The forgotten war of 1950-1953.

This war is called "forgotten." In our country, nothing was written or spoken about it until the collapse of the USSR. Our compatriots who participated in this war (pilots, anti-aircraft gunners, searchlight operators, military advisers, and other specialists) signed statements pledging their silence. In the West, many documents remain classified as well; information is clearly insufficient, and historians constantly debate the events of that war.

There are several reasons for this silence. The most important is that the war is still not over. Formally, it continues; only a ceasefire has been signed, but even that is periodically violated. A peace treaty has yet to be signed, and the border between the two Korean states is one of the most fortified and tense places on our planet. And until the war is over, censorship cannot be completely eliminated, which means, unfortunately, it is impossible to speak of objectivity and completeness of information. The second reason is that, in terms of the number of human lives lost and the political and military results achieved, this war is probably the most brutal and senseless ever fought on Earth. A true slaughter. The exact number of victims of the war is still unknown; estimates range from 1 to 10 million. Most sources agree on figures of 3-4 million dead, and the result was the return of the opposing forces to their original positions. In other words, millions of people were senselessly killed, practically the entire Korean Peninsula was reduced to rubble, but no one was punished. You'll agree, in such a situation it's awkward to talk about your victories and defeats; it's better to simply try to forget everything. There's a third reason: the war was extremely brutal on both sides. There was the massive use of napalm, burning people alive, torture and cruel treatment of prisoners of war, and a large number of civilian casualties. In short, many war crimes were committed, but nothing like the Nuremberg Trials happened; politicians remained in power, generals in office. And no one wants to dredge up the past.

Key dates and events of the Korean War.

June 25, 1950 - the beginning of the war.

 North Korean forces launched a military operation against South Korea, developed jointly with Soviet specialists and approved by the Soviet leadership. Published documents show that Stalin held off on giving his approval for a long time, citing the North Korean army's inadequate training and equipment and fearing a direct conflict between the USSR and America. But he finally gave the go-ahead. According to US Assistant Secretary of State David Webb, President Truman's first reaction was, "By God, I'm going to teach them a lesson."

June 27, 1950 - The UN Security Council adopts a resolution approving the use of U.S. UN forces in Korea and recommends voluntary support by UN member states for these actions in accordance with Article 106 of the UN Charter.

 The Soviet Union couldn't veto this resolution, as it had been absent from the Security Council since January 1950, protesting the Kuomintang regime's representation of China in the UN. Was this a diplomatic miscalculation, or was the Soviet government's left hand simply unaware of its right? The resolution was adopted unanimously, with only Yugoslavia abstaining. The entire operation to seize South Korea was designed to be carried out with lightning speed, with the Americans unable to intervene before it was all over. Therefore, stalling for time and vetoing the resolution could have contributed to the success of the campaign. But the Americans, too, understood this; everything was accomplished in two days, making their participation in the military operations entirely legitimate. The joint participation of the armed forces of many nations in this war added a certain diversity, blending the military traditions of various armies. Here is a list of UN troops participating (by the end of 1951):

USA - 302,5 thousand; South Korea - 590,9 thousand; Great Britain - 14,2 thousand; Australia - 2,3 thousand; Canada - 6,1 thousand; New Zealand - 1,4 thousand; Türkiye - 5,4 thousand; Belgium - 1 thousand, France - 1,1 thousand; Greece - 1,2 thousand; Netherlands - 0,8 thousand; Colombia - about 1 thousand, Ethiopia - 1,2 thousand, Thailand - 1,3 thousand, Philippines - 7 thousand; South Africa - 0,8 thousand

June 28 - Seoul is captured by North Korean troops.

 The long-suffering city changed hands four times during the three years of war. One can only imagine what remained of it by the end of the war. The North expected the fall of Seoul to be tantamount to the surrender of the South Korean army. However, the Republic of Korea's leadership managed to evacuate, and encirclement and the end of the war never occurred.

September 15. UN forces land in Inchon , beginning the counteroffensive.

By this time, the South Korean army and UN forces controlled only a small area of ​​the country's territory around the city of Busan , the so-called Pusan ​​Bridgehead. However, they managed to hold the bridgehead and accumulate forces for a counteroffensive, timing it to coincide with the landing at Inchon. By this point, the North Korean army was severely exhausted by continuous American air raids; the Americans had complete air superiority, and there was no way to repel the air attacks.

September 25 - Seoul is captured by UN troops.

October 2, 1950 - Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai warned that if Allied forces (except South Koreans) crossed the 38th parallel, Chinese volunteers would enter the war.

October 7, 1950 – American and British divisions began advancing into northern Korea.

October 16, 1950 - the first Chinese units (the so-called "volunteers") entered Korean territory.

October 20, 1950 - the fall of Pyongyang under the blows of the Southern Coalition troops.

November 26, 1950 - the beginning of the counteroffensive of Chinese and North Korean forces.

The first attack occurred on October 25, but then the Chinese retreated to the mountains, and a month-long lull ensued on the front. By this point, the South Korean and allied armies controlled almost the entire country.

The DPRK troops were left with only a small foothold right on the border with China.

December 5, 1950 North Korean and Chinese troops returned to Pyongyang.

The pendulum of war swung back. The Allied retreat in places resembled a rout.

December 17, 1950 – the first encounter between Soviet MIGs and American Sabres in the skies of Korea.

January 4, 1951 - Seoul is recaptured by North Korean troops and Chinese "volunteers".

February 21, 1951 - the beginning of the counteroffensive by South Korean and UN troops.

March 15, 1951 - Seoul is liberated by the troops of the southern coalition for the second time.

April 10, 1951 - General MacArthur resigns, Lieutenant General Matthew Ridgway is appointed commander of the troops.

This was a significant event in this war, as MacArthur pursued a pronounced hawkish line, insisting on expanding the war to China and even using nuclear weapons. He even promoted these ideas in the media without informing the president, which is why he was rightly dismissed.

July 8, 1951 - the beginning of the first round of negotiations.

During the negotiations, military action continued, and both sides suffered heavy losses.

On November 4, 1952, Dwight Eisenhower was elected President of the United States.

March 5, 1953 – death of I.V. Stalin.

This event was decisive in ending the military conflict. Published documents suggest that Stalin deliberately prolonged the war in the final months of his life. The reasons for this can only be speculated about.

April 20, 1953: the beginning of the exchange of prisoners of war.

The exchange began with sick and crippled prisoners. Military operations continued.

 July 27, 1953 - ceasefire agreement.

India proposed a ceasefire, which was accepted by the UN. General Clark represented the Southern Coalition, as South Korean representatives refused to sign the document. The front line remained at the 38th parallel, and a Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) was declared around it. The DMZ runs slightly north of the 38th parallel in the east and slightly south in the west. Kaesong, the city where the negotiations took place, was part of South Korea before the war and is now a special city in North Korea. A peace treaty ending the war has still not been signed.

That's the story. Adding a few little, lesser-known twists.

The threat of using nuclear weapons in the Korean War.

This was the first war on the planet to begin with both sides possessing nuclear weapons. This, of course, wasn't about Korea, but about the United States and the USSR—active participants in the campaign. And, paradoxical as it may seem at first glance, what made this particularly dangerous was that by the time the war began, the two great powers were far from equal in their possession of these weapons: the United States had already produced approximately 300 atomic bombs, while the USSR had only about 10. The successful testing of the first atomic bomb in the USSR—an exact copy of the first American one—had taken place quite recently, in late August 1949. This disparity in nuclear forces created a real danger that, in a critical situation, the American side might use this final, decisive argument in a military conflict. Documents have been published that make it clear that some American generals (including Commander-in-Chief General MacArthur) urged the country's leadership not only to use nuclear weapons in Korea and China, but also against the USSR. If we add to this that President Truman had no psychological barrier of novelty in this matter (it was he who gave the order to bomb Hiroshima and Nagasaki), then it should be clear on what a terrible edge the world was balancing in those years. 

How, given such a balance of power, did Stalin finally agree (even after much hesitation) to plan and launch a military operation against South Korea? This is one of the mysteries of the 20th century: perhaps the leader truly suffered from mental instability in his final years? Or was it all down to the words of US Secretary of State Dean Acheson, spoken in January 1950? Acheson then declared that the American defensive perimeter in the Pacific Ocean encompassed the Aleutian Islands, the Japanese islands of Ryukyu, and the Philippines. This statement suggested that South Korea was not within the US's zone of strategic interest, and that the Americans would not intervene in the conflict between North and South Korea.

In any case, the possibility of using nuclear weapons was seriously considered by the Americans. In October 1951, the Americans conducted a mock atomic bombing, approved by President Truman, a "dummy atomic strike" on North Korean positions. Dummy atomic bombs were dropped on North Korean targets in several cities. "Hudson Harbor" was the name of this deterrent operation. Fortunately, the American leadership still had the wisdom and restraint to avoid starting a third nuclear world war, which would have made the horrific second one seem like a military exercise in comparison.

The hunt for "live" fighters during the Korean War.

By the start of hostilities, both the US and the USSR had first-generation jet fighters, slightly different in design but quite comparable in their flight and combat characteristics. The Soviet MiG-15 is a famous aircraft, holding the record for the largest production run (over 15)—it is the most produced jet fighter in aviation history, serving in numerous countries. And in terms of service life, it is probably also unrivaled—the last such aircraft were retired from service by the Albanian Air Force in 2005! The American F-86 Sabre is the first swept-wing jet fighter adopted by the US Air Force.

It must be said that in the USSR, the leadership often preferred to copy existing military equipment rather than design new ones, so as not to waste time and money on creating a new route to the same goal. For example, the Soviet Tu-4 bomber of the time was an exact copy of the American Boeing B-29 Superfortress, the same one that bombed Hiroshima. But with fighter jets, things were different. They were completely different machines, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. Therefore, both opposing sides were very interested in acquiring and studying a "live," undestroyed enemy aircraft. The Americans were interested in the MiG's armament and the technical solutions that allowed it to have a significantly lighter takeoff weight than the Sabre. The Americans apparently weren't particularly interested in the MiG's engine, as it was a copy of British jet engines, which the USSR had managed to purchase before the start of the Cold War.

Our military designers were interested in engines, electronic flight and navigation equipment, and an active anti-G suit. The latter was particularly intriguing, as MiG pilots experienced up to 8G in combat, which inevitably affected the outcome of air combat. If an F-86 was shot down, the pilot ejected wearing a special suit, but the most complex part of the design—the apparatus that connected to it and regulated the pressure—remained on board the falling aircraft.

In April 1951, "Comrade Dzyubenko's group"—a group of 13 pilots—arrived at Andong Airfield in Manchuria with a secret mission to capture a "live" Sabre. However, forcing a functioning Sabre to land using MiGs was technically impossible: it had a higher maximum speed than the MiG. The group failed to accomplish their mission, but chance helped. On October 6, 1951, Colonel Pepelyaev, the top ace of the Korean War and commander of the 196th Fighter Aviation Regiment, damaged a Sabre; its pilot was unable to eject, apparently due to a malfunction in the ejection seat. As a result, the aircraft made an emergency landing on the low tide strip of Korea Bay. The operation to pull the aircraft ashore, load its parts onto trucks, and deliver them to Moscow was extremely difficult, as the Americans at some point discovered the work. But everything ended well, and the "live" Sabre was delivered to Soviet military specialists for examination. In May 1952, a second F-86 shot down by anti-aircraft fire was also recovered.

In the summer of 1951, American attempts to acquire a Soviet MiG-15 were also successful. The scenario was similar: the aircraft also crashed in the shallow waters of Korea Bay and was recovered by American and British military specialists. However, this example was heavily damaged and unsuitable for flight testing. A year later, another aircraft was discovered in the mountains of North Korea and removed, cut into pieces. The Americans finally captured the fully intact, "live" aircraft after the end of hostilities, on September 21, 1953, when one of the North Korean Air Force pilots, Lieutenant No Geum-sok, flew it to the South. This may have been facilitated by the $100 reward the Americans promised for such a flight, although the pilot himself claimed that money was not the motive. No Geum-sok later emigrated to the United States, adopting the surname Kenneth Rowe, graduated from the University of Delaware, married, and became an American citizen. He worked for a long time as an aeronautical engineer for various American companies and for 17 years as a professor of aeronautical engineering at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. He wrote a memoir, "A MiG-15 to Freedom." The hijacked MiG was used for air combat training, which helped American pilots refine combat tactics for future wars involving Soviet-made aircraft.