![]() The governments in North and South Korea never changed, even if Kim Il-Sung was forced to cede control of the Korean People's Army to China, and President (and de facto dictator) Syngman Rhee's South Korea wasn't really that "free" to begin with. The locals fared far worse - some 4 million Korean and Chinese (mostly civilians) were killed, wounded or missing. The United States lost upward of 37,000 troops and suffered 102,000 wounded, according to the Korean War Project. The United States dropped more ordnance on North Korea in three years of fighting than it did on the entire Pacific Theater of World War II. Republicans also gained control of the House and Senate. Dwight Eisenhower and the Republicans won the presidency, despite the war's initial popularity. The war went on for two more years, but Truman opted not to run for another term as president of the United States and the Democratic Party lost ground in the 1952 elections. and the West allowed one country to fall to Communism, the rest of the nations in the region would fall one by one, or the "Domino Theory." Who Won the Korean War?īy Christmas 1950, the Korean War ground to a stalemate at the 38th parallel, the place where it started and where the border is today. He believed it was necessary for the free nations of the world to contain the spread of Communism - that if the U.S. Why Was There a Korean War?īut Truman believed the invasion was a challenge to the free world and the United States in particular. Truman would fire MacArthur for expanding the war.įor the rest of the war, roughly two more years, the conflict turned into a bloody stalemate, with the front line hovering around the 38th parallel, where it is today. Kim Il-Sung was relieved of any control of the war by the Chinese. forces, Korean refugees and all the supplies and materiel began to flood back down the peninsula, by land or by sea. X Corps was surprised and encircled at the Chosin Reservoir two weeks later. 13, 1950, the PVA forced the 8th Army to begin a retreat out of North Korea. Two weeks later, the war began in earnest. command didn't even believe the Chinese intervention actually happened. The attack was so fast and their disappearance so sudden that the U.N. They routed the 8th Cavalry Division and forced its retreat before disappearing into the mountains. ![]() The Chinese first encountered the Americans in November 1950. troops reached the Yalu River, China made its move. In October, the Chinese People's Volunteer Army (PVA) silently moved across the border. Knowing the Americans would advance north of the 38th parallel, it massed troops along the border with North Korea. forces invaded North Korea.Ĭhina had been ready to intervene in the war from the outset, if it deemed it necessary. The North Korean People's Army (KPA) was rapidly disintegrating. Nine days later, Seoul was recaptured, and the road to North Korea's capital at Pyongyang was wide open. Army photo)Īgainst all advice from China and the USSR, North Korean leader Kim Il-Sung (grandfather to today's leader, Kim Jong-Un), did not redeploy to meet the Inchon Landing or to defend Seoul. ![]() 8th Army broke out of the Pusan Perimeter on the very next day.Ī M-20 75mm recoilless rifle is fired during the Korean War. American troops flooded into the peninsula behind the lines on Sept. Douglas MacArthur led an amphibious assault at Inchon with U.S. reinforcements arrived, the Communists found themselves outnumbered. ![]() Navy wreaked havoc on North Korean infrastructure and transportation capabilities. Meanwhile, air forces from the newborn U.S. Reinforcements from the mainland United States would arrive by September. ![]() Resolution 83, which called for military aid to South Korea to push North Korea back to the 38th parallel. But time was not on the Communists' side. With Chinese supplies and Soviet support, North Korea looked ready to push the defenders into the sea. The Communist assault wasn't blunted until August, when the Americans established a line around a small section of the peninsula, centered on the city of Pusan (now Busan). forces in Japan were quickly shuttled to the Korean Peninsula to prop up the resistance to the North Korean advance.Įven the American reinforcements were overrun by the Communists due to a general lack of weapons, equipment and supplies needed to fight a war - especially in the blazing Korean summer. As soon as the United States received confirmation that the Soviet Union would not intercede directly on North Korea's behalf, President Harry Truman ordered American land and naval forces to come to South Korea's aid. ![]()
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