2+America+Enters+the+War

The first major American military action was the offensive taking place at Inchon, which began on September 10, 1950. The concept was to stage a massive amphibious landing similar to those experienced in the European and Pacific theaters of WWII. By taking Inchon the United States would gain a tactical advantage over the North Koreans that could allow them to quickly capture Seoul, which would effectively liberate South Korea. Famed General Douglas MacArthur would act as the brainchild of this massive operation.

General MacArthur had been revered for his command of the Pacific Theater of Operations during WWII. However, in Korea he would face many new challenges on and off the battlefield.

media type="youtube" key="T_w4Lb9ey2w" height="385" width="480" The Operation at Inchon was a brilliant military success for the United Nations. As one historian noted, "The U.N. troops, their casualties extremely light, soon took Seoul while other U.N. troops, breaking out of Pusan, moved northward. By the beginning of October, the area up to the 38th parallel was under U.N. Control" (Maier 813).

Following the success at Inchon, or Operation Chromite, the main argument that Americans faced was whether or not the U.N. would cross the 38th parallel in an effort to route communism out of North Korea and embarrass the Soviet Union by defeating its ally entirely. In time, troops still under the command of Douglas MacArthur, advanced to the North. This offensive would prove to be a devastating mistake in the history of the Korean War.