The Korean War: The Proxy War That Nearly Sparked World War III
2023 ж. 28 Там.
292 737 Рет қаралды
Discover the gripping history of the Korean War's outbreak in 1950. Witness the strategic maneuvers, intervention, and near-nuclear escalation that defined this conflict. Uncover the untold story now!
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In the Korean War Museum in Seoul there is a message on the wall that marks the entrance to the UN intervention force section of the facility. It reads "Our nation honors her sons and daughters who answered the call to defend a country they never knew and a people they never met." That message was incredibly moving to me the first time I saw it and it's still one the most impactful messages I think I've ever seen in a museum like that. What makes it stand out for me is that they used the term "her sons and daughters" as opposed to "the sons and daughters of other nations" or something similar. It shows that any non-Korean that came to defend South Korea from the DPRK is regarded as a son or daughter of that nation.
My grandfather, an American, traded letters with a Korean comrade he fought with in the war for about 20 years.
Same message is at the Korean War Memorial in DC with a second message ways, "Freedom is Not Free". I know that is true because if the US didn't go into Korea in the 50s, I would not be here typing this right now.
I have been to that museum. It is a beautiful, solemn memorial to “The Forgotten War”. The heights to which the RoK has climbed makes the painful war one of the most worthwhile conflicts the US and so many other nations engaged in. The freedom of millions was bought by the mingled, shed blood of many many thousands. May South Korea remain forever free.
My family is Korean on both sides and lived through the war. They are certainly grateful to those foreign soldiers who aided the country in its time of need.
@@RAS_Squintssame. Son of two Korean immigrants who both came to America in the 1970s.
Probably one of the most significant wars that almost nobody talks about
plus china vs usa is kinda in fashion right now , so i always taught it was weird no big movie was ever done on it ...
@@jessicalacasse6205no way there would be a movie about Korea. Most big films either have some Chinese money behind it like midway, or they have to be screened to do welll in China since they’re the second biggest market.
@@seanosborn3272Second? They are THE biggest market by far. China has 5 times the population of the US, and the fastest growing middle class in the world. You'd have to cater to the entire Western world to match the number of potential customers/buyers you can get by simply catering to China.
@@seanosborn3272 even before it was this conflict always was a bit taboo
People definitely talk about it.
Having been to S. Korea many times the people there are very much eternally grateful to the UN coalition forces but even also the Americans especially who defended the nation in its hour of need There's both a very somber feeling combined with a sense of pride if you ever go to visit the Korean war museum in Seoul which I highly recommend that you do
My grandfather was a combat medic during Korea. Stationed in Chorwon in the North. He was able to return to Seoul in 2003, during 50th Anniversary. I think it gave him closure. The last time he saw Seoul it was mud, blood, and fire. 50 years later, it's a mega city. I think he always felt it was worthless to have fought until he returned and saw the impact his service had on ROK. But the thing that really touched him was seeing school girls on their way to school, happy, pristine uniforms, well fed, content. That is what made him realize his service, the pain, the death, was worth it. It is funny how it impacts generations. His son became a military historian and his daughter ended up living in Seoul for several years. I myself taught ESL in Seoul while in college. I keep his uniform preserved and his cap on display, as well as his Anniversary hat. It has the American and ROK flag on it and reads: "50th Anniversary - We Remember". Haunting. Thank you for this video Simon...it means a lot. It means a lot to people like me. So thank you.
God bless America
Sometimes wars need to be fought , this was one of them . All the modern wars are a scandal
Why did DPRK let him go? A prisoner exchange?
@@gorilladisco9108he wasn't a prisoner, he was an American soldier stationed in an American base in what is now North Korea. I was confused at first too cause the comment at first makes it seem like he was a Korean soldier, but reread it and it makes more sense. Especially the ESL teaching and all that. He probably only returned to Seoul after 50 years because of personal reasons, not like he was restricted (which if he was a NK prisoner he'd obviously be)
@@surfingbrrrd Aha. You are right. 😯Thank you. 🤓
My Grandfather went to Korea as a Major in the New Zealand army. He raised me and never talked about it. Not until his deathbed and his mind started to fail that is... I do remember asking him as a silly kid why he went to war? He said 'Because it was the right thing to do'
@@lik-zf5xx Wait you idolise a child fucker? That's weird.......
God bless freedom
My Grandfather fought in this "conflict". Heard many stories about how the Chinese had more people than guns.😮
It’s wild how despite the two side went back and forth, capturing both capitals and nearly destroyed each other Only to be back to square one
They didnt come back to square one. The South Koreans succesfully held of their commie invaders.
My Grandpa was a Naval AA Gunner on the USS Wisconsin when he got word of the war and he immediately sacrificed rank and joined the Marines to go fight in it, a poor boy from West Virginia, he was just looking for money to send home and the Marines got paid more than AA Gunners on a ship. Was there most of the war, stood on the Yalu River, and somehow came out alive. He never talked about it much, though I understand why. I miss that man very much.
Bless your grandfather. Imagine - one of the few people ever to stand on the banks of the Yalu in wartime
When the Korean war broke out. My patriotic grandfather who was a liutenant, was estatic. He originally expected to be leading troops in Korea. However, the military decided to station him to Okinawa instead letting him lead troops in Korea for the whole duration of the war. My grandpa was naturally disappointed until sometime after the war he met veterans who were scarred from the war. He came to the realization that he was lucky from being sparred combat experience but he was always appreciative for his fellow soldiers who fought in his place. He always credited them for saving his life from either possible death or PTSD.
The Korean War is a war that I've always been fascinated by. My Grandfather was a part of the British Royal Marines 41 (Independent) Commando unit that participated in amphibious raids across the North Korean coastline, taking out railroad tracks, damaging vital North Korean supply lines. His unit then participated in the Battle of Chosin Reservoir. For which, we have his US Presidential Citation proudly on display in my Grandmother's home. My Grandfather sadly passed away when I was 6 years old. And the memories of the Korean War, he took to his grave. He never once spoke of the war to anyone, not even to my Grandmother. But I have done my research on the war and I've read a book that was written by a fellow Royal Marine who served alongside him, and I am immensely proud of him. I have also been to Korea, and I've visited the DMZ, the War Memorial Museum in Seoul and also the UN Memorial Cemetery in Busan, and those visits have always made me think of my Grandfather and those who fought alongside him, but weren't able to return home.
Your Grandfather was a badass, no doubt about it. And the battle of the Chosin Reservoir... well, it's no wonder he never spoke of it.
I bet your grandfather would cry if he saw what happen to your “country”
A colleague of mine, his grandfather was also at Chosin Reservoir - USMC. Apparently he never spoke of it much either, but was awarded the Navy Cross.
My grandpa and great uncle fought in Korea and the photographs my grandpa took (army engineer) were beautiful and haunting. Korea is a truely beautiful country and it would have been a shame to be irradiated. Americans need to do better about remembering our history and the sacrifices it’s brave sons and daughters made and continue to make.
@@lik-zf5xx: Have you thought about reading “The Book of Mormon” by Joseph Smith (1830). You might like it.
I think you are confusing Japan with korea
@@lik-zf5xxwrong page buddy
The reason Korea isn't well known was because it was fighting for future freedom. If you dig into it it's not a feel good story. We bombed a lot of civilians for a state that was pretty much autocratic at the time. But it is an incredible story. We haven't had a war quite like that since. At least not America.
@@lik-zf5xx Jesus is the the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through him. John 14:6
It’s sad that the Korean War doesn’t get as much attention as it deserves, just getting overshadowed by Vietnam
Agreed also the north Korean army doesn't get as much credit as they deserve as the early offensive nearly won the war
The whole point of the first Rambo novel (First Blood) was that the sheriff and patrol goons that mock Rambo and make him go into guerrilla mode (like the infamous shower scene) were Korean War veterans whom were pissed Nam soilders eclipsed them in relevancy and public memory. To this day the Korean War is practically forgotten.
Interestingly the S. Koreans were eager to join the Americans for their service in defending their nation in the Vietnam campaign and they were some of the fiercest units the Viet Cong and NVA encountered earning them quite the battle hardened reputation
Because Vietnam was the first tv war and young people were starting to say no to being sent by old men to fight wars, especially wars to defend governments that were corrupt and unpopular in their own countries as in South Vietnam.
@@TheshropshireratterNo it’s because they are the bad guys so no one cares.
2:20 - Chapter 1 - Forging a new korea 6:25 - Chapter 2 - Heavy losses 11:30 - Chapter 3 - China enters the war 16:10 - Chapter 4 - Negotations & the ongoing conflict 18:15 - Chapter 5 - What could have been
Didnt a 51 year old muhammed have sex with a 9year old girl call ayesha. Prophet my ass.
We don't need STUPID TIMESTAMPS
I was blessed with the opportunity to study Korean at Yonsei University in Seoul for 2 months this past summer! The Korean War Memorial is fascinating, I visited it three times! I highly recommend it to anyone visiting Seoul!
My grandmother was born March 19, 1945; a few months before Korean independence from Japan. Her family was living in North Korea when the KPA invaded the South on June 25, 1950. They fled during the war and eventually wound up in Seoul. My grandmother has many stories about growing up there and the fear that the war could restart at any time.
My dad was born December 19, 1947. He has never talked about what he experienced.
@@vic5015he was too young
I had three great-uncles that fought in the Korean War.Two in the Army and one in the Marine Corps.
@@lik-zf5xx 🤣🤣 Bruh...what are you smoking?
My grandfather isn't from the US but he did serve in the Korean War as an artillery mechanic. Grandma even has pics and documents. He passed away some time ago so sadly I can't get many personal stories of his. The two met shortly after the war
My dads dad was some of the pilots that regularly dropped napalm on the north Koreans and Chinese. Before he passed in 2019, he said he'll never forget what he did and he has no remorse for it. My dads dad was a pretty ruthless person. Especially once he became an ultra successful buisnessman in his later years. But in his later later years he chilled out. He loved his grand kids, and loved seeing family. Unfortunately in 2019, he took his own life. No one knows why, but I sometimes wonder if behind his persona of steel, I wonder if deep down he hid his PTSD from the war, and his regret for what he did. He never was one to ask for help or show weakness. Only strength at all times. He had a lot of trauma outside of the war. So there's a lot of chances for him to be shattered inside. Remember, folks, if you're struggling, seek help. Don't hold it all in to where it collapses on top of you. It's okay to cry. It's okay to show weakness. I wonder if my grandpa would still be alive if he had sought help.
I heard that killed a lot of innocent people North Koreans had to live in caves to escape the bombing
Are you adopted? "My dad's dad"
Don’t speak for dad
@@DauthEldrvariabe quiet you ghoul
@@leanhovenmaybe a step dad he considers his "real dad" or his real dads step dad or adopted father. Or maybe just a weird way of him trying to say "my grandfather on my dads side" lmao😂
One of my grandfathers fought in Korea. After the war, he worked at Aberdeen Proving Grounds in Maryland, perfecting non nuclear weapons. He hoped that by making those weapons, nuclear ones would never be used. My other grandfather was in the Navy during the end of World War II. He was also at Bikini Atol during nuclear testing there. After he left the Navy, he was a staunch proponent against nuclear war.
There is a book series where the korean war lead to not only a nuclear exchange between the us and soviets, but a full world war 3. It is called the hot war by harry turttledove.
I'd love a video breaking down Chinese involvement in the war, Specifically the Battle of the Chosin Reservoir
The firebombing of Tokyo resulted in far more casualties then either one of the atomic bombings
I like puppies and Warographics!
My grandfather's unit in the war adopted a dog named "Spare parts." They had to make sure the poor farmers weren't going to eat him.
Yeah, ok. I can get behind this.
@@badluck5647yt comment section always delivers lol
I've been waiting for this channel to cover this topic
My grandfather fought in Korea. Did NOT like talking about it. He died in 2000
Excellent work as always.
I just rewatched your Biographics video on Truman, now you guys release this!!? Awesome timing
I love learning about this!
It's worth noting that a nuclear war in the 50s wouldn't have been the global catastrophe we imagine with nuclear war. Push into the 70s and beyond and you have that. The 50s mostly saw relatively low yield, aircraft-borne bombs Now, very notably, it would have been incredibly destructive, many times more destructive than ww2, but nowhere near the apocalyptic levels of modern nuclear war. It would be like the difference in destruction of ww1 vs ww2.
Exactly, excluding the somewhat high levels of radiation, the destruction wouldn't have been that different in scale. North Korea was carpet bombed back to the middle ages and never recovered from that....
My grandpa was with the 1st Marine Division in Korea. Was a mortar team leader there from 52-53.
He guys..what about a vid about Monte Casino? Thanks for your amazing content! Take care
One of my grandfathers fought in Korea...he refused to talk about it. From what little I could gather, he became furious with conditions there (for the US side, for the Koreans, I'm not sure which) and even in the 1980s was still extremely angry about the entire war and anything to do with it.
My father was a Marine with the 3/11 mobile artillery all during 1951. Semper Fi.
This was the war my father and uncles served in. It needs more light shine upon it.
Love this channel Simon! Thanks For all your hard work🎉🎉🎉🎉❤❤❤❤
My grandfather fought in this conflict. He never talked about it
@@lik-zf5xx What a load of bullshit.
I feel that this needs to be shared simply because it was a forgotten conflict in the West. By sharing this it makes it immortal as it is forever somewhere online. My grandfather was in Korea and one day driving a Jeep to a field hospital. Doing his rounds. DPRK soldiers were on a mountain nearby where UN forces had simply blocked paths off the mountain, as fighting an uphill battle is bad. The DPRK soldiers fired on him with a mortar but missed, and he swerved left. They fired again and he swerved right, almost got him. He realized they were sighting him in, so he floored it, and the last mortar hit a bit behind the Jeep. Thankfully he was OK. Must have gotten the adrenaline pumping.
Truly excellent!
I LOVED the part about the development of nuclear ideology in the aftermath of ww2 during this conflict. Absolutely amazing and eye opening content.
I requested this conflict ages ago, thank you so much for covering it! It was way more complex than I had realised!
A few days ago I was going through your channels using the channel tab. I noticed Warographics wasn't listed as part of it on your other channels but the rest appear under the channel tab on here. Thought you may wanna know if you hadn't noticed
Thanks Simon for another bipartisan view on a historical event!!
Edit: And your writing staff!!!
My great Uncle fought in WW@2 and the Korean war (I had no idea until I saw his grave marker that had it on it).
That's very typical of that generation my father was in World War II and Korea Frontline Soldier. Several times in my life I heard Vietnam veterans bragging to him about what they did in Vietnam he sat there and never said a word about his experiences. Afterwards he told me when you hear someone bragging about what they've done in a war they were not really there a bunch of wannabes. Most people never even knew he was in the Army until he died
Just a small nitpick, but any conflict that included nuclear warfare technically counts as a nuclear war and thus WWII was the first nuclear war. In the future WWIII will probably be referred to as the 2nd nuclear war
Nah, since only one side used nukes in WW2 therefore nobody has ever called it a nuclear war. When both sides use them, then it becomes one
Epic ending of this series!! Can’t wait for more…!
My grandfather's unit in the war adopted a dog named "Spare parts." They had to make sure the poor farmers weren't going to eat him.
@@lik-zf5xxNo.
Love your videos man all your channels
Thanks for defending my favorite general with the explanation to his strategy
Imagine in an alternate timeline, 5 years after the end of world War 2, world War 3 begins..
It was a war that Russia would have lost. They had at most 2-3 warheads and no missile delivery systems for them. The US had far more nukes and could have leveled Russia and China with ease, in spite of the communist edge in army manpower. Had the US done so, it would be a different world today, that's for sure. No Cold War, no Vietnam War, with the US solidly under control.
At the time of the 1956 Suez crisis, Russia's nuclear arsenal was still pretty pathetic.
I have to say, Factboi´s watch collection is crazy :P must be doing amazing with all his channels
Australia was in command of Britain, Canada, New Zealand and India in the Korean War. It’s forces first saw combat on 2nd July 1953, three days before US troops and five days before MacArthur was given command.
Thank you for this concise summary of a conflict us Brits aren't really taught about much
The topic of the Korean war actually fascinates me more than the conflict that proceeded it. That conflict being the Vietnam war of course.
0:00: 💥 On June 25th, 1950, the Korean People's Army invaded South Korea, leading to a devastating conflict and the involvement of major world powers. 3:40: ⚔ The Korean War began with the invasion of South Korea by the North Korean army, which quickly overran the South and pushed them towards the ocean. 7:51: ✊ The U.S and the U.N were shocked by the quick and efficient control of the battlefield by the kPa, but believed their success was due to favorable variables and vulnerability of South Korea. 10:49: ✨ MacArthur's successful landing in Incheon and subsequent push inland was a major turning point in the war, improving morale and leading to the recapture of Seoul. 14:40: 🔥 MacArthur's request to use nuclear weapons in the Korean War was denied, preventing a potential catastrophic conflict. 17:57: ! The Korean war is still technically ongoing as both sides continue to ready themselves for future fighting after signing the Armistice. Recap by Tammy AI
The Forgotten War is no longer forgotten.
To Simon, Thanks for your VOD. But there are a few things that I need to address to this clip on behalf of the 15th Rok president in the Blue house. Some youtubers may dispute " the Blue House " factor when I reply because the acting president of south korea relocated to Yongsan office. However, I believe the Blue House is where the acting one was supposed to stay in because their government organization act has not passed since May 2022. When we are talking about south korea in general, we are not talking about the Republic of korea because DMZ actually divides two of its autonomous provinces called "Gyeonggi and Gangwon province" along the 155miles long fence. Which means some small fraction of those provinces are under north korean territory currently. I mean on the northern side of DMZ line. Therefore, south korea could mean north korea practically when we include those two areas in the north side. If we say north korea, for it is relative concept depending on where to count on, DPRK could only mean those two small parts belong to south korea while the rest may fall onto ccp or kremlin. So this is little bit complicate situation. I do not mean to say "refrain from using north korea or south korea." I just want to make sure what the DMZ reality is in the area. Secondly, Martial Duglas Macather may had requested to use that bomb on chinese territory which was once belonged to russia. Of course those nameless and rankless ccp gurrilars deserve to face such critical measures during that crises in the north east asia. Whose war.crime conducts will be concluded as DMZ situation either be resolved or escalates a bit. I think we are missing that point on this vod. Sino comedians along with north korean leader committed the worst crime of agression by weapons from russia. May they claim such was an attempt to unify the penisula which was publicized by a north korean spy professor in 2005. They called it was korean internal business for unification in 1950. If that was done by such base maybe the next round be another internal business for reunification too on behalf of the 15th Rok President in the Blue house. I don't know. They were using russian weapons and sino comedians for korean internal matter... How ridiculing situation is indeed. Anyway thank you again for your good work.😊
Overshadowed by WW2 and then Vietnam. This was the most dangerous conflict in history.
I probably would had agreed with McArthur at the time. So I'm glad your writer pointed out we have the gift of hindsight.
Yeah because things have turned out so well without using them...
@wolfsmoke6053 Pretty sure we came out OK in the 1776 dispute.
Fun fact. This was before icbms you still had to use bomber also the us and the upper hand as they had in 1950 450 nukes where the Soviets only had 20.
Interesting fact about the 3 Gorges Dam: this structure slowed down the rotation of Earth by itself
Although morally dubious, I believe General Douglas MacArthur’s logic was correct. The USSR would not have wanted to go to direct war with United States even if nuclear weapons were used a second time. The Soviets were not suicidal. Stalin knew that both the United States and the USSR would destroy themselves if they fought each other. One massive variable remains, what would China have done? The prospect of nuclear weapons wiping out his military is not something Mao would have wanted. Russia seized upper Manchuria from China in 1900. If Mao’s military were crippled he would not be able adequately maintain territorial sovereignty if Russia were to pursue taking more territory at an opportune time. I’m not saying I want or wish history went this way, but this is my opinion on what MacArthur wanted to do.
Another factor is Russia only had 3-4 nukes total until '52-53. So they couldn't have really fought much of a nuclear war
Bruce Willis would love playing as Douglas MCcarthur, they are Doppelgangers after all!
That’s actually a great casting choice for MacArthur! It’s a shame with Willis’s medical problems we won’t get to see it.
@@bowenc24 A nuke explodes in the distance ... Douglas Macarthur : Yippe Kay-eh motherfucker! 😂😂 (Die Hard 2) I think
Thanks for getting rid of that obnoxious pink light.
Truman is an underrated President
My grandfather always hated being a veteran of a war that nobody remembers.
I'm sure many older Koreans would've been happy to buy him a drink.
The people of South Korea remember to this day & happily thank anyone who fought for their country
Unless Germany is the antagonist I am not calling any war ww3
just a request we need more info on the korean war we all know about ww1 and 2 veitnam and other wars but little is known about the korean war
My sub visited South Korea in the 80's. I was by the venom the South Koreans have for the North. We also got to scramble the sub, (we left several people on shore when they did not get back in time) when the North Koreans had several missile boats across the 38th. We came back the next day and picked up our crewmembers and cut our shore stay short as then we headed north. We all had a lovely time in Korea and believed we made some friends there. The South Koreans are a wonderful people.
Settings -> playback speed -> 0.75X.
We need a Korean War video game that's along the lines of Battlefield 1 with WW1. That game, even with creative liberties, educated a lot of people about that war. Too many people have a weird obsession with Vietnam and the KW is always forgotten.
My family is Korean. I look at Vietnamese-American refugees and see what could've been.
My great uncle was in the British Army, fought in WW2 but was killed fighting in the Korean War, he is buried there.
I had an Uncle who was a Sergeant in the 1st Marines who fought in that War from the day we landed. He told me that it was Hell.
Really, /really/ glossed over chinese loses during that first push Simon's writer.
They suffered heavy casualties but they still pushed the UN forces all the way back to South Korea and recaptured Seoul.
@huntersmith761 Right, after the order was given not to escalate the war and they fell back. That's kinda the whole point of the video isn't it? But the losses on both sides should have numbers put to them of you want to convey the full story.
That is not my problem.... my problem is my sister left twin girls with me. I was feeding one and i took a break to read the comments a little, now I don't know which one has eaten😅😂
19:26 what is the context of this photo?
Google Reverse Image Search indicates this is "U.S. Marines escorting Yugoslav POWs in Kosovo over to Yugoslav authorities"
MacArthur operated from an old school 'weapons are meant to be used' mindset, but was unable to see the world had changed. Truman got it right even though it meant lives lost in battle in the short term.
My grandfather fought in Korea with the 1-87IN Rakasan
@lik-zf5xx thanks but no thanks
I dream of a warogrphics and armchair historian crossover event. Keep crushing it sir!
Wait like that MacArthur? I never knew that.
I think its important to mention that they were border skirmishes between North Korea and South Korea before the war
There is evidence that the South actually started the conflict and the North was reacting to that. This is, however, never mentioned by Western commentators, always painting the North as the aggressors
Another interesting food for thought is that Taiwan exists today seperate from mainland Chinese influence because the military resources that were being massed to begin a campaign against the taiwanese were relocated by Mao to the Korean peninsula to assist the N. Koreans
15:00 “The worst Radiation dissipates after Two Weeks !” ☢️ - General Buck Turgidson ‘Dr. Strangelove’ (1964)
Gentlemen stop arguing, this is the War Room. The War Room in Dr Strangelove actually resembles the FIFA boardroom. 😁
With a name like Simon Whistler you were born to make these videos
Nothing could have prepared me for seeing a picture of Douglas MacArthur without sunglasses.
The Inchon landing deserves a separate video.
I don't know how MacArthur walked around with balls that big 😅😅
"Nuke em" "No" "Aw cmoooooon" "You're FIRED"
This should be a longer video! Your video on the Spanish -American War runs for over 40 minutes. Fighting in that war only lasted ten weeks! The Korean War is one of the most significant wars of the 20th century. The first major war of the Cold War...
Macarthur's finger was dangerously close to the nuke button
It would have been difficult, though not impossible, for there to have been billions of casualties in that era. It seems inconceivable to us in the modern-day, but at the time there were only 2.5 billion people on the planet. To lose 2/5 or more of the world population to a single conflict would certainly be stark and unprecedented.
Also, nuclear bombs in that era were delivered by aircraft And thus, were limited in yield and could potentially be countered with interceptors. Whereas in the 60s and 70s, there was no defending against icbms or sub launched icbm's.
Truman remains the only US president, and only National executive, to order the use of nuclear weapons in combat. (So far). Glad he didn't make a habit of it.
So glad he didn't. Otherwise, we might not have developed the ones that came after. The ones that could destroy the entire planet. The ones that have been used as a THREAT by such great and loving countries like Russia, Iran, and North Korea recently.
The bit about Truman’s courage to back McArthur - a bonafide war hero - off nuclear war, to the degree of firing him, is often overlooked. Perhaps the most important moment in the second half of the century.
When the British prime minister Clement Attlee got wind of MacArthur pushing to gain the power to launch nuclear strikes against China, Attlee flew to Washington with his generals to dissuade Truman of the danger of such an act. Attlee believed the Soviets would use nuclear strikes against China as the excuse to launch attacks in Europe. That might include nuclear strikes too as the Soviets were known to have atomic bombs before the Korean War started. Attlee's secretary recalled that Truman promised Attlee the power to launch nuclear strikes remained with Truman alone. Truman would take it as a matter of honor to consult with his ally first.
Pretty new to the channel. I'm (allegedly) surprised how much info you can get out in such a short amount of time. Tangents while talking about serial ki11ers keep it in a good mood though 👌 Man of many talents
Russia had, we now know, a total of 3, THREE, atomic bombs in 1952. Any atomic war would have been incredibly one-sided and still needlessly horrific.
So basically Fallout is the timeline where McArthur got his way
This video is rife with all the well trodden tropes of American and Western misunderstanding of the conflict within Korea. The Korean War was less a war of communist aggression and more a civil war between two nationalist factions seeking to rule Korea under their own auspices. 1. When Korea was liberated, it was then occupied. The American Military Government oversaw Korean affairs after Dean Acheson arbitrarily chose the 38th parallel and not a single Korean was even consulted about this act. When establishing a governing authority over southern Korea, the AMG employed Japanese collaborators and the ROk Army leaderships was full of former Japanese Imperial Army veterans and former members of the Kwantung Army who fought the Chinese and even Kim Il-Sung in Manchukwo. This decision to reinstate Korean collaborators to run ROK led to a tyrannical and authoritarian governing body that was fervently anti-communist and would label anyone or anything as not wholly loyal to ROK as communist. 2. ROK Army forces had skirmished with DPRK long before 1950 and in 1948 to 49 ROK Army forces had attacked north of the 38th parallel particularly around the city of Kaesong. 3. General John Hodge oversaw the occupation of Korea from 1945-1948 and during that time he oversaw the reformation of the ROK Army and something that was a distinct and clear choice by Hodge and AMG was the NOT provide Syngman Rhee with weapons like tanks and artillery because they were pretty certain that if Rhee had an army equipped with American tanks and artillery that he would would have invaded north. 4. ROK was a military junta and put down multiple popular uprisings in Cholla and Che-ju Island. The KNP response to Che-ju in 1949 led to the deaths of 20,000 Korean civilians officially, but the unofficial count was 60,000 dead and nearly 50,000 fled to Japan. 5. Nuclear weapons were not only discussed but components of nuclear weapons were shipped to Guam where Air Force B-29s were prepared to employ them if called for. The break between MAcArthur and Truman broke down around the notion that MacArthur believed he had the authority to decide whether or not to use nuclear weapons where Truman did not want this final decision left up to him hence the decision to fire America's Caesar and replace him with MAtt Ridgeway who was in line with Truman's nuclear weapon policy. 6. The Inchon Landings were not a surprise to DPRK. the In-man-gun, People's Army, was aware that Inchon was going to be invaded and withdrew the majority of their forces from Inchon because they knew they couldn't hold it and left a token force of about 2000 soldiers. 7. We need to acknowledge that Syngman Rhee was every bit the villain that Kim Il-Sung was. He was not just a fervent anti-communist, he was also fascist in how he ran Korea and leading up to the war most of his government was flagging and he was overthrown by a coup led by General Park Jung-hi who was later assasanated himself in another coup. Rhee was living and lobbying in America long before 1945 but was popular with DC because he was openly anti-communist and seemingly devoted the American interests in the Pacific. The Korean War didn't start in 1950 and it can be best viewed as a war of different phases. Prior to 1950 the conflict was between the wealthy landowning aristocracy who aligned with Japanese colonial authorities and the peasant and working class. When the war kicks off in earnest, it can be ebst described as America defeating the DPRK in battle. Then during 1950-1951 the war can be best described as a failed invasion of the DPRK while the war in 1952-53 the war is largely a struggle to restore the 38th parallel as the demarcation between DPRK and ROK. We want to view it as a simple battel of good vs evil and in many ways it was, but who we viewed as good and who we viewed as evil are designed to fit within the Red Scare narrative that was dominating the 50s and 60s. In that sense the Korean War is much more akin to the Vietnam War than it was WW2.
Westerns always forget that South Korea suffered from "communist style" civilian massacres before the Korean War.
this is a typical CCP narrative.
Well said
Question: At least in terms of Immediate Casualties vs. Future Casualties, say use of nuclear weapons has brought a swift end to the war and secured the peninsula for the south. How many lives on both sides would have been saved in the war AND how many lives would have been saved from 73 years of north korean dictatorship. Also imagine a world where the Korean war set a president where by the Vietnam war never happened.
Your balance sheet assumes a lot. Factor in a fully involved Chinese and Russian armies, and a war that they have no incentive to stop at any point before they can safely prevent America from using more weapons or they're wiped out. Once nukes are on the table, each escalation requires a response and there were no clear off-ramps. As horrible as the North Korea dictatorship has been, an existing nation is still better than a depopulated wasteland. A world where Vietnam was never a thing would be great, if the trade-off wasn't a war where the US ended up razing China and Russia to protect itself from counter-invasion. Long story short, an America that lets the nukes fly isn't the good guys when you play out your scenario realistically.
Or 50 years of south Korean dictatorship😂😂
The Korean War is still technically ongoing. The armistice signed at Panmunjon in 1953 was just that, an armistice, there has never been any official peace treaty signed.
My grandpa fought in Korea
Now we must ask ourselves what will it take to officially end the Korean War once and for all.
As much as I hate to say it: unless someone manages to find a way to eliminate the Kims and all of their goons, probably another war. They'll never voluntarily give up control.