The Korean war

renmin said:

That is very true, my opinion:I believe Mc Arthur wanted to attack mainland China for revenge after his stagering defeat, obviously, trumen disagreed with this not because this will spark a world war but the US is too far away and there really no efficient way to attack the PRC without being nailed, BUT, if the US and Sk had won, then I garantee you that the US would have built an military base and raid an envasion for mainland China.

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Yes, McArthur wanted to nuke China. But Truman did not want another WW and fired him.

if china had chosen to continue the plan on attacking taiwan, then there can be two outcomes: 1) taiwan would be taken back and there wouldn't be and crisis in the taiwan strait today, of course north korea might not exist either and US would have a military base right on the boarder. or 2) PLAN fails to sail across the strait completely and get totally destroyed by the ROC navy, as well as a US military base just outside the door. out of these two outcomes, the second one is more likely to happen since the PLAN didn't have that many ships and all their ships are crap compared to the ROC navy. plus Mao didn't have much experience in naval battles. (the strait is far more dangerous for PLAN than the Yangzi River).

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Mao asked Stalin's help for attacking Taiwan. But it was believed Stalin thought Korea was more urgent. And second, Stalin did not want a China that was friendly to the US. Even a China that was indifference to the US would mean uncertainty for USSR. The USSR and US were at the beginning of the Cold War. China would served as another pawn and counter balance to the US dominant. But Inevitably, China played well into USSR's plan. Also because of US was at the door step and the worried of US sentiment about communism at that time.

USSR was not willing to share its nuclear and other technologies w/ China and not providing assitance for unification of Taiwan. China's relationship w/USSR had gone sour after the Korean War.

From my understanding, MarCarther (hear me out) was correct military standpoint, the General Staff was preventing from having the USAAF from hotly pursueing enemy aircraft into Manchuria, prevented him from bombing airfields within Manchuria, and prevented him from bombing the bridges between NK and PRC, howver they said he could bomb the Korean half of the bridges, and MarAurther replied "throughout my 52 years of military service i have never learned how to bomb only half a bridge!"

The straw that broke the camels back was when MA disobeyed a direct order from the president and sent a message over the airwaves sayin that unless the Chinese Commander negotiated with him personally he would destory all his forces.

Truman from their had him relieved from Command.

So militarily, MacArthur was correct but politically he was suicidal since it ould've caused WWIII.

So what exactly composed the PLA units sent to aid the Koreans? I was just told that the PLA used Nationalist POW's as cannon fodder. Please correct this for me if my source is wrong.

Ender DO NOT DOUBLE POST, but since this thread has been dry for a long time, i'm going to forgive you this time, next time you'll get a warning

PVA never used nationalist POWs as cannon fodder, that's because at the time, when nationalist POWs surrendered, they immediately join the PLA ranks, and fight along with the communists. when you don't have food, it's fight for who ever gives you food, not much ideology involved, ideology only came later on.

I didn't double post that I am aware of, did I post the same thing twice? If not then well its been a long time since I posted last.

As for your info yes thats pretty much what I figured/knew just wanted to make sure since I haven't read in too much about the Korean war.

Double post doesn't mean you posted the same thing twice, that would be just as bad. Double posting means you have two continuous posts. go to page 4, and you'll see the last post is also your's.

The Korean war is totally a stupid war to start with. None of the country involved gained anything from the war. Only the casualties and the money wasted.

The PLA has long been characterized as having resorted to "Human Wave Tactics" in offensive operations. Given the relative scarcity of infantry heavy weapons, armour, and artillery in the PLA until more recent decades, the PLA was compelled to use infantry where much more mechanized armies could use machines and firepower instead. To many of those armies who fought the PLA, the battlefield tactics used would certainly appear to be little more than organized waves of lightly-armed and -equipped infantry, but this is illusory. What appeared to be "Human Waves" were in fact highly organized and tactically efficient battlefield formations used by well-trained infantry who knew what they were doing. If there was anything wrong with such tactics aside from their lack of armour and artillery support (which was a material impossibility anyway), it was that the PLA infantry, conscious of their superb training and discipline, considered their opponents to be inferior, leading to over-confidence and underestimation of their enemy.

That said, these two chapters on the PVA in the Korean Way are perhaps the best description that I have seen so far of how the PLA fought well into the 1970's, perhaps even into the 1980's. I fear that some of what the PLA is doing now in its modernization programme may lead to the loss or marginalization of some of the best of its infantry skills.



Scroll down to Research Surveys. You're looking for No. 6, "A Historical onPerspective on Light Infantry", by Major Scott R. McMichael, in PDF. Click and go to ch_2, pt_1 and ch_2, pt_2. Good read.

Great lilnks. I would recommend it to anyone.

That said, these two chapters on the PVA in the Korean Way are perhaps the best description that I have seen so far of how the PLA fought well into the 1970's, perhaps even into the 1980's. I fear that some of what the PLA is doing now in its modernization programme may lead to the loss or marginalization of some of the best of its infantry skills.

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Despite all the modernity and education, I think today's PLA soldier would have a tough time trying to match the mental, psychological and morale near inhuman toughness of the PVA soldier in the Korean war.

Long term social effect of "one child policy" may have created a nation of spoiled "little Emperors" as one puts it.

chinawhite said:

There are two ways of looking at the korean war. good and bad.

Good side.

*China entered the korean war helping north korea, and with that gained a ally.

*It thrusted china in the worlds third most powerful airforce with a very large portion of it the very modern Mig-15s.

*Gave confidence to the chinese nation which from 1842 had experienced year after year of humilation. It unifled all those forces in china which had not supported the communist.

*It gave america a great big scare and they didn't want to mess with chian in vietnam fearing another big blooding conflict.

*Forcing the americans to make their longest retreat in history

Bad side.

*For a country which was just created after 40+ years of civil war and suffered so much. To wage a war againest the worlds most powerful and richest country. It cost china many millions of doolars and labour which could have been used instead do improve chinas economy. And didn't need to pay the Soviet union with wheat during the Great leap foward.

*It pushed china closer to the soviet union(my opinion is that it was bad)

*Pushed china more away from america, Which china was planning on to get money from

*Lost taiwan Becuase their planned invasion wasn't workable with the american 7th fleet stationed there

*Made japan have a very quick recovery.

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From a Chinese perspective, I honestly wouldn't call North Korea a very reliable "ally", considering Kim Jong Il recently mentioned "three" party talks about the armistice. In fact, it was through the friendliness of the South Koreans that China might actually get to participate in the talks.
But they way I see it though, is that North Korea is the big reason that the Taiwan problems still exists today. The minute Mr. Kim invaded the South, the Americans realized the urgent need to stop communism advance.


Through all that China's given N. Korea, all the blood and toil, and all the money, food, fuels, etc., they honestly owe us alot. With the current way N. Korea is treating China, I really feel that we were betrayed.... is there anything we can do to screw them over, perhaps not strong enough to actually make them archenemies, but just to show them we're displeased?

sorry if I offended anyone, just that I really really don't like the recent moves in politics

A question regarding to the Chinese treatment of UN POW's, while Americans taled about wide spread maltreatment or even killings of UN POW's by the Chinese, the British seem to have a more positive view on it, it is rather weird given that was no evidence to suggest that the British and American prisoners were treated differently.

According to General Anthony Farrar-Hockley, who was captured by the Chinese at the battle of Imjin as a captain, claimed:

They were not unfriendly. That is to say they did not maltreat us. It never occurred to us, of course, that they would maltreat us – much less kill us. After all, this was the mid-twentieth century and we had every right to expect to be treated as human beings by troops of a nation constantly proclaiming its humanitarianism.

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While field marshal lord Carver stated:

The UN prisoners in Chinese hands, although subject to 're-education' processes of varying intensity...were certainly much better off in every way than any held by the Americans....

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sunchips said:

But they way I see it though, is that North Korea is the big reason that the Taiwan problems still exists today. The minute Mr. Kim invaded the South, the Americans realized the urgent need to stop communism advance.

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I could be wrong, but I was told that the Korean War prevented an invasion of Taiwan. Supposedly, the Chinese military was arming and getting prepared to invade Taiwan (with what boats to transport them to Taiwan, I don't know), but the Korean War being so close to China and with North Korea rapidly collapsing after MacArthur's Inchon Landing, China had no choice but to "delay" their invasion and focus instead on fighting off the US (and UN).

Little did they know that the "delay" has lasted over 50 years so far.

Can anyone else confirm this or was what I was told incorrect?