"The Reds did not declare war, sent Red troops across the Yalu River into North Korea, and assembled a large number of well-supplied reinforcements on the Red Northeastern border, which was protected by Washington."
"So the current situation is as follows: the main force of the North Korean army that initially fought with our army has been destroyed, and the remaining remnants are unable to initiate any military operations. What we are facing is another new force, which has a large number of reserve troops and sufficient reserves.
Supplies, which are close at hand to the enemy, are outside the scope of our current military activities."
"Whether and how much the enemy will use these reserves remains to be seen, and this is an issue of great importance to the international community."
"Our current mission is limited to destroying enemy forces in North Korea in order to achieve the United Nations' goal of helping the Korean state and the Korean people regain reunification and peace."
This communique has revealed MacArthur's determination to make the American authorities realize that their enemy is no longer North Korea's broken troops and stragglers.
Their enemy is the big red country in the east, which has sufficient troops and a large amount of supplies.
It was clear that the enemy had joined the war, but MacArthur's mission was only to destroy the enemy forces in North Korea.
He desires greater rights, which includes the US authorities allowing him to use nuclear weapons to attack the red power's heavy industrial bases, military bases, etc.
This is his last resort.
However, Washington still changed tactics and imposed various restrictions on MacArthur, which made MacArthur very unhappy.
However, he believed that Red's participation in the war would sooner or later alert these ignorant people.
At the beginning of the Korean War, the U.S. Air Force bombed the Red border not accidentally, but deliberately to anger the Reds and lure them into the war.
Destroying North Korea was no longer satisfied with MacArthur's ambition.
What he wants to destroy is the sun rising in the east.
After writing the report, MacArthur stood in front of the window, looking at the rough sea, his mind racing.
Washington imposed various restrictions on him, but even so, he was still thinking of ways to fight against red interference.
"Call Stratmeyer to come over. I have something important to discuss with him!"
MacArthur was determined to fly 90 B-29 bombers to the Yalu River the next morning, blow up the bridge over the Yalu River, and cut off the shortcut between the Red Northeast and North Korea to avoid being used by the Red Army.
MacArthur was obviously driven into panic.
Prior to this, MacArthur had avoided taking such measures because such situations were expressly prohibited.
Stratmeyer did not fully follow this order, but reported it to the United States. Marshall learned the news and immediately sent an urgent telegram, revoking MacArthur's order and instructing MacArthur to "postpone the attack on the Red North."
Bomb everything within five kilometers of the eastern border!”
When MacArthur received the telegram, he had an expression of disbelief on his face: "This incredible order provides protection for the enemy. It not only preserves the enemy's only channel for transporting personnel and supplies across the wide natural barrier of the Yalu River,
The protected area was also extended to five kilometers on this side of the Yalu River, giving the enemy space to establish a bridgehead!"
MacArthur was shocked beyond words and immediately protested.
He once again reminded the United States to pay attention to his previous warning: "The only way to prevent enemy reinforcements is to launch air strikes to destroy bridges and all related facilities in North Korea that are conducive to the movement of enemy forces. I think such actions are permitted by the laws of war.
, is also within the scope permitted by the resolutions and orders I received. Revoking my order will lead to catastrophic consequences to a large extent. I will not bear any responsibility for this and can only respond with the strongest protest.
!”
"I urgently hope you can reconsider, and you can also ask the president to judge!"
MacArthur's arrogance and his intelligence are obviously asymmetrical.
In response to MacArthur's protests, Washington modified its previous order to allow bombing of the North Korean end of the Yalu River bridges.
Such an order still placed huge restrictions on MacArthur.
Obviously, Washington had great objections to MacArthur's sending planes to bomb the Red Border at the beginning of the war.
In response, MacArthur asked Stratmeyer to study a bombing plan that could be carried out within the scope of the order.
Stratmeyer said: "This is impossible, and Washington must know this is impossible!"
MacArthur showed an impatience to expand the war, but Washington wanted to avoid provoking the Reds as much as possible to avoid expanding the war and leading to World War III.
At that time, it will not be as simple as a war between China and the United States.
MacArthur would not think so much. He was more focused on how much political capital he could gain from the Korean War to win the next election.
Washington's restrictions on MacArthur made him furious.
A bomber pilot was seriously injured, with a broken arm hanging on one side of his body. Before he died, his mouth was full of blood and foam, and he gasped and asked MacArthur: "General, which side does Washington and the United Nations stand on?"
This sentence deeply stung MacArthur's soul. He immediately asked to be removed from his post in the Far East. In pain, he said to Chief of Staff Iyer: "A field commander cannot use his own armed forces to protect the safety of his soldiers."
The safety of lives and troops is unprecedented in military history. In my opinion, this can clearly indicate that the Far East is destined to suffer tragedy in the future."
What MacArthur did not expect was that his complaints to the Chief of Staff would eventually be verified.
He said: "I am really surprised beyond words. The lives of thousands of American soldiers will be sacrificed and the entire army will be in danger. The enemy commander must have known through some channels
Washington’s decision is to use this condition to protect its communication lines from the country to North Korea, otherwise they will not take the risk of letting the army cross the bridge and cross the river!”
Chief of Staff Il objected: "General, the entire army will not understand why you left at this critical moment. Instead, it will cause the military's morale to be shaken and destroyed, and it will make you bear a huge responsibility for the country and its own honor."
, you shouldn’t leave your post without authorization at such a critical moment!”
This sentence brought MacArthur back, who was furious, and he tore up the emergency telegram that had not yet been sent out.
The day after MacArthur received the last bizarre telegram, he received another telegram from Marshall:
"Our extremely delicate situation in the United Nations Security Council has deeply affected discussions and resolutions in Washington. Tomorrow's meeting of the Security Council may have life-or-death consequences. You lead a multinational force with varying degrees of preparation to fight against the enemy in the winter mountains.
We can all understand the difficulty of a desperate battle. I think I can also understand the difficulty on the other hand: it is necessary to command this battle under necessary restrictions, and at the same time, the headquarters in Washington must be informed of the progress of the war.
and resolutions, it appears that this situation is unavoidable and that we are facing a serious international problem."
In MacArthur's view, this telegram had no value and was purely to comfort him.
The situation in Korea was perilous, and MacArthur fully agreed with this. The Korean War, which was supposed to be over, suddenly changed due to the sudden appearance of three divisions of enemies.
In addition, North Korea in winter is freezing cold and covered with ice and snow, which has a huge impact on the morale of US soldiers.
Compared to the crisis-ridden situation in Korea, MacArthur was more concerned about the danger of adopting a policy of appeasement towards naked violence, which would not only result in a disastrous military defeat, but would also give the Reds the opportunity to gain access to most of Asia. This was a long-term
The problem is far more involved and complicated than Washington seems to understand.
At this time, the ruling Communist Party of the United Kingdom proposed an incredible solution to the current North Korean issue: giving part of North Korea to the red people, which would not only act as a buffer and belt, but also express the goodwill of the United Nations.
MacArthur angrily slapped the intelligence on the table: "This is fueling the enemy's momentum! Damn it, it would be better to give the enemy the area we worked so hard to conquer than to directly give the Korean Peninsula to the enemy! Wouldn't that be better?
!”
MacArthur protested against Britain's short-sighted proposal, comparing it to the folly of ceding the Sudetenland to Germany in 1938.
This approach is not only contrary to the spirit of the June 25th UN General Assembly resolution, but also gives the red people such a buffer zone, which will only push them further. Perhaps more importantly, it will affect the political and military status and prestige of the United States in the Far East.
Total bankruptcy.
The angry arrogance disappeared. MacArthur came to the window sill and stared at the rough waves. He had already thought of three alternative plans in his mind.
If they continue to attack, the red people may not intervene militarily, and then they can bring this war to an end.
If you just stick to waiting, you have to choose a line of defense and stand ready. However, the terrain of North Korea is complex and the US military has no natural barrier that can be used. The most important thing is that with only limited military strength, it is impossible to establish a defense in depth to deal with the Red Army, which has a huge military advantage.
people.
If we stand still, the enemy will have time to gather sufficient troops to surround the US military.
Every day, new divisions are constantly moving from the red northeastern border to North Korea, which means that the United Nations army may be completely destroyed.
MacArthur took out his pipe, put it to his mouth and lit it, "It will take at least three times the number of troops to cope with the current predicament. Damn it, Washington has not given any commitment to reinforcements."
The arrogant MacArthur felt deeply helpless.
If the Reds decide to intervene, the United Nations troops' standing still will play into the enemy's hands. If they choose to withdraw, it will be tantamount to personally revoking all his previous orders, and it will also ruin any chance of winning the Korean War.
After thinking about it, MacArthur walked to the table, wrote down the words to continue, and thought about the feasibility of this plan in his mind.
If he chose to continue advancing, once he encountered a large number of red troops, he thought, he might be able to break away from the battle immediately and retreat quickly, thereby lengthening and exposing the enemy's supply line.
In this way, the enemy's transportation and supply difficulty will increase exponentially, and the power of our air strikes will be almost infinitely amplified.
Every time the enemy advances, their strength will weaken compared to mine, until both sides reach a point of equal strength.
At that time, you will be able to rely on maneuver and target the enemy's supply lines.
When the Tenth Army completes its task of covering the Eighth Army's right wing, it can withdraw the former by sea, thereby establishing a northward communication line, and then evaluate the next development of the battle and think about the corresponding decisions.
MacArthur thought of various possibilities.
Currently, the Eighth Group Army is suffering heavy losses from the enemy in Yunshan, and the 1st US Cavalry Division is surrounded by the enemy. The only way to break the current situation is to continue to move forward.
MacArthur set his sights on eastern Korea, the right wing of the Eighth Group.
Changjin Lake!
The Tenth Army can open up a new battlefield in the direction of Changjin Lake, attracting the attention of the enemies surrounding the 1st US Cavalry Division, and causing the enemies to disperse their forces. In this way, the pressure on the Eighth Army will be much less.
If the Tenth Army is besieged by a large number of enemies, there is no need to worry. The enemy's weapons and equipment are completely inferior to those of the US military. They can completely withdraw the Tenth Army from the direction of Changjin Lake by sea!
MacArthur read the order from Washington again: "When encountering open or covert red combat units anywhere on the Korean Peninsula, without receiving advance notice, you should make your own assessment. If there is a considerable chance of victory, then
Continue current action!"
MacArthur concluded: "Continuing to advance is the best 'security posture!'"
This will disrupt the enemy's planned attack time and location, and offset the advantages brought by the red Northeastern reinforcements.
At the same time, this move can also clean up the remaining forces of the Korean army and use force to investigate and find out the intentions of the red people.
If reconnaissance exposes red military intervention in advance, our troops can take the initiative needed to escape from the tiger's mouth in advance.
In order to deal with this situation, MacArthur ordered Walker to draft a feasible plan that took into account the overall situation, so that when the situation developed to the point where the Red Army was approaching, he could break away from the battle and retreat unscathed.
Lieutenant General Walker and his staff all agreed with MacArthur's basic plan, which greatly increased MacArthur's confidence. He submitted this detailed combat plan to the Joint Chiefs of Staff in Washington and received approval.
MacArthur swept away his previous dejection, put his hands on his waist, put on his sunglasses, and held a pipe in his mouth. He walked to the deck in high spirits, looking at the endless coastline, his mind wandering.
There is another benefit to continuing the attack.
He did not believe that the poor and backward volunteer army could defeat the unrivaled US military.
Their American soldiers defeated the brutal and terrifying Japanese army in the Pacific War.
MacArthur was full of confidence in his soldiers, and this confidence was the confidence to win.
Even if the enemy's army is approaching, he is not worried at all.
If we can defeat the enemy on a frontal battlefield, it will be of great benefit to US soldiers and increase their political capital.
On the contrary, retreating and holding on are not the best options.
Regardless of the outcome, with the powerful United States at his back, MacArthur still had a trump card.