The Korean War

Although I’ve done a blog on “M*A*S*H”, in which I briefly covered this war, I never did a blog on this war itself.  Coming shortly on the heels of World War II – just 5 years after – it pulled in many WWII veterans.

Phase I.  North Korea kicks ass.  On June 25, 1950, the North Korean army (Korean People’s Army, KPA) launched a surprise attack across the 38^th Parallel and pushed the South Korean (Republic of Korea, ROK) forces all the way down to the very southeast tip of the peninsula, at Pusan.  This small pocket held out against amazing odds.  [M*A*S*H item: Veteran surgeon cracks after too long – Hawkeye is disturbed, as the man was at Pusan.  If a man who survived Pusan can break, what hope is there for anyone who didn’t go through all that?].   In addition to the KPA outnumbering the AROK by 3 to 1, they had also had tanks – the South Koreans had none – and more aircraft.  There were no US forces in South Korea, but there were nearby in Japan.

The US got an UN resolution passed, and sent its own forces from Japan to reinforce the South Koreans.  Troops & tanks, of course, but also overwhelming air superiority which blitzed the KPA.  By September the UN forces were actually breaking out of the perimeter.  Note:  although the US provided the majority of troops, air support, and supplies, the Allied effort was a UN effort.  French and Turkish troops wound up playing pivotal roles in several battles.             

Phase II.  UN kicks ass.  September 15, 1950, MacArthur engineered a brilliant landing at Inchon, which is on the west coast of the peninsula about halfway up.  This was well behind North Korean lines and completely took them by surprise.  South Korea was liberated, and the UN forces rolled all the way up to the Chinese border on the Yalu River.  KPA forces disintegrated and left North Korea almost defenseless.  

MacArthur publicly argued that the UN should invade China, and Truman disagreed with him – and sacked him.  Remarkably, the US had competent military commanders aside from him who managed to get the job done. 

Phase III.  Mao kicks ass.  On October 25, 1950, Mao sent millions of “volunteers” over the border – mostly former Nationalist armies who surrendered after Chiang Kai-Shek fled to Taiwan, relabeled the People’s Volunteer Army (PVA) – to overwhelm the UN forces by sheer numbers.  After the initial shock, the UN forces rallied and held the communist forces…right around the 38^th Parallel – i.e. the original border.  The first half of 1951 involved a series of costly but strategically significant battles between the UN forces and the PVA, ending by June 1951.

Phase IV.  Stalemate.   For the next two years the battle dragged on at that place, neither side gaining an advantage over the other.  Peace talks dragged on, much to Hawkeye’s annoyance.  Mao seemed to be the only one who wanted to continue the war, but Hawkeye never bitched to him (by the time “M*A*S*H” aired, Nixon had made Mao a popular guy in the US).

Chinese forces suffered heavy casualties.   They had little air support.  The .50 machine gun did a great job of slicing through dense ranks of soldiers.  Most of the forces were former Nationalist armies Mao didn’t care about.  Moreover, Mao was trading Chinese lives to get Soviet technology from Stalin.    

Leaders.  US:  Harry S. Truman (until January 1953); Republic of Korea (South Korea): Syngman Rhee; Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea (North Korea): Kim Il-Sung (grandfather of current leader); China: Mao Zedong; USSR: Josef Stalin.

Tanks. The communists used mainly T34-85s left over from WWII.  The US forces used M46 Patton tanks, which replaced the T26 Pershing tanks originally designed in 1945 but were outdated by 1951.

MiG-15.  This was originally my angle, until I realized that the war itself was a more substantial topic.  The war gave jets an opportunity to show what they could do on a broader scale than WWII, where the ME262 was the only jet to get any substantial airtime. 

            The Russians brought the MiG-15 to the table.  Although they trained North Korean and Chinese pilots, most of the planes were flown by Russian pilots.  They pretended to speak Korean on the radio, but reverted to Russian when under stress and/or swearing.  Since Stalin didn’t want any captured – which would prove the Russians were in the cockpits – they had orders not to fly over enemy territory. 

            The MiGs themselves were highly competitive with the US jets, the F86 Sabres.  They also shot B29s out of the sky fairly easily, which meant the US had to fly those bombers only at night. 

R&R in Tokyo.  Instead of being firebombed, Tokyo is where Hawkeye and Trapper John go for R&R.  Amusing turn of events, as least as far as the Americans are concerned.  Also, my military history professor at UM, Sumida, made an interesting observation.  It seems there were some North Korean prisoners who refused to talk.  The Americans brought in a Japanese officer, merely as an observer.  When the North Koreans saw him, they immediately started talking.  

Armistice, but no Peace Treaty.  Technically the war ended with a cease fire on July 27, 1953, not a peace treaty, so it’s going on right now.  The demilitarized zone was added as part of the armistice terms. 

Uncle Jeff.  The only relative I know who fought in Korea (he also fought in the Pacific in WWII).  Sadly, I can't remember any war stories from Korea.  For that matter, I don't recall him telling stories about WWII.  My Uncle Larry, navigator in a B17, did observe an ME262.  

Movies.  It turns out that there are lots of Korean War films, but I’ve only seen a handful.

M*A*S*H.  The original, with Donald Sutherland as Hawkeye and Elliot Gould as Trapper John.  This had Robert Duvall as Major Frank Burns and Rene Auberjonois – Odo on Boston Legal – as Father Mulcahy.  Gary Burghoff, aka “RADAR” O’Reilly, was the only actor to play in both the movie and the series.

            Since it mainly dealt with the doctors, I don’t really consider it much of a Korean War film.  Moreover, unlike the TV series, which was a comedy, this film is more of a drama, albeit highly irreverent. 

The Manchurian Candidate.  Although the events in question started in Korea – the US squad captured by the Reds – all the main plot takes place in the USA.  Not much of a Korean War movie.

The Steel Helmet.  B&W, made in 1951.  Features a gruff sergeant, a young Korean boy ("Short Round"), a Japanese-American soldier, Tanaka - proud veteran of the 442nd in WWII - and a black medic.  For a movie of that vintage, it pushes a whole bunch of buttons: racism in the US, internment camps, and general discord and nastiness among US soldiers.  I noticed a few Mosin-Nagants and a PPSH.  Thanks, Dave!

Tae Guk Gi: The Brotherhood of War.  A South Korean film from 2004, obviously inspired by “Saving Private Ryan” in terms of its direction, editing and pacing. When a South Korean family’s younger son gets drafted into the army, his older brother volunteers to serve so he can look after him.  Bad stuff happens after the South liberates their village which had been overrun and captured by the North Koreans.  Older brother goes apeshit, defects, and becomes a fanatical officer in an elite North Korean unit.  Very intense, and from the South Korean perspective (not US).  But excellent and exciting to watch.