Canada's Army in Korea

Canada's Army in Korea Preface The First Canadians in Korea Background of the Conflict Formation of the CASF The Fighting in 1950 Canadian Troops in Action Political Aspects The Patricias at Kapyong Training at Fort Lewis The 25th Brigade Goes In Early RCN Operations The 25th Brigade in Action, 1951 The 2nd RCR at Chail-li Political Developments During June 1951 Canadian Operations During June and July Formation of the 1st Commonwealth Division Across the Imjin The "Rotation" of Canadian Troops Enemy Attacks During November The Political Front, July-December 1951 Holding the Line, 1951-1953 The First General Rotation Patrols Against the Boot and Hill 113 Canadian Troops on Koje Island The RCR on Hill 355 The Patricias' Second Rotation Winter on the Hook Korean Personnel with the Canadian Forces The Second General Rotation The End of the Fighting The Attack on the 3rd RCR Political Developments, 1952-53 Administration Behind the Canadian Brigade, Juny 1951-July 1953 Supporting Arms Air Support and Supply The RCN in Korean Waters, May 1951-July 1953 The Toll of the War Conclusion Main Provisions of the Armistice Agreement The Canadians After the Armistice Canadian Troops Withdraw Korea in Retrospect Books and Articles for Further Reading Abbreviations

[edit] Background of the Conflict

Korea is a mountainous peninsula about twice as large as Newfoundland, but with a population more than double that of the whole of Canada. At the end of the Second World War, as part of a Russo-American arrangement for accepting the surrender of Japanese forces in the country, it had been divided at the 38th Parallel. The Government of the Republic of Korea (South Korea), which in 1948 was established by popular vote under the auspices of the United Nations, was recognized by the U.N. General Assembly as the only valid government in the country. The North was a Soviet-sponsored state known as the "Democratic People's Republic of Korea" and recognized only by the Communist powers. Both during and after the withdrawal of their occupation troops, Russia and the United States trained and equipped Korean forces north and south of the 38th Parallel. At the time of the invasion of the Republic of Korea, the ROK army consisted of eight divisions armed only for border protection and internal security - no match for the North Korean People's Army, whose six divisions were supported by tanks, artillery and aircraft. Seoul, the South Korean capital, was doomed to fall before the end of June.

On the second day of action (25 June, North American time) the U.N. Security Council met in special session at the request of the United States. It passed a resolution demanding the immediate cessation of hostilities and the withdrawal of the North Koreans to the 38th Parallel, and calling upon all U.N. countries to "render every assistance in the execution of this resolution". "In these circumstances", the President of the United States announced two days later, "I have ordered United States air and sea forces to give Korean Government troops cover and support". Within a few hours of Mr. Truman's statement the Security Council again met, and recommended that "the Members of the United Nations furnish such assistance to the Republic of Korea as may be necessary to repel the armed attack and to restore international peace and security in the area." On 28 June the British Government announced that it was placing its naval forces in Far Eastern waters at the disposal of the United States, to operate on behalf of the United Nations. Russia, whose delegate had absented himself from the Security Council's meetings since January, denounced the resolutions concerning Korea as illegal.

On the 30th Mr. Truman made his second crucial decision regarding American participation in the Korean conflict: he authorized the commitment of his country's ground forces. Accordingly the 24th Infantry Division of the Eighth United States Army (then engaged in the occupation of Japan) was sent to Korea by air and by sea. American troops first made contact with the enemy on 5 July, some 30 miles south of the ROK capital. The NKPA was vastly superior in fire-power as well as numbers. The result was a long, bitter and costly delaying action, of which no adequate account can be given here.

In the first month of hostilities several other U.N. members provided or offered land, sea and air forces. A third Security Council resolution, passed on 7 July, recommended that all such forces be placed under a unified command, the commander to be designated by the United States. Seventeen days later the "United Nations Command" was set up in Tokyo, with General of the Army Douglas MacArthur at its head. Thus, while the United States continued to provide the leadership and to shoulder the lion's share of the burden of Korean operations, the enterprise assumed a distinctly United Nations character.