Research Question: Analyse Douglas MacArthur’s involvement in and subsequent dismissal from the Korean War on the outcome of the war.
The Korean War lasted between 1950-1953, and was fought between the communists and non-communists during the Cold War. Increasing tensions between North and South Korea initiated the war, resulting in the former invading the latter on 25 June 1950. Other countries soon became involved. The U.S. declared its decision to join the war in support of South Korea two days after the invasion, and troops from 15 members of the UN were put under their orders, the supreme commander that lead these forces being American General Douglas MacArthur. During the war, while he did gain recognition for his military tactics, …show more content…
Carter). This essay will be looking at MacArthur’s involvement in and subsequent dismissal from the Korean War, which had some degree of effect on it’s outcome, mainly in terms of territorial gains and losses, casualties and nature of the war.
One of the ways MacArthur’s involvement most significantly impacted the war’s outcome was in terms of the territorial gains and losses, through both his succeeded and failed military strategies. In the initial stages of the war, the non-communist troops had been pushed back from the 38th parallel – where Korea was originally divided – and were defending the southernmost corner of South Korea (Patterson, Schamel and Potter). During his visit to Korea, MacArthur developed and became preoccupied with the idea of a large-scale landing behind the opposition’s lines involving forces landed from the sea. As Inchon was where it would occur, it was called the Inchon landing. The top brass originally opposed the idea, as there were many technical problems involved. However, ultimately MacArthur convinced them. The operation, code-named Chromite, began on September 5, and the landing was deemed a great success. By September 16, Inchon had been reoccupied and …show more content…
While it can be argued that MacArthur’s successful military strategies prevented some deaths during the war, some of his more rash decisions increased the number of casualties. During the battle for Seoul, non-communist troops were met with strong resistance, and fighting lasted for three days. By the time they had retaken the capital, big areas of the city in were ruins and massive numbers of people were killed. MacArthur’s haste in reoccupying Seoul with a lack of strategic thinking was partially to blame, as some argue that civilian suffering could’ve been reduced if MacArthur did not move onto regaining Seoul so quickly. In addition, MacArthur’s lack of foresight in regards to the Chinese attack also caused many deaths. MarArthur’s move in heading towards the North Korean and Chinese border was controversial, as after the invasion the U.S. retreat was a bloody one. The Chinese invasion was also greatly damaging for the civilian population in South Korea, not only because of the escalation in the war, but also the rumour that the opposition were going to kill the soldiers fighting for the South Korean side’s families. It caused many families to flee to where they believed was safe, and families recount deaths that occurred as a result of the journey (2. Carter). The estimated number of South Korean casualties is over 184,000, and a part of these deaths were indirectly caused
The Korean War lasted between 1950-1953, and was fought between the communists and non-communists during the Cold War. Increasing tensions between North and South Korea initiated the war, resulting in the former invading the latter on 25 June 1950. Other countries soon became involved. The U.S. declared its decision to join the war in support of South Korea two days after the invasion, and troops from 15 members of the UN were put under their orders, the supreme commander that lead these forces being American General Douglas MacArthur. During the war, while he did gain recognition for his military tactics, …show more content…
Carter). This essay will be looking at MacArthur’s involvement in and subsequent dismissal from the Korean War, which had some degree of effect on it’s outcome, mainly in terms of territorial gains and losses, casualties and nature of the war.
One of the ways MacArthur’s involvement most significantly impacted the war’s outcome was in terms of the territorial gains and losses, through both his succeeded and failed military strategies. In the initial stages of the war, the non-communist troops had been pushed back from the 38th parallel – where Korea was originally divided – and were defending the southernmost corner of South Korea (Patterson, Schamel and Potter). During his visit to Korea, MacArthur developed and became preoccupied with the idea of a large-scale landing behind the opposition’s lines involving forces landed from the sea. As Inchon was where it would occur, it was called the Inchon landing. The top brass originally opposed the idea, as there were many technical problems involved. However, ultimately MacArthur convinced them. The operation, code-named Chromite, began on September 5, and the landing was deemed a great success. By September 16, Inchon had been reoccupied and …show more content…
While it can be argued that MacArthur’s successful military strategies prevented some deaths during the war, some of his more rash decisions increased the number of casualties. During the battle for Seoul, non-communist troops were met with strong resistance, and fighting lasted for three days. By the time they had retaken the capital, big areas of the city in were ruins and massive numbers of people were killed. MacArthur’s haste in reoccupying Seoul with a lack of strategic thinking was partially to blame, as some argue that civilian suffering could’ve been reduced if MacArthur did not move onto regaining Seoul so quickly. In addition, MacArthur’s lack of foresight in regards to the Chinese attack also caused many deaths. MarArthur’s move in heading towards the North Korean and Chinese border was controversial, as after the invasion the U.S. retreat was a bloody one. The Chinese invasion was also greatly damaging for the civilian population in South Korea, not only because of the escalation in the war, but also the rumour that the opposition were going to kill the soldiers fighting for the South Korean side’s families. It caused many families to flee to where they believed was safe, and families recount deaths that occurred as a result of the journey (2. Carter). The estimated number of South Korean casualties is over 184,000, and a part of these deaths were indirectly caused