North Koreas Tanks example essay topic

The Korean War or the forgotten war was fought from 1950 until 1953 and pitted the United States, South Korea and their UN allies against North Korea and the Chinese Communists. Cold injuries including frostbite and immersion (trench) foot constituted a major medical problem for U.S. service personnel during the Korean War. Veterans of the war are recognized as having suffered especially high rates of severe cold injuries. Cold accounted for 16% of Army no battle injuries requiring admission and over 5000 U.S. casualties of cold injury required evacuation from Korea during the winter of 1950-1951. On a rainy day on June 25, 1950 the South Korean soldiers heard a distant roar.

What they thought to be a sudden thunderstorm turned out to be the attack of the North Koreans. As they were stationed along the 38th parallel, an invisible line that that circles the globe at 38 degrees north latitude they fired on the South Koreans with artillery shells, which tore up the earth before the South Koreans. The North side of Korea being the Communist and the South being the Democratic they were known world wide as avowed enemies. The South being a member of the United Nations had the help of America and Japan when needed.

At this Point the South is just thinking that this simple attack is one of many they have had as the North cross into there territory to steal rice patty's from the South. They soon find out after they see North Koreas tanks, cannons and machine guns role up to the 38th parallel that their country was being invaded. This attack was mainly one sided, the North having the element of surprise as well as having more than double the man power than the South. If it wasn't any worse the South was without any tanks, no armor piercing bullets and only 57 mm antitank guns and a few 2.36-inch rocket launchers. None of the South's weapons were able to pierce the armor of the North' tanks, giving them no chance what so ever of stopping them. The objective of General Chai Ung Jun the leader of the North's army was to send his men a crossed the parallel to take over South Korea's capital.

Chai Ung Jun attacked the capital with four of his seven divisions and 120 of his 150 tanks. By 9: 30 in the morning on June 25th all of the enemy's leading troops were a crossed the parallel, with thousands more to follow. The next morning after gathering all the troops the South could find, they planned a counterattack on the North invaders in the hope of saving there capital. At first strike the South was ahead, but all it took was the North's tanks to rip through the South's lines. Two days later the people of Seoul (South Korea) fell once again. On June 24, in the United States, because Korea lay on the far side of the international dateline, the news reached Washington D. C at 9: 30 that Saturday night.

A half hour later a call was made to President Harry S. Truman in Missouri where he was vacationing. The United states only 5 years after World War II was being pushed into a new conflict. The next day a meeting was called of the United Nations to meet in an emergency meeting to discuss the Korean Crisis. The Decision of the United Nations was first to worn North Korea to cease hostilities and pull back their troops, but of course North Korea refused and attacked the South's Government causing them to flea southward. President Truman met with his secretary of defense as well as his leaders of Army, Navy and Air force. All shared there ideas of the position of the United states, knowing that China and the USSR would back up North Korea's attack being fellow communist country's.

The president new that if he did not help South Korea that a third world war would occur, he had no choice but to help South Korea. The first action the president took was to send an order to General Douglas MacArthur, the commander of Japan forces. The order said to send Air force and Navy planes to escort some 1,500 Americans out of Seul in South Korea. Americans were hurried out by Japanese ships and aircrafts. Truman than called for military supplies to be sent to South Korea from U. S depots in Japan. American planes were sent to protect the delivery and give aid to South Korea.

The planes were instructed to not fly a crossed the 38th parallel. Truman not wanting to start a World war began to give aid to South Korea through air support and giving the South supplies. After discussing with the united Nations to take action to get North Korea back to there Country he took only what he called "Police action" to stop the North. General MacArthur went to South Korea to get a first hand look on what was happening, what he saw shocked him and soon changed the U. S mind of not using ground troops. On June 30 President Truman sent a new order to General MacArthur to begin rushing men to the battlefront. Truman freed all U. S aircrafts to the North and told the Navy to form a blockade along the Korean coast, to bombard enemy positions ashore.

Behind the Americans were the fifteen UN countries that had pledged to join the fighting. Truman never called this situation a war, but instead: the Korean conflict" to get around a declaration of war from congress. The first Battle of the war took place on July, 5 the Americans Smiths force was to be put in to their first battle against 34 of the North Korean tanks. The Americans were able to fight off the North's tanks with there armor piercing bullets. With a moments victory the U. S found them selves out manned and cornered. With last minute decisions Smiths men were able to flea the situation with 150 casualties of 550 men.

The battle said to be a valiant fight but also very encouraging to see some of Smiths youngest men hold their position for the time they did. President Truman now the head of the UN. New that he was not winning this war. That all changed after American, British, and Australian planes were bombing North Korean positions and supply convoy's. Truman weakened the North Koreans, but though they were without much supplies and getting very tired and weak, they still fought on keeping up with the UN. The UN and the North Korean's go on battling back and forth for a year.

The war is called "The war that nobody won". The end of the war is said to be on June 23, 1951 when President Truman proposed a peace treaty. The reaction from North Korea was very astonishing. North Korea was as tired of the war as the UN, a meeting site was agreed on for discussion of the terms but the site was not agreed on by both sides. Two years later finally an agreement is made and the two sides meet.

It is agreed that the line of Demarcation would be placed based on battlefield positions. It was also agreed that both sides would drop back from the battles to the demilitarized zone. Because these agreements were always being disagreed with the treaty was always being changed and was made into a never-ending battle that know body could win. Of course the Americans were able to gain something from this battle, the respect of the UN and they are now thought of as a leading nation because of the leadership they took in helping South Korea. The whole world now had more respect for the UN's power and of course US's power..