When the Korean War broke out in 1950, the United States intervened to support South Korea, but it was soon met with a strong counterattack by the Chinese People's Volunteers. This war not only rewrote the fate of the Korean Peninsula, but also completely subverted the United States' perception of the strength of the Chinese military, especially MacArthur, the ace general of the American army.
It all started with the Korean Civil War. On June 25, 1950, the armed forces of the Workers' Party of Korea launched a full-scale attack on South Korea, and with the advantage of population and equipment, the North Korean army quickly occupied Seoul and other important towns. In response to the South Korean government's request for help, U.S. President Harry S. Truman ordered troops to send troops to support.
The Truman administration at this time was cautious about China's nascent regime. Once the Korean Peninsula is unified by North Korea, China will have more influence in the northeast, which will undoubtedly threaten American interests in Asia. For this reason, Truman urgently summoned the retired MacArthur as the supreme commander of the US forces in Japan and organized the United Nations Army to counterattack Korea.
MacArthur relied on absolute superiority and quickly turned the tide of battle. In September 1950, he led a large-scale landing of United Nations forces at Incheon, forcing North Korean troops to the border of the Yalu River. Just when total victory was in sight, a mysterious "Chinese People's Volunteer Army" joined the war group without warning, causing great trouble for MacArthur's coalition forces.
In the first battle, the People's Volunteers defeated the coalition forces with only an extraordinary will to fight. MacArthur was surprised, he had thought that the combat effectiveness of the Chinese army was insignificant. But with the defeat of the second and third battles, MacArthur had to admit that this Chinese army was a formidable opponent.
Eventually, MacArthur was forced to withdraw from the Korean Peninsula and the front returned to the area of the 38th parallel. The Truman administration was extremely dissatisfied with this, believing that MacArthur lacked the determination to unify Korea, and replaced him.
The Korean War left MacArthur with a shadow that will remain indelible for the rest of his life. The highly regarded general was once expected to achieve a decisive victory in Korea. But in the face of the Chinese People's Volunteers, all his tactics failed one after another, which was undoubtedly the biggest failure of his military career.
After leaving the army, MacArthur was welcomed by some Americans, but he was not eligible for the Republican presidential nomination. He had no choice but to settle for the next best thing and became the chairman of the RAND Corporation. It wasn't until 1962, at the age of 82, that MacArthur returned to West Point, where he delivered his last speech.
After the speech, a young officer asked MacArthur what he thought of the impending Sino-Indian border war. Although he was over eighty years old, MacArthur knew the Chinese army well. Without hesitation, he judged: "I don't know what is going on with India, daring to declare war with China, is India crazy, or is Nehru's brain broken?"
Later, he added: "In this Sino-Indian war, China will definitely be the final victor." ”
This judgment is indeed to the point. In 1962, Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru took a tough stance on China on territorial disputes, commanding Indian troops to cross the Line of Actual Control and occupy Chinese territory. Nehru thought highly of himself and believed that the Chinese army was too vulnerable to fight India head-on.
However, Nehru's hubris was soon met with a merciless blow. In October 1962, the Chinese People's Liberation Army launched a counterattack, completely crushing the Indian army and regaining the occupied territory in just one month. This war once again confirmed MacArthur's high opinion of the strength of the Chinese army.
Nehru's aggression against China stemmed from his gross underestimation of China's power. In fact, since the Korean War in 1950, Nehru has been biased against China. At that time, he not only scoffed at the participation of the Chinese People's Volunteers, but even believed that China had not yet come out of the shadow of the civil war and was powerless to intervene in the Korean war.
However, the facts gave Nehru a blow in the face. The Volunteer Army not only participated in the war, but also almost drove MacArthur's coalition forces out of the Korean Peninsula, which was undoubtedly one of the important reasons for Nehru's error of judgment.
Nehru's hubris is rooted not only in his prejudice against China, but also in his exaggeration of India's own power. As the hegemon of South Asia, India's national power did grow under Nehru's rule, but Nehru equated this partial advantage with an increase in overall strength, so he seemed to be empty-sighted when dealing with China.
More crucially, Nehru's understanding of China is seriously behind the times. In his eyes, China is still stuck in the old impression of a civil war period, the people living in poverty, and a backward army. He was completely unaware that after the founding of the People's Republic of China, Chinese society had undergone earth-shaking changes, and its national strength was growing day by day.
MacArthur, by contrast, was far ahead of his time in his understanding of China. He personally experienced the powerful combat effectiveness of the Chinese People's Volunteers in the Korean War and had the most sincere experience of the quality of the New China Army. Therefore, when judging the Sino-Indian war, he did not hesitate to choose China's victory.
The passage of time is a testament to MacArthur's vision. After the Sino-Indian War, China entered a new era of all-round development. The economic strength has continued to grow, and the comprehensive national strength has been rising steadily. By the 21st century, China had grown to become the world's second-largest economy and a leader in emerging markets.
Although India has made some progress in development, the gap with China is still widening. In this sense, the victory or defeat of the Sino-Indian War not only indicates the strength of the two sides at that time, but also predicts the future development trend of China and India to a certain extent.
Finally, a digression, according to the records, the Sino-Indian border operation was very difficult, and at the most difficult time, it even reached the level of one person fighting and nine people supporting. Sending ten catties of grain to the front line, three catties had to be consumed on the way, and the time of the war was in a difficult period, India obviously had the intention of taking advantage of the danger of others, but our army finally won a great victory by virtue of its super military quality and the single-mindedness of the army and the people, and won the frontier unharmed for decades.