Surprise invasion, KPA (North Korean Army) using what was then modern Soviet equipment pushed down to pussan through an under prepared ROK (South Korean Army) where literally the majority of the forces defending the border were on weekend leave and those that did fight had obsolete WW2 infantry equipment to fight against tanks and automatic rifles. The US forces present in Korea at the time were little more than occupation troops meant to support police.
So, it is true that North Korean forces made it nearly to Pussan on the south coast, they immediately fell apart once the momentum was lost and US reinforcement arrived from Japan and abroad. After that Chinese forces did much of the fighting when UN forces nearly got to the river that forms the border between China and Korea.
I should point out that the American landing at Inchon near North Korea is what really sealed the fate of the North Korean army. It threatened, and indeed, cutoff NK from their supply line resulting in majority of NK soldiers either being captured or killed. The loss of NK veterans and manpower made them vulnerable for a UN counterinvasion. Which happened, but then China intervened and did the “reverse SK” to prevent NK being extinguished.
The Inchon landing wasn’t even a sure proof plan and was very risky. The terrain was rocky and the weather was terrible at the time of the year when the operation happened. Had the landing failed, the unified Korea would be firmly under the Kim regime to this day. History as we know will have taken a different course.
My knowledge is sketchy, but I thought North Korea was losing until China stepped up.
Surprise invasion, KPA (North Korean Army) using what was then modern Soviet equipment pushed down to pussan through an under prepared ROK (South Korean Army) where literally the majority of the forces defending the border were on weekend leave and those that did fight had obsolete WW2 infantry equipment to fight against tanks and automatic rifles. The US forces present in Korea at the time were little more than occupation troops meant to support police.
So, it is true that North Korean forces made it nearly to Pussan on the south coast, they immediately fell apart once the momentum was lost and US reinforcement arrived from Japan and abroad. After that Chinese forces did much of the fighting when UN forces nearly got to the river that forms the border between China and Korea.
I should point out that the American landing at Inchon near North Korea is what really sealed the fate of the North Korean army. It threatened, and indeed, cutoff NK from their supply line resulting in majority of NK soldiers either being captured or killed. The loss of NK veterans and manpower made them vulnerable for a UN counterinvasion. Which happened, but then China intervened and did the “reverse SK” to prevent NK being extinguished.
The Inchon landing wasn’t even a sure proof plan and was very risky. The terrain was rocky and the weather was terrible at the time of the year when the operation happened. Had the landing failed, the unified Korea would be firmly under the Kim regime to this day. History as we know will have taken a different course.