Operation Chromite

Abstract In this essay, we discuss the Battle of Inchon, also known as Operation Chromite.

This battle was a pivotal part of the Korean War, because winning it was necessary if the United Nations wanted the ability to land troops and recapture South Korea.  After reading this article, you will have a better idea of how the Battle of Inchon helped change the direction of the war.  It will start with an overview of the Korean War, before delving specifically into the Battle, itself.  In addition to providing historical information about the Korean War and the Battle of Inchon, this article can also be used as a template for a properly written academic essay.  The article will be written in a modified essay structure, and you will find: an introduction, a hook a thesis statement, a structured body with evidence and analysis of the evidence, a conclusion, and a reference section.  The article with use sources, and each source used will be properly cited within the body of the essay and listed correctly in a references/ work cited/ bibliography section.  Therefore, the essay serves two purposes: informing you about the topic and providing an example for an academic essay.   The Real Life Story of Operation Chromite The Battle of Inchon Amphibious Battles in the Korean War General MacArthur’s Ingenious Plan to Win the Korean War Outline I.

Introduction II. Body A. Factors that led to the Korean War B. The Cold War C. Overview of the Korean War D. The Battle of Inchon E. Results of the Battle of Inchon III.

Conclusion  Introduction Although the Korean War does not get as modern day press coverage as the Great War (World War II) or the highly controversial Vietnam War, it played an important role, not only in American military history, but also in helping shape the face of modern global politics.  The Korean War was one of a number of Cold War era conflicts, in which the United States, along with several allies, attempted to stop the spread of communism around the globe.  The spread of communism was an effort spearheaded by the Soviet Union and its allies.  The Korean War, like many of these other conflicts, was, in many ways, a proxy war.  The United States and the Soviet Union were hesitant to attack one another or start a major conflict between the countries.  Therefore, instead of directly attacking one another, they played major roles in wars that were fought in other countries.  While this had a devastating impact on the people of those countries, and minimized civilian casualties in the United States and the U.S.S.R., it did not eliminate harm for Americans.  On the contrary, the majority of United Nations and other troops that went to fight for the side of the United States in these proxy wars came from the United States.  Many of the military leaders in these conflicts were also American, such as General Douglas MacArthur, the five-star American general who led U.S.

troops in the Pacific theater in World War II and later led troops in the Korean War.  This led to the United States having a significant amount of influence over the events of the war.  This influence became very important in September of 1950, when the United Nations Command needed to recapture the South Korean capital of Seoul.  To do this, they had to be able to land troops on the ground, which required first winning an amphibious battle against the Korean People’s Army.  The amphibious battle and the resulting landing of ground troops are collectively referred to as the Battle of Inchon, and also by the name Operation Chromite.     Essay Hook Without a successful resolution in favor of United Nations Command in Operation Chromite, it is unlikely that the UNC would have recaptured Seoul in 1950, which may have impacted the outcome of the Korean War.    Thesis Statement As a result, it is clear that the Battle of Inchon was one of the most important battles in the entire Korean War.   Body Factors that Led to the Korean War In order to understand the Korean War, one must first have a broader understanding of the global geo-political landscape at the time of that war.  While the United States and the Soviet Union were allies in World War II, the two super powers were very far apart ideologically.  The United States was built on a principle of capitalism, which meant individual control of resources and the means of production, with most people being workers who were paid for their work.  The Soviet Union, which was created as the result of a social revolution, rejected the principles of capitalism, in favor of communism.  Communism is a political system that rejects the idea of private ownership, and believes that workers should be paid, not only on the basis of the work that they provide, but also based on individual need.  In the time period following World War II, both the United States and the Soviet Union were intent on spreading their competing ideologies around the globe.  This conflict between the two superpowers is referred to as the Cold War.  However, the Cold War alone did not make the Korean War possible.  Instead, one must look at how the Allies split control of Axis territories following World War II.  The United States and the Soviet Union were already very concerned about either superpower gaining too much territory in any part of the United States.  Therefore, in the countries that the Allied powers felt required a continuous military presence or foreign control after the end of World War II, there was an attempt to balance who was in control of those countries.  This was true for much of the Pacific theater because of Japan’s role as an Axis power in World War II.  One of the impacted countries was Korea, which had been part of the Japanese empire since the beginning of the 20th century.  The decision was made to divide the Korean peninsula in half along the 38th parallel; the Soviet Union would occupy the area north of the 38th parallel, and the United States would occupy the area south of the 38th parallel (History Editors, 2019).  These areas became known as North Korea and South Korea, respectively.   While the United States and the Soviet Union each occupied part of Korea, it is inaccurate to say that they governed Korea.  Instead, by the end of the 1940s, each part of the country had developed into its own semi-autonomous state.  South Korea was headed by the dictator Syngman Rhee, who was supported by the American Government.  North Korea was headed by a dictator as well, Kim Il Sung, and supported by the Soviet Union.  While both leaders were dictators, they had ideological differences; Syngman Rhee was anti-communist, while Kim Il Sung was communist.  In addition, neither of these dictators was content with the 38th parallel division that had been established at the conclusion of World War II; before the start of formal hostilities between the two states, there were a number of border skirmishes that resulted in the deaths of almost 10,000 soldiers from North and South Korea.  The Cold War Although neither the United States nor the Soviet Union exercised control over their respective occupied areas of Korea, they certainly exercised influence in the area.  This is an important detail, because Korea would become the site of a proxy battle in the long dispute that is frequently referred to as the Cold War.  Generically, the term cold war refers to a dispute between countries that includes things like threats or propaganda, but stops short of open warfare.  This term is most commonly used to refer to the dispute between the United States and other Western Countries and the Soviet Union and its allies in the period of time following World War II up until 1990.   “Though the parties were technically at peace, the period was characterized by an aggressive arms race, proxy wars, and ideological bids for world dominance” (Blakemore, 2019).   The ideological difference was significant, not just because of the differences in capitalism and communism, but also because of what it meant in terms of intervention in global politics.  In the period leading up to World War II, the United States had been isolationist and did not actually enter into the war until after Japan bombed the U.S.

fleet stationed in Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.  In contrast, after World War II, the United States took an active role, globally, with the goal of preventing the spread of communism around the globe.  Likewise, the Soviet Union took an active role in global politics, but with the opposite goal of helping foster and support communist governments around the globe.   At times, a war between the two superpowers seemed inevitable, an issue that was complicated by the fact that both countries had mastered nuclear weapons in the 1940s and 1950s.  It seemed logical that the winner of any future military dispute would be the power with the deadliest weapons.  This lead to the arms race, which involved the United States and the Soviet Union both investing significant resources in their military programs and armies.  In addition, the space programs of both countries were seen as playing potentially pivotal roles in any potential disputes, so the arms race turned to the space race.  In addition, whether as a means of testing out their military prowess or as a way of preventing a war in either country, the United States and the Soviet Union had multiple proxy wars.  The first of those wars was the Korean War, which was followed most notably by the Vietnam War, and then several other conflicts throughout the world, including conflicts in Central America, Africa, the Middle East, and other parts of Asia.  Overview of the Korean War Although the Cold War and regional boundary skirmishes between the dictators of North and South Korea may explain why the Korean War occurred, they do not describe how or why skirmishes escalated into an actual war.  On June 25, 1950, North Korea invaded South Korea.

North Korea’s goal was to reunite the two countries all under a single communist dictatorship.

Although the two countries had been involved in a series of skirmishes, this invasion came as a surprise to the United States and its allies, in part because the goal of reunification seemed much broader than earlier disputes about the borders.  The United States did not respond to the issue like a border dispute or even an independent conflict between two nations; instead, it saw North Korea’s invasion of South Korea as the first step in global communist expansion.       The National Security Council had already determined that nonintervention would not be an option if there was a perceived communist expansion; instead, the United States determined it would use military force to contain communist expansionism anywhere it occurred, even in lands of no strategic or economic value to the United States (History.com Editors, 2019).  The idea was that the struggle in Korea was symbolic of the greater idealistic struggle between communism and capitalism.   Initially, the United States and its Allies fought primarily a defensive war, with the goal of keeping North Korea out of South Korea.  Unfortunately, there was a substantive difference between North Korea and South Korea; North Korea had been preparing for war before it launched its offensive.  The North Korean army was not only well-trained, but also very well-equipped.  In addition, American troops that were sent to bolster South Korean forces were unprepared for the landscape they faced in North Korea, and, because of tropical diseases and diseases spread by waste, they were plagued by illnesses.  Furthermore, within a matter of months, the Allied goal for the war changed.  Instead of simply repelling the North Koreans to keep South Korea free, the Allies decided that their goal would be to free North Korea from communist rule.  The Battle of Inchon was one of several military successes in this new campaign to free North Korea.   The Battle of Inchon Protracted war with a difficult supply chain made it unlikely that South Korea and its Allies would be able to repel North Korean forces, much less free North Korea from communists.  General MacArthur decided that the best way to attack the North Koreans would be through an amphibious assault that combined attacks by both the Marines and the Army.  He began planning this type of attack in the early days of the war, but had problems getting permission for a joint operation.  In addition to dealing with red-tape, MacArthur also had to deal with the local geography, since the tides would impact the success of the mission.  In addition to the tides, there were concerns that the mudbanks would hinder an approach and that an amphibious assault in an urban area would lead to unnecessary civilian casualties.   MacArthur commenced planning the mission, even before getting an official greenlight.  As soon as it seemed like the mission might be possible, MacArthur began to deal with the challenge of getting enough capable soldiers to handle the invasion.  The Army’s 7th Infantry Division and the X Corps received emergency training for the mission, while the Marines that would participate did not have opportunities for special training.  This was of particular concern, since the total number of Marines, worldwide, was low enough to make it difficult to get a division together for the invasion of Inchon.  MacArthur requested a Marine regimental combat team, landing craft operators, and an engineer amphibious special brigade (Dorschner, 2006).  Fortunately, many of the Army combat replacements that were diverted to Korea in response to MacArthur’s requests were highly trained, with many of them having Pacific combat experience during World War II.

In addition to Army and Marine forces, the operation required the participation of the Navy.  The success of the plan depended on the use of amphibious vessels, and, while the Navy had a sufficient number of them to carry out the attack, most of them had been inactive since the end of World War II.  The Navy hastily pressed them into service, calling up Navy reservists, using civilian sailors, and using Japanese sailors on the ships.   However, even once it was clear that MacArthur could pull together the forces and equipment he needed for the invasion, the Navy commander, the Marine commander, and even President Truman expressed concerns that the invasion would not be successful.  They wanted MacArthur to stage a similar invasion, but at a different location where the conditions were more favorable.  MacArthur refused to waiver, and eventually got the support of the other commanders.  MacArthur named the project operation Chromite, and eventually got permission to execute the plan.   The invasion fleet prepared to hit the Inchon landing site, but disguised their maneuvers by having the battleship the USS Missouri attack other invasion sites.  On September 15, 1950, the Marines assaulted the island of Wolmi-do, which was considered a preliminary objective in attacking Inchon (Dorschner, 2006).  Once the island was secure, the troops had to wait until later that day, when the tides were high, to attack Inchon.   It began with the Marines assaulting the sea wall, and within hours they had taken Cemetery Hill and Observation Hill, two high points that had been identified as mission critical.  By the end of the following day, the Marines were in control of the Seoul highway, which gave them critical control of supplies and troop movement.  Within two days, Seoul had been liberated and the invading forces were able to linkup with the Eighth Army, which had taken a land-bound route to the same location.  This was considered the end of Operation Chromite, and.