MacArthur's Invasion of Incheon
The slaughter that the UN forces were experiencing in the Pusan Perimeter came to an end as Douglas MacArthur, the supreme commander of the United Nations, and a commander in the southeast Pacific during WWII, planned a controversial counter invasion. MacArthur proposed to the UN commanders stationed in Tokyo, Japan, that an invasion of the Inchon port, on the west coast of the peninsula 20 miles from Seoul, was the necessary invasion to turn the war in their favor. The other commanders argued that the Inchon port was too narrow, and that the tides were too rough. For these reasons, however, are exactly why MacArthur planned his attack at Inchon. Just as the US commanders did not approve of the attack, the North Koreans had not anticipated an invasion there.
MacArthur ultimately had his plan approved, and on September 15, 1950, the US lead forces landed at Inchon with ease. 11 days later on September 26th, UN forces regained control of Seoul. This also cut off supply lines to the North Korean army still occupying southern territory. With the North Koreans lacking support, those soldiers still at Pusan to pushed out to recapture the southern half of the peninsula. As the American and Korean forces pushed across the 38th Parallel, they gained control of the North Korean capital on October 19th. This ultimately sent the North into retreat up toward China. |