France contributed an eleven hundred-man battalion that arrived at the end of November. Sweden furnished a civilian medical contingent (168). Fortunately for the United States, the Soviet Union, a permanent Security Council member with veto power, boycotted the UN because the Republic of China and not the (Communist) People’s Republic of China, held a permanent seat on the Council. Resolution 84 authorized member states to furnish military forces under a U.S.-led UN Command to help restore the balance. On 7 July 1950, the United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 84, condemning North Korean aggression. By 23 November 1950, the Allies had massed 553,000 troops (the majority of whom were American and South Korean) counting 55,000 air force and 75,000 naval personnel. Surprised by the North Korean attack on 25 July 1950, the Allies lost no time in building a larger and more capable force to counter the Communist aggression. 2 When the stream of Chinese “volunteers” became a flood, Allied optimism for a quick end of the war vanished despite much improved capabilities since July 1950. In fact, some of the best soldiers in the Chinese Communist Army were among those “volunteers” who intervened early in the Korean War. Having just defeated the Nationalist Chinese and reunified the mainland, the seasoned Red Army was five million strong. With the war appearing won, only the Chinese and Soviet response to the potential Korean unification under a democratic flag worried U.S. Only the IV Corps with one division and two brigades opposed the South Korean I Corps in northeastern Korea, and four cut-off divisions of II Corps and stragglers resorted to guerrilla operations near the 38th Parallel. 1 Many North Korean units had fled north of the Yalu into Manchuria in order to refit and replenish their numbers. On paper, the NKPA had a total of eight corps, thirty divisions, and several brigades, but in reality most were combat ineffective. Army (EUSA) breakout from the Pusan Perimeter, the North Korean People’s Army (NKPA) reeled back in shambles, their supply lines cut.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |