- Hubert Walas
War in Korea.
Some estimates indicate that up to 5 million people may have died in the Korean War of the early 1950s. Such is the cost of miscalculation - both on the part of the communist bloc, which went to this war, wanting to test the American primacy that was taking shape after the Second World War; and the United States, which after massively 'disarming' after World War II weakened its power in the perception of its opponents - mainly the USSR.
Communist Front
"Taiwan and South Korea are irrelevant to the security of the United States."
- Secretary of State Dean Acheson, January 1950
"The USSR may take South Korea without US intervention because it is of little value to the United States."
- Tom Conally, chairman of the Senate Foreign Affairs Committee, May 1950
The reckless statements of leading US politicians are just one of the reasons why the Soviet Union felt confident in pursuing an increasingly bold foreign policy in Asia. Given the passive attitude of the West towards the coup in Prague in February of 1948, its defensive behavior during the Berlin crisis, and most importantly - the lack of reaction to Chiang Kai-shek's defeat in China - it can be concluded that an equally favorable situation might not repeat itself. The leaders of the Soviet Union did not intend to lose such an opportunity. Determined steps have therefore been taken to expand Soviet influence in Asia. On December 16, 1949, Mao Tse-tung made his first-ever visit to Moscow, which resulted in the Soviet-Chinese Alliance Treaty signed on February 14, 1950.
Earlier, Korean Communist leader, Kim Il-Sung, visited the Soviet Union. Unfortunately, the details of this conversation remain a mystery. It is certain, however, that they discussed the invasion of South Korea. According to Nikita Khrushchev, who revealed some facts, the invasion "was proposed not by Stalin, but by Kim Il-sung, he, so to speak, was the initiator of this move. Well, of course, Stalin did not stop him (...) because it suited both his views and his convictions as a communist."
Everything seemed to play in favor of Stalin's policy and Kim Il-Sung's ideas. They did not feel any threat, NATO was just beginning to form, and the Americans continued the post-war demobilization of the army, which was reduced from over eight million in 1945 to around 670,000 in the early 1950s. At that time, Moscow had five times as many troops as Washington, an equal number of planes, and thirty armored divisions compared to one in the United States. The fear was also not aroused by the American garrison in neighboring Japan, because the American forces numbered only 36,000 soldiers and were supported by only light tanks.
The Attack from the North
On June 25, 1950, Kim Il-sung’s army invaded. 223,000 soldiers, 120 T-34 tanks, and 180 aircraft struck at dawn, capturing Seoul in three days. And shortly thereafter almost 90% of the territory of South Korea whose troops - 98,000 soldiers deprived of aviation, armored weapons, and heavy artillery - were rapidly overwhelmed.
The United Nations Security Council threw United Nations troops against the aggressors, consisting of seventeen countries dominated by American forces. General Douglas MacArthur took command, and the immediate help of the 24th American Division was able to save the last piece of South Korea, which was the port of Busan. However, the troops at Daejeon were equipped with obsolete weapons and were defeated with their commander, General William Dean, being captured.
In mid-September, General MacArthur's offensive began. American troops landed near Incheon, 30 km west of Seoul, and it is worth noting that, according to experts, this site was unsuitable for a sea landing. The North Korean army, despite having doubled in size, was almost completely destroyed. It lost Seoul, 135,000 of its number were taken prisoner, and 200,000 were killed. On September 30, UN troops crossed the demarcation line, and less than a month later, on October 20, UN Forces paratroopers seized Pyongyang. Kim Il-sung was forced to flee to Sinuiju on the Chinese border, and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea - that is North Korea - basically ceased to exist. On October 21, the 7th Regiment of the 6th South Korean Division even found itself on the Yalu River right on the border with Mao’s China.
At that moment, the war seemed to essentially be over, however, four days later, the Red Chinese army led by Lin Biao and then Peng Te-Huai marched on Korea. The attack was supported by Stalin, it completely surprised the Americans who considered any involvement from China impossible. MacArthur, at a meeting with Truman on October 15, 1950, claimed that these threats were a "giant bluff." How surprised the conqueror of Japan must have been - we can only suspect.
Faced with a huge numerical advantage - 500,000 Chinese against 200,000 UN troops - allied forces withdrew to the Pyeongtaek-Samcheok line, even evacuating Seoul on January 4, 1951, however, the city was recaptured three months later as part of Operation Ripper.
On the Brink of World War
The world was on the brink of the outbreak of World War III - there is no doubt about it. The United States took a much more resolute stance, and at a press conference on November 30, 1950, President Harry Truman threatened to use nuclear weapons. Dwight D. Eisenhower was even reinstated as NATO Commander in Chief. And suddenly, everyone in America regretted the galloping pace of post-World War 2 demilitarization. Although the American plans as a result of a possible US-Soviet war were simply to bomb the USSR, only 100 nuclear bombs were ready out of the 300 needed.
The Soviet Union did not look passively. Stalin concentrated five divisions on the Korean border. At the same time, the actions of the West were paralyzed by "peaceful" means. The Kremlin-led World Peace Council launched the Stockholm Appeal condemning nuclear weapons, it was signed by 500 million people. A similar attitude was adopted by the World Peace Congress, held in Warsaw between November 16 and 22 in 1950, which supported its appeals with testimonies of prisoners from the UN troops who were subjected to elaborate torture by the Chinese and the so-called brainwashing spared no details about the cruelty of Western troops. In the shadow of major events, on October 7, 1950, China entered Tibet and forced the 14-year-old Dalai Lama to sign a treaty integrating the country into the People’s Republic of China.
American diplomacy was rather sluggish. The greatest supporters of an active crackdown on communism were led by General MacArthur, who on March 24, 1951, demanded help for Chiang Kai-shek in the event of an invasion of Asia. The general also demanded the launch of a nuclear attack on Manchuria that would paralyze communist China. He expressed open opposition to the so-called "Limited War," believing it to endanger the lives of his soldiers. He used to say: “We are fighting for Europe here armed, while diplomats are still fighting only on words. If we lose the war against communism in Asia, the collapse of Europe will be inevitable, and if we win, Europe will avoid war and remain free. We have to win. There is no substitute for victory.” MacArthur's attitude caused quite a stir. President Truman, terrified of a possible intervention by the USSR, decided to dismiss the rebellious general. Nevertheless, in the United States, the war brought about a radical change in the attitude towards armaments. In February 1951, American aviation production returned to the level from 1944, and defense expenditure
between 1950 and 1952 increased almost threefold. From $17.7 billion to $44 billion.
A Treacherous Truce
On June 23, 1951, Yakov Malik, the UN Representative of the USSR, proposed peace talks. Held from July 10, first in Kaesong, and then in Panmunjom, they did not stop further fighting along the 38th parallel, during which more than half of the soldiers killed during the entire war died. The negotiations were made difficult by the case of the POWs whom the Americans had no intention of giving to anyone. Eventually, they were handed over to a neutral committee chaired by India. The truce was signed on July 27, 1953, and negotiations had accelerated after Stalin's death in March. The ceremony was held in silence, without shaking hands and without the participation of representatives of the first South Korean president, Rhee Syngman, who regarded the terms of the truce as treason. The security of the South was to be guaranteed by American troops from then on.
The Korean War claimed millions of lives, but an exact number has never been verifiably established. Among them were over 33,000 Americans, approximately 520,000 soldiers from North Korea, 415,000 from South Korea, and 900,000 Chinese. The effects include, among others, of course, the consolidation of the communist regime in North Korea. During the Geneva conference between April 26 and June 16, 1954, an agreement was envisaged to unite the country. Ultimately, it was not concluded, and formally the Korean War has never ended - there is only a ceasefire.
The Korean War showed the powerlessness of the United Nations which, without US troops, constituted no serious force, thus giving the US full hegemony within the alliance. It was also the first war that presented the world with a real prospect of a nuclear exchange. Moreover, the war on the Korean peninsula showed the importance of armed deterrence. Testing the world order usually takes place on the periphery of the main rivalry, and this is also how the status of the Korean peninsula at that time can be defined. US troop numbers after World War II were massively reduced. This disturbed the balance of power, which the communist front decided to test. At that time, the Soviet Union was still the main adversary, but playing out the conflict from the back seat.
After 70 years, the situation looks completely different - China is now the main adversary in the corridors in the Pentagon. And Europe is much closer to the role of the periphery than East Asia, which has recently become the gravitational center of the world.
