MacArthur was a World War II general in the U.S. military, serving as commander of the U.S. military forces in the Philippines before World War II, and the youngest president of the United States military academy at West Point. Before the outbreak of Pearl Harbor, the Japanese army attacked the Philippines, and MacArthur commanded the American army and the Philippine army to resist the Japanese attack tenaciously. For various reasons, the American army was defeated, and MacArthur escaped from the Japanese encirclement.
At the end of World War II, MacArthur commanded the Americans to counterattack the Philippines and defeat the Japanese to retake Manila. After the end of World War II, MacArthur accepted the surrender of the Japanese on the battleship USS Missouri as supreme commander of the Far ASEAN Army.
After the US military occupied Japan as an ally, MacArthur also transformed into Japan's "Emperor Taishang", and MacArthur was responsible for the promulgation of the "Peace Constitution" and the non-militaristic transformation of Japan. Emperor Hirohito of Japan, who had invaded all of Asia, was also expected to pay homage to MacArthur.
However, MacArthur, who swept across the Pacific in World War II and defeated the Japanese army, was defeated three times in a row by volunteers on the Korean battlefield. What are the lesser-known reasons behind this?
Douglas MacArthur (January 26, 1880 – April 5, 1964) was an American military and politician
Korean War and MacArthur 'Triple Defeat'
MacArthur's three-game losing streak refers to his three consecutive defeats by the Volunteers in the first, second, and third campaigns.
On October 25, 1950, the first campaign to resist US aggression and aid Korea was launched. The volunteers seized on the characteristics of the lonely and deep penetration of the US army, won a surprise victory, and annihilated more than 15,000 UN troops in the movement war. Victories were won at Wenjing, the Liangshuidong Ambush and the Battle of Unsan. This was the first time MacArthur had been defeated by the Volunteers. At Yunshan, the 39th Army severely damaged the 1st Cavalry Division of the United States army, annihilated more than 1,800 people of the 1st cavalry division, and achieved the first victory of the volunteer army in defeating the American army. The Battle of Unsan was written into military academy textbooks by the Japanese Self-Defense Forces.
On November 7, 1950, the second campaign to resist the United States and aid Korea began. The Volunteers launched a full-scale counteroffensive against the United Nations forces, led by the Americans. On the Western Front, the U.S. 8th Army, surrounded by six corps of volunteers, paid a heavy price of near total annihilation. On the Eastern Front, the U.S. 7th Division and the 1st Marine Division were heavily damaged by volunteers in the Chosin Lake area. This was the second time MacArthur had been defeated by the Volunteers.
On December 31, 1950, the third campaign to resist the United States and aid Korea began. The 6 corps of the Volunteer Army launched the third campaign with the cooperation of 6 artillery regiments and more than 100 cannons. After fierce fighting, the Volunteer 50th Army eliminated the British Royal Heavy Tank Battalion. The various units of the Volunteer Army pursued the whole line, pulling the front line from the 38th Line to the 37th Line area and occupying the Korean capital Seoul, which was the third time MacArthur was defeated by the Volunteer Army.
After MacArthur was defeated for the third time by the Volunteers, President Truman removed MacArthur from his post and made Ridgway the new commander of the United Nations Army because of his misguided remarks in place of the president.
Matthew Bunker Ridgway, U.S. Army General (March 3, 1895 – July 26, 1993)
So why was MacArthur defeated by the Volunteers three times in a row in Korea?
First, MacArthur was arrogant and had absolute contempt for the Volunteers. This was an important reason why MacArthur was defeated by the Volunteers 3 times in a row.
As commander of the U.S. forces in the Far East, commander of the U.S. forces in Japan, and a famous U.S. general who defeated the Japanese army in World War II, MacArthur's confidence was absolutely justified. In the late stages of World War II, MacArthur commanded the wartime mobilization of the U.S. army to first win the victory in the blockade of the Japanese army in "Operation Wheel", and then MacArthur commanded the U.S. army to defeat the Japanese army in the Philippines with the momentum of destruction and decay, and the humiliation of the defeat of the Philippines was snowed.
After the end of World War II, the U.S. army commanded by MacArthur occupied all of Japan with the pride of the world's most powerful armed forces, and Japan, which had dared to call the United States in the past, was completely conquered by MacArthur, which invaded all of Asia. MacArthur reached the pinnacle of his military career, as did his confidence in life.
Above_ The Outbreak of the Korean War
At the outbreak of the Korean War, although the U.S. military had disarmament operations after World War II, MacArthur was still confident that the U.S. military under his command could defeat the Korean People's Army with its unparalleled superiority in the navy and air force in the world. Developments in the war seemed to prove his idea, and after the Inchon landings began, MacArthur commanded the American army to successfully cut off the Korean People's Army's counterattack to the south, forcing the KPA to retreat to the north. MacArthur commanded U.S. troops to sweep across the Entire Korean Peninsula in a no-man's-land manner.
In the face of the huge victory, MacArthur was a little fluttery, and he did not believe that the Chinese volunteer army would send troops to resist the United States and aid Korea. Even after he was convinced that there was "real hammer news" of the volunteer army's troops on the intelligence, he only believed that the purpose of the volunteer army was only to protect the Shuifeng power station on the Yalu River, not to defeat the American army.
Above_ Chinese Volunteer Army crosses the Yalu River
On a deeper level, MacArthur did not believe that the Volunteers could defeat the Americans. This can be found in the conversation between MacArthur and his men, Willoughby, the intelligence officer in charge of the U.S. Military in the Far East.
Willoughby was MacArthur's secretary of intelligence, and there was an intriguing conversation between Willoughby and MacArthur —
MacArthur once asked Willoughby, "Does the Chinese army have planes?" Willoughby replied, "There are no planes." ”
MacArthur continued to ask Willoughby, "Do the Chinese army have tanks?" Willoughby replied, "Insignificant." ”
MacArthur confidently cocked his corn pipe and asked Willoughby, "Do the Chinese have artillery?" Willoughby: "Equally insignificant. ”
After receiving these affirmative answers, MacArthur said, "How I wish they [the Volunteers] would go to war." Because MacArthur was convinced that even if the Volunteers entered the war, his mechanized army and aircraft artillery would completely defeat the Volunteers.
Above_ Volunteer artillery positions
Willoughby's reflection was also a reality, when a volunteer corps had just over 520 guns, while a single division had 959 guns. Most of the artillery of the Volunteer Army are small and medium-caliber artillery such as mortars, grenadiers, and mountain guns, and most of the AMERICAN artillery is heavy artillery such as howitzers.
The U.S. army had more than 1,000 tanks in the war, while the volunteers had zero tanks, and it was not until the middle of the war that more than 200 tanks participated in the battle. The U.S. Navy had 14,000 aircraft and the Air Force had 17,000 aircraft, and most of the pilots had actual combat experience in World War II, while the Volunteers could only fly dozens of air force combat aircraft at that time, and the pilots were all "novices" who had just graduated from aviation schools.
Above_ Korean War U.S. tanks
Due to the huge disparity in armament, MacArthur was convinced that he could defeat the Volunteers in a short time to end the war. Before the first battle, MacArthur called out to "end the war before Thanksgiving." Before the second battle broke out, MacArthur, who had already suffered a loss, again called for "ending the war before Christmas." This act of extreme contempt for the enemy made MacArthur pay an extremely heavy price.
Therefore, the saying that the proud soldier must lose will never go out of fashion, and it is appropriate to put it in MacArthur. Even if the opponent is weak, the fighting side must pay enough attention to the opponent tactically. Moreover, MacArthur faced an opponent who, although poorly armed, but had a strong enough will to fight and an absolutely flexible tactics Chinese Volunteer Army.
Above_ Chinese Volunteers and Korean People's Army fighters fight side by side
Second, the Chinese volunteers seized macArthur's arrogance and arrogance, and with flexible tactics, overcame his inferiority of poor weapons and equipment to defeat the United Nations army commanded by MacArthur in the Far East.
Since MacArthur was so light on the enemy, the Volunteer Army seized MacArthur's psychology of light enemy and caught the American army by surprise with the tactics of combining guerrilla warfare and mobile warfare. In the first battle, the 120th Division of the 40th Volunteer Army first ambushed the ROKs in the Onjeong area. Subsequently, the 39th Army concentrated all its forces to attack covertly, concentrated the strength of 8 infantry regiments under the cover of 2 artillery regiments, launched a surprise attack on the American troops at Yunshan, and annihilated more than 1,800 people in the first part of the 1st Cavalry Division of the US Army. The first part of the U.S. Cavalry Division did not know why it was annihilated by the volunteers until it was annihilated by the volunteers.
After achieving small victories in the Onjeong Ambush, the Battle of Unsan and other operations, the Volunteers quickly concealed their whereabouts, releasing the illusion that the Volunteers would withdraw, and also releasing the prisoners of the United Nations Army, further confusing the United Nations Army, MacArthur was deceived by the battlefield of the Volunteer Army, and his light enemy was deeper, and he dreamed of "ending the war before Christmas".
Above_ Commendation order for the 38th Volunteer Army
MacArthur wanted to "end the war before Christmas," and the volunteers came to attack on all fronts. On November 7, 1950, four corps of the Volunteer Army counterattacked on the frontal front, and its 38th and 42nd Armies launched a large-scale encirclement behind enemy lines. It was not until the encirclement of the volunteer army was formed that the US 8th Army broke through in a panic and almost completely destroyed the army.
On the Eastern Front, the 9th Volunteer Corps braved the -40-degree cold in the snow and ice to launch a counterattack, hitting the US First Marine Division and the US 7th Division with heavy losses. In the second campaign, the Volunteers maximized their infantry tactical superiority of interspersed encirclement, position blocking, night attack, and good at close combat bayonets, which cost the Americans dearly.
Before the outbreak of the third campaign, the U.S. government threw out a "ceasefire conspiracy", MacArthur thought that the volunteer army would accept the "ceasefire conspiracy" and stop fighting, but the volunteer army did not take the "ceasefire conspiracy" in sight, taking advantage of the cover of night to launch a third campaign, retake Seoul, and annihilate more than 8,000 UN troops.
Above_ Battle of Chosin Lake
Third, the volunteer army is firm and tenacious in its will to fight, preferring to fight to the last 1 person rather than take a step back.
At Songkuo Peak, officers and men of a company of the 335th Regiment of the 112th Division of the 38th Army fought with the Americans for bayonets while the bullets ran out. Some volunteer officers and men bit the enemy's ears with their teeth and smashed the enemy's head with grenades, and some volunteer officers and men were ignited by the enemy's fire and burned to death with the American troops.
In the Chosin Lake battlefield, the volunteers would rather freeze to death than line up in a combat formation, and this fighting spirit of the "Ice Sculpture Company" is the fighting spirit that MacArthur and the US army cannot do. During World War II, when the U.S. army was surrounded by Japanese troops in the Philippines, MacArthur ran out of the American encirclement in a dinghy. The U.S. military laid down its arms and surrendered during World War II in stark contrast to the spirit of volunteers fighting to the last man.
To be fair, the fighting spirit of the US military during World War II is remarkable, but even the most tenacious Marine Corps in the US military in World War II, its will to fight is still not comparable to that of the volunteer army.
Above_ U.S. forces at the Battle of Chosin Lake
All in all, MacArthur's absolute light enemy and the extremely flexible tactics of the Volunteers, as well as the spirit of the last person left in the Volunteer Army to fight to the end, became the direct reason for the Volunteers' three consecutive defeats of MacArthur. The martyrs of the Volunteer Army who sacrificed their lives for the country on the battlefield will always deserve our respect and remembrance.
Author: Military Handsome Guy Correction/Editor: Lilith
Resources:
[1] The Korean War, Wang Shuzeng, People's Literature Publishing House
[2] "Ten Battles of the Volunteer Army To Courageously Defeat the Strong Enemy" Yao Youzhi, Li Qingshan, editor-in-chief, Baishan Publishing House
The text was created by the History University Hall team, and the picture originated from the Internet and the copyright belongs to the original author