managed by the one, the only, Roughstuff
completely revised & edited Spring 2002
completely revised & edited Spring 2002
managed by the one, the only, Roughstuff
There is no faster way to broaden your knowledge and understanding of the Korean war than to hop onto the Roughie express and read my concise book reviews and summaries. Many of the books can be ordered online through AmazonDotCom: I even do the work for you with a direct link! Over 50 books are reviewed! Yowzers. Why not enter the ongoing debate about what happened at No Gun Ri? One the one side Hanley et.al. argue that American soldiers gunned down innocent civilians at No Gun Ri and with specific orders to do so. In contrast, Bateman replies that the sources referred to in Hanleys book weren't even at No Gun Ri when the incident occurred, and that American soldiers were fired upon by guerillas hidden in the refugee column. And shed some tears for the sad plight of American POWs when you read Raymond Lech's "Broken Soldiers."
By the way, have you Got a book you'd like to review or would like to recommend? Impress your friends, lovers and fellow countrymen with a review published here. Send me email and I'll swiftly process your request.
|
On the MILITARY FRONT: With the successful amphibious landing at In'Chon and the subsequent route of NKPA forces, the war enetered its most dynamic, and for the UN Forces it most successful, phase. NKPA resistance collapsed throughout south Korea and, closely pursued by US and ROK armies, quickly retreated on both coasts beyond the 38th parallel. Some NKPA forces, bypassed in the rush northward, remained in the Chiri and Taebek ranges to offer persistant harassment and sabotage later in the war. But the race was on. Despite misgivings about crossing the parallel the ROKs crossed in early October and, presented with a fait accompli, the UN and JCS approved operations north of the parallel only a few days later. 2nd Army forces surged up the west coast toward Sinuiju at the Yalu; 'X" corps, despite the snafus of operation yo-yo, landed at Wonsan and headed up the eastern coast and valleys toward the Tumen. In early November Chinese forces attacked, routed UN forces, and then mysterious disappeared again into the hills.
Much speculation has focused on whether this tactic was designed as a warning, or as a trap, for UN forces. Since UN forces did not turn around after the rout, but held in place and then resumed their advance northward, we can only speculate. But Appleman seems to feel it was a trap to lure the UN forces into the narrow valleys where the roadbound infantry was at maximum disadvantage versus mobile chinese soldiers. McArthur and Almond more than obliged. Here, around the Chosin Reservoir (this websites namesake), only the footdragging and caution of the Marines saved the forces, later, from complete annihilation. All kinds of problems could be foreseen at the Chosin--indeed they were by the troops on the ground! The marines were not used to mountain warfare; the army units, for their part, were rushed as an afterthought to the east side of the reservoir to protect the Marine's left flank. The latter had gotten sudden orders to strike northwest and link up with 8th Army, on the other side of the Myohyang Mountains. (Not the Taebeks, as is often stated). Stretched out over dozens of miles in hilly terrain in bitter winter conditions, surely one could not imagine a more vulnerable position for a heavily armored force to be in. It was asking for trouble, and we soon got our full measure. A more complete analysis of the Chosin can be found here. You will also find photos, more quotes, and links to other Chosin campaign web pages. If you have your own story and information about the Chosin campaign you would like to add, contact the webmaster by email, or leave a note on my guestbook below.
On the HOME FRONT: While defeat and gloom swept across the icy valleys around the Chosin, the halls of power in Washington had their own drafts of despair. In a way it was inevitable. The decision to intervene in Korea was never anchored firmly in American Asian/Foreign policy; in fact, the opposite was true. It was a desparate (but appropriate) gamble that US forces could stop the NKPA before they overran the Peninsula. Without this legal and moral anchor, the national and political mood was bound to be more volatile than it was, say, in WWII, when the moral and military imperatives were starkly clear. Thus in the 2 months following the Chosin debacle, glum Pentagon officials and State Department operatives met in long, depressing seminars. "Should we retreat or fight to a Dunkirk?" "Will the Chinese stop at the 38th parallel?" "What do we do about local Government officials in the event we evacuate Korea entirely?" "Can we turn Cheju-do into a Korean Formosa?" It was a time for histrionics and exaggerated pessimism: one senator from Louisiana knelt in President Truman's office and swore, biblically, that our great nation faced 'the Gethsemane of our existence." For us, removed from these events by over fifty years and with the cold war in a temporary thaw, it is difficult to imagine the degree of despair in which many of our Leaders, our Columnists, and many of our citizens felt. Dean Acheson expected to be woken up some nights "by the clarion call of global nuclear war." Some recent researchers have suggested that McArthurs' minions deliberately fed the hysteria so as to carry the War into Manchuria and beyond, but I think a simpler explanation is that they were merely stupid. MacArthur's coterie had no clue of the situation on the ground. It is not surprising that at the lowest point of this despair, the untimely death of General Walker and his replacement by Ridgway, came a sea change (tentative, at first) in how the Korean war was waged. For the first time came discipline and aggressiveneess on the ground; objectives explained to troops in the field and the public back home; goals and timetables for their achievement, and resources necessary for them to be accomplished. All this was to turn the tides in the Americans favor when the days grew noticeably longer in February. By then, clever diplomacy by Acheson, too, was to turn the tide of world opinion. The final step, ridding the Asian military command of the 'fish that had rotted at the head first' (as Mike Dukakis, 1988 democratic candidate for president, would say): was still some ways off.
All this was yet to come, and during the longest and coldest nights in US military annals, US forces walked, flew, and took ships in one and only one direction: South.
This feature will be updated frequently for the duration of the Korean War's 50th anniversary.
|
Readers of my Book Reviews know that I am a big fan of the Donald Knox's book Pusan to Chosin. One of my favorite parts of that book is the lengthy description of the battles around the twon of Waegwan by ITEM company, as written by Captain Norman Allen of the US Army's 5th Cavalry--heavily engaged in the thick of the battle for hill 174 and 174.1. (Does anyone REALLY measure these hills to see if they are .1 meter different in height? Did the artillery barrages make the hills shorter? Should they be remeasured?) I decided when I came to Korea and got posted in Kunsan that I would spend the week of September 15 in and around those hills...if I could find them. Well, looking at a map in the the book South to the Nakton, North to the Yalu (which I have yet to review, because it is so massive...), I was able to find the place exactly. It is circled in the upper left center of my diagram with the word 'bingo!' right next to it. That is where Roughie will be next week...camping on the hills, if possible, and taking quite a few pictures of the layout of the countryside so that vets who are NOT able to make the reunion will be able to see what it looks like now, compared to then. From a recent story in Stars and Stripes, quite a few crusty old soldiers are heading that way...so I don't know if I'll have hill 174 aqll to myself, after all. Of course...then again, you guys had a tough time of it fifty years ago...why should'nt I? Look for the guy with a small dome shaped nylon tent (no foxholes for this homeboy!) near the top of hill 174 or 174.1. I hope to get alot of pictures of veterans of this battle as well, and will do a feature, permanent page about my visit in the near future.
Of course the big front page news fifty years ago was the In'chon landing. But had it not been for the valiant effort on the part of UN forces holding the perimeter during those crucial weeks while Chromite was in preparation, the whole landing would have been called off. I also chose to do this feature on the Taegu battles because the Army received much bad publicity about its performance in the July retreats around Osan and Taejon. I thought I would point out the story was not all bad. If you haven't read Norman Allen's account of his section of the battle, click here and definitely take a look at Knox's book. In any case...I like this land battle better than In'chon because the latter was as much of a theatre for reporters as it was a desparate attempt to cut off enemy supply lines. No Maggie Higgins here! Just honest hard working soldiers getting the job done. And unlike Chromite, which soon threw its momentum away as Macarthur separated his forces and broke enemy contact, the land forces swept up the peninsula mile by mile...doing the job they could have done all along (liberate south Korea)... If they had the leadership, the weapons, and honest support from the president and JCS. I have always thought that all four branches of the services should have a badge called: FOR CONSPICUOUS GALLANTRY IN THE FACE OF STUPIDITY. God we'd run out of recipients in this war!
Korea/21st Century will be updated on a regular basis.
|
On the Yongsan South Post, Korean War scholars and researchers might want to visit the General Dean library and archive, which can be used for firsthand examination of documents and materials related to the war. A large collection of texts and manuscripts is on hand. I found their personnel a bit curt and distracted--after explaining I had a Korean War website that I thought might benefit from my first visit to their archive, i was pointed toward the small library and pretty much ignored. But its hard to ignore the valuable function such a center--long, long overdue-- will perform in the future.
This The History Ring site is owned by Roughstuff. Want to join the The History Ring? Graphics created by |
|---|
| [Skip Prev] [Prev] [Next] [Skip Next] [Random] [Next 5] [List Sites] |