Korea June 25th 1950 North Korea Invades South Korea.
June 25th 1950, North Korean tanks and troops rolled across the 38th parallel into South Korea. Thus the start of the Korean War that lasted until July 27th, 1953.
The U.S. and South Korea were unprepared for the attack and the first months of the war, Seoul has taken by the North Koreans, the Korean Army was crushed and the U.S. was pushed to the south end of Korea. Next stop the ocean. The Pusan Perimeter was where the US forces held.
The break out from Pusan the US military and allies pushed the North Koreans back...In October of 1950 the US and UN troops reached the Yalu River, the border between North Korea and China. China had made it clear that if US/UN troops approached the border that China would enter the war. It was good on it's word and the US was once again unprepared for the onslaught of Chinese troops, driving the US/UN troops back to South Korea.
The war raged on for another two plus years.
Often called the ''Forgotten War'' the cost was very high.
American casualties
36,574 KIA
103,284 WIA
7,961 MIA
4,714 POW
The loses by of the North Koreans, South Koreans and Chinese were much higher.
2.5 million civilians were killed.
Both North and South Korea were a wasteland when the war ended.
Today all armies are much larger, better armed, nuclear and the Russia, China, US are all major players once again. The devastation, if war breaks out again, will be much greater than the first time.
I was 10 years old when the war started and 13 when it ended. I well remember my two uncles coming home. One was with the 2nd Infantry Division, the other with the 187th Regimental Combat Team (Airborne). They rarely spoke of the war, but what little they did I understood just how brutal it was.
Link to an overview of the war. Well worth reading. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Korean_War
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Will we see this all over again?
Let us hope not.
Unfortunately Pence was in Australia the other day with more ignorant saber rattling talk. Kim Jung Un is like a crazy child. He is convinced that the U.S. plans on invading North Korea. Absolutely positive of it and thinks that's why he needs nuclear weapons. Now China, who does NOT want another war in Korea at all, is talking to him and trying to calm this child with the big bombs down. However what keeps happening is that Trump, Pence and Tillerson keep sayng some incredibly threatening and at this point in time STUPID things to say that just goad him on! They either need to shut their fucking mouths about saying that they will take care of North Korea and let the Chinese handle it or they must publicly admit that a war with North Korea is EXACTLY WHAT THEY ARE TRYING TO START! That they are purposefully goading Kim Jung Un into a war! That they want him to launch one! Because if we do have anther war with North Korea, this one is going to be completely the fault of the Three Stooges Trump, Pence and Tillerson because of their big fucking mouths!! The blood of all who die especially our American troops stationed there, will be on their hands and their hand alone!
Jong Un warned Australia yesterday...He's sable rattling every day now.
The devastation that the Korean War caused was tremendous. If we end up going to war again the damage will be much greater.
Hopefully this can be settled without war.
It's interesting to see the major players are the same as they were in 1950.
Beside rattling is sable he is really rattling his saber or even his sabre.
Well, at least he's not "stable" rattling. That would be really heavy!
We have to find a way to avoid a war in Korea and as far as I can see only China can prevent it. Chest thumping and threats from either side is not only counterproductive it is extremely dangerous. You are right, a war there this time would be far worse then the one on the 1050's. The casualties would certainly be dozens of times higher then the last time. The carnage would be sickening. It would be terrible because even now, it is still preventable. A war there would be completely unnecessary, wasteful and useless, not that that has stopped us before. If the people who are supposed to be trying to avoid the war, would just shut the hell up! Unless of course, they really DO want war and I suspect that there are several, from the top down, in the current US administration who are very, very hungry for it.
The crisis is heading towards a breaking point. I can only hope that China can stop NK..It seems like the best bet now.