In a message dated 12/29/2002 6:24:12 PM Eastern Standard Time, wanaki@infi.net writes:Let me try one more time. My position was, and remains, that the NK army was better armed, with heavier maneuver ellements, and that the South Koreans were a lightly armed constabulary, poorly equipt to repell an invasion. When the Imugin came south the ROK's had nothing capable of stopping armor, only trainers for aircraft, and little arty. other than mortars. The US was leary of Rhee, because he expressed his desire to unify the country by force if necessary, and thought it prudent to limit the arms available to his ROK's. No argument with that. The point you had brought up was that Stalin had given them first rate weaponry to carry out his nefarious schemes which was not true. ROK and Russian experts concur the KPAF were around 200,000 in June 1950 -- twice the size of the ROKA -- and equipped with a nominal offensive capability which was magnified by the minimal equipment held by the ROKA. The US concept had been to ensure that Rhee would not invade the North by ensuring that he would not have the ability to do so. That they did, but apparently it didn't dawn on some people that the North would do just that to the South. Again, neither the USSR or PRC wanted to get sucked into a war in Korea, as both of them thought Kim to be a devious maniac and likely to suck them into a ruinuous world war. He nearly did. Cookie Sewell AMPS |