Inchon landings

Battle of Inchon

Four tank landing ships unload men and equipment on Red Beach one day after the amphibious landings on Inchon.

Date	10–19 September 1950 (10–15 September – Bombardments of Wolmido and Incheon) (15–19 September – Inchon Landing)
Location	Incheon, South Korea, Yellow Sea
Result	Decisive United Nations/South Korean victory

Belligerents

United Nations:

North Korea

Commanders and leaders

Paik In-yeop

Wol Ki Chan

Wan Yong

Strength

40,000 infantry
4 cruisers
7 destroyers
1 armed sampan
and an unknown number of naval and air forces

6,500 infantry
19 aircraft
1 fortress
1 patrol boat
and an unknown number of artillery

Casualties and losses

Land:
US: 222 killed
800 wounded
Sea:
2 killed
9 wounded
2 cruisers damaged
3 destroyers damaged
1 armed sampan damaged
1 LST lost and 3 damaged
Air:
1 aircraft destroyed

Land:
1,350 killed
1 fortress damaged
Sea:
1 patrol boat sunk
Air:
1 aircraft destroyed

The Battle of Inchon (Hangul: 인천상륙작전; Hanja: 仁川上陸作戰; RR: Incheon Sangnyuk Jakjeon) was an amphibious invasion and battle of the Korean War that resulted in a decisive victory and strategic reversal in favor of the United Nations. The operation involved some 75,000 troops and 261 naval vessels, and led to the recapture of the South Korean capital of Seoul two weeks later. The code name for the operation was Operation Chromite.

The battle began on 15 September 1950 and ended on 19 September. Through a surprise amphibious assault far from the Pusan Perimeter that UN and South Korean forces were desperately defending, the largely undefended city of Incheon was secured after being bombed by UN forces. The battle ended a string of victories by the invading North Korean People's Army (NKPA). The subsequent UN recapture of Seoul partially severed the NKPA's supply lines in South Korea.

The United Nations and South Korean forces were commanded by General of the Army Douglas MacArthur of the United States Army. MacArthur was the driving force behind the operation, overcoming the strong misgivings of more cautious generals to a risky assault over extremely unfavorable terrain.

From the outbreak of the Korean War following the invasion of South Korea by North Korea on 25 June 1950, the North Korean Army had enjoyed superiority in both manpower and equipment over the South Korean Army and the United Nations forces dispatched to South Korea to prevent it from collapsing. The North Korean strategy was to aggressively pursue U.N. and South Korean forces on all avenues of approach south and to engage them, attacking from the front and initiating a double envelopment of both flanks of the defending units, which allowed the North Koreans to surround and cut off the opposing force, forcing it to retreat in disarray, often leaving behind much of its equipment. From their initial 25 June offensive to fights in July and early August, the North Koreans used this tactic to defeat any UN force they encountered and push it south. However, with the establishment of the Pusan Perimeter in August, the U.N. troops held a continuous line which the North Koreans could not flank, and their advantages in numbers decreased daily as the superior U.N. logistical system brought in more troops and supplies to the U.N. forces.

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Wikipedia