The Inchon Invasion

[thedrifter]

The Korean War
by Joseph Leach
MacArthur had a plan he said would end the war. He wanted an amphibious landing on the port city of Inchon. Inchon was about half way up the west coast of the peninsula and about 20 miles from the South Korean Capitol of Seoul. He said it would lift the pressures from the 8th Army at Pusan, as the North Koreans would pull back to meet the new challenge. Just about everyone, the Army, Navy, and Marines were opposed to the plan. There were many reasons why they felt it wouldn't work; the city was occupied by strong North Korean forces, it had a 32-foot tidal range that would give the invaders only three hours to get the men in before the landing area turned into a mudflat, there would be only three dates, September 15th and 17th,and October 11th when the tide would be high enough to float the landing crafts, there was a 15-foot high seawall that would have to be scaled, and last but not least, there was a fortified island, Wolmi Do in the channel. This island would have to be neutralized to ensure the safety of the landing boats. That meant any surprise would be lost for the main attack. MacArhur stuck to his guns and the argument went on for over a month while the 8th Army held on. Finally the Joint Chiefs gave the OK and the plans for the invasion of Inchon went forward.

MacArthur put Army General Edward Almond in charge of the invasion force which was designated X Corps. This meant splitting the command in Korea. He wasn't satisfied with the defeatist attitude he felt was prevalent in General Walkers Headquarters. He appreciated the defense Walker was putting up, but didn't feel he had the mind for innovative offensive action this landing called for. Almond and O.P. Smith, C.O. of the 1st marine Division (the Division that would be assaulting Inchon)didn't get along from the get-go but would still get the job done.

On the 10th of September a naval and air bombardment of Wolmi Do began. The navy also started to clear the area waters of mines. Shortly after 6:30 Am on the 15th of September a battalion of the 5th Marines landed on Wolmi Do and cleared it of all enemy presence in about an hour. They now had to hold on until late afternoon for the main attack to begin. A counter attack was expected(there was a causeway to the mainland)but none developed.



Marines use scaling ladders to breach the sea wall at Inchon

At 5:30 PM the men of the 1st and 5th marines hit the shore and blasted their way through and over the seawall. Any defenders were taken care of in short order. The North Korean were about to find out that Americans still knew how to fight. By darkness the Marines were well ensconced in the city after beating down any opposition. Again no counter attack developed that night. In the morning the two regiments left an ROK Marine Regiment to further secure the city and headed eastward for Seoul. A North Korean armored column was met on the road and defeated. By nightfall of the 17th,Kimpo Airfield was in American hands. The 1st Marines met the North Korean 18th Division and drove it back. By the 19th the Marines were at the outskirts of Seoul. By now the Army's 7th Division and the 7th Marine Regiment had landed at Inchon and were also making their way eastward.

A fierce battle for Yong Dong Po (a suburb of Seoul)ensued and the Marines were again victorious. On the 20th the 5th Marines under Chesty Puller, crossed the Han River and the battle for Seoul was on. The 1st marines entered next and a bitter house-to-house, street-by-street battle was fought. There was some bitterness among the Marines that they were being pushed to the limit by Almond just so he could meet the deadline Mac Arthur set for the liberation of Seoul. In fact Headquarters back in Tokyo announced the liberation of the city while vicious fighting was still being waged. The Capitol building was reached on the 27th and the American flag was hoisted over it. It was soon ordered to be lowered and the U.N. flag replaced it,an act that didn't sit well with the Americans that did the fighting. By the 28th of September Seoul, now almost completely devastated, was in American hands

While this battle was waging,8th Army started its breakout from Pusan. The North Koreans held on for a while and the fighting was desperate. They hadn't received word that an invading force was behind them yet. But clear weather left them vulnerable to air attacks, and this combined with the attacks of 8th Army started them falling back. When it was learned that there was a force behind them and they were cut off, the North Korean resolve fell apart. There was a general retreat, which turned into a rout. Soon they were surrendering by the hundreds. Those that didn't surrender were trying to get back across the 38th parallel. The only North Korean soldiers left in South Korea were now either dead or prisoners.

Now the question was whether to pursue them into North Korean and finish off the capability of the North Koreans to make further war, or stop at the border, since South Korea was again free. The first choice was picked(MacArthur's pick) and the chase was on. There were some people that feared this might bring the Russians or Chinese into the war, but they were ignored. On October 9th.elements of the 8th Army crossed the border and entered North Korea. A constant pressure on the retreating communist soon caused the North Korean Army to no longer exist. It was totally defeated. By the 19th of October the North Korean capitol of Pyong yang was captured and it's government fled. It seemed that the war was just about finished. That old wish of soldiers was brushed off and circulated, "home by Christmas." Not hardly!

Sempers,

Roger

[Dick Olson]

Not to be argumentitive. You wrote an excellent article. Just one flaw and it's kind of major.

Chesty led the 1st Marines, not the 5th.

The 5th was led by Lt. Col Ray Murray.

Though I wasn't there at the time of inchon, I went over with the Brigade, was wounded on the Naktong and recuperating in Japan at the time of Inchon.

The brigade was put together in a rush at the request of McArthur. Chesty would probably have killed for the chance to command it. But he was in Hawaii at the time. And Murray had the command.

He later became a Major General. It's rumored he was medically retired because he wouldn't keep his mouth shut about the Goddam Army's poop performance in Korea. If that is true, I feel he had every right to such an opinion

(that word poop above should have read poor, but on reflection I thought poop fit better.)