Korean War Questions!?

Question

ok like how did the war start and end? Does anyone know why its called the forgotten war or how was it compared to world war I? Thanks!

Answer 1

the preceding replies are largely correct, but I have a few additions and corrections.

The war began on the 38th parallel -- an entirely arbitrary line -- simply because that was the agreed-upon division between Soviet and US acceptance of Japanese surrender. It ended very close to that line, after seesawing battles up and down the peninsula, partially due to the the Chinese entry in force after UN forces approached the Yalu River. The Cold War hardened it into the boundary of two states, both of which wished to reunite the country on its own terms.

The US, knowing this, deprived the South Korean Government of an air force and any heavy weapons that could be used to attack the North; it had in any case to establish its military from scratch, as all officers (and civil officials for that matter) had been until 1945 Japanese. The USSR, on the other hand, was from the first determined that the North should conquer the South, supplying it with aircraft, heavy artillery and tanks, together with a cadre of some 30,000 soldiers who had fought in WWII or on the Communist side in the Chinese Civil War.

Without warning, on 25 June 1950, the North Korean Army stormed across the line, quickly overcoming weak South Korean forces and the few US troops rushed in from their cushy billets in Occupied Japan, and overrunning all but a small part of the South, clustered around the port of Pusan.

This was not a US war -- though indeed the US did supply nearly all the materiel and the great bulk of non-Korean forces -- but a UN effort, made possible by Soviet absence from the Security Council in one of its periodic pouts. Eventually the UN forces included contingents from a great many nations, including a UK division consisting in a British brigade and a Commonwealth brigade.

Now, here is the WWI comparison: Though two-thirds of UN casualties were taken during the first year of fluid lines -- Seoul changed hands four times -- the last two years of it, after a final Chinese effort to break the UN lines was crushed in May 1951, were spent on a stable front, approximating the armistice line, with each side taking large casualties in attempts to capture small, often meaningless, pieces of ground, against hardened enemy defences.

There is a great deal more to be said, but not the space.

Answer 2

June 25, 1950, to July 27, 1953.

The hostilities ceased and the boundaries were set at the 38th Parallel. There was never really an official end to the war, but only a ceasefire. One cannot really call it an armistice. It was merely a cessation of hostilities. Both sides decided to reside on their side of the line.

The Korean War, for the United States, was not a declared war. They considered it a "police action". The Korean War was jammed between the end of World War II and the Vietnam War, and it seemed to become overshadowed by both of those wars. Not much is ever taught about it in the schools, unfortunately. It should be. Many good soldiers died on that nasty piece of real estate, and those veterans deserve the honor and respect that should be given any soldier in any war.

I'm not sure what comparisons you're wanting between the Korean War and World War I. The Korean War was much more fluid, it had alot of troop movement, and mountainous terrain fighting. World War I was more static, and they engaged more in trench warfare. Politically, the causes for the World War I was much different than that of the Korean War. The Korean War has always been considered by Korea as a civil war between the North and South.

Hope this helps you.

Answer 3

It began with North Korea invading the south- basically the north were more organised and politicised- their leader had been in the Soviet army. They thought they could present the world with a fait accompli and that would be that. The tensions that later produced the Cold War were only emerging at this time- the West and Russia were not sworn enemies at this stage.

But the south held on and the US, via the United Nations, sent military support. The Russians boycotted the Security Council vote and thus could not veto the decision to send help- which is why so few wars have been fought by the UN.

The war see-sawed: with US/UN help the North was heavily defeated, but as the UN forces advanced north toward the Chinese border, the new Communist regime in China felt threatened... after due warnings, ignored by Douglas MacArthur, they invaded. UN forces were pushed back to approximately the original North/South border. A stalemate developed along this line, neither side able or willing to suffer the big casualties necessary, and both sides had sort of achieved their objectives.

The static nature of the front lines, with fortifications and artillery/machine guns sweeping avenues of approach, were reminiscent of the first world war, but more the result of neither side wanting to escalate the war than the lack of means to do anything. The casualties were far lighter than WW1, but serious enough.

Negotiations and fighting went on for two years, then a ceasefire was agreed. This ceasefire held, and the border remains where it was then.

Because of the way the war sputtered out in a draw, and the lack of 'glory' compared to WW2, we don't remember the Korean War or celebrate it. But we should because South Korea is a prosperous country today and the North is a puke zone.

The above descriptions of Chinese tactics (early on especially they were not 'human wave' but based on infiltration tactics used successfully by the German army in 1918), and of Mao using it as an 'excuse' to attack Korea are incorrect: China had every reason to feel threatened by the renegade MacArthur, and after their initial attack on UN forces, sort of a sharp rebuke, they withdrew behind their border for two days. MacArthur did not take the hint to withdraw from the Yalu, and the all-out invasion was launched.

Answer 4

The Korean War took place between about 1950 and 1953. American involvement began at the request of the South Korean government, which needed help keeping North Korea and China from invading.

It ended with a formal ceasefire, but no formal peace treaty has ever been signed between any of the parties -- primarily North and South Korea and the United States.

It has been called the forgotten war because aside from those who were there very few Americans today know the United States fought a war in Korea. In fact, no national memorial to those who fought and died in that conflict did not exist in the United States until just a few years ago.

There is very little comparison between the Korean War and World War I.

Answer 5

The war starts when communist North Korea (led by Kim Il-Sung) invades democratic South Korea (led by Syngman Rhee), basically for land. It's basically the first conflict in the Cold War, and the U.S. supports the south, and the USSR supports the north. It later ends with a stalemate, and nothing was really gained or lost. Its called the forgotten war cuz nobody really talks about it, and not many people know too much about it. Look on bloody Wikipedia!!

Answer 6

Near the end of WWII, the Soviet Union had finally declared war on Japan. "Operation August Storm" was the initial Soviet assault against Japanese forces in Manchukuo (Manchuria), and and Korea. The operation had great success, and the war ended with Russia occupying approximately half of the Korean Peninsula. Truman and Stalin agreed that they would divide Korea into two spheres of influence, with the border at the 38th parallel.

The leader of North Korea was the infamous General Secretary Kim Il Sung, while President Rhee led South Korea under a democratic constitution. Both leaders were determined to reunite the peninsula under their specific governmental philosophies. With Mao Tse Tung, the leader of the nascent People's Republic of China, the North had massive military assistance. The United States did not announce that Korea was included in it's Pacific Defensive perimeter, and so there was speculation that the U.S. might not defend South Korea, especially if the invasion was quick and decisive. With surplus Soviet Tanks, and supplies donated by the Chinese, Kim Il Sung invaded the south on June, 25, 1950.

Since Soviet Russia had boycotted the United Nations at the time, and since the People's Republic of China did not have a seat on the Security Council, a draft resolution was voted unanimously for the UN to take action.

The first arrivals of the UN force, elements of the US 8th Army, and the famed Task Force Smith, were quickly brushed aside by the weight of the attack. These forces established a perimeter around the South Korean city of Pusan, and were surrounded. This seeming defeat alarmed the upper echelon of the U.S. military, and larger forces were sent to relieve the perimeter, lift the siege, and throw the North Koreans back across the 38th Parallel. General Douglas MacArthur, the hero of the Philippines, was designated to lead thus new venture. He chose to perform an amphibious landing at the port of Inchon, a suburb of Seoul, which is the capital of South Korea. Inchon was to be safe from invasion, and therefore lightly guarded. The invasion was a success, and with the threat of being cut off, and themselves surrounded, the North Korean fled back across the 38th Parallel.

MacArthur sought an end to the war, not merely a cease fire, As well, he was pressed by President Rhee to help achieve his own goal of reuniting the peninsula, and so he pursued the North Korean forces all the way to the Yalu River, which was the border between North Korea and the People's Republic of China. Mao Tse Tung, being annoyed at the U.S. for thwarting his goals in both the Chinese civil war, as well as the Korean civil war, chose this as an excuse to to use the PRC army in the aid of of Kim Il Sung. 6 Chinese armies, almost 300,000 men swarmed across the Yalu in a surprise winter attack. Bolstered by the new Mig-15 of Soviet manufacture, the UN forces were routed, and forced to withdraw en mass.

A defensive perimeter was quickly created around Seoul awaiting the inevitable Chinese onslaught. The Chinese method of attack was similar to the Human Wave attacks of World War One vintage, in that infantry, supported by air and artillery would rush the enemy en mass. This wave of soldiers recieved high casualities in overrunning the objective, but the tactic was very successful against all of the armies the Chinese Communists had fought to that point. Three Chinese armies were slated to attack, and take Seoul. They faced a British Tank Battalion, and 2 battalion's of infantry. Much like in WWI, the Human Wave assualt was to suffer great casualities in the face of determined defense. The three Chinese armies were mauled. One of them, the 64th, lost more 90% of it's troops and was removed from the line and brought back to China.

2 more years of Chinese assualts proved fruitless in dislodging the now reinforced UN Army, and the UN, led militarilly by the United States, realized that the reunification of Korea would more costly than they were willing to pay. And a cease fire was signed on July 27th, 1953.

It is called "The Forgotten War' because there was no great victory, and the governments attempted to sweep the whole incident under the rug and move on to other, supposedly, more important things. It should be noted that only a cease fire was signed, not a peace treaty, and so the two sides technically remain in a state of war.

Answer 7

The purpose became that, i think of to alter right into a allied usa because of the fact in international war2 it became exceptionally much impossible for US to stay independent, and likewise they grew to alter into the chief of the United international locations. i think of the terror became that the eastern will benefit territories in Korea and there they'd get useful supplies to apply in conflict, in international conflict 2 the Axis international locations began to triumph over international places so, all and sundry became afraid that there will be a 2d international conflict in the event that they helped the rustic the axis international locations have been conquering and by technique of a similar reason the U. S. government had feared that in the event that they do no longer help Korea quickly yet another international conflict would began and If there is Wolrd conflict 3 no human will proceed to exist.