It is well known that when the Korean War broke out on June 25, 1950, this war, which was initially a small-scale war, eventually evolved into a large-scale chaotic war, and the "United Nations Army" alone landed on the korean peninsula with the armies of 16 countries, not including the armies of South Korea, North Korea, China and the Soviet Union, while 5 countries sent medical teams. So when our army secretly entered the north side of Korea on October 16 and 19 and waited for an opportunity to ambush, what was the total strength of the "United Nations Army" on the peninsula at this time?
The U.S. Army was the first to land on the peninsula
As for the total number of "United Nations troops", we will start with the US military, after all, this is the first foreign troop to land. The U.S. Air Force had joined the fighting on June 26, the day after the war broke out, and the earliest time the U.S. Army entered the Korean Peninsula was on July 1, a detachment known as the Smith Advance Team, which was part of the 24th U.S. Infantry Division stationed in Kyushu, Japan, with 540 men, but they were quickly defeated by the Korean People's Army at the Osan position.
The U.S. 24th Infantry Division then went to South Korea to block the powerful offensive of the People's Army, but at this time, the japanese and U.S. troops on the mainland still needed a lot of time to prepare, so the U.S. 24th Infantry Division became the only American unit on the peninsula for a period of time, and their task was only to slow down the KPA's advance.
Total number of U.S. troops
As U.S. troops continued to land on the peninsula, by the time our army entered Korea in mid-October, the U.S. troops in Korea at this time already had 1 group army, 3 corps, 7 divisions, and 1 regiment. These units were the Eighth Army led by General Walker, including the First and Ninth Armies, and the U.S. Tenth Army led by General Almond. The seven divisions were the 1st Cavalry Division, the 1st Marine Division, the 2nd, 3rd, 7th, 24th, and 25th Infantry Divisions, and a 187th Airborne Regiment.
These units were the total U.S. forces when my volunteers entered Korea, totaling 183,000 men (in total).
Total number of South Korean troops
In addition, it has to be said that the "host" South Korean army, at the beginning of the war, the 4 divisions and a regiment of the South Korean front position were almost destroyed by the People's Army, resulting in the rout of the Korean army, although it resisted gradually, but it was inferior in numbers and equipment. They fled for 300 kilometers from the south side of the "38th Line" until they finally stabilized their positions along the Luodong River.
After the inching of Inchon in mid-September, the ROK army also eased up, marched with the AMERICAN army, and on October 1, it took the lead in crossing the "38th Line" into the northern side. By the time our army entered the DPRK, the "United Nations Army" had already launched a counteroffensive and even occupied Pyongyang on October 19. At this time, the Korean army had a total strength of two corps, 8 divisions, and 1 regiment, with a size of 135,000 people (taking the total).
Total number of United Nations troops
At the same time, other units of the "United Nations Army" began to land on the peninsula as early as 7 July, including 7,000 men of the British 27th Infantry Brigade, 6,000 men of the Turkish Brigade, 1,200 men of the Philippine Battalion, and 1,400 men of the Australian Battalion. Coupled with the troops of the US military and the ROK army, the total number of "United Nations troops" by the time our army enters the DPRK should be more than 330,000 people, not counting the strength of the air force and navy. This number of "United Nations troops" seems unbelievable, because it is unbelievable that so many men and horses were repelled by our army in the first battle. So how many people are in my volunteer army at this time?
The first units of our volunteer army that entered the DPRK on October 16 and 19 belonged to the 13th Corps of the former Northeast Border Defense Army, with 4 corps and 3 artillery divisions, a total of 255,000. At first glance, our volunteer army does not seem to have as many people as the "United Nations Army", but in essence, the number of our front-line troops is greater than the number of Combatants of the United Nations Army, because when the first battle broke out, the United Nations Army had already occupied most of the Korean Peninsula, and because the occupied area was too large, a large number of troops were needed to garrison, which diluted the number of United Nations troops.
At the same time, there are also a large number of logistics transport troops, health and medical units, civilian personnel, etc. scattered in various battlefields and rears, so the number of combat units of the "United Nations Army" that can enter the north side of the Korean Peninsula has been greatly reduced, so our army has an advantage in the number of fighters.
What gift did Kim Il Sung give on National Day in 1950? Let the Atmosphere of National Day be cloudy in an instant
The volunteers stopped pursuing the Americans, much to Kim Il-sung's displeasure, and Stalin's words made him dare not refute them
800 American troops could not defeat the volunteer army, and only 37 people survived the 6-mile retreat, and the US battalion commander cried when he heard the trumpet