Korea -- 50 years ago this week, March 1-7

[Mike Davino <mdavino@yahoo.com>]

Korea -- 50 years ago this week, March 1-7 
Lack of supplies stalls next offensive operation 

by Jim Caldwell 


WASHINGTON (Army News Service Feb. 26, 2001) -- Fifty
years ago this week in Korea, Lt. Gen. Matthew
Ridgway, Eighth Army commander, published orders for
"Operation Ripper," but set no starting date. One of
the reasons for not picking a date was the time it
took for his forces on the Arizona line to build up
five days worth of supplies. 

There were no stockpiles near the front in February
because of the fear they would have to be destroyed or
be abandoned to the communists. Then the rain at the
end of the month washed out roads and made moving
supplies much more difficult. 

The strategy behind Operation Ripper was to carry on
the effort to destroy enemy soldiers and equipment
while minimizing United Nation losses. Taking and
holding new ground was not one of Ripper's goals. 

"Terrain is merely an instrument ... for the
accomplishment of the mission here," Ridgway said. 

Ripper's objective was to establish the Idaho line.
The line began on the Han River eight miles east of
Seoul, rose through the eastern part of I Corps' area,
up to a few miles of the 38th Parallel in IX Corps'
zone and down again through X Corps and ROK corps'
areas to Hapyong-dong on the east coast. 


March 1, 1951 -- President Truman asks Congress for a
$1.7 billion supplemental appropriation of which $1
billion would be used as borrowing authority to speed
up defense production. A civil defense program would
be constructed with $403 million. 


March 1-4 -- The Eighth Army faces the North Korean
People's Army I Corps and Chinese 50th Army in the
western zone; three Chinese armies in the central
front; and three NKPA corps to the east. 

There are reports that the Chinese plan a March
offensive. Ridgway's intelligence experts believe a
new offensive won't be possible until several weeks
later. Some large enemy forces have withdrawn from the
south and others from Manchuria are approaching or on
the 38th Parallel. That's still close enough that they
could enter the coming fray too quickly. 

At Ridgway's request, the Navy stages several mock
invasion preparations, shelling "landing areas" on
both coasts, and moving "troops" back and forth. These
drills are meant to hold enemy units above the
parallel in place. 

Ridgway knows that Gen. MacArthur wants to retake
Seoul, and has made plans to do it. But he is trying
to avoid assaulting the city. By taking high ground
north of the city, he hopes it will pose enough of a
threat that enemy forces choose to withdraw rather
than risk being surrounded and pinned in the city. 


March 2 -- Ambassador-at-large Philip C. Jessup, head
of the American team at the Big Four Deputy Foreign
Ministers meeting to begin March 4 in Paris, said the
team will be wary of Soviet strategy at the
conference. "We are from Missouri," he said, and will
not be fooled by Soviet attempts to deflect the talks
from "the things that are really causing all the
tension." 


March 3 -- A regiment of the ROK Capital Division is
ambushed near Soksa-ri by a regiment of the NKPA 2nd
Division. Cut off north and south, the South Korean
regiment loses nearly 1,000 soldiers -- 59 killed, 119
wounded and 802 missing -- before survivors escape
back to Kangnung. 

The U.S. contingent to the Big Four talks in Paris
proposes that Russia accept an idea it vetoed in 1949
that would let the UN track troop strength and
"non-atomic" weapons stockpiles in member countries. 


March 5 -- All Eighth Army units report they have
enough supplies for Operation Ripper. 


March 5-6 -- Truman asks Congress to immediately give
Voice of America the $97.5 million planned for fiscal
1952-53. The money is needed to complete building
radio transmitters that would beam American propaganda
into the Soviet Union. The next day, the State
Department says that Russia is helping communist China
to jam VoA broadcasts. Czechoslovakia police said on
March 3 there is a crackdown on listening to the
Voice, and Hungary says it is building stronger
jammers. 


March 5-7 -- Although the American, British and French
delegate try to discuss a broad range of issues,
Soviet Ambassador Andrei Gromyko wants to make arming
West Germany an issue and calls it a violation of past
agreements. He accuses the West of rearming West
Germany while falsely claiming "peaceful intentions." 

Jessup says Gromyko violated conference rules by
releasing a copy of his formal statement to the Soviet
press. The agreement was made to hold all comments on
the Big Four meeting to prevent turning the conference
into a propaganda event. 


March 6 -- Ridgway briefs war correspondents himself
to ensure they receive his viewpoint on Operation
Ripper. The briefing is contingent upon the reporters
waiting 48 hours before they write about the
operation. 

He also sends a message to Gen. Douglas MacArthur,
commander of U.N. forces in Korea, about the operation
and repeats his request that MacArthur not make one of
his well-publicized visits to Korea as he has done in
the past when a major offensive has kicked off.
Ridgway fears the communists will figure out he's
there for a new U.N. operation. 

Ridgway orders Ripper to begin early March 7. 


March 7 -- Despite Ridgway's request, MacArthur lands
at Suwon's airfield several hours after the first
assaults are underway. 

After watching field inspections in the IX Corps zone,
MacArthur holds a press conference. He talks about the
U.S. decision to not provide him with more troops and
keeping U.N. forces from going past the 38th Parallel.
"The battle lines cannot fail in time to reach a point
of theoretical stalemate," he says. 

The remarks are seen as an objection to U.S. policy.
And a stalemate is exactly what the government wants
to help arrange a political settlement to the war. 

Ridgway is disturbed by MacArthur's comments. He
thinks the morale of his troops will suffer if the
general says they are essentially marking time. 




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