The Battles Of The Korean War

On June 25, 1950, a war broke out on the peninsula of North and South Korea. The causes of this war were mostly attributed to North Korea’s attempted conquest of the entire Korean peninsula. North Korea invaded the South and thus began the Korean War. This was a war that ultimately involved the forces of the United States and numerous other countries. The Korean War cost the lives of 2,000,000 people in only three years. This catastrophic loss of life was due to the events took place during the war. Many, many battles took place during the Korean War.

At dawn on June 25, 1950, 90,000 soldiers were sent into the Southern Republic of Korea or South Korea. These 90,000 men made up two-thirds of the 135,000 man army of North Korea. On June 28, North Korean forces capture the South Korean capital of Seoul and almost completely destroy the South Korean army. This and various other battles were known as the North Korean Invasion. North Korean troops conquered the entire peninsula except for a small portion at the tip. This small, box-shaped area was dubbed the name the “Pusan Perimeter”. From here, South Korea barely held off the North. The South suffered many casualties in the process.

In United Nations hearings, South Korea asked for support from other members and received it shortly. President Truman ordered U.S. ground forces into Korea to help with the cause of the South. These forces occupied spaces in the Pusan Perimeter and aided the South. Soon after, the UN creates the United Nations Command to establish leadership amongst UN forces. General Douglas MacArthur was their leader. Under MacArthur’s first week of command, North Korean forces desperately tried to break down the Pusan Perimeter with the heaviest fighting of the war yet.

With the superior leadership of General Douglas MacArthur, September to October 1950 was a turning point in the war for the United Nations forces. From the Pusan Perimeter, MacArthur was able to press onward up to the Yalo River which serves as the natural boundary between North Korea and China. He was able conquer so much with a plan named the Inchon Landing. The Inchon Landing was officially called Operation Chromite. In it, U.S. and allied forces landed at Inchon on Korea’s west coast. From Inchon, MacArthur was able to obliterate the enemy at the Pusan Perimeter from behind. Four divisions of the U.S. Army were able to bre...

... middle of paper ...

... the attempted Chinese advances, President Truman decides to fire General MacArthur. General Ridgway was promoted to overall command of the UN forces, and General James Van Fleet is given command of the Eighth Army, a position that General Ridgway used to hold.

Truce talks began between the UN and the communists on July 10 though the fighting continued. The Battle for the Punchbowl was a successful attack on the communist forces as was the Battle of Heartbreak Ridge. In both of these battles, many casualties occurred on the Chinese side. On October 8, the talks were broken off. Soon after, on March 28 of 1953, the Communists accepted a UN proposal to exchange sick and wounded prisoners. Within the next few months, truce talks resumed and an armistice was signed and the fighting was put to a permanent halt.

Many battles too place during the Korean War. Various battles led by General MacArthur and General Ridgway were bloody and gory. With offensives occurring on both sides, many people were killed. Several countries suffered casualties from the Korean War and many more had countless citizens die. The Korean War killed approximately 2,000,000 people and harmed unknown millions more.