The response from the Joint Chiefs of Staff was very fast, and a call back came early the next morning.
MacArthur had no time to sleep, so he waited all night.
"We have carefully considered the retaliatory measures you proposed and will continue to consider them. As for policy changes or other changes that will increase our investment in North Korea, the possibility is very small!"
"Even if the operation to block China's coast is feasible, it must wait until we have consolidated our military presence in North Korea or withdrawn from North Korea."
"Furthermore, blocking China's coast will affect Britain's trade with China via Hong Kong, so we must negotiate with the British side."
"As for other options, only when the Chinese army attacks the US military outside North Korea can the navy and air force be authorized to attack military targets in China. Therefore, decisions must be made after such incidents occur."
"As for the Chiang Army, we had a brief discussion and did not agree to obtain reinforcements from the Chiang Army. This is because they are unlikely to have a decisive impact on the outcome of the Korean War, and may even have a negative impact."
"In view of the above situation, after fully considering all relevant factors, you should implement echelon defense in a series of positions in accordance with the requirements of the Joint Chiefs of Staff message to maximize the maximum damage to the enemy forces in Korea. At the same time, you should maintain the fundamentals of troop security and defense of Japan.
Mission comes first.”
"If you judge that it is really necessary to retreat to avoid heavy casualties and material losses, you can lead your troops to withdraw from North Korea to Japan."
After waiting all night for such a reply, MacArthur angrily slapped the message on the table.
"Stupid guys, they will pay for their hesitation!"
MacArthur immediately called back, asking them to explain this self-evident fact: According to the current situation, my military strength is not enough to allow us to stabilize our position in Korea and protect Japan from foreign attacks. I recommend the introduction of a
This is an overriding policy that makes the various interests of the United States in the Far East interdependent, and then formulates a strategic layout on this basis.
MacArthur was not an arrogant man, but his military vision was quite vicious.
With the strength of the two armies, the Eighth Army and the Tenth Army, it is an impossible plan to hold on to North Korea and defend Japan at the same time.
The existing troops can defend a beachhead defense line within a limited time, and it is impossible without losses. Whether such losses are considered 'serious' depends, to a certain extent, on how the word 'serious' is defined.
In MacArthur's view, taking North Korea was worth any price.
He didn't know how Washington viewed the term "serious" damage. There was no standard for measuring it.
After fighting a long and arduous battle, the courage and fighting qualities of the soldiers were exposed to the shameful propaganda, and they were exhausted physically and mentally. If a political basis that called on them to trade their lives for time was not provided as soon as possible, so that all soldiers could fully understand and fight for it.
Inspired by it, he gladly accepts the hardships and dangers of war.
Judging from the current situation, the morale of all soldiers in the Eighth Army and the Tenth Army is very positive, and combat efficiency will be seriously threatened.
Even if he personally goes to the front line to offer condolences, it may not be able to restore the lost morale.
Damn Washington, their indecision made MacArthur angry, their restrictions made MacArthur ashamed.
In the final analysis, this dispute is actually about whether the United States intends to withdraw from North Korea. The decisions it involves are of vital significance both domestically and internationally, and far exceed the capabilities of field commanders.
Because once the US military withdraws from North Korea, the victorious army established by the US military during the Pacific War will completely collapse, the US title of the largest military power will no longer exist, and its prestige will be seriously threatened.
Everything will be reduced to nothing.
Just because they were defeated by a newly established country.
As the second battle came to an end, the great victory of the Volunteer Army in the second battle caused a mood of defeat and chaos inside the enemy camp.
American public opinion circles called its failure a "nightmare" and a "tragedy", and it was the "worst military defeat of the United States after the Pearl Harbor incident."
The U.S. ruling group also believed that it had lost control of the military situation in North Korea and could no longer hope to hold any line of defense across the Korean peninsula. In order to hold accountable for its failure, they attacked each other. Some accused MacArthur of poor judgment and clumsy command, and called for MacArthur to be removed.
Some members blamed the policies of the Washington authorities, some members called for the removal of Secretary of State Acheson, and some suggested that President Truman be removed from office.
In order to protect their own interests, the United States' main allies, Britain and France, generally hope that the U.S. government will ensure that the North Korean incident will not plunge the world into a war. Europe, which has just experienced World War II, has experienced economic decline and serious population losses. This is a critical moment.
A third world war is what they don't want to see.
Once World War III begins, Europe's status may not be preserved.
In order to find a way out of the defeat, the U.S. government held a series of emergency meetings and consultations. It believed that the Korean War had now entered a new stage. They were engaging in a brand-new war with a completely new power with strong military power.
of war.
It is necessary to re-formulate political decisions and strategic plans that are feasible and sufficient to deal with relevant practical problems.
There were divergent opinions for a while. Some advocated giving up North Korea and concentrating their power in Europe. The Soviet Union has not yet joined the Korean War. Now they still have a chance. Once the Soviet Union intervenes in the Korean War, if they want to give up North Korea, they will
It's impossible.
At that time, Europe and North Korea will need to advance at both ends, which will be a huge burden for them.
Some advocate attacking Manchuria airports, blocking China's coastline, and using the Chinese in Formosa to deal with New China. This was proposed by MacArthur. He hoped that the United States could take a step forward in the Korean War. He wanted to win the Korean War.
Adding prestige to his reputation within the United States and the next election.
Some people advocate that the war should stop at the 38th Parallel. These are conservatives in the United States. They believe that the current situation is quite good and that the situation before the North and South Korean War should be restored.
But this seems impossible. Syngman Rhee would not agree, and Kim Il Sung would not agree either.
Both of them longed to unify Korea.
However, based on its own global strategy, the U.S. government decided to maintain its position in Europe and did not intend to abandon its mission in North Korea. While answering reporters' questions, Truman publicly expressed his intention to use atomic bombs in North Korea.
Such a speech did not frighten the people of China and North Korea, but frightened his partners.
Hundreds of British Labor MPs signed a letter to British Prime Minister Attlee to protest, and Attlee had to fly to Washington for talks with Truman.
During the talks, they admitted the failure of the Korean War, but were unwilling to withdraw from North Korea. They reiterated their continued persistence in the Korean War and attempted to play a peaceful conspiracy to succeed.
On December 14, 1950, the United States manipulated the United Nations voting machine to pass a resolution establishing the "Three-person Korean Armistice Committee" and advocated "ceasefire first, negotiation later" in an attempt to paralyze the Chinese and North Korean people's sense of decisive battle in order to gain breathing time.
To put it bluntly, the Americans knew that the Chinese and North Korean people longed for an armistice, and used their ideas to falsely create an opportunity for peace negotiations.
He also stated that a ceasefire first and negotiations later would give the United Nations and Rhee Syngman forces, which were retreating frantically and unable to stand, a chance to breathe.
After Walker, the commander of the Eighth Army, died in a car accident, Ridgway assumed the position of commander of the Eighth Army. According to the intentions of the United States, he deployed a "steel position", which is a line of defense that can never be breached.
Three lines of defense, A, B, and C, were deployed on a front 250 kilometers from the mouth of the Imjin River in the west to the coast in the east, with a depth of more than 60 kilometers from north to south.
A is the main defense zone, B is the secondary defense zone, and C is the mobile defense zone.
Eight puppet divisions and four American and British divisions were gathered for frontal defense.
In addition to using old permanent structures, that is, cement-reinforced bunkers, bunkers and communication trenches are generally constructed. The communication trenches and bunkers are connected in series, vertically and horizontally, barbed wire fences are erected, and landmines are buried, posing numerous obstacles to the advancement of the Chinese and North Korean people's armies.
On the sea surface of Incheon Port, 20 nautical miles west of Seoul, ships from the United States and its servants, the United Kingdom, France, Canada, Australia, the Netherlands, Thailand, New Zealand and other countries are concentrated to protect the west flank of the United Nations Army and make the south and south sides of the United Nations Army
Most of this area to the west is within the range of the naval cannon.
The enemy also regarded the 38th Parallel as a lifeline, trying to hold on until it could be rescued, then regroup and march north again.
The enemy's conspiracy of "ceasefire first and negotiation later" while preparing for war has long been seen through by the people of China and North Korea.
A call came from Beijing: The United States and Britain are using the old impression of the 38th Parallel among people to carry out their political propaganda and try to induce us to cease the war. Therefore, it is necessary for our army to cross the 38th Parallel at this time, fight another battle, and then rest and recuperate.
During this period, our country sent representatives to attend the United Nations General Assembly upon invitation and delivered a speech at the Security Council, accusing the United States of its criminal conduct of invading Chinese territory, Taiwan. At that time, China occupied the United Nations seat as a representative of the Chiang Kai-shek Party, and the United Nations had not yet recognized the legal status of the representative of New China.
The representatives sent by our country sternly denounced the crimes of US aggression and the imminent expulsion of the Chiang Party from the United Nations. For this purpose, we not only need moral support, but more importantly, they need to demonstrate the defeat of New China.
In the second battle, the Volunteer Army broke the myth of the US military's invincibility, which shocked countries all over the world. If we can defeat the US military, international public opinion will be more favorable to us.
However, after two consecutive battles, the army fought almost every day. They slept in the mountains and forests, with no food, salt, or food. They could only chew dry oysters. The personal hygiene conditions were extremely poor. Not only were they unable to take a bath, but they also had very few conditions to wash their faces.
of.
Almost everyone has lice. In the past two months, the horses have not taken off their saddles and the men have not taken off their armor. There is an urgent need to fully rest and reorganize and replenish the troops.
Therefore, some comrades had the idea of changing squads and believed that the second-line troops should come up to fight the battle. However, in fact, the troops added from the country were still far away in the pass and could not reach the front line for a while.
Comparing the strength of the enemy and ourselves, our army does not have an absolute advantage in the front-line forces. It is not unreasonable to postpone the third battle, but considering the overall situation, it is not a delaying strategy to give the enemy time to breathe, and not to allow them to cease fire first and then negotiate.
If we succeed, we can break through the 38th Parallel and deal a new blow to the Li Puppet Army and the United Nations Army. This will be extremely beneficial to us politically.
The enemy army will become increasingly divided.
Therefore, all units responded to the call from the rear to "strike while the iron is hot" and actively prepared for another battle.
After the Second Battle, the 38th Army took a short rest, summed up experience, commended meritorious units and individuals, streamlined government service personnel, and replenished combat companies.
Xia Yuan and others, who were resting in the prison camp, also participated in the commendation meeting. At the meeting, Xia Yuan won third-class merit once, second-class merit three times, and collective special merit once.
Later, the superiors replenished the combat troops of the third company. During the battle at Songgu Peak, the organization of the third company was basically destroyed and all the cadres were sacrificed. Only Fourth Platoon Commander Xia Yuan survived.
Therefore, he will shoulder the task of serving as the commander of the third company.
At the same time, he also received a telegram from the commander of the 112th Division. The document mentioned the call to 'strike while the iron is hot'.
Xia Yuan was amazed. After the first battle, the front-line troops basically did not rest, and then the second battle began. It seemed that this second battle had just been fought, and the call to strike while the iron was hot came, and the front-line troops had to continue southward.
Attack and cross the 38th parallel.
Since there were not many troops to supply at the rear and only three platoons of combat units had been replenished, Xia Yuan was still satisfied.
There were three platoons plus a cooking squad. Xia Yuan organized all the organizations, with each platoon leader serving as the leader. After receiving the order from the division headquarters, they also embarked on the journey to catch up with the 335 regiments.
pace.
On the basis of the victory propaganda in the army, we deeply publicized the call of the Volunteer Army and the Military Party Committee to create heroic troops and individuals, and focused on the education of "strike while the iron is hot", pointing out that the enemy was in great internal chaos and panic after this attack, which was the key to annihilating the enemy in large numbers.
It is a great opportunity to fight another big battle while the enemy is not yet firmly established.
In response to the enemy's ceasefire conspiracy, current propaganda focused on exposing the deceptive nature of the enemy's "ceasefire first and negotiation later".
The day after the United States manipulated the United Nations to pass the "Three-person Commission on the Korean Armistice," U.S. President Truman declared a state of emergency in the United States, claiming that the Korean War had expanded the U.S. military from 1.456 million to 2.5 million. From 1951, the United States entered partial mobilization.
Attempts to continue to escalate the war.
Send more American young people to North Korea to serve as cannon fodder.
Our army, through a series of current affairs and political education, has stimulated the awareness of the troops to continue fighting. All the soldiers said:
"Enduring hardship is glory, overcoming difficulties is victory!"