First to Fight

The American ship General Sherman was destroyed by Korean forces in 1866. An American naval squadron landed a Marine force in June 1871 occupying forts near the Han River until withdrawing in July.

North Korea crosses the 38th Parallel and invades South Korea on June 25, 1950. The North pushes through initial defenses and captures Seoul and US and UN forces dig in at Pusan.

The arrival of the 1st Provisional Marine Brigade in August 1950 bolstered the U.S. forces in the Pusan perimeter. The attacking North Korean army was stalled in the attempt to overrun the perimeter

With U.S. and U.N. forces locked in the struggle to break out from Pusan , MacArthur put in place what was perhaps the most remembered aspect of the Korean War: The amphibious landing at Inchon.

US led UN forces retake Seoul, crush the North Korean forces around the Pusan Perimeter and cross the 38th Parallel into North Korea and U.N. forces capture Pyongyang October 19, 1950.

The advance continues in North Korea closing to the Korean/China border. As winter starts American forces encounter Chinese troops for the first time. The Marines advance to the Chosin Reservoir.

The North Korean forces had Soviet built MiG 15 jet fighters. The U.S. rapidly deployed the F-86 Sabre Jet. This led to many dogfights in the northwest part of North Korea dubbed ‘MiG Alley’.

When North Korea invaded the South in 1950 the United States military was not ready to deploy major and modern forces to the Korean Peninsula. The initial units sent used the same weapons from WW II.

Historians call the December 1950 evacuation from Hungnam in North Korea ‘The greatest evacuation movement by sea in U.S. military history’.

The fourth battle of Seoul began in March 1951. By mid-month the city was retaken by the U.S. military. Policy issues between MacArthur and President Truman caused Truman to relive him in April 1951.

During the spring and summer of 1953 battles were fought with no particular strategic importance except to influence the Panmunjom peace talks that produced an armistice on July 27th 1953.