On Sunday, 6/25/50, preceded by a
long and intensive barrage of artillery and
mortar fire, 90,000 Russian -armed North Korean
(variously called NK, or NKPA North Korean
People's Army, or Inmun Gun) troops launched
a coordinated land, sea and air assault against
the South. Seven assault infantry divisions
smashed headlong into unsuspecting units of the
army of the Republic of Korea (ROK). The Inmun
Gun were led by over 150 T34/85 tanks, and
closely supported by seventeen hundred 122mm
howitzers and SU76 self-propelled 76mm guns. Over
200 Russian-supplied YAK ground-attack aircraft
gave them total domination of the skies.
The ROKs had eight divisions, but
only four deployed along the 38th parallel, and
they only partially. Much worse, they had no air
force, only 2.36 inch rocket launchers, no
recoilless rifles, no heavy mortars, no medium artillery ... and no
armor. The T34s, arguably the best tanks
developed in WWII, advanced in a line-ahead
formation. After scores of ROKs died under their
treads, trying desperately to stop them with
satchel charges and hand grenades, the tanks
began moving through the survivors as though they
weren't there. At the same time, their
infantry formations attacked in an inverted Y
formation, sweeping around ROK opposition with
the arms, encircling them, and finally crushing
them.
In two days, Seoul was abandoned
to the 1st, 3rd, 4th and 6th Korean People's
Army (KPA) divisions, and the KPA 5th division
was moving swiftly down east of the rugged
Taebaek mountains. In the first week, more than
34,000 ROKs, a third of their army, were killed,
captured, or missing.
|
North Korea's army
consisted of approximately 223,000 troops
forming 10 divisions, an armored brigade
and support troops:
1st NKPA Infantry Division — 20th,
22nd, and 24th Infantry Regiments
2nd NKPA Infantry Division — 4th,
16th, and 17th Infantry Regiments
3rd NKPA Infantry Division — 7th,
8th, and 9th Infantry Regiments
4th NKPA Infantry Division — 5th,
16th, and 18th Infantry Regiments
5th NKPA Infantry Division — 10th,
11th, and 12th Infantry Regiments
6th NKPA Infantry Division — 13th,
14th, and 15th Infantry Regiments
7th NKPA Infantry Division — 1st,
2nd, and 3rd Infantry Regiments
10th NKPA Infantry Division — 25th,
27th, and 29th Infantry Regiments
13th NKPA Infantry Division — 19th,
21st, and 23rd Infantry Regiments
15th NKPA Infantry Division — 45th,
48th, and 50th Infantry Regiments
105th Armored Brigade — 107th, 109th,
and 203rd Armored Regiments
206th Mechanized Infantry Brigade
The armored regiments were
equipped with Soviet-made T-34 tanks. Of
the infantry divisions, the 1st through 7th
Infantry Divisions were
"first-line" while the 10th,
13th, and 15th Infantry Divisions were
"second-line" or reserve. North
Korea used its "first-line"
divisions in the attack on South Korea
while using the "second-line"
units for internal security. Front line
strength of the NKPA on 25 June 1950 was
approximately 90,000 men. The NKPA was
supported by a small North Korean air force
and an even smaller navy.
The Republic of Korea
became official on 15 August 1948. In late
November, the newly-formed ROK National
Assembly passed the "Republic of Korea
Armed Forces Organization Act" and on
15 December 1948 the ROK Department of
National Defense, the ROK Army and ROK Navy
became official.
At this time, the 1st, 2nd,
3rd, 5th, 6th, and 7th Constabulary
Regiments became the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 5th,
6th, and 7th Republic of Korea Infantry
Divisions. Two months later the Capital ROK
Infantry Division was formed from the
Capital Security Command. Included in the
new division was the 1st Cavalry Regiment
which was equipped with twenty-four M8 and
M20 armored cars plus twelve M3 halftracks.
At the same time the 8th and 11th Infantry
Divisions were formed from the two
remaining constabulary regiments.
At this time the total
strength of the new army was 65,000 men,
with U.S. infantry weapons for only about
half this number, the rest being armed with
World War Two Japanese weapons. All units
were under authorized strength. The ROKs
had no tanks and very little artillery,
none over 105mm. At the beginning of North
Korea's onslaught, only the 1st, 2nd,
6th and 7th Infantry Divisions had three
regiments while all the rest had only two
regiments, all essentially helpless against
the attacking mechanized armies. All
divisions were badly mauled during the
withdrawal down the Peninsula to the Pusan
Perimeter where the 2nd, 5th and 7th
Infantry Divisions were disbanded and
absorbed into the 1st, 3rd, 6th, 8th, and
Capital Infantry Divisions.
|
Causes of the Korean Tragedy ... Failure of Leadership, Intelligence and Preparation
The Foundations of Freedom are the Courage of Ordinary People and Quality of our Arms
|
|
