overview of the

Prior to World War II, had been occupied by for thirty-five years. Following World War II, the and the Union of Soviet Socialist Russia divided Korea in half at the 38th parallel. Russian forces occupied the northern half and U.S. troops the southern half, resulting in the birth of the two . chose a democratic form of government, and , a Soviet-style communist form of government. But both sides wanted the right to rule all of Korea. At 4:00 a.m. on a rainy Sunday morning, the North Korean Peo- ple’s Army,numbering over 90,000 men and supported by Russian-built T-34 tanks, crossed the 38th parallel. The North Koreans quickly over- ran the South Korean defenses and, on June 28, entered Seoul, the cap- ital of South Korea. The Republic of Korea had 95,000 men, but less than half were on the border when the invasion began. Further, it had no tanks and its artillery was limited to a few battalions of 105mm howitzers. After receiving news of the invasion, the United States requested a meeting of the UN Security Council. At the meeting a resolution was adopted demanding an immediate halt of hostilities and a withdrawal of North Korean forces to the 38th parallel. North Korea ignored UN demands. Taking independent action, President Harry S. Truman authorized Gen. Douglas MacArthur to use U.S. sea, air, and ground forces against the invading North Koreans. Ground forces were terribly under strength in personnel, weapons, and equipment and physically not ready for com- bat. The United States Navy and Air Force operating in the Far East faced similar problems, but played an important role in delaying North Korean forces early in the war.

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overview of the korean war xvii

As the North Korean army steamrolled south past Seoul, an American task force from the 24th Infantry Division in Japan was quickly dis- patched to South Korea by air. The task force was dubbed “Task Force Smith,” named after its commander, Lt. Col. Charles Bradley Smith. The task force, numbering about 500 men, was quickly overwhelmed north of Osan on July 5 and forced into a disorganized retreat. The rest of the 24th Infantry Division arrived shortly after and engaged the enemy at the Kum River and at Taejon, halting the North Korean drive temporarily for a few days. But facing the threat of encir- clement, the division was forced to retreat south.The newly arrived 25th Infantry Division and 1st Cavalry Division were also forced to withdraw. The Eighth Army Commander, Lt. Gen. , deployed his forces, which included Republic of Korea units, in the southeast cor- ner of South Korea. Roughly 60 to 80 miles in size, the defensive perimeter was called the Pusan Perimeter. The month of August saw the arrival of additional U.S. ground units. From Okinawa came two battalions of the 29th Infantry Regiment that fought with the 25th Infantry Division. From the United States came the 2d Infantry Division, the 1st Provisional Marine Brigade, and the 5th Regimental Combat Team (from Hawaii). The 7th Infantry Division, which was also stationed in Japan when the Korean War began, was slowly being brought to strength after being cannibalized by the 24th, 25th, and 1st Cavalry Divisions. The 3d Infantry Division arrived in Japan from stateside in October, where it was augmented by South Korean troops. It later landed at Iwon on the east coast as part of the 10th Corps in its drive north. The defense of the Pusan Perimeter was bolstered by the arrival of other UN ground forces and newly formed army divisions of the Republic of Korea. On September 15, U.S. and Republic of Korea marines made an amphibious landing at Inchon, a port city 30 miles west of Seoul, hop- ing to trap the North Korean army south of Seoul. The 7th Infantry Division followed a day later. The combined forces drove inland and by September 26 had liberated Seoul. On September 16, UN forces broke out of the Pusan Perimeter and linked up with U.S. forces south of Seoul. Of the 90,000 North Koreans that invaded South Korea, only 30,000 escaped north. In October UN forces started their drive to the Yalu River, the northern boundary of North Korea. Advance elements of two units, one American and one Republic of Korea, reached the Yalu River. warned the advancing UN forces not to cross the 38th parallel, but the xviii overview of the korean war warning was ignored by General MacArthur. On October 25, Chinese forces entered the war. In the drive north friendly units captured Chi- nese soldiers. Intelligence sources viewed the soldiers as Chinese volun- teers and maintained that China would not dare send regular troops into Korea. On November 25, the Chinese attacked in force all across North Korea and drove UN forces south beyond the 38th parallel. This was the worst defeat of U.S. ground forces in U.S. military history. The 1st Marine Division and units of the 7th Infantry Division took a severe beating at the Changjin Reservoir on the eastern front. In the west the 8th Cavalry Regiment of the 1st Cavalry Division was manhandled by the Chinese at Unsan. The 2d Infantry Division in their retreat south of Kunuri suffered nearly 6,000 casualties. On New Year’s Eve the Chinese launched an offensive that drove UN forces 40 miles below the 38th parallel and captured Seoul for the second time. From January to May 1951, the Chinese mounted three offensives while the UN countered with several of their own. In one offensive the Chinese sent nearly 500,000 men against UN forces. All were beaten back with tremendous losses to the Chinese. The war con- tinued for months below the 38th parallel. In March 1951, the allies finally drove the Chinese north of the 38th parallel and liberated Seoul for the second time. In July peace talks started and the conflict settled down to a war of the outposts, terrain critical to both sides. Bitterly contested hills at the time were Old Baldy, Pork Chop, T-Bone, Heartbreak Ridge, Bloody Ridge, Jane Russell, Bunker Hill, and Triangle Hill. In April 1953, the first exchange of prisoners, called “Little Switch,” took place, at which time only the badly wounded were repatriated. Susumu Shinagawa of Kauai was the first Hawaii soldier to be freed from captivity. On July 27, 1953, at 10:00 a.m. the cease fire was signed at Pan- munjom and at 10:00 p.m. that night, after three years, one month, and two days, all fighting stopped. In the weeks following the cease fire, the final exchange of prisoners of war took place.