In the history of the United States, generals who have made great achievements in battle have not only flowers and applause when they return from the war for the country, but also hold major positions in important branches of government, but the Korean War has changed this law.
For example, during the Revolutionary War, he served as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army
Washington
He became the first president of the United States after the war.
It is precisely because he refused to be re-elected for a third term,
As a result, the United States now maintains the tradition that the president can only be re-elected three times
。
The famous American general during World War I was Pershing
He not only frightened the enemy on the battlefield, but also served as the chief of staff of the U.S. Army after the war.
Pictured pershing and his family, General Pershing nicknamed "Jack of Spades", has been named after the Pershing tank, designed to deal with the German "Tiger" heavy tank
And the famous players who appeared in the United States in World War II are innumerable.
For example, Eisenhower, Barton, Marshall, and so on
Not to mention Eisenhower, who served as commander-in-chief of the Allied forces on the European front during the war, was named a five-star general for his outstanding military exploits after the war.
It also successfully stood out in the 1952 presidential election
，
Became the thirty-fourth president of the United States
Barton
I believe everyone is very familiar, he won a four-star general after the war with his outstanding ability and served as the military administrator of Bavaria,
If it weren't for his death in a car accident, General Patton would have been able to achieve better
In 1945, General Patton marched in Los Angeles, USA
Marshall
He was already the chief of staff of the Army during World War II.
During his tenure as chief of staff, he defied the public opinion and proposed to Roosevelt a strategy of attacking Germany first and then Japan
, made an important contribution to the final victory of the United States.
After the war,
He held important positions such as Secretary of State and Secretary of Defense
And the Marshall Plan he formulated after the war affected many countries, which was obtained in 1953
Nobel Prize for "Peace"
However, after returning from victory in World War II, some of these famous generals came to the Korean battlefield and underwent earth-shaking changes.
Even these "World War II famous generals" returned from the Korean Peninsula,
The end was very miserable
Let me tell you about the performance of those American generals in the Korean battlefield and
Their tragic experience after returning home
Picture 丨 Group photo of two "unlucky eggs" in the Korean battlefield: left is US Lieutenant General Walker (killed) and right is US Army Major General Dean (the highest rank in the captured US military)
The first was MacArthur, the first commander-in-chief of the United Nations Army, who was born into a military family in the United States.
His father was a veteran of the American Westward Movement
Because since he was a child under the influence of his father, MacArthur has always had the dream of becoming a soldier.
In 1989 MacArthur was admitted to the prestigious school with honors
West Point
During his time in military school, MacArthur not only achieved outstanding achievements in military theory, but also paid attention to physical training after class.
So that he took it upon graduation
98.43 points
Graduation with grades
And this score
It was the highest score in west point's twenty-five years
Pictured by MacArthur at Incheon (Major General Whitney on the right and Major General Almond on the left)
After graduation, he was first appointed second lieutenant of the Engineer Corps, and soon became a lieutenant, and within a few years he had become a lieutenant
Military aide-de-camp to U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt
Until the outbreak of World War I, MacArthur, who was speeding up like a rocket, was also appointed chief of staff of the Forty-second Infantry Division and sent to France to participate in the battle.
After the end of World War I, he became the principal of the West Point Military Academy because of his good performance.
By 1930, MacArthur was appointed Chief of Staff of the Army, the youngest chief of staff in U.S. history.
On August 7, 1950, General Douglas MacArthur kissed Song Meiling, who was wearing white gloves
Seeing MacArthur's promotion path, everyone felt that it was smooth sailing, from entering the military academy to becoming the chief of staff of the army,
MacArthur spent forty-one years walking the path that many soldiers could not complete in their lifetime
MacArthur could have waited for retirement in the position of army chief of staff, but unfortunately,
The outbreak of World War II ushered in the second spring of his career.
In 1941, MacArthur, who had already retired and enjoyed his old age, declared war between the United States and Japan because of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.
He was recalled to serve as commander of the U.S. Far East Army.
MacArthur fought fiercely with the Japanese army in the Philippines, but unfortunately the gap between the two sides' combat effectiveness was too large.
It didn't take long for MacArthur's troops to be beaten to pieces
MacArthur had to lead his troops to retreat to Australia.
It would have been one of MacArthur's military careers
unsullied
But MacArthur did not think so, and he still posed as a "tough guy" in front of the media, claiming that he "will definitely go back".
In 1945, General Douglas MacArthur and Emperor Showa
It wasn't until two years after MacArthur's retreat to Australia that the headwinds of the American fleet in the Pacific theater led to Japan's defeat.
MacArthur also took advantage of Japan's defeat and led a well-trained army to begin a counterattack on Southeast Asia.
In the end, the Philippines was successfully recovered.
On September 2, 1945, MacArthur accepted Japan's surrender on behalf of the Allies, and he subsequently became the Allied military commander in Japan.
By this time MacArthur had reached the pinnacle of his life
He was known as the "Emperor Taishang" in Japan, and he held the power to kill Japanese War II war criminals, and even the Japanese Emperor had to be polite when he saw him
On August 30, 1945, at the Atsugi Naval Airfield in Japan, MacArthur opened the hatch and appeared in front of people with a pipe in a king's landing posture
His absolute power in Japan led him to run amok in the United States, paying no attention to his superiors or the colleagues he worked with.
Even the president of the United States at the time could not help but sigh:
"I don't know how to get along with such a grumpy five-star admiral"
soon
MacArthur met the Waterloo of his life
On Wake Island, Truman had the heart to change horses (Truman on the right, MacArthur on the left)
With the outbreak of the Korean War, the United States decided to send MacArthur as "Commander-in-Chief of the United Nations Forces", just entering the Korean Battlefield
MacArthur did prove his extraordinary military prowess
He used the Inchon landings to cause the North Korean army to retreat. Although the U.S. government has sent troops to help South Korea at this time,
But the Korean War does not want to pull China down
Truman repeatedly told MacArthur not to advance near the Yalu River
Unfortunately, at this time, the "Emperor Taishang of Japan" had completely ignored Truman's words.
He not only advanced the U.S. army to the Yalu River, but also ordered bombers to bomb the Border between China and North Korea. At this point MacArthur
Already from the mind of the U.S. government
"Five Star Admiral"
It became
"Troublemaker"
The flames of war in the US military have burned to the yalu River
Many politicians in the United States have said:
MacArthur's move may have doomed the Korean War to failure
Unfortunately, MacArthur did not think so, he believed that the United States has a strong military power, in front of the Asian countries is an invincible existence, he even claimed in front of the media:
"Unless the Soviet Union is able to enter the war, but this will lead to the outbreak of World War III, the United States will continue to move forward."
Listen to how arrogant MacArthur was at that time.
Unfortunately, this time his opponent was not Japan but China
After careful consideration, the Chinese army decided to send the Chinese Volunteer Army to the Korean Peninsula to help the North Korean People's Army in order to safeguard national sovereignty from being infringed.
The entry of the volunteer army into Korea,
This made MacArthur also usher in a moment of punching in the face
Hammered by the Volunteers in three battles
The capital of South Korea, under the command of MacArthur's "wise", was breached by the volunteers.
Pictured as the 1st Cavalry Division is retreating
MacArthur had already lost so badly that he thought of using the atomic bomb against China to save his last face.
April 11, 1951,
He tried to persuade Truman to use atomic bombs on northeast China to force China to withdraw
Truman rejected his bold idea outright, explaining that it would lead China to war.
Seeing that the U.S. government had rejected his offer, MacArthur openly denounced the decision of U.S. lawmakers in front of the media.
He was subsequently removed from office by the U.S. government
, let Ridgway as commander-in-chief of the United Nations Army.
After returning home, MacArthur wanted to run for president, but the U.S. government at that time had already offended MacArthur.
MacArthur lost the primary election without any suspense
He then abandoned politics and business, becoming chairman of a typewriter company, and by 1964 MacArthur died of illness.
A generation of "five-star admirals" eventually became a businessman, which is true with some irony
When he graduated from West Point, MacArthur was also full of spirit when he was young
MacArthur was replaced by fellow West Point alumnus
Ridgway
Although Ridgway also graduated from West Point, his resume after graduation was not as bright as MacArthur's.
After graduation, he went to become a military instructor and then entered a military academy to continue his studies.
It was not until 1937 that he graduated from the Army Military Academy, became a staff officer in the Army Staff in 1939, and became the commander of the U.S. 82nd Infantry Division three years later.
Because he accepted the idea of airborne combat during his military school, after serving as a division commander,
Ridgway reorganized this unit into an airborne division, and this airborne division became
One of the first two airborne divisions in U.S. history
Picture 丨MacArthur (front row right) and Ridgway (back row right)
In the second year of the airborne division, Ridgway planned the night airborne combat plan in Sicily, which was also the first attempt of the US military.
The Battle of Sicily made Ridgway famous
In the ensuing Normandy landings, he took the lead and personally led his troops to Airborne France, where he fought on the front for a total of thirty-three days
By 1944 Ridgway had become commander of the Eighteenth Airborne Army and had led his troops into Germany. Since then, he has been sent to lusong, the Caribbean and other important theaters to hold important positions.
In 1950, the most important appointment in Ridgway's life came.
Because lieutenant general Walker fell under the ruts of friendly forces in the Korean battlefield at that time, he was unfortunately killed
Ridgway became the best choice to succeed Walker, becoming the commander of the U.S. Eighth Army.
At this time, Ridgway was not influenced by MacArthur, the commander-in-chief of the United Nations Army at the time
Rather, it is to pay close attention to the movements of the volunteer army,
There is even an opportunity to visit the front line in person
Pictured ridgway, who always hangs a grenade
By the time MacArthur was removed in 1951, Ridgway had become commander of the United Nations Forces, after careful observation on the battlefield.
Ridgway discovered many shortcomings of the Volunteer Army
He took office
"Three fires for new officials to take office"
He did it first
The macArthur's previous "every inch of land" strategy was abolished
Because he found in previous battles that when the American army fought with the volunteers, it was often the most casualties in the battle for positions.
Ridgway's orders also saved the lives of many American soldiers in the future, so that the morale of American soldiers was eased.
The combat strategy of the US army also changed from fighting for positions to using the advantages of equipment to besiege the volunteer army as much as possible, turning the entire Korean battlefield into a flesh and blood mill.
In addition to this command,
Ridgway also discovered the weakness of the volunteers who carried only seven days of supplies
and relied on this weakness to invent
Magnetic tactics
Picture 丨 Ridgway in the favorite on the front line command
This made Ridgway a headache for the volunteers, but fortunately, the volunteers stabilized the situation at that time.
By 1952,
Considering the impact of the situation in Europe, Ridgway was transferred to Europe as the supreme commander of the European Allied forces
。 He then became Chief of Staff of the Army.
Because he strongly opposed the use of troops by the United States against North Korea, he had a bad relationship with U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower at the time
This led to Ridgway's retirement two years early in 1955.
Ridgway's son died in a traffic accident in 1971
At that time, Ridgway, who was in his seventies at the time, could not accept the blow and suddenly changed his personality and became depressed every day.
By July 1998, Ridgway had died at home due to illness.
On July 3, 1950, in New York, singer Paul Robertson got on a truck in the Harlem area of 126th Street and Lenox Avenue, preaching to the masses that "abandon Korea."
He took over as Ridgway
clarke
He is also a graduate of The Military Academy at West Point
However, Clark's grades at West Point were not too good at the time
They have a total of 139 people in their class and he ranks 111th
He then returned to China after following the U.S. Expeditionary Force in World War I, where he was wounded in a battle, and became a military instructor after returning to China.
Later, in 1937, he entered the Army War College for further study.
Become an expert in amphibious warfare
After graduation, he was appointed commander of the Second Army and promoted to lieutenant general.
He also became the youngest lieutenant general in U.S. history
Pictured by Clark (right) and Roosevelt (left) in Italy
However, Clarke's performance in World War II was not satisfactory
For example, in the Battle of Cassino, Clarke's "outstanding" performance made the Casualty Rate of the Fifth Army under his command was
The overall Allied casualty rate was 90 percent
This is what the soldiers under his command call it
"Murderer"
And
In order to enter Rome first, Clark chose to abandon the pursuit of the retreating German army
When he was interviewed by reporters in the scenery of Rome, the German army had finished repairing and arranging a strong defensive line to relax.
Clarke's performance in World War II was described by the American media
"Incompetent Generals of the U.S. Army"
A model
General Tushu Clark awarded medals to the Japanese soldiers of the 442nd Corps
After the war, he used his relationship with Marshall to move to his own political battlefield, but with the outbreak of Korea, MacArthur and Ridgway were dismissed.
At this time, the US government also wants to get rid of the quagmire of the Korean War at an early date.
Clark became the perfect candidate for the commander-in-chief of the "United Nations Army" at that time
Clarke did not excel on the Korean battlefield, because his job at this time was to reach peace talks with the Sino-North Korean coalition as soon as possible.
On July 27, 1953, Clark signed an armistice agreement with the Sino-North Korean coalition forces at Panmunjom on behalf of the United Nations Army
He said this to the media after signing:
"I became the first U.S. general to sign a negotiating document without victory"
Not long after the armistice was signed, Clark chose to retire.
After retiring, Clark lived a relatively comfortable life, first as the principal of a military academy, and then accepted the president's entrustment to work in the intelligence department.
In terms of personal life, he had a son and a daughter, and his son also joined the U.S. Army and retired from the army with the rank of major, but until Clark's death.
He is still the most negatively rated general in the United States
Pictured by Clark reviewing the troops
In addition to these three COMMANDERs of the United Nations Army,
There are also the performances of several American generals on the Korean battlefield
It's thunderous
The first is the Walker mentioned above
Walker, who also graduated from West Point, was a close friend of Eisenhower during his time at military school, and after graduation Walker was directly involved in World War I, where he was awarded for his outstanding performance in battle
Silver Star Medal
Subsequently, after the outbreak of World War II, he was appointed as the commander of the US Third Armored Division, and in many battles, the armored division he led dared to fight and kill.
The Germans who fought were discouraged
The brave Walker soon ushered in the highlight of his life, and during the Normandy landings, the Twentieth Army he commanded quickly broke through the German lines and fought all the way to France.
Because the advance was too fast, the army he commanded was obtained
"Ghost Army"
The title
Pictured by Walton Harris Walker
It can be said that Walker in World War II is one of the few excellent commanders in the US military.
Even The then General Patton often referred to this young man who shared his temper
"My best bastard boy"
The U.S. military even ordered a light tank directly
"Walker Tiger Dog"
Unfortunately, when I came to the Korean battlefield, everything changed.
Walker was entrusted with the task of serving as commander-in-chief of the U.S. Eighth Army, which accounted for half of the entire United Nations Army at the time.
It can be said that Walker mastered such a large-scale army, and once he was commanded, he would restore the glory of the "ghost army" on the European battlefield.
Unfortunately, he did not wait for that moment in the end.
The 1st Cavalry Division commanded by Walker was ready to land
In 1951, two days before Christmas, Walker was preparing to attend a presidential ceremony in South Korea in recognition of the United Nations army.
As usual, he rode in a jeep with his personal guards to the event venue.
And a British truck on the side of the road was parked on the side of the road for repairs,
The South Korean personnel carrier, which was running normally, chose to change lanes and detour after seeing it
But the jeep driven by Walker was speeding toward them.
The huge impact force caused Walker's jeep to tip over directly under the road
By the time the South Korean soldiers lifted the jeep up, Walker had suffered a severe head injury and died on the spot.
General Walker sat in a jeep and commanded the Defense of Busan
The general who fought on the battlefield ended up dying under the ruts of his "allies", and Walker had previously told the media:
Will end the battle before Christmas victorious home,
I didn't expect to really "return home" before Christmas.
There is also a general who is more familiar to everyone -
VanVleet
Friends who know more about the Korean War must be right
"VanVleet Ammo Quantity"
Very familiar, and this is also VanVleet's "masterpiece".
VanVleet's talent had been buried before normandy, when it was just
A regimental commander under General Patton
。 At the time of the Normandy landings,
He once received three medals in one day
After normandy ended, VanVleet began to be reused by his superiors.
Van Vleet, commander of the US 8th Army (second from left), and Syngman Rhee (first from left) watch the U.S. military exercise together
In 1937 he was appointed Deputy Commander of the U.S. Military Command in Europe.
After entering the Korean battlefield, he launched a strong counterattack against the volunteers, began to avoid direct contact with the volunteers, and used long-range firepower to attack the volunteers.
This is also the predecessor of the "VanVleet Ammunition Quantity"
The actual use of Van Vliet's ammunition did make the Volunteers suffer a lot, but the Volunteers quickly found a way to target them after summarizing the failures.
In the later period even the US military was used again
VanVleet's ammunition volume was also a small casualty to the Volunteers
The artillery shells consumed by the US artillery are piled up
When he was about to retire,
To cheer on his old classmate Eisenhower's presidential election
He sent heavy troops to attack a weakly defended position of the Volunteer Army, and called in reporters to publicize it.
Unfortunately, the battle was fought for a day and a night and still did not capture the position
VanVleet retired to China under the attention of reporters.
After returning home, VanVleet did not get too involved in politics, only working as a technical adviser in some departments.
He died quietly in his home in 1992 at the age of one hundred.
Picture 丨 Van Fleet in his youth
Throughout the Korean War,
North Korea also captured an American general
The general was the commander of the U.S. Twenty-Fourth Infantry Division
Major Dean.
He lost contact with his troops while rescuing a wounded soldier during the battle, then fell off a cliff, and for the next thirty-six days he wandered in the mountains.
Later, I met two
"Friendly and helpful staff"
of Koreans
The South Koreans told him to take him to a U.S. military compound, but in effect led him into the North Korean encirclement.
Despite defiant resistance, Dean was captured by North Korea and did not release him until the end of the war.
The Korean People's Army escorts U.S. prisoners of war into the streets
Look closely at the outcome of these generals who participated in the Korean battlefield,
Either bad luck in wartime or decline after the war
, however, the commander of the United States in the Vietnam War
Westmoreland
The ending is not much different from the above.
In fact, Westmoreland can be regarded as a veteran of the Korean battlefield
He served as the commander of the airborne regiment in the Korean battlefield, and gradually became the principal of the West Point Military Academy after returning to China.
He was commander-in-chief of U.S. forces in Vietnam from 1964 to 1968 during the Vietnam War.
Pictured by Westmoreland with his family
During the Vietnam War, he advocated massacres to suppress Vietnamese guerrillas
And it was this cruel move that made the anti-war sentiment in the country very high.
This led to the forced withdrawal of the United States from the Vietnamese battlefield, and Westmoreland has since become synonymous with the Vietnam War in the eyes of many Americans.
After returning from the Vietnamese battlefield, Westmoreland was appointed Chief of Staff of the Army,
However, he failed in his subsequent campaign for chairmanship of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
In 1974, he tried to run for governor to return to politics, but unfortunately failed
The U.S. soldiers who survived the Vietnam War were depressed
He then accused the media of misinterpreting rumors about the Vietnam War
, pointing out that the ultimate defeat in the Vietnam War was caused by false propaganda in the media.
However, the lawsuit has been fought for many years without any progress, and in the end Westmoreland can only choose to withdraw the lawsuit.
In his later years,
The spiritual pillar of Westmoreland is to comfort the veterans,
Maybe he wanted to return to the battlefield where there were only knives and guns and no deceit in this way.
William Westmoreland, commander-in-chief of the U.S. military in Vietnam, awarded the soldiers the medal
Through the above author's description of several American generals, you may find that there are
The generals of the US military have the following advantages and disadvantages.
First of all
Most of the US generals are from famous schools and have received a good systematic militarization education
Second, the U.S. military is good at using its own strengths to attack the enemy's weaknesses, which is reflected in magnetic tactics and Van Vliet ammunition.
However, the weaknesses of the US military are also very obvious.
The first is blind confidence
Many U.S. generals, with their advanced equipment, worshiped firepower and weapons determinism, leading to repeated defeats due to arrogance in both the Korean War and the Vietnam War.
The second point is the reason for the American system
There is a saying that "war is a continuation of politics", but the war in the United States is like a chip for some politicians to gain higher support in the election campaign for their re-election winners, and it is also a common means used by the US government to divert domestic contradictions.
Such a war is destined to go against the will of many people, and many good decisions in war will eventually make concessions for politics.
Pictured with U.S. generals in World War II, front row from left: Simpson, Barton, Spatz, Eisenhower, Bradley, Hodges and Jerro