On September 15, 1950, after only a month of planning, a team of United States and South
Korean forces landed at the port of Inchon, only 100 miles south of the 38th parallel
and just 25 miles from the capital city of Seoul.
Over the course of one week, 75,000 troops and 261 naval vessels dispatched by the United
Nations set out to battle the North Korean People’s Army.
While the location was criticized as being far too risky for its changing tides and unpredictable
weather, United Nations Supreme Commander Douglas MacArthur was confident the plan would
succeed.
In a daring operation planned and executed under extremely difficult conditions, the
United Nations forces aimed to reverse the tide of the Korean War, seize control of Seoul,
and solidify America’s postwar reputation on the global stage...
United Nations Intervention
On June 25, 1950, close to 100,000 North Korean People's Army troops invaded South Korea in
a coordinated general attack along the 38th parallel, the line dividing communist North
Korea from the non-communist Republic of Korea.
The sudden attack threw the South Korean forces completely off guard, forcing them into a
hasty retreat.
Two days later, United States President Harry S. Truman announced America’s intervention
in the conflict.
By June 28, the United Nations approved the use of force against North Korea.
After the UN Security Council recommended that all forces sent to Korea be led by an
American, General Douglas MacArthur, who rose to fame and admiration in the Pacific Theater
of World War 2, was appointed.
Throughout the summer, South Korea suffered a relentless series of attacks, even as United
Nations allies scrambled to come to their aid.
Pushed beyond their limits, and despite shortages of food, weapons, equipment, and soldiers,
the South Koreans kept their morale high and mustered enough supplies to allow for one
more large-scale offensive.
By early August, American and South Korean forces had successfully established the Pusan
Perimeter, which followed the Naktong River and protected the critical southern port of
Pusan.
This perimeter enabled the US and South Korea to thwart North Korea's attempts to unify
Korea under one pro-Soviet Union government.
As reinforcements and supplies poured through the port, the world looked on in astonishment,
wondering if the formidable American forces that had vanquished the Germans and Japanese
just a few years prior were now at risk of being pushed into the sea.
The General
From the moment he assumed command, MacArthur thought about landing behind enemy lines.
On August 12, he ordered his staff to prepare for an amphibious landing at Inchon, a port
city in northwestern South Korea bordering Seoul.
While planning and preparation for such a significant amphibious operation usually took
about six months, MacArthur only had one, with September 15 as the target date—the
earliest the tides would permit.
However, in Washington, the Joint Chiefs of Staff were initially reluctant.
They feared that the limited resources they had, combined with the restricted time frame,would
make it difficult to establish an effective plan.
Some even doubted that Inchon was the right place for a landing, as the tidal variations
at the beachline only allowed for a six-hour window suitable for an operation of this scope.
As United States Navy Commander Arlie G. Capps noted: [QUOTE] "We drew up a list of every
natural and geographic handicap, and Inchon had ‘em all."
The only viable approach to this vital port was through a narrow and tortuous channel
blocked by Wolmi Island, a key harbor defense site, as the port facilities of Inchon were
inadequate for such a major operation.
However, MacArthur persisted, fully aware that the entire Korean People's Army, North
Korea’s military force, was already committed to the assaults in Pusan, leaving Inchon poorly
defended.
The port outlet was where North Korean lines of communications were at their most vulnerable.
MacArthur paid particular attention to Inchon, as Seoul, South Korea's capital, held significant
psychological importance in potentially turning the tide of the war.
The military leader was confident there would be no danger to the precarious Pusan Perimeter
if he had a marine division to spearhead the assault.
Chromite
Finally, the Joint Chiefs of Staff put all their hopes into MacArthur's plan and greenlit
the Inchon Landing, codenamed Operation Chromite.
For the core of his landing force, MacArthur selected the 1st Marine Division, a skeleton
force brought up to strength by activating marine reserves and stripping another division
of men and equipment, and the 7th Infantry Division, strengthened by Korean fillers and
American soldiers shipped from the mainland.
As planning progressed, the force also incorporated two additional South Korean marine battalions,
an elite Republic of Korea Army infantry regiment, and an assortment of support troops from the
Army and Marine Corps.
This massive force of men willing to take over Seoul through Inchon was designated the
X Corps and placed under the command of Major General Edward Almond, who served as MacArthur's
chief of staff.
The landing force then became a part of Joint Task Force 7, directed by Vice Admiral Arthur
D. Struble, the Navy's Seventh Fleet commander.
Surprise Attack
A week before the main attack, a team of guerrillas was deployed in Inchon.
The group, codenamed Trudy Jackson, collaborated with locals to relay intelligence back to
the United States forces regarding tides, mudflats, seawalls, and enemy fortifications.
When the North Koreans learned about the allied agents in the peninsula, they sent an attack
vessel.
However, she was swiftly sunk by the Americans.
Additional drills and tests were then conducted on coasts with similar conditions to perfect
the timing and performance of the landing craft.
Finally, on September 13, 1950, Joint Task Force 7 initiated their offensive against
Inchon, battering North Korean fortifications, coastal artillery batteries, and supply points
for two straight days with destroyers, cruisers, and carrier-based aircraft squadrons.
Two days later, the lead elements of the US X Corps hit Green Beach, located on the northern
side of Wolmi-Do Island.
This landing force consisted of the 3rd Battalion 5th Marines and nine M26 Pershing tanks from
the 1st Tank Battalion, some equipped with flamethrowers or bulldozer blades.
The North Korean People's Army had wrongly assumed that the main invasion would happen
at Kunsan, and war planners only diverted a small force towards Inchon.
Soon after the landing, UN troops recovered documents written by North Korean Leader,
Kim Il Sung, in which he stated: [QUOTE] "The original plan was to end the war in a month,
we could not stamp out four American divisions…
We were taken by surprise when United Nations troops and the American Air Force and Navy
moved in."
By noon, the entire island was captured.
According to General MacArthur's personal memoirs, the Navy and Marines never shone
more brightly than at Inchon.
Realizing their major blunder, the North Koreans then sent six columns of T-34 tanks toward
the beachhead, half of which were destroyed by F4U Corsair squadrons.
A further counterattack by M26 Pershing tanks destroyed what was left of the North Korean
armored division in the area, clearing the way for the capture of Inchon.
Things were looking up for the UN and American forces.
Advancing Inland
On September 19, the United States Army Corps of Engineers repaired a local railroad extending
up to eight miles inland.
That same day, the crucial Kimpo airstrip was captured.
Transport aircraft began delivering gasoline and ordinance for all the vehicles stationed
at Inchon, while the Marines continued unloading supplies and reinforcements.
United States Army troops then advanced from the beachhead and rendezvoused with their
comrades advancing north from the Pusan perimeter.
On September 22, the Marines entered Seoul, only to find it heavily fortified.
By then, the UN forces had unloaded 6,629 vehicles and 53,882 troops, along with an
outstanding 25,512 tons of supplies.
In contrast to the swift victory at Inchon, the advance onto Seoul was slow and fraught
with severe losses.
Moreover, the NKPA attempted to stall the United Nations offensive to allow time to
reinforce the capital by withdrawing troops from the south.
Despite warning that seizing Seoul would enable the remaining North Korean forces in the south
to escape, General MacArthur felt compelled to honor his promise to the South Korean authorities
to retake the capital on September 25, exactly three months after the beginning of the war.
Eager to pronounce the conquest of Seoul, on September 25, General Almond declared the
city liberated, even though Marines were still engaged in house-to-house combat.
Free Seoul
The following day, Seoul fell to the Marines.
The North Korean People's Army, completely shattered, had ceased to exist as a cohesive
force.
While many of its survivors escaped northward through the wild country in the central and
eastern parts of the peninsula, more than 125,000 prisoners were taken into the custody
of the United Nations Command.
The execution of a daring amphibious landing at Inchon reversed the war's course entirely.
Most military scholars today consider the Battle of Inchon as one of the most decisive
military operations in modern warfare, while commentators have described the operation
as MacArthur's greatest success and a bright example of military genius.
The astonishment created by the unexpected appearance of the brave and daring X Corps
at Inchon added even more luster to MacArthur's already brilliant career.