Re: korean-war.com (off topic)

[robert guertin <wanaki@infionline.net>]

Don
Let's try to keep the facts straight.
The objective of the Communists was to unify Korea under communism
by force. After the initial attack by N.Korea, when the Korean peninsula
was all but over run by the NKPA, the defense of the Pusan Perimeter stalled
the North's drive. In early August, a meeting of Mao and his Generals resulted
in a decision to commit troops to aid N.Korea, and to designate those troops
as "Peoples Volunteers", which were to move with all haste to the areas
north of the Yalu, and await further order for deployment into N.Korea.
After the Inchon Landing, and the breakout from the Pusan Perimeter,
the UN Forces started their move further north, and the Chinese started
infiltrating their forces across the Yalu and into the Taebock Mountains
to wait for the opportunity to ambush and destroy maneuver elements once
they were over extended, thereby initiating an undeclared war against the
UN.
These tactics succeeded in forcing a retrogate by some of the UN Forces,
and a general retreat by the remainder, ultimately resulting in the loss
and recapture of Seoul by UN Forces, and finally, under the command of
General Ridgeway, a series of tactical moves consisting of fall backs and
counter attacks, until the Communists were bled white, and the Chinese
urged Malik, the Soviet member of the UN Security Council, to propose a
cessation of hostilities , and the convening of  negotiations towards
ending the war.
This was the Spring of 1951, and the Communists were essentially beaten,
and knew their only chance of escaping total defeat and loss of face was
to delay the UN advance by protracted talks while they reinforced and resupplied
their forces.
If the Communists have any claim to a Victory, achieving ther goal
of bogging down the UN in the so called "Peace Talks", was it.

Love Shack wrote:

Thanks...Glad I can help.

Dan

John C Cheek wrote:

 Concisely stated, Don.I'm saving your statement in my "Korean War" reference folder.John  On Fri, 22 Aug 2003 11:21:25 EDT <DGill11331@aol.com> writes:

In a message dated 8/22/2003 10:24:03 AM Eastern Daylight Time, Home@DanSources.com writes:
 
 

Victory is in the eye of the beholder.
So the Chinese are no different then we are.

In my eyes the UN won the first phase of the Korean War, but only against the North Koreans, i.e., the UN Forces drove the North Koreans out of South Korea, back across the 38th Parallel and almost to the Yalu River. The Chinese and North Koreans won the second phase of the war by driving the UN Forces out of North Korea from the Yalu south beyond Seoul and settling on the DMZ (approximately the 38th Parallel).  Militarily - who won or who lost the war? - looks like a draw to me.
Since the Chinese started at the Yalu and drove the UN out of North Korea and ended up at the DMZ I can understand their claim to a victory.
Don Gill

        Stay safe, buddy.
        J. Charles Cheek   (John)
        Author of "Stay Safe, Buddy"
        A Novel about Humor & Horror during the Korean War
        www.authorsden.com/jcharlescheek