The Frozen Chosen: The 1st Marine Division and the Battle of the Chosin Reservoir by Thomas McKelvey Cleaver

Author:Thomas McKelvey Cleaver [Cleaver, Thomas McKelvey]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: History
ISBN: 9781472814388
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Published: 2016-07-28T06:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER SIX

WHERE IS THE ENEMY?

As quickly as they had first appeared on the battlefields of North Korea, the forces of the People’s Volunteer Army disappeared over the three weeks following the battle at Sudong. Even after this clear demonstration of Chinese fighting ability, and the lack of ability among the ROK divisions and even US Army divisions, MacArthur persisted in his plans for a drive to the Yalu. The conduct of the campaign demonstrated contempt on the part of the UN commander for intelligence and military prudence unmatched in previous American military history. The fact that no more Chinese forces were encountered only strengthened this continued denial of reality.

The leadership of the American forces – despite the drubbing the 1st Cavalry had received, despite the way in which the ROK units had been routed, and despite the fact that the Marines had hung on at Sudong by their fingernails – refused to recognize the fighting ability of the new enemy. The term of disrespect used by both General Walker of the Eighth Army and General Almond of X Corps was “laundrymen,” with both generals berating their respective lower commanders for “being worried about a bunch of Chinese laundrymen,” as General Almond so memorably stated. The innate racism of Americans toward non-whites they have been in conflict with, which has been obvious in the Indian Wars stretching from King Philip’s War in the 17th century over the next 200 years of transcontinental expansion, the Philippine Insurrection, the Central American Banana Wars, and the Pacific Theater of World War II, allowed these leaders to ignore what was there to be learned on the battlefield, with little or no dissent in the ranks. Historically, every army that has refused to treat its enemy seriously in planning for confrontation has found itself outmatched and surprised by the enemy’s actions when battle finally erupted. Events in the next 30 days would clearly demonstrate the US military was not immune to this rule.

In Washington, Army Chief of Staff Omar Bradley speculated that the Chinese had merely intended to make a face-saving gesture demonstrating support for the defeated North Koreans. The CIA estimated on November 8 that there were 30,000–40,000 Chinese already in North Korea with 700,000 poised in Manchuria to enter Korea. Official opinion in Washington, however, remained convinced that the Communist world acted only in concert from a pre-arranged plan, a plan directed solely by the Soviet Union, and that thus the Chinese could not operate independently of the Soviet leadership, who were unwilling to see the war extended now that their North Korean proxy had been defeated. On November 9, CIA Director Walter Bedell Smith, formerly Eisenhower’s chief of staff in World War II, urged the National Security Council to give MacArthur an even freer hand in North Korea, arguing that “the Kremlin’s basic decision for or against war would hardly be influenced by this local provocation in this area.” On November 21, Air Force Chief of Staff General Hoyt S. Vandenburg stated that

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