On September 15, 1950, MacArthur commanded the U.S. Marine Division to successfully land at Inchon, and there was a worldwide uproar. Previously, no one except MacArthur himself was optimistic about the operation, because Inchon was the most unsuitable location for landing operations in the world. The effect of the operation was astonishing, not only turning the tide of the Korean War in one fell swoop, but also pushing MacArthur's personal prestige to the peak, and no one dared to question MacArthur's decision anymore. Unfortunately, this prestige lasted only a month, and it was destroyed by another landing operation.
The 1st Marine Division landed at Inchon
The greatest gain of the Inchon landing for MacArthur was not to cut off the back road of the northern army and completely reverse the offensive and defensive trend of the war, but to bring him an unparalleled personal prestige. From the chairman of the Joint Staffs Association to the ordinary soldiers, they all worshiped him. If someone wants to question him at this time, first of all, they will not be able to pass this hurdle in their own hearts.
MacArthur, who was originally a master of landing operations, was even more superstitious about this method of warfare, and he soon formulated a new landing battle plan: the Yuanshan landing. If the Incheon landing is compared to a left hook fist, then the Wonsan landing is a right hook fist. It's just a pity that this punch has fought so much and this move, so the snake has added to it.
MacArthur was accompanied by his confidants to watch U.S. troops land at Inchon
At this time, the northern army was already defeated, the US 10th Army and the 8th Army were advancing side by side in pursuit, the strength of the two sides was very different, and the total annihilation of the northern army was irreparable. However, at this critical moment, the 10th Army suddenly withdrew, and the pursuit of the 8th Army was stopped, because the great drama of the Yuanshan landing began.
Large-scale amphibious landing operations require a lot of manpower and material resources, and if they are not carefully deployed and arranged, they will certainly cause chaos. The Wonsan landing was hastily opened in such a chaotic situation. The 10th Army attacked along the eastern front, which was not far from Wonsan, and the capture of Wonsan was just around the corner. At this time, he received orders to cross the entire peninsula to board a ship at Incheon on the west coast, then bypass the Tsushima Strait into the Sea of Japan, and then land ashore from Wonsan on the east coast.
U.S. warships at the port of Incheon are transporting supplies
The 10th Army, which received this order, was confused, and obviously had a bow string to go, so why did it have to go to the bow back? But no one dares to question it, carry out the order. When the 10th Army arrived at The Port of Incheon, the Port of Incheon was immediately paralyzed. The narrow channel was originally used to transport supplies to the 8th Army, but now that the 10th Army was to board ships here, the channel was not enough.
MacArthur ordered the suspension of supplies from the 8th Army and the priority of giving priority to the 10th Army, but even so, it still exceeded the capacity of the port of Incheon. MacArthur simply ordered the 7th Infantry Division to rush to Busan to board the ship. Busan was more than 300 kilometers from Inchon, and the 7th Infantry Division was originally less than 300 kilometers from Wonsan, and MacArthur's maneuvers made the attacking troops farther and farther away from the target.
In the confusion, the 10th Army finally got on board
The supply mission of the 8th Army, which had been provided by the port of Busan, was also suspended, and the priority given to the large soldiers on board was higher. As soon as the supply supply in Incheon and Busan stopped, the 8th Army was like a car without fuel, the speed of the attack slowed down at once, and the northern army was given a chance to breathe. The entire 10th Army finally landed in two places in a chaotic situation and drove to Wonsan, but when they reached Wonsan, they found that the sea was full of mines.
About 3,000 mines were placed in a 400-square-kilometer area, and there were large-caliber shore guns on the shore. Mac Arthur had to send in Japanese minesweepers to clear mines, and after three weeks of loss of 10 minesweepers and 200 casualties, the 10th Army finally landed at the port of Wonsan. However, the expected battle did not take place, and they were greeted by the First Army of li puppet army, which had already occupied the place and waited silently for the American army for 17 days.
The 10th Army docked at Wonsan
The drama was smashed, the sensational effect that MacArthur expected did not appear, the admiration did not appear, and what appeared was that the 10th Army successfully avoided all the battles during this period, and the desperate Northern Army successfully broke through. A large number of senior generals, such as General Jin Ce, Commander of JinXiong Army, Commander of JinWuting Army, and Commander Fang Hushan, survived, leaving valuable seeds for the northern army.
The Wonsan landing was a joke by MacArthur to satisfy his desire for personal performance
From a military point of view, this was a failed operation, delaying the fighter, time-consuming, laborious, superfluous, and snake-like. The aura accumulated by the Inchon landings dissipated, and MacArthur was beaten back to his original form. But in order to maintain his image, the US military downplayed the matter. As a commander, MacArthur thought not about how to give his opponent a thunder blow, but how to put on a show, he was worthy of being the most good at acting in generals and the most good at fighting among actors.