's first President, Dr. Rhee Syngman. He ruled from 1948 to 1960, when he was deposed.
• Who Won the Korean War? - A review of the winners and the losers of the war. Discusses the impact of the Korean War on North Korea, South Korea, the United States, the USSR, Japan, and Europe.

Places, Soldiers
and Units
Of Korean War
Web Sites

• 2nd Infantry Division - Korean War Veterans Alliance
• 13th Bomb Squadron Association
  Korean War
  
  
• 15th Field Artillery Regiment "INDIANHEADS"
• 712th Transportation Railway Operating Battalion
• 6147 Tactical Control Group (The Mosquitos) - Airborne and ground controllers of close air support
• G Company 8th Cav Regt (Inf)
• Korea Seabee Album - Korea 1951-54
• Korean War Casualty Databases at the Korean War Project
• Korean War Veterans Association
• Korean War Veterans' Memorial Homepage - US National Park Service
• Korean War Veterans National Museum and Library - Still in progress but will be a two story building containing a remembrance wall, exhibits, a large research library, a single story war machine gallery and an eleven acre battlefield replica of the frontline. A multi-million dollar project to be located in Tuscola, Illinois. They are soliciting members and contributors.
• Korean Reunions Page - By the Korean War Educator
• Korean War Veterans National Museum & Library Home Page (TheForgottenVictory.org)
• The Korean War Web Ring
• Locating Korean War Veterans - by Kathleen W. Hinckley, CGRS at Genealogy.com
• State Level Lists of Casualty - Korea and Vietnam
• The United States Forces Korea