By Episode 7 – The First Weeks Part 2:
In this episode is a detailed description of the USA’s first land battle involving Task Force Smith, and the ill-preparedness of US soldiers who thought they were in Korea to just make a show of force. Also here is the North Korean occupation of southern Korea, and the support they received from some of the southern population, while detailing the Kangaroo “people’s courts” set up to punish the entitled classes of the ROK regime. MacArthur is named overall UN and US commander of forces in Korea. Australia is an early participant, as well as British forces. The USA goes on war footing once again. A major expansion of the US military is ordered, as well as a new defense policy outlined in NSC-68 that would have wide-reaching consequences for the history of the US in the Cold War
7:11 pm on July 20th, 2009 1
This is the part where Truman (and perhaps Truman alone) decides to defend South Korea in the name of democracy, and the free world against communist aggression. (The Truman doctrine). No big argument from me as the results speak for themselves. (altho what the Korean people thought at the time, seemed to be irrelivant).
macArthur was responsible for Taskforce Smith. One has to wonder if MacArthur new what kind of tanks the NKs were using (I suspect he would have known through intell) and with what did he plan on stopping them with. (It would have been my first question if I were in control). Apparently he made the decision based on his very narrow minded belief that when the NKs saw an “American” the NKs would run. This was our american military genious? What a fool. He sent these troops to die for nothing other than his foolish belief, knowing they had no weapons to stop the tanks. (I would presume he had someone who was up to date on the T-34 in his vast group of admirers.)
This was perhaps the first major indication that MacArthur had not only grown too old, but somewhat senile as well. Before the war was over many, many more would die for his poor decisions.
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