From July 27 to 28, 1953, with the signing of the Korean Armistice Agreement between China, the DPRK and the United States, the Korean War, which had been fought for more than three years, finally came to an end.
However, for this result, many people are still "unwilling". South Korean President Syngman Rhee refused to sign, and U.S. Army General Mark Clarke said helplessly: "I am the first commander in American history to sign an armistice agreement without victory!" ”
What's more, the "nuclear cannon" of the United States has been successfully built and can be transported to the battlefield at any time, but the war has stopped, so why is Eisenhower in a hurry to truce? Why didn't he use "nuclear cannons" to turn the tide? Some people say that the data analysis of the US military has played a role.
Rhee's refusal to cease war triggered the last battle on the peninsula
On July 10, 1951, the second year of the Korean War, the Volunteers and the United Nations-led "United Nations Army" gradually began armistice negotiations, which lasted for two years, until June 8, 1953, when the most controversial "Terms of Reference of the Neutral Nations Repatriation Commission" were signed.
However, South Korean President Rhee was very unhappy. He did not want peace, but rather wanted to expand the war and "unify the peninsula."
In fact, from the date of the negotiations on July 10, 1951, Syngman Rhee strongly opposed the US approach. So before the Korean Armistice Was Ready to Be Signed, he not only refused to attend the signing ceremony, but also hysterically said that the United States had "betrayed" South Korea.
In order to vent his dissatisfaction, when the POW agreement was reached, Rhee ordered the South Korean representatives to withdraw from the negotiating table and only let the Thai generals who had been temporarily pulled together by the United States sign on their behalf.
To Syngman Rhee's disappointment and surprise, China and the United States are not accustomed to him, even if someone signs on his behalf, the agreement will still take effect after signing.
At this moment, seeing that the truce was imminent, Rhee began to get anxious and could not sit still. So he shouted "against any compromise" and strongly expressed his desire to "fight alone", like a crying child.
Not only did he stay verbal, Rhee also made small moves. On June 18, 1953, without informing any of the parties, he opened four prisoner-of-war camps in the name of "release on the spot" and forcibly incorporated 27,000 Korean prisoners of war into the ROK army.
This unilateral act of Syngman Rhee surprised both China and the United States, and the whole world was shocked.
Within the countries involved, opposition rose and fell. The "United Nations troops" on the peninsula were furious, and most of them were waiting to go home for a reunion and did not want to give Rhee his life.
Churchill said bluntly: "The Queen's Government strongly condemns this betrayal. Syngman Rhee was labeled "betrayal."
Four-star U.S. General Clark, who was then the commander of the "United Nations Army," even put his hands on one side and angrily said, "Let Chinese teach the South Koreans a lesson!" ”
Since Syngman Rhee wanted to continue fighting and did not want peace, let him learn a lesson. That's it! Beginning on July 13, 1953, the 15-day Battle of Jincheng was fought.
Second, the Americans watched the fire from across the shore, and Rhee stubbornly confronted the volunteers
As soon as the Battle of Jincheng began, the volunteer army was like a bamboo, attacking the city all the way, and after half a month of fighting, it won a complete victory.
The 20th Corps of the Volunteer Army and the 24th Division of the 9th Corps successfully broke through the defensive line of the four divisions of the ROK Army, took down their positions with a front width of 25 kilometers, and expanded southward into more than 160 square kilometers, straightening the front line south of Jincheng, and annihilating more than 53,000 enemy troops.
Among the troops wiped out by the ROK army, there were many ace units with relatively full equipment, the most famous of which was the "White Tiger Regiment".
But what made the ROK army unable to look up was that what dealt a very heavy blow to the "White Tiger Regiment" was actually a reconnaissance squad of the Volunteer Army.
After the volunteer reconnaissance squad successfully inserted the Erqing Cave --- the white tiger regiment headquarters, the soldiers killed the regimental commander Cui Xiyin with lightning speed, captured the deputy division commander of the capital division Lin Yiol (the most senior officer captured by the volunteers), and captured the white tiger regimental flag alive.
Intending to let Rhee be beaten, the US military chose to watch the fire from the other side and did not give much support. However, because the volunteers fought so well, the American army had to be afraid.
Some Americans suspect that "the Chinese army is no longer affected by logistics," and some are very worried and afraid that the war will continue.
A Brief History of the U.S. Eighth Army describes a massive amount of artillery fire whizzing over the heads of the volunteers, but at the same time, "the outpost positions were crushed one by one."
After watching the fire from the other side and seeing Thatgman Rhee hurt, Clark organized a counterattack on July 18. After all, although he wanted to teach Syngman Rhee a lesson, it was inevitable that he would not be able to hang on his face when he ended up in such a way.
However, the U.S. military only "reclaimed" the "White Rock Mountain area" and did not expand further. Stealing chicken failed, and Rhee poured a handful of rice.
The battle not only taught Syngman Rhee to shut up, but also made U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower shake up and decide to fulfill his election promises.
Armistice or continuation? Eisenhower did not abandon the nuclear threat
In the 1952 U.S. election, Eisenhower defeated his rivals with his "End korean War" speech and was elected the 34th president of the United States.
He was a world war veteran who successfully organized the world-famous Normandy landings and became the fastest-promoted five-star american general.
Arguably, when it comes to war, Eisenhower is more professional than the previous president, Truman.
Although Eisenhower vowed to "end the war," he changed his attitude and views after visiting the Korean theater on November 29, 1952.
At a press conference on December 14, Eisenhower uncharacteristically said: "We cannot expect to impress the enemy we are facing with words... And only with action.... ”
Later, after consultations with the newly appointed cabinet members, Eisenhower agreed with them that it would be a basic policy to "end the war as soon as possible at a small cost."
It is not difficult to see that Eisenhower first proposed "action" and then hoped to "end the war as soon as possible at a small cost", so peace negotiations are only one way, not the only option, and the war may have to continue.
In order to implement this policy, Eisenhower took Secretary of State Dulles's advice and launched a strategy to contain China: first, to launch a larger offensive in North Korea; second, to let Chiang Kai-shek stir up China's internal situation; and to warn China through India that it would use atomic bombs if necessary.
Earlier, when MacArthur and Truman actively proposed the use of atomic bombs, they were strongly opposed by Britain and France. They fear not only that they are threatened, but also that they will spark World War 3, especially nuclear war.
Affected by this, Truman hesitated to act, and handed the mess to Eisenhower to deal with it completely.
Again proposing the use of nuclear weapons, Eisenhower must have a trump card that has not yet been taken out.
On May 25, 1953, the U.S. Army's 867th Field Artillery Battalion held a "nuclear cannon" launch experiment in Nevada, commonly known as the "Gabour Nuclear Test Explosion", which was a great success.
According to the setting, the nuclear warhead will be detonated 19 seconds after firing, with an equivalent of 15,000 tons, which belongs to the same class as the "little boy" atomic bomb.
Some people say that "nuclear cannons" are products of the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union, but at that time, as long as the United States is willing, it can be moved to the Korean battlefield at any time.
However, Eisenhower never did this, and instead hastily agreed to the peace talks, ending the Korean War.
In this regard, some people have analyzed that when Eisenhower inspected the battlefield in November 1952, he found the strength of the volunteer army, so he did not use the "nuclear cannon".
Third, the field investigation found that the volunteer army was very powerful, and after listening to the report, they chose peace talks
Through conversations with senior commanders and soldiers, as well as patrols of the front lines, Eisenhower rejected Clark and Syngman Rhee's proposal for a full-scale offensive, arguing that "the plan was almost mad."
In his diary, Eisenhower wrote: "Given the forces deployed by the enemy (the volunteers and the Korean people) on the positions, it is clear that a frontal attack will encounter great difficulties." ”
How are the volunteers deployed? Not only are they scattered in hidden strategic locations everywhere, but they also intersect with the US military and the "United Nations Army", which is almost "like glue", so it is difficult to attack head-on.
Under such circumstances, the use of "nuclear cannons" is even more impossible to win. First, the volunteer army has dug an air raid shelter, and the damage has been greatly reduced; second, the two armies have crossed, and once the nuclear shells are dropped, they will certainly lose both, which violates the original intention and affects the effect of the shells.
So Eisenhower had only one choice, which was not to use nuclear weapons or simply to abandon the use of nuclear weapons unless it was a last resort.
After the Battle of Jincheng, Eisenhower saw the incompetence of the Rok army and the "loss of control" of Rhee, and had deep doubts about the combat effectiveness and controllability of the ROK army.
Unable to maneuver and unreliable teammates, Eisenhower "returned to square one" and had to consider fulfilling the promise he made at the time of the election: to end the Korean War and complete the peace mission.
In fact, in addition to the lack of strength and the use of nuclear weapons by Rhee and the Rok army, a report by the US military is the main reason why Eisenhower is determined to end the war quickly.
The report is a summary of the Battle of Jincheng, and the military believes that in July alone, the Volunteer Army broke two records, one was fired for 10 consecutive days, and the other was "a total of 197,550 shells fired from July 11 to 20."
This is an important signal that the firepower of the volunteer army has not decreased but has increased, indicating that it has the foundation to fight a long war and can continue to be consumed. In addition, the volunteer army and the Korean army shared the same hatred and enemy, and the number of soldiers reached millions, and it was not possible to eliminate or repel them all in a day.
In short, if Eisenhower wants to continue to fight, he must be able to consume, otherwise there is only one way to negotiate peace.
Through the reports and analysis given by the US military, Eisenhower understood one thing, the United States can not afford to spend, can only negotiate peace.
From the outbreak of the Korean War to the winter of 1952, the United States lost more than 300,000 soldiers, with an annual direct military expenditure of 15 billion US dollars and an indirect expenditure of 80 billion US dollars, which deeply affected the United States and the anti-war voice rose.
As a result, Eisenhower could not afford it. Moreover, at that time, it was the initial stage of the US-Soviet hegemony struggle, Europe was an important strategic point, and the main force was trapped in East Asia for a long time, which was certainly not conducive to future development.
It was precisely because of these internal and external contradictions that Eisenhower was able to successfully take office. Therefore, peace talks with the newly established New Chinese army on the Korean battlefield are a "shameful" thing, but they are good for the overall situation.
Based on these own interests, Eisenhower directly ignored Syngman Rhee's appeals and clamor and agreed to the Korean Armistice Agreement.
On July 27, 1953, China, the United States, and North Korea signed the Korean Armistice Agreement, and although it did not have Syngman Rhee's signature, the war stopped.
As Chairman Mao said, the people and talent are the foundation of victory in war, and weapons cannot determine victory or defeat. Through the Korean War, Chairman Mao's truth was verified.
Under internal and external pressure, Eisenhower had no choice but to hurry to end the war.
epilogue
After the "Korean Armistice Agreement" officially came into effect, without the help of the US military, Rhee, although he had the intention of "reunification," never had this ability and could no longer set off any storms. After this war, Chinese played an international role, and its influence has continued to this day. As Marshal Peng Dehuai said, gone are the days when the West could control a country with a cannon on the coast of China. The US military has also profoundly realized that when encountering the Chinese army on the battlefield, the chances of victory are not great. When the Vietnam War broke out, they listened to the warnings of the Chinese government and did not cross the dividing line between South vietnam and North Vietnam--- 17 degrees north latitude.