Existing comment:
America Unprepared for War: Few Troops, Fewer Tanks:
On 30 June 1950, when General Douglas MacArthur received authorization to commit US troops, there were four under-strength American divisions available for deployment on occupation duty in Japan: the 7th, 24th, and 25th Infantry Divisions, as well as the 1st Cavalry Division. Normally, each division included one heavy tank battalion of M25 or M46 tanks, while each infantry regiment possessed one medium tank company of M4A3 Sherman tanks. Reconnaissance companies of M24 Chaffee light tanks rounded out the divisional armored force. At full strength, each division should have had about 150 tanks, but instead each had only one company of 17 light M24 Chaffee tanks. These 68 light tanks represented all the tanks available to blunt North Korea's armored spearhead. Worse, the M24 was designed for reconnaissance and security missions. It did not carry the armor or armament for the antitank role into which it was soon thrust. |