"On the Korean battlefield, we were always betrayed by the US military. A British veteran who fought in the Korean War said in an interview.
Why did the U.S. military betray the British army? How did the British army behave on the Korean battlefield? Is what this British veteran said true or false?
The plight of the British army
After two world wars, Britain has long since stepped down from the position of world leader. It was the United States that replaced Britain as the world leader in World War II.
Through borrowing a large amount of money, the United States has become a "creditor" of Britain, France, and other countries. In order not to be called upon for debts, Britain, France and other countries naturally became the little brothers of the United States.
If the United States wants to help South Korea, Britain will naturally have to do its part. Therefore, in the 17-nation coalition, the British army was only inferior to the American army.
But the British army, which supported the US military so much, was only a stepping stone for the US military on the Korean battlefield.
At the beginning of the Korean War, MacArthur was commander-in-chief of the coalition forces. But this commander-in-chief was not on the battlefield, but in the Imperial Palace of Japan.
Every time he posted a task, he contacted him by phone or telegram. But in every battle, the British army always had to stand up to the American army.
Even with the South Korean army at the front, the British army suffered heavy losses. But after all, Britain and the United States have close ties, and in the case of cannon fodder, the U.S. military will not let the British army be cannon fodder.
In the first battle, our army fought only with the South Korean army. Although they won, other countries are still not optimistic about the combat effectiveness of our army.
In the eyes of the U.S. military, the South Korean army is the life of cannon fodder. Americans boast of being superior to Koreans, but they are also very willing to die.
Therefore, even if our army won a large victory in the first battle, the US army did not take our army seriously. Like the American army, there are also British troops.
In many things, it is not so much that Britain is a vassal of the United States as that the two countries have the same point of view. When our army announced its entry into the war, the most ridiculed were the British and American newspapers.
But in the second battle, our army completely opened the eyes of the American army. In the Battle of Yunshan, the defeat of the 1st U.S. Cavalry Division made the U.S. Army have to pay attention to our army.
MacArthur's "Come Home for Christmas" became the second biggest joke on the Korean battlefield. Even so, he was still stubborn and refused to admit defeat.
He refused to reflect on himself, but blindly continued to fight with our army according to the original plan. However, how could the volunteers, who already knew about the US military, be easily defeated by MacArthur?
During the second battle, the First Marine Division fled overnight in the first battle of Changjin Lake. The night has become an inescapable nightmare for the US military, and they may lose their lives in the darkness at any time.
And on the way to escape, the US military did not forget to pull its allies into the water. The British army was originally in charge of the broken team, but because our army was eager to annihilate the 1st Marine Division, the British army was neglected.
At this time, several flares suddenly came from the US side, illuminating the originally dark night as bright as day. At this moment, the British troops in the position were just exposed to the eyes of the volunteers.
Some people still don't understand why the US military fires flares?
A veteran who knew the inside story explained that it was the American army who fled, and now it was the British army in front of our army. Although they are both Caucasians, the equipment of the two armies is different.
Moreover, if it was really the US army, the 1st Marine Division would also throw flares. Because the 1st Marine Division is a trump card, it has a very high status in the US military.
So when faced with a choice, the other troops had to give way to the 1st Marine Division. This also allowed the 1st Marine Division to escape in the Battle of Changjin Lake.
The strong industrial manufacturing capacity of the US military is also vividly demonstrated at the Watergate Bridge.
The interests of the U.S. military are paramount
After the end of the second campaign, our army immediately launched the third campaign. After the second battle, the American army had no intention of fighting again.
After Walker's death, Ridgway took his place. Ridgway was joined by MacArthur who had given him command of the Land Forces.
In the third battle, in the face of the menacing volunteer army, Li Qiwei set up five lines of defense. The first line of defense was formed by the South Korean army.
Although the South Korean army is not very good at fighting, it has the advantage of being outnumbered. The United States is far from the Korean Peninsula, and it is simply unrealistic for the United States to replenish its troops at any time.
Therefore, the South Korean Army, which can replenish its troops at any time, has become a well-deserved candidate for the first line of defense. And the British army was placed in the fourth line of defense by Ridgway.
If you think this is Ridgway's preference for the British, you are very wrong. You must know that at the moment of life and death, the US military will not consider the interests of the British army.
The reason why Li Qiwei wanted to arrange the British army in the fourth line of defense naturally had his plan. Most of the 17-nation coalition was from Europe.
Because of the prestige of the United States, NATO, which is under the control of the United States, naturally has to send troops. Although the number of troops sent by various countries is not large, it is true that it has shown its loyalty to the United States.
Europe used to be strong, but in both world wars, Europe was the main battlefield. In the years immediately following the end of World War II, all aspects of Europe have not breathed a sigh of relief.
At this time, the combat power of European countries has been greatly reduced. Although Britain is not the main battlefield, it has long since lost its former glory.
Among the 17-nation coalition forces, the strongest combat power is the US military, followed by the British army. Although Britain has suffered heavy losses, as a strong army in Europe, the combat effectiveness of the British army is still stronger than that of other small countries.
Keeping the British in front of the American army can also delay the escape time for the American army. MacArthur's abacus was a bang.
Soon, the third campaign began. The goal of our army is to push the battle line to the 38th parallel and seize the opportunity to seize Seoul.
But if we want to capture Seoul, our army will have to cross the Imjin River. Li Qiwei's five lines of defense were set up on the road from Imjin River to Seoul.
In the face of the attack of the volunteers, the South Korean troops in the first line of defense lost their armor. When the news reached the British positions, the British commander could not help but curse.
The incompetence of the South Korean army made Ridgway's plan a complete failure. Seeing that the American soldiers were panicking, Li Qiwei had no choice but to order a retreat.
At this time, the British army, as the fourth line of defense, became a force that was cut off by the American army. But the British are not stupid, they can't be stupid and wait for the volunteers to come.
The British commander gathered his troops and retreated with the American troops. After all, there are so many people in the first three layers of defense!
However, in the face of the enemy army with no fighting spirit, our army ran all the way to Seoul. Seeing that the U.S. troops are fleeing in a panic, our army also wants to leave them all behind.
But in order to protect the retreat of the Eighth Army, Ridgway ordered the blockade of the Han River bridge. Ridgway instructed that the U.S. military must first cross the Han River Bridge.
But at this time, it is not only the US military that wants to cross the Han River Bridge. Both the coalition forces and the South Korean military and civilians are counting on escaping through the Han River Bridge.
Li Qiwei was angry that the South Korean army was doing bad things, so how could he give the South Korean army a good look. As soon as the blockade was ordered, the South Korean military and civilians were trapped on this side of the bridge.
The British commander approached Ridgway, hoping to get the British and American troops to cross the Han River Bridge together. Ridgway thought for a moment and agreed to the request of the British army.
However, the British army had to wait for all the American troops to cross the bridge before they could cross the Han River bridge. Where did the British commander dare to bargain, naturally he quickly agreed.
As for the rest of the country, Ridgway didn't care about their lives or deaths. Seeing that there were South Koreans who wanted to rush across the Han River bridge, Li Qiwei directly ordered to shoot.
The gendarmes couldn't do anything, and Li Qiwei shot into the air to warn. He told the military police that since the U.S. military had come to liberate south Korea, the safety of the U.S. military was of paramount importance.
If the South Koreans were disobedient, Ridgway gave the gendarmes the right to shoot them directly. Hundreds of thousands of South Korean soldiers and civilians were stopped by Li Qiwei outside the bridge.
When the British and American troops crossed the bridge, people rushed up, all wanting to cross the bridge quickly. The more anxious they were, the more they couldn't walk, and many people were squeezed out of the bridge and buried in the river.
The British army was betrayed again
In fact, just before the enemy army wanted to cross the Han River bridge, Ridgway had already betrayed the British army. Our army is good at night operations, and Li Qiwei has some knowledge about this.
When he heard that in the Battle of Changjin Lake, the 1st Marine Division used flares to lead our troops to the British position, he thought of the trick of leading the water to the east.
Therefore, he equipped the 8th Group with quite a few flares. Ridgway's just in case came in handy in the end.
When our army launched an attack on Seoul, it was the US 2nd Division and the British 29th Brigade that were responsible for blocking our army. The 29th Brigade was originally responsible for covering the retreat of the American troops, and if the American troops were to withdraw, the 29th Brigade would continue to block our troops.
In charge of pursuing the US 2nd Division was the 50th Army, which had been the army of the Kuomintang. Because of the perverse actions of the Kuomintang, Lao Chiang has long been unpopular.
Moreover, the 50th Army is not the old Jiang lineage, and military salaries and weapons are always deducted by all parties. During the Liberation War, the army commander Zeng Zesheng resolutely led his subordinates to revolt.
The troops who could not win the battle in the Kuomintang not only chased the American troops all over the streets during the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea, but also annihilated the Royal Heavy Tank Battalion of the British Army.
When Chairman Mao learned of this, he vigorously praised the soldiers of the 50th Army. And the British were found thanks to their allies.
The US 2nd Division was defeated by our army, and after some confrontation with our army, the top brass of the army developed a cowardly mentality. They also didn't care about the soldiers, they ran first.
As soon as the soldiers saw that their commanders had fled, what was the need for them to continue fighting? So, the U.S. troops ran away with their commanders.
As they ran, they also fired flares at the positions of the British troops. Just to tell our army that there is still a unit there, don't come to us.
And the pathetic British army, in this way, became a stepping stone for the American army and fell into a bitter battle with our army.
In the Korean War, our army washed away the shame of being invaded by the Eight-Nation Allied Forces and taught a hard lesson to the great powers that had seized benefits from the mainland.
How high they were when they opened the door to the mainland, and how embarrassed they were chased by our army on the Korean battlefield.
The heavens are reincarnated, and those who harm others will eventually suffer the consequences. Britain, which was the world's No. 1 at the time, finally lowered its arrogant head.