CBT 59 Korea 1951-53 US Soldier versus Chinese Soldier

Description

On June 25, 1950, North Korean troops invaded South Korea, triggering a bitter conflict that drew in US and other United Nations forces in support of the South, and soon prompted the Chinese to intervene on the side of the North. By December 1950, the US Army and its allies had been forced back into South Korea by the Chinese forces, composed of experienced soldiers buoyed by the Communists’ success in the recent Chinese Civil War. Armed and equipped with much the same weaponry and doctrine that they had employed in the last years of World War II, US Army units in Korea would often find themselves outnumbered, fighting in extremely difficult terrain that precluded the widespread use of armor.

Featuring specially commissioned artwork, this study assesses the US and Chinese forces that clashed at Chipyong-ni (February 13-15, 1951), Triangle Hill (October 14-November 25, 1952), and Pork Chop Hill (July 6-11, 1953), casting light on the origins, doctrine, and combat effectiveness of these two very different forces during the struggle for victory in Korea.