Korean War. Results and consequences

Statistics

Number of troops (persons):

Southern coalition (the so-called "UN troops"):

South Korea - 590 911

USA - 302,483 to 480,000

UK - 14,198

Philippines - 7000

Canada - 6146 to 26,791

Turkey - 5190

Netherlands - 3972

Australia - 2282

New Zealand - 1389

Thailand - 1294

Ethiopia - 1271

Greece - 1263

France - 1119

Columbia - 1068

Belgium - 900

Luxembourg - 44

Total: 933,845 to 1,100,000.

Northern Coalition (approximate data)

North Korea - 260,000

China - 780,000

USSR - up to 26,000, mostly pilots, anti-aircraft gunners and military advisers

Total: about 1,060,000

Losses (including killed and wounded):

Southern coalition

from 1,271,000 to 1,818,000

northern coalition

1,858,000 to 3,822,000 Chinese and North Koreans

315 citizens of the USSR who died from wounds and diseases (including 168 officers)

War in the air

The Korean War was the last armed conflict in which piston aircraft such as the F-51 Mustang, F4U Corsair, A-1 Skyrader, as well as the Supermarine Seafire, Fairy Firefly aircraft used from aircraft carriers, played a prominent role. "and Hawker "Sea Fury", owned by the Royal Navy and the Royal Australian Navy. They began to be replaced by the jet F-80 Shooting Star, F-84 Thunderjet, F9F Panther. Piston aircraft of the northern coalition included the Yak-9 and La-9.

In the autumn of 1950, the Soviet 64th Fighter Air Corps, armed with new MiG-15 aircraft, entered the war. Despite secrecy measures (the use of Chinese insignia and military uniforms), Western pilots knew about this, but the UN did not take any diplomatic steps so as not to aggravate already tense relations with the USSR. The MiG-15 was the most modern Soviet aircraft and surpassed the American F-80s and F-84s, not to mention the old piston machines. Even after the Americans sent the latest F-86 Saber aircraft to Korea, soviet cars continued to maintain an advantage over the Yalu River, since the MiG-15 had a larger practical ceiling, good acceleration characteristics, rate of climb and armament (3 guns against 6 machine guns), although the speed was almost the same. The UN troops were outnumbered and this soon allowed them to level the air for the remainder of the war - a determining factor in the successful initial push north and counter Chinese forces. Chinese troops were also equipped with jet aircraft, but the quality of their pilots' training left much to be desired.

Other factors that helped the southern coalition maintain parity in the air included a successful radar system (due to which the world's first radar warning systems began to be installed on MiGs), better stability and control at high speeds and altitudes, and the use of special suits by pilots. . A direct technical comparison of the MiG-15 and F-86 is inappropriate, due to the fact that the main targets of the former were B-29 heavy bombers (according to American data, 16 B-29s were lost from the actions of enemy fighters, according to Soviet data, 69 of these aircraft were shot down), and the goals of the latter are the MiG-15s themselves. The American side claimed that 792 MiGs and 108 other aircraft were shot down (although only 379 American air victories were documented), with the loss of only 78 F-86s. The Soviet side declared about 1106 air victories and 335 downed MiGs. China's official statistics show 231 aircraft shot down in air combat (mostly MiG-15s) and 168 other losses. Number of casualties air force North Korea remains unknown. According to some estimates, she lost about 200 aircraft in the first stage of the war and about 70 after joining the fighting China. Since each side cites its own statistics, it is difficult to judge the real state of affairs. The best aces of war are considered soviet pilot Evgeny Pepelyaev and American Joseph McConnell. Total losses in the war of South Korean aviation and UN forces (combat and non-combat) amounted to 3046 aircraft of all types.

Throughout the conflict, the US Army carried out massive carpet bombing, mostly incendiary bombing, throughout North Korea, including civilian settlements. Despite the fact that the conflict did not last long, significantly more napalm was dropped on the DPRK than, for example, on Vietnam during Vietnam War. Tens of thousands of gallons of napalm were dropped every day on North Korean cities.

In May and June 1953, the US Air Force pursued the goal of destroying several key irrigation works and hydroelectric dams in order to cause significant damage agriculture and industry in the north of the peninsula. The dams on the rivers Kusongan, Toksangan and Pudzhongan were destroyed and vast expanses of land were flooded, which caused severe starvation among the civilian population.

Consequences of the war

The Korean War was the first armed conflict in history. cold war and was the prototype of many subsequent conflicts. She created a model of local war, when two superpowers are fighting in a limited area without the use of nuclear weapons. The Korean War added fuel to the fire of the Cold War, which at that time was more associated with the confrontation between the USSR and some European countries.

Korea

By American estimates about 600,000 Korean soldiers died in the war. About a million people died on the South Korean side, 85% of whom were civilians. Soviet sources say about the death of 11.1% of the population of North Korea, which is about 1.1 million people. In total, including South and North Korea, about 2.5 million people died. More than 80% of the industrial and transport infrastructure both states, three-quarters of government agencies, about half of the total housing stock.

At the end of the war, the peninsula remained divided into zones of influence of the USSR and the USA. American troops remained in South Korea as a peacekeeping contingent, and the demilitarized zone is still riddled with mines and weapons caches.

USA

The US originally announced 54,246 deaths in the Korean War. In 1993, this number was divided by the National Defense Committee into 33,686 combat dead, 2,830 non-combat losses and 17,730 deaths in non-Korean theater incidents during the same period. There were also 8142 missing persons. US losses were less than during the Vietnam campaign, however, it should be taken into account that the Korean War lasted 3 years against the 8-year war in Vietnam. For servicemen who went through the Korean War, the Americans issued special medal"For the Defense of Korea".

The ensuing disregard for the memory of this war in favor of the Vietnam War, World War I and World War II led to the name of the Korean War. Forgotten war or unknown war. On July 27, 1995, the Korean War Veterans Memorial was opened in Washington DC.

As a result of the Korean War, the lack of preparedness of the American military machine to combat operations, and after the war the US military budget was increased to $50 billion, the size of the army and air force was doubled, and US military bases were opened in Europe, the Middle East and other parts of Asia.

A number of projects for the technical re-equipment of the US Army were also launched, during which the military received weapons such as M16 rifles, M79 40-mm grenade launchers, and F-4 Phantom aircraft at their disposal.

The war also changed America's view of the Third World, especially in Indochina. Until the 1950s, the United States was very critical of France's attempts to restore its influence there by suppressing local resistance, but after the Korean War, the United States began to help France in the fight against the Viet Minh and other national communist local parties, providing up to 80% of the French military budget in Vietnam .

The Korean War also marked the beginning of attempts at racial equalization in the US military, which included many black Americans. On July 26, 1948, President Truman signed an executive order making black soldiers serve in the army on the same terms as white soldiers. And, if at the beginning of the war there were still units only for blacks, by the end of the war they were abolished, and their personnel joined the general units. The last black-only special military unit was the 24th Infantry Regiment. It was disbanded on October 1, 1951.

The United States still maintains a large military contingent in South Korea in order to maintain the status quo on the peninsula.

People's Republic of China

According to official Chinese statistics, the Chinese army lost 390,000 men in the Korean War. Of these: 110.4 thousand killed in battle; 21.6 thousand died from wounds; 13,000 died of disease; 25.6 thousand captured or missing; and 260,000 wounded in battle. According to some sources, both Western and Eastern, from 500,000 to 1 million Chinese soldiers were killed in battle, died of disease, starvation, and accidents. Independent evaluations say that China lost almost a million people in this war. Mao Zedong's only healthy son, Mao Anying, also died in the fighting on the Korean peninsula.

After the war, Soviet-Chinese relations seriously deteriorated. Although China's decision to enter the war was largely dictated by its own strategic considerations (primarily the desire to maintain a buffer zone on the Korean Peninsula), many in the Chinese leadership suspected that the USSR deliberately used the Chinese as "cannon fodder" to achieve its own geopolitical goals. Dissatisfaction was also caused by the fact that military assistance, contrary to China's expectations, was not provided on a gratuitous basis. arose paradoxical situation: China had to use loans from the USSR, originally received for the development of the economy, in order to pay for the supply of Soviet weapons. The Korean War made a significant contribution to the growth of anti-Soviet sentiments in the leadership of the PRC, and became one of the prerequisites for the Soviet-Chinese conflict. However, the fact that China, relying solely on its own forces, essentially entered the war with the United States and inflicted serious defeats on American troops, spoke of the growing power of the state and was a harbinger of what would soon political sense China will have to be reckoned with.

Another consequence of the war was the failure of plans for the final unification of China under the rule of the CCP. In 1950, the country's leadership was actively preparing to occupy the island of Taiwan, last stronghold Kuomintang forces. The American administration at that time treated the Kuomintang without much sympathy and was not going to provide its troops with direct military assistance. However, due to the outbreak of the Korean War, the planned landing on Taiwan had to be cancelled. After the end of hostilities, the United States revised its strategy in the region and unequivocally declared its readiness to defend Taiwan in the event of an invasion by communist armies.

Republic of China

After the end of the war, 14 thousand prisoners of war from the Chinese army decided not to return to China, but to go to Taiwan (only 7.11 thousand Chinese prisoners returned to China). The first batch of these POWs arrived in Taiwan on January 23, 1954. In the official Kuomintang propaganda, they began to be called "anti-communist volunteers." January 23 in Taiwan has since become known as "World Freedom Day".

The Korean War had other long-term effects as well. By the start of the conflict in Korea, the US had effectively turned its back on Chiang Kai-shek's Kuomintang government, which by then had taken refuge on the island of Taiwan, and had no plans to intervene in the Chinese civil war. After the war, it became obvious to the United States that in order to counter communism globally, it was necessary to support anti-communist Taiwan in every possible way. It is believed that it was the dispatch of the American squadron to the Taiwan Strait that saved the Kuomintang government from an invasion by PRC forces and a possible defeat. Anti-communist sentiments in the West, sharply intensified as a result of the Korean War, played a significant role in the fact that until the early 1970s, the majority capitalist states did not recognize the Chinese state and supported diplomatic relations only with Taiwan.

Japan

Japan was politically influenced both by the defeat of South Korea in the first months of the war (this threatened its political security), and by the left movement that had begun in Japan itself in support of the northern coalition. In addition, after the arrival of the American army units on the Korean Peninsula, the security of Japan became doubly problematic. Under US supervision, Japan created an internal police force, which then developed into the Japan Self-Defense Force. The signing of the peace treaty with Japan (better known as the San Francisco Treaty) hastened Japan's integration into the international community.

AT economic terms Japan benefited greatly from the war. Throughout the conflict, Japan was the main rear base of the southern coalition. Deliveries to American troops were organized through special structures security that allowed the Japanese to trade effectively with the Pentagon. About 3.5 billion dollars was spent by the Americans on the purchase of Japanese goods throughout the war. The zaibatsu, which at the beginning of the war had aroused the distrust of the US military, began to actively trade with them - Mitsui, Mitsubishi and Sumitomo were among those zaibatsu that prospered from trade with the Americans. Industrial growth in Japan between March 1950 and March 1951 was 50%. By 1952, production had reached pre-war levels, doubling in three years. By becoming an independent country after the San Francisco treaty, Japan also got rid of some unnecessary expenses.

Europe

The outbreak of the Korean War convinced Western leaders that the communist regimes posed a serious threat to them. The US tried to convince them (including the FRG) of the need to strengthen their defenses. However, the armament of Germany was perceived ambiguously by the leaders of other European states. Later, rising tensions in Korea and China's entry into the war forced them to reconsider their position. To contain the emerging german army The French government proposed the creation of a European Defense Committee, a supranational organization under the auspices of NATO.

The end of the Korean War marked the decline of the communist threat and thus the need for such an organization. The French Parliament has postponed the ratification of the agreement on the establishment of the European Defense Committee for indefinite term. The reason for this was the fears of de Gaulle's party about the loss of France's sovereignty. The creation of a European Defense Committee was never ratified, and the initiative failed in a vote in August 1954.

the USSR

For the USSR, the war in politically was unsuccessful. The main goal - the unification of the Korean Peninsula under the regime of Kim Il Sung - was not achieved. The borders of both parts of Korea remained virtually unchanged. Further, relations with communist China seriously deteriorated, and the countries of the capitalist bloc, on the contrary, rallied even more: the Korean War accelerated the conclusion of a peace treaty between the United States and Japan, the warming of relations between Germany and other Western countries, the creation of the military-political blocs ANZUS (1951) and SEATO (1954). However, there were some pluses in the war: the authority of the Soviet state, which showed its readiness to come to the aid of a developing state, seriously increased in third world countries, many of which, after the Korean War, embarked on a socialist path of development and chose the Soviet Union as their patron. The conflict also showed the world high quality Soviet military equipment.

Economically, the war has become a heavy burden for National economy The USSR, which has not yet recovered from the Second World War. Military spending has risen sharply. However, with all these costs, about 30,000 Soviet servicemen who participated in the conflict in one way or another received invaluable experience in waging local wars, several newest species weapons, in particular the MiG-15 combat aircraft. In addition, many samples of American military equipment were captured, which allowed Soviet engineers and scientists to apply American experience in the development of new types of weapons.

American fighter "Saber". In total, only 80 of them were shot down.

As it turned out during the discussion, this is the American version of what happened:

On the border of the DPRK and the Republic of Korea. Modern photo. 38th parallel.

June 25, 1950 DPRK troops crossed the 38th parallel, the border between the Soviet and American troops, formed on 10.08.45. and invaded South Korea. Before that, the young leader of North Korea, Kim Il Sung, in April 1950. came to Moscow and bowed to Stalin, assuring him that "the peoples of the entire Korean peninsula 'can't wait' for the hour when they will all live under a benevolent communist regime"

Stalin very carefully approached the ambitions of the new adept of Marxism-Leninism, knowing full well that this "unification" would in no way be allowed by the Americans. Nevertheless, having promised Kim Il Sung some of the weapons (including tanks and aircraft), he recommended

turn to another Asian "friend" - Mao Tse Tung. Mao Tse Tung, in fact, also refused Kim Il Sung, but made the reservation that if hostilities unfold near the Chinese borders, then "he is not responsible for himself."

That. summer 1950 , just a year later, after the troops of the USSR and the USA were withdrawn from the Korean Peninsula, which were present here after the defeat of Japan, hostilities began again.

The troops of the DPRK, initially, quickly captured large areas of the Republic of Korea by Syngman Rhee. However, the United States, together with

14 other countries promptly passed a resolution at the UN meeting on assistance to South Korea under the auspices of the UN. Arrived by September

US and British military contingents pushed back Kim Il Sung's troops back to the 38th parallel. Commanded a joint group of troops

popular in the US Douglas MacArthur. Militantly inclined, he issued an order to cross the 38th parallel and transfer military operations to the territory of the DPRK.

It was then that Mao Tse Tung “woke up”. Having at its disposal an army of several million people, all the military equipment that the USSR left him after the defeat Kwantung Army, he ordered his headquarters to "teach a lesson" to the impudent Americans.

Already the first wave of, in general, lightly armed Chinese soldiers, numbering 250 thousand, led the Americans into confusion with their blow. If before the American units crossed the 38th parallel they had only a few hundred killed and wounded, then the losses immediately went into the thousands.

D. MacArthur rushed about. He, the illustrious general, a WWII veteran, is being beaten by some Chinese! Stalin also showed great initiative, seeing that the adventure of the young Korean leader could lead to the loss of a "friendly state." Through Far East anti-aircraft guns were transferred to the DPRK, and most importantly, jet aircraft. I was impatient to try the newest MIG-15 fighter in "combat conditions". The United States, in turn, sent new contingents to the Korean Peninsula. As I wrote later, in 1952. G. Truman, "..we are fighting in Korea so that we do not have to fight in New Orleans or the San Francisco Bay." In other words

a real international conflict of opposing socio-political systems began.

The war acquired a positional character with the use of the latest weapons. Gained had an advantage in the air Soviet aircraft(naturally with Korean markings) MiG-15s, suddenly, unexpectedly collided with the latest American F-86 "Saber", which, having advantages in speed, maneuver, and most importantly, in electronic equipment, began to shoot down dozens of "Soviet-Korean" fighters. "

D. MacArthur in the context of a protracted war, which he promised to end, continuing the traditions of many commanders, "by Christmas", faced the fact of the mass death of "UN forces" (read - Americans) on Korean Peninsula. Without hesitation, he invited US President G. Truman to "throw" at the North Koreans "thirty atomic bombs and close the topic", as in the case of Japan in August 1945. Truman, of course, was dumbfounded by such a statement of the brave general. After some hesitation, he removed MacArthur from command in April 1951, appointing a more accommodating and reasonable general in his place. Someone who, but Truman was well aware of how such a "simple decision" could end.

It is not clear how this conflict would have ended, but in March 1953 the "generalissimo" stretched its legs, the conflict, without the support of the USSR, began to fade.

27.07.53 a truce was concluded, the border between the "two Koreas" was restored again along the 38th parallel.

Results. On the South Korean side, approx. 250 thousand military personnel. To them must be added 54 thousand dead Americans. On the part of the DPRK, along with the Chinese, approx. 1 million people. In the air on both sides were shot down approx. 3000 aircraft, incl. 780 MiG-15. On both sides, approx. 1000 armored vehicles, including tanks. 80% of North Korea's infrastructure was destroyed.

Commander of the United Nations Joint Forces on the Korean Peninsula D. MacArthur (until 11.04.51).

Victims of the war.

Chinese prisoners.

I just have a question, why was KOREA divided into North and South after World War II? Well, two so-called friendly countries of the USSR and the USA (roughly speaking) liberated it from the Japanese and LEFT, why did they leave a DIVIDED PEOPLE, it’s clear that it will never heal a scar. / Chamomile

Thanks Alexander for the link http://serblv.narod.ru/koreanwar.html I found the answer to my question about the division of Korea there, OUR VERSION:

" Prehistory
Korea has been a colony of Japan since 1894. As a result of the 2nd World USSR, this territory was liberated from the Japanese invaders. However, the United States, always treating its allies like cannon fodder, did not want the USSR to legally receive the laurels of the liberator of Korea. Therefore, the States landed in the south of Korea and demanded the division of the sphere of influence along the 38th parallel with the USSR. The United States did not lift a finger to liberate Korea, but demanded most of the peninsula. Naturally, such impudence had to be somehow covered up, and therefore Truman said that he occupied the island "to protect Korea from communist plans of a global nature" (to use Truman's terminology, one can then accuse the United States of democratic plans of a global nature - who said that democracy is better? - if the United States likes democracy, but they don’t like socialism, this does not mean that democracy is better). In addition, Truman declared a "cold war" to the Union - this is how the United States "thanked" its former ally in the fight against Japan only for the fact that the USSR defended its laurels of the winner, and did not surrender them to the States, as Great Britain did. The strange logic of the United States is separate topic talking, however, Stalin was not too worried about the US decision and decided to help Korea from the new, American oppression. He recognized the creation of the DPRK in 1948 and helped with the creation of the KPA. The United States, in turn, created a puppet regime of the ROK in the south of the country, and the United States deftly used the creation of the DPRK as a propaganda move and once more accused the USSR of "imperial ambitions" (Although who would say...). What American zhiplomacy is famous for is its eloquence - the most terrible crimes, in comparison with which Hitler was a child, were repainted by US diplomats in a positive way. This time, American diplomacy did not let US diplomats down - the UN supported this brazen operation by the US and the Yankees in that war they actually acted as a component of the UN combined forces (however, you already know how the States treat allies ...) This impudence could not be tolerated by the DPRK and therefore On June 25, 1950, the KPA crossed the 38th parallel - this is considered to be the beginning of the Korean War. The USSR, however, did NOT violate the agreements and until the very end of the war, an order was in effect for all units Soviet army in Korea DO NOT CROSS PARALLEL 38! The USSR also did not participate in this war in the full sense (as the United States did) - it only trained military specialists and supported the KPA from the air as part of the OVA - itto out of 12 air divisions, only 3 were Soviet, but it was they who played leading role in the liberation of Korea!

The most tragic event in Korean history in the 20th century was the Korean War, which lasted from 1950 to 1953. It was the first clash between the countries that won World War II without the use of nuclear weapons. Despite this, the losses from this encounter on the small Korean peninsula were enormous. The result of this war was the result that we are still seeing - Korea is divided into two states hostile to each other.

From the beginning of the 20th century until 1945, Korea was a Japanese colony. After the end of the war and the defeat of the Land of the Rising Sun, Korea was divided along the 38th parallel. North Korea fell under the influence of the Soviet Union, and the south of the peninsula fell under the influence of the United States. Both sides had plans for the peaceful reunification of the country, but at the same time both camps did not hide the fact that they were preparing for active hostilities.

To briefly describe the Korean War, it can be divided into four stages.

The first period lasted from June 25 to mid-September 1950. Each side of the conflict insists that hostilities were initiated by the enemy. One way or another, the North Korean army quickly moved south of the peninsula with swift blows.

The command of the North Korean army believed that it would advance 10 kilometers daily. The South Korean armed forces were simply not able to repel the iron tank wedges of the "neighbors", so US President Truman on the second day of the war signed an order to support the South Korean army. However, this did not greatly affect the offensive - by mid-September 1950 most of South Korean territories came under the control of the Korean army.

The second period of hostilities was characterized by Active participation UN troops. The second stage lasted from September 16 to October 24, 1950. American troops carried out for the most part not an offensive, but the capture of large strategic points by landing. As a result, large KPA groupings remained in the rear of the "advancing", cut off from leadership and supplies, and continued to resist, including as partisan detachments. One way or another, but soon the UN troops and the South Koreans liberated their territories, and took up positions already in the northern part of the peninsula - from where a direct path to China opened.

Since October 25, volunteers from China have joined the fighting, in fact, Chinese military personnel. This third period of action is characterized by an abundance of large and bloody operations. The nature of the fierce fighting can be characterized by the fact that as a result of the indirect intervention of the USSR, Soviet pilots and anti-aircraft gunners destroyed 569 American aircraft- and this is according to Western media reports. But by June, the situation became a stalemate - the North Koreans had an advantage in manpower, and the opponents outnumbered them in the amount of equipment. An offensive by either side would lead to a senseless massacre, the expansion of the conflict into Chinese territory, and with increasing probability led to the Third World War.
Thus, General D. MacArthur, the commander-in-chief of the UN coalition, who insisted on expanding hostilities, was removed from his post, and the USSR representative to the UN proposed a ceasefire and disengagement of troops away from the 38th parallel.
This, the fourth and last period of the war, lasted from June 30, 1951 to July 27, 1953. Peace negotiations were constantly interrupted. The joint army of the UN and South Korea during this time managed to carry out four attacks on the northern territory. north side launched three successful counteroffensives. Both the offensives and counter-offensives on both sides were so devastating that as a result, both belligerents came to the final conclusion that a truce was needed.
A ceasefire agreement was signed on July 27, 1953. However, it did not bring the long-awaited peace. And today, the DPRK and the Republic of Korea are not ready to recognize each other, and consider the entire peninsula to be their territory. Formally, the war continues to this day, because the treaty ending the war was never signed.

Korea was a Japanese colony from 1910-1945. On August 10, 1945, due to the imminent Japanese surrender, the US and USSR agreed to divide Korea along the 38th parallel, assuming that Japanese troops north of it will surrender to the Red Army, and the surrender of the southern formations will be accepted by the United States. The peninsula was thus divided into northern Soviet and southern American parts. This separation was supposed to be temporary. In both parts, northern and southern, governments were formed. In the south of the peninsula, the United States, with the support of the UN, held elections. A government headed by Syngman Rhee was elected. Left parties boycotted these elections. In the north, power was transferred by Soviet troops to the communist government led by Kim Il Sung. The countries of the anti-Hitler coalition assumed that after some time Korea should be reunited, but in the conditions of the beginning cold war, the USSR and the USA could not agree on the details of this reunification.

After the Soviet Union and the United States withdrew their troops from the peninsula, the leaders of North and South Korea began to develop plans to unify the country by military means. The DPRK, with the help of the USSR, and the ROK, with the help of the United States, formed their own armed forces. In this competition, the DPRK was ahead of South Korea: the Korean People's Army (KPA) surpassed the army of the Republic of Korea (AKP) in numbers (130 thousand versus 98 thousand), in terms of the quality of weapons (high-class Soviet military equipment) and by combat experience(More than a third of North Korean soldiers fought in the Chinese Civil War). However, neither Moscow nor Washington were interested in the emergence of a hotbed of tension on the Korean Peninsula.

From the beginning of 1949, Kim Il Sung began to turn to Soviet government with requests for help in a full-scale invasion of South Korea. He emphasized that Syngman Rhee's government was unpopular, and argued that the invasion of North Korean troops would lead to a massive uprising, during which the people of South Korea, interacting with North Korean units, themselves would overthrow the Seoul regime. Stalin, however, referring to the insufficient readiness of the North Korean army and the possibility of US troops intervening in the conflict and unleashing full scale war with the use of nuclear weapons, chose not to satisfy these requests of Kim Il Sung. Despite this, the USSR continued to provide North Korea with large military assistance, and the DPRK continued to build up its military power.

On January 12, 1950, US Secretary of State Dean Acheson stated that the American defense perimeter at pacific ocean covers the Aleutian Islands, the Japanese island of Ryukyu and the Philippines, which indicated that Korea was not within the sphere of immediate US state interests. This fact added determination to the North Korean government in unleashing an armed conflict. By early 1950, the North Korean military was superior to the South Korean in all key components. Stalin finally gave his consent to the military operation. The details were agreed upon during Kim Il Sung's visit to Moscow in March-April 1950.

On June 25, 1950, at 4 a.m., seven KPA infantry divisions (90,000) after a powerful artillery preparation (seven hundred 122-mm howitzers and 76-mm self-propelled guns) crossed the 38th parallel and using one hundred and fifty T-34 tanks as a striking force , the best tanks of the Second World War, quickly broke the defenses of four South Korean divisions; 200 Yak fighters in service with the KPA provided it with complete air superiority. The main blow was inflicted on the Seoul direction (KPA 1st, 3rd, 4th and 5th divisions), and the auxiliary one was on the Chunghong direction west of the Taebaek ridge (6th division). South Korean troops retreated along the entire front, losing a third of their numerical strength(more than 34 thousand). Already on June 27 they left Seoul; On June 28, units of the KPA entered the capital of South Korea. On July 3, they took the port of Incheon.

In this situation, the Truman administration, which in 1947 proclaimed the doctrine of "containment of communism", decided to intervene in the conflict. Already on the first day of the North Korean offensive, the United States initiated the convening of the UN Security Council, which unanimously, with one abstention (Yugoslavia), adopted a resolution demanding that the DPRK cease hostilities and withdraw its troops beyond the 38th parallel. On June 27, Truman ordered the US Navy and Air Force to assist the South Korean army. On the same day, the Security Council gave a mandate to use international forces to drive the KPA out of South Korea.

On July 1, the transfer of the 24th US Infantry Division (16,000) to the peninsula began. On July 5, her units engaged in battle with KPA units near Osan, but were driven back to the south. July 6 34th American regiment unsuccessfully tried to stop the advancing North Korean troops at Anseong. On July 7, the Security Council assigned the leadership of the military operation to the United States. On July 8, Truman placed General MacArthur, Commander of the American Forces in the Pacific, at the head of the UN forces in Korea. On July 13, US troops in Korea were merged into the 8th Army.

After the North Koreans defeated the 34th regiment at Cheonan (July 14), the 24th division and the South Korean units withdrew to Taejon, which became the temporary capital of the Republic of Korea, and created a defensive line on the river. Kymgan. However, already on July 16, the KPA broke through the Kymghan line and captured Taejon on July 20. As a result of the first stage of the campaign, five of the eight ROK divisions were defeated; South Koreans lost 76,000 and North Koreans 58,000.

However, the KPA command did not take full advantage of the fruits of its success. Instead of developing the offensive and dropping the still few American formations into the sea, it paused to regroup forces. This allowed the Americans to transfer significant reinforcements to the peninsula and defend part of South Korean territory.

2 Naktong operation

At the end of July 1950, the Americans and South Koreans retreated to the southeastern corner of the Korean Peninsula in the area of ​​the port of Pusan ​​(Pusan ​​Perimeter), organizing defenses along the Jinju-Taegu-Pohang line. On August 4, the KPA launched an assault on the Pusan ​​Perimeter. By this time, the number of defenders, thanks to significant American reinforcements, reached 180 thousand, they had 600 tanks at their disposal, and they occupied advantageous positions on the river. Naktong and in the foothills.

5th August 4th Infantry Division people's army North Korea crossed the Naktong River near Yongsan in an attempt to cut the American supply line and secure a foothold inside the Busan Perimeter. She was opposed by the 24th Infantry Division of the Eighth American Army. The First Naktong Battle began. Over the next two weeks, American and North Korean troops fought bloody battles, launched attacks and counterattacks, but no one managed to gain the upper hand. As a result, American troops, reinforced by incoming reinforcements, using heavy weapons and air support, defeated the invading North Korean units, who suffered from a lack of supplies and a high level of desertion. The battle marked a turning point in the initial period of the war, ending a streak of North Korean victories.

On August 15-20, American and South Korean forces managed to stop the North Korean advance west of Taegu. On August 24, 7,500 North Koreans with 25 tanks almost broke through the American defenses near Masan, which was defended by 20,000 soldiers with 100 tanks. Nevertheless, the forces of the Americans were constantly growing, and from August 29, units from other countries began to arrive near Pusan, primarily from the British Commonwealth.

In September, the Second Naktong Battle took place. On September 1, the KPA troops launched a general offensive, and on September 5-6 they punched a hole in the South Korean defensive lines in the northern sector of the perimeter near Yongchon, took Pohang and reached the near approaches to Taegu. Only thanks to the stubborn resistance of the American Marine Corps (1st Division), the offensive was stopped by mid-September.

3 Incheon Landing Operation

In order to relieve pressure on the Pusan ​​bridgehead and achieve a turning point in the course of hostilities, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) in early September 1950 approved the plan proposed by MacArthur for a landing operation deep in the rear of the North Korean troops near the port of Inchon with the aim of capturing Seoul (Operation Chromite). The invasion troops (10th Corps under the command of Major General E. Almond) numbered 50 thousand people.

On September 10-11, American aircraft began intensified bombardments of the Incheon area, and American forces conducted several false landings in other parts of the coast to divert the attention of the KPA. A reconnaissance group was landed near Incheon. On September 13, the US Navy conducted reconnaissance in combat. Six destroyers approached the island of Wolmido, located in the harbor of Incheon and connected to the shore by a dam, and began shelling it, serving as a bait for enemy coastal artillery, while aviation spotted and destroyed the discovered artillery positions.

Operation Chromite began on the morning of September 15, 1950. On the first day, only units of the 1st Marine Division were involved. The landing was carried out in conditions of absolute air supremacy. American aviation. At about 6:30 a.m., one Marine battalion began landing in the northern part of Wolmido Island. The Wolmido garrison had by this point been almost completely destroyed by artillery and air strikes, and the Marines met with only light resistance. In the middle of the day there was a pause caused by the ebb tide. After the beginning of the evening tide, landings were made on the mainland.

By noon on September 16, the 1st Marine Division had taken control of the city of Inchon. In the port of Inchon, the landing of the 7th Infantry Division and the South Korean regiment began. At this time, the Marines were moving north towards the Kimpo airfield. The KPA tried to organize a tank-supported counterattack in the Incheon area, but in two days lost 12 T-34 tanks and several hundred soldiers from the actions of the marines and aircraft. On the morning of September 18, the Kimpo airfield was occupied by marines. The planes of the 1st Air Wing of the Marine Corps were relocated here. With their support, the 1st Marine Division continued its advance on Seoul. The landing of all combat and rear units of the X Corps was completed by 20 September.

September 16 8th american army launched an offensive from the Pusan ​​bridgehead, broke through to the north of Taegu on September 19-20, surrounded three North Korean divisions on September 24, captured Cheongju on September 26 and joined south of Suwon with units of the 10 Corps. Almost half of the Busan grouping of the KPA (40,000) was destroyed or taken prisoner; the rest (30 thousand) hastily retreated to North Korea. By early October, all of South Korea had been liberated.

4 UN takeover of mainland North Korea

The American command, inspired by the military success and the prospect of unification of Korea under the rule of Syngman Rhee, decided on September 25 to continue military operations north of the 38th parallel with the aim of occupying the DPRK. On September 27, it received Truman's consent to this.

The PRC leadership has publicly stated that China will enter the war if any non-Korean military forces cross the 38th parallel. The corresponding warning was sent to the UN through the Indian Ambassador to China. However, President Truman did not believe in the possibility of large-scale Chinese intervention.

On October 1, the 1st ROK Corps crossed the demarcation line, launched an offensive along east coast North Korea and on October 10 captured the port of Wonsan. The 2nd ROK Corps, which was part of the 8th Army, crossed the 38th parallel on October 6-7 and began to develop an offensive in the central direction. The main forces of the 8th Army on October 9 invaded the DPRK on the western section of the demarcation line north of Kaesong and rushed to the North Korean capital of Pyongyang, which fell on October 19. To the east of the 8th Army, the 10th Corps, transferred from Seoul, advanced. By October 24, the troops of the Western coalition reached the Chonju-Pukchin-Udan-Orori-Tancheon line, approaching with their left flank (8th Army) the river bordering China. Yalujiang (Amnokkan). Thus, the bulk of North Korean territory was occupied.

5 Battle of Chosin Reservoir

October 19, 1950 Chinese troops (three regular armies The PLA, numbering 380,000), under the command of Peng Dehuai, Vice Chairman of the People's Revolutionary Military Council of the People's Republic of China, crossed the Korean border without declaring war. On October 25, they launched a surprise attack on the ROK 6th Infantry Division; the latter managed to reach Chosan on the river on October 26. Yalujiang, but by October 30 it was completely defeated. November 1-2, the same fate befell the 1st American cavalry division at Unsan. The 8th Army was forced to stop the offensive and by November 6 retreated to the river. Cheongchon.

However, the Chinese command did not pursue the 8th Army and withdrew its troops for replenishment. This gave rise to MacArthur's erroneous belief in the weakness of the enemy forces. On November 11, the US-ROK 10th Corps launched an offensive to the north: on November 21, units of its right wing reached the Chinese border in the upper reaches of the Yalu River near Hesan, and units of the left wing by November 24 established control over the strategically important area of ​​the Chhosin reservoir. At the same time, the 1st ROK Corps captured Chongjin and ended up 100 km from the Soviet border. In this situation, MacArthur gave the order for a general Allied advance with the aim of "ending the war by Christmas". By that time, however, Chinese and North Korean forces were heavily outnumbered. On November 25, the 8th Army moved from Chongchon to the river. Yalujiang, but on the night of November 26, the PLA 13th Army Group launched a counterattack on its right flank (2nd ROK Corps) and made a deep breakthrough. On November 28, the 8th Army left Chonju and retreated to Chongchon, and on November 29 to the river. Namgan.

On November 27, the vanguard of the 10th Corps (US 1st Marine Division) launched an offensive west of the Chhosin reservoir in the direction of Kangge, but the next day, ten Chinese divisions (120 thousand) surrounded Marines, as well as the US 7th Infantry Division, which occupied a position east of the reservoir. On November 30, the corps command ordered the blockaded units (25,000) to break through to the East Korean Gulf. During the 12-day retreat, which takes place in the most difficult winter conditions (deep snowdrifts, temperatures down to -40 degrees Celsius), the Americans managed to fight their way to the port of Hynam by December 11, losing 12 thousand people. killed, wounded and frostbitten. The USMC still considers the Battle of Chhosin one of the most heroic pages in its history, and the PLA its first major victory above Western armies.

6 The offensive of the forces of the PRC and the DPRK on South Korea

In the beginning of December allied forces were forced to begin a general retreat to the south. The 8th Army left a defensive line on the river. Namgang left Pyongyang on December 2. By December 23, the 8th Army rolled back beyond the 38th parallel, but was able to gain a foothold on the river. Imjingan. By the end of the year, the government of Kim Il Sung regained control over the entire territory of the DPRK.

However, the Chinese leadership decided to continue the offensive to the south. On December 31, the Chinese and North Koreans with forces of up to 485 thousand people. launched an offensive along the entire front south of the 38th parallel. The new commander of the 8th Army, General Ridgway, was forced to begin a retreat on January 2, 1951 to the river. Hangang. On January 3, the expeditionary forces left Seoul, on January 5 - Incheon. Wonju fell on January 7th. By January 24, the advance of Chinese and North Korean troops was stopped on the Anson-Wonju-Chengkhon-Samcheok line. But the northern regions of South Korea remained in their hands.

In late January - late April 1951, Ridgway launched a series of strikes with the aim of recapturing Seoul and pushing the Chinese and North Koreans over the 38th parallel. On January 26, the 8th Army captured Suwon, and on February 10, Inchon. On February 21, the 8th Army inflicted new blow and by February 28 came to the lower reaches of the Hangang to the nearest approaches to Seoul. On March 14-15, the allies occupied Seoul and by March 31 reached the "Idaho line" (lower reaches of the Imjingan - Hongchon - north of Chumunjin) in the area of ​​the 38th parallel. On April 2-5, they made a breakthrough in the central direction and by April 9 they reached the Hwacheon reservoir, and by April 21 they were already at the nearest approaches to Chkhorwon, displacing the PLA and KPA beyond the 38th parallel (with the exception of the extreme western section of the front).

From late April to early July 1951, the warring parties made a number of attempts to break through the front line and change the situation in their favor. Then military operations acquired a positional character. The war has come to a standstill. Negotiations began. However, the armistice was signed only on July 27, 1953.

It cannot be said that participation is higher listed countries in the Korean War had great value. In fact, the war was not fought between North and South Korea, but between two powers that sought to prove their priority by any means available. AT this case the United States became the attacking party, and the "Truman Doctrine" proclaimed at that time bright to that example. In line with its "new line of policy" towards the USSR, the Truman administration did not consider it necessary to "make further compromises." She actually refused to comply with the Moscow Agreement, disrupted the work of the Joint Commission on Korea, and then transferred the Korean question to the UN General Assembly. This step by the United States cut off the last thread of cooperation with the USSR: Washington openly violated its allied obligations, according to which the Korean question as a problem post-war settlement had to be decided by the Allied Powers. The transfer of the Korean question to the UN was required by the United States in order to establish the South Korean regime that they are creating as the only legitimate government in Korea on the international political plane. Thus, as a result of the US imperialist policy and contrary to the desire of the Korean people to create a united, independent, democratic Korea, the country was divided into two territories: the Republic of Korea dependent on the US and the same dependence, only on the USSR, the DPRK, in fact, the border between which became the 38th parallel. It is no coincidence that this happened precisely with the transition of the United States to the policy of the Cold War. The split of the world into two class-opposed camps - capitalism and socialism, the resulting polarization of all political forces on the world stage and the struggle between them led to the appearance in the system of international relations nodes of contradictions in which the political interests of states collide and are resolved opposing each other systems. Korea, due to historical circumstances, has become such a knot. It turned out to be the arena of the struggle of capitalism represented by the United States against the positions of communism. The outcome of the struggle was determined by the balance of power between them.

Both during the Second World War and after it, the USSR consistently strove for a compromise solution of the Korean question, for the creation of a single democratic Korean state through the trusteeship system. Another thing is the United States, there was practically no room for compromise solutions on Korea. The United States deliberately contributed to the growth of tension in Korea, and if they did not take a direct part, then with their policy they actually pushed Seoul to organize armed conflict on the 38th parallel. But in my opinion, the miscalculation on the part of the United States was that they extended their aggression to China without realizing its capabilities. Senior also says this. Researcher IV RAS Candidate of Historical Sciences A.V. Vorontsov: “One of the decisive events during the war in Korea was the entry of the PRC into it on October 19, 1950, which practically saved the DPRK, which was in a critical situation at that time, from military defeat (this action cost more than two million lives of “Chinese volunteers”)” .

The intervention of American troops in Korea saved Syngman Rhee from military defeat, but the main objective- the elimination of socialism in North Korea - was never achieved. Concerning direct participation The United States in the war, it should be noted that the American air force and navy were active from the first day of the war, but were used to evacuate American and South Korean citizens from the frontline areas. However, after the fall of Seoul, US ground forces landed on the Korean Peninsula. The US Air Force and Navy also launched active military operations against the troops of the DPRK. In the Korean War, US aviation was the main striking force of the "UN armed forces" that helped South Korea. She acted both at the front and on objects of the deep rear. Therefore, repelling air strikes by the US Air Force and its allies has become one of the most important tasks of the North Korean troops and the "Chinese volunteers" throughout the war years.

The help of the Soviet Union to the DPRK during the war years had its own peculiarity - it was intended primarily to repel US aggression and therefore went mainly along the military line. military aid The USSR to the struggling Korean people was carried out through gratuitous deliveries of weapons, military equipment, ammunition and other means; the organization of rebuffing American aviation by formations of Soviet fighter aviation stationed in the border regions of China adjacent to the DPRK and reliably covering various economic and other objects from the air. Also, the USSR was engaged in the training of command, staff and engineering personnel for the troops and institutions of the Korean People's Army on the spot. Throughout the war, combat aircraft, tanks and self-propelled guns, artillery and weapon and ammunition for it, as well as many other types of special equipment and military equipment. The Soviet side strove to deliver everything in a timely manner and without delay, so that the KPA troops were sufficiently provided with everything necessary to fight the enemy. The KPA army was equipped with the most modern weapons and military equipment for that time.

After opening key documents government archives of the countries involved in the Korean conflict, more and more historical documents emerge. We know that the Soviet side assumed at that time the enormous burden of direct air and military-technical support to the DPRK. About 70 thousand participated in the Korean War personnel Soviet Air Force. At the same time, the losses of our air connections amounted to 335 aircraft and 120 pilots. As for ground operations to support the North Koreans, Stalin sought to completely shift them to China. Also in the history of this war there is one interesting fact - the 64th Fighter Aviation Corps (JAC). The basis of this corps was three fighter aviation divisions: the 28th Iac, the 50th Iac, the 151st Iac. The divisions consisted of 844 officers, 1153 sergeants and 1274 soldiers. They were armed with Soviet-made aircraft: IL-10, Yak-7, Yak-11, La-9, La-11, as well as jet MiG-15. The office was located in the city of Mukden. This fact is interesting because Soviet pilots piloted these planes. Considerable difficulties arose because of this. It was necessary to maintain secrecy, since the Soviet command took all measures to hide the participation of the Soviet Air Force in the Korean War, and not to give the United States evidence that Soviet-made MiG-15 fighters, which was not a secret, were piloted by Soviet pilots. To this end, the MiG-15 aircraft had the identification marks of the Chinese Air Force. It was forbidden to operate over the Yellow Sea and pursue enemy aircraft south of the Pyongyang-Wonsan line, that is, up to 39 degrees north latitude.

It seems to me that it is impossible to single out any special merits of this or that state separately. We cannot say that the war was waged on the one hand only by the USSR, ignoring the "Chinese volunteers", and the United States, on the other, without mentioning the South Korean troops and UN forces. The participation of these states in the Korean conflict predetermined the fate of the Korean Peninsula.

In that armed conflict a separate role was assigned to the United Nations, which intervened in this conflict after the US government handed over to it the solution of the Korean problem. Despite the protest of the Soviet Union, which insisted that the Korean question was an integral part of the problem of the post-war settlement as a whole and the procedure for its discussion had already been determined by the Moscow Conference, the United States put it in the fall of 1947 for discussion by the 2nd session of the UN General Assembly. These actions were another step towards consolidating the split, towards moving away from the Moscow decisions on Korea and towards the implementation of American plans.

At the November session of the UN General Assembly in 1947, the American delegation and representatives of other pro-American states managed to reject Soviet proposals for the withdrawal of all foreign troops and push through their resolution, create a temporary UN commission on Korea, which was entrusted with supervising the elections. This Commission was elected from representatives of Australia, India, Canada, El Salvador, Syria, Ukraine (its representatives did not participate in the work of the commission), the Philippines, France and Chiang Kai-shek China. It was to carry out the transformation of the UN into a "center for harmonizing actions on the Korean question", to provide the Soviet and American administrations and Korean organizations with "consultations and advice on every step related to the establishment of an independent Korean government and the withdrawal of troops", and to ensure, under its supervision, the conduct of Korea elections based on secret ballot of the entire adult population. However, the UN Commission in Korea failed to create an all-Korean government, as it continued its course towards the formation of a reactionary authority pleasing to the United States. protests populace and public democratic organizations in the South and North of the country against its activities led to the fact that it could not fulfill its functions and turned to the so-called Intersessional Committee of the UN General Assembly for assistance. The Committee recommended to the Temporary Commission, thereby canceling the decision of the UN General Assembly of November 14, 1947, to hold elections to the highest Legislature- The National Assembly is only in South Korea, and introduced the corresponding draft resolution at the meeting of the UN General Assembly. Many states, including Australia and Canada - members of the Interim Commission on Korea - did not support the United States and argued that such an action would result in the permanent division of the country and the presence of two hostile governments in Korea. Nevertheless, with the help of an obedient majority, the United States passed the decision they needed on February 26, 1948, in the absence of a Soviet representative.

The adoption of the American resolution had disastrous consequences for Korea. By encouraging the establishment national government” in South Korea, which inevitably entailed the creation of a national government in the North, it also pushed for the dismemberment of Korea, instead of contributing to the formation of a single independent democratic state. Those who advocated separate elections in the South, such as Syngman Rhee and his supporters, actively supported the decisions of the UN General Assembly, arguing that a strong government was necessary to protect against a North Korean "offensive." The leftists were against separate elections and the activities of the UN Commission, they proposed a meeting of the political leaders of North and South Korea in order to resolve internal affairs themselves after the withdrawal of foreign troops.

Does not amount to great work to conclude that the UN Commission stood on the side of the United States and worked in its favor. A clear example is the resolution that turned American troops in Korea into " military establishment UN". Formations, units and subunits of 16 countries operated in Korea under the UN flag: England and Turkey sent several divisions, Great Britain equipped 1 aircraft carrier, 2 cruisers, 8 destroyers, marines and auxiliary units, Canada sent one infantry brigade, Australia, France, Greece, Belgium and Ethiopia one infantry battalion each. Additionally, field hospitals and their personnel arrived from Denmark, India, Norway, Italy and Sweden. About two-thirds of the UN troops were American. The Korean War cost the UN 118,155 killed and 264,591 wounded, 92,987 were taken prisoner (most died of starvation and torture).

Summing up, it should be noted that the role of the USA, the USSR and China turned out to be very important. Who knows how the conflict between South and North Korea would have ended if not for the intervention of these countries. Many scholars argue that the Korean War is a synthetically created conflict. The leaders of the Korean republics themselves could settle their regional problems. Most researchers are inclined to the point of view that the entire fault of the Korean War lies with the United States. This is proved by several arguments: firstly, the United States directed its policy against world socialism, that is, against the USSR, secondly, this is the beginning of the Cold War, and thirdly, it is a geopolitical interest aimed at South Korea in order to turn the latter into a pro-American country . The United States aspired to world domination, and part of these plans was not only an arms race, but also a struggle for influence in third world countries.