Korean War (1950 – 1953) in Real Time

[lordroel]

Day 59 of the Korean War, August 22nd 1950

Air operations - Korean peninsula

Anti-aircraft gunners fired from across the Yalu River at RB-29s reconnoitering the border, the first hostile Chinese action against UN aircraft.

Naval operations - Korean peninsula

Allen M. Sumner-class destroyer USS Mansfield (DD-728) bombards the North Korean port of Songjin in a night strike that severely damaged docks, railroad facilities, and bridges.

The first North Korean air attacks in over a month occurred. On the Yellow Sea side, two Il-10 ground attack aircraft caught C-class destroyer HMS Comus (R43) by surprise, causing some damage and killing a British sailor. An ROKN vessel was also damaged in the attack.

South Korea

During August, 6 U.S. medium tank battalions landed in Korea, 5 of them in the first eight days of the month. There were, in addition, 4 regimental tank companies and about 30 light tanks for reconnaissance purposes. The tanks in the battalions were about equally divided between M26 Pershings and M4A3 Shermans, except for 1 battalion which had M46 Pattons. The tank battalions averaged 69 tanks. Through August 22nd, Eighth Army (United States) had lost 20 medium tanks in action.

Chief of Staff of the United States Army, General J. Lawton Collins tours the Pusan Perimeter, visiting all American divisions and conferring with the army commander. He found the morale of the troops at the front to be uniformly high and the major commanders confident and optimistic. But there had been no letup in the enemy's determined pressure. The point of greatest concern to General Walker is still the slow arrival of replacements in the combat zone. He told General Collins that the replacement flow was replacing only about 75 percent of actual Eighth Army losses and his units were fighting at less strength than that authorized them when they came to Korea.

North Korea

Premier of North Korea, Kim Il Sung, orders his forces to conclude the war by September 1st, yet the scale of the offensive did not allow this (see August 22nd). Groups 1 and 2 are to begin their attack at 23:30 on August 31, and Groups 3, 4 and 5 would begin their attacks at 18:00 on September 2. The attacks are to closely connect in order to overwhelm UN troops at each point simultaneously, forcing breakthroughs in multiple places that the UN would be unable to reinforce. The KPA relied primarily on night attacks to counter UN air superiority and naval firepower, with the KPA generals believing that such attacks would prevent UN forces from firing effectively and result in heavy casualties from friendly fire.

Japan

Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Forrest Sherman broke his flag in Oregon City-class heavy cruiser USS Rochester (CA-124) at Sasebo and meets the Commander Seventh Fleet, Vice Admiral Arthur Dewey Struble of his appointment to command the Inchon operation.

United Nations

The Soviet ambassador to the United Nations, Yakov Malik warns that any continuation of the Korean War will lead inevitably to a widening of the conflict.

[lordroel]

Day 60 of the Korean War, August 23rd 1950

Naval operations - Korean peninsula

Allen M. Sumner-class destroyer USS Mansfield (DD-728) bombards Chongjin adding to the damage inflicted on Chongjin by Allen M. Sumner-class destroyer USS Lyman K. Swenson three days earlier.

Air operations - Korean peninsula

The 19th Bombardment Group flew the first razon mission, but with the exception of one bomb that hit the railroad bridge west of Pyongyang, the World War II-era control equipment failed to guide the bombs to the target.

South Korea

United States Army, General MacArthur establishes a new and separate command relieving the Eighth Army commander of all duties not directly related to his combat mission. He directed the establishment of Japan Logistical Command (JLC), FEC, with headquarters located in Yokohama in the buildings vacated by Eighth Army. By this order, responsibilities and functions formerly assigned General Walker within the geographical areas of the four main islands of Japan were delegated to the commanding general of JLC, General Weible. Excluded from his jurisdiction, although within these geographical limits, were posts, camps, and stations assigned to the Commanding General, Headquarters and Service Command; General Headquarters, FEC; COMNAVFE; and the Commanding General, FEAF.

Japan

Photo: The U.S. Navy aircraft carriers USS Valley Forge (CV-45) (left) and USS Philippine Sea (CV-47) (center) at their anchorages at Sasebo, Japan, 23 August 1950. The heavy cruiser in the right distance is USS Rochester (CA-124)



The Joint Chiefs of Staff delegation made up of Chief of Staff of the United States Army, General J. Lawton Collins, Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Forrest Sherman and representing the United States Air Force Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, Lieutenant General Idwal H. Edwards attended a full-scale briefing with General MacArthur and other officers at the Far East Command (FECOM) Headquarters in the Dai Ichi Building in Tokyo. Here the Inch’on landing plan was subjected to a detailed examination.

Officers of the special planning staff within General MacArthur’s headquarters (known as the Joint Strategic Plans and Operations Group, or JSPOG), first outlined the concept of the operation .The assault would be made by the 1st Marine Division, which, after seizing Inch’on, would swing northeastward to capture Kimpo airfield. The 7th Infantry Division, following in the footsteps of the Marines, would secure the high ground southeast of Seoul. Thus the X Corps would constitute part of a gigantic nutcracker, of which the other jaw would be formed by the Eighth Army, surging out of its redoubt behind the Naktong. Together they would crush the North Korean forces.

A succession of Navy and Marine Corps officers then discussed the problems involved in a landing at Inch’on. They made no effort to conceal the dangers and difficulties. Admiral Doyle summed up this part of the discussion with the statement that, while the operation was not impossible, he did not recommend it. In the discussion that ensued, General Collins voiced a fear that the X Corps, even if it managed at first to gain a toehold at Inch’on, might be driven into the sea before the Eighth Army could break out and join up with it. To avoid this possibility, he suggested a landing at Kunsan, some 100 miles south of Inch’on, which was much nearer to the Pusan Perimeter. It had fewer natural obstacles than Inch’on, and had the advantage of location close to the enemy’s main supply routes, which ran through Nonsan (30 miles inland from Kunsan) and Taejon. This suggestion won the endorsement of Admiral Sherman. General MacArthur himself then took the floor and defended his plan with the forensic ability of a man who was a master of words as well as warfare.

General MacArthur concluded with what General Collins later described as a “stirring peroration”:

If my estimate is inaccurate and should I run into a defense with which I cannot cope, I will be there personally and will immediately withdraw our forces before they are committed to a blood setback. The only loss then will be my professional reputation. But Inch’on will not fail. Inch’on will succeed. And it will save 100,000 lives

[lordroel]

Day 61 of the Korean War, August 24th 1950

Land operations - Korean peninsula

Photo: Men of Battery A, 159th Field Arillery Battalion, fire a M101 105 mm howitzer in an indirect firing mission on the Korean battle line, near Uirson, 24 August 1950



Air operations - Korean peninsula

Fifth Air Force B-26's averages now thirty-five sorties nightly.

Naval operations - Korean peninsula

Baltimore-class heavy cruiser USS Toledo (CA-133) continued accurate shelling of North Korean targets at the northeastern end of the Pusan Perimeter, including putting an 8-inch shell through the opening of a tunnel and destroying a North Korean supply dump inside.

Brooklyn-class light cruiser USS Helena (CL-50) and four destroyers, arrived off Tanchon, undisturbed since the Toledo group’s bombardment of the 7th. Railroad cars and warehouses were worked over with the aid of helicopter spotting, after which the group proceeded northward to Songjin, where on the next day heavy damage was inflicted on marshalling yards and railroad cars.

Photo: The U.S. Navy heavy cruiser USS Helena (CA-75) fires her after 8"/55 guns at targets in Korea, 24 August 1950



South Korea

About 300,000 refugees assembled in collecting points near Yongsan and Changnyong, began moving under ROK police control to areas away from the front lines. They were warned not to stray from their assigned routes of travel lest they be mistaken for guerrillas and shot. The 1st Cavalry Division and the ROK divisions eastward had similar experiences with refugees. In all cases, the ROK police, working in collaboration with the local army commanders, screened the refugees and moved them away from the combat area as quickly as possible.

North Korea

Korean People's Army, Major General Pang Ho San, commanding general of the 6th Infantry Division (North Korea), much decorated for the exploits of his division thus far, issues an order calculated to improve troop morale. He says the mission of the division was "to liberate Masan and Pusan within a few days." He demands stricter discipline and more perseverance than ever before, and stats that tactics must adjust to the changes "this epoch-making conflict has introduced into the art of warfare." He sums up the battle lessons: Our experience in night combat up to now shows that we can operate only four or five hours in the dark since we start night attacks between 2300 and 2400 hours, and, therefore, if the battle continues until dawn, we are likely to suffer losses. From now on, use daylight hours for full combat preparation, and commence attacks soon after sunset. Concentrate your battle actions mostly at night and capture enemy base positions. From midnight on, engage enemy in close combat by approaching to within 100 to 150 meters of him. Then, even with the break of dawn, the enemy planes will not be able to distinguish friend from foe, which will enable you to prevent great losses. This is the most valuable battle experience we have gained from the Chinju operation.

Japan

United States Army, General MacArthur established the Japan Logistical Command (JLC) as a major organization of the Far East Command. It relieved Eighth Army (United States) of all responsibilities concerning posts, camps, and stations in Japan and assumed responsibility as well for the logistical support of all U.N. forces in Korea, except those specifically delegated to other commands.

United States Navy, Admiral Forrest Sherman, Chief of Naval Operations has a meeting with United States Navy, Vice Admiral C. Turner Joy, Commander Naval Forces, Far East, United States Navy, Admiral Arthur W. Radford, commander of the United States Pacific Fleet and two Marine Corps officers, United States Marines, Lieutenant General Lemuel C. Shepherd, Jr., Commanding General of Fleet Marine Force, Pacific,(FMFPAC) and United States Marines, Major General Oliver I’. Smith, who commands the 1st Marine Division. They agreed that a better site for a landing be Posung-Myon, 30 miles south of Inch’on where the water was deep enough for a landing at any time. General Shepherd subsequently attempts to persuade General MacArthur to accept this change but met with no success. Admiral Sherman also has a privately meeting with General MacArthur and reinstated the Navy’s objections to Inch’on. The General goes so far as to agree that the operation can only succeed if no opposition is developed. Reportedly, Admiral Sherman remarks, at the end of the conference, “I wish I could share that man’s optimism.“

France

France agrees to send an infantry battalion to fight in the Korean War.

[lordroel]

Day 62 of the Korean War, August 25th 1950

Land operations - Korean peninsula

The Battle of the Bowling Alley (a name derived from the long, narrow valley in Chilgok, near Taegu, where the opposing forces clashed) was won by United Nations forces after two weeks of fighting with KPA losses from August 18th to 25th being 13 T-34 tanks, six SU-76 self-propelled guns, and 23 trucks. The KPA 13th Division's troops suffered heavy casualties during the fight, with an estimated 3,000 killed, wounded and captured. The division withdrew to rebuild. The North Koreans' total casualties from August 12 to 25 were 5,690 killed. The US losses during the battle were extremely light; unusual for fighting at a time in which other UN offensive forces were paying a heavy price when making similar pushes against the KPA. The US infantry forces suffered only five killed and 54 wounded in the 27th Infantry, plus three killed and 16 wounded in the 23rd Infantry. This brought the total US casualty count to 8 dead, 70 wounded. ROK troops suffered much more heavily during the fight. An estimated 2,300 soldiers were killed in the fighting; 2,244 enlisted men and 56 officers. However, these losses were not crippling, as volunteers poured in from the surrounding countryside to fight for the ROK.

Photo: South Korean troops of the 11th Regt, 1st ROK Div move towards Shinkjumuk, Korea to join American troops of the 25th Inf Div, 1 August 1950



After 36 days of avoiding capture by North Korean patrols, U.S. Army Major General William F. Dean was betrayed to the enemy by a South Korean civilian. Dean had been on the run since July 18, when his unit was overrun by North Korean troops. He would be the highest-ranking prisoner of war for North Korea, and finally be released on September 4, 1953.

Air operations - Korean peninsula

FEAF directed 5th Air Force to maintain constant armed surveillance of enemy airfields to prevent enemy buildup of air strength before the Inchon invasion.

In Bomber Command’s largest operation of the month, 35 B-29s, escorted by USN fighters, dropped 300 tons of bombs on marshaling yards at Rashin in far northeastern Korea. Previously excluded from target lists because of its proximity of less than 20 miles to the Soviet border, Rashin was a major supply depot.

Naval operations - Korean peninsula

A total of seven naval engagements happen with enemy coastal shipping. At Pohang the North Korean attempt at a landing was repelled. Twenty miles off Inchon, PC-461-class submarine chaser ROKS Baekdusan (PC 701) sinks a large sailboat. In a small estauary east of Chindo, YMS-1 Class Auxiliary Motor Minesweeper ROKS Guwolsan (YMS 512) sank one 100-ton motorboat and another of 70 tons, and drowned full loads of enemy troops on both. Off Namhae Island on the south coast, YMS-1 Class Auxiliary Motor Minesweeper ROKS Gaeseong (YMS 504) damaged 14 of 15 small sailboats encountered. But the big work of the day was done by BYMS-1 Class Motor Minesweeper ROKS Kil Chu (YMS 514) which in three separate engagements in less than three hours sank three enemy vessels and damaged eight.

South Korea

The movement of refugees through the front lines and their removal from the battle area was a constant source of worry to the military authorities in August. Between 12 and 19 August, the 25th Division helped the ROK police screen and remove more than 50,000 refugees from its battlefront area between Chindong-ni and the Nam River. Altogether, the 25th Division evacuated 120,335 refugees from its sector during August. In mid-August, the 24th Division estimated there were 100,000 refugees in its southern sector seeking an opportunity to cross the Naktong River.

United States

The U.S. Army confirmed that two armored divisions of the Chinese Communist Army had massed along that nation's border with North Korea.

Belgium

Belgium created the Corps Voluntaires Corea to fight in the Korean War, and sent 900 men in the 1st Belgian Battalion.

[lordroel]

Day 63 of the Korean War, August 26th 1950

Land operations - Korean peninsula

Photo: A .50 Cal. Machine gun squad of Co. E, 2nd Battalion, 7th Regiment, 1st Cavalry Division, fires on North Korean patrols along the north bank of the Naktong River, Korea. 26 August 1950. Korea



Air operations - Korean peninsula

Fifth Air Force organized the 47th and 48th TCSs (Provisional) at Tachikawa with C-46s from all over the Far East theater to augment FEAF airlift resources for UN offensives planned for September. At Ashiya, FEAF organized the 1st Troop Carrier Task Force (Provisional) as the nucleus of the new Combat Cargo Command (Provisional). Maj. Gen. William H. Tunner, architect of the Hump airlift of World War II and the Berlin airlift, 1948-49, assumed command of Combat Cargo Command.

South Korea

US Eighth Army commander Lieutenant General Walton Walker seeing ROK units suffering from low morale as a result of their failures to defend effectively ordered Major General John B. Coulter to the P'ohang-dong area to shore up the ROK I Corps, which was falling apart due to low morale.

China

1st Premier of the People's Republic of China, Zhou Enlai met with his battle commanders regarding plans to invade Korea to confront American forces, and stated that "the main target is the U.S. imperialists".

[lordroel]

Day 64 of the Korean War, August 27th 1950

YouTube (MacArthur and the Incheon Meeting)



Land operations - Korean peninsula

The Battle of Kyongju an engagement between United Nations Command (UN) and North Korean forces in the vicinity of Kyongju in South Korea begins.

Photo: Defense of the Pusan Perimeter, Gun crew of the 64th Field Artillery Battalion, 25th Infantry Division, fire a 105mm howitzer on North Korean positions near Uirson, South Korea, 27 August 1950



Air operations - Korean peninsula

The 92nd Bombardment Group dispatched 24 B-29s to Kyomipo to strike the biggest iron and steel factory in Korea. The Far East Air Force (FEAF) conducted trials with bombs that had a delayed-action mechanism in order to impede the enemy from repairing bridges.

[lordroel]

Day 65 of the Korean War, August 28th 1950

YouTube ( U.N. Forces Repulse Waves Of Red Attacks)



Land operations - Korean peninsula

A Eighth Army intelligence officer warns that a general attack "may be expected at any time along the 2d Division and 25th Division front," aimed at severing the Taegu-Pusan railroad and highway and capturing Masan.

Air operations - Korean peninsula

An F-51 aircraft, of the 67th Fighter Bomber Squadron of the U.S. Air Force, assigned to attack a North Korean airfield, flew off course and ended up attacking an airstrip in Communist China, five miles from the border. 1st Premier of the People's Republic of China and 1st Minister of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China, Zhou Enlai asked the Soviet delegate to the UN Security Council, Yakov Malik, to raise the complaint.

B-29 bombers conducted heavy bombing raids on Songjin, a key industrial center in North Korea known for its metalworking factories.

Japan

With the concurrence of GHQ, FEC, commander of the Japan Logistical Command (JLC), based in Yokohama, General Weible established a subordinate command, the Northern, at Sapporo, Japan. The Commanding General, Northern Command, Brigadier General Edwin W. Piburn, was made responsible for the island of Hokkaido and certain areas on the northern portion of Honshu.

United States

Reservations still held by United States Army, General J. Lawton Collins and Chief of Naval Operations Admiral Forrest Sherman and perhaps by other Joint Chiefs of Staff members as well regarding General MacArthur Inch’on landing plan are manifested in a message that the Joint Chiefs of Staff sent to CINCFE. Although they gave general approval to the projected Inch’on landing plan, they were careful not to fix any definite location and made it clear that they wished this aspect of the plan to be subject to reconsideration. Their message read as follows:

1. After reviewing the information brought back by General Collins and Admiral Sherman we concur in making preparations and executing a turning movement by amphibious forces on the west coast of Korea either at Inchon in the event that enemy defenses in vicinity of Inchon prove ineffective or at a favorable beach south of Inchon if one can be located. We further concur in preparation, if desired by CINCFE, for an envelopment by amphibious forces in the vicinity of Kunsan [Gunsan]. We understand that alternate plans are being prepared in order best to exploit the situation as it develops.

2. We desire information as becomes available with respect to conditions in the possible objective areas and timely information as to your probable intentions and plans for offensive operations.

[lordroel]

Day 66 of the Korean War, August 29th 1950

South Korea

Tribal-class destroyers HMAS Warramunga (I44) arrives in Pusan.

Aircraft repair ship and light aircraft carrier HMS Unicorn (I72) escorted by the C-class destroyer HMS Cossack (R57) arrives at Pusan where she disembarks the troops of the Middlesex Regiment, while the Fiji-class light cruiser HMS Ceylon (30) disembarks men of the Argyle and Sutherland Highlanders.

United Nations

Secretary-General Lie’s personal representative in Korea, Colone! Alfred G, Katdn of the Union of South Africa warns that even a brief halt at the parallel would allow the enemy to rebuild and reequip his forces, which would “constitute a continuing military threat not only to our own United Nations forces, but to South Korean freedom.“

United States

In responds to the incident where a US aircraft had attacked targets in Manchuria a day before, the Joint Chiefs of Staff at once informed Commander-in-Chief, Far East (CINCFE) that all US aircraft must “exercise particular caution not to violate Soviet or Chinese territory or territorial waters.“

[lordroel]

Day 67 of the Korean War, August 30th 1950

Air operations - Korean peninsula

Before dawn an experimental B-29 flare mission illuminated the Han River in the Seoul area for a B-26 strike on an elusive enemy pontoon bridge, but it could not be found. B-26s attacked the permanent bridge.

China

During a meeting of the Central Military Commission, it is decided that the Northeastern Border Defense Army (NEBDA) will consist of eleven armies (36 divisions) totaling about 700,000 men. Moreover, Chinese Communist Party leader, Gao Gang reports to Chairman of the Communist Party of China, Mao Zedong that North Korea’s advancement has stopped at what the UN forces call the Pusan perimeter. In response, Mao sends the Ninth Army Corps (People's Liberation Army) and the 19th Army Corps (People's Liberation Army) from the Shanghai area to be stationed on railways at the border of the Northeast region for the possibility of quick deployment to the North Korean border.

Japan

General MacArthur issued his operations order for the Inch’on landing.“” He does not immediately send a copy to the Joint Chiefs of Staff, nor does he respond to their message of 28 August.

Colossus-class aircraft carrier HMS Triumph (R16) returns to Sasebo to replenish stores and to receive the last six Seafires and eight Fireflies from aircraft repair ship and light aircraft carrier HMS Unicorn (I72). The six Seafires and eight Fireflies that Triumph receives are the least serviceable of all the replacements and as such have been held back until now for this reason. Unfortunately there are no other spare aircraft available in the entire Far East, as the Seafire F.R.47 and Firefly Mk.1 are no longer regarded as front line types anymore and have been retired from every front line squadron in the Fleet Air Arm apart from the two that are actually fighting a war.

[lordroel]

Day 68 of the Korean War, August 31st 1950

Land operations - Korean peninsula

The battles of Haman and Nam River began as part of the larger Battle of Pusan Perimeter.

Air operations - Korean peninsula

After a 10-day lull in the ground fighting, North Korean forces launched a coordinated offensive against the entire Pusan Perimeter. Fifth Air Force provide close air support for the defending UN troops.

Seventy-four B-29s conducted a massive strategic bombing operation, targeting the mining facilities, metal works, and rail yards at Chinnampo. The attack aimed at destroying aluminum and magnesium plants, among other targets, and was the most significant bombing mission of the month.

Naval operations - Korean peninsula

PC-461-class submarine chaser Kum Kang San (PC 702) sinks two large motorboats and damaged another near Chindo and damages another near Chindo.

Japan

General Willoughby, General of the Army Douglas MacArthur's chief of military intelligence reports that the Military Intelligence Section of Far East Command (FECOM) estimates that troop movements from Central China to Manchuria for sometime which suggest movements preliminary to entering the Korean theater." Willoughby places the number of regular Chinese troops in Manchuria at about 246,000 men, organized into nine armies totaling thirty-seven divisions. Eighty thousand are reported assembling near An-tung, just across the Yalu from Korea.

[lordroel]

Day 69 of the Korean War, September 1st 1950

Land operations - Korean peninsula

The Great Naktong Offensive and the Battles of Ka-san, Tabu-dong and Yongsan began as part of the larger Battle of Pusan Perimeter.

Map: Tactical map of the Pusan Perimeter from 1 August 1950 to 1 September 1950



Air operations - Korean peninsula

Fifth Air Force strafed and dropped napalm and bombs on NKA troops and armored columns attacking along the Naktong River front. The 21st TCS dropped rations and ammunition to US troops temporarily cut off by the enemy thrusts.

General MacArthur instructs General Stratemeyer to employ all the air power available through FEAF, including B-29s, to support the Eighth Army in maintaining control over the “Pusan Perimeter,” the portion of the Korean peninsula located in the southeast that is still under the control of South Korea.

Naval operations - Korean peninsula (carrier strike)

As it become apparent that a massive North Korean attack was underway, Essex-class aircraft carriers USS Valley Forge (CV-45) and USS Philippine Sea (CV-47) who where almost 300 mile to the northwest in the Yellow Sea and where conducting airstrikes on targets near the North Korean capital of Pyongyang and southward to the (former) capital of South Korea, Seoul. The 0800 launch from Valley Forge dropped the span on a key railroad bridge, while the strike from Philippine Sea hit and damaged the Pyongyang railroad bridge and marshaling yards. Jet fighter sweeps from both carriers hit targets along the coast from Seoul to the North Korean port of Chinnampo. The first Task Force-77 (TF-77) morning air strikes had just returned, and the carriers were gearing up for another round of strikes, this time by AD Skyraiders, when urgent requests to assist with the crumbling defense of the Pusan Perimeter came in. The commander of the carrier task force (TF-77), United States Navy, Rear Admiral Edward C. Ewen, immediately directed TF-77 to steam southeast at 27 knots. Strikes that were airborne north of Seoul were ordered recalled and combat air patrol (CAP) fighters were vectored to guide the strike aircraft back to the carriers’ moving position.

At 1233, CTF-77 reported that the first strikes in support of the Pusan Perimeter would launch at 1315 and be on station by 1430. The first strike package of twelve AD Skyraiders, with three 1,000-pound bombs each, and 16 F-4U Corsairs with one 1,000-pound bomb and four rockets each, reached the Pusan area by 1430. The USN strikes quickly encountered the control problems that had plagued earlier close-air support efforts in Korea. Fourteen USN aircraft were directed to bomb a concentration of tanks; fortunately, the strike leader got suspicious that the tanks were making no effort to defend themselves and then he saw the white stars and aborted the strike. In another instance, a forward air-controller kept USN aircraft in orbit and vectored in a F-51 Mustang instead, even though the USN aircraft had ordnance better suited to the task. Of 83 USN sorties in support of the Pusan Perimeter that day, only 43 were under positive control and the rest had to search on their own for something useful to blow up.

Unfortunately, the North Korean offensive caught both Commencement Bay-class escort carriers, USS Sicily CVE-118 and USS Badoeng Strait CVE-116), with their two embarked Marine Corsair squadrons (VMF-214 and VMF-323) away from the area, at Sasebo for replenishment and upkeep. Badoeng Strait’s Marine aircraft were already temporarily ashore at Ashiya Airfield, Japan, and Sicily was ordered to put her Marine squadron ashore as well. Severe weather caused by the approach of Typhoon Jane initially hampered the Marine aircraft, with their close-air support expertise, from getting in the fight on the first day.

Naval operations - Korean peninsula

River-class frigate HMAS Shoalhaven (K535) is released by Tribal-class destroyer HMAS Warramunga (I44/D123) who will join Tribal-class destroyer HMAS Bataan (D9) as part of the screening force for Colossus-class aircraft carrier HMS Triumph (R16).

United States Navy, Lieutenant Eugene F. Clark arrives at Yonghung Do onboard C-class destroyer HMS Charity (R29), considerable information concerning the defenses of Inchon has been collected by intelligence teams working under Republic of Korea Navy, Lieutenant Commander Ham Myong Su. And reports from the British indicated that the seizure of Yonghung Do has caused the North Koreans to shift forces southward to guard against a possible mainland landing.

A UN reconnaissance team (US military intelligence Unit including KLO, CIA) infiltrate Yonghung-do (Yeongheung Island) to obtain information on the conditions there.

China

Chairman of the Communist Party of China, Mao Zedong, gave a public warning that the People's Republic of China would not tolerate an invasion of any of its neighbors, which included North Korea.

United States

Authorities near (United States) President Harry Truman conclude that the United States is in no position to commit itself finally to any single course of action. There are too many unknowns, namely, what the Soviet Union ore Communist China might do and whether the United States can count on the United Nations, even on those members considered to be allies, to back up an American policy that might bring on a general war.

[lordroel]

Day 70 of the Korean War, September 2nd 1950

Land operations - Korean peninsula

2nd Battalion, 5th Marines moved to Yongsan and took up defensive positions. 9th RCT of 2nd Infantry cleared town of Yongsan.

Photo: Men of K Company, US 21st Infantry under mortar attack on Hill 99, 2 September 1950



North Korean drive stopped as UN forces took the offensive.

Naval operations - Korean peninsula

Desperate fighting continued along the perimeter although the North Korean advance started to grind to a halt. U.S. Navy air controllers went ashore to work with the U.S. Army Second Infantry Division to iron out the control problems. The Marine squadrons from Ashiya also got into the fight despite the long distance and bad weather. The TF-77 carriers contributed 127 strike sorties, while the Fifth Air Force in Japan and the Marine aircraft from Ashiya combined for another 201 sorties; this time 99 of the USN aircraft bombed under positive control; morning fog was the primary reason for those that didn’t receive positive control targets. The afternoon attacks by Essex-class aircraft carriers USS Valley Forge (CV-45) and USS Philippine Sea (CV-47).

[lordroel]

Day 71 of the Korean War, September 3rd 1950

YouTube (Destroy the Perimeter!)



Land operations - Korean peninsula

Marines fight due west of Yongsan in second Battle of Naktong River Bulge.

Photo: Men of the 9th Infantry Regiment man an M26 tank to await an enemy attempt to cross the Naktong River, 3 Sep 1950



Photo: Marine M26 Pershing tanks grind up heights along Naktong and give close support to Leathernecks driving enemy backward, 3 Sep 1950



Naval operations - Korean peninsula

Marine carrier-based planes rendered close support from Ashiya Air Force Base.

Task Force 77 withdrew its aircraft carriers from the Pusan area for replenishment at sea and movement north to strike communications targets, leaving all close air support responsibility with FEAF.

Colossus-class aircraft carrier HMS Triumph (R16) returns to Korean waters.

Naval operations - Korean peninsula (Operation Chromite)

As part of the upcoming Operation Chromite, the amphibious assault at Inchon, United States Navy Admiral Struble, commander of the Seventh Fleet issued JTF 7 Operational Plan 9-50. Marine aircraft from two escort carriers, naval aircraft from the Essex-class aircraft carriers USS Boxer (CV-21), and British aircraft from a light British carrier will provide as much support aircraft as can be concentrated in and over the landing area and will be controlled from the Mount McKinley class of amphibious force command ship USS Mount McKinley (AGC-7) who will act as flagship. An arc extending inland thirty miles from the landing site described the task force objective area. In order to carry out its various missions, Joint Task Force Seven organized its subordinate parts as follows:

TF 90: Attack Force, Rear Adm. James H. Doyle, USN

TF 92: X Corps, Maj. Gen. Edward M. Almond, USA

TF 99: Patrol & Reconnaissance Force, Rear Adm. G. R. Henderson, USN

TF 91: Blockade & Covering Force, Rear Adm. W. G. Andrews, R.N.

TF 77: Fast Carrier Force, Rear Adm. E. C. Ewen, USN

TF 79: Logistic Support Force, Capt. B. L. Austin, USN

TF 70.1: Flagship Group, Capt. E. L. Woodyard, USN

For the naval phases, the command post of Admiral Struble was on the Oregon City-class heavy cruiser USS Rochester (CA-124); that of Rear Admiral Doyle, second in command, was on the Mount McKinley class of amphibious force command ship USS Mount McKinley (AGC-7).

China

1st Premier of the People's Republic of China, Zhou Enlai sent word to the United Nations and the United States, by way of K. N. Panikkar (India's Ambassador to Beijing), that China would intervene in the Korean War if U.S. forces invaded North Korea.

[lordroel]

Day 72 of the Korean War, September 4th 1950

Land operations - Korean peninsula

Photo: Marine's M26 Pershing tanks in Korea, 4 Sep 1950



Air operations - Korean peninsula

F4U Corsair fighters of Fighter Squadron 53 (VF-53) operating from the Essex-class aircraft carrier USS Valley Forge (CV-45) shot down a Soviet Air Force A-20 Havoc bomber that had flown into the formation and opened fire on them. A US destroyer recovered the body of one of the crew members, who turned out to be a Soviet officer.

In the first H-5 helicopter rescue of a downed US pilot from behind enemy lines in Korea, at Hanggan-dong, United States Air Force, lieutenant Paul W. Van Boven saved United States Air Force, Captain Robert E. Wayne.

Three squadrons of C-119 Flying Boxcars arrived at Ashiya for use in the Korean War.

Naval operations - Korean peninsula

Gearing-class destroyer USS McKean (DD-784) sights and destroys four floating mines in the Yellow Sea southwest of the North Korean port of Chinnampo.

Japan

COMNAVFE ordered change of Fleet Base from Buckner Bay to Sasebo.

United Nations

The UN Commission on Korea, headed by an Indian diplomat, declares that “unification can be the only aim regarding Korea.”

[lordroel]

Day 73 of the Korean War, September 5th 1950

Land operations - Korean peninsula

The Battle of Yongsan ended in United Nations victory.

Marine Brigade relieved from front lines end moved to Pusan to embark for Inchon operation.

Air operations - Korean peninsula

Aircraft of the USAF's Far East Air Forces begin attacks on roads and bridges to isolate Kunsan.

Naval operations - Korean peninsula

Between Kunsan and the 38th parallel, aircraft from Colossus-class light fleet aircraft carrier HMS Triumph (R16) and Commencement Bay-class escort carrier (CVE-116) hit railroad bridges, rolling stock, and electrical transformer stations.

Bad weather precludes Task Force-77 (TF-77) strikes into North Korea. In addition, the North Koreans achieve some success at the eastern end of the Pusan Perimeter, breaking through ROK forces and threatening to take the port of Pohang (north of the much larger port at Pusan). This prompts more calls for urgent air support. The Commencement Bay-class escort carrier USS Sicily (CVE-118) was still in upkeep in Sasebo. Commencement Bay-class escort carrier USS Badoeng Strait (CVE-116) was underway, but typhoon conditions prevents her from launching aircraft. Once again, TF 77 sprints back to the southeast to assist. The North Korean drive toward Pohang is initially blunted by gunfire from heavy cruiser Baltimore-class heavy cruiser USS Toledo (CA-133) and Allen M. Sumner-class destroyer USS De Haven (DD-727) which break up a tank attack and destroyed artillery. De Haven also vectors 5th Air Force aircraft in to successful attacks on North Korean armor and troop concentrations.

Japan

Elements of lst Marine division (United States) arrived in Japan.