Korean War, The Chinese Offensive, 25 November 1950 - 25 January 1951

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On 25 November 1950, a day after United Nations and Republic of Korea forces began the offensive they expected would complete the unification of Korea, Communist China countered with a terrific, and very successful offensive of its own. Within a few days, the Chinese onslaught reversed the UN/ROK northward drive in central and western North Korea, devastating several South Korean divisions, badly tearing up the U.S. Second Division and forcing the rest of the UN command to rapidly withdraw southwards to escape destruction.

On 27 November, near eastern North Korea's Chosin Reservoir, the Chinese fell on the First Marine Division and a nearby U.S. Army task force, almost wiping out the latter and provoking a Marine response that ranks as one of history's greatest feats of arms. Over the following two weeks, the Marines battled their way to the port of Hungnam, from which they would be evacuated by sea. In their wake were the ruins of the opposing Chinese divisions, which suffered so many casualties from combat and the bitterly cold weather that they were out of action for months.

In the new year, a renewed enemy offensive captured Seoul and drove the UN/ROK armies into new defensive lines in central South Korea. With no prospect of significant reinforcement, facing what appeared to be a total commitment of China's almost inexhaustable manpower, and fearing Soviet air and naval involvement, it briefly seemed that the UN forces might have to evacuate Korea to avoid unacceptable threats to Japan and, perhaps, to Europe.

However, the UN still had complete control of the sea, which had just allowed rapid and thorough redeployment of troops and materiel from threatened positions in North Korea to reinforce the defenses in the South. Control of the sea allowed effective employment of ships' guns, greatly enhanced the effectiveness of air power and held open the prospect of another amphibious assault in the enemy's rear. Through the cruel wintery months of China's November 1950 - January 1951 offensive, Navy ships and Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps planes helped the UN/ROK armies cut through the enemy's ambushes, hammered his troops at and behind the front and badly eroded his supply lines.

By 25 January 1951, the Chinese and the reconstituted North Korean forces had been so badly depleted that a new UN offensive was possible. If the great Chinese offensive had shown the United States and its allies that there would be no easy victories in mainland Asia, their response gave the Communists a painfully expensive lesson in the vulnerability of their manpower-intensive armies to the vast mobile firepower of Western ground, air and naval forces.

  
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