Chronology
The Korean War
Prelude to the Korean War
1945
8 Aug USSR enters war against Japan, and enters Korea.
15 Aug US General Order No. 1 calls for US to take Japanese surrender in Korea south of the 38th parallel, and USSR forces to take Japanese surrender north of the 38th parallel.
1948
15 Aug Republic of Korea (ROK) inaugurated in Seoul, under President Syngman Rhee.
9 Sep Democratic People's Republic of Korea inaugurated in Pyongyang under Premier Kim Il Sung.
1950 Invasion and the Pusan Perimeter (Phase One)
25 Jun At 0400 on Sunday morning the North Korean People's Army (NKPA) attacked across 38th parallel. At 0930 Kaesong was taken. United Nations Security Council called for an end of aggression and withdrawal of NKPA forces.
27 Jun President Truman orders United States air and naval forces under the command of General MacArthur to help the ROK repel the NKPA. The US Seventh Fleet is ordered to defend the Formosan Straits. The UN adopted a US resolution, with the Soviet Union absent, proclaiming the NKPA attack a breech of world peace. UN member nations are asked to assist the ROK repel the NKPA invaders. Fourteen nations sent ground troops to assist the US and the ROK.
28 Jun NKPA take Seoul, the Capital of South Korea. 40,000 ROK soldiers are missing, captured, or dead.
29 Jun President Truman authorizes General MacArthur to send ground forces to Korea.
30 Jun President Truman receives Congressional authorization to call into active service any or all reserve components of the Armed Forces for a period of 21 months.
1 Jul First US Army combat unit, "Task Force Smith" (1st Battalion, 21st Infantry, 24th Infantry Division) arrives in Korea.
3 Jul Inchon, a major port facility, falls to NKPA.
5 Jul TF Smith fights first engagement in Korea to gain time for the deployment of the 25th ID and 1st Cavalry Division. The NKPA breaks through at Konji.
7 Jul UN Security Council authorizes formation of a UN Command (UNC). UN flag flies over primarily American forces.
8 Jul 21st Infantry stalls NKPA advance at Chochiwon.
General MacArthur named Commander-in-Chief of UNC.
10 Jul 25th ID and 1st CD begin movement from Japan to Korea; 29th Regimental Combat Team sails from Okinawa for Korea; 2nd ID at Fort Lewis, Washington prepares to embark for Korea.
12 Jul Lieutenant General Walton H. Walker appointed Commanding General Eighth US Army in Korea (EUSAK). US Army falls back to Kum River near Taejon.
14 Jul NKPA crosses Kum River. All ROK forces are placed under MacArthur's command.
18 Jul US reinforcements arrive in Korea.
19 Jul President Truman authorizes the Department of Defense to call up reserve units and individuals.
20 Jul US Army continues to retreat. NKPA takes Taejon. Major General William F. Dean reported missing.
24 Jul NKPA in western Korea advance to southern coast, take Suchon, and attack toward Pusan, the last major port facility in South Korea.
31 Jul Walker orders: "There will be no more retreating." First reinforcements from the United States arrive in Korea. MacArthur goes to Formosa to consult with Chiang Kai-shek, the Nationalist. This meeting was not approved by Truman, and was not in concert with his foreign policy.
1 Aug Walker forms the Pusan defensive perimeter with US and ROK forces.
3 Aug US and ROK forces retreat to Naktong River. NKPA attack to within forty miles of the Pusan--the only major port in South Korea.
6-8 Aug MacArthur confers with Truman's military and political officials from the US (Generals Norstad, Almond, and Ridgway, and Averall Harriman) regarding the Inchon Landing.
7 Aug US forces conduct limited counter-attack toward Chinju, west of Pusan.
16 Aug X Corps activated for the Inchon Landing. It consisted of 1st Marine Division and 7th Infantry Division. It was commanded by Major General Ned Almond who was still MacArthur's chief of staff. The X Corps was constituted as a separate command, independent of Walker's EUSAK -- a violation of the principle of war unity of command.
29 Aug First British troops arrive from Hong Kong. By the end of August UN strength is about 180,000 soldiers. NKPA strength is about 92,000 soldiers.
1 Sep NKPA establish bridgeheads across the Naktong River and push to within thirty miles of Pusan. Walker's Pusan Perimeter holds.
Inchon Landing (Phase Two).
15 Sep The Inchon Landing was a turning movement that landed UN forces in the rear of the NKPA, causing it to fight in two directions at the same time.
16 Sep Inchon captured by X Corps. Walker's EUSAK attacks out of the Pusan Perimeter up the Korean Peninsula.
19-25 Sep NKPA troops retreat from Pusan. NKPA troops trapped between EUSAK and X Corps.
26 Sep Seoul retaken by X Corps. EUSAK links up with X Corps near Osan.
30 Sep UN forces recapture almost all territory south of the 38th Parallel. Chou En Lai, Foreign Minister of the People's Republic of China (PRC) warns: "The Chinese people will not supinely tolerate seeing their neighbors being savagely invaded by the imperialists."
Advance to the Yalu (Phase Three)
1 Oct ROK Third Division cross the 38th Parallel.
7 Oct UN General Assembly authorizes UN Forces to cross the 38th parallel into North Korea to complete the destruction of the NKPA.
9 Oct US 1st Cavalry Division cross the 38th parallel.
10 Oct Wonsan port on the east coast of North Korea captured by ROK Third Division. Chinese repeat warning of intervention in the Korean war. UNC ignores warning.
15 Oct Truman and MacArthur meet at Wake Island. MacArthur informs the President that he does not believe the Chinese will intervene, and that if they do his forces can handle them.
16 Oct Chinese Communist Forces (CCF), the "People's Volunteer" army secretly enter the Korean peninsula from Manchuria.
19 Oct Pyongyang, capital of North Korea, captured by UN forces.
20 Oct US 187th Parachute Infantry Regimental Combat Team jumps at Sukchon and Sunchon, about twenty-five miles north of Pyongyang.
24 Oct MacArthur orders his commanders to advance. He removed all restrictions on non-Korean forces. This was in violation of instructions received from the JCS.
Chinese Intervention (Phase Four)
26 Oct ROK Sixth Division reaches the Yalu River at Chosan. CCF attack ROK forces.
27 Oct CCF launch first phase of offensive.
1 Nov UN forces reach the Yalu River on the Chinese border. UN pilots opposed for the first time by Soviet built MIG-15 jet fighter.
2 Nov US 1st Cavalry Division suffers heavy casualties when attacked by CCF at Unsan, causing a withdrawal across Chongchon River.
5 Nov MacArthur notifies UN that CCF are conducting operations in Korea.
6 Nov MacArthur warns JCS that movement of CCF across Yalu threatens the position of UN forces.
7 Nov CCF forces break contact with UN forces.
15 Nov Elements of 1st Marine Division reach Chosin/Changin Reservoir.
21 Nov Elements of US 7th Infantry Division (7th ID) occupy Hyesanjin on banks of Yalu River.
24 Nov MacArthur flies from his headquarters in Tokyo to Korea to announce "end of war" offensive, having concluded that, "the Chinese are not coming in." EUSAK again advance toward the Yalu.
26 Nov CCF, under command of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) of China, launches a violent counter-offensive on both the EUSAK in the west and X Corps in the east. UN forces caught totally unprepared to defend, even after numerous warnings of a pending attack. UN forces start to withdraw. 1st Marine Division cutoff at Chosin Reservoir.
28 Nov-11 Dec 1st Marine Division breaks out of encirclement, and move south to rejoin the X Corps at Hungnam.
30 Nov EUSAK and X Corps in general retreat. Truman suggests that the Atomic Bomb might be used.
4 Dec Pyongyang captured by CCF.
11 Dec UN forces begin evacuation of Hungnam, Songjin, and Wonsan.
15 Dec UN forces begin establishing a defensive line near the 38th parallel.
23 Dec CG EUSAK, General Walker, is killed in a jeep accident. Lieutenant General Matthew B. Ridgway named new commander.
24 Dec Navy completes evacuation of 105,000 soldiers of X Corps from Hungnam beachhead.
26 Dec Ridgway arrives in Korea and takes command of all UN ground forces -- X Corps and EUSAK.
29 Dec CCF prepare for major new attack across the 38th parallel into South Korea.
1951
1 Jan CCF attack across 38th parallel. Ridgway orders retreat.
3 Jan CCF take Seoul.
7-15 Jan UN forces on Pyongtaek-Wonju Line halt CCF offensive.
Ridgway's Offensive (Phase Five)
21 Jan Ridgway initiates a series of offensives designed to halt the retreat, restore the confidence of the Army, destroy enemy forces, and regain lost territory south of the 38th parallel. The first limited offensive was "Operation Thunderbolt."
5 Feb Ridgway launches offensive, Operation Roundup.
13-17 Feb CCF launch offensive. US 23rd Infantry Regiment of the 2nd ID with an attached French Battalion is surrounded at Chipyong-ni. In a desperate battle the CCF offensive is defeated.
21 Feb Ridgway launches Operation Killer, a general offensive to annihilate enemy forces and re-establish UN line east of Wonju.
7 Mar Ridgway launches Operation Ripper to outflank Seoul and capture Chunchon.
14 Mar Seoul retaken by UN forces.
23 Mar US 187th Regimental Combat Team jumps at Munsan to cut off enemy forces south of Han River.
31 Mar Advanced elements of UN forces reach 38th parallel.
8 Mar UN forces in Operation Ripper clear most CCF from South Korea, south of Imjin River.
11 Apr President Truman relieves General MacArthur of command for insubordination.
12 Apr General Ridgway becomes Supreme Commander of UN forces. General James A. Van Fleet assumes command of EUSAK. Ridgway places tight control measures over Van Fleet's operations.
15 Apr UN forces establish defense along 38th parallel, the Kansas Line. CCF establish the "Iron Triangle" assembly area, Chorwan-Kumhwa-Pyonggang.
22 Apr CCF launch all-out spring counter-offensive.
29 Apr UN forces halt CCF advance, after a limited withdrawal, just north of Seoul and 40 miles south of the 38th parallel.
3 May UN forces launch a limited offensive to regain former positions and reestablish contact with the enemy.
16 May Second phase of CCF spring offensive initiated. CCF penetrate 15 to 20 miles into the south along a 75 mile front.
19 May UN forces halt enemy drive on western front and conduct a counter attack.
20 May Far East Air Force (FEAF) initiates Operation Strangle, a massive air effort to interdict logistic and other types of resources flowing from the north to CCF at the front.
21 May UN forces counter-attack.
30 May UN forces regain Kansas Line.
13 Jun UN forces take Chorwon and Kumhwa in the Iron Triangle. UN forces start to construct a deliberate defense along the 38th parallel--generally along the same line that existed before the NKPA invasion.
Truce Talks, Negotiating while Fighting (Phase Six)
24 Jun Jacob Malik, Soviet UN representative, calls for cease-fire in radio speech.
30 Jun Ridgway proposes meeting with CCF leaders to discuss armistice, suggest Danish hospital ship in Wonsan harbor as site.
1 Jul CCF commander proposes meeting at Kaesong near 38th parallel.
10 Jul First meeting takes place between UN and CCF delegations. Admiral C. Turner Joy heads the UN delegation. LTG Namm Il, NKPA heads the CCF delegation.
26 Jul After ten meetings, the two delegations announced agreement on five-point agenda.
5 Aug UN delegation suspends armistice negotiation because of CCF violations into neutral area.
15 Aug FEAF continue Operation Strangle.
23 Aug CCF break-off talks because of FEAF violations of neutral area.
13 Sep UN forces begin attack at Heartbreak Ridge.
25 Oct Armistice talks resume at Panmunjom. Delegates meet for the 27th session.
28 Oct Military demarcation line agreed upon. The line of contact is the cease-fire line.
12 Nov Ridgway orders EUSAK to cease all offensive operations, and initiate active defensive operations. Stalemate develops. Both sides begin to construct substantial defenses that makes taking the offensive extremely costly.
18 Dec Prisoner lists are exchanged. UN listed 132,474 communist soldiers, Chinese and Korean; and the CCF listed 11,559 UN soldiers.
1952
2 Jan UN delegation proposes principle of "voluntary repatriation" in POW exchange.
3 Jan CCF rejected proposal.
24 Jan Negotiations stalemated.
Feb-Jun POWs uprising in UN camps on Koje.
22 Feb CCF charge UN forces with using "germ warfare."
7 May Brigadier General Francis T. Dodd, commander of UN Prisoner of War Camp Number One on Koje-do, is taken hostage by prisoners, and held for 78 hours.
12 May General Mark W. Clark takes over from General Ridgway as Supreme Commander. Ridgway assumes command of NATO from Eisenhower.
22 May Major General K. Harrison succeeds Admiral Joy as chief UN negotiator.
Jun-Oct General stalemate along front. Armistice talks deadlock on POW issue.
19 Jun Operation Break-up, the resettlement of Koje Island prisoners into 500 inmate stockades, is completed.
23 Jun FEAF destroy majority of North Korea's power plants.
10 Jul Truce talks enter second year.
29 Aug FEAF attack North Korean capital, Pyongyang with 1,403 sorties, the largest one day air assault of the war.
4 Sep Air Force reports record one day kill of thirteen MIGs.
6 Oct CCF launch largest attack of the year.
8 Oct Truce talks suspended indefinitely, deadlock over POW return policy.
4 Nov Eisenhower elected President.
2 Dec Eisenhower begins three-day tour of Korea.
1953
2 Feb President Eisenhower ends neutralization of Formosa Strait with the 7th Fleet, creating the possibility that Chiang Kai-shek's forces might be used against the PRC. Eisenhower also made known to the Chinese that the war might be expanded in areas and methods of his choosing. In other words, he threatened to use the atomic bomb if an armistice agreement was not reached in an expeditious manner.
11 Feb General Maxwell D. Taylor takes command of EUSAK.
5 Mar Stalin dies.
6 Apr UN and CCF delegates open talks on exchange of sick and wounded prisoners.
11 Apr Agreement reached on limited prisoner exchange, 605 UN soldiers and 6,030 CCF and NKPA soldiers.
26 Apr Operation Little Switch, the exchange of POWs takes place at Panmunjom. The exchange consisted of 471 South Koreans, 149 Americans, 32 British, 15 Turks, 6 Colombians, 5 Australians, 2 Canadians, 1 Netherlanders, 1 Filipino, 1 South African, and 1 Greek. Truce talks resume at Panmunjom.
7 May CCF accept UN proposal that war prisoners unwilling to return to Communist control be placed in neutral custody within Korea.
28 May Fighting intensifies as negotiations approach final phase.
8 Jun CCF and UN delegates sign agreement on prisoners of war exchange policy. President Syngman Rhee and South Korean government vehemently oppose the agreement. Rhee wants Korea unified.
9 Jun ROK National Assembly unanimously reject truce terms. General Clark attempts to negotiate with President Rhee.
11 Jun CCF renew attacks along the front.
18 Jun South Koreans release 25,000 North Korean anti-communist prisoners in the general population. President Rhee ordered the release demonstrating his opposition to the armistice agreement.
20 Jun CCF accuses UNC of conspiring with the ROK to release the prisoners, and suspend negotiations.
25 Jun CCF attack ROK position. Anti-armistice demonstrations take place in Seoul. Walter Robinson, US Assistant Secretary of State, and General Clark negotiate with Rhee to gain his compliance.
8 Jul CCF agree to resume talks.
11 Jul Robinson announces that he has gained the support of President Rhee.
13-20 Jul CCF launch major attack, driving back ROK forces to adjust the cease-fire line.
27 Jul Armistice agreement signed at Panmunjom. Fighting ends at 2200. No permanent treaty was ever signed. In the days following the CCF returned a total of 12,773 UN prisoners, including 3,597 American (General Dean among them), 7,862 ROKs, 945 British, 229 Turks, and 140 others. The UN returned a total of 75,823 prisoners, including 70,183 of the NKPA and 5,640 of the CCF. The US suffered 54,246 dead (32,629 killed in combat and 20,617 from other causes). The Pentagon estimated that military casualties on both sides were approximately 2.4 million. Korean civilian casualties were roughly 2 million men, women, and children.
Today Thousands of US soldiers and airmen currently serve in Korea.