Transcripts For CSPAN3 Reel America Army In Action - The Cob

Occupation duty. But the armed forces of the communists, soviet russia and red china remained on a strong wartime footing and in belligerent posture. Aggression was soon to come. Americans would be fighting against tyranny for the third time in 32 years. Korea. A crowded Little Finger of land but of key importance to the free world in the far east. What happened here opened the next major chapter in the history of the United States army. The war began here at the 38th parallel. Just how did this imaginary line become the fuse for a threeyear explosion . Before the japanese surrender in world war ii, we made an agreement with the russians who were then our allies. When surrender came on the asian mainland, Russian Troops would accept the surrender of Japanese Forces north of the 38th parallel, and we would do the same south of it. The 38th parallel was chosen because it divides the Korean Peninsula roughly in half. It was also agreed that free elections would be held, and the government of korea returned to the korean people. In august of 1948, free elections were held in south korea, supervised by United Nations inspectors, establishing the republic of korea. Three weeks later, communists controlled elections in north korea from which u. N. Inspectors were barred, established the communist regime and divided the korean nation. Not long afterwards, the communists decided their moment for conquest had come. In early summer, 1950, life was good in the agricultural south. There was peace, time for living in the quiet, ancient way. Then suddenly, in the predawn darkness of june 25th, 1950 [ explosions ] South Koreans were jarred awake by a living nightmare. Unprovoked and unannounced, the communists latest war of conquest had begun. Many thought it was the beginning of world war iii. It might have been if we had not taken immediate action. President truman ordered our navy and air force to provide cover and support to the republic of korea. In the United Nations, United States delegate Warren Austin spoke for the indignant free nations everywhere. The republic of korea has appealed to the United Nations for protection. I am proud to report that the United States is prepared to furnish assistance to the republic of korea. Four days after the invasion began, the capital city of seoul fell to the communists. Small elements of the United States army were airlifted from japan to help check the red advance. They were greeted with cheers. But the cheering was soon forgotten. Our small forces found themselves greatly outnumbered by communist troops trained and equipped by the russians. Our handful of troops fought a delaying action, buying precious time until reinforcements would arrive. We showed the communists that we had the will to fight aggression wherever and whenever it occurred. On july 10th, president truman appointed general douglas mcarthur, commander in chief of the United Nations forces, which were beginning to assemble. For the outcome of the troops in the field, it was fight, pull back, and fight again. More United States forces arrived in pusan. Not nearly enough, but it was a beginning. Field commanders like general walton h. Walker and general william f. D. Found that there was a Holding Action with little time and few men. But American Military leadership had only recently been flooded and honed to professional keenness. To reinforce the top leaders were enlisted men who had won their top ribbons in other fields of battle only five or six years before. Through july and august of 1950, our small forces were being pushed into a corner, the pusan perimeter. We rushed more troops from japan. Again, we were faced with an emergency buildup to fighting strength. We drew on our citizen soldiers, reserves and inductees. Our army would grow from 600,000 to a million and a half men. Other United Nations forces began arriving in korea. British troops of the sutherland armies. It was beginning to take shape none too soon. Again, time was running out. The nectong river provided a natural defense line around pusan. It was here that the guts and stamina of the american soldier and his republic of korea allies and the protective wall of artillery fire held the communist forces at bay. The buildup of allied strength was gradually gaining momentum. September 15, 1950, the United Nations suddenly took the offensive. General douglas mcarthur, the supreme commander, had conceived this daring amphibious strike on the korean sea just west of seoul. The Marine Landing force secured the island in just 58 minutes and pushed on into the back door enemys offensive. Additional army forces poured in. Simultaneously, the breakout from the pusan perimeter got underway in the south. In a week of heavy fighting, our forces drove 20 miles inland from inchan to seoul. More than 10,000 north korean troops were waiting at every street with orders to fight to the death. The United Nations offensive rolled back the communist forces, sweeping northward past the 38th parallel. First, pusan fell. Then wonsan on the east coast. Then kyongyang, the north korean capital itself. Psychological warfare played an important part. Loudspeaker messages and safe conduct passes for north korean troops inviting them to surrender met with striking success. Often entire units stacked their weapons and awaited the arrival of u. N. Forces. Our army units pushed on toward the alu river, koreas most northernmost boundary. But there was signs of potential trouble ahead. Some of the prisoners taken in the north wore the quilted uniform of the communist chinese army. November found elements of the 10th corps on the frozen banks of the alu river. While they ate their thanksgiving dinner, they could look across the river and see communist china. Victory seemed assured. There was talk of wars end by christmas. But on the other side of the alu, chinese armies were massed. They hoped new war was about to begin. Late in november, two full chinese field armies attacked across the alu, splitting u. N. Forces and rolling them back. What president truman had first called a Police Action had now become a major war. Our forces in the west pulled back to the south. Elements of the First Marine Division and the 7th Infantry Division 10th corps along with republic of korea troops cut off to the northeast, fought their way in subzero weather in pyongyang and together by sea. 1,000 fighting men and their machines were loaded onto waiting ships. More than 90,000 refugees fled from their homes in north korea rather than live again under communist rule. We gave transportation to freedom to as many of them as we could. By sea, the massive withdrawal moved southward toward ports where the units could land and reboot. In the west, elements of the 8th army withdrew south of the 38th parallel. The Chinese Forces followed up with their massive new years offensive. Thousands of koreans choked the roads leading southward. They had seen communism in practice. Any hardship was preferable. Once again, seoul changed hands as we pulled out, blowing up the bridges behind us. Far to the south, our units were regrouping. In late february, we made a fresh start, and operation general ridgeway called operation killer. They held a superior amount of numbers, and the direction was simple cut down the odds. Operation killer did just that. The enemy lost ten men for every United Nations casualty. What had begun as an attempt to inflict heavy personnel losses on the enemy developed into a groundgaining operation. On march 15, seoul again changed hands. South korean troops entered the deserted streets unopposed. The enemy had pulled out to the north. But not for long. Spring brought with it still another crisis, another massive communist offensive. General van vleet fortified the city of seoul, determined not to lose it again. The enemy came on in human waves, to be met by a storm of fire. They lost tens of thousands, but still they came on, and then suddenly, they faltered, broke, and started to pull back pursued by our armor. The communists had come up against two things, the immense power of the 8th army and the principles of logistics. They were simply unable to supply a large force for a sustained offensive. June 2nd, 1951, again, we crossed the 38th parallel, a badly battered enemy withdrawing before us. Soviet u. N. Delegate jacob mollock proposed truth talks, suggesting perhaps a ceasefire could be discussed. On july 10th, preliminary truth talks were opened in the redheld city of cason. They were to drag on for two years while the bloodshed continued. The lines of the fighting front became virtually stabilized. After 12 days, the talks in kasong were deadlocked over the issue of a ceasefire line. Then communists broke off the talks. In the fall, they were resumed at kan moon jom. The fighting continued. Materials were expended daily and nightly in prodigious amounts. Massive supply by air was a new military concept that came to full development in korea. Air lift and air drop techniques became a major means of supply and largescale combat situation. Winter 1952 found the talks at pan moon jom deadlocked over prisoner exchange. While back and forth along the twisted, the main line of existence, raged the bitter hill battles. In march 1953, the communist world was shaken by the death of joseph stalin. His successor launched what he termed a worldwide peace offensive. Its influence would soon be felt in korea. Within a month, the communists suddenly took us up on our standing offer to exchange sick and wounded prisoners. This was operation little switch. It indicated that a ceasefire might come soon. Battl battleweary men got word that the shooting was to end. On july 27th, 1953, at the u. N. Base camp in moon song nee, general mike clark signed the ceasefire agreement. A few miles away, the communists did the same. By august 5th, operation big switch was underway. Some 13,000 u. N. Soldiers returned from red prison camps. General william dean captured in the battle for kasong early in the war returned with his thousands of comrades in arms. It was then that the world image of communism received a telling blow. For twothirds of the chinese prisoners refused to return to red china, and 35,000 north koreans decided they would rather live in south korea. An armistice, however, is only a ceasefire, not peace. And in this divided nation, the need is for constant watchfulness. Unended preparedness still remains and may continue for years to come. This is true anywhere on earth where people face an aggressor. The communists had miscalculated in korea. They could not bring themselves to believe that we would spend so much of material and of effort and of pain so far from home. That lesson was an important one for all concerned. Once again the United States army, the american soldier, had stood foremost in a massive military force on foreign soil. But not for conquest. As the years passed, we began to see that our preparedness would have to be largescale, constant, flexible and adaptable. They were to be years of menace, bringing into being a new phrase, the cold war. Weeknights this month, were featuring American History tv programs of a preview for the weekend on cspan3. Well travel to northeastern france to tour two battlefields where american and French Forces fought in the spring of 1918 to stop a german offensive toward paris. That starts at 8 00 p. M. Eastern. Enjoy American History tv every weekend on cspan3. Youre watching American History tv. Every weekend on cspan3, explore our nations past. Cspan3 created by americas Television Companies as a Public Service and brought to you today by your television provider. Tuesday morning, former fbi Deputy Director Andrew Mccabe testifies on the review of the fbi russia investigation in a hearing before the Senate Judiciary committee. Watch live at 11 00 a. M. On cspan3, live on cspan. Org or listen to the cspan radio app. The Supreme Court hears oral arguments on the Affordable Care act in the consolidated cases of texas v. California and california v. Texas on tuesday at 10 00 a. M. Eastern on cspan. The Health Care Law was challenged by texas after a 2017 republican tax law eliminated the penalty for not having health care insurance. Listen to the oral arguments live at 10 00 a. M. Eastern on cspan, ondemand at cspan. Org Supreme Court or the cspan radio app. Next on the history bookshelf, ian buruma talks about year zero. Mr. Buruma looks at the transformative nature of the war in