Korea

[Bob Seijas]

The current issue of the GCA Journal is hitting mailboxes now, and one of the articles is a survey of the details of GI combat behavior in the first 18 months of the Korean War. Writing this article prompted me to reread "This Kind of War" written by T.R. Fehrenbach in 1962. For my money it is the best account of that conflict ever written, and I strongly recommend it to you.

I read it the first time so long ago that I had forgotten many of the details. One is that the common wisdom that the Inchon invasion turned the tide isn't totally correct. By mid-September 1950 the North Korean army had about shot it's bolt and was being torn to pieces attacking the Pusan perimeter along the Naktong River. The newly-arrived 5th Marines were a major part of this defense and were used as a fire brigade to plug breaks in the line until they were pulled out for Inchon. The Army was finally getting its act together and the Air Force was decimating NKPA supply lines. After their last great offensive was stymied and most of the T34 tanks that had wreaked such havoc were destroyed (many by the new 3.5 Bazooka), they were in bad shape. Inchon was sort of the coup de grace. You should read it.

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[Seaforth72]

A great article. As a retired infantry officer,I found the article to be very interesting reading.

[Bob Seijas]

I found many things surprising, but particularly the data on the bayonet -- the common wisdom that it is a never-used anachronism wasn't true at all. Almost 150 separate bayonet engagements were reported!

[Calif-Steve]

The North Korean Army was completely destroyed three times over during the war. The North Koreans would conscript farmers in every single village they would occupy. Hence there was a huge population movement south. Had the Chinese Army not entered the war there was no way the North Koreans could have survived.