75 years ago, it was August 1950. United Nations Command was formed but fighting desperately to hold Korea. After being steadily pushed back from the 38th Parallel over July 1950, U.S. and Korean ground forces withdrew behind the Nakdong River in the southeastern corner of the Peninsula.
Establishing what journalists termed the Pusan Perimeter, UNC fought to hold this last corner to build forces and defeat the communists. The communist Korean Peoples’ Army arrayed their forces along the river and attempted to push through, triggering violent clashes at Pohang, Waegwan, Masan, and Yongsan. Hoping to capture Pusan before additional UNC forces could arrive, the KPA used repeated, concentrated attacks, to try to overwhelm isolated UNC positions to penetrate the defense line.
In response, UNC used interior lines and mobile forces to reinforce hot spots. Even as KPA forces tried to break through, UNC grew stronger, with the arrival of U.S. 2nd Division, the 1st Provisional Marine Brigade, and the British 27 Infantry Brigade. Commitments from Australia, Turkey, New Zealand, Thailand, the Philippines, and France pledged troops to defend the Republic of Korea. Air and Naval forces from Korea, the United States, Australia, and the Netherlands interdicted communist troops and supplies as they moved south toward the perimeter and attacked troop concentrations both along the perimeter and deep in communist territory, keeping the communists from succeeding.
On Aug. 24, GEN MacArthur briefed the U.S. Army Chief of Staff and the Chief of Naval Operations on his plan to land an invasion force behind communist lines, cutting off their lines of communication and recapturing Seoul. Despite initially strong disagreement from the Army and the Navy, by the end of the meeting, MacArthur had approval and moved forward with preparations to land at Incheon.
*Information and write-up provided by U.S. Forces Korea Command Historian, Ben Harris
| Date Taken: | 07.31.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 09.07.2025 21:36 |
| Story ID: | 547468 |
| Location: | KR |
| Web Views: | 21 |
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