Inchon, landing at (correctly Inch'on) (1950), battle of the Korean war. In August 1950 the North Korean People's Army (NKPA) had pushed South Korean and UN forces into a defensive perimeter around Pusan in the south-east corner of the peninsula. MacArthur, the C-in-C, was short of troops but possessed air and sea supremacy. While first reinforcing Pusan, he kept back the 1st US Marine and 7th Infantry Divisions (X Corps) to cut NKPA communications with an amphibious landing 200 miles (322 km) behind the battle zone at the port of Inchon.
This offered surprise, on which he relied, while the national capital Seoul lay nearby on the main road and railway routes. But access to the port basin lay through channels where the tide fell 32 feet (9.75 metres) twice daily. This factor and the distance from the Japanese bases prompted the US chiefs of staff to advise a less ambitious plan, but MacArthur insisted on his audacious one. The fleet carrying X Corps under Lt Gen Edward Almond sailed early in September, despite delays imposed by successive typhoons. Meanwhile, the USAF continued to attack the NKPA around Pusan.
During preparations, the US navy had surveyed the Inchon approaches by night, and had posted a small observation team to watch the port area from an offshore islet. At high risk, the team leader ignited the seaward light there on 14 September. US naval and Marine Corps aircraft supported the landings in complement to American and British naval gunfire. Inchon exuded smoke as the assault began at 06.15 on 15 September. The marines' assault echelon had three hours to offload before tidefall threatened to beach their ships.
Absolute surprise was achieved and the landing forces secured the harbour defences and a third of the town by midnight. A relieved MacArthur, who had suffered an hour of doubt following an early misreport of failure, informed Washington that ‘the whole operation is proceeding on schedule’. By 20 September, 50, 000 troops were ashore fighting for Seoul and meanwhile, preceded by an intense air and land bombardment, the UN and South Korean forces at Pusan shattered the NKPA and began to drive northwards. On 26 September, a divisional column joined elements of X Corps close to Seoul. By then, NKPA remnants were joining guerrilla bands in the south or filtering northwards across the 38th Parallel, incapable of forming a comprehensive line at any point. MacArthur was at the peak of his reputation but the complete success of the operation fed his hubris and led to the adoption of an overambitious strategy which carried him into a defeat.
Bibliography
- Heinl, Robert Debs, Victory at High Tide (New York, 1968).
- Manchester, William, American Caesar (New York, 1978).
- Rees, David, Korea: The Limited War (London, 1964).
- Schnabel, James F., US Army in the Korean War, Policy and Direction: The First Year (Washington, 1972)
— Anthony Farrar-Hockley
