Operation Big Switch
https://youtu.be/rASI56nNQPo In August 1953, the UN Command (UNC) released 70,183 North Koreans and 5,640 Chinese prisoners. The Chinese People's Volunteer Army (PVA) and (North) Korean People's Army (KPA) repatriated 7,862 South Korean, 3,597 American, 945 British,...
Chinese Treatment of Prisoners of War
The issue of Chinese treatment of UN prisoners of war is controversial. Cold war attitudes were often reflected in early reports which had limited actual data. On occasion, the Chinese People's Liberation Army was reported to provide emergency medical treatment for...
United Nations Forces in the Korean War
https://youtu.be/LYE0nfqnqc0 Sixteen UN nations supplied fighting units and five sent military hospitals and field ambulances. Australia was one of the very first to contribute military personnel from all three services. The single largest UN contributor was the...
Korean War Armistice Talks Begin
https://youtu.be/Znm5Xf7Xrlw In July 1951, peace talks began between the U.N. and North Korea in the village of Kaesong (later moved to nearby Panmunjon), just north of the future Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). The desire to secure more territory and unresolved...
Chinese PLA and UN Forces Ping-Pong Back & Forth
https://youtu.be/ygEm0sIZF8M May 16, 1951 - Chinese Communist Forces launch a second offensive in Korea and gain up to 20 miles of territory. May 21, 1951 - The U.S. Eighth Army counterattacks to drive the Communist Chinese and North Koreans out of South Korea....
Operation Ripper – Fourth Battle of Seoul
https://youtu.be/FV-uy5rXDCk With the UN Operation Ripper in March 1951, Seoul changed hands for the 4th time. Following the 8-day, late February offensive of Operation Killer that pushed PVA/KPA forces north of the Han River, Operation Ripper was intended...
UN Forces Launch Major Counter-Offensive
https://youtu.be/hnlFxo3vUGA On January 25, 1950, after a series of cautious reconnaissance advances, the U.S. 8th Army, under the command of Gen Matthew Ridgway, initiated Operation Thunderbolt, a major attack against Chinese and North Korean forces near the Han...
General Mathew Ridgway assumes command of 8th Army
https://youtu.be/wJG4fI6e7bE After General Walton "Johnnie" Walker, the commander of the US 8th Army in Korea, died in a jeep accident in December 1950, he was replaced by General Matthew Ridgway. General Ridgway was a seasoned veteran of WWII where he commanded the...
1950 ~ Cold War Turns Hot in Korea
https://youtu.be/JWe1c58cR94 In the summer of 1950 the Soviet-equipped North Korean People's army (NKPA) steamrollered over the 38th parallel into South Korea. Overwhelming South Korean and American forces the NKPA advanced rapidly south to the Busan perimeter where...
December 1950 Third Battle of Seoul
https://youtu.be/hnlFxo3vUGA On December 31, 1950 a force of 170,000 Chinese forces, augmented with North Korean troops, crossed the frozen Han River to attack Seoul. General Douglas MacArthur, anticipating that UN forces wouldn't be able to stop the Chinese advance,...
Battle of the Ch’ongch’on River
https://youtu.be/F8UGXcSItC0 Along the Ch'ongch'on River On November 25, 1950, the Chinese 13th Army launched a series of surprise attacks along the Ch’ongch’on River Valley, decimating the U.S. 8th Army’s right flank while allowing Chinese forces to move rapidly...
U.N. Forces Evacuate from Hungnam North Korea
https://youtu.be/VPUVcOiYodM Despite the rousing background music of the Battle Hymn of the Republic on this video, the harrowing retreat from the Chosin Reservoir debacle to the coast at Hungnam was desperate and dispiriting for US Marines and Infantry. Encyclopædia...
Chosin Reservoir
https://youtu.be/JOxvHkBpYX8 For Americans, the tragic battle at the Chosin (Changjin) Reservoir in late November 1950 might be compared to Custer's last stand. For the victorious Chinese Communists it was a Pyrrhic victory with heavy losses. In the initial phases of...
US Army Reaches Yalu River
On November 13, 1950 US Navy carrier planes destroyed ~85% of the military camp at Hyesanjin. on the Yalu River between North Korea and China. Yalu River - Wikipedia On November 21, 1950 US Army 7th Division elements of X Corps occupied Hyesanjin and surrounding...
Pyongyang Captured
https://youtu.be/ad9GhwKeNpI In October 1950 ROK and U.N. forces captured Pyongyang after the main forces of the (North) Korean People's Army had withdrawn to Kanggye. Source: Wikipedia With a rumor circulating that Pyongyang was their final objective in the war,...
Seoul Recaptured
In late September 1950, after the Inchon landing, United Nations forces advanced slowly on Seoul against heavy, North Korean resistance. The North Korean Peoples Army, attempting to stall the UN offensive long enough to reinforce Seoul and withdraw troops from the...
Inchon Landing
On September 15, 1950 U.S. Marines made a surprise amphibious landing at the strategic port of Incheon (formerly romanized as Inchŏn) on the west coast of Korea, about 100 miles south of the 38th parallel and 25 miles from Seoul. Although many among the U.S....
Pusan Perimeter
Timetoast.com By September 1950 the North Korean Peoples Army (KPA) reached their farthest point of advance in South Korea. Although the KPA strength had been nearly cut in half and it lacked sufficient armor and supplies, the North Koreans reduced the area under...
Korean War ~ Summer 1950
Well-trained and equipped, the North Korean People's Army swept rapidly south in the first phase of the Korean war. In contrast, the South's Republic of Korea forces were often disorganized and inclined to flee the battle field. July 5, 1950The first U.S. Marines -...