In June, 1950, the US military presence in
Korea was a 500-man Korean Military Advisory
Group (KMAG). Its departing commander, General
William L. Roberts, USA, gave an interview to a
Time reporter in which he described the ROK army
as "The best damn army outside the United
States."
The General's opinion regardless, at least
one army outside the US, only days later, proved
itself devestatingly superior to the ROKs, who
were sparsely equipped with used American
small-arms, some short-range M3 105 howitzers, a
few 2.36" bazookas, no armor, no mortars
heavier than 81mm, no medium artillery and no
combat aircraft.
The NKPA, the In Min Gun, were well-armed,
well-trained, with a core of combat veterans,
tightly organized into thirteen infantry and one
mechanized divisions, and closely supported by a
hundred Yak and Stormovik tactical aircraft, with
150 T-34 tanks, 120mm mortars, 122mm howitzers,
76mm SPGs, and 45mm ATGs. Basically, the In Min
Gun were armed with the whole family of
outstanding soviet infantry
weapons.
As always, the soldiers paid the price for the
politicians' arrogance and errors. Truman
felt sorry, and fired his Secretry of Defense
Johnson, but millions of ordinary people died or
had their lives destroyed because of the mistakes
of the Truman Administration and our Joint Chiefs
of Staff.
Such is life.
These lightly armed troops shown above, after
the main ROK forces were trapped and destroyed by
the North Korean surprise attack north of the
Han, did the best they could.
God bless them.