Some time ago, the movie "Chosin Lake" once again stirred people's memories of that era. The victory at the Battle of Chosin Lake turned the tide of the Korean battlefield and dealt a complete blow to the arrogance of the United Nations army. After the Battle of Chosin Lake, what was the situation in Korea?
The U.S. military was arrogant in the Korean battlefield
After the outbreak of the Korean War, the United Nations army led by the US military joined the war, armed with advanced weapons, and the commander-in-chief MacArthur arrogantly said that the war would end before Christmas. However, as China sent troops to the Korean battlefield, MacArthur's words became nonsense.
The Americans suffered in the first battle, but they saw it as an oversight rather than a volunteer force. In the second campaign, Volker's Eighth Army was blocked on the Western Front. Volcker finally realized that the situation was not good, and he judged that there were 150,000 volunteers ahead, so he repeatedly asked for a retreat to the south.
The intention of the deployment of the United Nations army on the eastern front is very clear, that is, to take the Yalu River in one fell swoop, completely block the retreat route of the volunteer army on the western front, and then echo the eighth army on the western front and join forces to surround and annihilate the volunteer army.
MacArthur ordered Almond's Tenth Army, assembled on the Eastern Front, to advance north in three routes, plus two Divisions from Korea, with a total of more than 100,000 troops. Only the 42nd Army was stationed on the Eastern Front, and due to the heavy casualties of the 42nd Army in the previous battle, the strength of the 42nd Army alone could not stop the United Nations army.
On November 24, 1950, Almond, commander of the U.S. Tenth Army, formally ordered the three-way U.N. army to move north. The first road, along the east coast of the Korean Peninsula, advances towards the Tumen River. The second road, along the Chosin River, headed north, with the goal of occupying the Baekjeon border, which was the temporary capital of North Korea. The third route is from Liyuan to Zhanling, and from the east bank of Chosin Lake, the front line is advanced to the Yalu River.
All the way north, the UN army encountered no resistance, and Almond believed that the volunteers were afraid to fight. He believed that according to this situation, the offensive plan could be completed in 5 days and hit the Yalu River with a single blow.
Almond immediately sent a telegram to MacArthur reporting the results of the two days and saying that he would be able to reach the Yalu River in five days. He even asked MacArthur to send an announcement to the world that the Korean War would end before Christmas.
Many of the officers of the Tenth Army were influenced by Almond, believing that the war was about to end with their own victory, and they were overjoyed, and some soldiers began to write letters to their families, saying that they would soon return to the United States to welcome the arrival of the New Year with their families.
Soon, on the night of the 27th, MacArthur spoke to the world in Tokyo. He said on radio that the U.S. Tenth Army had achieved brilliant results and was about to meet the Eighth Army on the Western Front, and that the Korean War was about to end.
Second, the U.S. generals began to question
The atmosphere of secretly celebrating the return of the country in advance in the U.S. army was spreading, but at this time a general showed deep concern, and this person was Smith, the commander of the First Marine Division. Smith graduated from the prestigious Military Academy at West Point and distinguished himself in World War II. What is special about him as a person is that he is diligent in thinking, keeping a low profile, and not fighting uncertain battles.
Although the previous war situation was smooth, the commander-in-chief and the commander-in-chief were too optimistic about the war situation, but he remained nervous and did not dare to take it lightly. Because he knew too well that the war was not in its final moment, no one could guarantee victory or defeat.
The 1st Marine Division was on the Eastern Front, deployed as the Second Route Army, advancing north along Chosin Lake. The further north he went, the more Smith sniffed out a hint of danger, and the more nervous he became. The driver watched his performance and quipped that he was overly cautious.
Smith was always cautious, and wherever the troops went, the terrain was extremely unfavorable to the American army. On both sides are alpine cliffs, which are the perfect place to fight ambushes, and it is not okay to be careless. He immediately ordered him to rest in place and not to move forward.
Smith observed with a telescope that the fear of an ambush ahead could never be dispelled, the intuition of a battle-hardened general. The place in front is called Dead Eagle Ridge. He immediately summoned the leaders of the three regiments under his command and discussed them together.
Just after they had discussed and studied together, the sound of earth-shaking gunshots rang out on all sides of the US army. The volunteer soldiers attacked like a tidal wave, and the entire First Marine Division was attacked by fierce artillery fire and surrounded and beaten, and the American army suffered heavy casualties.
It was a cold weather, the guns of the US army were frozen, could not open the bolt, only semi-automatic rifles could still be used normally. The First Marine Division was severely damaged, and Division Commander Smith immediately sent a call for help from Commander Almond, hoping to send air forces to cover their retreat.
The volunteers who successfully ambushed Smith's First Marine Division were the soldiers of the Ninth Corps. After this battle, the next battle on the Eastern Front was the Battle of Chosin Lake.
MacArthur, who was in command in Tokyo, Japan, was at this time when he received news of the failure of the East and West fronts. Volker was in charge of the Western Front, and he requested a retreat. Almond, who was in charge of the Eastern Front, had been urgently asking for help.
The situation on the battlefield suddenly changed beyond his expectations, and MacArthur did not know how to deal with it for a moment.
The generals of the American Eastern Front and the Western Front resigned together
North of the Cheongcheon River on the Korean Peninsula, the United Nations army was defeated. The news caused shock to the United States. President Harry Truman and Defense Secretary Marshall blamed each other and shirked responsibility. Truman finally said he would not continue to send troops to North Korea and asked MacArthur to find a way for himself.
MacArthur knew the Attitude of the White House, but he still insisted on continuing to fight. He summoned Volcker and Almond to Tokyo at the same time to discuss battle plans face-to-face. At this time, they have completely lost their former pride.
Volcker said the Volunteers were a magical army that didn't know how to resist. He had also seen world-class troops, including the German army, which had never played like this. The Volunteers had no unified tactics and no fixed positions. By the time they were spotted, they had been taped to their side, and this close-quarters combat made many American soldiers surrender without firing their guns.
Volker offered MacArthur a retreat. He said that the officers of the Eighth Army were frightened as soon as they heard that the volunteers were coming, and they were having nightmares at night. MacArthur did not believe that the Chinese army had such terrible combat power, so he asked Almond to tell him about the situation.
Almond was very sympathetic to Volcker's proposal to withdraw his troops, saying that if he did not withdraw, there would only be more heavy losses. Even without orders to withdraw, U.S. troops have begun to retreat.
MacArthur felt he was being alarmist and insisted on reporting the situation in detail to Almond. Almond said that the volunteer army is beyond ordinary people's imagination, they are as agile and fast as mountain monkeys, and the dense forests in the mountains are regarded as flat land, and they are fleeting.
After each battle, a trumpeter rushed to the highest point and blew the charge trumpet. As soon as the trumpet sounded, the volunteer army that spread over the mountains would rush over and launch an attack. They ran so fast that wherever the U.S. military ran, they would chase after them and would never let them go. If the U.S. military cannot run away, it can only surrender.
Volker added that overnight, south Korea's Second Army and Turkish brigades were completely annihilated, and the combat effectiveness of the Chinese army was too amazing, and he asked MacArthur to order the withdrawal of troops as soon as possible.
Almond ordered a retreat for MacArthur as soon as possible, and he submitted a written resignation report on the spot. Volcker also verbally asked MacArthur to resign.
summary
The Korean War really began with the participation of the Chinese Volunteers, and the two commanders of the US army, the senior officers in charge of the passage of the Eastern Front and the Western Front, actually began to demand retreat, no wonder they did not want to mention this war.