THANKSGIVING DAY, KOREAN WAR, 1950 The Korean War began on June 25, 1950, when North Korea invaded South Korea. On October 14, 1950, General Douglas MacArthur met with President Harry Truman on Wake Island to discuss Communist China’s threats to enter the Korean War if American forces moved northward across the 38th parallel. MacArthur assured President Truman the war ”would be terminated by Thanksgiving—they are thoroughly whipped.” Ignoring warnings from Communist China, MacArthur then ordered forces under his command to cross the 38th parallel with intent to move all the way to the Yalu River, the border separating North Korea from Manchuria. To learn what United Nations troops were actually experiencing at about the time of Thanksgiving Day, November 23, 1950, please see history.navy.mil/photos/events/kowar/50-chin/ch-5.htm Following are some quotations from the site: The weeks following 25 November 1950 formed one of the most miserable periods of U.S. military history. What on 24 November promised the conflicts early and victorious end was swiftly transformed into an entirely new war, with UN (overwhelmingly American) and Republic of Korea troops fighting for their lives through Communist Chinese ambushes and roadblocks in the midst of wintery weather that often inflicted more casualties than did the enemy. The Chinese proved themselves masters of infiltration, evading premature observation by moving mainly at night, skillfully covering their tracks and taking full advantage of the UN/ROK armies thinly-manned front, roadbound tactics and inadequate patrolling. Not for the first time, nor for the last, superior air power was unable to detect and stop an enemys buildup before he chose to engage. Even after the Chinese were out in the open, bad weather frequently curtailed air support. On 29 November, General MacArthur ordered withdrawal on all fronts. In the west, the Eighth Army broke contact and retired rapidly through Pyongyang, which was abandoned on 5 December. The nearby port of Chinnampo, opened only a month before, was evacuated by sea on 4-6 December, providing a way out for many supplies and refugees. In the east, X Corps was ordered to fall back on the port of Hungnam. Ships pulled some units out of Songjin and Wonsan, while others moved by road. To the North, on 1-4 December, the First Marine Division shot its way down from Yudam-Ni, west of the Chosin Reservoir, to Hagaru, at its base. Covered by Marine and Navy planes, it continued the fight down the road from Hagaru to Hungnam, completing the movement on 10-11 December. A general evacuation of Hungnam then commenced, taking the Marines and most other evacuated forces to Pusan to regroup.
Posted on: Thu, 28 Nov 2013 19:29:42 +0000
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