Mate, you make it sound like as if there was a digital mail service in 1950 to ensure that the US was fully aware of Chinese intent in the Korean War. The link that you shared with me in
post # 33 suggests otherwise and I shed light on it in
post # 35.
Yes, China certainly showed to the world at large that it was a battle-hardened and capable force in the Korean War. I never disputed this fact in my posts but I do not agree with the Chinese overhype of the American threat in the Korean War that I see in this forum. Yes, China defeated US-led forces in the
Battle of Chosin Reservoir to liberate North Korea but your view ignores the fact that the US wasn't prepared to fight a war with China in North Korea, the American military juggernaut that was witnessed in World War 2 was not found in the Korean War. Chinese military officers also noticed the obvious:
View attachment 61893
That is not surprising because the US did not plan and start the Korean War to begin with; North Korea invaded South Korea with support of Soviet Union in 1950.
The US had significantly reduced the size of its army in the late 1940s and it was also lacking in useful equipment consequently:
The United States Army had fought well in World War II and succeeded in simultaneously defeating two competent and determined enemies on separate fronts. After World War II, however, the Army underwent tremendous change and upheaval. Task Force Smith represented a vastly different Army from the Army of 1945. First and foremost, the Army was a significantly smaller force in 1950, only seven percent of its size in 1945. Yet it also represented the largest peacetime Army ever fielded up to that point, and benefited from the largest peacetime budgets ever. The Army had changed as well in another crucial aspect: It was the first conscripted peacetime force in U.S. history.
(Epley, 1999)
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Although there were more modern weapons developed and fielded in the latter stages of World War II, they were not produced or bought in mass quantities. As a result, for example, most armor units remained equipped with the M4 Sherman tank rather than the newer M26. In fact, production of M26 tanks had ceased in 1946. General Eisenhower noted in 1948 that the current supply of modern weapons procured at the close of World War II “was not enough for training and equipping the Army and its civilian components.”
(Epley, 1999)
Now that is not to say that the US was useless in the Korean War. US-led forces managed to liberate South Korea from North Korea with impressive tactics and were capable of regime change in North Korea in theory but China saved North Korea. China-led forces also overran northern areas of South Korea all the way to the so-called 37th parallel but US-led forces regrouped in Pusan and managed to liberate entire South Korea from a more powerful communist force. However, President Truman was not interested in expanding the war further and concluded it at the 38th parallel in 1953. In the end, the US achieved its primary objective in the Korean War and South Korea stands tall in modern times. But to be fair, China has its own claim to fame in the Korean War with preservation of North Korea. So both the US and China have something to boast about in the Korean War. I give credit to both sides where due.
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In late September, the triumphant UN forces under General Douglas McArthur's seemingly invincible command crossed the 38th parallel. While the UN troops were marching toward the Yalu River, Washington's intelligence analysts insisted that the People's Republic of China (PRC) would not intervene, and their prediction continued to hold even after some Chinese prisoners of war (POWs) had been caught. Given China's war-torn economy and the weakness of the military of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) analysts were convinced Beijing had no reason to involve itself in the Korean conflict. There is little wonder why the Americans were so surprised when massive Chinese Communist forces with Soviet air cover emerged in front of them, pushing them back south of the 38th parallel. "It's an entirely new war," a war for which McArthur and other American policy makers and analysts failed to prepare themselves.
Could the US do much better in the Korean War with a well-planned campaign and preparation for this conflict in advance? Absolutely. But the Americans were not expecting a major conflict in this region and did not prepare for it. The Americans were rather caught off-guard in this conflict.
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I am trying to understand the Chinese political view of the Korean War but it seems to be extreme. There are so many articles to cite in relation.
It may be “the forgotten war” in the U.S., but the Korean War is far from forgotten in China.
thediplomat.com
Discover this intricate complexity of reasons, decisions, and outcomes in a historical overview of China's crucial contribution to the Korean War.
bestdiplomats.org
Jun Yasuda, A Survey: China and the Korean War, Social Science Japan Journal, Vol. 1, No. 1 (Apr., 1998), pp. 71-83
www.jstor.org
The less is said about it the better.
I don't think "half heartedly" explains it because it was a significant military push from China and many battles were fought in the region and many Chinese troops lost their lives in these clashes. An army needs impressive logistics capability to advance deep inside enemy territory but it will not be possible to cut through US-led forces in every region subject to its strength and composition that might vary from region to region. It was quiet a show of force from China at the time and everything to be proud of from the Chinese standpoint, but there was a limit to what China could do in the region. The US knows well enough how to cripple logistics capability of an advancing force and it has a terrifying air power that can be used to level entire countries. You think that destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki was impressive? You need to check photos of the much larger Tokyo in 1945.
Here’s a closer look at the 1950-53 Korean war, the first “hot” war of the Cold War.
multimedia.scmp.com
