Inchon Landing (1950)

Amphibious invasion of the South Korean city of Inchon by United Nations (UN) forces on September 15, 1950. The Inchon landing was intended to cut North Korean lines of supply and retreat and relieve the pressure on beleaguered South Korean forces in the city of Pusan. The operation was led by U.S. General Douglas MacArthur and conducted primarily by U.S. Marines. This daring assault on a target with difficult tides and high seawalls is considered one of the most successful amphibious landings in military history.

Historical Background

At the end of World War II, the Korean peninsula was divided at the 38th parallel between a communist, Soviet-controlled North Korea and a capitalist, yet impoverished and poorly defended, South Korea. United States allies, including South Korea, were at the time under the protective security umbrella of the United States. In a January 1950 speech, however, U.S. Secretary of State Dean Acheson excluded South Korea from this defensive perimeter.

Acheson's announcement served as a green light to North Korean leader Kim Il Sung, who was intent on reuniting the Korean peninsula under communist domination. On June 25, 1950, the North Korean People's Army stormed across the 38th parallel and overwhelmed the poorly equipped South Korean forces. United States troops in occupied Japan were quickly rushed to South Korea to stem the invasion. The North Korean army, however, pushed both South Korean and U.S. forces back to a defensive perimeter around the city of Pusan.

Less than a week after the North Korean attack, General Douglas MacArthur began planning an amphibious assault to retake Seoul, the capital of South Korea. United States Marine amphibious units, under the command of Army Major General Edward Almond, would spearhead the landing, supported by some South Korean and other international forces under the auspices of the United Nations. Clandestine scouting of the initial landing site was followed by naval and air bombardment two days before the September 15 invasion date.

The Invasion

On September 13, 1950, U.S. Navy cruisers and destroyers opened fire on North Korean targets in [Page 352]Inchon Harbor, accompanied by aerial bombardment from four aircraft carriers. Two days later, elements of the U.S. Fifth Marine Regiment landed at 5:00 a.m. and inflicted heavy casualties on the enemy. The remaining troops of the Fifth Marines landed with the afternoon high tides. At the same time, the U.S. First Marine Regiment landed on its assigned beach with relatively few casualties.

By September 19, the Port of Inchon was firmly under the control of UN forces, which inflicted heavy losses on retreating North Korean troops. Seoul was captured eight days later. The Inchon landing shifted momentum in the war to UN forces, who immediately began a massive counterattack against the North Koreans. Led by U.S. units, UN troops drove the North Koreans back to the Yalu River, which forms the northwestern boundary between North Korea and China.

Aftermath

The rapid collapse of the North Korean army alarmed the Chinese, who feared it might lead to a U.S. invasion of China. As the UN troops arrived at the Yalu River, communist Chinese forces prepared to meet them. On October 19, Chinese troops swarmed across the river, sending the UN forces into their own headlong retreat. The Korean peninsula would witness two and a half more years of bloody seesaw fighting before the signing of a cease-fire between the combatants ended the conflict on July 27, 1953.

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