|
Korean
War in Perspective - continued from
page one
MacArthur’s strong
personality again played a part in ignoring the Chinese presence and
initial participation in the fighting against
U.S.
forces one month prior to 25 November. Film footage shows
MacArthur with his tan forage cap with the ornate clutter of
laurels on its peak, the sun glasses, and the trade mark corn cob pipe
shot at 15,000 feet just south of the Yalu River
. History records that the Chinese were clever in this situation. At
least one account clearly states the Chinese forces by design entrapped
the U.S.
forces by falling back. China
warned the
U.S. and United Nations that they would not accept
U.S.
forces on their border with North Korea. Before the real situation was known or accepted by MacArthur, he made
his famous statement, that he would later regret, “American troops
would be home by Christmas (1950)!”
UN Forces are surrounded
at the Changjin (Chosin) Reservoir, in
North Korea
27/28 November (Circle 7 on map), about 175 kms north of the 38th parallel.
When you read about these battles, one can only say, I am glad I was not
there. UN forces were evacuated by sea from the North Korean east coast
port city of
Hungnam, approximately 150 kms north of the 38th parallel, between 9
and 24 December (Circle 8 on map). 2PPCLI arrived in
Pusan
on
18 December 1950.
The
next phase of the Korean War with Canadian participation takes place
between January and April 1951 (Circle 9 on map). It commences with the
Chinese army pushing UN forces back across the 38th parallel
and recapturing
Seoul. Only nine
days after we arrived in
Pusan
we moved by
TCV to Miryang, a distance of 88 kms by road for further training and
chasing guerillas (up to 8 or 9,000) behind the front line. It was
actually a distance of 40 kms from
Pusan
as the crow
flies.
On
15 February we finally went to the real war near Changhowan which was
the limit of the Chinese advance. We fought our way North including the
outskirts of
Seoul. A little
bragging, we as members of 2PPCLI marched, counter marched, defended,
withdrew and attacked our way, even into
North Korea
on two
occasions. We did an assault river crossing of the
Imjin
River
in the face of
the enemy on
6 June 1951, exactly seven
years to the day after the
Normandy
landings.
At
the risk of boring some of you, my rifle company probably marched during
our tour, a distance equal to, from
Victoria
to the Scott
Islands
at the North
end of
Vancouver
Island
and back down
to
Nanaimo. Please
appreciate we were not on the roads most of the time. We were climbing
hills as high as 1250 meters (4100 feet) in ice and snow with up to 70
lbs on our backs and, on many occasions, the local welcome wagon did not
greet us on the high ground. A comparison: Mt.
Washington
on Vancouver
Island
is 1588 meters
(5215 ft). William Johnson’s new book, WAR
of PATROLS, confirms that we were given the highest hills (really
mountains) up to 1250 meters
because we were young, fit and well led.
A
point of interest for history buffs. Between 22 to 30 April 1951, no
fewer than 19 divisions from 12 Chinese Armies battered the UN front,
making this the largest engagement of the entire war. On the UN side;
7,000 were killed and wounded and the Chinese had 70,000 killed and
wounded. You have to go to
Stalingrad
in WW II or WW
I to top this! This was the same battle the Gloucesters were decimated
and 2PPCLI won a Presidential Citation at Kapyong.
In
May 1951 (Circle 10 on map), a UN counter attack captures
Seoul
again and
fighting stalls around 38th Parallel (Fourth time
Seoul
changed
hands). Even the 2PPCLI War Diary for May 1951, confirms the overall
general impression that it was a haphazard period of private little
wars. Population of
Seoul
was then down
to about 10,000 to 15,000.
Seoul
is now more
than 15 million. 2 PPCLI joined the Canadian Brigade at end of May.
From
June 1951 to July 1953 (Circle 11 on map), the UN and Communist forces
fight sporadic battles for control of territory around the 38th
parallel. The strength of the Communist side was then 1,155,000 (858,000
were Chinese) and perhaps 10,000 Soviets in non-battlefield roles. UN
forces totaled 538,000, (266,000 U.S), plus 272,000 South Koreans.
Space
does not permit me to go into details of this time frame that lasted for
two years. I hope I do not offend my comrades in arms who served in
Korea
between June
1951 and July 1953. 25th Brigade fought many battles
including Hill 355, Chail Li and Hill 227 adding many battle honours to
Canada’s proud
military history. 2PPCLI was now serving with 25 Brigade, advanced North
to defend Chorwon and, still to this day, a bulge pointing north in the
present DMZ. During this phase, from 18 June to18 July 1951, 2PPCLI
held the most forward positions on the Brigade left flank beside Lcol
Custer’s old unit, the US 7th Cavalry (now infantry),
immediately on the left flank of my infantry platoon.
On10 July 1951
(Circle 12 on map) peace talks begin at Kaesong , eventually continue at nearby
Panmunjom
and continue to this day. I was Canada’s representative at these talks in 1982/84. Due to longevity and
perhaps, ‘only the good die young’, I am, to the best of my
knowledge, the only Canadian officer alive today who served both in the
Korean War and at the Panmunjom peace talks. An Armistice (Cease-fire
only, not a Peace Agreement) temporarily ended fighting on
27 July 1953
. A permanent peace treaty has never been signed which supports the
contention by some historians that neither side had achieved a clear
victory.
In conclusion, based on my experiences and research, I would call
Korea
a draw and most readers would likely agree that
Vietnam
was a clear defeat for one side. There is an old saying that those who
do not know their history will repeat the mistakes of the past.
MacArthur said do not get involved in a land war in
Asia
, although he may have forgotten his own statement, when he carried the
war to the border with China . The Vietnam War is well known to many Canadians because of television.
Television was not yet in wide use as a news medium during the
Korean War. As a parting shot, what if the world’s only super power
(more military might than the total strength of the next twenty nations
combined) decided to unilaterally attack North Korea
and occupy it looking for weapons of mass destruction? Recognizing that
both Russia
and
China
have a border with North Korea , I predict that the intensity of this war would be more than equal to
the total slaughter civilians and military personnel in the Korean War and
Vietnam War combined.
John
R. Bishop CD, served in
Korea in
1950/51
with 2nd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light
Infantry including the Battle of Kapyong (Gapyong). The author also
served in
Vietnam
in 1973 with
the International Commission of Control and Supervision (ICCS) and a
second tour in Korea
1982/84 as
Canada’s military
attache and United Nations Military Armistice Commission (UNMAC)
representative at the
Panmunjom
peace talks.
He is a member of Unit 27, Korea Veterans Association of Canada and
President, KVA Pacific Region.
|