INFORMATION TO USERS This manuscript has been reproduced from the mlcrofihn master. UMI films the text directly from the original or copy submitted. Thus, some thesis and dissertation copies are in typewriter face, while others may be from any type o f computer printer. The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleedthrough, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely afreet reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send UMI a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Oversize materials (e.g., maps, drawings, charts) are reproduced by sectioning the original, beginnmg at the upper left-hand comer and continuing from left to right in equal sections with small overlaps. Each original is also photographed in one exposure and is included in reduced form at the back of the book. Photographs included in the original manuscript have been reproduced xerographically in this copy. Higher quality 6” x 9” black and white photographic prints are available for any photographs or illustrations appearing in this copy for an additional charge. Contact UMI directly to order. UMI A Bell & Howell Infonnation Company 300 North Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor MI 48106-1346 USA 313/761-4700 800/521-0600 TEIREE ARMIES IN KOREA: THE COMBAT EFFECTIVENESS OF THE UNITED STATES EIGHTH ARMY IN KOREA, JULY 1950-JUNE 1952 A Dissertation Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of the Ohio State University by Kelly C. Jordan, M.A. ***** The Ohio State University 1999 Dissertation Committee: Allan R Millett Approved by John F. Guilmartin Jr. Warren Van Tine Adviser Department of History UMI Number: 9931623 Copyright 1999 by Jordan, Kelly C. All rights reserved. UMI Microform 9931623 Copyright 1999, by UMI Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. UMI 300 North Zeeb Road Ann Arbor, MI 48103 Copyright by Kelly C. Jordan L999 ABSTRACT For the first two years of the Korean War, the United. Nations relied largely upon the American Army component of the United States Eighth Army to achieve its political goals. As the entity referred to as the Eighth United States Army in Korea (EUSAK) formed, expanded, and matured, it also changed significantly during the period July 1950 to June 1952. These changes produced three distinct organizations in terms of composition, senior leadership, mission, and method of combat operations. The “first” Eighth Army was the army that fought between 13 July-25 December 1950, whüe the “second” Eighth Army existed during the period 26 December 1950- 12 November 1951, and the “third” Eighth Army came into being during the period 13 November 1951-30 June 1952. While this observation is perhaps not surprising from an organizational point o f view, it challenges a basic and prevailing American view regarding the evolution o f its armies in conflict. This dissertation examines the US Army component of the Eighth United States Army in Korea between July 1950-June 1952 and evaluates it in terms of its combat effectiveness by assessing the six fimdamental elements of combat power, leadership, administration, firepower, maneuver, integration, and protection, using a unique battlefield effectiveness n paradigm to produce an assessment of the Eighth Army’s leadership, battlefield activities, and overall combat eflfectiveness. This assessment also supports the argument that the “second” Eighth Army that fought in Korea was substantially different from the “first” Eighth Army that preceded it and the “third” Eighth Army that succeeded it, and that the second Eighth Army was the most combat effective of the three armies at the tactical, operational, and strategic levels of war. A combination of deliberate reform measures, battlefield opportunities, an influx of excellent soldiers and leaders, and a synergistic effect among all of these occurrences explains the remarkable battlefield performance of this organization, which was perhaps the best American field army between World War II and the Gulf War. m To my father. Dr. John Patrick Jordan, Major, USAR, Retired, for being my role model as a man, soldier, scholar, and father. It was you who inspired me to achieve the things I have, and instilled in me the desire for excellence and to coirçlete my Ph D. and To my wife, Roberta A. Jordan, for being my friend, confidant, helper, wife, and mother of our two wonderful children. Over the last five years, I have spent far too much time in my oflhce and not enough with you and the children. Thanks for picking up my slack, understanding, and helping me complete this project. I owe you both more than I can ever possibly repay, and I am thankful that you have both stuck by me from the beginning of this project to its completion. Your combmed influence helped me to persevere, and this work is a much better product because of your involvement. IV ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I wish to thank my adviser, Allan R. Millett, for his intellectual support, encouragement, and guidance that made this dissertation possible, and for his patience in correcting both my stylistic and substantive errors. I also need to thank Mark Jacobson, Alexander Lassner, Lieutenant Colonel David T. Fautua, and Lieutenant Colonel Conrad C. Crane for the innumerable stimulating discussions that I had with them which led me to recognize^ conceptualize, and define many fimdamental aspects of my argument. I could not have completed this project without the direct assistance of my fiiend William R. Roberts on several significant occasions, and I am in his debt as well for his consistent support. I am deeply grateful to my superiors in the Department of History at the United States Military Academy, especially Colonel Robert A. Doughty, Colonel Charles F. Brower IV, Colonel Cole C. Kingseed, and Colonel James M. Johnson. Without their conthuiing interest in my progress and the decisions that they made that provided me with the time, opportunity, and resources to work on this dissertation over the past three years, I am certain that I would not have completed it while at West Point. I am particularly grateful to the support I received J&om the United States Military Academy’s Faculty Development Research Fund, which allowed me to conduct numerous essential research trips to various archival locations. My debt to the two men who inspired me to begin my study of the Korean War and the Eighth Army, as expressed in the dedication of my MA Thesis, remains unchanged. My uncles. First Lieutenant Herbert L. Jordan, USA, Infantry, who, as a member of Conçany L, 8th Cavalry Regiment, First Cavalry Division, gave his life for his country on 18 September 1950 on Hill 403, Tabu-Dong, Korea, and Colonel William S. Jordan, USA, Infantry, whose gallant actions on Heartbreak Ridge between 5 September-6 October 1951 as the commander of Company B, 23d Infantry Regiment, Second hifantry Division, inspired me to study the Korean War, will always be two of my greatest heroes. This work is a personal tribute to them as well Finally, I believe that the writing of history should be both an academic and an artistic undertaking, and the music ofWol%ang Amadeus Mozart, Johaim Pachelbel, Shania Twain, Jewel, Queen, Styx, Mindy McCready, Patty Loveless, and Trisha Yearwood was an integral part of the creative process that produced this work. These particular artists, along with many others, provided me the intellectual stimulation that I needed to persevere during the long and seemingly endless nights of writing, and their contributions were as important to the artistic portion of this work as the primary and secondary sources were to the academic part of this endeavor. Their melodies and voices soothed me, and their lyrics inspired me to continue on my quest to gain a better understanding of the Eighth Army in Korea as an organization and as an eclectic and ever-changmg group of fascinating, conçlex, and heroic individuals. v i VTTA February 12, 1964 .................................... Bom - Oklahoma City, Oklahoma May 17, 1986 ............................................B.A., Virginia Military Insthute, Lexington, Virginia 1986-Present .............................................U.S. Army OfiBcer June 7, 1996 .............................................. M.A., Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio July 6, 1996 ............................................... histructor. Department of EEstory, United States Mihtary Academy, West Point, New York July 1, 1998 ............................................... Assistant Professor, Department of EQstory, United States Mihtary Academy, West Point, New York PUBLICATIONS AND CONFERENCES “The Persistent Prophet: The Role of Percy Hobart in British Armored Warfare Doctrine Development from 1927-1934,” conference paper presented at Theatrum Mhitarum HI Graduate Student Conference in Military History, The Ohio State University, April 21-22, 1995. The Napoleonic Titan: Napoleonic Warfare, Organizations, Operations, Weapons, and Tactics. West Point, NY: United States Military Academy Department of History, 1996. ‘Tilling The Void: Planning And Conducting Small Unit Search-And-Attack Operations,: forthcorning in Editor, West Point Atlas for Warfare Since 1945, in The