The Korean war 1950-53

[Wacky Racer]

Just watched this excellent documentary, gives plenty of background to the situation as it exists today.






A great insight into life inside North Korea,

[durbster]

Thanks, added it to my watch list.

It was such an important conflict - the first test of the United Nations; the fear of the spread of communism; and the question of whether to use nuclear weapons.

[Donbot]

My favourite Max Hastings book is his one on the Korean war. Well worth a read.

[bitchstewie]

As someone in their 40's this is almost a bit of a "forgotten" war I must admit.

I read the odd thing about it every now and then and realise it seems I totally underestimate how big and serious it actually was.

[remedy]

Indeed. At 39 I feel the same and it's a war I want to know more about. It must've been awful for the soldiers of WW2 to get thrown straight back into a brutal conflict.

[ZedLeg]

It was really the start of the America World Police era, with the insane military spending and constant warmongering to support it.

[bloomen]

Amazing how quasi forgotten it is, and how grim it must've been for it to happen only 5 years after the end of WW2.

[bern]

Thanks for posting that, I'm sure I'll enjoy watching those. I had the pleasure of visiting South Korea a few years ago and thought it was an amazing country. Was lucky enough to go into the DMZ.

A train recovered from the DMZ.


Poster showing one of the North Korean tunnels they have found.


Inside one of the tunnels!


Inside a train station the South Koreans have built in the DMZ ready to connect with North Korea once the country is reunited.




View over to North Korea.

[Bigends]

My dad was called up for Korea in November 1950. Signed on for 7 yrs in 1940 - firstly off to Tunisia in armoured cars, then across to Italy, in Shermans fighting all the way up to Austria. Finally demobbed in 1947 but remained on the army reserve - hence the later call up. He completed his armour training with the 8th Hussars but then had a cancer op and was retired. He'd have been at some of the major scraps during the Korean war in Centurions.. He was a 28yr old veteran when called back up - as I suspect many would have been of a similar age with previous WW2 experience

Edited by Bigends on Sunday 11th December 15:14

[nikaiyo2]

ZedLeg said:

It was really the start of the America World Police era, with the insane military spending and constant warmongering to support it.

Yeah after Stalin forced Marxist Leninist socialism on half of Europe at the barrel of a gun, he tried to force his evil politics on Asia. Thank Christ someone stopped him. Seems a great thing that the Americans were prepared to sacrifice so many young men to prevent the most evil invidious form of government being forced in the world.

[ClaphamGT3]

My father fought in Korea for just over a year from 1952 until the armistice in 1953. Sadly he's never really wanted to open up about the experience - beyond saying it was pretty horrible and best forgotten - and, at 91, I expect he never will now

[eldar]

Technically, a state of war still exists, but with an armistice in place. The 77 and counting year war.

[Ian Geary]

Thanks for the recommendation.

I've read books about the development of military aircraft, and Korea is often mentioned as a stepping stone/ proving ground for the transition into fast jets.

I'm not saying the war was propagated for that purpose, but it was a useful byproduct I'm sure (and for the Soviets too)

Britain was screwed financially by the 50s, so thank god we didn't get sucked into Vietnam, though Australia did I think.

[JagLover]

ZedLeg said:

It was really the start of the America World Police era, with the insane military spending and constant warmongering to support it.

So would it be a good idea for the people of South Korea to have been forced under North Korean rule?. Bearing in mind South Korea has a flourishing economy and society whilst North Korea is a dystopian hell hole where teenagers were recently executed in front of their neighbours for selling foreign movies?.

Communism had taken over eastern Europe and then tried to do the same in Asia. They were stopped in some places but the west failed in others.

[JagLover]

remedy said:

Indeed. At 39 I feel the same and it's a war I want to know more about. It must've been awful for the soldiers of WW2 to get thrown straight back into a brutal conflict.

Captain Winters (of Band of Brothers fame) was recalled to active duty in the Korean War but requested not to go to the frontline due to WW2 service and had a training role, before taking Ranger training and then leaving the army. In reality the five year gap, and exemptions from active service like this, likely meant that there weren't that many who saw active combat in both wars unless they choose to do so.

Bear in mind that the majority serving in the American armed forces during the Korean war period did not serve in Korea itself (only around a 1/3 did).

[Wozy68]

The Glorious Glosters

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Imji...

They even received a presidential citation .

[R56Cooper]

Wozy68 said:

The Glorious Glosters

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Imji...

They even received a presidential citation .

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Soldier-Against-Odds-Infantry-SAS/dp/1840181435

This is a good read, Lofty Large was at Imjin River, captured, eventually released in horrendous physical condition before recovering and having a distinguished SAS career.

Edited by R56Cooper on Monday 12th December 10:00

Edited by R56Cooper on Monday 12th December 10:01

[SS427 Camaro]

I have been researching J. Strathie a casualty from 1951.

[heisthegaffer]

I read a book on this, possibly max Hastings. Very depressing and it sounds as though the allies fought with one hand behind their back as they were worried about the Chinese and the treat of escalation.

Plus the South Korean leader was a horrible, useless st bag.

[tangerine_sedge]

As lightweight as it seems, but my introduction and corner-stone for the Korean war, is M*A*S*H, which I started watching as a child.

It gives somewhat of a 'feel' for the war, in terms of what ordinary soldiers live through.