Otto's Brief discussion of the Korean Conflict
The North Koreans overran South Korea down to the Pusan perimeter in 40 days, where they were stopped, cold by American and South Korean forces. A feat comparable to the Polish campaign in WWII. What was the name of the NKPA commander who accomplished this feat?
MacArthur's Inchon amphibious assault; outflanked the NKVA at the 38th parallel. He obtained air and naval superiority.Coupled with a tenacious defense around Pusan the NKVA was exhausted, demoralized and virttually cut-off from North Korea. It collapsed quickly. Subsidiary amphibious assaults and para drops allowed UN forces to overrun North Korea in a similar time frame to the NKVA June offensive. In both cases the "victors" had about a 2-1 manpower ratio over their adversaries and Armor superiority. In both cases crossing the WWII partion line, (38th parallel), caused foreign intervention on ideological grounds. The PVA intervention caught the UN forces off quard both in terms of initial onslaught, size and ferocity. After considerable initial success the PVA were stopped and see-saw operations ended in Static warfare or stalemate at approximately the 38th Parallel.
What started as a civil war utilizing Blitzkrieg tactics changed to a proxy war utilizing Combined Arms tactics then ideological war using Infantry Shock and Infiltration tactics; resulting in general exhaustion and static warfare. This ended in a negotiated settlement some two years later. Had MacArthur invaded Manchuria, as I believe was his intention prior to the PVA intervention the conflict would have triggered Soviet intervention and World war. Truman sent four Type4 nuclear weapons to Japan under SAC command. MacArthur was not considered knowledgable enough re nuclear weapons nor trusted enough to be given control of these armaments, or Nuclear war may have ensued.
Another Author to add to reading list is Barbara Tuchman: The First Salute, A Distant Mirror: The Calamitous 14th Century, The Guns of August, Stilwell and the American Experience in China, 1911-45 etc.
