Leaders+and+Generals-+Communist+and+Democratic+-+p8

=Generals of the War= By Tommy

Kim Il Sung of North Korea
After WWII, the Soviet Union and the United States divided Korea into North and South Korea, North being Communist and South being Democratic. Kim Il Sung was made premier of North Korea, to secure his leadership, he tried to build a strong military by sending thousands of North Koreans to China and the Soviet Union to get training as soldiers. He also held diplomatic conferences with Soviet and Chinese diplomats so that he is guaranteed military support from the Soviet Union and China if attacked. On June 25th, 1950, Kim ordered the North Korean Army to attack South Korea, the Korean War has begun.

Douglas MacArthur of America
Douglas MacArthur was a WWII veteran, he fought the Japanese in the Pacific. MacArthur was a gifted general and the events in his life were not forgotten. Although president Harry S. Truman revoked his command in the Korean War for criticizing him, he was welcomed home as a war hero. This is his story.

MacArthur was assigned by President Truman to conduct an investigation of the Korean Peninsula and if possible, send US troops to aid the South Koreans ASAP. MacArthur later personally ordered air strikes on North Korean airbases, without prior permission. So Truman permitted US air force strikes above the 38th parallel, the boundary between North and South Korea, on June 29th, so in a way ratifying what MacArthur had already done. After some days, MacArthur reported to Truman that military action must be taken immediately, for the South Koreans are surrounded at Pusan by the North Koreans. Truman then alerted the United Nations and they formed the UN army. Truman then ordered two US divisions to Korea.

MacArthur was made Commander-in-Chief of the UN forces and in late August, the American Eighth Army halted the North Korean forces, which advanced to the Pusan perimeter in the southeast corner of South Korea. The smartest maneuver of the war was on September 15th, MacArthur launched a daring assault at Inchon which would lead to Seoul, South Korea's capital, UN forces won and the North Korean army was trapped in Seoul. On September 26th, MacArthur tried to do the same thing at Wonsan above the 38th parallel, but lost. On September 27th, UN forces went above the 38th parallel and advanced further into North Korea and later took the North Korean capital Pyongyang, MacArthur said he would have the men home by Christmas. On November 26th, MacArthur launched a major offensive and lost because a huge Chinese army came to the aid of North Korea. MacArthur wanted to bomb China but Truman wouldn't let him so MacArthur critizied Truman and he was relieved of command of the UN forces and his job as a general in the US army and American General Matthew Ridgway took his place.

Matthew Ridgway of America
Matthew Ridgway was a veteran of WWI and WWII before he became commander-in-Chief of the UN forces in the Korean War. He fought the Germans in Europe during WWI as a private and rose through the ranks rapidly to general in WWII. He was a clever, perceptive military genius and is today honored by many in the US military. This is his story.

When Ridgway was given command of the UN forces, the Chinese entered the war and sided with North Korea due to the pact they made with Kim Il Sung. Chinese-North Korean forces had taken back Pyongyang and advanced over the 38th parallel. The Communist Army was headed towards Seoul and Ridgway took action, he defeated the Communist army, liberated Seoul from China and advanced as far as 38th parallel. President Truman then launched diplomatic negotiations, and a truce line was drawn between North and South Korea on top of the 38th parallel. Sources Dupuy, N. Trrvor, the Harper Encyclopedia of Military Biography, New York City, East 53rd Street, 1992 Koestler-Crack, Rachel, Kim Il Sung and Kim Jong Il, Philadelphia, Chelsea House, 2004 "Douglas MacArthur." American Decades. Gale Reserch, 1998. Reproduced in Biography Resource Center. Farmington Hills, Mich,; Thomson Gale. 2007. http;//galent.galegroup.com/servlet/BioRC